AAWOMAHI Chapter26

After finishing lunch, there was still an hour left until the competition. Lu Xingmian subconsciously checked his documents. This was a habit of his; before every exam, he would check his documents and stationery in advance.

 

When Lu Xingmian opened his backpack, his expression immediately changed. The accompanying teacher saw his expression and immediately became nervous, feeling as if something bad had happened: “Lu Xingmian, what’s wrong?”

 

Lu Xingmian calmly said, “Teacher, my documents are missing.” Not only were his documents gone, but his phone was also missing.

 

“What?!” The accompanying teacher panicked. Before they set off, he had specifically checked the documents of the three students. At that time, all of Lu Xingmian’s documents were complete, which was why they had set off with peace of mind.

 

The teacher asked him, “Did you take them out just now? Where did you all go?” Was it possible that Lu Xingmian had opened his backpack somewhere else earlier and they had fallen out?

 

Lu Xingmian said he hadn’t opened his backpack, and Chen Che and Gao Yan also confirmed that they had been together the whole time and hadn’t seen Lu Xingmian open his backpack.

 

Despite this, the few of them still went back to the places they had visited to search, hoping to find Lu Xingmian’s documents. They searched around, and the accompanying teacher even looked in the car but still couldn’t find them.

 

The few of them were frantic. Without the admission ticket and ID card, participation was not allowed. Lu Xingmian couldn’t even enter the competition venue.

 

The accompanying teacher was so anxious that sweat beaded on his forehead. Even if they could print an admission ticket in a short time, what about the ID card? A temporary ID card wouldn’t be ready that quickly, and the exam was about to start.

 

Lu Xingmian had a high chance of winning first place in this competition, which would bring great honor and recognition to the school. But now, Lu Xingmian might not be able to participate in the competition because he lost his documents.

 

The accompanying teacher was so anxious he wanted to bang his head against a wall. How could such a thing happen?

 

The accompanying teacher was a man in his forties, now pacing frantically.

 

Lu Xingmian pursed his lips, thought for a moment, and then suddenly stopped: “Teacher, I might know where my documents are.”

 

The accompanying teacher’s eyes instantly lit up like a hungry wolf: “Where?”

 

Lu Xingmian remembered that when they came to the cafeteria for lunch, someone had bumped into Lu Xingmian, causing his backpack to fall to the ground. The boy who bumped into him was the same boy they had a conflict with earlier, Zhang Yun. After bumping him, Zhang Yun even lingered and said some harsh words to Lu Xingmian, so Lu Xingmian couldn’t immediately pick up his backpack.

 

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it, assuming Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai were simply being deliberately annoying, aiming to vent their anger for Lu Sihang. They often did this in the past; it was very childish.

 

But now, thinking about it, it was highly probable that Lu Xingmian’s documents were taken by them at that moment, and even his phone was taken. Lu Xingmian guessed that they took his documents to prevent him from participating in the competition, and taking his phone was likely Lu Sihang’s idea. Lu Sihang was truly a coward, always using others to do his dirty work.

 

After listening to Lu Xingmian, the accompanying teacher was silent for a moment: “Lu Xingmian, are you sure?”

 

Lu Xingmian: “I can’t be 100% sure, but there’s a very high possibility they took them.”

 

Hearing him say this, the accompanying teacher immediately went to find a teacher from Mingcheng Middle School, hoping they could help to see if it was really that student who “accidentally” took them. If there were no documents, Lu Xingmian couldn’t participate in the competition, so they had to find Lu Xingmian’s documents as quickly as possible.

 

The teacher from Mingcheng Middle School was instantly displeased when she heard that another school suspected her students had taken their documents. This wasn’t an ordinary school; their students wouldn’t possibly take other people’s belongings.

 

That teacher was Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai’s homeroom teacher. She also had some impression of Lu Xingmian and knew that Lu Xingmian used to have a bad relationship with Zhang Yun and his friends. Now, Lu Xingmian was inexplicably claiming that her students took his things. She was somewhat suspicious that Lu Xingmian was doing this on purpose, as he had a “record.”

