FIMA Ch21: The Gift

When Xie Qingxiao arrived home, Xie Chengfeng had just returned from a business trip to Tibet. He looked exuberant and was enthusiastically chatting with Xie Gaoyang and Xie Gaohan. It seemed his business trip had gone well.

Seeing him, Xie Qingxiao called out, “Dad.”

Xie Chengfeng glanced at him and said, “Back?”

Xie Qingxiao nodded, “Mm, I’ll go upstairs and change first.”

“Wait a moment,” Xie Chengfeng called him back, “Come sit down. I brought something back for you to choose from. I also have something to discuss with you.”

Xie Qingxiao paused, squinting his long, narrow eyes.

Then, as he turned back, his face was already full of smiles, “Sure, Dad. Thanks, Dad.”

He placed his backpack on the stair railing and walked over to the sofa, smiling at Xie Gaohan sitting opposite him, “Gaohan looks really spirited today. Is that necklace a gift from Dad? It’s nice. By the way, you should have gotten your test papers back from last week’s monthly exam, right? How did you do? Did you improve from last time?”

Xie Gaohan, who had been gloating over the scene, knew from his dad’s tone that what he had to say to Xie Qingxiao probably wasn’t good news. But who would have thought this sly guy would turn the topic to him, and it was the same old question about his grades… this schemer.

Xie Chengfeng naturally looked at Xie Gaohan, clearly also wanting to know the answer.

Xie Gaohan forced a dry smile, “It’s… okay!”

But this answer was clearly unsatisfactory.

Xie Chengfeng’s expression changed slightly, “You’re already in your second year of high school. How much more time do you think you have to waste? You’re at the same school, so why are you so far behind your brother? What do you do at school every day?”

Xie Gaohan muttered, “Oh…”

Xie Qingxiao continued amiably, “Are you dating at school? Dating really affects your studies.”

Xie Gaohan’s face changed.

Although he wasn’t as stunningly beautiful as Xie Qingxiao, he was still quite cute and attractive among Omegas, with many admirers. Recently, he had indeed been dating an Alpha, which had caused his grades to drop even further compared to last month.

Now, being called out on this, he couldn’t help but glare fiercely at Xie Qingxiao.

Xie Chengfeng naturally noticed this and immediately scolded, “You haven’t achieved anything academically, and now you’re dating early? Your brother brought this up for your own good. Look at yourself!”

Whenever Xie Chengfeng got angry, Gong Li usually didn’t dare to speak. But she felt sorry for her youngest son, so she tugged at Xie Gaoyang’s sleeve, signaling him to help his brother.

As Xie Chengfeng’s only Alpha son, Xie Gaoyang’s words held some weight, so he quickly intervened, “Dad, didn’t you say you had something to discuss with big brother?”

Xie Qingxiao sneered at him before looking at Xie Chengfeng again, his tone naturally affectionate, “Right, Dad, what did you want to discuss?”

“Yes,” Xie Chengfeng nodded, then angrily scolded Xie Gaohan again, “You always cause delays.”

He turned to Xie Qingxiao, “Ahem, Qingxiao, last month before I went on my trip, you said you broke up with Young Master Shen. What’s going on?”

Xie Qingxiao sighed with a complicated expression, “Yes, we broke up. Actually, it’s the same problem as Gaohan just now. Dating in high school, especially in the third year, really hinders studying. It’s impossible to balance both.”

“Besides, Shen Ting is a young master without a steady mind. Whenever I sat down to study and couldn’t accompany him, he would hang out with other Omegas.”

Hearing this, Xie Gaohan immediately widened his eyes, “Xie Qingxiao, so you were dating early too, and you still had the nerve to lecture me?”

Xie Qingxiao looked at him steadily, “Yes, so I admitted my mistake and broke up.”

But Xie Chengfeng felt something was off as he listened. Before he left for his trip, Xie Qingxiao had mentioned breaking up with Shen Ting, but his attitude wasn’t like this…

He thought for a moment and then said, “Studying is important, but Young Master Shen is also a rare talent. How could you not handle both well? If he liked you, it shows he had some feelings for you. After you go back to school, spend more time pleasing him and try to get back together…”

Hearing this, Xie Gaohan was the first to be furious. His dad was so hypocritical! He just scolded him for dating early and not studying, but now he’s telling Xie Qingxiao the exact opposite?

He fumed, “Dad, Xie Qingxiao said his grades were suffering because of dating. How can you still indulge him like this? What if he does worse than me in the college entrance exam?”

“Shut up, this has nothing to do with you!”

Xie Chengfeng was also angry after being interrupted by this stupid son multiple times.

Xie Qingxiao lowered his eyes, a slight smile playing on his lips.

But soon, he looked up at Xie Chengfeng with a bewildered expression and said, “Dad, Gaohan actually makes a good point… Every time Shen Ting asked me to go play basketball or drink with him, I wanted to go too, but when I thought of you, I just couldn’t make that decision.”

Xie Chengfeng frowned, “What does this have to do with me?”

