On the way to the city, Lu Xingmian suddenly thought about whether to tell Lu Shiran he was going to the city, but then he thought about it again and decided against it. He was going to a competition, and Lu Shiran was at work, so he wouldn’t tell him.
More than an hour later, under the lead of their teacher, Lu Xingmian and the others successfully arrived at Yancheng Mingcheng Middle School, the legendary aristocratic school.
Just the school gate alone was different from other school gates, low-key yet luxurious, exuding an aristocratic aura at a glance.
The school’s security was very strict. The security guards at the entrance meticulously checked Lu Xingmian and his classmates’ student IDs and competition passes before allowing them entry.
When the security guard saw Lu Xingmian, he couldn’t help but look at him twice. He always felt as if he had seen this student somewhere before.
Upon entering Mingcheng Middle School, Chen Che couldn’t resist taking out his phone and snapping pictures everywhere. The clicking sounds made the accompanying teacher turn to look at him. The school rules prohibited students from bringing phones, and not only did he bring one, but he was also taking photos right in front of him.
Chen Che met the teacher’s gaze, chuckled, and set his phone to silent. The teacher then turned his head away, pretending not to have seen anything.
Gao Yan was still holding a notebook and reading it. He was truly studying at all times. He always set surpassing Lu Xingmian as his goal, even for this competition.
It was now ten o’clock, and students from other participating schools were arriving one after another.
The competition was scheduled for one o’clock in the afternoon, and the venue was the Mingcheng Middle School auditorium, which would only open at half past twelve.
At eleven o’clock, the participating students would have lunch at the Mingcheng Middle School cafeteria.
Mingcheng Middle School’s cafeteria was renowned for its abundance and delicious food.
The accompanying teacher went to report first, telling Lu Xingmian and the others that they could wander around the school freely, reminding them not to go too far, to gather there at ten fifty, and then go to the cafeteria at eleven.
After the teacher left, Chen Che was even happier taking photos, snapping a few pictures at every spot. Not only that, but he also asked Lu Xingmian to take pictures of him.
While Lu Xingmian was taking photos of Chen Che, Gao Yan stood by and asked him, “How are your preparations coming along?”
Lu Xingmian: “I didn’t prepare much. I just did all the past competition questions the teacher gave us once.”
Gao Yan: “What was your accuracy rate?”
Lu Xingmian: “Not high, around ninety percent.”
Gao Yan nodded, similar to his own.
Seeing that Lu Xingmian’s mood seemed a bit off after entering Mingcheng Middle School, Gao Yan thought he was nervous. He pondered for a moment and finally came up with some comforting words.
Gao Yan said, “Lu Xingmian, relax a little; don’t be so nervous. The students who make it into the top hundred are all very impressive. We just need to perform normally.”
No wonder Gao Yan suddenly became so talkative; it turned out he was worried about Lu Xingmian being nervous, so he deliberately talked to him to help him relax.
When it came to studying, Lu Xingmian rarely got nervous, but he also knew that Gao Yan was trying to comfort him.
Many places in Mingcheng Middle School were famous online, and Chen Che wanted to see them all. However, the school was too big, and finding his way around would take some time. Fortunately, with Lu Xingmian there, no matter where he wanted to go, Lu Xingmian could quickly lead him there, which saved a lot of time.
This surprised Chen Che: “Lu Xingmian, how are you so familiar with this place? It’s like you studied here before.”
Lu Xingmian: “I did study here.”
There was nothing to hide about this; he had stayed here for nearly two months.
“Ah?” Two voices exclaimed in unison. This time, not only was Chen Che stunned, but Gao Yan was also stunned.
Chen Che had only said it casually, never expecting that Lu Xingmian had actually studied there.
The teaching environment here was excellent, so why had Lu Xingmian transferred? And if he was able to study here, he was likely not just any ordinary person.
Chen Che looked at Lu Xingmian. If Lu Xingmian didn’t want to talk about it, then he wouldn’t ask. Gao Yan thought the same way. He could tell that Lu Xingmian didn’t want to discuss it. If the thoughtless Chen Che were to press for answers, Gao Yan would find a way to interrupt him.
But luckily, Chen Che didn’t mess up this time and didn’t press for the reason. The three of them continued to stroll around the school. After walking past the path ahead, they reached the designated meeting point with the teacher.
Then, they met three students from Mingcheng Middle School head-on. The three students were also stunned when they saw Lu Xingmian.
The three individuals had originally intended to find a quiet spot in the school to smoke, but they didn’t expect to run into an “acquaintance.”
Lu Xingmian recognized all three of them, one was Lu Sihang, and the two boys beside him were his friends, they’re from the same class.
Lu Sihang’s face changed when he saw Lu Xingmian. How could he see him here? Lu Xingmian wasn’t a student at their school, so why was he here?
He then remembered there was some math competition today. Could it be that Lu Xingmian actually made it to the finals? How was that possible? Lu Sihang was eliminated directly in the first round of screening. The competition questions were too difficult; if he couldn’t do them, how could Lu Xingmian possibly make it into the top hundred?
This was absolutely impossible. Everything he had was better than Lu Xingmian’s, so Lu Xingmian’s grades couldn’t possibly be better than his.
The two boys beside Lu Sihang also disliked Lu Xingmian due to their friendship with Lu Sihang. They didn’t care who the true child of the Lu family was; all that mattered to them was that Lu Sihang was their friend.
Especially after hearing that Lu Xingmian had bullied Lu Sihang, they’d been eager to get back at him. But before they had the chance, they learned he had transferred to another school.
Now, unexpectedly, they saw Lu Xingmian again, wearing a different school’s uniform. He was accompanied by two other people, and the three of them seemed to have a good relationship. They never imagined someone like Lu Xingmian would still have people brave enough to be friends with him.