 

The accompanying teacher explained that he wasn’t suspecting their students of stealing Lu Xingmian’s things but merely thought the two students might have “accidentally” taken Lu Xingmian’s belongings. They just wanted to find these two students and retrieve Lu Xingmian’s documents from them.

 

Zhang Yun’s homeroom teacher remained unwilling, stating that there was no conclusive evidence and she wouldn’t casually suspect her own students. Their lost documents were their problem and had nothing to do with her school’s students.

 

There were forty minutes left until the competition, and entry to the exam hall would close ten minutes before the competition officially began.

 

The accompanying teacher became anxious: “Teacher, we can check the video. If we’ve wronged your students, I’ll personally apologize to them. How about that?”

 

Lu Xingmian was stunned; the accompanying teacher actually believed him so much.

 

The homeroom teacher looked at the accompanying teacher, vaguely aware of Lu Xingmian’s situation, and also fearing that the matter would escalate, she reluctantly took the accompanying teacher and Lu Xingmian to the security room to check the surveillance footage.

 

The accompanying teacher told Chen Che and Gao Yan to wait outside the auditorium, letting them enter the examination hall first, while he would handle Lu Xingmian’s situation. Although Chen Che and Gao Yan wanted to go with Lu Xingmian, they knew that if they went, Lu Xingmian would feel uneasy, so they waited there.

 

The three of them arrived at the security room. With the explanation from their school’s teacher, the security guard finally brought up the cafeteria video.

 

As Zhang Yun’s homeroom teacher watched the screen, her expression grew increasingly grim. On the screen, two boys in Mingcheng school uniforms intentionally bumped into Lu Xingmian head-on. When Lu Xingmian’s backpack fell to the ground, another boy quickly took things out of the bag: a document bag and a cell phone.

 

The two boys cooperated seamlessly: one blocked Lu Xingmian’s view, and the other swiftly took items from the backpack. Lu Xingmian didn’t notice. And these two boys were clearly Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai. The homeroom teacher instantly felt her earlier confident assertions were a slap in the face; she hadn’t expected her students to actually steal Lu Xingmian’s belongings.

 

Fortunately, Lu Xingmian checked his backpack in advance and discovered the missing documents. If he had only found out right before the exam, it would have been too late for anything. Every year during the college entrance exam, there are always candidates who forget to bring their documents and can’t even enter the examination hall.

 

Many schools were participating in today’s competition. If they were to find out such a thing happened at Mingcheng Middle School, the consequences would be unimaginable. It was also fortunate that currently, only the four people present knew about this incident, and the security guard was school staff, so it wouldn’t be publicized.

 

The female teacher told the accompanying teacher and Lu Xingmian to wait there while she went to find those two students and retrieve Lu Xingmian’s documents. The accompanying teacher was uneasy; there wasn’t much time left until the finals, and he didn’t want any accidents to happen at this point. He insisted on going along to retrieve Lu Xingmian’s documents.

 

And as for Lu Xingmian, it went without saying, this matter directly concerned him.

 

The female teacher had nothing more to say, and the three of them headed straight for the classroom.

 

The homeroom teacher called Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai to a secluded spot in the classroom. Upon seeing Lu Xingmian, both boys were stunned and a little guilty. Had they been found out so quickly?

 

The homeroom teacher asked them where they put the documents and told them to quickly return the items.

 

At first, Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai didn’t admit it, claiming they didn’t know what the teacher was talking about. It wasn’t until the teacher mentioned the surveillance video that they had no choice but to confess they had thrown the items into the trash can.

 

The female teacher’s head began to ache. Not only did they take someone else’s belongings, but they also threw someone’s documents into the trash. What kind of behavior was this? And the other teacher had deliberately said they did it “accidentally” to save their faces as well.

