Ye Ci felt a sting in her heart.
However, she puckered her lips and forced a faint smile.
“No, I didn’t get first place. I got second.”
The lively classroom immediately fell silent.
Shocked, Lin Zhouyang stuttered as he scratched his head awkwardly.
“Ah? Uhm…”
Ye Ci was known for her paintings ever since she was young. In the past few years, she held the title of a gifted painter and others envied her for that.
1
Everyone thought she would get first place without a doubt.
Lin Zhouyang looked at her and said carefully.
“Uh… Second place is great! Right? I mean, if you tell others you got second place in the Huatsing Cup, people would still be jealous of you.”
It was not great at all.
The first place had a trophy, certificate, and prize money. However, the most important one would be the guaranteed admission to Xijing University.
Second place was nothing compared to that.
She missed it. All her efforts had gone down the drain.
Ye Ci felt terrible but she could never show her emotions in front of everyone.
She returned to her seat, put her bag down, and nodded.
“It’s a competition. There’s only one first place. I lost and I accept it whole-heartedly.”
Lin Zhouyang gave her a big thumbs up.
“That’s right! Ye Ci, you are really such a big-hearted person!”
This was as expected of the woman of his dreams!
2
“Though, I’m curious. Who got first place? Who could’ve beaten you?”
Everyone had the same question in their heads.
Cheng Xiangxiang had just come back with a cup of milk tea when she heard what Lin Zhouyang said. She grunted.
“It’s that guy from Seven High. I don’t even remember what his name is, Wei something, something. He always skipped class and his grades are intolerable. He asked someone to modify his painting at the last moment, that’s why he got first! Otherwise, he would never!”
Seven High was two blocks away from Second HIgh but both schools were very different.
Aside from the poor enrollment rate, which was the lowest throughout the city, the school had poor discipline and reputation.
A school like that could never educate someone that skilled, yet he beat Ye Ci.
Lin Zhouyang was perplexed.
“Who’s that guy who helped modify the painting? It was only a few strokes and he won first place? Who’s that capable?”
Cheng Xiangxiang gave Ye Ci the cup of milk tea. She moved the chair out from the table with her leg and sat down.
“God knows.”
She was not there at the competition, but she had heard all of it from Ye Ci. Little did she know that, even if Wei Songze used his painting for the competition, he would still get first place and beat Ye Ci.
Ye Ci would never reveal the details.
2
Ning Li looked at the time and grabbed two mock-up test papers. She was about to leave.
Ye Ci suddenly thought of something and turned to Ning Li.
“Sister Ning Li.”
Ning Li froze before she turned her head around. “Yes?”
Ye Ci asked hesitantly, “Oh it’s nothing. I’m just curious. Were you at the city art center earlier today?”
The figure that she saw at the city art center highly resembled Ning Li. It was uncanny.
Ning Li reacted with a calm look. “What’s wrong?”
“I heard you didn’t come to class this morning and I saw someone there who looked like you…”
Ning Li looked at her with a raised brow.
Ye Ci really ‘cared’ about her. Even if she was not in school, she was still trying to find a way to monitor Ning Li.
“I thought you said outsiders are not allowed entry without an invitation.”
Ye Ci was silenced.
Ning Li could never get the invitation to Huatsing Cup, hence she could not get in.
Ring!
The bell rang. It was time for class.
Ning Li left the classroom from the backdoor the moment the bell rang.
At the same time, Tan Kailan came in from the front door.
When she saw Ning Li leaving from the back door, her already strict look turned colder.
She had never seen such a wild student.
Even if she scored perfectly on her Combined Science, she was arrogant and proud. She would never achieve anything in the future.
3
Sun Quan had held a short meeting with the teachers before this. He said Ning Li was a special student, and as long as she did not break the rules or caused any serious trouble, the teachers were told to turn a blind eye and let her be.
However, Tan Kailan thought otherwise. They were still within the school premises and if she was left untamed, she would definitely cause problems sooner or later.
