Chapter 11 An Unremarkable Special Admit

Chapter 11 An Unremarkable Special Admit

Ning Song followed Pu Yu out of the swimming pool and saw a car parked under the white lilac trees outside the pool.

Pu Yu was too tall with long legs, so Ning Song had to quicken his pace. He had just finished swimming and was already exhausted, so after walking for a bit, he started to breathe heavily.

He stopped for a moment, but Pu Yu didn't notice. When he ran to catch up, Pu Yu finally turned to look at him.

This time, Pu Yu's pace suddenly slowed down a bit.

His phone kept vibrating. He took it out and glanced at it; it was a message from Qiao Qiao.

One after another.

"Holy crap, what’s going on!"

"Why are you leaving with him? Where are you going?"

"Are you that close with Pu Daxi?"

"I thought I was your best buddy!"

Later, Qiao Qiao even sent him screenshots from the forum, and even through the screen, Ning Song could feel their shock.

"Not really close," Ning Song thought for a moment and then told Qiao Qiao the truth: "My parents work at their house, so I’m hitching a ride."

He looked at the impressive figure in front of him and added, "To be honest, today is the first time I’ve spoken to Mr. Daxi. Before this, I even suspected he was mute."

Qiao Qiao: "…!!"

The car Pu Yu got into was a black Rolls-Royce.

This was the first time Ning Song had ever been in a Rolls-Royce.

His understanding of Rolls-Royces and Maybachs was more like a symbol of the wealthy elite.

He remembered when he was around seven or eight years old, a big shot came to the orphanage. It was summer, and Jiangcheng often had sudden sun showers. One day, as he was walking home from school, he got drenched by one such shower. Limping and carrying his backpack, he returned to the orphanage and saw a black car pass by, with a precious little boy inside, looking curiously out the back window at them.

He limped aside to make way, and his friend exclaimed, "Wow, a Rolls-Royce."

That was how he learned about another luxury car besides BMW and Audi, and he remembered the small flying figure on the hood.

Netizens say that if life has a watershed moment, it must be amniotic fluid.

He too had once been full of ambition, imagining owning a luxury car like a Rolls-Royce in his future success fantasies.

And here he was, riding in one!

The sky, which had been clear at noon, was now covered by clouds. The driver offered to take his bag, but he waved it off, carrying his backpack as he followed Pu Yu to the back seat.

He first went back to his dorm to grab the homework he had planned to finish that afternoon, then got into the car heading to the Pu family residence.

As they drove through the city center, he saw a poster for elope's concert, "World."

Currently the most popular international boy band, when Ning Song first arrived in this world, everything felt new and exciting. There were movies, TV shows, and songs he had never seen or heard before. For a while, he immersed himself in music and discovered elope.

This band, combining British pop and indie rock, created songs that resonated deeply with him.

Outside, half the sky was dark, and half was bright. He opened the car window slightly, letting the wind blow his slightly curly hair. He had rushed out without drying his hair, and the cheap shampoo smell wafted over to Pu Yu.

Even after the car passed, he kept looking back, meeting Pu Yu's eyes.

"I really love this band," he said with a smile.

This could have been a conversation starter, but the young master clearly wasn’t interested in what he liked, only responding with an "Mm."

Polite, but nothing more.

Ning Song didn’t say anything else.

He had a clear understanding of his relationship with Pu Yu. Flattery was necessary, as it benefited his family, but given Pu Yu's background and personality, becoming friends was not realistic.

The car soon arrived at the Pu family mansion.

The Pu family mansion was located on Taiping Road behind Central Park, a detached villa with a courtyard. The walls were high, and the entrance was grand, guarded by two security personnel in uniforms with assault rifles on their shoulders.

... He and Pu Yu were truly from different worlds.

The car circled the house and stopped in the backyard.

Ning’s mother, Liu Fen, was already waiting for them in the courtyard. She greeted Pu Yu first: "Thank you for the trouble."

Mrs. Pu had told everyone to call Pu Yu by his name, and even Aunt Sun, who had worked there for many years, called him "Little Yu," but she still couldn't bring herself to do so.