 

Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai’s matter would be dealt with later; the most important thing now was to retrieve Lu Xingmian’s documents so he could take the exam smoothly.

 

It was now 12:35 PM.

 

The female teacher quickly took Zhang Yun to the trash can where they had thrown the items, which was near the cafeteria. They had thrown the items into the nearby trash can right after taking them, their goal being to prevent Lu Xingmian from participating in the competition. But who would have thought Lu Xingmian would find out so quickly?

 

In the trash can, Lu Xingmian finally found the bag containing his documents. His ID card, admission ticket, and stationery were all inside, not a single item missing. However, his phone wasn’t there.

 

Lu Xingmian asked him, “Where’s my phone?”

 

Zhang Yun didn’t speak.

 

The female teacher grew anxious: “Zhang Yun, where’s Lu Xingmian’s phone? At a time like this, why aren’t you telling the truth?!” She knew they had some minor conflicts before, but what Zhang Yun and Zhou Huai did today was truly excessive.

 

Seeing the homeroom teacher getting angry, Zhang Yun had no choice but to say, “The phone was taken by Lu Sihang.”

 

Lu Xingmian thought to himself, I knew it.

 

The homeroom teacher was even more perplexed. How was Lu Sihang involved now? However, she was also aware of the relationship between Lu Xingmian and Lu Sihang.

 

It was now 12:43 PM. Running from here to the auditorium would take at least ten minutes.

 

Lu Xingmian didn’t dwell on the phone any longer and immediately took off running. He had long legs and ran quickly, like a gust of wind. The accompanying teacher followed closely behind him, but within less than a minute, Lu Xingmian’s figure was out of sight.

 

The accompanying teacher couldn’t help but sigh. Indeed, young people have good stamina. He had been running all this way but still couldn’t catch up to Lu Xingmian. He prayed in his heart that Lu Xingmian would definitely make it in time.

 

A luxury car slowly drove past, brushed by the sprinting Lu Xingmian. Through the car window, Lu Shiran saw a thin figure dashing by and recognized it as Lu Xingmian at a glance. The boy’s running figure always seemed full of youth and vitality.

 

However, Lu Shiran noticed the anxious expression on Lu Xingmian’s face. He checked the time; it was almost one o’clock. Lu Xingmian’s presence here indicated he had made it to the finals. Why wasn’t he in the exam hall at this time? Had something happened?

 

Lu Xingmian arrived at the exam hall at 12:49 PM, just in time. When he entered, all the students in the hall looked at him. Because he had been running all the way, Lu Xingmian was breathing heavily, and sweat seeped from his forehead.

 

Chen Che and Gao Yan felt relieved when they saw Lu Xingmian. Heaven knew how nervous they had been, fearing Lu Xingmian wouldn’t make it. Students from other schools were watching Lu Xingmian, thinking, How little does this student care about this competition? He’s just barely making it in. How could someone with such an attitude make it into the top hundred? He must have gotten incredibly lucky. With an attitude like that, he definitely won’t get first place this time.

 

Under everyone’s various gazes, Lu Xingmian found his seat.

 

At one o’clock, the competition officially began.

 

Two hours quickly passed. As they walked out of the exam hall, the accompanying teacher hurried forward to ask Lu Xingmian and the others how they thought they did. Chen Che and Gao Yan both said they answered everything they knew, but two questions were too difficult, and they couldn’t solve them.

 

Lu Xingmian, however, said he had finished everything. This reassured the accompanying teacher, who had been worried that Lu Xingmian might have been affected.

 

With the examinees finished, the remaining work fell to the grading teachers. The fifteen experienced teachers grading this time were all brought in from various schools.

 

Taking advantage of the free time, Lu Xingmian went to Lu Sihang to retrieve his phone. When he got it back, he found his phone was smashed to smithereens, the entire screen shattered like a spiderweb.

