Chapter 15

Several idle young playboys listened to the new term from Li Rongxiu and could not help asking curiously, "What's a white lotus?"

Li Rongxiu was taken aback by the question, then quickly recovered and began educating everyone on internet culture from many years in the future—while also explaining terms like "green tea bitch," "sweet innocent fool," "black-hearted lotus," and so on.

Seeing how animated everyone was, Zhao Qijun called over a waiter standing nearby and ordered more than ten dishes according to everyone's tastes, then waved a hand and told them to serve the food.

Thus, everyone spent the entire noon meal eating while going wildly off-topic over these new terms, happily stuffing people they knew into the definitions. It was not until more than an hour later that Xin Mengmeng suddenly came to her senses and said, "Wait, this isn't right! Didn't we come here to discuss how to ruin Chi Junhao's school anniversary performance and vent Young Master Xiu's anger? Why are we discussing all this useless stuff now?"

Alan picked up a small silver fork skewering a strawberry and said casually, "What's there to discuss? Find someone to ask what program Chi Junhao signed up for, who he chose as his partner, what costumes, props, music, and backdrop he's using. Then, on the day of the anniversary, we'll spend heavily and wipe it all out in one go... We're old hands at this business!"

Thinking it over, everyone felt that made sense. Only Li Rongxiu frowned in disagreement and retorted, "My grandfather often says that a gentleman should conduct himself uprightly. When dealing with people and matters, you should know how to overwhelm others with righteousness and win through the unexpected. So for this Centennial School Anniversary, I want to compete with Chi Junhao openly and fairly—"

Everyone was stunned again. Xin Mengmeng blurted out, "Young Master Xiu, don't tell me it's because of Chi Junrui... so you..."

The gossip tabloids had revealed that the reason Li Rongxiu's fiancée, Shen Manyao, had chosen to be with Chi Junrui was nothing more than that she had been captivated by the charm of the business prodigy. After all, setting aside their family backgrounds, Chi Junrui, the clever youth known as a rare genius, was far more manly than the Li family's young master in both appearance and business acumen. In outsiders' eyes, it was only natural for such a successful, graceful, excellent man radiating powerful hormones to attract a "naive and innocent" young girl in the bloom of first love like Shen Manyao.

Moreover, Chi Junrui was not some poor boy who had risen from nothing. The Chi family's influence in Wancheng might not match that of old-established wealthy clans like the Li family, the Shen family, the Zhuang family, or the Mo Family, but it was still one of the foremost families in Wancheng's second-tier circle. Compared to him, Li Rongxiu, whose family background was stronger but who himself was so disappointing, inevitably seemed inferior. Thus, upon hearing Li Rongxiu's words, everyone immediately imagined a melodramatic plot: "Young Master Xiu suffered defeat in love and resolved to regain his dignity in the business world, proving that he was no worse than the Chi family's men."

Seeing everyone's eyes gleaming and their faces full of lurid fantasies, Li Rongxiu shook his head with a dark expression and nearly stamped his foot as he explained, "Who has time for something that boring? Besides, the Chi family has always been defeated by the Li family. I wouldn't even need to do anything—my grandfather, my father, and my brother would show those Chi family members why flowers are so red."

When he saw everyone's expressions grow even more suggestive, Li Rongxiu could only force himself to explain, "I just think... Chi Junhao used to be my lackey, and he's more familiar with all the tricks we came up with than we are. I really don't think these little schemes can get him... that's all."

"Is it really that simple?" →_→

"Of course it's that simple!" (￣ヘ￣o＃)

Li Rongxiu's words successfully gave everyone something to think about.

A few minutes later, Alan frowned and said, "Xiu Xiu has a point. Chi Junhao is extremely cunning, or he couldn't have fooled us for so long. Besides, the Chi family must be supporting his anniversary program. The Chi family has already been driven into a corner, so they'll definitely pin their hopes on Chi Junhao. If he can receive the Top Student award at the anniversary, he may draw the attention of the guests attending the ceremony. If he gets lucky enough to win the favor of the Imperial Royal Family and gain the support of a royal family member, even the Li family and families like ours would have a hard time refusing to show the royal family respect."

