Lu Xingyan might have a twisted mind, but he lacked the courage to act on it.
As they stood pinned against the wall, Fang Jingran happened to come over and knock on the door. Since the door wasn’t tightly closed, he knocked twice and then opened it slightly. Subconsciously pushing the door, he peeked into the room, half-shouting “sis,” but his voice got stuck in his throat, and his eyes widened in shock!
Shen Xingruo noticed the commotion at the door and quickly pushed Lu Xingyan away to straighten her clothes. Lu Xingyan turned around and saw it was just Fang Jingran, this little troublemaker. Not caring much, he casually walked past, ruffled Fang Jingran’s hair with his height advantage, and said, “Little brat, you didn’t see anything just now, got it?”
Shen Xingruo “…”
It wasn’t a big deal at first, but with his words, it suddenly seemed ambiguous.
Still shocked, Fang Jingran dodged Lu Xingyan’s hand and looked at Shen Xingruo. Shen Xingruo remained calm, not intending to explain much to him. She closed the door and said, “Let’s go.”
Silently, they returned to the dining room. Fang Jingran lost his appetite, his gaze shifting between Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo. When the adults weren’t paying attention, he sent Shen Xingruo a message under the table.
Sis Jingran, are you two dating?
Sis Jingran, are you reconsidering? I heard his grades are really bad, can’t even score above four hundred in total.
Just as he sent it, Pei Yue smiled brightly and praised, “Xingruo is such a good kid. You know our Lu Xingyan, his grades are quite embarrassing to say out loud. But with Xingruo helping him this semester, he’s made remarkable progress. I heard he might even score above five hundred this time!”
Fang Jingran quietly retracted his last message.
The dinner dragged on a bit. During that time, Fang Jingran sent many messages to Shen Xingruo. At first, she ignored him, but later, annoyed, she replied with just two words, “Shut up.”
After the meal, Lu Shan, slightly tipsy, mentioned that an acquaintance had invited him to the Lu family for a New Year’s visit that evening, so he needed to leave early.
Shen Guangyao, who had known him for many years, didn’t insist on keeping him longer. Instead, he asked Fang Min to bring out the New Year gifts they had prepared earlier. “I was planning to take Xingruo to Xing City on the sixth and visit your home then. Since you’re here now, take these with you. When I visit Xing City later, I’ll bring you some good tea.”
Fang Jingran, upon hearing this, turned to Shen Xingruo nervously and asked, “Sis, are you going back to Xing City today?”
Fang Min quickly pulled him aside, signaling him to stop talking.
Shen Xingruo didn’t mind and nodded, “Yes.”
She hadn’t unpacked much, so it didn’t take her long to get ready.
Fang Jingran followed Shen Guangyao and accompanied the Lu family and Shen Xingruo out of the villa complex. As he stood watching the car disappear, his brow furrowed, and he frequently scratched the back of his head, looking particularly troubled.
On the way back, he couldn’t help but ask, “Uncle Shen, Xingruo… she…”
“Hmm? What is it?” Shen Guangyao asked kindly.
“Isn’t it inappropriate for her to stay at the Lu family’s house for so long?”
Shen Guangyao replied, “Why do you say that?”
Fang Jingran, not very articulate and feeling it wasn’t right to mention what he had seen earlier, hesitated for a long time before mumbling, “Nothing, just… I think she might not be used to their food.”
Shen Guangyao paused, then suddenly smiled.
Xing City was hit by heavy snowfall, causing most flights to Xing City to be delayed, so Shen Xingruo and her companions traveled by car instead.
The snowy roads were slippery, so Uncle Liu drove very slowly, extending the journey time by nearly double.
By the time they reached Luoxing Lake, it was already dark.
After spending a few days in Huize, returning to Luoxing Lake gave Shen Xingruo a surprising feeling of “this is truly home.”
The cold wind blowing from the lake, the English-style garden lamps, and the little winter garden that no longer bloomed all felt familiar and endearing. Even the thin layer of ice forming on the lakeside path didn’t seem as bothersome.
That evening, guests visited their home—apparently, some high-ranking executives from Jinsheng Group who had a good relationship with Lu Shan. They were discussing business in the living room on the first floor, while Shen Xingruo and Lu Xingyan were upstairs reading.
As Shen Xingruo was flipping through her Chinese textbook, a community service form fell out. She had almost forgotten about it. Mingli High School issued these forms every winter and summer break. By the time students were in their junior year, they had no time for actual community service. It was mostly a formality to get a stamp and a signature.
“Lu Xingyan, where’s your community service form? Give it to me, I’ll get Uncle Lu to sign it.”