“I remember you liking children who are good at studying the most. Since I was very young, just starting kindergarten, you held me and told me to study hard, to strive forward, to get into a top university,” Xie Qingxiao said with a touch of nostalgia on his face.

“Over the years, I’ve always remembered what you said, keeping it in my heart as the most important thing, hoping not to disappoint your expectations. So, I’ve tried to avoid anything that would hinder my studies.”

Xie Chengfeng looked at his son, feeling a moment of tenderness in his heart.

No matter what, Xie Qingxiao had indeed been obedient and sensible over the years, and his excellent academic performance had earned him some face and bragging rights among his peers and colleagues.

At this moment, Xie Qingxiao continued, clenching his fist, “Dad, especially just now hearing you scold Gaohan, I became even more determined in my choice. Dad, don’t worry, I will never forget your teachings from childhood or disappoint your expectations. Nothing in this world can stop me from studying and taking the college entrance exam, especially not someone like Shen Ting, who only hinders my studies and is a playboy Alpha!”

Xie Chengfeng was stunned by his son’s declaration, like a military pledge.

Importantly, he couldn’t contradict himself and say his previous words were wrong, especially with the foolish Xie Gaohan glaring at him, ready to argue at any moment…

After a long while, he slowly said, “You are a good child, very thoughtful. Young Master Shen is indeed a bit playful, but…”

However, before he could finish, Xie Qingxiao looked at him brightly, “Yes, exactly, Shen Ting is really frivolous and unfaithful. This time he was the one who cheated first. If he had any morals or boundaries, I wouldn’t be so conflicted now. So, Dad, why don’t you stand up for me and teach Shen Ting a lesson?”

Xie Chengfeng’s expression changed slightly.

His financial power was insignificant compared to the Shen family; how could he dare to do anything to Shen Ting?

“This matter should be dropped. It’s not a good look for parents to intervene in a high school relationship, and it might also disrupt your studies. For now, focus on your studies.”

“Mm, Dad, you make sense.” Xie Qingxiao nodded vigorously, “In that case, I’ll go upstairs to work on my assignments. The next exam is the end-of-term joint exam. I hope my scores won’t disappoint you.”

With that, he got up and walked straight upstairs.

Xie Chengfeng sat on the sofa, watching Xie Qingxiao’s back, feeling something was not quite right…

However, his phone rang again, and it was the big merchant he met in City B.

Xie Chengfeng soon had no time to think so much. If he could maintain a good relationship with this boss and open up product lines, his company might be able to level up.

Slowly, he might even be able to stand on equal footing with the Shen family one day…

…

The three-day New Year holiday passed in the blink of an eye.

Monday morning.

When Gu Siyuan arrived at the classroom, he carried two breakfasts.

In just three short days, he had automatically gotten into the habit of taking care of his little boyfriend, but it felt pretty good.

Xie Qingxiao was sitting at his seat. When he saw what Gu Siyuan was holding, his face immediately lit up with a smile, “Is that for me?”

Gu Siyuan nodded, “Who else would it be for?”

Xie Qingxiao didn’t mind his cold and indifferent manner at all, grabbing it and saying, “Thanks, Yuan Yuan.”

Hearing this nickname, Gu Siyuan felt his throat itch again.

He glanced around the classroom. It was still early, and there were only a few students sitting in the front rows.

Gu Siyuan turned his head and gave Xie Qingxiao, who looked smug, a cold look.

Xie Qingxiao felt uneasy seeing his expression, “In broad daylight, what do you want to do?”

Gu Siyuan didn’t respond. His long arms reached out, pulling Xie Qingxiao into his lap, and then his hand went under Xie Qingxiao’s jacket to tickle him.

Mm, this should make his little boyfriend laugh enough.

Xie Qingxiao, with his soft, delicate skin, was most afraid of this.

He bitterly regretted exposing this weakness to Gu Siyuan a few days ago.

Unfortunately, as an Omega, he had no strength to struggle against a strong Alpha like Gu Siyuan.

The most frustrating part was that although he was terribly ticklish, he didn’t dare laugh out loud. Even though there were few people in the classroom, there were still some…

He rolled around on Gu Siyuan’s lap, holding onto his sleeves, silently begging for mercy, mouthing, “I was wrong, I was wrong, Yuan Yuan…”

“…” Gu Siyuan looked at him coldly.

He didn’t seem to look remorseful at all!

After struggling for a while, Xie Qingxiao finally ran out of energy. Being small, he curled up in Gu Siyuan’s lap like a clingy little pet.

At this moment, he felt something cool on his neck; something was being put on him.

Tsk, really domesticated.

He raised his hand to touch it and looked up at Gu Siyuan, “What’s this?”

Gu Siyuan coughed, looking indifferent, “Mm, New Year’s gift.”

Xie Qingxiao immediately got excited. This was the first gift Gu Siyuan had given him since they confirmed their relationship.

He instantly bounced up from Gu Siyuan’s lap, holding his boyfriend’s face and kissing him, “Yuan Yuan, I love you to death.”

“…” They were in the back row, and a few classmates who had just entered the classroom looked at each other.

Early in the morning, and already this exciting…