Pu Yu, however, was very polite and addressed her as "Aunt Liu."

Liu Fen smiled and reached out to take her son's backpack.

Pu Yu went straight upstairs. Ning Song and Liu Fen went through a side door into the servants' quarters.

"Why didn't you dry your hair?" Liu Fen took a towel and wiped his hair.

"He arrived early, and I didn't want him to wait too long, so I left without drying it," Ning Song let her wipe his hair, smiling. "How's Dad?"

"He went to pick someone up with the chauffeur and hasn't returned yet."

Mother and son chatted for a while in the room. Liu Fen asked him to do his homework in the room while she went out to help with preparations.

Tonight, the Pu family was hosting a dinner party for the governor of Weiming State, and the household was bustling with activity.

If it weren't for Mrs. Pu insisting that Ning Song come over, she wouldn't have wanted him here, fearing he might cause trouble.

Such banquets are handled by professional teams; Ning's mother and the others merely assist with minor tasks.

The couple has been at the Pu family for a short time and is still in a state of trepidation. Though they aren't highly educated, they aren't foolish. Being a driver or an attendant for the Pu family offers significant hidden benefits. Ning Song being able to attend Upper East School is the first real advantage they've gained.

It's still early, but the dining room has already been set up. Mrs. Pu, along with her husband's assistant, is finalizing the menu and seating arrangements when she turns to Liu Fen and asks, "Have Little Yu and Ning Song returned yet?"

Liu Fen is taken aback, surprised that Mrs. Pu still remembers this.

To be honest, when Mrs. Pu insisted that Little Yu pick up Ning Song, saying the two could get acquainted since they're in the same class, Liu Fen thought it was just politeness.

"They're back. I told him to do his homework in his room," Liu Fen smiles.

"Tell him to go upstairs and play with Little Yu," Mrs. Pu says.

Aunt Sun chuckles, "With Little Yu's personality, no one would dare approach him without your permission."

Mrs. Pu smiles gently, "That's true. I'll go talk to them."

She starts walking towards the servants' quarters.

Ning Song is catching up on his homework in the servants' room when he hears a knock on the door. Turning around, he sees Mrs. Pu standing at the entrance.

Mrs. Pu looks much younger than his own mother. She exudes a serene elegance, with her thick black hair tied back, adorned only with a pair of white pearl earrings that enhance her regal beauty.

"You must be Ning Song," Mrs. Pu says in surprise, "you look even thinner than in the photos."

Liu Fen quickly adds, "Call her Aunt."

"Aunt, hello."

Mrs. Pu holds his hand and asks a few caring questions, then says, "Our Little Yu is great in every way except that he's always been a loner and doesn't have many friends. The fact that he agreed to pick you up means he must like you very much."

Hmm... That's a bit of a stretch, isn't it?!

"Our Little Yu does very well academically, always ranking first in exams since elementary school. Apart from being quiet, he has no major flaws. I worry about him spending all his holidays playing games at home. He needs a friend. Could you spend more time with him, studying or playing together...?"

Ning Song nods with a smile, "Sure."

If the young master would even acknowledge him!

Ten minutes later, Ning Song stands in Little Yu's room.

The room is enormous, located at the far eastern end of the building. One entire wall is covered with various certificates, trophies, medals, and awards, ranging from common ones to obscure ones like those from wildlife foundations and polar scientific expeditions.

It's essentially a scholar's wall of honor, resembling a mini-exhibition.

But this is what one would expect from an outstanding student.

What surprises him is the large glass cabinet filled with figurines.

Most are cartoon characters in small-sized outfits, with incredibly realistic skin and clothing.

Who would have thought such a quiet person would love figurines so much?

Little Yu is sitting on the carpet, leaning against the sofa, engrossed in a game. His usually parted hair falls naturally, making him look more like a model student.

Mrs. Pu pretends to be stern, "Little Yu, I'm leaving Ning Song with you. Take good care of him, don't just play games alone."

Ning Song gives Little Yu an awkward yet polite smile.

Aunt Sun comes up to call Mrs. Pu, "The clothes delivery has arrived."

