Lu Yao never checked Moments, so he had no idea that Lu Father had rarest-of-the-century subtly bragged about his children on Moments last night.
At breakfast, Lu Yao was surprised when he heard Lu Qi, who had always disliked Milk, unusually ask the housekeeper to replace the soy milk in front of him with Milk.
When Lu Qi saw Lu Yao looking at him and remembered that they were still in the middle of a cold war, he stiffened his neck and said dryly, "Wh... what? Is there something wrong with switching to Milk?"
Lu Yao silently withdrew his gaze. How strange.
After breakfast, the two of them still went their separate ways to school.
Riding his bicycle, Lu Yao spotted Chu Jiaojiao in the distance. She had her backpack on, her face dark, and looked like she was boiling with rage as she walked toward him.
Thinking about how her father had once again instinctively taken Xia Yue's side in the car just now and scolded her for the sake of that illegitimate daughter, Chu Jiaojiao viciously kicked the wall beside her.
"Crack."
A crisp sound came from the bone in her ankle. An intense pain shot through it at once, and Chu Jiaojiao bared her teeth in agony. On the verge of tears, she muttered to herself, "Why am I so unlucky?! I only kicked a wall, and I actually twisted my ankle!"
Lu Yao rode toward her from the opposite direction and happened to witness every change in Chu Jiaojiao's expression.
After the pain eased, Chu Jiaojiao looked up and saw Lu Yao riding his bicycle toward her.
Their eyes met in midair, and heat instantly rushed to Chu Jiaojiao's face.
Damn it! Why did she have to run into the transfer student of all people?!
Chu Jiaojiao was nearly breaking down. He hadn't seen anything just now, right? Ahhh! She was really going crazy. Was heaven deliberately trying to make things difficult for her today?! She had only just insulted him yesterday, and now he had caught her in such an embarrassing situation!
An idea struck Chu Jiaojiao. She hurriedly crouched down, buried her head, and pretended to be seriously tying her shoelaces.
Seeing Chu Jiaojiao's embarrassment, Lu Yao pretended not to notice and rode straight past her.
Only after hearing the sound of Lu Yao's wheels pass by her did Chu Jiaojiao cautiously raise her head. She let out a long breath. He was finally gone.
Lu Yao had not ridden very far when Chu Jiaojiao's sharp shout suddenly rang out behind him.
"What are you trying to do? Get lost!"
Chu Jiaojiao glared furiously at the two punks blocking her path and refusing to let her leave.
The blond-haired man curled his lips sinisterly. "Looking at that uniform, you must be some young lady from Huiying High School. So, how about coming out to have some fun with us, sweetheart? We'll show you something interesting."
Chu Jiaojiao fiercely knocked away the blond-haired man's outstretched hand with her backpack. Her voice was full of disgust, with a trace of unease that was hard to detect.
"Get lost. Don't touch me! Or I'll call the police."
The blond-haired man exchanged a look with his lackey, and the two let out lewd laughs.
The blond-haired man said, "Go ahead and call them! Let's see if you get the chance. When the time comes, I'll get some reporters over here and have them write about the story between you, this rich young lady, and us two brothers. Once you're famous, don't forget to thank us."
It was Chu Jiaojiao's first time encountering hooligans like these.
When she saw the blond-haired man closing in on her, she shrank back in fear by half a step.
Out of the corner of his eye, the blond-haired man saw a bicycle charging straight toward him. His face went pale, and he stumbled several steps back in panic.
"Screech—" The piercing sound of bicycle brakes echoed through the entire street.
Chu Jiaojiao widened her eyes in shock as well. Lu Yao made a sharp drift and brought his bicycle to a stop directly between her and the blond-haired man.
Seeing the bicycle stop abruptly in front of him, the blond-haired man flew into a rage and cursed, "Hey, brat, what the hell are you doing? Do you know you almost hit someone?!"
Lu Yao turned his head toward Chu Jiaojiao on the other side of the bicycle. Only after seeing that she was unharmed did he turn back to the blond-haired man and say unhurriedly, "Ah, sorry. The brakes suddenly failed."
Lu Yao's attitude made the veins at the blond-haired man's temples throb. He clenched his fists hard, his knuckles cracking, and said viciously, "Kid, are you looking to die?!"
[Seriously, I've been using this reading app lately to follow updates. It can switch sources and has many narration voices. Both Android and Apple are supported.]
Seeing his terrifying expression, Chu Jiaojiao involuntarily held her breath.
Lu Yao waved the phone in his hand and said calmly, "I suggest you leave quickly. I've already called the police. They'll arrive in two minutes, so you'd better go first. You probably don't want to be arrested again right after getting out of the detention center."
The blond-haired man was so enraged that he wanted to grab Lu Yao, but his lackey hurriedly pulled him back. "Boss, let's go first. If the cops come, it'll be trouble again."
The blond-haired man pointed viciously at Lu Yao. "Kid, you've got guts. I'll remember you. You'd better pray I don't run into you again, or you'll regret it."
With that, the blond-haired man turned and ran off with his lackey.
Once Lu Yao saw the two of them disappear from sight, he turned to see Chu Jiaojiao standing there in a daze. Thinking she had been frightened, he said, "If you don't leave now, you'll be late for class."
Chu Jiaojiao's ears turned red and hot with embarrassment. She wanted to leave too, but her legs had gone weak from fright, and she could not walk at all.
Remembering that she had only offended Lu Yao yesterday, and afraid that he would notice her condition, Chu Jiaojiao awkwardly said, "You go ahead. I'll stay here and wait for the police." Fortunately, she could use the police as an excuse.
