Chapter 6

Several days had passed since Lu Yao had been expelled.

That evening, Lu Yao went out. As he was nearing the downstairs entrance of 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 take him in, Lu Yao guessed that Huang Li had probably gotten his family to pull some strings against 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 put aside their work and remained in Mountain City.

Ms. Li had merely felt stifled staying in the hotel and wanted to take a walk to clear her mind, yet she had unknowingly wandered here.

When she saw Lu Yao standing not far away, an involuntary smile appeared on Ms. Li's cool, glamorous face.

She failed to notice that two motorcycles were roaring toward her from behind at high speed.

The moment he spotted the speeding motorcycles, Lu Yao's expression changed drastically. Like a cheetah, he sprinted nimbly toward Ms. Li.

A gang of motorcycle thieves had recently appeared in Mountain City, specializing in robbing pedestrians. These two bikers were clearly targeting the defenseless Ms. Li.

Bang!

Lu Yao yanked the still-confused Ms. Li away from the roadside just in time, but he was grazed by the speeding motorcycle himself and slammed heavily onto the ground. The skin on his delicate elbow was scraped raw and 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. She clearly looked wealthy. But when they turned back and saw the dangerous chill radiating from Lu Yao's deep eyes, they realized he was not someone to provoke and left in disappointment.

To Lu Yao, such superficial scrapes were nothing worth mentioning, but Ms. Li's heart ached when she saw them.

Seeing Lu Yao turn to leave, Ms. Li suddenly reached out and gently grabbed 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 he deftly twisted his wrist and slipped free of Ms. Li's grip.

"No need."

After a pause, he turned back to look at Ms. Li and added in an indifferent voice, "Public safety in Mountain City isn't very good. You should go back."

Wealthy outsiders like Ms. Li and Father Lu were the easiest targets for motorcycle thieves, like fat lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

After saying that, Lu Yao lifted his leg to leave, but Ms. Li grabbed his wrist again. Her voice was gentle, but her gaze remained fixed on him. "Let a doctor treat your 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 hospital visit. He had wanted to shake off Ms. Li's hand again, but when he saw the expression on her face, as though she was about to cry, his heart softened despite himself.

Lu Yao awkwardly turned his head away. "Let's go."

Seeing that Lu Yao had finally agreed to have his injury treated, 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 fractures or internal injuries, Ms. Li finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.

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Because some small stones and grit were stuck in the scraped area, the doctor needed to use saline and disinfectant to clean the wound.

Seeing that Lu Yao's expression remained unchanged while the wound was being cleaned, as though he felt no pain at all, the attending doctor smiled and said to Ms. Li, "Your child has quite a high pain tolerance. He can really endure pain."

Ms. Li smiled. "Doctor, he can endure it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Please be a little gentler."

The doctor nodded with a smile. "All right. I know parents always worry about their children."

Ms. Li merely smiled without saying anything, lowering her gaze to look at Lu Yao.

Sensing Ms. Li's gaze, Lu Yao lowered his eyes awkwardly. His ears, hidden beneath his soft black hair, began to burn faintly.

After the wound had been bandaged, Lu Yao and Ms. Li walked out of the hospital one after the other.

When they reached the entrance, Lu Yao deliberately slowed down and said in an offhand tone, "Come on. I'll take you back."

Seeing the teenager's awkward concern for her, the corners of Ms. Li's lips could not help but rise.

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 surprised.

Lu Yao did not need to guess to know that, given their status, staying at a hotel like this was a hardship for them.

Lu Yao furrowed his brows and looked seriously at Ms. Li. His voice was low as he spoke again. "Go back." Go back to Sea City, back to the world that belongs to you.

Perhaps because of their blood connection, Ms. Li understood Lu Yao's abrupt words. But she only smiled and ignored what he had said, instead telling him, "When you get back, be careful not to get the wound wet, or it might become infected."

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Lu Yao knew that Ms. Li understood what he meant, but since she refused to address it, he knew there was no use trying to persuade her further. So he said nothing more and bid her farewell at the hotel entrance.

After Father Lu, who had remained at the hotel, heard Ms. Li recount how Lu Yao had been injured saving her, and remembered Lu Yao watching them leave from the upstairs window before, his gaze darkened as he fell into thought.

