121 Still a tiny baby
“That’s why I want to be tall,” An Xiulan whispered. “Mom, am I your daughter?”
An Qinyan looked horrified. “Of course, you are my daughter.”
“No, I’m not your daughter. Lu Xuan is right. I’m a pity baby, ” An Xiulan sniffled.
“Pity what?” An Qinyan swore that she had heard this word for the first time.
“He said you and father met me on the stairs of the temple and brought me home,” An Xiulan cried as she looked at her mom and said, ” I’m not your real daughter. You brought me from outside. Is that why I’m not as pretty and tall as you? Mom, you all are tall. Except for me.”
That Little…
An Qinyan took deep breaths. ‘Lu Xuan, what am I going to do with you?’
Taking deep breaths she added, “Lanlan, that’s not true. You are my daughter. I didn’t bring you from anywhere. I gave birth to you.”
An Xiulan pursed her lips and asked, “Then, why don’t I look like you?”
“You resemble your father,” An Qinyan replied. Lu Xuan resembled her while An Xiulan resembled her paternal family more, especially her father. Even An Xiulan and Lu Xun had more resembling features than Lu Xuan had with his other siblings.
“But he is tall,” An Xiulan murmured as if she was not happy about this fact.
“Baby girl, decide what you want to be? Tall or Miss China?” An Qinyan said. She didn’t know An Xiulan wanted to be – Tall or Miss China.
“I want to be tall first and then I want to be Miss China,” An Xiulan replied. If she became Miss China, she would get a seat in the college. What else did she want? Seeing her grades, it was impossible for her to pass the college entrance test.
“You have to study,” An Qinyan sighed. “You are in high school. What will you do by becoming Miss China?”
“Mom, I really want to be Miss China,” An Xiulam whispered.
An Qinyan sighed. She had to find a way to tackle this problem before it intensified. “How about this? We will visit the doctor and ask him if you can grow another three inches before the application form for Miss China Teen will be out. If you grow three inches by then, I will support your dream.”
“You promise?” An Xiulan looked at her with big eyes.
An Qinyan nodded. Later she coaxed her daughter to eat dinner and then she put her grown-up baby girl to sleep. Maybe, she shouldn’t pamper her kids that much. She always ended up giving in to their demands.
Later, she exited An Xiulan’s room to find Lu Xuan playing video games on TV in the living room.
“Did you have dinner?” An Qinyan asked.
“Not yet, I have to complete this round first,” Lu Xuan replied, his gaze on the TV.
An Qinyan sighed as she walked ahead and switched off the TV.
“What the fuck–” Before he could say further, he noticed a cold gaze directed his way.
An Qinyan narrowed his eyes and extended the bowl that she had placed in the living room and he put money in it. For every curse word, he had to put 50 Yuan in it. His pocket money was not too much and when he had to pay 50 yuan per curse word, he was broke.
“How was your time with your father’s family?” An Qinyan asked as she asked him to join her for dinner.
“It was okay,” Lu Xuan shrugged. He spent the weekend at his old house. His father didn’t taunt him about his grades and didn’t comment on his behaviour. It was more peaceful this time. As for his grandmother, she pampered him like the little prince that he was.
“She really is posted to become Miss China, isn’t she?” Lu Xuan said in an amused tone.
“You! Stop teasing her. And don’t call her pity baby. She took your words seriously,” An Qinyan chided him.
Lu Xuan rolled his eyes as he ate dinner calmly. What’s wrong with what he said? Didn’t they get her from the stairs of the temple? A stinky brat like her couldn’t be his twin.
“What are you gonna do about her new dream?” Lu Xuan asked. He was worried that the girl would really go-ahead to become Miss China. Had she seen her face? Was it worth becoming Miss China?
Whatever! ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ
It was not like he cared!
Much to their dissatisfaction, An Xiulan was very much serious about her new quest. Her height gaining journey was not going to be easy for her. From the expensive supplements to eating healthy food to diligently trying out all the exercises recommended to her, she was doing everything.
Two weeks later, An Xiulan and Lu Xuan were standing at the door of their house Gym as they watched An Xiulan diligently performing her exercise. These days she had been running too much because she had heard that running increases height.
“Mom, this girl is still possessed by the same ghost,” Lu Xuan muttered.
An Qinyan sighed as she patted his shoulder and asked him to follow her.
It was the weekend and after finishing her studies An Xiulan was watching all the videos and lectures for the upcoming Miss China Teen that was going to be held three months from now. Thankfully, her school will be on summer break by then and she could focus on the contest. To be Miss China, she needed to be eighteen and she was only sixteen at this time. She had more than two years to prepare for the big contest, until then she could participate in all other teen pageants.
As long as she could become Miss China and enter any university in the country, she was ready to do anything.
The third monthly test arrived, Lu Xuan’s rank improved. It seemed Gu Shangyan’s classes were effective. However, as for An Xiulan, the girl was still stuck at the last rank again.
Since she was a campus belle, it was for sure that people would pay attention to her score more than ever. When she scored the last rank again, supporters of Zhou Liling began dissing An Xiulan on the school forum again, calling her an empty vase.
These so-called patrons of Zhou Liling didn’t know that their comments had no effect on An Xiulan.
When both An Qinyan and Lu Xuan were helpless because of An Xiulan’s attitude towards school and the pageant, there was someone else who was supporting her wholeheartedly.
It was none other than Han Zixin.
Once she told him about her dream, he was ready to help her by any means.
Currently, the whole class Ten K was helping An Xiulan to achieve her dream.
For instance, they would bring her a lot of material for the contest like books, journals, videos of former winners etc.
If their Xiao Lan could be campus Belle, why couldn’t she be Miss China Teen?
The students only had one way of thinking. According to them, as long as they work hard, anything can be achieved. They were not looking at the dark of the contest where many contestants who had worked hard for years would fail.
A good thing happened for An Xiulan the following month as she scored third rank in the English contest that took place in the school. The students and teachers were, of course, shocked when it happened.
However, the students and English of Class Ten K were less shocked. They knew that she was well versed in that language. The first rank was taken by a student of class B as she wanted to defeat Zhou Liling who scored the fourth rank, and Shen Yue scored the second rank.
Another monthly test came and went, and her rank was still stuck where it was. However, she was not regressing. It was just that Han Zixin whose base was stronger in Chinese subjects than hers was scoring good marks and so she couldn’t easily defeat him. Her scores in English were almost perfect this time. However, she barely managed to pass in Chinese again. Her mathematics was average and so were her science and social studies marks.
Seeing how the last benchers were working hard, the other students of class Ten K took a vow to not waste their time and focus more on their studies.
Overall, the performance of Class Ten K increased and their teachers were happy with their students.
Another week later, An Qinyan and Lu Xuan were in the living room when they heard a loud shriek in the gym. Lu Xuan was certain that the girl had died while stretching. He had told her not to stretch her tiny body more than it could hold but she insisted.
Now, look at the consequences.
Of course, he didn’t share his theory with his mom as he was double sure that she was going to beat him if he told her that An Xiulan died.
When they reached the gym room, they found her An Xiulan rolling on the floor, grinning like a fool.
“You are not dead yet?” Lu Xuan asked, shocked.
An Qinyan flicked his forehead and glared at him for speaking nonsense again.
“Mom. Mom. I’m one hundred and sixty centimetres tall,” An Xiulan grinned. “I grew a whole ten centimetres in two months.”
“Still a tiny baby,” Lu Xuan muttered but An Xiulan didn’t pay attention to the boy who was jealous of her beauty and brain.