Chapter 256: Chapter 256

Qin Miao, although convicted of espionage, did not cause substantial harm, and as she was coerced into committing the crime, she was only sentenced to eight years.

Lu Anna said worriedly, "My dad said she might get out in five years if she behaves well."

Five years, Li Xianglu calculated in her mind, Qin Miao is 21 this year, and she’ll only be 26 when she gets out of prison. Would she seek revenge on their family?

Li Xianglu talked to Anna briefly then went out to find Qin Xi and shared her concerns with him.

Qin Xi nodded and said, "It’s a bit heavier than I expected. Legally, such cases usually get around five years, but perhaps the pressure from grandfather played a role."

Li Xianglu’s eyes widened in disbelief: "You mean the sentence was actually harsh?"

Qin Xi smiled and pulled her towards the direction of the girls’ dormitory, saying as they walked, "Qin Miao is a very smart person. She avoided many direct crimes and even withstood the interrogation from national security. Grandfather mentioned she might have received spy training, so getting eight years under these circumstances is quite good. In these eight years, we can relax and do some things to grow and strengthen."

Li Xianglu still wasn’t very happy, but Qin Xi was right. Five years was enough for her to grow. After all, once Qin Miao, who served her sentence, is released, would those people still train her as a talent?

In the following days, Li Xianglu no longer resisted the training from Su Yan and started learning actively, especially crisis management skills which she studied earnestly.

The old man, impressed, also talked with his granddaughter about negotiation and conversational skills, and Li Xianglu absorbed everything like a sponge.

Time flew, and by mid-May, it started to get hot. It was their junior year, and the International Trade class was about to end this term. Nabasha had gone back, and the school had a new young male teacher who taught exceptionally well.

Speaking of this male teacher, Li Xianglu thought of Iro, who was particularly enchanted with the new Teacher Jiang. He was under thirty and had studied abroad, returning with a fluent British accent that was very charming.

His gentle face, single eyelids, and pair of soft eyebrows were very soothing. He spoke slowly, and his smile was especially gentle. In early spring, he liked to wear a leather jacket to class. Whenever a girl asked a question, he would slightly raise his eyebrows, then walk over and listen carefully, making many girls blush intensely.

Iro was even more special. The school introduced social dance in the PE class, and once, when they couldn’t book the dance studio, the PE teacher had everyone practice on the sports field, pairing up male with female, or female with female, free to choose.

Coincidentally, there were precisely 35 people in the class. Iro, who wasn’t initially attending, rushed back last minute. The girls in the dormitory had previously discussed grouping in threes, but then Teacher Jiang appeared out of nowhere, wearing a snow-white shirt and blue jeans, and paired up with Iro.

After class, Iro’s face was as red as a cooked shrimp, and during the playful teasing by everyone, she didn’t even argue, simply admitting that she liked Teacher Jiang, which made everyone feel a bit embarrassed.

Su Yan has to return to Hong Kong in August, so Li Xianglu’s time became very tight. Whenever she didn’t have afternoon classes, she would go back to the Siheyuan to either chat and learn from Su Yan or to check on the renovation of the new Siheyuan, striving to make the dwellings more comfortable.

Su Yan made Xu Xi bring toilets and bathtubs all the way from the United States, fully integrating Eastern and Western designs in the Siheyuan. The exterior and the living room retained a vintage feel, but upon entering the bathroom and kitchen, the modern renovations were evident.

It wasn’t until June that Li Xianglu could finally relax as various subjects at school began their examinations, forcing her to temporarily stop learning with Su Yan and focus on her studies.

The sweet melons at home were planted at the beginning of March and covered with a plastic shed. By June, they were ripe, and Li Xianglu brought four or five to school.

Qin Xi was also very busy with the last steps of finalizing an amendment which would officially be announced, and being the school’s representative, he would be recorded in the proceedings. Hence, he was busy and had to head back to the club office immediately after setting down Li Xianglu.

Li Xianglu, meanwhile, took the sweet melons and some clothes to the dormitory, slipping something small to the dorm supervisor to taste the melons, something she wouldn’t usually spare out.

However, under Su Yan’s guidance, she had gradually become more tactful, and she noticed that such small favors indeed made people more courteous to her. If she came back late at night, the dorm supervisor would politely open the door for her.

Back in the dormitory, Wang Ke was by herself, as Xiao Chong had recently found a boyfriend from the northeast, with their relationship becoming quite passionate. Due to a past lesson, Xiao Chong made the boy provide a single status certificate from his hometown before agreeing to officially date him.

Thankfully, the boy truly liked Xiao Chong, so he contacted his family, and within half a month, the certificate was ready, marking the start of their official relationship. They were very much into each other, always eating and studying together, and the boy was particularly helpful, often fetching water for all the girls in the dormitory.

Li Xianglu took out the remaining four melons, put them in a basin with cold water, and started tidying up. She inadvertently glanced at Iro’s bed, where a backpack was placed. Was she here so early? Lu Anna’s bed, however, was clean and empty.

So she asked curiously, "Wang Ke, did Iro come?"

Wang Ke nodded and responded, "Yes, she came before noon, dropped her bag and ran off with a lunch box. I thought she was hungry and went out to get food, but she hasn’t come back yet."

Li Xianglu looked at the messy things on the bed, her brow furrowed. A lunch box, not going out to get food, but delivering it—did she bring food from home for someone important to her?

Seeing Wang Ke looking at her, Li Xianglu just smiled and said, "I’ve also been busy lately and didn’t notice. Has Iro been coming in early recently?"

Wang Ke thought for a moment and said, "Yeah, she really has. The past week and the week before, she came early but didn’t stay in the dorm and went straight out."

Straight out? To meet whom?

Li Xianglu frowned and looked towards Iro’s bed, where a pure white dress hung on the wall. She remembered Iro didn’t like white, saying it looked bland and tasteless. Why suddenly the fondness for white?