Xin Mengmeng also agreed uneasily, saying, "Exactly. Don't let us fail to mess with him, only for that Chi brat to turn the tables and bite us instead, claiming that we ruined the school anniversary ceremony for selfish reasons. Then we'd be on the back foot."

The more carefully everyone considered the matter, the more cautious they became.

Ten minutes later, the group watched with gloomy faces as the Glorious Residence staff efficiently cleared away the leftovers and replaced them with fruit and pastries. They had thought so hard that countless brain cells were nearly dead, yet they still could not come up with any good ideas.

Wu Zhiheng lowered his head to check his wristwatch and shook his head with a bitter smile. "There are only thirty minutes until we have to return to school... Do you all think we can still come up with any effective plan?"

It was not that they lacked confidence. Rather, these young playboys generally occupied marginalized positions within their families. Aside from eating, drinking, and having fun, they had no experience participating in family decisions and were not even allowed to know family secrets.

The only thing they had done over the years that could be called proper work was going to school on time every day and doing everything they could to score above passing on their exams. According to Diwan High School's rules, students who failed their exams more than three times in a row would be expelled. And expulsion was a consequence these young playboys could not afford.

For a time, everyone sank into deep thought.

After a while, seeing that everyone's thinking had achieved absolutely nothing, Li Rongxiu let out a long sigh, puffed out his cheeks, rolled his eyes, and said slowly, "Forget it. There are still almost six months before the anniversary. What's the rush? Besides, this isn't something that can be accomplished just by rushing."

"That's true." Before Li Rongxiu could finish, the young playboys present immediately began lamenting their plight. Zhou Ruixin could not help rolling his eyes. "Young Master Xiu, don't you know exactly what we're capable of? To put it plainly, we brothers are good at causing trouble and taking crooked paths, but actually doing something serious and beating so many people to win the title of Top Student..."

They looked at one another, sighed, and shook their heads.

Li Rongxiu laughed helplessly and said, "Then let's first find out what programs the other clubs and applicants are preparing. Know yourself and know your enemy!"

Chapter 15

Chapter 15

That afternoon, Li Rongxiu returned to school with the group of young playboys. As they passed the sports field, he spotted with sharp eyes two people sitting side by side in the empty stands. He narrowed his eyes and studied them for a moment. Once he saw who they were, the smile at his lips deepened. He turned to greet Allen Yaksa, then headed straight for the stands.

Chi Junhao, who was sitting in the stands discussing plans with the person beside him, was suddenly startled when he saw Li Rongxiu approaching with a smiling face. He hurriedly stood up and called out, "Young Master Xiu."

Behind him, Lin Junrui also stood up somewhat uneasily. Lately, rumors had been spreading wildly around school that he and Shen Manyao were dating. Some students who wanted to curry favor with Li Rongxiu had not been gentle in tormenting him over it. Therefore, although Lin Junrui had barely interacted with Li Rongxiu in person, a man's reputation cast a long shadow. Having suffered so much undeserved trouble, it was only natural for him to tense up reflexively when he saw Li Rongxiu.

Li Rongxiu gave Lin Junrui a meaningful look and said, "You're both called Junrui, but with different surnames, your fates really are worlds apart. You seem to get along quite well with Chi Junhao. I'm curious—if I had truly believed Chi Junhao's provocation and found someone to beat you up, would you have willingly taken the blame for Chi Junrui?"

Lin Junrui's expression stiffened at those words. His hands hanging at his sides clenched unconsciously, and he lowered his head tightly. Chi Junhao, whom Li Rongxiu had deliberately ignored, noticed Lin Junrui's reaction and felt his heart tighten. He quickly forced a smile. "Young Master Xiu, you're joking."

Li Rongxiu gave a cold laugh, said nothing more, and turned to leave.

