Several days had passed since Lu Yao had been persuaded to leave school.
That evening, Lu Yao went out. Just as he was nearing the entrance to his apartment building, he received a call from his homeroom teacher, Old Liu. When Old Liu guiltily told him over the phone that every school in Mountain City had refused to accept him, Lu Yao guessed that Huang Li had probably gotten his family to cause trouble for him.
After ending the call with Old Liu, Lu Yao looked up and saw Ms. Li standing by the road outside the residential complex.
Lu Qi had been sent back to Sea City by Father Lu last Sunday night, since he still had classes to attend. But Father Lu and Ms. Li had set aside their work and remained in Mountain City.
Ms. Li had merely felt stifled from staying in the hotel and wanted to go for a walk to clear her mind, but she had unknowingly wandered over here.
When she saw Lu Yao standing some distance away, a smile involuntarily appeared on Ms. Li's cold, beautiful face.
She failed to notice that two motorcycles were speeding toward her from behind.
The moment Lu Yao saw the two racing motorcycles, his expression changed abruptly. Like a cheetah, he sprinted nimbly toward Ms. Li.
A gang of motorcycle thieves had recently appeared in Mountain City, robbing passersby of their valuables. These two riders were clearly after the unsuspecting Ms. Li.
Bang!
Lu Yao yanked the still-confused Ms. Li away from the roadside in time, but a speeding motorcycle grazed him. He crashed heavily to the ground. The delicate skin on his elbow had been scraped open and was bleeding, the wound a bloody mess with bits of gravel embedded in it.
The two motorcycle thieves were still unwilling to give up after failing to snatch Ms. Li's bag. Ms. Li clearly looked wealthy. But when they turned back and saw the dangerous, icy gleam in Lu Yao's deep eyes, they realized he was not someone to mess with and reluctantly rode away.
To Lu Yao, this kind of scrape was nothing more than a trivial injury, but Ms. Li's heart ached when she saw it.
Seeing Lu Yao turn to leave, Ms. Li suddenly reached out and gently grasped the wrist of his uninjured hand. "Go to the hospital and get that wound treated."
Feeling the restraint and warmth around his wrist, Lu Yao froze for a moment. Then, with a light twist of his wrist, he freed himself from Ms. Li's grasp.
"No need."
After a pause, he turned back to look at Ms. Li and added coolly, "Security in Mountain City isn't very good. You should go back."
People like Ms. Li and Father Lu, wealthy outsiders at a glance, were the easiest targets for motorcycle thieves.
After saying that, Lu Yao lifted his foot to leave, but Ms. Li grabbed his wrist again. Her voice was gentle, yet her gaze was unwavering as she looked at him. "Go let a doctor treat the wound."
The thought that Lu Yao might have always dealt with his injuries so carelessly in the past suddenly made Ms. Li's heart ache.
Lu Yao did not think such a minor injury warranted a trip to the hospital. He had wanted to shake free of Ms. Li's hand again, but when he saw that she looked as though she was about to cry, his heart softened despite himself.
Lu Yao awkwardly turned to look elsewhere. "Let's go."
Seeing that Lu Yao had finally agreed to have his wound treated at the hospital, Ms. Li's tightly furrowed brows finally relaxed.
Hospital, Orthopedics Office.
After examining him and confirming that it was only a skin abrasion, with no fracture or other internal injury, Ms. Li finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Because there were small pebbles and grains of sand stuck in the scraped wound, the doctor needed saline solution and disinfectant to clean it.
When the attending physician saw that Lu Yao's expression remained unchanged while his wound was being cleaned, as if he felt no pain at all, he smiled and said to Ms. Li, "Your child has quite the endurance. He can really tolerate pain."
Ms. Li smiled. "Doctor, he can endure pain, but that doesn't mean he doesn't feel it. Sorry for the trouble, but please be gentler."
The doctor smiled and nodded. "All right. I know parents always feel bad for their children."
Ms. Li smiled without saying anything, only lowering her head to glance at Lu Yao.
Noticing Ms. Li's gaze, Lu Yao lowered his eyes awkwardly. His ears, hidden beneath his soft black hair, suddenly began to burn.
After his wound had been bandaged, Lu Yao and Ms. Li walked out of the hospital one after the other.
When they reached the hospital entrance, Lu Yao deliberately slowed his pace and said in an apparently casual tone, "Come on. I'll take you back."
Seeing the teenager's awkward concern for her, Ms. Li could not help the corners of her mouth from rising.
Lu Yao did not know that they were staying at a budget hotel near his home. Thus, when he escorted Ms. Li to the hotel entrance and saw its plain, simple appearance, he was slightly taken aback.
Lu Yao did not need to guess to know that, given their status, staying at a place like this was already beneath them.
Lu Yao frowned and looked seriously at Ms. Li. In a low voice, he said again, "Go back." Go back to Sea City, to the world where you belong.
Perhaps because of their blood connection, Ms. Li understood Lu Yao's seemingly abrupt words. But she merely smiled and ignored them, saying instead, "When you get back, remember not to let the wound touch water, or it could get infected."
Lu Yao knew Ms. Li understood what he meant, but since she refused to address it, he knew there was no point in continuing to persuade her. So he said nothing more and bade Ms. Li farewell outside the hotel.
