Lu Chi: "..."
A music competition?
Hahahaha!
Is this guy trying to make me laugh myself to death?
In my last life, I was a little eighteenth-tier internet celebrity who got his start singing on livestreams.
Eventually, I made a name for myself with my singing. I was even about to go on a dating reality show and meet my favorite goddess face-to-face.
My goddess was the most famous singer in the country.
If I hadn't gotten so excited that I dropped dead, would I have transmigrated here?
And now this guy actually wants me to enter a music competition and become his foil.
Then embarrass myself so everyone in the Lu Family thinks I'm inferior to him?
Hohohohohoho~
What a joke!
When Lu Chi said nothing, Lu Jiyang thought he was scared.
He secretly sneered to himself.
Oh, Lu Chi, Lu Chi.
In our last life, you were so cowardly and pathetic when you returned to the Lu Family.
From the moment you stepped through the door, you desperately tried to please everyone.
But your tongue wasn't as sweet as mine, and your schemes weren't as deep.
Your grades were worse than mine, and you didn't have a single talent worth showing off.
I outshone you in everything.
All I had to do was play a little trick, and I could get our parents to beat you viciously and make all five of our older sisters despise you.
All your desperate attempts to please became a joke.
Later, I even caused your death.
Now that I've been reborn, I certainly won't let you have an easy life this time either.
Just you wait.
I'll torment you for a while first. Once I've dealt with the people who need dealing with, it'll be your turn.
Hahahahaha~
Lu Jiyang looked at Lu Chi, putting on an utterly harmless act.
He spoke again. "Brother Lu Chi, the academic pressure in senior year is exhausting, both physically and mentally. Entering a music competition and relaxing your mind and body will help you study better. Don't you think?"
Lu Chi pretended not to hear and kept eating.
He also wore a look of utter uncertainty.
Playing dumb at the right moments would let him put more force into the face-slapping.
The effect would be more striking, too.
Lu Jiyang continued, "Look, you bury yourself in your studies every day, but your grades still aren't as good as those of classmates who study and have fun. Brother Lu Chi, you really should relax a little, or you'll be under too much pressure. It's just going onstage to sing one song. It won't affect your studies.
"We've had plenty of misunderstandings before. I hope this competition can give us brothers a chance to stand together onstage with one heart. No matter who wins or loses, we can both bring honor to the Lu Family."
Every word Lu Jiyang said belittled Lu Chi, pointing out that he buried himself in studying every day yet still had worse grades than other students.
His meaning, both spoken and unspoken, was obvious. He might as well have told Lu Chi outright, "Even burying yourself in your studies every day, you still can't match me, Lu Jiyang, when I split my time between studying and playing."
Lu Chi really wanted to swear.
I can surpass you without even trying!
If I actually put in some effort, heh, you probably couldn't catch me even in a helicopter!
But in front of the whole family, Lu Chi certainly couldn't swear.
Only an idiot would draw aggro in a situation like this.
Lu Chi put on a deeply troubled look, acting insecure and cowardly:
"...But I... I don't sing very well. I... I'm afraid I can't enter the competition. I've never entered one before."
Seeing their son's utter lack of confidence, Lu Yuanqing and Pan Feng thought of how he had spent so many years living in the slums without ever seeing the wider world, and their hearts ached for him.
Lu Yuanqing encouraged Lu Chi. "Chi'er, Jiyang is right. Since there's a competition you can enter, you might as well give it a try. It'll help you build some courage and broaden your horizons."
Pan Feng nodded. "Chi'er, your mom and dad both have a real gift for music. I believe your singing shouldn't be too bad either. It's fine. If you want to enter, just give it a try.
"Winning or losing isn't important. What matters most is getting some practice and building your confidence. If you don't want to enter, that's fine too. When Jiyang competes, our whole family can cheer him on."
"That's right, Chi'er!" Worried that Lu Chi might feel burdened, Lu Yuanqing added, "If you don't want to enter, don't. Your exams are only a few months away anyway. Focusing on your studies is fine too."
