Chapter 98

Chapter 98

After finally getting through that scene that wasn’t suitable for kids, Ji Mian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The movie lasted a total of two hours. He said, "Let’s head back at ten."

Luo Ye gave a noncommittal "Mhm," though he was already not very interested in watching anymore. He’d been intrigued by the movie’s title, but the content wasn’t his type. However, since Ji Mian was also watching, he didn’t switch it off.

He figured it was just something to kill time.

Luo Ye didn’t realize he and Ji Mian had similar tastes. Ji Mian wasn’t really into this kind of movie either.

Halfway through the movie, the story hit its revenge-fueled climax.

Luo Ye glanced over and noticed Ji Mian’s eyes were closed.

Was he out?

Luo Ye blinked, staring at Ji Mian’s profile for a while, confirming that Ji Mian was indeed asleep. He quietly grabbed the tablet and switched to a different movie.

*

Before they knew it, another semester had flown by. As February arrived, the new semester began, and the seniors were gearing up for the grueling hundred-day sprint.

The first-year students were still quite relaxed. Just a few days into the new semester, they hadn’t quite gotten back into the swing of things. During breaks, the classroom was buzzing with energy.

Luo Ye sat near the front of the classroom.

During the break, a girl sitting in front of him held a notebook with a celebrity’s image on it, gushing about her idol to another girl.

The other girl listened politely, but it was clear she wasn’t very interested in the idol her classmate was talking about.

"Oh, sorry, Yuzhen. I got a little carried away," the classmate said, noticing something was off, and awkwardly put away her notebook.

"No worries," Kong Yuzhen said with a kind smile. "I do the same thing when I talk about my idol."

"Wait, you have an idol? You’ve never mentioned that..."

Kong Yuzhen nodded, her calm face suddenly turned determined. She pumped her fist and declared, "My idol is Xiang Nian!"

Luo Ye, sitting behind them, froze at the words.

Brother?

He wondered if there was a celebrity named Ji Mian.

"You mean that senior in third year?" the classmate thought for a moment.

"Yes, he’s amazing! And so good-looking. I think he’s better-looking than many celebrities..." The normally reserved Kong Yuzhen lit up with excitement, listing all the awards and honors Ji Mian had received over the years.

Things like always being first on the honor roll, the undefeated myth at the affiliated school for six consecutive years, having his side profile photo on the confession wall forwarded tens of thousands of times... She even dug up awards from who-knows-where.

If Ji Mian himself were sitting here listening, he might not even remember those were awards he had won. Hearing these somewhat cringeworthy titles, he’d probably be mortified and want to disappear.

"I saw him on the sports field once. He’s really handsome," the classmate chimed in.

Luo Ye’s pen, which had been solving problems, slowly stopped. He stared intently at the two girls in front of him as they spoke.

He had never heard any of this before. Ji Mian never mentioned his school honors or awards at home.

As the two girls were talking, Hu Li, who had just returned from the restroom, overheard the conversation and suddenly stopped in his tracks.

He was among the group that went to the high school department with Luo Ye last time.

"Xiang Nian?" His expression instantly soured. "What’s there to admire about someone like that? Except for having good grades..."

Kong Yuzhen, who had been in high spirits, frowned and turned to him.

Hu Li continued, "I don’t like him. He’s not a good guy."

"You’re full of it! Senior Xiang Nian is awesome!!"

"He probably only acts nice around girls. Anyway, last time when I went to the high school department with Luo Ge, he snapped at us to get lost..." Hu Li exaggeratedly added the word "get lost."

"...Huh?" Kong Yuzhen froze, her illusions shattered, and turned to Luo Ye for confirmation: "Is that for real?"

Luo Ye wasn’t keen on getting into this conversation, but upon hearing this, he glanced at Hu Li and said, "No, he wasn’t harsh."

Kong Yuzhen let out a relieved sigh. "Hu Li, quit making stuff up!"

Hu Li: ...

"I want to be as awesome as my idol," Kong Yuzhen said, resting her face in her hands. "Study hard and rank first in the grade."

"Forget about being number one, Luo Ge’s got that locked down," Hu Li poured cold water on her.

Kong Yuzhen: "..."

She’s not that far off, okay!

He patted Luo Ye, "And what’s the big deal about being number one? Luo Ye aced the top spot several times last semester."

Regarding this, Kong Yuzhen responded, "Luo Ye’s pretty impressive..."