Alan and the others across from them had also heard Li Rongxiu's divisive words. They exchanged gloating smiles and surrounded Li Rongxiu as they left the sports field. Only Zhao Qijun lagged behind. He gave Chi Junhao a provocative smile, then viciously dragged a finger across his throat.

Chi Junhao stood where he was, staring fixedly at their retreating backs. For one brief moment, he felt regret. But the next second, he immediately persuaded himself otherwise. What prospects could there be in following a bunch of playboys? His future, Chi Junhao's future, was to become Diwan's finest elite student like his brother, then enter the Student Council, run for Student Council president, and gradually take control of Diwan's resources to strengthen himself. Not muddle through senior year, get a diploma, and leave school with his tail between his legs.

Having weighed the gains and losses, Chi Junhao took a deep breath, turned to Lin Junrui, and smiled. "Now, let's continue discussing..."

Chi Junhao looked up and saw Lin Junrui's dazed expression. After thinking for a moment, he patted Lin Junrui's shoulder and said, "I know that, given Senior Lin's family circumstances, even covering Diwan's tuition and miscellaneous fees is already difficult, leaving you with no energy to think about anything else. But as long as you can help me obtain the title of Top Student at the school anniversary, I absolutely won't go back on my promise of one hundred thousand Federal credits... Think about it. With those one hundred thousand Federal credits, you could attend the university of your dreams even without getting a Harvard scholarship. You should know... so many students apply to Harvard every year, and the competition for scholarships is fierce. Even if Senior Lin is outstanding, you might not get what you want. Besides, if you help me this time, I'll persuade my brother to introduce you to his mentor at Harvard, Professor Vincent—Professor Vincent is Senior Lin's idol too, right?"

Every one of Chi Junhao's persuasive words struck Lin Junrui's heart like a heavy hammer beating a drum. The indignation and shame that Li Rongxiu's remark had stirred by exposing the truth vanished with a pop. Lin Junrui closed his eyes unwillingly and took a deep breath. In order to scrape together enough money to study abroad, he had ignored others' pointing fingers and mockery and resolutely sold the school anniversary competition plan he had prepared to Chi Junhao for one hundred thousand Federal credits when Chi Junhao approached him. There was no turning back once the arrow left the bow. Since he had made his decision, he should not hesitate.

After all, he, Lin Junrui, was not Li Rongxiu, nor was he a young playboy from any family. He had no right to be willful. Nor did he have the right to anger the Chi family over someone else's careless remark. Even a starving camel was bigger than a horse. No matter how miserable the Chi family's current circumstances were, it was not something an ordinary person like him could provoke.

Having convinced himself, Lin Junrui opened his eyes again and nodded at Chi Junhao. "I understand."

After a pause, Lin Junrui asked again with some uncertainty, "Young Master Rui will definitely introduce me, right?"

Naturally, Chi Junhao patted his chest and made solemn assurances in front of Lin Junrui. Yet deep down, he felt a trace of regret and melancholy—Lin Junrui truly was talented. If Chi Junhao's past scheme to incite Li Rongxiu to beat Lin Junrui had not been exposed, then with his brother's appreciation for talent, he would certainly have found a way to help Lin Junrui win his loyalty. But now...

Chi Junhao shook his head irritably, throwing aside all those chaotic thoughts. The Chi family was now like a clay bodhisattva crossing a river, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Where would he find the spare time to worry about someone else?

Leaving aside the two people on the sports field, Chi Junhao and Lin Junrui, each with their own thoughts, Li Rongxiu and his group of young playboys ambled into the school building. Alan did not forget to praise Li Rongxiu, saying, "That lackey of yours was pretty thoughtful. The two of them hid in the sports field stands to discuss things. Their view is wide open, and they don't have to worry about anyone listening through the walls. No wonder you trusted him so much before."

Li Rongxiu sneered and shook his head. "It's nothing but deceiving themselves. If we want to know what they're planning, why make things so troublesome?"