It was the first day of the newest school year of Silver Leaf Academy. Lu Xinyi found herself yawning for the umpteenth time of the day while waiting for the ceremony to start. Being the current number-one of the Cream of the Crop, her presence was needed today.
Because of her outstanding performance at the World Patisserie Challenge, Lu Xinyi became more popular and had earned the nickname: Goddess of Pastries.
Many aspiring and new students of Silver Leaf were looking forward to seeing and meeting her in person while some couldn’t wait to see her perform her cooking skills in a live cooking battle.
Following the tradition, the remaining big families of the capital sent their sponsored students with a lot of potential as future professional chefs. As the Ye family rose and claimed their previous spot as a member of the big 5 families of the capital, the Sun family had lost its prestige and popularity overnight.
Aside from the Ye and the Shen family, only the Liu, Tang, and Li families had sent students to join this school year.
Lu Xinyi yawned again, rubbed her eyes, and supported her chin with one hand. She was starting to hate attending events like this. No wonder her Yu Gege skipped all the pleasantries and refused to attend events like this. This was really boring if someone would ask her opinion.
If she could, she would have stayed at the Shen Mansion, in her bed and taking a nap. Ah, bed. How come she loved spending more in her bed than on her kitchen now? Was this a side effect of being pregnant?
She also noticed that she felt warmer these days that she had to ask for popsicles or any refreshments from her bodyguards. Even her school uniform was starting to irritate her as it constricted her movements.
A nap sounded so tempting right now as she fought hard not to fall asleep while seated beside Ye Xieren and Yan Chen at the long table where they were waiting.
“Sister Lu, have you prepared your speech today?” Yan Chen asked her.
“Please tell me you didn’t forget about it.” Ye Xieren eyed her expectantly.
Both Yan Chen and Ye Xieren were the student council’s president and vice president respectively, knowing that the current number-one had ditched her responsibilities again under the guise of her pregnancy.
“I didn’t forget. It’s all in here.” Lu Xinyi tapped her head with her forefinger. “I only need to memorize a few lines, right?”
“I bet as hell her speech will be impromptu.” The corner of Ye Xieren’s eye grew crinkled.
“Yes. Knowing Sister Lu, she hasn’t prepared her speech yet.” Surya Rathore nodded his agreement on Ye Xieren’s assumption.
“Hey!” Lu Xinyi scrunched up her face. “You made it sound like I’m lazy.”
“Well, aren’t you, Sister Lu?” Surya wagged his brows at her.
The woman in question scowled on her seat. Why were they trying to gang up against her? Was her image and reputation in their minds really that bad? Then again, who could blame her? From her father to her brother, did they really expect to see her running around like a headless chicken?
“Give Xin Jie a break. You’re not the one who needed to sleep and eat for two people.” Tang Lilou rested a hand on her hip when she noticed her Xin Jie being questioned by the guys upon her arrival.
“Ah, Sister Tang always sided with Sister Lu. Why am I not surprised at all?” It was Ye Xieren’s turn to groan before leaving to check on the incoming juniors today.
“Is it me, or Brother Ye seemed to mature overnight?” Tang Lilou asked Lu Xinyi after taking the seat Ye Xieren vacated.
Lu Xinyi gave her a half-shrug. Even now, she couldn’t believe how small the world was. Imagine her surprise when she saw Ye Xieren talking to Ye Xingjie the other day and found out that they were both related as brothers with Ye Xingjie the older between the two. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
“So how long should we wait until the ceremony starts?”
He checked the schedule on his tablet before answering.
“We still have half an hour left before they finish the preparation.” Yan Chen pushed the bridge of his eyeglasses up.
Like the previous ceremony, the student’s spirits were up in contrast to Lu Xinyi who was crying on the corner when her cookies fell and scattered on the floor after a student bumped into her while she made her way back to the auditorium. Her eyes welled up with tears while the young man apologized repeatedly for his mistake. He hadn’t noticed her coming his way when he bumped into her.
Fu Rui stepped forward and offered his miss a clean hanky to dry up her tears while his brother frowned behind him, scrutinizing the young boy.
“Miss, please don’t cry. We can drop by at Tiers of Delights later to get more cookies.” Fu Shuren tried to console her.
Who hadn’t heard about Tiers of Delight’s signature macarons and cakes anyway? Under Lu Xinyi’s management and with Lan Xiaoli’s help, Tiers of Delight became one of the most popular bakeshops within the capital. It was so profitable that Shen Yi decided to expand the business and offered several branches within the country.
“But those are the cookies I bake with my Yuyan,” Lu Xinyi couldn’t understand why she was suddenly so emotional over trivial things like this.
“I’m sorry, Sister Lu.” The young man panicked when he recognized Lu Xinyi. Oh, of all the people he’d make cry today, why did it have to be her?!
“You better watch where you’re going, man. Leave before I change my mind and make you accountable for this.” Fu Rui snarled at him.
The young man didn’t need to be told twice. He hurriedly ran away, hoping he wouldn’t encounter Lu Xinyi again in the future.
When she came back to the auditorium, a familiar woman ran towards her to greet her. The Fu Siblings stepped forward to halt her to get close with Lu Xinyi who was still feeling down over her wasted cookies.
“Lu Xinyi, nice to know that you’re still here.” The woman smirked at her as she played with her hair. “As promised, I managed to pass this year’s Silver Leaf’s exam.”
Lu Xinyi blinked several times, trying to remember where she’d seen this woman.
“Who are you again?” She asked. Her brain refused to cooperate with her even though she knew in her heart that she’d met this woman before.
“Lu Xinyi! How dare you forget about our deal?!” The woman exclaimed, filled with indignation. “I’m Mo Lihui, or do I need to remind you of our promise?”
Lu Xinyi cupped her chin and thought hard.
“Mo Lihui? Mo Lihui…” Then, her eyes widened up when it dawned upon her where she’d met her. “Oh, the Mo girl who lost to me and had given me Blue Haven willingly.” She smacked her right hand over her open left hand.
Mo Lihui’s face turned ashen and coughed awkwardly on her hand. Goodness, Lu Xinyi was still the same. She had still had a blunt tongue and never knew the word shamelessness. “Just so you know, I will make sure not to lose this time! I’ll take the top seat away from you!”
Those provoking words from Mo Lihui amused the little devil. “Then, Sister Mo, I’ll like to see you try,” she replied, filled with arrogance.
