If You Are a Dodder Flower

“Alright, everyone is here.” The eldest, Cao Xiong, grabbed his chopsticks. “Let’s eat.”

Once he started to move, the others all picked up their chopsticks as well.

Usually, breakfast was different than lunch or dinner; since everyone’s schedules were so different in the morning, it had always been on a first come, first served basis. But today was an exception, as they had all waited for Xia Rou without touching the food.

In the past, Xia Rou thought that she was being disrespected because nobody rushed back to have dinner with her, so she held onto that grudge and didn’t go to eat breakfast together the next day. But she hadn’t known that… everyone had actually been waiting for her.

That’s right, all the people of this household were actually very busy. Something came up all of a sudden and they were all called in, wasn’t it normal that they couldn’t rush back? In fact, nobody had ever looked down on her. All this time she had been looking to calculate in every detail to validate her existence, but the person who had been looking down on Xia Rou the most was always herself!

“Xia Rou’s seated posture……” Cao Bin took a few glances at Xia Rou and smiled, “She looks just like someone from our family, people might even think she’s participated in army training before.”

The men turned their eyes toward Xia Rou. Her back was straight as a ruler and her shoulders pushed back. If her body had not been so slim, her posture indeed looked like she was personally trained by the Cao Family.

Cao Xiong didn’t remember whether Xia Rou had always been like this, since she had always avoided him. But he had been enlisted in the army for so many years that even his sons were trained up in the military way. He felt comfortable when looking at her upright posture. He nodded his head to agree with his son.

“What year are you in now?” Cao Bin asked.

Xia Rou put down her chopsticks on the bowl: “Ninth grade, I just finished my junior exams.”

“Eh, doesn’t that mean you’re going to be a senior soon?” Cao Bin continued to ask. Translated by The Novelst

Cao Xiong glanced at Xia Rou and asked: “Which high school are you planning to go to?”

At that time, the junior exams had just ended, so she hadn’t yet received any acceptance letters from the high school yet. But the reincarnated Xia Rou already knew what was going to happen, and so she hesitated: “I haven’t received an acceptance letter yet, but my results are out… I think I should be going to Seventeen High School.”

As she spoke about her results, her cheeks flushed: “I’m quite stupid, so my grades aren’t so great either…”

If it had been the past, she would definitely have felt extremely embarrassed at having to admit her stupidity and mediocrity in front of the Cao Family. However, after her first death, she felt as though her heart had become more transparent.

Trying to hide her true self in front of all these exceptional people… In their eyes, they must have thought she was the most foolish person of all.

People didn’t judge others for being stupid, but rather preferred that to someone who didn’t even have self-awareness. Worst of all in her case, not only did she refuse to acknowledge her limits, but she even tried to act full of herself. Those sorts of people were the most troublesome.

This young lady should, as she entered adolescence, be at that age where girls were usually concerned about their pride. But she calmly admitted her own weaknesses and did so with a firm gaze. Even the men in the Cao Family couldn’t withstand her charm and started to have a favorable impression of her.

“Seventeen High School, huh…” Cao Bin’s gaze was sincere as he rubbed at his chin and mumbled a response.

Cao Xiong interrupted him abruptly: “Look for your uncle and ask him to transfer her to a better school.” He paused in thought, then continued, “Just pick Nan Hua for her.”

Nan Hua High School was one of the most popular schools in the city. Although it was a public school, it was titled as a “prestigious school” because most of the students were studied there were usually from rich families.

In her past life, this matter was only brought up at least half a month later than this moment, when Butler Zhou accompanied her to the apartment and helped her to collect the rest of her belongings and brought the acceptance letter along as well. That was how the Cao Family had her education issues brought to their attention.

Even then, Cao Xiong had said the same thing. He asked Cao Yang to look for his uncle who worked in the educational institute, and requested that she be transferred to Nan Hua.

In the end, his proposal was strongly rejected by Xia Rou.

At that time… Why had she acted that way?

It was a great opportunity for her to be able to go to a better school, especially one as popular and well-known as Nan Hua High School. Even if others begged they weren’t able to get enrolled!

What had she been thinking?

She thought that one of the reasons for her foolishness was her young age. It was her first time experiencing the use of power to take someone else’s place. She also felt that it was a burning sort of ridicule coming from the Cao Family for her poor results and lack of ability that landed her in a weaker school like Seventeen High School.

At that time, the one responsible for her matter was Cao Yang rather than Cao Bin.

Xia Rou pinched her chopsticks tightly, recalling back to when Cao Yang had furrowed his eyebrows. He already had acted as a big brother for the entire family since he had three monkey-like younger brothers to take care of. His patience was already vast, even when he needed to confront the stubborn Xia Rou. To the end, he did not get angry at her.

But the matter of sending Xia Rou to Nan Hua had been thrown aside; in the end, Xia Rou still attended Seventeen High School. No matter how it appeared, it was still an ordinary school with an average studying atmosphere but with a worse environment. Xia Rou had held her breath and studied as hard as she could, but still only managed to become third in her class.

She was too embarrassed to mention her school when she met with the elites from other powerful families that were connected to the Cao Family.

“… All of us graduated from Nan Hua…. it’ll be really nice… Xia Rou, Xia Rou?”

Xia Rou came back to her senses and heard Cao Bin addressing her: “What do you think? Or do you have any other schools that you have your heart set on?”

Compared to Cao Xiong’s commanding method of speech, Cao Bin’s words seemed to be more gentle, knowing at least to ask for Xia Rou’s thoughts.

Xia Rou had done a lot of thinking over the past few days, and she had realized that countless choices of hers were so stupid. This time, she promised herself she wouldn’t repeat the same mistakes over again.

“Nan Hua… I heard it’s a very strict school?” She bit her lips and softly continued: “I’m scared that I’m too far behind already to catch up…”

The little girl had a lily-white face, a pointy chin and her lips were on the paler side. The way she bit her lips actually made her lips more red.

Cao Bin’s voice turned even gentler and he smiled: “It’s alright, the summer holiday has just started. You can study before school starts. So Nan Hua is fine? You don’t want to attend anywhere else?”

“Mm!” Xia Rou nodded her head. “I will study really hard!” and try not to embarrass the Cao Family. Translated by The Novelst

Compared to her adult self, her teenage self had a more tender voice. The 15-year-old nodded her head solemnly, apparently taking the matter very seriously. Her appearance… was so cute!

Even Cao Xiong glanced once more at her.