I Am Already A Queen

Chapter 125: Chapter 125: Fell From The Chair

”We bring them to a local orphanage downtown.” The woman answered warmly. ”The kids there absolutely love them.”

”Oh...” Qiao Meixia uttered softly in understanding.

She went back to enjoying her breakfast, swiftly moving on to her third slice of cake. All the while, her eyes remained fixed on the couple as they systematically restocked the vending machine with freshly baked pastries.

”Will you be here every morning at this time?” Qiao Meixia asked again between bites.

”Yes, we replace the stock every single morning without fail.” The woman confirmed.

”Do you offer other services besides restocking this vending machine?” Qiao Meixia inquired further.

”We do! We actually own and operate a local bakery nearby.” The woman chuckled merrily.

”Is it the one that launched a new signature pastry a few days ago?” Qiao Meixia asked, wanting to verify her guess.

”Yes, that’s the one!” The woman smiled broadly. ”Have you already stopped by our shop? Did you get a chance to try the new pastry?”

”Hmm... no,” Qiao Meixia answered each question concisely.

”Can I place an order for those pastries directly with you instead?” Qiao Meixia asked directly.

”Of course you can! What kind of pastries would you like to order? Though for daily fresh deliveries, we usually limit custom orders to three specific varieties.” The woman explained kindly.

”Chocolate cake, cannoli, and éclair.” Qiao Meixia answered without a second’s hesitation.

The woman stood stunned for a brief moment, caught off guard by the lightning-fast request, before bursting into a soft chuckle.

”Alright! I will happily take your order. Ah... why don’t we add each other on WeChat to make communication easier?” The woman suggested.

”Hmm...” Qiao Meixia agreed with a nod.

Pulling out their phones, the two of them quickly scanned each other’s codes and added each other as friends on the app.

”My name is Shen Huiling, and this is my husband, Xu Chanping.” The woman introduced herself and her partner warmly.

”Qiao Meixia.” Qiao Meixia stated her name simply in return.

”Wonderful! In that case, I will call you Meixia, and you can refer to us as Sister Huiling and Brother Chanping.” Shen Huiling offered warmly.

Qiao Meixia gave a simple nod of agreement.

”Well, we should head back to prep the main shop now. See you tomorrow morning!” Shen Huiling said, waving a friendly goodbye.

Qiao Meixia quietly watched the couple depart while continuing to eat her cake. Glancing down at her wrist, she checked her watch and realised homeroom period was drawing near. She carefully packed the five remaining slices back into the paper box and made her way toward the main academic building.

When she stepped inside the classroom, almost all of her classmates were already present, with only Yin Junjie notably absent. As she walked to her desk, one of her observant classmates spotted the box in her hands and called out curiously.

”Classmate Meixia, what do you have inside that box?” One of the classmates asked.

”Cakes.” Qiao Meixia answered directly.

Hearing the exchange, Shou Meiling turned around and casually approached Qiao Meixia’s desk.

”Wait a moment, Meixia. Are all of those really cakes?” Shou Meiling asked, eyeing the sizeable container.

”Hmm... I have already finished five of them.” Qiao Meixia stated casually.

The listening classmate was momentarily rendered speechless. Who in their right mind would consume five rich, heavy desserts first thing in the morning? What was even more baffling was that the person eating them was a girl with a slender, delicate frame. Was she not the least bit concerned about gaining weight?

Another girl from the class hurried over, looking at Qiao Meixia with intense fascination.

”Meixia, how on earth do you manage to maintain such a gorgeous, trim figure after eating so many sugary treats? What is your secret routine?” The girl asked eagerly.

At the question, every girl in the room instantly perked up her ears, leaning in closely to catch Qiao Meixia’s response, desperate to learn her secret and adopt it into their own beauty regimens.

”A long run every morning.” Qiao Meixia replied flatly.

”What?! You actually go running every single morning?” The girl gasped, completely taken aback.

”Hmm...” Qiao Meixia confirmed with a nod.

”Ah... there is no way I could ever force myself to wake up early enough to run!” One of the girls complained, shaking her head in defeat.