2
Ren Qian turned around and giggled softly.
“Our new classmate is a wild one. I wonder who could be the bane of her?”
Pei Song was reading, but suddenly, the young man who picked Ning Li up a few days ago during the night self-learning class appeared in his head.
Ning Li seemed a little different when she was with that young man.
Even though she looked as dull and cold as ever, she looked a little warmer and softer when she was with that man.
Especially when they were close together, Ning Li seemed to share a tacit understanding with that young man. She looked more relaxed and obedient, and her eyes were glistening like the stars in the sky.
Pei Song shut his book and discarded that thought.
…
Ning Li went to the Physics group’s office.
Whenever Zhou Fei had class, she could sit at his table and do revisions.
She was alone in the office.
She took out a mock-up test paper and started it.
Around 40 minutes later, she switched to the second one.
Competitive Physics class had started their training a long time ago, hence Ning Li did not have any advantage for joining the class halfway.
Zhou Fei sent her all the study materials. This meant that the revision she had to do every day was a few times more than her peers.
Fortunately to her, it was not a burden.
She checked the answers after she was done before she kept papers away.
There was a lot of stuff on Zhou Fei’s stable, such as figures, coffee beans, and some trinkets of sorts. None of them were education-related.
Zhou Fei loved to give a lively lecture and he never liked following the normal course, so he barely had any educational materials.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the office door.
Ning Li turned around and was surprised.
“Master Cheng?”
It was Cheng Xiyue.
Beside him was a man in a formal suit in his early thirties, looking like an elite.
Cheng Xiyue came in with the man.
“I went to your class for you and told me you’re here.”
Ning Li felt it was a little strange.
“You’re here for me?”
“Yeah, it’s just a little something.”
Cheng Xiyue handed her a document file with a mischievous grin.
“Have a look at the things inside. If you have any problems or found any problems with it, you can talk to Mr. Liang here. He’s our lawyer.”
Ning Li actually knew the man.
He was Liang Ze, the legal representative for Cheng Corporation.
However, why did Cheng Xiyue bring him here?
Ning Li took out the papers inside the document.
For a moment, she was shocked to see the things inside.
It was a drafted prosecution letter.
The ones who were being prosecuted were the owners of the accounts who had spread malicious rumors about her online the other day.
“What’s this…”
“Take a look. If it’s okay, we can bring the case to court,” Cheng Xiyue said frivolously.
“We have solid evidence, and every single one of them will be sued and prosecuted.”
Ning Li did not expect him to resolve the matter with such extreme methods.
No wonder every comment and rumor about her was deleted later that day.
“Little Ning Li, you don’t have to worry. You don’t need to show yourself. As long as the paperwork is okay, you don’t need to worry about the rest.”
She gave it some thought before she asked, “Is this… Second Master Lu’s idea?”
Cheng Xiyue smiled. “It’s also my idea.”
The girl was bullied and isolated.
She hesitated for a while and said, “Can I give him a call first?”
Cheng Xiyue nodded.
Ning Li stood up and walked aside for the call.
Cheng Xiyue suddenly thought of something and said, “Oh, uh, he should be busy right now. Why don’t you wait for…”
Beep.
The call got through, and Cheng Xiyue was speechless.
He had never gotten through to Lu Huaiyu at this hour!
2
“Lili?” Lu Huaiyu answered with a deep and slightly rough voice.
“Second Master Lu—”
“What did you say?”
“…Second Brother.” Ning Li’s lips were trembling.
3
Only then was Lu Huaiyu satisfied. “Why are you calling me instead of being in class?”
Ning Li said, “It’s about prosecuting those account owners… The incident is over and everyone now knows the truth. Doing this will only trouble you, why don’t—”
Lu Huaiyu laughed. His next words may sound like his usual lazy tone, but they were loud and clear.
“Girl, don’t you know what pain is by now?”
3