Lu Yao said, "There are no police. I lied to them."
After hearing Chu Jiaojiao's scream, Lu Yao had rushed over immediately. He had not had time to call the police at all.
Some versions of Safari on iPhone may freeze. This site has been optimized for that issue. If it still occurs, try another browser, such as Google Chrome, or switch back to the default font. Yes, the font may be the cause. Contact us, and we will try to improve it.
No... no police?! Chu Jiaojiao's eyes widened.
Lu Yao glanced at Chu Jiaojiao and noticed that the muscles in her legs were slightly weak. He guessed that she had probably been frightened.
Lu Yao's voice was indifferent. "Get on. I'll take you to school."
Lu Yao's bicycle had a rear seat installed, so carrying one person was not a problem. If Chu Jiaojiao stayed here alone, there was no guarantee those two men would not come back later.
Chu Jiaojiao quickly sat on the rear seat, but she still stubbornly said, "You offered to give me a ride. I never asked you to."
Lu Yao said, "..."
The breeze stirred Chu Jiaojiao's fine hair. Recalling what had just happened and thinking of Lu Yao's words, she could not help asking curiously, "How did you know those two had just gotten out of the detention center?"
Lu Yao said, "Their clothes."
Huh? What was wrong with their clothes? Chu Jiaojiao thought back to what those two bastards had been wearing but found no clues.
"You could tell from their hairstyles that they cared a lot about their appearance, but their clothes smelled greasy, and the oil stains on them had probably been there for at least five days. Besides, there's a detention center nearby."
Chu Jiaojiao could not help showing a surprised expression. In that brief moment just now, he had analyzed that much?
Lu Yao said, "There's a downhill stretch ahead. Sit tight and hold on."
Downhill? Hold on? Hold on to what, his waist?!
Chu Jiaojiao sat sideways on the rear seat, pursing her lips in conflict.
But putting her arms around his waist would be far too intimate! Yet if she did not hold on...
Chu Jiaojiao leaned forward and looked at the downhill slope not far ahead.
The slope was so steep! It felt like she would easily fall badly if she did not grab onto something.
Lu Yao was wearing a white summer school uniform shirt today. Looking at his lean waist, Chu Jiaojiao lightly bit her lip. Her heart pounded so hard that it felt as though it were about to leap out of her chest.
She secretly took a deep breath. Just as she cautiously prepared to raise her hand, Lu Yao suddenly said, "We're about to go downhill. Why aren't you holding the underside of the seat?"
Hold... the underside of the seat?
Heat instantly rushed to Chu Jiaojiao's face, and she flushed red with embarrassment!
If she only had to hold the seat, why had he not said so earlier?!
Chu Jiaojiao was so embarrassed that her hands and feet nearly curled up. She stammered, "Wh... what are you talking about? I knew that even without you telling me."
Lu Yao said, "..." Was it his imagination? Why did it feel like Chu Jiaojiao had become inexplicably angry?
When the students saw Lu Yao riding up near the school gates with Chu Jiaojiao on the back of his bicycle, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
What kind of magical day was this? That young lady Chu Jiaojiao would rather ride a bicycle than take a luxury car?!
Noticing everyone's looks, Chu Jiaojiao was struggling with how to ask Lu Yao to let her off. But if she said it herself, would Lu Yao think she was looking down on him?
Just then, Lu Yao suddenly braked and planted one long leg on the ground. "We're here. You can get off."
Hearing Lu Yao ruthlessly tell her to get off, Chu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth. Damn it, why did it feel like she had lost somehow?!
The moment Chu Jiaojiao got off the bicycle, Xia Yue's haunting voice sounded behind her again.
Xia Yue said, "Sister, why did you suddenly get out of the car just now? And why didn't you call to tell us where you went? Dad and I were really worried about you. We were afraid something had happened to you."
Chu Jiaojiao had been in a fairly good mood, but the moment she heard Xia Yue's affected voice, she became furious. Would Xia Yue die if she spoke normally instead of pinching her voice?
Liu Hao could not stand seeing his deskmate Xia Yue look so wronged. He said indignantly, "Chu Jiaojiao, can't you think about other people when you do things?! Do you know how long Xia Yue has been waiting for you at the school gates?"
After hearing their conversation, the students nearby began whispering among themselves as well.
"Xia Yue really does seem to have been waiting here for quite a while."
"Chu Jiaojiao has always been spoiled and willful. It's not like you don't know that."
Listening to the people around her pointing fingers, Chu Jiaojiao clenched her hands and bit hard into her lip.
Here it came again. Every time she argued with Xia Yue, whether it was her father or these people, everyone took Xia Yue's side. The only person who believed her was her mother!
Lu Yao had originally planned to leave, but after hearing their conversation and thinking about what had happened to Chu Jiaojiao earlier, he could not help raising an eyebrow. His voice was icy. "So your idea of worrying is to leave her alone and ignore her? If she didn't call you, couldn't you take the initiative and call her?"
Hearing Lu Yao speak up for Chu Jiaojiao, Xia Yue widened her eyes in shock. Wasn't Lu Yao supposed to hate Chu Jiaojiao just like he had in her previous life?
Xia Yue flushed awkwardly. "I... we..."
Lu Yao coldly cut her off. "You don't need to explain yourself to me. I don't care what you think. The person you should really explain yourself to is Chu Jiaojiao."
With that, he pedaled away like the wind, heading straight through the school gates.
Xia Yue stared at his mercilessly departing figure, so angry that she was about to explode. Yet she still had to suppress her rage and remain there awkwardly, trying to salvage her reputation.