Lu Xingyan, eager for a break from his history book, yawned and got up. “Why go to him? Come on, I’ll take you to the study to stamp it. We can stamp as many as you need.”
Jinsheng had many subsidiaries, along with some nominal shell companies. Although the important official seals wouldn’t be at home, Lu Shan’s office had plenty of less important ones they could use. Lu Xingyan had been stamping these forms since elementary school and was quite adept at it.
As they approached Lu Shan’s office, they found the door ajar. Lu Shan was handing some documents to Mr. Wei from Jinsheng, saying, “This matter can’t be suppressed. It should be handled as it needs to be. Trying to suppress public opinion will only make it bounce back harder.”
“The procedures have been in place for a long time. Jinsheng’s demolition issues are always handled by the government. Your nephew didn’t listen, thought the government was skimming off the top, and decided to do the demolition himself. Not only did he disregard the board, but he also caused a fatal accident, right during the New Year!”
“That wasn’t my—”
“Enough, don’t say any more. Do as I said. Extortion is extortion. Are you afraid of him? If you pay him off today, how many more will you have to pay tomorrow? Your nephew needs to be removed. If he can’t get things done, he shouldn’t be doing them at all! Old Wei, if you ask me, you’re too indulgent with your nephew!”
Lu Xingyan and Shen Xingruo stood outside the door, catching snippets about a fatal accident and pausing momentarily.
When they returned to their room, before Shen Xingruo could comfort Lu Xingyan, he nonchalantly reassured her instead, “Don’t worry. Which real estate company hasn’t had a fatal accident? Remember a few years ago when Jinsheng’s project in Yun City collapsed? It was all over the internet for over a month. Did you know about that?”
“…”
“Stop talking.”
What initially seemed like no big deal now felt ominous after his words.
Lu Xingyan, thinking his example hadn’t been comforting enough, added, “And when I was in elementary school, years ago, there was a Jinsheng project in Xing City—what was it called? Oh, Jinsheng Yunmengze. I heard it was a big investment, but it had bad luck. Two people jumped off within a month. Rumors spread that it was a haunted building. It’s in Shaluo District; we passed by it last time we went to Tonghua.”
“When I was in elementary school, my classmates often insulted me because everyone knew Jinsheng was my family’s company. Real estate always has some incidents throughout the year. No one cared about the real story—they just whispered behind my back, saying I grew up eating blood-stained buns.”
Seeing Lu Xingyan’s nonchalant attitude, Shen Xingruo suddenly asked, “Did you ever talk back to them?”
Lu Xingyan paused, scratched the back of his neck, and his gaze drifted. “When I was little… I wanted to be a good student. But I kept getting insulted, so I had to act tougher.”
Shen Xingruo was speechless.
Lu Xingyan smirked, teasing her, “Do you think I had a miserable childhood? I did. My current personality is due to childhood trauma. I had to put on a mask as a protective color.”
Shen Xingruo suddenly leaned in and tugged at his face. “Your protective color is painted on a bit thick.”
Lu Xingyan was speechless.
It was uncanny—Lu Xingyan had a knack for making predictions that had a 98% chance of jinxing the situation. But this time, his declarations that “Jinsheng has no major issues” and “I did well on the final exams” fell into the fortunate 2% that escaped his curse.
A few days into the new semester, news broke online about Jinsheng forcibly demolishing an old street in Yang City, leading to the death of an elderly resident who refused to move. The deceased’s grandson, a blogger with over a hundred thousand followers, posted multiple rants on Weibo condemning Jinsheng, igniting public outrage against the company for prioritizing profit over lives.
However, within a few days, Jinsheng’s PR team issued a statement that turned the situation around. It revealed that the elderly man had terminal stomach cancer and, prompted by his grandson, had hoped to secure more compensation for his family by staying put. He had passed away from his illness with no one around to help him. The grandson, not a virtuous character, had demanded an exorbitant amount of compensation using his online following as leverage. Jinsheng had refused, leading to a public uproar.
During the initial days of the scandal, many at school gossiped about Lu Xingyan behind his back. Although Lu Xingyan continued his daily routine unfazed, Shen Xingruo, knowing he had endured such criticisms since elementary school, felt a pang of sympathy. She found herself being uncharacteristically gentle with him.
Fortunately, the issue was quickly resolved, and everyone sighed in relief. But even as Lu Xingyan relaxed, he couldn’t help but marvel at Jinsheng’s efficiency. Couldn’t they have waited a few more days? During the scandal, Shen Xingruo had been unusually kind to him. Once it was over, she reverted to her usual stern demeanor, making him memorize and recite various things.
