Two months later.
Lu Guixin held the textbook with detailed explanations required for Physics Level 1 and stood in front of the Hall of Fame in Ming City High School. She looked at the photo of Gu Mang.
“Gu Mang, a recognized genius. The only top scholar in history to score full marks at the college entrance examinations with a score of 750. She studied in Ming City High School in Year Three. Following that, she attended the Traditional Chinese Medicine faculty of Capital University and studied medical science. She is an all-rounded medical genius and a talented designer. Her strengths include computing, mechanical engineering, dance, music, dubbing, and writing, etc.
“She is a learned scholar and has a far-reaching and high influence in all walks of life. She is the top in many areas.
“God bestowed ultimate beauty, confidence and talent in one person, making her omnipotent. She was an unparalleled genius with high intelligence that can solve all problems.”
In the photo, Gu Mang was 18. In comparison to her current state, other than the fact that her aura was more threatening now, it was as if her looks had never changed.
Lu Guixin tilted her head a little and pushed her glasses up with her well-defined fingers.
Mom is really, really pretty.
The girl beside her stroked her chin and looked at Gu Mang, then at Lu Guixin. “Guixin, I have a sudden realization that you look quite a bit like Gu Mang.”
Lu Gui was dressed in a school uniform with a flat collar, and she no longer wore a girly preppy sweater underneath. Instead, she had a black zip-up hoodie.
Before coming to Ming City, she cut her hair short and had bangs. It was the most common and ordinary hairstyle among students.
As it took two months for school to start, her black hair had already grown to her collarbone.
Her neck was slim and long, and her shoulder and necklines were delicately outlined. Even her ordinary collarbone was really eye-catching to the extreme.
From the side, a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on the bridge of her delicate and sharp nose. The metal was cool and textured, while her skin was as white as snow. It was pure and flawless. No matter what hairstyle she had, her face saved the look. Instead, it gave off a different kind of beauty.
She was as exquisite as a beautiful painting.
There was a natural smile on the corner of her lips as if she was always warm and gentle to everyone.
She did not give off the vibes of a school beauty who was arrogant and distant.
“Do I?” Lu Guixin looked at Gu Mang’s photo and asked rhetorically.
The girl nodded profusely. “Yeah, you do! It’s just that your eyes aren’t quite the same, but your nose, mouth and face shape does! The more I look at it, the more you resemble her!”
“Really?” Lu Guixin replied as if she was pretty surprised.
The girl looked at her again and then at the photo of Gu Mang. She looked like she was thinking hard.
Suddenly she widened her eyes. “Damn! Your family name is Lu! Could you really be…”
Just then, the bell which signaled the start of class rang. Lu Guixin said quickly, “Next class, Physics! Tian Lu, let’s return to class, quick.”
If Lu Guixin was the Casino Menace of Ghost Street.
Then their middle-aged physics teacher was the menace of their class. People gave her the nickname ‘Abbess Miejue.’
Tian Lu cursed again, and all of the crazy thoughts that she had in mind disappeared abruptly. She rushed back into class with Lu Guixin. If they were late, they would have to attend class while standing at the entrance.
They bumped into Xi Yan at the stairs, and the two of them greeted her hurriedly. “Hello, Ms. Xi.”
Xi Yan nodded and looked at Lu Guixin’s anxious back. Two seconds later, she sighed.
Gu Mang was notorious for reaching on the dot. Even if she was once late, she also walked in casually with her hands in her pockets.
Xi Yan recalled the feedback for Lu Guixin from the capital.
Compared to the talented and all-rounder celebrities which those family clans take special effort to care for, Lu Guixin was an ordinary student who handled things calmly and had a gentle temperament. She did not have a bad temper, and she was not stuck up. She had no hobbies and no talents.
She was so ordinary that other than her prominent background and good looks, there wasn’t any factor about her that was outstanding enough to make others interested in her.
The people in the capital had a lot to say about Lu Guixin, and there was a lot of controversy about her.
The thing that people spoke about most was that destiny was good for her. Although her skills were ordinary, she was born into the Lu family, and that was the only reason that people revolved around her.