Another week passed in the blink of an eye. Father Lu and Ms. Li planned to visit Mountain City No. 1 High School to learn about Lu Yao's learning 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 pretense of making a donation.

The principal had originally been away attending an academic exchange, but after receiving a call from Father Lu's secretary the previous night, he booked a high-speed train ticket for the morning and rushed back to the school by noon.

When Old Chenpi saw the principal suddenly appear at school, he wondered what had happened. Once he heard that the nationally renowned Lu Group intended to donate to their school, he could not help but grow excited. The principal would retire in a few months, and he would be the successor. When the Lu Group's donation came through, that achievement would be credited to him. It would be a major accomplishment.

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 knowing 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 participate in the meeting. Therefore, although Old Chenpi was so curious he was practically clawing through the earth, he was still shut outside the principal's office.

When he heard that Father Lu planned to donate fifty million to the school, the principal became excited as well.

After discussing business, Ms. Li casually brought up, "Principal, we would like to see Lu Yao from Class Eight, Grade Two. Would that be convenient now?"

Hearing that important figures like Father Lu and Ms. Li actually knew one of their students, the principal asked in shock, "May I ask what your relationship with student Lu Yao is?"

Ms. Li only smiled and said nothing.

Seeing her attitude, the principal understood that she did not wish to say more, so he tactfully stopped asking.

It was currently class time in the afternoon.

Guided by the principal, Father Lu and Ms. Li arrived outside Class Eight, Grade Two. The two quietly stood by the back door and looked inside, yet neither of them saw Lu Yao.

Father Lu and Ms. Li exchanged puzzled looks.

Seeing their expressions, the principal asked, "Has something happened?"

Father Lu had investigated Lu Yao's situation before. Lu Yao was indeed in Class Eight, Grade Two. Although he usually slept through class, he had remarkably never skipped school.

Thus, Father Lu's first thought was that Lu Yao might have taken sick leave.

After he shared his guess with the principal, the principal immediately called Lu Yao's homeroom teacher, Old Liu.

"Teacher Liu, did student Lu Yao from your class take sick leave today?"

Old Liu was stunned by the principal's sudden question. He replied directly, "Principal, Lu Yao was expelled by Vice Principal Chen last Monday."

The principal's eyes widened in shock. "Expelled?!"

When Father Lu and Ms. Li heard that word, they looked at each other, both their expressions turning serious.

In just a few words, Old Liu truthfully explained what had happened that day.

After hearing it, the principal was so furious that he nearly exploded. But with Father Lu and Ms. Li present, he had to force himself to suppress his rage.

That idiot was worse than useless.

After hanging up, the principal smiled awkwardly at Father Lu and Ms. Li. His mind raced as he considered how to resolve the situation.

Before he could think of a solution, Father Lu directly asked, "Principal, what exactly did you mean by 'expelled'?"

At this point, the principal could no longer hide it. He could only stiffen himself and briefly explain what had happened.

After hearing him out, Father Lu laughed in extreme anger. "So this is how your school treats its students? You can expel a student from school over a video whose authenticity has not even been verified?"

Ms. Li's face instantly turned as cold as frost. She had already felt heartbroken over Lu Yao's past life experiences, and hearing this now made her fury surge.

"Weren't you curious about Lu Yao's relationship with us? I'll tell you now. Lu Yao is our child. He is the child we hold in the palms of our hands, the child we want to give every treasure in the world to."

Father Lu and Ms. Li were so angry that they turned and left immediately.

Watching their departing backs, the principal felt like he was about to explode on the spot. Because of Vice Principal Chen's stupidity, not only had the fifty-million donation gone down the drain, but they had also offended the Lu Group.

The principal stormed back to his office. When he saw Vice Principal Chen eagerly waiting outside, he directly called him in and berated him viciously.

Upon hearing that Lu Yao was actually the son of the Lu Group's president, Old Chenpi looked utterly incredulous. 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 be 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 went away for one academic exchange, and you took the opportunity to stir up trouble at school. Vice Principal Chen, I think there's something seriously wrong with your professional ethics."

The principal slammed the table so hard that it shook.

The moment he realized he had offended the Lu family, Old Chenpi began to panic as well. The Lu family was powerful and influential. If they wanted to deal with a small fry like him, it would be effortless. Not to mention, he was far from clean himself—there were plenty of things they could use against him.