When Rex heard Wang Arthur mention Qiao Xi, a flash of guilt crossed his eyes, but it was perfectly masked, transforming into the aggrieved expression of someone who had been wronged. The tears that had already welled up in his eyes instantly spilled over.
Qiao Xi couldn't help but sigh inwardly: "Good grief, Rex's acting is truly masterclass. If I hadn't read the original plot, I really would have been fooled by him."
"That's right, my family might have fallen on hard times now, but I still have my dignity! How can you casually accuse me of cheating you out of your money? Besides, I never asked you to help me in the first place. I'm also sorry about what happened to Xiao Xi; I never expected Xiao Xi would go to work in a place like a bar. But I will pay you back!" Rex looked at Arthur with a slightly crying tone and yelled at him.
Seeing Arthur step forward to grab Rex's shoulders, Qiao Xi hurriedly teleported to Wang Arthur's side and pulled him back, while Ding Xiaoyu also teleported over and pressed down on Wang Arthur's shoulders.
"Brother Arthur, calm down!"
Wang Arthur glanced at Qiao Xi and said to Wang Dadong, "Fine, we'll see. The strong are always the last ones to leave the battlefield. Rex, you'd better watch yourself!"
With that, he walked out of Ultima Class, and Qiao Xi hurried to follow him.
Wang Arthur walked over and sat down on a bench by the campus path, and Qiao Xi sat down beside Arthur.
"Sis, you believe me, right?"
"Of course I believe you. Not just because you're my brother, but also because I think Rex is a bit strange too."
"Sis, thank you for being willing to believe me. As long as there's still someone willing to believe me, that's enough." Arthur smiled gently at Qiao Xi.
"However, Brother Arthur, while I believe you, the people in the class certainly won't. You have to know that pursuing the truth comes at a price."
Qiao Xi glanced back at Ding Xiaoyu and Wang Dadong, who had chased after them.
"Arthur, Dadong wants to apologize to you."
As the leader of Ultima Class, Wang Dadong naturally needed to save face, so he looked at Xiaoyu with a trace of panic and said, "Xiaoyu, you're way too direct."
Then he turned to Arthur: "Arthur, I apologize to you for what happened in the classroom just now."
"Concessions that cover up the truth will only drive people further away from the truth."
Yet Wang Dadong, being dense, assumed Wang Arthur was just mad at him for calling him a spoiled young master.
"Oh, Brother Dadong. Brother Arthur isn't mad about that."
Wang Dadong looked at Qiao Xi with a blank expression: He isn't???
Understanding Wang Dadong's intellect, Wang Arthur didn't argue with him further. "Forget it, I accept your apology. But..."
Before Wang Arthur could finish, Wang Dadong threw an arm around Arthur's shoulder. "That's the King Arthur I know! But I also hope you won't keep picking on Rex. He's a good friend who grew up with me and Xiao Xi since we were kids. Just trust me, you must have seen wrong."
Wang Arthur sighed. There was nothing he could do about this brawn-over-brains guy; full of loyalty yet utterly lacking in critical thinking, refusing to believe that his childhood buddy could be someone beyond his comprehension no matter what was said. He truly didn't know what else to say to him.
The two of them walked side by side, while Qiao Xi and Xiaoyu followed quietly behind at a distance from Dadong and the others.
"Xiao Xi, if I or Dadong ran into a situation like this, would you also choose to believe us without hesitation?" Obviously, Xiaoyu had overheard her conversation with Arthur.
"Of course. Just think about it carefully and you'll know that, given Brother Arthur's personality, he would never claim Rex is KO.2 for no reason. If it's not something he saw with his own eyes or heard with his own ears, he wouldn't casually wrong someone else, nor would he stoop to doing such a thing. No matter which one of you it is, I will firmly believe in you." Qiao Xi looked at the two sunny figures ahead and said with a smile."You really are the calmest one among us. I just hope that whatever happens, you can talk to me. I will always stand by you and believe in you." A gentle, doting smile touched the space between Xiaoyu's brows. Bathed in the sunlight, the usually aloof youth took on a hint of warmth, and Qiao Xi was momentarily mesmerized.