Xi Yan had originally suspected if Lu Guixin would be hiding her talents just like Gu Mang did, but Lu Guixin did not behave like she was purposely controlling her scores. Her grades were very ordinary, and she was within the lower average in the class. Her results in all of the subjects wavered around the average scores in the class.
Who could control her own grades so crazily?
It’s always hovering around the average score?
The second bell that signaled the start of the lesson rang again. Xi Yan sighed softly and looked away. Then, she went into another class to start her lesson.
…
Year One Class Nine.
There were about 70 people in the classroom. The physics microphone to speak in class. She used her own vocal cords, and her voice was loud and clear enough to reach the last row.
Meanwhile, the students who sat in the front row were deafened by it, but no one dared to protest.
There was a culture in Ming City High School. Every week, the seating arrangement would be rotated. The students in the first row will shift to the last row, while the second row will shift to the first row. The rows will rotate in such order.
Lu Guixin was just shifted to the front row. The teacher’s voice was just by her ear, and it was like that of a lion’s roar. It made her eardrums ring.
She scratched her ear nonchalantly and made notes casually in her textbook. When she got annoyed by it, she began to make random sketches of cartoon characters at the side of it.
While it was a black gel pen, the outer design was very unique. It was pure black, and there was a small transparent dice cup at the top of it. There were two mini dice in the cup, and as Lu Guixin’s pen glided around, the dice inside rolled and shook.
The teacher stopped teaching all of a sudden, and she looked down. When she saw what Lu Guixin was doing and the way that she clearly looked like she was not paying attention, her face darkened. “Lu Guixin.”
Lu Guixin tilted her head, but she did not stop the movement in her hand. She was connecting the lines to her favorite character in a detective comic.
Tian Lu took a look at the physics teacher, who was glaring at Lu Guixin with a sullen face, and then she looked at Lu Guixin, who was concentrated on drawing. She gulped and nudged her with her elbow.
Lu Guixin lost control of the tip of her pen, and a long black line was formed on her textbook.
She frowned, and her pupils turned really dark. A bit of hostility floated in her eyes.
“Lu Guixin!” The physics teacher’s tone was really high.
The hostile look in the girl’s eyes disappeared immediately. She looked up cautiously and matched the eyes of the teacher, which were burning with fury. She quickly cupped the drawings in her textbook with her hands and stood up. Then she stuttered, “…Teacher.”
The physics teacher pulled a long face and said coldly. “Look at the diagram on the blackboard. Tell us, how many forces are applied to the block on the slope?”
Lu Guixin looked aside at the blackboard and hesitated for a while before answering, “Gravity, resistance, pulling force… Three.”
With that, the Physics teacher looked even more unhappy than before.
Beside her, Tian Lu panicked really badly. Her heart was almost jumping out, and she was so anxious that her temples were throbbing. She was afraid that the teacher would get Guixin’s deskmate, her, to stand up and answer the question.
“Pull- What?! That’s elastic energy! Are you satisfied with scoring in the average? Do you know that the average in your class is the lowest in the level!” The physics teacher rolled the textbook in her hand and smacked the podium. She chided firmly, “If you don’t understand, listen well! Your physics textbook is not your sketchbook!”
With that, she looked at the girl in the third row who had her arm raised. “Zuo Ran, answer.”
Tian Lu’s beating heart immediately relaxed, and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Zuo Ran stood and answered with a pleasant tone. ” Four forces. Gravity is the downward force. The upward force perpendicular to the slope is resistance. Parallel to the slope and going downwards is the elastic force. Parallel to the slope and going upwards is friction.”
The physics teacher nodded, and her expression turned warmer. “That is correct. The both of you may now sit.”
Zuo Ran glanced at Lu Guixin disdainfully and smirked. Then, she sat down.
The physics teacher drew the force field analysis diagram as she explained the concepts to the students. When she was done, she looked at Lu Guixin. “Lu Guixin, do you get it?”
The girl nodded. “Got it.”
Physics class was the last lesson in the morning.
After class ended, people packed up and prepared for lunch.
It was different today. Several male students walked over to Lu Guixin with their physics notes in hand.
“Lu Guixin, these are my physics notes. School has just started for two months, there isn’t a lot of content yet. I have made detailed annotations. Feel free to ask me if there is anything you are unsure of.”