Mrs. Pu nods, turning to Ning Song, "Make yourself at home, don't feel constrained. You two can play while we go downstairs."

She then takes the worried Liu Fen with her.

Leaving him and Little Yu staring at each other.

Little Yu's Adam's apple moves as he asks, "Do you want something to drink?"

Ning Song shakes his head.

"Feel free to sit anywhere." Little Yu pauses, then continues playing his game.

Ning Song sits down at a low table nearby, crossing his legs on the carpet to do his homework, trying not to make any noise.

By the time he finishes his homework, Little Yu is still engrossed in his game.

He plays with intense focus, almost as if it were work, sometimes frowning deeply.

He gets up to stretch, feeling bored, and examines the figurines closely.

He doesn't really understand figurines. A former classmate of his loved them and often brought back a bunch from Japan. This classmate, a rich second-generation, spent a fortune on them, which left him in awe.

His classmate once said he liked dressing up his toys according to his own preferences.

Lost in thought, he notices a glass tank on the table, containing a turtle.

He thinks the young master must enjoy tranquility.

Hence the turtle.

The turtle is small and beautiful. He leans closer to look.

Then Pu Yu's voice came over: "It's best not to touch it. It bites."

As soon as he finished speaking, Ning Song saw the turtle suddenly lunge forward, slamming into the glass tank.

Water splashed and rippled. Ning Song was startled and turned around to see that Pu Yu had already taken off his headphones and stood up.

"Gave me a fright."

Pu Yu walked over barefoot. His feet were very pale, with long toes, and the veins on his foot extended all the way to his ankles. Because of his presence, the spacious room seemed to become cramped.

Guys taller than 185 cm tend to give off an imposing presence. Fortunately, Pu Yu was still a teenager, slim and lean, unlike the son of the orphanage director from his past, who was 188 cm tall, broad, and fat, making children afraid of him.

Pu Yu had been hunched over playing games on the carpet for a while, and his clothes seemed to carry a bit of warmth from the creases.

"How can a turtle be so aggressive?" Ning Song said.

"Narrow-bridged egg turtles are like that; they're quite fierce," Pu Yu replied, opening the fridge, taking out a cup of ice water, and turning to ask, "Want some?"

Ning Song shook his head.

Pu Yu took the water back to where he was sitting and crossed his legs.

Ning Song also sat down.

At that moment, Pu Yu's phone rang.

Ning Song leaned on the table to listen to Pu Yu's call.

"Home."

"Playing games."

"Not going, I have something to do today."

"Nothing, I'll hang up."

"We'll see."

"Then you take it."

"Mm."

A low voice with a hint of youthfulness.

Brief and to the point.

After a short while, Pu Yu hung up and looked at him.

Ning Song smiled at him and quickly turned his head away, leaning to look out the window.

Pu Yu only saw his round back of the head.

He was very thin, with naturally curly hair, which made it look like he had gotten a perm, making it appear even thicker. He wasn't particularly short, but he was too thin, revealing prominent vertebrae at the back of his neck. One hand rested behind his ear, showing a pale and slender wrist.

With thick hair, a slender white neck, and being too thin, his ears almost stuck out, making him look like a kitten.

Suddenly, Ning Song heard Pu Yu make a call, asking the housekeeper to bring some food up.

The one who brought the food was Liu Fen.

She must have come up to check on things because she was worried, but in front of Pu Yu, mother and son barely exchanged any words. Liu Fen only asked in a low voice if his homework was done.

Ning Song felt that Liu Fen was somewhat afraid of Pu Yu.

She was particularly cautious in front of the young master.

But honestly, Pu Yu wasn't cold or impolite.

He just didn't know how to interact with them, just as they didn't know how to interact with him.

However, their family's pastries were really delicious.

They could receive the highest praise for Chinese desserts, "Not overly sweet."

He especially liked one shaped like a swan, similar to the abalone swan pastries he had tasted in the south, but with a different flavor.

Liu Fen brought up two small plates, but the portions were minimal. Rich people seemed to eat very little.

He finished them in a few bites.

Just then, he heard a car outside, followed by someone calling through the half-open window, "Slow down, don't fall."

