The driver’s voice brought Lu Jiansen back to his senses.
The brief flicker of alarm vanished without a trace.
Lu Yinghan’s indifferent, distant gaze suddenly made Lu Jiansen’s mood turn gloomy and irritated.
He twitched his eyebrows in annoyance.
Lu Jiansen got out of the car, no longer paying attention to Lu Yinghan.
“To the principal’s office.”
“Mm.”
Their brief exchange was so awkward that the driver in the car couldn’t help but want to dig himself a hole to hide in.
He smiled as he watched them enter the school, then let out a long sigh of relief once back in the car.
This was the first time the young master had ridden in the car with this young lady.
In the past, it was always the little miss in the car, chatting away with the young master the whole time. The young master would smile and take the miss’s tablet, showing her beautiful toys and jewelry.
Then he’d note down everything the little miss took a liking to and go buy them from the luxury store afterward.
At first, he’d been shocked by the world of the wealthy, but eventually, he’d grown numb to it.
The driver had also started to not care anymore.
But this one today—
At first glance, he’d thought she was one of the servants’ children.
But she was indeed the young miss.
How could this be so awkward?!
So awkward that he, driving up front, felt embarrassed to even breathe too loudly.
Watching their receding figures.
The driver began silently worrying about Lu Yinghan.
The two walked to the principal’s office in complete silence.
Along the way, Lu Yinghan almost had to jog to keep up with Lu Jiansen. By the time they reached the principal’s office, she was gasping for air.
Seeing her in such a state, Lu Jiansen said disdainfully,
“What do you look like? Pull yourself together.”
Lu Yinghan mentally rolled her eyes hard at Lu Jiansen, forcing herself to steady her breathing.
“Knock, knock, knock—”
“Come in.”
A calm, magnetic voice came from inside the room.
Lu Jiansen opened the door and saw a middle-aged man with graying temples, smiling as he watched the siblings walk in.
“Teacher Xie, it’s been a while.”
After entering, Lu Jiansen immediately bowed respectfully to the principal.
Lu Yinghan, following behind, quickly mimicked Lu Jiansen’s movements.
Principal Xie stood up with a laugh, reaching out to support both Lu Jiansen and Lu Yinghan.
“Hahaha, it’s been a while indeed. You were quite the standout at school back then—look at you now, all successful!”
“Still, it’s because you taught me well, Teacher.”
After the pleasantries, Principal Xie turned his gaze to Lu Yinghan behind him.
In that instant, a flicker of something dark passed through his eyes, and his look at Lu Jiansen became filled with scrutiny.
“Your sister?”
“Yes.”
Principal Xie said nothing, but his gaze swept over Lu Yinghan once more, sizing her up.
“Teacher Xie, my sister’s attire today is indeed a bit inappropriate… Perhaps I should take her back to change first and then return.”
“Eh? That’s not right.”
Principal Xie raised a hand to stop Lu Jiansen from continuing.
He walked over to Lu Yinghan’s side and gave her a serious once-over.
“Hmm—the girl’s face is clean, her clothes are neat and tidy, everything in order. What’s inappropriate about that?”
Principal Xie patted Lu Yinghan’s small shoulder, and the warning look in his eyes made Lu Jiansen unconsciously lower his head slightly.
“You’re right… Teacher Xie, I just came between work to drop her off. Now that she’s here, I’ll leave her in your capable hands.”
With nothing more to say, Lu Jiansen didn’t waste any time and prepared to leave directly.
Before leaving, he pulled Lu Yinghan close, closing the distance between them.
“Keep a low profile at school. Don’t embarrass the Lu family.”
Lu Yinghan felt Lu Jiansen’s cold breath spray against her ear.
The moment that breath touched her skin, she immediately stepped away, putting distance between them.
The abrupt flinch and avoidance made Xie Tingyuan, watching from behind, narrow his eyes.
Lu Jiansen’s body went rigid. He pressed his lips together to keep from losing his temper, finished his warning, straightened up, and politely took his leave of Xie Tingyuan.
He left without a trace of reluctance.
The office was left with only Lu Yinghan and Principal Xie, the two of them facing each other.
Xie Tingyuan—that is, Principal Xie—crouched down to eye level with Lu Yinghan and gently ruffled her hair with a look of pity.
“Welcome to our school. In a bit, I’ll have your homeroom teacher come take you straight to your class. If you need anything, you can come find me directly.”
“Mm-hmm, thank you, Principal!”
Lu Yinghan blinked those bright eyes of hers, so clear they held not a trace of impurity.
But beneath those half-lowered eyelids, there swirled emotions unlike those of other children.
Clearly a sensible child.
But sensible in a way that made one’s heart ache.
He ruffled Lu Yinghan’s head once more, and just then, the door opened.
The homeroom teacher in charge of Lu Yinghan appeared.
“Principal, I’m here to pick up the child.”
The woman was heavily made up, and her clothes were almost all skin-tight.
The thick perfume radiating off her made Lu Yinghan quietly hold her breath, refusing to let her nose be assaulted.
Xie Tingyuan’s brow furrowed without the slightest attempt to hide it.
“Isn’t it the rule that teachers must lead by example and dress neatly and appropriately? Teacher Zhao, if I catch you like this again, it’ll be a formal warning.”
Xie Tingyuan’s criticism made this Teacher Zhao straighten up, wringing her hands together, not daring to meet his gaze.
A trace of panic flickered across her face.
Perhaps due to the height difference, Lu Yinghan caught a flash of malice that crossed her lowered expression.
Her hands began to grow cold.
This was not someone easy to get along with. She wondered whether her upcoming campus life would have any good days ahead.
Teacher Zhao turned her gaze toward Lu Yinghan, scrutinizing her carefully from head to toe.
Sure enough, the disdain in her eyes gushed out without restraint.
Wasn’t this just a country bumpkin?
The branded clothes she wore were outdated who knows how long ago, and that skin quality, and that hair texture.
Teacher Zhao gritted her teeth hard.
At yesterday’s meeting, they had mentioned that a transfer student would be arriving during this period.
The enrollment season had already passed. To maintain a refined learning environment, the school would not accept any more students.
Yet a transfer student was still coming in—just how much influence and backing did this person have to get the principal to agree?
So yesterday, Teacher Zhao had been especially proactive, and under the table, she had nudged the Dean of Academic Affairs’ leg, signaling this greasy middle-aged man to help her snatch the student.
She wanted to build connections!
The Dean, with his beer belly, felt the warm, soft touch on his calf and his mind began to wander.
He immediately looked at Teacher Zhao, understanding in his heart. He smiled lewdly and rubbed his foot against her leg, signaling that he had gotten the message.
In the end, the spot naturally went to Teacher Zhao.
That’s why she had dressed so provocatively today—to repay the Dean’s favor.
Teacher Zhao had been beyond thrilled when she received the student’s information.
Lu Yinghan.
Surname Lu.
And admitted as an exception at such a critical moment—Teacher Zhao had already convinced herself that Lu Yinghan was the child of the number one Lu family in the capital!
She had come happily to the principal’s office to pick up the child, only to see this country bumpkin standing before her.
The expectations she had nurtured all night came crashing down in an instant!
How could this be a child of the Lu family?
She just happened to share the surname Lu!