After Father Lu, who had remained at the hotel, heard Ms. Li recount how Lu Yao had been injured saving her, he recalled Lu Yao watching them leave from the upstairs window. His gaze darkened as he fell into thought.
In the blink of an eye, another week passed. Father Lu and Ms. Li planned to visit Mountain City No. 1 High School to learn about Lu Yao's school environment and better understand him. They were curious about everything concerning Lu Yao.
Father Lu and Ms. Li had come to visit Mountain City No. 1 High School today under the pretext of making a donation.
The principal had originally been away attending an educational exchange program, but after receiving a call from Father Lu's secretary the previous night, he booked an early-morning high-speed rail ticket overnight and hurried back to the school by noon.
When Old Chenpi saw the principal suddenly appear at the school, he wondered what had happened. Once he heard that the nationally renowned Lu Group intended to donate to their school, he became excited as well. The principal would retire in a few months, and Old Chenpi would succeed him. When that happened, the credit for the Lu Group's donation would fall to him. It would be a major achievement.
A little after two in the afternoon, Father Lu and Ms. Li appeared in the principal's office.
Because they did not want too many people to know what they discussed, Father Lu told the principal that they only needed to speak with him directly and that unrelated people did not need to attend the meeting. Thus, although Old Chenpi was so curious he practically wanted to scratch through the earth, he was still kept outside the principal's office.
When he heard that Father Lu planned to donate fifty million to the school, the principal grew excited as well.
After they finished discussing business, Ms. Li casually brought up, "Principal, we would like to see Lu Yao from Class 8, Grade 11. Would that be convenient now?"
Hearing that important figures like Father Lu and Ms. Li actually knew a student at his school, the principal asked in shock, "May I ask what your relationship with student Lu Yao is?"
Ms. Li merely smiled and said nothing.
Seeing her attitude, the principal understood that she did not wish to elaborate and tactfully refrained from asking further.
It was currently class time in the afternoon.
Under the principal's guidance, Father Lu and Ms. Li arrived at Class 8, Grade 11. The two quietly stood at the back door and looked inside, but neither saw Lu Yao.
Father Lu and Ms. Li exchanged puzzled looks.
Seeing their expressions, the principal asked, "Has something happened?"
Father Lu had previously investigated Lu Yao's circumstances. Lu Yao was indeed in Class 8, Grade 11, and although he usually slept through class, he had never skipped school.
Therefore, Father Lu's first thought was that Lu Yao might be sick and had taken leave.
After he told the principal his guess, the principal immediately called Lu Yao's homeroom teacher, Old Liu.
"Teacher Liu, did the student Lu Yao from your class take sick leave today?"
Old Liu was dumbfounded when the principal suddenly asked that. He replied directly, "Principal, Lu Yao was persuaded to leave school by Vice Principal Chen last Monday."
The principal's eyes widened in shock. "Persuaded to leave?!"
Father Lu and Ms. Li exchanged a look when they heard those words, their expressions turning serious.
Old Liu briefly and truthfully explained what had happened that day.
After hearing it, the principal was furious, but because Father Lu and Ms. Li were present, he had to suppress his anger with all his might.
That idiot was utterly useless and ruined everything.
After hanging up, the principal gave Father Lu and Ms. Li an awkward smile. His mind raced as he considered how to resolve the situation.
Before he could come up with a solution, Father Lu asked directly, "Principal, what exactly did you mean by 'persuaded to leave'?"
At this point, the principal could no longer hide it. He could only force himself to briefly explain the matter.
After hearing him out, Father Lu laughed in anger. "So this is how your school treats its students? You can expel a student based solely on an unverified video?"
Ms. Li's face instantly turned as cold as frost. She had already been deeply distressed by Lu Yao's past experiences, and hearing this now filled her with rage.
"Weren't you curious about our relationship with Lu Yao? I'll tell you now. Lu Yao is our child—the child we hold in the palms of our hands, the child to whom we want to give every treasure in the world."
Father Lu and Ms. Li were so angry that they turned and left immediately.
Watching their retreating figures, the principal felt as though he was about to explode with rage. Because of Vice Principal Chen, that idiot, not only had the fifty-million donation gone down the drain, but they had also offended the Lu Group.
The principal returned to his office full of anger. When he saw Vice Principal Chen eagerly waiting outside, he called him inside and berated him mercilessly.
When Old Chenpi heard that Lu Yao was actually the son of the Lu Group's president, his face was full of disbelief. How could that be possible? If it were true, why would Lu Yao be studying in a tiny backwater city like theirs?
"Principal, could there have been some mistake?" Old Chenpi tried to struggle against the truth.
"President Lu and his wife admitted it themselves. What could possibly be mistaken? Could they mistake someone else for their own son? I leave for an exchange program once, and you take the chance to stir up trouble at school. Vice Principal Chen, I think there's something seriously wrong with your professional ethics."
The principal slammed the desk so hard that it thundered.
The thought of having offended the Lu family instantly filled Old Chenpi with fear. The Lu family was powerful and influential; if they wanted to deal with a nobody like him, it would be effortless. Not to mention, he was far from clean himself, with plenty of dirt for anyone to dig up.