Then he heard footsteps on the wooden stairs, and soon a boy with a round head ran upstairs.

He looked about three or four years old, still not speaking clearly, and called out in a baby voice, "Brother, you're back!"

The housekeeper followed with a smile, looking at Ning Song and saying to the boy, "Did you greet this brother?"

The boy finally noticed Ning Song and widened his eyes, as if seeing someone else in his brother's room was like seeing a ghost.

Ning Song smiled and said, "Hello."

Pu Yu, rarely speaking, said sternly, "Greet him."

The boy hurriedly said, "Hello, brother."

Ning Song's heart melted; he had no resistance to toddlers: "Hello."

The child seemed a bit shy. The nanny behind him smiled and said, "We were supposed to go buy toys after class, but knowing you were coming back, he didn't even buy a toy car and rushed back."

The little boy asked Pu Yu, "Big brother, can I play next to you?"

The eldest son, rarely showing gentleness, replied, "Sure."

The second son looked very pleased.

This was enough to satisfy him, showing that he didn't often enjoy such brotherly affection.

Ning Song smiled and asked, "What do you want to play? Do you want to play together?"

The second son still looked at the eldest son, "Is it okay?"

Pu Yu responded with a soft "Mm."

The second son immediately beamed with joy, asking the nanny to bring up some toys for him.

The eldest son Ning Song found it challenging to handle situations, but dealing with the second son was more than manageable.

He liked children and was also liked by them. So far, no child disliked him. He was skilled at comforting them and let his cheerful nature show when around kids.

This surprised Pu Yu a bit.

He had thought Ning Song was a quiet, pitiful little kitten, but in reality, he was lively and playful, even wagging his tail.

Pu Yu played games nearby, sometimes disturbed by Pu Ying's shrieks. Pu Ying, being much younger, was the darling of the family. Even their stern father would smile warmly at him. Pu Ying's playmates were usually well-behaved and young. Few ever refused to play with him.

Ning Song, always determined to win, was likely the first "adult" to challenge him.

Ning Song barely dared to breathe in front of Pu Yu but was quite mischievous with Pu Ying.

The brothers had completely different personalities. The elder one was aloof, while the younger one was like a little sun. It was clear he needed playmates at home: "You should come over more often. My brother never plays with me."

If he treats his own brother this way, it makes sense how Pu Yu treats others.

They continued playing until the aunt came upstairs to call them.

"Don't bother your brother here. Let's go downstairs to play, okay?" the aunt asked.

Before Pu Ying could move, Ning Song got up first: "Then we'll go downstairs to play."

Then Pu Yu saw them tidy up the toys on the floor and head downstairs.

After finishing the last segment of his game, Pu Yu stood up and picked up Ning Song's fallen homework, glancing at it. He realized it wasn't their regular class assignment.

It was a mock exam paper for the Asian Federation High School Joint Entrance Exam.

A science exam paper typically taken after high school graduation, yet Ning Song had filled it from start to finish. He had even graded himself, marking everything correct with red ticks.

This was the first time Pu Yu witnessed the academic prowess of this transfer student, recalling Ning Song's seemingly frail frame.

And did Ning Song not like playing games?

Didn't he love reading gaming magazines?

Those magazines were subscriptions Pu Yu had arranged, and few others in the school read them.

Pu Yu first noticed Ning Song because he was surprised that Ning Song read these magazines.

Pu Yu put away Ning Song's homework and continued playing *Black Rose Paradise*.

The hidden details in this game were astonishing.

This was very much like an "unpredictable cat." Pu Yu loved uncovering hidden treasures and surprises. He once mentioned that when designing games, he enjoyed hiding an almost insane number of side quests, each with unique triggers, some even bizarre, discovered mostly by chance.

He also said that every game he designed had a hidden ending that no one could trigger, a gift to himself.

From the beginning of learning game design, he always left a small secret in his games.

Pu Yu was almost entranced.

He tried repeatedly, attempting to uncover all the hidden details in the game, as if chipping away at the designer's hidden thoughts.

There was a subtle excitement, and he eagerly anticipated the day he might meet this cat that kept teasing him.