“Lu Guixin, these are mine. There are some key points in it. I guarantee that you will understand once you look at them.”
“Have mine too! Mine are key points which are rather dry and I also have some tips for handling questions…”
“…”
Lu Guixin looked at the pile of notebooks in various sizes and smiled. She put on the cap of her pen and said in a warm and gentle voice. “It’s fine, thank you everyone. My parents intend to get me a private tutor. If I read too much, I might get confused easily.”
“Is this too much already?” Zuo Ran spoke suddenly and scoffed. “We’ve only had two months of high school and we only learned so little. There are still 936 days until the university entrance exams and there is so much content to be learned. How are you going to manage with that IQ level of yours?”
Tian Lu couldn’t stand her cynical tone, and she retaliated. “How does it concern you how Guixin is doing? You’ve never scored first in the level before. I suggest that you spend more energy on improving yourself.”
The smile on Zuo Ran’s face stiffened a little. “Tian Lu, I’m just concerned about my classmate. Do you have to say such hurtful words?”
“Do you have to sound so sarcastic when you’re showing concern to your classmate?” Tian Lu smiled. “Do you think you are Mother Teresa? Wanting to offer help to everyone?”
Zuo Ran’s expression changed. “Y-You!”
When the boys saw that the girls were about to fight, they tried to smooth things over. “Alright, alright. Let’s not ruin the harmony among the classmates. Let’s go and have lunch. I’ll treat everyone to bubble tea.”
There were a few girls surrounding Zuo Ran, and they were considered to be from the same clique.
One of the girls said, “I don’t know if you boys are really clueless or what. Lu Guixin is so pretty, she’s the school beauty. Even if her results are bad, there’s no way she would fall for any of you. Wake up.”
Teenage boys have the strongest ego. When they were spoken to in such a manner, their faces flushed in awkwardness.
Many people looked towards Lu Guixin as if waiting for her response.
Lu Guixin was still smiling from the look in her eyes. She asked in an innocent tone. “We are all from the same class, why would you talk about me looking down on them when they’re just trying to help out among classmates?”
Ming City High School had very strict rules, especially when it came to boy-girl relationships. No one dared to speak openly about ‘taboo’ words like courtship and love. After all, there were tattletales in every class, and you can never guard well enough against them.
Some of the girls wanted to answer, “Stop being pretentious, don’t you know that they like you?” But they did not dare to say a single word. They held it in until their eyes turned red.
Zuo Ran took a deep breath, then she smiled and looked at Lu Guixin. There was a tinge of jealousy in her eyes. “Lu Guixin, I hope that your results will improve next time. Don’t let down your friends who have helped you.”
With that, she led her clique out of the classroom.
When the boys saw how Lu Guixin tried to smooth things around, their moods brightened up a little.
One of the boys said smilingly, “Then let your private tutor coach you first, you can come to me if there’s anything you still don’t get.”
Lu Guixin nodded and smiled. “Thank you.”
…
At the cafeteria.
Lu Guixin and Tian Lu ordered Sichuan Boiled Spicy Pork and Sichuan Dry Fried String Beans. They were both rather spicy.
Tian Lu propped her face up by her hand and looked at Lu Guixin. “Honestly speaking, I was still wondering if you are really Gu Mang’s daughter since your family name is also Lu.”
“Thanks for thinking so highly of me, sis.” Lu Guixin raised her cup of milk tea and made a toast to Tian Lu. She joked, “I heard that the big boss used to do really bad in her studies but then they found out that it was all a pretense. She was a top scholar in the university entrance exams. Are you saying that I will also become a top scholar next time?”
The corner of Tian Lu’s lips twitched, and she scoffed. “Sorry, I’m imagining things because I read too many novels. If you can become a top scholar, I will ask my brother to get Zhou Fu’s WeChat ID for you! The School Beauty and the School Troublemaker as a couple… sounds exciting!”
Lu Guixin was focused on eating the meat that she had requested for more spiciness, and she asked casually, “Who is Zhou Fu?”
Tian Lu was stunned. She widened her eyes in shock and asked, “You don’t know who Zhou Fu is?”
Lu Guixin picked up a piece of meat and sent it into her mouth. Then, she shook her head.
