Chapter 5

The brief weekend passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was Monday.

Lu Yao had just entered the classroom with his backpack when he saw Huang Li sitting smugly in his seat, looking immensely pleased with himself. His deskmate, Lin Gejie, was glaring furiously at Huang Li beside him.

Although the students in the class appeared to be busy with their own things, all their attention was focused on Lu Yao and the others.

Lu Yao stood in front of his seat, looking down at Huang Li. His voice was so cold it seemed capable of freezing the air. "Get up."

Huang Li had originally wanted to mock Lu Yao a few times, but when he met Lu Yao's icy gaze, his body involuntarily shrank back.

Realizing he had actually been intimidated by a poor loser like Lu Yao, Huang Li became angry out of embarrassment and gritted his teeth. But when he thought of what was about to happen to Lu Yao, his mood instantly brightened again.

Seeing that Huang Li still had no intention of leaving his seat, Lu Yao lost patience and kicked the desk and chair. "Get lost."

Seeing Lu Yao like this, Huang Li feared that he might hit him in the classroom. He hurriedly stood up and left Lu Yao's seat, but before going, he did not forget to turn back and gloat loudly, "Lu Yao, you're screwed. Principal Chen wants you in his office immediately."

As soon as Lu Yao sat down, Lin Gejie spoke worriedly. "Brother Yao, that bastard Huang Li seems to have pulled some strings through his family. Before you came, he was bragging to the class that Old Chenpi would definitely kick you out of No. 1 High today."

Old Chenpi was a nickname the students at No. 1 High had given Principal Chen because they disliked him. Though he was called principal, Old Chenpi was actually the vice principal. He simply disliked being addressed as vice principal, so everyone conveniently dropped the "vice." Old Chenpi was famously mercenary, and recently, the principal of No. 1 High had gone away for an exchange program. The school's affairs had all been handed over to Old Chenpi, so Huang Li's words truly gave people cause for concern.

Lu Yao nodded. After putting his backpack into his desk, he got up and left the classroom for Old Chenpi's office.

Huang Li's parents had just gone to Old Chenpi with an injury report and claimed that Huang Li had been bullied by Lu Yao at school. There was clearly no evidence, yet Old Chenpi, the vice principal, had immediately taken their word for it. Once they had ensured Lu Yao would receive the punishment they wanted, Huang Li had them leave. Old Chenpi then told Huang Li to summon Lu Yao to the office.

Since one of his own students had been summoned by the vice principal, Lu Yao's homeroom teacher, Old Liu, naturally had to come over and find out what was happening.

When he heard that Director Chen intended to persuade Lu Yao to withdraw from school, Old Liu immediately objected. "Principal Chen, isn't this a little too hasty? How can Huang Li's injury report alone prove that Lu Yao was the one who hit him?"

Hearing Old Liu oppose his decision, Old Chenpi shot him a sinister glare. "Teacher Liu, watch who you're speaking to. If I say he's being expelled, then he's being expelled. His parents even showed me a video of Lu Yao beating Huang Li. Could that be fake?"

Somehow, Huang Li had obtained surveillance footage from the first time he fought with Lu Yao. He had maliciously edited together only the clips where he was being beaten. Anyone who saw the video at first glance would think that Lu Yao had truly bullied Huang Li.

Old Chenpi opened the video on his computer and gestured for Teacher Liu to see for himself.

After watching it, Teacher Liu frowned. But thinking of what he knew about Lu Yao, he could not help saying, "Principal Chen, this video alone is still insufficient evidence. Videos can be edited now, and some of these shots don't seem continuous. Wouldn't it be more appropriate for us to investigate further?"

Could an old hand like Old Chenpi fail to see that something was fishy about the video? But when he thought of the benefits he had received from Huang Li's family, he pretended to be blind and acted as though he had noticed nothing.

Hearing Old Liu, the homeroom teacher, raise objections, Old Chenpi slammed his hand down on the desk and roared angrily, "Teacher Liu, do you think you're so clever? Isn't this evidence ironclad enough? By indulging Lu Yao, you're indulging school bullying! Mountain City No. 1 High School absolutely will not allow students like Lu Yao to remain here. If you continue blindly protecting him, I'll have to start questioning whether you have problems with your professional ethics!"

Old Liu was dumbfounded after Old Chenpi suddenly pinned a whole string of accusations on him.

He had merely voiced his doubts. How had that turned into condoning school bullying and having questionable professional ethics? If Old Liu still could not tell that something shady was going on, then he really would be a fool.

From the moment Lu Yao entered Old Chenpi's office, he had understood that this was a show Huang Li and Old Chenpi had arranged for him. They had already decided his ending.

