Lu Ji
“Hey, did you know? Last night, Lu Ji suddenly developed a high fever and was sent back to the Lu family home.”
Chu Shuangshuang said this to Su Yuning as they went to have breakfast together.
Quan Ling seemed to be preparing to join the Student Council and had been very busy lately, waking up around six in the morning.
When Su Yuning woke up, she was the only one left in the room. After washing up and heading out, she happened to run into other classmates who were also coming out one after another. She met Chu Shuangshuang, and the two of them walked together.
Chu Shuangshuang had big eyes and fair skin. She wasn’t tall, and without makeup, she was a pretty and cute girl. However, she preferred exaggerated Western-style makeup. Today, she had styled her hair into fluffy curls and wore purple gradient eyeshadow, making her look like a little witch.
Su Yuning admired her makeup skills. How was it that with the same tools, she could only turn herself into a monkey’s bottom?
As they walked and talked, Chu Shuangshuang loved sharing gossip, and Su Yuning enjoyed listening to it—a perfect match.
Su Yuning listened intently, then chimed in like a straight man: “Ah? Did he catch a cold?”
“I don’t know. I heard it might have been from being out in the cold wind. The details aren’t clear. But Lu Xu dotes on his younger brother so much that he probably won’t let Lu Ji come back to school for a while.”
“I always hear you guys talking about Lu Ji’s older brother, but why does no one ever mention their parents?”
Chu Shuangshuang: “You don’t know about this, do you? The Lu family now only has the two of them left. A few years ago, the Lu couple and their second son died in a car accident—all on the spot.”
“Ah? All of them died?”
“Including the driver, there were five people in the car, and four died. I heard Lu Ji was also in the car at the time, but his mother shielded him, so he survived. His second brother wasn’t so lucky.
The Lu family originally had three children. Lu Ji is the youngest, and he had an older second brother, who also died.
That car accident was called an accident, but who believes it? I certainly don’t.
Fortunately, Lu Xu had already started taking over the Lu family by then. After the other family members passed away, their shares weren’t taken away, so he managed to hold onto everything.
Maybe the psychological trauma was too great, after all, he only had one relative left. That’s why Lu Xu has always doted on his younger brother, treating him like the apple of his eye. In their circle, he’s famously protective of his sibling.”
Su Yuning clicked her tongue: “How tragic.”
“It is tragic, but they’re rich. You, a poor person, shouldn’t be sympathizing with others here. We’re going to be late for class.”
Chu Shuangshuang checked the time and pulled her into a sprint.
When they reached the art studio door, she stopped, panting, and took out a small mirror from her bag to check herself. Turning to look at Su Yuning’s unremarkable appearance, she warned with concern:
“Let’s get this straight—I like Professor Sang! Even though everyone knows he likes Qin Sirui, I’m going to win Professor Sang over! You’re not allowed to charm him!”
Su Yuning pouted: “I wouldn’t, and besides, I already have a boyfriend.”
Chu Shuangshuang: “Who?! Does Quan Ling know?”
Su Yuning: “I haven’t had the nerve to tell anyone yet. Come on, let’s go into the classroom. Don’t block the doorway.”
Today’s morning classes were art and dance. She had been here for almost three months and had attended every type of class except art.
It was said that the art teacher, Professor Sang, had taken a long leave of absence for personal reasons and was only returning to teach today.
But in reality, all the students knew exactly what he had gone to do.
However, Su Yuning didn’t know. She asked Chu Shuangshuang, who pouted and said, “What else could it be? He went to accompany Qin Sirui to the national debate competition! Quan Ling’s younger brother went too—they all came back last night. You haven’t met Quan Ling’s brother yet, right? He happened to be away competing when you arrived. That little guy is really sharp, I’m telling you, with your intelligence, you’d better stay away from him. Oh, by the way, who exactly is your boyfriend? You’re not just making it up to trick me, are you?”
She was dying of curiosity, grabbing Su Yuning and asking nonstop, even temporarily forgetting her anticipation for Professor Sang.
“I’m not tricking you,” Su Yuning mumbled awkwardly in a low voice. “It’s… Zuo Xingyan.”
Chu Shuangshuang gasped softly, then quickly covered her mouth, afraid someone might hear. “Quick, tell me, why did you pick him first?! I need the freshest gossip!”
Su Yuning was also frustrated. “My mind just went blank yesterday…” But the words were already out.
Chu Shuangshuang wanted to ask more, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a figure and immediately shut up, moving far away from Su Yuning.
Su Yuning was still puzzled when she noticed Zuo Xingyan had somehow appeared nearby. He rarely attended classes, usually spending his time either at the training grounds or traveling across the country for extreme sports. But now, with his heart tied here, he didn’t want to go anywhere else.
Casually dragging a stool over, he sat down beside Su Yuning. Smiling at her, he made Su Yuning feel uneasy, as if all the surrounding classmates were secretly watching them from behind their canvases. Especially Zuo Xingyan’s friends, who looked utterly astonished, as if observing a giant panda.
Since waking up in the morning, Su Yuning had been receiving messages from Zuo Xingyan—from “good morning” to “have you eaten,” “what do you want to eat,” “are you done eating,” “are you full”—all useless chatter that continued until just before class ended. And now, here he was in person.
Playing with her fingers, he said, “Why did you get up so late? By the time you were eating, I’d already finished training. Get up earlier tomorrow and have breakfast with me? Early to bed, early to rise is good for your health.”
Su Yuning wanted to complain about how clingy Zuo Xingyan really was. He had always been attached to her before, but now that they were officially a couple, he was even more brazen about it.
But getting up early was impossible for her, so she flatly refused, “I don’t want to get up early!” Absolutely not!
Zuo Xingyan chuckled, pinching her cheek. “Little lazy pig.”
Su Yuning blushed and glared at him, lowering her voice. “We’re in a classroom!”
“Alright, alright,” Zuo Xingyan agreed casually, still holding her hand and refusing to let go.
The art professor, the famously beautiful Professor Sang, arrived fashionably late, just as the class bell rang.
Su Yuning had heard other girls discussing him—every mention of him made their hearts flutter and faces blush, a testament to just how handsome the professor was. However, there was always a hint of regret in their conversations, because Professor Sang already had someone he liked: Qin Sirui, the goddess of their grade.
But it seemed the two weren’t officially together. Professor Sang had never publicly confessed, and the goddess hadn’t responded to his pursuit either.
When Professor Sang appeared, the girls in the front row let out disappointed sighs, whispering among themselves, “With looks like that, what is Qin Sirui still thinking about?! She should just seize the opportunity and make the most of it! Ahh, it’s so frustrating! What exactly are they dragging their feet for?!”
“But I heard that Qin Sirui seems to like…” The girl speaking glanced back to signal her companion, just as Su Yuning, who met her gaze, was utterly confused.