She took a step back and shook her head.
“No, I was just thinking about something else.”
Her heart was beating loudly, her blood pulsing in her eardrums strongly.
She felt as if she was in a vacuum, making it difficult for her to breathe.
Lu Huaiyu noticed her tilted head and lowered face, which only allowed him to see the high bridge of her nose and long eyelashes.
He raised a brow slightly at her unusual reaction.
He was right in front of her, so what could possibly have distracted her thoughts?
“Brother Xiyue and Mr. Zhou are still downstairs. Let’s go,” Ning Li said.
Lu Huaiyu put his hands in his pockets and looked at her. “Okay.”
…
Footsteps from the stairs caught Cheng Xiyue and Zhou Fei’s attention.
They turned to the stairs to find Lu Huaiyu coming down the stairs, as Ning Li followed carrying her bag.
Dissatisfied, Zhou Fei complained, “What took you so long? Do you have any idea how precious my student’s time is?”
Lu Huaiyu looked at his watch. “Has it been that long? How come you guys are still here?”
Zhou Fei was left speechless and Cheng Xiyue scoffed at him.
Zhou Fei should know that he could never challenge Lu Huaiyu.
He smiled and waved at Ning Li. “Little Ning Li, it’s almost lunchtime. Why don’t you join us for lunch?”
Stunned, Ning Li said, “Uh…Can I say no?”
Having lunch with the three of them?
Cheng Xiyue had a sudden realization. “Oh, I know. You don’t want to have lunch with Zhou Fei, right? I understand. It will be just the three of us then. Zhou Fei can have lunch on his own.”
Zhou Fei tossed his phone onto the couch. “Hey! What is the meaning of this?”
“Isn’t it obvious? A teacher having lunch with a student is too much pressure. What if Little Ning Li gets indigestion?”
“You!”
Zhou Fei leaned back on the couch with his hands laid back and legs crossed.
“Have you ever seen such a handsome teacher? It’s not that I want to be boastful, but the girls in our school are fascinated with me.”
He was speaking the truth. He was young, only a few years older than the high-schoolers. He was handsome and taught his lessons in an open-minded way.
It was safe to say that he was the most popular teacher in school.
“Oh, really?” Lu Huaiyu paused and turned to Ning Li. There was a faint smile on his lips.
His question had been directed at Ning Li.
Ning Li was two steps behind him but due to the sudden pause, she almost bumped into his back.
He was tall. Even though Ning Li was two steps up behind him, she was still only up to his height.
His sudden turn had surprised her, causing her to grip the rail tightly.
She felt a little nervous as she met his deep gaze.
She averted her gaze and said, “Mr. Zhou is quite popular at school.”
Lu Huaiyu narrowed his eyes. His aura somehow seemed to grow colder.
Zhou Fei was delighted.
Cheng Xiyue sighed inwardly. In his head, he was already making plans to flee the scene. If not, he would have to call the ambulance for Zhou Fei and tidy up his mess.
Ning Li nodded. “He is not only popular with the girls, but also with the boys.”
The delight on Zhou Fei’s face froze.
A sudden thought popped into Cheng Xiyue’s mind and he burst out into laughter.
“Oh yes, I remember you received several love letters from boys when you first started teaching in Second High, right?”
A bitter look quickly replaced the smile on Zhou Fei’s face.
A young and amazing teacher was attractive to students, regardless of gender.
When he had first started teaching in Second High, he would receive gifts or letters on his table or in the homework that he collected.
Surprisingly, some had been gifted by several boys as well.
He had turned a blind eye to every confession.
The students slowly gave up after not receiving any encouragement.
Unfortunately, Cheng Xiyue had found out about it and constantly used it to tease Zhou Fei.
Zhou Fei scoffed.
“That’s just child’s play. It’s nothing. If you want to talk, what about those who liked second master—”
Before he could finish, he felt chills run down his spine.
He turned to Lu Huaiyu to see him smirking coldly at him.
Zhou Fei cleared his throat and forcefully swallowed all his words.
Ning Li blinked curiously.
Liked second master?
She turned to Lu Huaiyu.
His fair complexion complemented his perfect brow bone and the high bridge of his nose.
When he was serious, the aura around him felt as cold as a blizzard. When he was delighted, it felt as warm as springtime melting the winter snow.
On top of that, his unique noble presence and laid back temperament also felt natural.
His temperament coupled with his presence was truly unique.
She suddenly thought of He Xiaochen’s question.
‘Given Lu Huaiyu’s attributes, it’s surprising that he doesn’t have a girlfriend. Maybe he likes men!’
Lu Huaiyu noticed her gaze and turned to her.
He saw the look on Ning Li’s face. He narrowed his eyes and flicked her forehead with his fingers.
“What do you think, little girl?”
The flick on her forehead felt like a heavy blow to her heart.
She adjusted her bag and said, “Second brother, I still have a competition tomorrow. Can I go home now?”
It was dangerous for her to continue staying here with Lu Huaiyu.
There seemed to be an invisible power that drew her closer to him, from which she could not break free.
Lu Huaiyu stared at her for a few seconds before giving a reply.
“Okay, we’ll see you after your competition.”
Ning Li sighed a breath of relief.
“Thank you second brother, I’ll be going.”
She bid Cheng Xiyue and Zhou Fei goodbye before leaving the mansion
…
Back at the Ye family, Ning Li took the books out of her bag and put them on her desk.
She had a competition tomorrow, so the books could wait for another day or two.
Out of her peripheral vision, she caught sight of the glass bottle in the corner.
Inside the glass bottle was a piece of milk candy and a paper boat.
She calmed down slightly after staring at it, but something else was brewing inside of her.
She took a few deep breaths to calm her thoughts before starting her revision for the competition tomorrow.
…
The next day, Second High School.
The day for the General Science Competition for all High Schools of Yunzhou had finally arrived.
The competition consisted of two parts: the paper test and the experiment tests.
Each part would be held in the morning and the afternoon respectively.
Second High was the only venue for the competition, hence the early morning crowd.
The black Cayenne stopped in front of the entrance.
Su Yuan turned around to her daughters. “Did you bring everything you need for the competition?”
Ye Ci smiled. “I have everything, mom. Don’t worry, I’m not a little girl anymore.”
“Great. Don’t be nervous when you are there.”
Her words were obviously aimed at Ye Ci. She did not even bother to spare a glance in Ning Li’s direction.
Ning Li’s clarification on stage had attracted a lot of attention.
Although Su Yuan knew it had not been Ning Li’s fault to begin with, she still believed Ning Li had gone too far. Also, because she had scolded her previously and was now too embarrassed to apologize, she reacted by behaving coldly to her.
Ning Li did not care. She got out and walked towards the entrance.
Ye Ci was behind her.
“Sister Ning Li, wait up!”