He was lucky that this thought remained private. If Lu Shan knew how much trouble his ungrateful son was causing, he might have buried him alive during the next construction project.
The exam results were also released around the same time as the Jinsheng incident. But amid the scandal, no one had the energy to celebrate Lu Xingyan’s surprising success.
He did quite well in the finals this time. With a total score of 529, ranking 39th in his class, he finally broke free from the bottom ranks of Mingli’s worst liberal arts class. His life was officially leaving the darkness behind!
Entering the second semester of senior year, the atmosphere in the school building visibly became more tense.
The school hung four or five banners on the wall opposite the teaching building. Unlike the usual slogans like “Work hard for a year, be happy for a lifetime” or “Fight hard and turn your bike into a motorcycle,” they displayed more Zen-like phrases such as “Focus on the effort, not the outcome” and “The process is more beautiful than the result.”
Upon inquiry, it was revealed that some art students had failed their entrance exams and were in a state of mental collapse. Additionally, a student from DeCai High School committed suicide right after the start of the semester. Although the news was tightly controlled, it still spread within the Xing City academic circles.
To prevent similar incidents among their senior students under high pressure, Mingli not only hung these Zen-like banners but also held a meeting for homeroom teachers. They were instructed not to push the students too hard and to constantly reassure them that the college entrance exam (Gaokao) is not the only path in life. The students just needed to do their best.
Everyone understood this reasoning, but the reality was that the Gaokao was extremely important. Thus, most homeroom teachers, after advising that “the Gaokao is not the only path in life,” would add, “But for you, it’s the most convenient path.”
Relying on homeroom teachers alone was not enough, so the school decided to include the senior students in the upcoming spring sports event in March. To prevent each class from passively participating, the school mandated a minimum number of events each class had to join.
This was a headache for the class sports committee members and class leaders, especially in the advanced classes. Who had the time to participate in a sports event at such a critical moment? Everyone understood clearly: there was a bright future waiting after the Gaokao. Nobody would jump off a building! If someone were to jump, it would be after failing the Gaokao! Could the school stop worrying unnecessarily?
Even He Siyue, usually popular among his peers, faced rare resistance when he went around the class with the registration form.
He had already signed up for three events himself and couldn’t take on more. After a whole day of persuasion, he still couldn’t find anyone willing to participate in the men’s 3000 meters.
Desperate, he turned to Lu Xingyan.
“Lu Xingyan, um…”
“No way, no signing up, not participating.”
Without even looking up, Lu Xingyan knew what He Siyue wanted and gave a flat-out triple refusal.
He Siyue wasn’t discouraged by the rejection. The truth was, he had no other options. Most of the boys in the liberal arts class were more suited for writing essays than running 3,000 meters. There were fewer than a handful who could even finish the race.
He tried a different approach. “This 3,000 meters should be pretty easy…”
“If it’s so easy, why don’t you do it?”
“I’ve already signed up for enough events.” He Siyue paused. “I think you could place in this one. No sports students are competing this time. Just imagine: Shen Xingruo watching from the sidelines, everyone else struggling to finish, and you effortlessly winning first place. Then she hands you a bottle of water, and you give her the first-place prize. Isn’t that perfect?”
As he spoke, Siyue silently apologized to Shen Xingruo in his mind.
Lu Xingyan hesitated. He found He Siyue’s scenario quite appealing.
Seeing Lu Xingyan’s softened expression, He Siyue, despite his guilty conscience, pressed on and painted an even more enticing picture.
Lu Xingyan, simple-minded as he was, fell for it. Completely enthralled by He Siyue’s embellished vision, he confidently signed his name on the registration form for the 3,000 meters: “Lu Xingyan.”
He even prepared a flamboyant pink T-shirt as his sportswear, with carefully chosen shorts and shoes to match. Three days before the sports event, he went to the barbershop to style his hair, aiming for a naturally tousled look that would stay perfect in the wind.
On the day of the sports event, he regretted his decision, wishing He Siyue would livestream himself eating the registration form.
—The broadcast announced: “Senior year athletes, please report to the field for check-in immediately. All other students remain in the classroom for self-study. All other students remain in the classroom for self-study!”
To surprise Shen Xingruo, he hadn’t told her about his participation. As he left the classroom, he passed by her seat and asked hopefully, “Do you want to bring me some water?”
Shen Xingruo looked up briefly. “You’re participating in the sports event? Ignoring important matters for something so useless.”
He translated her response in his head:
“Bring you water? Not a chance.”