Tian Lu was in disbelief. “Are you really a student from Ming City High?”
Lu Guixin pointed at the school badge on her uniform and answered nonchalantly. “Replacement guaranteed if found to be unauthentic.”
Tian Lu was too lazy to diss her. She explained, “Year Three, Science stream. First in class and in the city. He is the King of the science stream and a top scholar in his province. What’s more, he’s really handsome! He’s the dream lover of all the girls in Ming City High School!”
Lu Guixin smiled. “That’s inaccurate data. He’s not my dream lover, so it’s not all the girls.”
Tian Lu couldn’t help but admire her. She gave her a thumbs up and added. “That’s not all. I think you are the only one in the entire school who is unaware of who Zhou Fu is.”
To the average girl, Zhou Fu was indeed all the girls’ ideal type.
But to Lu Guixin, a persona like Zhou Fu’s was not attractive.
After all, she was surrounded by a lot of crazy big bosses.
Lu Guixin was not interested in this person in the slightest bit. She had come to Ming City just for fun.
Life in the capital was too boring. She had even gotten sick of that silly place, Ghost Street.
After having their meals, the two of them went to the convenience store to buy things.
Lu Guixin took a can of iced cola out of the freezer while Tian Lu picked some snacks.
Lu Guixin said, “Tian Lu, I’ll sit there and wait for you.”
There were bar counters in the convenience store for resting.
The two of them ate slowly. There weren’t many people in the convenience store at this moment as the rest had returned to their dormitory to rest.
Tian Lu held onto a packet of Latiao, potato chips, and seaweed. “Okay, I’ll be right there.”
Lu Guixin sat down and took out her phone. There were several unread messages.
Message from Gu Hui, “Guixin, we have a business deal in Ming City next weekend. We’ll drop by to visit you.”
Lu Guixin’s glasses slid down a little, and her nose was rather well-defined. She tapped on the keypad with her pale, slender fingers. “‘We? Who?”
Gu Hui, “Gu Si and I, and your brother. The others are busy.”
Lu Guixin raised her brows a little. “Alright, I have a test next weekend. I’ll look for you guys when I’m done~.”
Gu Hui, “Ok”
Tian Lu, who was darting between the shelves, suddenly said, “Lu Guixin, do you eat toffee?”
Lu Guixin looked up and was just about to answer.
Just then, a group of boys in short-sleeved shorts walked towards the convenience store. One of them was holding a basketball in his hand. It seemed like they had just finished playing.
In November, Ming City has already entered the late autumn, and the temperature has dropped sharply. These people seemed to not be afraid of the cold, and they were dressed in thin clothes.
Ding! The glass door slid to the sides, and the boys entered the convenience store.
Lu Guixin’s eyes landed on the boy who led the way.
The boy grabbed the hem of his loose white short-sleeves and lowered his head to wipe the sweat from his face. His back was slightly arched, and his distinct ab lines were revealed.
His waistline was thin—golden ratio.
His hips were narrow, and it was very perky.
Looking further down…
His calves were exposed under his loose, black shorts. His legs were also thin, but they weren’t weak and thin. They were lean and full of strength.
Lu Guixin looked at the way he walked, and her dark pupils shrank slightly. He seemed to be quite good.
“Lu Guixin, do you eat toffee?” Tian Lu asked again and peered out from behind the shelves. When she saw the group of boys, she was surprised. “Eh? Brother, did you guys just finish playing?”
The boy with a bright smile who was carrying the basketball was Tian Lu’s biological brother, Tian Rong. He was in Year Three. “Yeah, why haven’t you returned to your dormitory to rest?”
Tian Lu answered, “My friend and I are returning after we get some stuff.”
Tian Rong looked over and saw Lu Guixin, who was sitting there, and he was stunned for a moment.
It wasn’t just Tian Rong. The other boys had the same expression. They all looked at Lu Guixin in a daze as if they were amazed.
They had all heard before that among the freshies in Year One, there was a girl who was uniquely beautiful. She won first place in the School Beauty competition, with many more votes than the one in second place.
When evaluating the School Beauties, Lu Guixin’s photo was a little blurry, and it was of her side profile. Her glasses blocked a part of her face, and at that time, people only thought that she was a beauty because of the vibes that she gave off. It would be an exaggeration to say that she was stunningly beautiful.