”I do wake up early, but that entire window is dedicated to my multi-step skincare routine! If I added morning cardio, I would have to wake up before dawn.” Another girl chimed in with a sigh.

”Honestly, running every morning isn’t strictly necessary. You could easily substitute it with exercise at another time of day.” A boy sitting nearby offered, trying to join the conversation.

”Shut up! This has absolutely nothing to do with you!” All the girls shouted in unison at the unfortunate boy.

Startled by the synchronised attack, the poor boy hurriedly recoiled in defeat, causing the entire classroom to burst into a wave of hearty laughter.

Right at that chaotic moment, Peng Jian appeared in the doorway.

”What is all this commotion about?! Get back to your assigned seats immediately!” Peng Jian barked, stepping inside.

Despite his strict tone, muffled giggles still echoed across the room. Peng Jian walked up to the front podium and crossed his arms.

”Care to share what you all find so hilarious?” Peng Jian questioned, raising an eyebrow.

”The girls were discussing workout routines, Old Peng! Then Yunmo tried to weigh in, and all the girls ganged up and yelled at him at the exact same time, so we could not help laughing.” One of the boys reported cheerfully.

”You kids will find amusement in just about anything.” Peng Jian remarked, shaking his head with fond exasperation.

”Come on, Old Peng! You older folks should laugh more often. It might actually extend your lifespan!” A student teased from the back row.

”Who are you calling ’older folks’?! I am barely entering my forties!” Peng Jian retorted angrily, though his playful indignation only fueled another round of loud laughter across the room.

Observing the lively scene from her seat, the faint corner of Qiao Meixia’s lips curved upward into a subtle, barely perceptible smile.

While the morning lecture was well underway, Yin Junjie finally ambled into the classroom. Slouching casually past the teacher, he took his seat at his desk and cast a swift, silent glance toward Qiao Meixia. She was currently leaning her head lightly on her right hand, while her left fingers casually spun a pen in continuous, mesmerising rotations.

Yin Junjie found himself staring intently at her profile. Until Qiao Meixia suddenly turned her head directly toward him, her cool gaze locking onto his.

Panicking at being caught red-handed, Yin Junjie frantically jerked his head away to look anywhere else. However, his violent, sudden movement threw off his balance entirely, causing him to slide right off his chair and hit the floor with a loud, chaotic thud.

The sudden noise brought the entire class to a complete halt, with every eye darting toward Yin Junjie, who was lying sprawled on the ground with an utterly bewildered expression. Even he could not quite comprehend how he had managed to fall out of his seat so clumsily.

A student nearby muffled a snort, hurriedly clapping both hands over his mouth to suppress a loud outburst of laughter.

Yin Junjie glared fiercely in the direction of the sound, shooting daggers at the terrified student.

”Student Yin, are you alright?” The teacher asked, pausing mid-lesson.

”I am fine.” Yin Junjie muttered, quickly scrambling back up and resuming his seat with as much dignity as he could muster.

”Very well then. Let us continue.” The teacher said, turning back toward the blackboard to resume the lecture.

Yin Junjie sat red-faced, burning with intense embarrassment over his bizarre, unprovoked tumble. Just then, a soft, quiet whisper reached his ears.

”Are you okay?” Qiao Meixia asked neutrally.

”I... I am completely fine...” Yin Junjie stammered, abruptly turning his head away to stare fixatedly out the window.

Finding nothing further to probe, Qiao Meixia paid the incident no further mind and turned her full attention back to the lesson.

When the second period finally concluded, the teacher announced a short five-minute break. The second the bell rang, Yin Junjie bolted up from his desk and hurried out of the room.

The moment his figure disappeared down the hall, the quiet classroom erupted into chatter, with everyone animatedly gossiping about his unexpected tumble, wondering what could have possibly thrown the usually composed youth off balance.

Unbothered by the noise, Qiao Meixia pulled out her box of cakes and quietly resumed eating.

***This novel is a contracted work with w e b n o v e l. c o m. If you do not read this novel on w e b n o v e l. c o m, that means it has been stolen. Thank you, from your shameless author, ZerahNeko***