Chapter 6: He felt very uncomfortable, but he couldn't cry because he knew better than anyone that crying wouldn't help

This was Qiao Jin’s decision.

Qi Dashan timidly offered his opinion, “Let’s still go to Guorui. All of his kindergarten classmates are there, and Mu Mu can adapt.”

Qi Dashan, coming from a humble background, valued connections a lot!

Qiao Jin frowned and said, “The atmosphere isn’t good.” Kindergarten is simple, but primary school students already understand a lot. She had attended private schools all the way through her early years and knew the situation there well. She didn’t want her son to suffer.

Qi Dashan didn’t dare to say much more, anything else was beyond his control.

Although Qiao Jin had made up her mind, she still asked her son’s opinion, “Mu Mu, how about we go to Shiyan?”

Qi Mu didn’t understand the difference between private Guorui School and public Shiyan School. He was always straightforward and relied entirely on his feelings.

“Okay, I’ll listen to Mom,” he replied.

Qiao Jin patted his little head. “Mu Mu is so good.”

Qi Mu’s eyes lit up, and he flashed his small tiger teeth: “…Then can I have another ice cream?”

Qiao Jin changed her pat to a tap, “No.”

Qi Mu pouted, his mind filled with thoughts of how to sneak another one.

Originally, this matter wouldn’t have been revealed so early, but it was Fang Junqi, that little chubby boy, who had eaten too much salty food at home and drank water like crazy when he got to kindergarten, ending up wetting his pants. The teacher took him to change clothes, and on the way, he overheard the teachers talking.

“Qi Mu is going to Shiyan.”

“Huh, is Qi Dashan’s business not doing well?”

“No matter how bad it is, he can still afford the tuition, right?” This was a new assistant kindergarten teacher.

“You underestimate Guorui. Do you know how much the tuition is?”

“Isn’t it just ten or twenty thousand?”

“Heh, add another zero to that.”

“That much!”

“What’s that to them? Money is never a problem for them.”

The new teacher sighed, “Then it seems like there is some problem with Qi Mu’s family.”

“What nonsense, can’t you see the Qiqiao Jewelry ads all over the place?” 

Qiqiao Jewelry was Qi Dashan’s company, and the name was cleverly chosen, combining the sounds of Qi and Qiao.¹Qiqiao is the name for the Double Seventh Festival (Traditional Valentine’s Day) in China. The two characters are written differently but sound the same as their names, which is why it is very clever.

“Then why send his son to a public school?”

“Who knows?” the kindergarten teacher said. “Maybe they want to toughen up the kid.”

The assistant kindergarten teacher thought about this and then shuddered at the thought of Qi the little tyrant’s personality—toughen him up? In a kindergarten like this, he was already ruling the roost. If he went to a regular primary school, wouldn’t he directly ascend the throne and become emperor?

The teachers chatted casually, and Fang Xiaopang, who had wet his pants, heard everything clearly.

Oh, my heavens (insert Xiao Yueyue meme here)! ²Refercing to Yue Yunpeng, a celebrity known for his comedy shows. The student’s nickname Fang Xiaopang means Chubby Fang. https://pic1.zhimg.com/v2-b1114d04a2ec07ffeff190b085849640_b.gif

As soon as Fang returned to the classroom, he made the news public.

With elementary school on the horizon, the kindergarten atmosphere was buzzing. Everyone knew they were about to advance to Guorui Elementary School.

When Fang Junqi shared the news about Qi Mu, Xu Xiaoming’s eyes lit up, almost shouting in excitement.

Heavens! Earth! Finally, justice has been served!

“They just need to get through this last month, and they can say goodbye to Qi Baba!”

“No, no, no, we won’t say goodbye; it’s farewell forever!”

Xu Xiaoming couldn’t help but ask, “Really? Qi Mu is going to Shiyan?”

Fang Junqi solemnly nodded, “Absolutely true!” He had just learned this phrase last night and was already using it today!

Xu Xiaoming was so happy he nearly jumped up…

Just then, Qi Mu came back from outside, holding his little water cup, and heard their conversation.