They never thought that Lu Guixin would be so pretty. Just from one look, they were captivated.
“Checkout please.” A cold and magnetic voice was heard, and a bottle of refrigerated mineral water was placed on the cashier counter.
Everyone snapped back to reality.
Tian Lu turned to look at the lean and tall Zhou Fu, who was standing in front of the cashier counter. “…”
As it was the first time the boys had seen Lu Guixin, they were all out of their minds.
Zhou Fu was the complete opposite. He couldn’t even be bothered to give Lu Guixin a single look.
Just then, a boy looked at Lu Guixin and then at Tian Lu, who was holding the snacks in her arms. Then, he said solicitously, “Sister Tian, I’ll get you anything you want to eat.”
“Yeah, that’s right. Just take whatever snacks you want, we’ll pay.” Another boy said, but his eyes were glued to Lu Guixin the entire time. It was as if he wished they grew on her.
Since someone else was paying, Tian Lu did not ask if Lu Guixin wanted to eat toffees again. She just took it.
After they had paid, they left the convenience store.
One of the boys plucked up the courage to take out his phone and go to Lu Guixin’s side. “Junior, can I add you on WeChat?”
The others whipped out their phones as well and began to ask, “Yeah, Junior. Add me on WeChat. You can always ask me anything related to studies.”
These Year Threes were popular, and their results were amongst the top.
Lu Guixin looked at their phones and smiled. Her eyes curled up, and they were bright and clear like the stars.
Her voice was smooth like the streams in the mountains. They were really gentle, and if one didn’t listen carefully, they could not tell that she sounded distant.
“Sure.” She answered softly, and she took out her phone. She looked like a good girl.
The boys bumped into each other as they tried to move forward to get Lu Guixin’s WeChat ID. They were all satisfied.
Tian Rong added her too, and he nudged Zhou Fu with his elbow. “Brother Fu, add the junior on WeChat.”
Zhou Fu raised his head and took a sip of water. His prominent Adam’s apple rolled up and down, and a drop of water slipped down his throat. He was clearly a teenager, but he was so sexy.
Lu Guixin glanced at him and looked away. There was a different look in her eyes.
“Nah, it’s fine. You guys can add her.” Zhou Fu tightened the bottle cap. His voice was low and indifferent, as if nothing could ever interest him. “I’ll go back first.”
With that, he strode forward with the bottle in hand, and the distance between them grew.
“Hey, Brother Fu! Wait for us!” Tian Rong raised his arm and hurriedly bade goodbye to Tian Lu and Lu Guixin with the basketball in hand. “Tian Lu, Junior, you guys should hurry back to the dorm to have your afternoon nap too! I’ll treat you guys to a meal next time.”
Tian Lu nodded.
The other boys walked backward as they smiled and waved their phones at Lu Guixin. “Junior, text me anytime.”
Lu Guixin smiled warmly and nodded. She answered politely, “Goodbye Senior.”
The boys ran to Zhou Fu. “Brother Fu, that is the school beauty! Her face is so pretty it touches my heart. How could you be unmoved?!”
“Yeah! At first, I thought the Year Ones were just exaggerating! I even spoke up for our Class Beauty! I never expected her to really be so pretty!”
“Is she very pretty?” Zhou Fu had one hand in his pocket, and he was expressionless the entire time. He was cold and calm.
The others nodded profusely. “Yeah! She’s not just pretty, she’s stunning, okay!”
“Oh.” Zhou Fu looked down at his phone. “I didn’t notice that.”
Everyone else stared at him. “???”
Could it be that this big boss did not even bother to take a look at the School Beauty?
Tian Lu, who was a few meters away, could not hear what they said. She was happy that someone had paid for her snacks.
Lu Guixin’s hearing was better than the ordinary people, so she heard everything clearly. She held the cola can with one hand and used a finger to pull the tab. Pop! She smirked as if she was laughing, and she took a sip.
Gurgle, gurgle. The bubbles were flushed down her throat.
Lu Guixin suddenly felt that her days had been boring for way too long.
She had not felt such an interesting sensation for a long time. She was finally kinda interested in something.