Lu Chi pretended to mull it over with difficulty.
He said, "Well, I think little brother Jiyang has a point. Studying happily is better than burying yourself in books... Dad, Mom, why don't I enter? I've lacked confidence since I was little, and I want to get some practice too."
Lu Yuanqing and Pan Feng nodded, thinking that their son would inherit the Lu Family's business someday, so it would be good for him to build some courage early.
When Lu Jiyang heard Lu Chi agree to enter with him, he was ecstatic inside.
He thought, Here comes my chance to trample Lu Chi!
As long as I win first prize in the competition, the Lu Family will think I'm outstanding.
Heh!
Lu Chi, you country bumpkin who spent over a decade in the countryside and has never seen the world, what do you have to compete with me?
Lu Jiyang asked Lu Qingru, "Second Sister, is this a singing competition hosted by your Century Imperial Entertainment?"
Century Imperial Entertainment was the entertainment company Lu Qingru belonged to.
It was also Hua Country's largest entertainment company and ranked internationally.
It was something like Ugly Country's Good-Bad-Wood.
Lu Qingru nodded. "That's right. This competition has preliminary rounds, semifinals, and finals, with children's, youth, and senior divisions. It's jointly hosted by Century Imperial Entertainment and Hua Central Television. First prize is six million."
"Six million! Great! That money's mine!" Lu Jiyang nearly jumped up in excitement.
With his dad punishing him lately, he was really short on money.
If his sisters hadn't secretly looked after him, he would barely have been able to afford snacks.
On Monday, the sky was bright and the air clear.
The classroom of Senior Year Class Two hadn't grown gloomy just because the college entrance exam was a little over five months away.
During breaks, the students still laughed and chatted.
Lu Chi sat in his seat, with the school beauty, Su Yunian, on his left.
Campus Belle Su seemed not to have slept well and looked rather tired.
She was somewhat listless.
But even that listlessness couldn't conceal her earth-shaking, peerless beauty.
Lu Chi: [What's wrong with Campus Belle Su? Why does she look so listless?]
Guagua: [Her mother Xie Qing's car was tampered with. They called the police to arrest Zhao Min, but someone took the fall for her, and Zhao Min was released.
[The mother and daughter discovered that Campus Belle Su's father, Su Jingang, was having an affair with Zhao Min. They've been collecting evidence these past few days to deal with Su Jingang, so she's a little worn out.]
Lu Chi nodded. [Ah, poor school beauty. If you ask me, what she needs to do right now is avoid startling the snake in the grass. Besides secretly collecting evidence,
[she also needs to have her mom keep firm control of the company's ownership, in case Su Jingang realizes something is wrong and secretly transfers the assets.]
Su Yunian pretended to memorize vocabulary, but her ears were pricked up, not missing a single word from Lu Chi or Guagua.
That way, she could pick up some useful information.
Guagua kept chatting.
[There's another explosive piece of news: Zhao Min's daughter, Zhao Feifei, is indeed Su Jingang's child. But Zhao Min's son...
[That little boy with the congenital heart disease isn't Su Jingang's seed. He's the bastard Zhao Min had from a one-night stand with another man.]
"What?" After the tremendous shock of hearing this news, Su Yunian secretly buried her head in her book and wept with joy.
"This is wonderful! Wonderful!"
"Zhao Jinxuan actually isn't Dad's son. Dad, you scumbag who betrayed your family, it's time you tasted what it feels like to lift a rock only to smash your own foot!"
"People who betray their families don't come to a good end. You really deserve it!"
Su Yunian planned to go home after school that afternoon and tell her mother the good news.
Lu Chi propped up his arm with his left hand. He had slept too much in class.
He really couldn't sleep anymore now. After enjoying the gossip about Su Yunian's family, he tilted his head and stared blankly out the window.
Just then, the class beauty, Li Bingqing, walked softly over to Lu Chi with a sweet smile.