When he reached the front of the stage, he saw Xue Xi and Xiang Huai walking toward the contestants’ seats.
Just now, before Derry had said that Xiang Huai had scored full marks previously, the other people who’d come did not know. Now that they knew, everyone was very respectful!
And now, the award ceremony had yet to end. There were members of the Mathematical Olympiad group who were calculating the scores of each country on the podium. Individual scores were no longer important at this moment. The examination candidates below were all holding their breaths and waiting for the final results.
National honor was above all.
Xue Xi did not understand this logic in the past. She, who’d lived in an orphanage and in Bin City, did not have any concept of a country. Now, she was looking at Li Xuekai, Xie Yingying, and the rest. They were still chatting and laughing when she and Xiang Huai had just come down, but they were now staring at the podium.
Xue Xi did not speak and sat quietly beside them.
She was a little confused. Why should she be nervous?
Their total scores already made them first.
While she was thinking this, someone was already shouting on the stage. “The first in this examination is… China!”
Following the word “China,” Li Xuekai, Xie Yingying, and even Zhang Hao, who had previously disliked Xue Xi and scolded her, stood up.
Even the accompanying teacher jumped up in excitement.
Immediately, the six candidates turned around and gave their companions a huge hug!
Xue Xi and Xiang Huai happened to be on Li Xuekai’s side. The four people beside them had already gathered into two pairs. Even Xie Yingying and Zhang Hao had abandoned their disdain for each other at this moment. The two of them hugged each other excitedly.
Hence, Li Xuekai could only look at Xue Xi.
His eyes were also a little red. He had always been a mature person, but at this moment, he finally showed some immaturity that only a youth would have. He was so agitated that he could not speak.
He watched as Xue Xi extended her arm.
Although Xue Xi did not understand, seeing how agitated they were, she also extended her arm. Just as the two of them were about to give each other a hug, their shoulders were suddenly pulled apart. Xue Xi turned around and faced Xiang Huai.
After that, Xiang Huai hugged her tightly!
Xue Xi: “?”
Li Xuekai had missed. He was so agitated that he could not calm down. Only the accompanying teacher saw that he was pitiful and came over to give him a huge hug.
Seeing Xie Yingying crying agitatedly, Li Xuekai’s eyes turning red, and the rest sobbing silently, Xue Xi looked at Xiang Huai, who was hugging her… The man was tall and his hands did not tremble at all. He was as steady as ever.
Xue Xi paused and asked, “Why are you hugging me?”
The man’s voice was low. “Too agitated.”
Xue Xi: “?”
“I’m so touched that the country got first.”
Xue Xi: “…”
Why didn’t she feel any of that from him?!
When the gold, silver, and bronze medal winners were announced on stage, the students from the three countries went on stage to receive their prizes. Xue Xi waited for the other five.
However, everyone, including Li Xuekai, turned to look at Xue Xi and shouted, “Sister Xi, you go first.”
Qin Shuang and the rest in the audience: “?”
Is the Roaring Flame Society going to have new members again?
What right do you have to call her Sister Xi?
Xue Xi walked in first and went on stage. She followed the staff’s instructions and stood in the middle of the highest step.
Immediately, Li Xuekai and the rest went on stage and stood on both sides of her.
The six of them stood there in sequence. When the second and third place students also stood up, Xue Xi was at a loss when suddenly, the Chinese national anthem sounded in the venue!
“Get up, people who are unwilling to be slaves, build our flesh and blood into our new Great Wall…”
When the national anthem sounded, the five-star red flag of China also fluttered.
Xue Xi could clearly feel Li Xuekai and Xie Yingying standing on both sides of her. They raised their heads and stared at their national flag as it slowly rose.
Everyone sang together, making her feel solemn for the first time.
She could not help but look down.
Xiang Huai should still be sitting there. He was usually someone who would not stand if he could sit. He had always been lazy. At this moment, most of the people present had stood up, but there were also a few Westerners sitting. Logically speaking, he should be sitting too.
However, Xue Xi did not expect that he was not.
Xiang Huai had stood up.
Xue Xi had never seen him stand up straight before. Moreover, from such a distance, Xue Xi could see the unprecedented seriousness on his face.
Not only did he stand up, but he was also saluting.
She did not know if the posture when he raised his hand was standard, but she felt a sense of solemnity.
Yes.
It was solemn.
The feeling that Li Xuekai and Xie Yingying gave her was that the youths in foreign countries felt a sense of belonging and a sense of hot-bloodedness.
That feeling made Xue Xi feel a little hot-blooded.
However, Xiang Huai gave her a solemn and… inexplicable sense of responsibility.
At this moment, she suddenly felt a sense of patriotic love.
China.
China.
She silently recited this word in her heart.
She was Chinese and felt proud that she was Chinese.
She retracted her gaze and looked at the national flag again. She felt as though something had filled her chest.
With the gold medal in hand, Xue Xi left the stage.
She turned around and stared at the red flag that was fluttering in the air. Her mood was still high.
She walked to Xiang Huai’s side. Seeing that he was still calm, she could not help but ask, “When you received the award back then, were you also this…?”
Xiang Huai raised an eyebrow. “What?”
Xue Xi could not describe the feeling in her heart. She stared blankly at Xiang Huai. For the first time, she felt that she had not learned her language well. No wonder the teacher always said that her essays did not have any feelings. It seemed that she had to read more books.
Seeing that she seemed to have yet to understand, Xiang Huai did not speak further.
The little kid had always been apathetic. When she first came out of the orphanage, she was like an ice cube without any feelings. Now, she had learned friendship from Gao Yanchen, kinship from her parents, and from him… Oh, she was thinking too much and had yet to learn love.
Hence, these patriotic feelings were too big for her. She could only take it slow.
Xiang Huai thought to himself and said, “Little kid, congratulations.”
Xue Xi looked at the medal in her hand and then at the red flag.
As the two of them were speaking, they had already approached a spot where Derry had been waiting. He took a step forward.
At this moment, Thor, who had been on the lookout beside him, grabbed him.
Derry frowned. “What are you doing?”
Thor, on the other hand, said, “What are you doing now? Let me tell you, I must make Xue Xi enter Scanford’s Chemistry Department!”
“No!”
Liang Gan, who was standing behind Derry, finally heaved a sigh of relief. Indeed, Professor Derry would not allow it.
However, at this moment, she heard Derry’s next sentence…