 

Lu Sihang looked at him triumphantly. With the phone this broken, it couldn’t be repaired, and thus, Lu Xingmian’s leverage against him was gone. Lu Sihang showed no remorse, laughing: “My apologies, I accidentally dropped your phone, and it ended up like this. But your phone was old anyway, I’ll buy you a new one, since it’s…”

 

Before he could finish his sentence, Lu Sihang felt a sharp pain in his back. He was pinned against the wall by Lu Xingmian, whose elbow pressed against Lu Sihang’s neck, making it difficult for him to breathe.

 

A rare ferocity gleamed in Lu Xingmian’s eyes: “Lu Sihang, if you dare to provoke me again, I promise you, everything you fear and worry about will come true, understand?”

 

All this time, Lu Xingmian had been silent and quiet, so Lu Sihang always thought he was easy to bully and had never seen him act so fiercely. Although their heights were similar, Lu Xingmian’s current demeanor was terrifying, exuding an intense oppressive feeling, as if his deepest sensitivities had been touched. Lu Sihang was so pressured he could barely breathe.

 

Lu Xingmian: “Did you hear me?”

 

Lu Sihang: “I, I heard you.”

 

After Lu Xingmian released him, he scurried away as if Lu Xingmian were a terrifying person.

 

After Lu Sihang ran off, Lu Xingmian took off his phone case. Fortunately, the note inside the phone case hadn’t been lost or damaged by Lu Sihang.

 

–

 

The principal attached great importance to Lu Shiran’s arrival, personally coming out to greet him and inviting him to the office for tea while they waited for the students’ results.

 

A moment later, Lu Shiran’s assistant returned and whispered to him about the reason why Lu Xingmian almost arrived late. Lu Shiran’s expression remained neutral as he listened. He had thought that, given such an important final, Lu Xingmian wouldn’t inexplicably put himself in a position where he almost couldn’t enter the exam hall.

 

Lu Shiran smiled. The principal was puzzled: “What is President Lu smiling about?”

 

Lu Shiran replied, “Principal, I wonder what your school’s motto, ethos, teaching style, and academic atmosphere are?”

 

The principal knew Lu Shiran wouldn’t ask such a question for no reason: “Has something happened?”

 

Lu Shiran calmly stated, “I just heard something on my way here. The students from this school played a prank and threw the competition documents of a participating student into the trash.”

 

Such a thing happened? And Lu Shiran witnessed it firsthand too? The principal immediately sent someone to investigate and only then learned that his own students had actually done such a thing and that the school’s teacher had initially shown an extremely poor attitude, causing distress to a student from another school.

 

“President Lu, rest assured, we will seriously deal with the teachers and students involved and will not show any favoritism.”

 

Lu Shiran gave a faint “en,” a sign of his slight approval.

 

Seeing his reaction, the principal curiously asked Lu Shiran, “President Lu, do you know that student?” To receive such concern from Lu Shiran, could he be a relative of the Lu clan?

 

Lu Shiran picked up the teacup in front of him and took a sip, his eyes filled with a gentle smile: “En, I know him.”

 

After the exam papers were graded and thoroughly reviewed, all the students’ scores were released. The score sheets were delivered to the principal and Lu Shiran.

 

The principal was surprised when he saw the name of the top-ranking student; it wasn’t a student from his school. Upon closer inspection, it was a student from SS City First High School.

 

Lu Shiran, on the other hand, was very pleased when he saw Lu Xingmian’s name. Lu Xingmian was truly excellent.

 

While Lu Shiran felt proud of Lu Xingmian, he also felt a pang of worry. He was about to go on stage to present awards to the winning students. What would Lu Xingmian’s reaction be if he suddenly appeared before him? He realized he was afraid of Lu Xingmian being angry, disappointed, or sad.

 

Lu Shiran now understood the meaning of having to cover one lie with countless others.

 

At 5:00 PM, all participating teachers and students gathered in the auditorium, awaiting the announcement of the results. Under everyone’s gaze, President Lu, dressed in a suit, walked onto the stage.