Chapter 1120: Lu Xun's State of Mind

"Huh?" Xin Xianying jumped up in surprise, "I get a gift too?"

"Unless you don't want one?" Chen Xi teased, patting Xin Xianying's head. This time, she didn’t seem to mind the gesture, unlike before.

"I’ll definitely come!" Xin Xianying raised her hand excitedly. In the past, due to various customs, she rarely went out during the New Year celebrations, and the only gifts she received were usually just prepared new clothes.

"Xianying, why don't you help me think of something suitable to give to Jian’er and Lan’er?" Chen Xi crouched down and whispered, hoping for some ideas. He had no one to ask for advice, and it seemed that giving gifts to one's wife during the New Year wasn't a common practice among others.

"My sisters? Sister Mi'er wants you to visit her, and Jian’er and Lan’er probably feel the same way," Xin Xianying mused, shaking her little head.

"Forget it, go play," Chen Xi waved his hand dismissively. "Oh, and stay away from Boyan. That guy seems to be a bit of a lolicon," he added, suggesting she keep her distance.

Xin Xianying was still at the age where a piece of candy could bribe her, and Chen Xi had recently noticed that Lu Xun's gaze toward her had been somewhat strange. Additionally, the snacks Lu Xun made often ended up in Xin Xianying's hands, which was odd.

As the New Year approached, the house was filled with food, and Chen Xi didn’t mind if someone snuck some snacks. Xin Xianying frequently came over to indulge herself, though she never seemed to gain weight—probably because she ran around a lot.

But why was Lu Xun giving his snacks to Xin Xianying? It seemed odd that Lu Xun would often observe those around Chen Xi, particularly Xin Xianying. Could it be that Lu Xun had some sort of interest in her?

"Boyan?" Xin Xianying pictured a guy who was always reading and thinking, surrounded by untouched snacks, which she had graciously helped him finish.

"Yep, that guy," Chen Xi nodded. "It looks like Chen Ying and the others are busy making some New Year pastries. You seem to like sweets."

Back in the study, Lu Xun suddenly sneezed. The maid attending to him quickly handed him a cup of hot tea.

"I have a feeling something bad is going to happen. Oh, and don’t bring me any more snacks today; I need to focus on my studies," Lu Xun told the maid, frowning slightly.

Ever since he learned that his teacher had taken on another disciple, Lu Xun had entered a state of determination. Although his teacher rarely gave direct lessons, Lu Xun had previously been the only student. Now, with a new disciple, things felt different—worse, in a way.

So, Lu Xun felt the need to prove himself, to show that he was exceptional and worthy of his master's recognition. As for his new junior, he figured she might as well just get married. After all, having one disciple was enough, and in his eyes, Xin Xianying wasn’t even as pretty as Mi Zhen.

By the way, Lu Xun had a bit of an interest in Mi Zhen. Although she could be terrifyingly willful, likely due to being spoiled by her family, Lu Xun couldn’t deny that her proficiency in mathematics was enough to make him want to cry!

Maybe it was because she came from a merchant family, but Mi Zhen, Zhen Mi, and even Wu Yuan had an incredibly sharp sense for numbers. Even though they had mostly learned from books on their own, their grasp of mathematics was terrifyingly advanced.

While this skill wasn’t often useful in this era, it did allow them to occasionally show off, enough to make people like Mi Zhu, Lu Xun, and Lu Yu bow down in admiration. On a side note, Mi Zhu had gradually started letting Mi Zhen handle some of the family business, and she seemed to be doing quite well. At least, there hadn’t been any reports of problems within the Mi family, which explained why she hadn’t been visiting Chen Xi’s residence as frequently lately.

Mi Zhu, as well as Su Shuang and Zhang Shiping, would soon have to transition from being merchants operating in the shadows to official government positions. As the early supporters of Liu Bei, they were bound to receive satisfying rewards. Chen Xi had advised creating a separate department to manage commerce, with Mi Zhu as the natural choice to lead this prestigious Nine Ministers-level department.

As it stood, the central Nine Ministers structure under Liu Bei’s rule had been mostly established. Eventually, they wouldn’t even need to adopt the Six Ministries system right away. Chen Xi had once thought about setting up the Three Departments and Six Ministries, but he ultimately decided that it wasn’t necessary yet, leaving that for the future.

Mi Zhu had subtly hinted at a potential marriage between Mi Zhen and Lu Xun, not minding the two-year age difference. Lu Xun had naturally been involved in those discussions. Mi Zhu was very pleased with Lu Xun, but Mi Zhen wasn’t as satisfied.

In truth, Mi Zhen herself wasn’t sure what she was dissatisfied with. On the other hand, Lu Xun had taken notice of her, which wasn’t surprising—after all, men are visual creatures, whether they’re eight or eighty. They all appreciate beauty.

Even someone as talented as Lu Xun wasn’t immune to this, and Mi Zhen’s stunning looks, coupled with her superior math skills, had left quite an impression on him. Despite her willfulness, Lu Xun had metaphorically bowed to her superiority.

Having never been outdone by a girl before, Mi Zhen left a lasting mark on Lu Xun. While he acknowledged her as a bit headstrong, she also came across as highly intelligent—coupled with that beautiful figure, of course.

However, nothing had come of it, so Lu Xun chose to focus on studying military strategy, learning about national affairs, and drawing from Chen Xi's knowledge to grow as quickly as possible.

But after returning from a brief trip, Lu Xun was hit with shocking news: his teacher had accepted another disciple! And it wasn’t just any student—Xin Xianying, who hardly ever studied, sometimes came up with insights that left him stunned. This posed a real threat to Lu Xun.

That’s why Lu Xun had started paying more attention to Xin Xianying. He didn’t see her as a girl, but rather as someone akin to Lu Yu—a peer he had to compete with.

For Lu Xun, opponents weren’t categorized by gender, but by how much of a threat they posed. In his mind, Zhuge Liang was his biggest rival, though Zhuge Liang mostly saw him as a junior and paid little attention to him. Lu Yu was his second-biggest rival, but now even he had been overtaken by Xin Xianying.

At least Lu Yu hadn’t competed for their teacher’s favor, but Xin Xianying was now his junior disciple. As the senior, Lu Xun felt he had to prove himself as the best of their master's students. There was no time for distractions like food—he would dedicate every moment to mastering strategy and military tactics!

But most importantly, Xin Xianying stood out too much. She hardly studied, yet often came up with surprising remarks. Lu Xun found that her way of looking at problems was entirely different from his own, and her insights frequently led to conclusions that he would never have considered. This constantly kept Lu Xun on edge, fueling his determination to work even harder.

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