If they were determined to accuse him, they would never lack an excuse.

He could even roughly guess why Old Chenpi was helping Huang Li.

The current principal was nearing retirement age. Once he retired, someone would inevitably have to take over as principal of Mountain City No. 1 High School. The teachers and students all knew that Old Chenpi had his eyes on that position. Huang Li constantly bragged at school that he had a relative who was a high-ranking official in the Education Bureau. If that relative put in a good word for him, wouldn't the principal's position be as good as his?

That was also why Lu Yao had not bothered explaining further. Even if he did, Old Chenpi, whose ears had been stopped by power and influence, would not listen. Since that was the case, why waste his breath?

Even though Old Liu repeatedly pleaded on Lu Yao's behalf, Old Chenpi still insisted on making Lu Yao withdraw from school.

Before leaving the office, Lu Yao suddenly turned back to look at Old Chenpi and said lightly, "Vice Principal Chen, I wish you an early promotion."

Old Chenpi did not understand at first, but the more he thought about it, the more sarcastic it sounded. He was so angry that he pounded the desk in his office. Had that little brat just mocked him?

After the two left the office, judging solely by their expressions, anyone unaware of the situation might have thought that Old Liu was the one being expelled.

Lu Yao knew that Old Liu was indeed a responsible and good teacher. Seeing Old Liu's face clouded with worry, he instead comforted him. "Teacher Liu, there are always more solutions than problems. There'll always be a way to resolve this."

Lu Yao had no intention of swallowing such a loss for nothing. He simply needed time to gather enough evidence and make sure he could end it all in one strike.

Seeing Lu Yao remain so calm, Old Liu could not help admiring his student's nerves of steel. Old Liu knew about Lu Yao's family situation as well. Whether because he valued his talent or felt sorry for him, he could not help worrying about him more.

Old Liu sighed deeply. "Lu Yao, don't worry. Your teacher won't let you be left without a school to attend. Mountain City has other good schools besides No. 1 High. Wait at home for my good news." Old Liu planned to put aside his pride and ask his friends at other schools whether they could take Lu Yao in. He believed that, given Lu Yao's talent, those old friends should not refuse such a student.

Lu Yao looked at Old Liu, and a smile unexpectedly appeared at the corner of his lips. "Teacher, thank you."

It was the first time Old Liu had ever seen Lu Yao, the school's famous cold-faced boy, smile. He patted Lu Yao on the shoulder. "Your teacher hasn't done much. But you, kid, should smile more when you can. Don't keep such a straight face at such a young age. You're so handsome, so why don't you know how to smile more? What a waste of that face."

With a trace of amusement in his eyes, Lu Yao said, "Teacher, even when I don't smile, you say I attract people like some flashy butterfly. If I smiled more, wouldn't that really make your 'flashy butterfly' label stick?"

At Lu Yao's words, Old Liu immediately remembered what had happened before.

Some time ago, Mountain City No. 1 High School had been cracking down hard on puppy love. That day, Old Liu had been chatting with another teacher in the hallway when Lu Yao came up.

Thinking of Lu Yao's popularity among the girls, Old Liu could not help sighing and complaining to the other teacher, "Our class's Lu Yao—I've personally seen seven or eight love letters for him already. That kid attracts people like some flashy butterfly."

The moment his words fell, Lu Yao suddenly appeared from behind them. After greeting Old Liu and the other teacher, he strode away on his long legs and soon disappeared at the end of the hallway.

Old Liu was startled by Lu Yao's sudden appearance.

After making sure Lu Yao was out of sight, he cautiously turned to the teacher beside him. "Do you think he heard what I said?"

That teacher shook his head uncertainly. Old Liu secretly observed Lu Yao for several days and decided that he probably had not heard him at the time, which finally put his mind at ease.

Who would have thought that Lu Yao had actually heard it and was now using it to tease him?

Old Liu slapped Lu Yao lightly on the back. "You're the only one who knows how to talk back. Don't overthink things after you get home. Just treat this as giving yourself a little vacation. Leave the school matter to your teacher. Don't worry, I absolutely won't let you go without a school to attend."

When Lu Yao returned to the classroom, all the students instinctively turned their eyes toward him. Under everyone's gaze, Lu Yao walked to his desk, took out his backpack, and left the classroom.

Huang Li really was all bark and no bite. When Lu Yao came in, he did not dare utter a word. Once Lu Yao had left, he began smugly showing off to the lackeys around him.

He grinned smugly. "Let that kid act so high and mighty all day. What kind of campus heartthrob does he think he is? Isn't he being driven home like a stray dog now?"

The smug, villainous look on Huang Li's face disgusted the students in the class, but none of them dared say it aloud for fear of becoming the next Lu Yao.