Upon seeing Lu Xingmian, Lu Sihang’s first instinct was to leave. He didn’t dare to provoke Lu Xingmian proactively now, but he hadn’t had a chance to speak yet.
The shorter boy to Lu Sihang’s left said, “How dare you show your face at our school?”
Chen Che glanced at Lu Xingmian, then at Gao Yan. “Who is he talking to?” This had to be their first time meeting, right?
The shorter boy stepped forward and said, “You guys know Lu Xingmian?”
Chen Che said, “Yeah, what about it? Lu Xingmian is my friend.”
Gao Yan also put away his small notebook, nodded, and agreed with Chen Che.
The shorter boy said, “Do you know what kind of person Lu Xingmian is? How dare you be friends with him?”
Chen Che: “Lu Xingmian is my friend. What’s it to you?”
The taller boy on the right also stepped forward: “Don’t be fooled by Lu Xingmian’s appearance. We know exactly what kind of person he is.”
“You probably don’t know this, but Lu Xingmian used to be a student at our school. He was later expelled, so he had to transfer to another school, which must be yours.”
“Don’t think we’re lying to you. You probably don’t know what kind of person Lu Xingmian is. Let me tell you.”
“Lu Xingmian was the child who was swapped at birth. After he was found and brought back, not only was he ungrateful, but he also talked back to his parents and even harmed his biological parents.”
“Do you know who my classmate next to me is? Lu Sihang. He’s the child who grew up in the Lu family and has deep affection with them. But after Lu Xingmian came back, he started causing all sorts of trouble.”
“Do you know what he’s done? He pushed Lu Sihang down the stairs, pushed him into a car accident, and pushed him into the water. He’s done many things you don’t know about.”
These were all things Lu Sihang had told them. Coupled with the fact that the Lu family had transferred Lu Xingmian to another school and expelled him from the family, they were convinced that Lu Sihang’s words were true.
Lu Xingmian shook his head, his eyes filled with pity as he looked at him. The shorter boy, irritated by that look, snapped, “Lu Xingmian, what are you staring at?”
Lu Xingmian: “I feel sorry for you guys. You believe whatever anyone tells you without any judgment of your own. It’s quite pitiful.”
The two boys were infuriated by Lu Xingmian’s provocative look, yet they also knew that even together, they couldn’t gain the upper hand. They had tried to corner him before, but in the end, they were the ones who ended up looking foolish.
If it were before, Lu Sihang would have joined his friends in making things difficult for Lu Xingmian. But now, Lu Xingmian had leverage over him. If those words were heard by others, what would his friends think of him?
So, he pulled his two friends away: “Stop talking, let’s go.” Lu Xingmian smiled.
Seeing him act this way, his two friends felt even more sympathy for Lu Sihang. Lu Sihang was already kind and tolerant enough, and who would have thought Lu Xingmian would still be so aggressive?
Even if Lu Xingmian was the true young master of the Lu family, Lu Sihang was their friend.
“Lu Sihang, you’re just too kind, that’s why Lu Xingmian bullies you.”
“Lu Sihang, don’t be afraid. Uncle Lu and Auntie Lu love you so much; they’ll definitely side with you.”
Lu Sihang: “He didn’t bully me, it was all my fault.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Sihang’s two friends became even more determined to get revenge for him. Lu Xingmian had practically delivered himself to them. Since Lu Xingmian and his group were there for a math competition today, they’d make sure Lu Xingmian couldn’t participate.
After Lu Sihang and his friends left, Lu Xingmian and his companions remained standing there.
Lu Xingmian hadn’t expected to run into Lu Sihang so soon after arriving.
Everyone present had heard what the two boys said. He didn’t know how to explain what had just happened to Chen Che and Gao Yan. Even Song Mingyi and the others didn’t believe he hadn’t harmed their son, so Chen Che and Gao Yan probably wouldn’t believe him either, considering how short a time they had known each other.
Lu Xingmian wasn’t inclined to explain much. He felt that once trust was lost, even with the closest people, no amount of explanation would matter, if they didn’t believe, they just wouldn’t believe.
Before he could speak, Chen Che put an arm around Lu Xingmian’s shoulder: “The competition is about to start; don’t let them affect you.”
Gao Yan also said, “Do well in the competition; otherwise, I’ll surpass you. If you intentionally let me win, I’ll be unhappy. I want to win against you fairly and squarely.”
Lu Xingmian was a little touched: “You guys…”
Chen Che said, “We won’t just believe what others say. We trust what we see and hear.”
Gao Yan said, “Anyway, no matter what happened before, you’re our friend, if you consider us friends.”
Although Gao Yan often sought him out to discuss problems, they rarely talked about other things. Gao Yan seemed cold; apart from his studies, he seemed to care little about other matters, yet he had said so much to him today.
Lu Xingmian knew that both of them were comforting and trusting him in their own way.
After reporting, the accompanying teacher came to find Lu Xingmian and his group to go to the cafeteria for lunch. They could rest for a while after eating. On the way to the cafeteria, the teacher asked Chen Che how many photos he had taken. Chen Che said he hadn’t taken many, still believing his own school was the most beautiful. The accompanying teacher was amused and said that if the principal heard that, he would surely be very pleased.
–
The assistant was reporting President Lu’s afternoon schedule. The finals would be held in Mingcheng Middle School’s auditorium, starting promptly at one o’clock and ending at three, with a two-hour break in between. Results would be released promptly at five o’clock, after which President Lu would go on stage to present the awards.
This was roughly the procedure, but President Lu needed to arrive at Mingcheng Middle School a little before the one o’clock start time. It was now twelve twenty, and President Lu should be departing.
While sitting in the car, Lu Shiran wondered whether Lu Xingmian was also taking part in this competition and had made it to the finals.