“Don’t be sad,” Qi Mu said. “If you miss me, just come to Shiyan to find me.”

Xu Xiaoming: “…”

Fang Junqi: “…”

Seeing their stiff expressions, Qi Mu said earnestly, “I know you all can’t bear to part with me, but my mom makes the decisions at home. Wherever she tells me to go, I have to go.” If he didn’t listen to his mom, his dad would kill him.

Xu Xiaoming looked at Fang Junqi, and Fang Junqi looked at Xu Xiaoming. They saw the full extent of their frustration in each other’s eyes.

Where did Qi Baba get all this confidence from, anyway?

Xu Xiaoming’s eyes darted around, a born drama king, slipping into character in an instant: “Why do you have to go to Shi Xiao? Everyone’s going to Rui Xiao, the whole class will be missing you.”

Simple-minded Fang Junqi looked at Xu Xiaoming in horror: What’s going on?

Xu Xiaoming gave him a little look, and Fang Junqi finally understood.

Oh right, they couldn’t afford to provoke the little tyrant, so it was best to sweet-talk him into leaving. After all, it was just one last month.

Qi Mu comforted his two “good friends”, “I don’t know either. Anyway, it’s just elementary school. What’s the difference?”

Xu Xiaoming put on a face of “reluctance”: “But then we’ll be far apart.”

Qi Mu was surprised: “Far apart? Aren’t all elementary schools supposed to be close by?” He was thinking of primary schools as being like classes within a school.

Xu Xiaoming patiently explained it to him.

Qi Mu understood and patted their shoulders, “Ah if it’s that far, I guess it will be hard for us to meet. Don’t be sad, my dad says a man doesn’t cry easily.”

Xu Xiaoming: Sad my foot, I would only cry tears of joy!

Despite his inner grumbling, the little drama king played his role enthusiastically, “Qi Mu, we need to cherish these last moments together.”

Qi Mu was very touched: “I didn’t realize you guys would miss me so much. How about I go home and talk to my mom? Maybe I can go to Guorui with you…”

Before he could finish, Xu Xiaoming shuddered and almost cried, “No, please don’t!”

Qi Mu was puzzled, “Why not? Aren’t you going to miss me?”

Xu Xiaoming reacted quickly, “You shouldn’t upset Aunt Qiao just because of us!”

This made sense to Qi Mu, and he nodded, “I really can’t afford to upset my mom.”

“Then there’s no other way,” Qi Mu said, looking at them. “We can only cherish these last moments together.”

Xu Xiaoming breathed a sigh of relief, his palms sweating. He thought to himself that experiencing such emotional ups and downs at the tender age of six meant he would achieve great things in the future!

Not long after, all the kids in Class Three knew that Qi Mu was going to Shi Xiao.

In truth, many of them couldn’t tell the difference between Rui Xiao and Shi Xiao, but they all understood one thing clearly: Qi Mu wouldn’t be at Rui Xiao!

Although no one originally planned to go to Shi Xiao, those kids who had fears about transitioning to primary school were now cured.

Oh my, hurry up and advance! Elementary school must be like heaven!

Actually, Qi Mu didn’t bully that many people. It was just that children loved to follow the crowd. Xu Xiaoming, originally a significant figure himself, was now so overshadowed by Qi Mu that he couldn’t lift his head. Their fear transferred to Qi Mu, making them submissive.

Additionally, Qi Mu had a big fight with Class Two for Yin Xiuzhu, which the other kids witnessed, naturally making them afraid.

Moreover, Qi Mu never feared teachers and even dared to play pranks on them (which he thought were games), earning him the nickname “Tyrant of the Playground.”

Yin Xiuzhu was the last one to know about the elementary school situation. He had taken a day off and didn’t come to kindergarten. When he returned the next day, he learned the news.

Qi Mu was going to Shiyan.

Qi Mu was leaving.

In the entire kindergarten, he was probably the only one who felt truly struck by lightning.

He had just made a wish, and it was already shattered.