Lin Gejie also followed Lu Yao out of the classroom. He looked at Lu Yao worriedly. "Brother Yao, what are you going to do from now on?"

Lu Yao's expression remained calm. "Things will work themselves out."

Lu Yao did not believe Huang Li's clumsy tricks could force him into a dead end.

Lu Yao was highly skilled with computers. And as far as he knew, higher-ups were planning to send an inspection team to Mountain City soon to investigate corruption and bribery. That news had not yet reached Mountain City. Otherwise, Huang Li's relative in the Education Bureau probably would not dare move against a minor like Lu Yao at a time like this.

Lin Gejie wanted to say something else, but the class bell suddenly rang.

Seeing Lin Gejie about to keep following him, Lu Yao turned and said, "Go back to class."

Lin Gejie had wanted to see Lu Yao to the school gates, but seeing Lu Yao's disapproving expression, he could only give up.

It took less than a morning for the news that Old Chenpi had forced Lu Yao to withdraw from school to spread throughout the entire campus.

Although Lu Yao was usually cold and distant at school, seeming close to no one, he was incredibly popular among the girls.

When they heard that Lu Yao had been forced to withdraw, the school forum exploded.

"Damn that Old Chenpi! I just finished writing a love letter for Lu Yao last night. I was planning to give it to him this morning, but now I can't even deliver it."

"Doesn't it sound ridiculous to say Lu Yao bullied Huang Li? As far as I know, when Lu Yao comes to school, he does nothing but sleep. He only occasionally says a few words to his deskmate. If you said Huang Li bullied Lu Yao, I'd find that more believable."

"I'm crying. I'm in Lu Yao's class, and every morning before school, I looked forward to seeing that iceberg heartthrob's face. Now that Lu Yao's gone, I feel like my hatred of school is about to shoot off the charts."

"Reliable sources say Huang Li's family and Old Chenpi seem to have some shady backroom deal going on. As for exactly how shady, you can figure that out yourselves."

"You idiot, Huang Li! If you can't get girls to like you, what does that have to do with Lu Yao? Shouldn't you blame your mom for not giving you a better-looking face?"

Yes, somehow the reason Huang Li had clashed with Lu Yao had been exposed. Now everyone knew that Huang Li had flown into a rage out of humiliation after being rejected by a girl for being ugly.

When Huang Li saw all the forum posts supporting Lu Yao, he nearly exploded with rage. But the forum was anonymous, so he could not find out who was behind them. He argued with people on the forum, only to be cursed out mercilessly, which made him even more furious.

It was not just the students who were surprised. The teachers were also shocked to hear that Lu Yao had been forced to withdraw.

Usually, only exceptionally outstanding students could leave an impression on every teacher. But Lu Yao's grades on every major and minor exam had only been average. The reason he was memorable to the teachers was his unique habit of answering questions.

Lu Yao's exam papers were extremely recognizable because he wrote only the final answer for every question. That was naturally enough for multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions, but he did the same for subjective questions that required detailed calculations. If his grades could still be average, it was only because the science papers assigned quite a few points to multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank questions.

What shocked the teachers even more was that, although Lu Yao gave very few answers, every one of them was correct. That meant he knew how to solve all those problems. He simply did not want to write out the process.

Naturally, Old Liu and the other subject teachers could not indulge him in this habit, so they privately called him into the office.

They gave Lu Yao a long lecture.

When Old Liu said that answering like this might cause him to lose his feel for solving problems when the college entrance examination came, Lu Yao replied directly, "But I did the same thing in middle school."

When Old Liu remembered Lu Yao's entrance exam results—the top scorer in Mountain City's high school entrance examination—he was instantly speechless.

To make Lu Yao change his mind, Old Liu had wanted to knock down his confidence, so he directly borrowed a difficult mock exam that the senior-year teachers had carefully prepared for their students.

In the end, when they saw Lu Yao's perfect score, the teachers present looked at one another, at a loss for words.

Were some people able to score full marks simply because full marks were the highest score possible?

After that, Old Liu never criticized Lu Yao over this matter again. After all, it was understandable for geniuses to have certain peculiarities. Making him complete exam papers whose answers he could see at a glance really was making things difficult for him.

Considering that if this got out, other students in their restless and changeable adolescence might imitate Lu Yao's answer-writing habits, the teachers silently agreed not to mention it to anyone.

Lu Yao's situation should originally have been reported to the principal by Old Liu. But Old Liu had been so busy with the school sports meet that he could barely keep up. After the sports meet ended, he thought he had already reported the matter to the principal, so he kept forgetting about it until now.

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