"Xiaoyu, you really should smile more. You look so handsome when you do," Qiao Xi said, blinking at him with a playful look.
Xiaoyu's cheeks flushed slightly. He made a half-fist against his lips and coughed. "Alright, let's hurry up and go."
As they neared the teaching building, they saw Jin Baosan running toward them. "This is bad, Brother Dadong! Rex jumped off the building!"
The three of them exchanged a shocked look and teleported to the infirmary. Qiao Xi also widened her eyes and dashed to the classroom to grab Rex's medicine. "Damn it, didn't we agree he wouldn't do anything to hurt himself again?! It's one thing not to take my words to heart, but he actually dared to jump!"
Right at the entrance of the infirmary, she crashed straight into Wang Dadong, who was coming out.
Qiao Xi covered her nose, which was throbbing with pain. "Brother Dadong, what are you doing? It hurts so much, hey."
Wang Dadong looked at her anxiously. "I'm sorry, Xiao Xi. I was just in a rush to go back to the classroom to get Rex's medicine. Are you alright? Does it hurt? Do you want me to take a look?"
With tears welling in her eyes from the pain, Qiao Xi said, "I'm okay. I brought the medicine. Go on and give it to Rex."
Wang Dadong gave her a grateful look without saying another word. He turned and went back to the side of Rex's bed, helping him take the medicine, and let out a sigh of relief as he watched the color gradually return to Rex's face.
After Rex recovered and returned to the classroom, days went on as usual. Soon, it was the day the mock exam results were announced.
Without exception, every student other than Qiao Xi, Rex, Ding Xiaoyu, and Wang Arthur had done terribly on the exam.
"Did you hear that? Anyone who scored below ten points, start crying for me." Qiao Xi was truly astonished. Even by guessing randomly, they should have gotten at least twenty points. Why was the entire class crying? They really were something else."Alright everyone, this time Xiao Yu, Arthur, and Rex all did very well on their exams. The rest of you didn't do so great, but there is still one student who got a perfect score—and that's Xiao Xi! Everyone should learn from Xiao Xi."
"And another thing, starting today, each of us needs to have our own personal study plan, and I've asked Wang Dadong to be the enforcer to oversee it."
No matter how much the students of Ultima Class complained now, it was useless. After all, since Wang Dadong was backing Teacher Tian Xin like this, what else could they say?
During the break, Rex approached Teacher Tian Xin privately and volunteered to take charge of creating the study plans for the entire class. After hesitating repeatedly, Teacher Tian Xin finally handed the task over to Rex.
After school, Teacher Tian Xin called Qiao Xi aside and asked her to help Rex work on the study plans together.
"Alright, since Sister Xinxin put it that way, I'll definitely do my best to help Rex."
"That's wonderful! With your help, Sister Xinxin can rest easy about Rex. Well then, I have some things to take care of, so I'll be off."After saying goodbye to Teacher Tian Xin, Qiao Xi returned to the classroom. Finding it completely empty except for Rex, and sensing no one watching from the shadows, she walked over and sat down beside him. "Brother Rex, did you forget what you promised me? Didn't you promise me you wouldn't do anything to hurt yourself? Jumping off a building, of course—who adds drama to their own life like that?" Qiao Xi glared at Rex with her apricot-shaped eyes wide in anger.
"Xiao Xi, you forget, with my Battle Power Index, even jumping from the tenth floor wouldn't hurt me," Rex said with a helpless expression.
"But you have asthma! Others might not know, but don't think I don't. Even with a Battle Power Index, an illness doesn't just go away. Do you know how worried people get? My face turned white from fright back then—you almost scared me to death! Do you even know how to cherish your own body?" Qiao Xi switched to her naggy mode, earnestly lecturing Rex.
"Alright, there won't be a next time, don't worry," Rex said, looking at Qiao Xi with doting eyes as he patted her head.
"What is up with these people lately? Why does everyone love patting my head?!"