Even the wish-granting fairy wouldn’t help him.

After all, he was a child without a birthday.

Yin Xiuzhu was devastated, his big dark eyes were dull, but no tears fell.

He felt extremely upset and deeply pained.

But he couldn’t cry, because he knew better than anyone that crying wouldn’t help.

Especially when feeling this terrible, crying would only make it worse.

Seeing him arrive, Qi Mu quickly called out, “Come sit here with me.”

Yin Xiuzhu sat down, his small head hanging low, avoiding eye contact.

Qi Mu took out the hidden chocolate, “Eat it secretly, don’t let the teacher see.” The kindergarten didn’t allow kids to bring snacks, but Qi Mu never cared about the teacher’s rules.

He had eaten a few pieces last night and found them delicious, so he secretly brought some for Yin Xiuzhu today.

Yin Xiuzhu looked at the chocolate, feeling a sting in his eyes.

Qi Mu urged him, “Hurry up and eat it, I saved it, especially for you.” As he spoke, he licked his lips, craving the chocolate himself.

Yin Xiuzhu shook his head, “I don’t want to eat.”

Qi Mu blinked, “It’s really delicious. If I hadn’t thought of you, I would have eaten it all myself.”

He said this, and Yin Xiuzhu felt even more upset.

They had known each other for over a year, and Yin Xiuzhu had never refused him before, but this time, he stubbornly refused.

Qi Mu was puzzled, “What’s wrong? Don’t you love chocolate the most?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t love it; he only ate it because Qi Mu loved it.

But now that Qi Mu was leaving, once he was gone, Yin Xiuzhu wouldn’t be able to enjoy chocolate anymore.

Yin Xiuzhu gritted his teeth and finally looked up at him, “Wish-granting fairies are all liars.”

Qi Mu: “How is that possible? This year I wished for a remote-controlled robot, and the next morning it was right next to my pillow!”

Just as he had imagined, it was so cool.

Yin Xiuzhu lowered his head again, “Maybe, maybe because it was your birthday, so my wish couldn’t come true.”

“I’ve already given you half my birthday. If mine comes true, then so will yours!”

“But mine won’t come true.” Yin Xiuzhu felt a wave of sourness surge at his nose. “It definitely won’t come true…”

Qi Mu felt both sorry and concerned. “What did you wish for, after all?”

“I…” Yin Xiuzhu hesitated, swallowing back his words. He couldn’t say it; if he did, it might never come true.

Qi Mu comforted him, “Don’t worry, maybe the wish-granting fairy just isn’t familiar with you yet. Give it some time.”

Yin Xiuzhu looked at him, “Really?”

Qi Mu nodded, “Really!”

But Qi Mu was going to Shi Xiao, and they were going to be separated.

Yin Xiuzhu still held onto a glimmer of hope but dared not mention his wish again.

Instead, Qi Mu brought up the topic of primary school on his own, “Oh yeah, my mom wants me to go to Shi Xiao. You should come too.”

Yin Xiuzhu was stunned.

Qi Mu leaned in closer and whispered, “Let me tell you, my mom is really amazing. She’s always right about things. If she says Shiyan is good, then it must be good. You should come with me, it’ll be the right choice.”

He shared this little secret only with Yin Xiuzhu. Although he was also good friends with Xu Xiaoming and Fang Junqi, he understood clearly in his heart that Xu Xiaoming and Fang Junqi were even closer, just like him and Yin Xiuzhu.

Friends, after all, weren’t all the same.

He wasn’t blind to the fact that Xu Xiaoming always gave the best things to Fang Junqi.

Seeing Yin Xiuzhu silent, Qi Mu continued, “You should go back and talk to your mom. Shiyan is really good. I heard you don’t even have to pay tuition.” Qi Mu didn’t understand much about compulsory nine-year education, but not having to spend money to go to school was a good thing.

Yin Xiuzhu remained stunned for a long time before coming back to his senses. His heart stirred.

How could it not stir?

He wouldn’t have to be separated from Qi Mu as long as he had enough courage to talk to his dad about it.