But still not as awesome as Senior Xiang Nian. She quietly added in her heart.

One day, she’ll outdo Luo Ye and snag the top spot!

"What’s the big deal?" someone suddenly retorted.

They glanced over and saw another boy in class who also did well, usually ranking in the top five of the class. But compared to Luo Ye and Kong Yuzhen, who were always in the top ten, he was a step behind.

When they looked over, the boy only looked at Kong Yuzhen.

Having watched Ji Mian for a while, Luo Ye could easily figure out why the boy snapped, probably because Kong Yuzhen had praised him.

He looked unbothered, almost bored.

Hu Li had been all fired up talking about Xiang Nian, but this time, hearing someone speak ill of his friend, he couldn’t stand it: "If being number one isn’t a big deal, why don’t you go for it yourself?"

Seeing Kong Yuzhen’s gaze fall on him, the boy, provoked by Hu Li, instinctively wanted to save face.

In his haste, he blurted out, "What’s so impressive about cheating your way to the top?"

Hu Li was stunned, and his expression immediately darkened: "Guan Peng, who are you saying cheated?"

Luo Ye spoke up: "Hu Li, let him talk."

Hu Li was taken aback, "You’re not angry?"

"I don’t care."

Guan Peng’s face twitched slightly, but he continued with his accusation, "Who else would it be? I was in the first exam room last semester, and I saw him cheating with a cheat sheet!"

"Stop making baseless accusations! The school classrooms have security cameras!"

Security cameras? Upon hearing this, Guan Peng’s heart actually settled, and he sneered, "Go ahead and check then."

His mom worked in the school’s admin office, and he knew that unless it was an important exam, the school’s security footage wouldn’t be kept for long.

The footage from last semester’s finals was long gone. As long as he stuck to his story, who could call him out?

Thinking this, Guan Peng felt much more at ease, and his voice grew stronger, "I saw it, but I didn’t want to snitch on him."

Hu Li slammed his hand down on Guan Peng’s desk, completely disbelieving his words and thoroughly enraged, "You can’t top the class, so you’re just dragging Luo Ye down?"

He’d always had it out for Guan Peng, who always acted all high and mighty after exams, claiming he ran out of time on this or that question.

At first, some classmates believed him, until the second monthly exam last semester, when Guan Peng returned to the classroom after the math exam, complaining that he didn’t have time to finish the last big question, and the kids around him tried to cheer him up.

But when Guan Peng’s math score came out that time, he and Luo Ye were the only ones in class to ace it with a perfect 120.

During the math class when the teacher praised him, Guan Peng couldn’t stop grinning.

The kids who’d tried to cheer him up felt like they’d swallowed a bug.

Hu Li was a big guy, already pushing six feet in seventh grade, with a baby face on a hulking frame, which looked totally out of place.

But it was plenty to scare people.

He slammed the desk, making Guan Peng jump and shrink back.

"Ha!" Kong Yuzhen laughed unceremoniously.

Guan Peng’s face flushed, mortified in front of his crush, and somehow, he mustered the guts to stand up and shove Hu Li.

He barely budged Hu Li, and his other fist was about to strike.

Hu Li raised a brow, caught his fist with ease, and with a quick swing, sent Guan Peng sprawling.

"Bang—" Guan Peng’s head hit the leg of the desk.

Hu Li was strong, and the hit packed a punch.

"Ah!!"

Guan Peng finally gave up on saving face, clutching his head and wailing on the floor.

"Damn..." Hu Li was also startled and quickly bent down to help him up.

Guan Peng kicked him twice, but didn’t manage to move him.

Hu Li pulled him up, checked the back of his head, and seeing it wasn’t broken, breathed a sigh of relief.

The class bell rang at that moment.

The teacher walked in, saw the chaotic scene, and frowned.

Everyone quickly returned to their seats.

Only Guan Peng, holding his head, groaned and soon left the classroom.

When Hu Li saw what was happening, he muttered a curse under his breath, knowing that Guan Peng must have gone to his mom.

Midway through the lesson, the homeroom teacher of Class 3 opened the door and said to the teacher, "Excuse me, Hu Li, come out."

Hu Li felt a chill run down his spine and slowly stood up and left.

Luo Ye watched Hu Li’s sad figure, sighed, and followed.

The homeroom teacher of Class 3 was surnamed Lin, and the students called him Mr. Lin. He looked confused when he saw Luo Ye come out.

Luo Ye explained, "I’m involved too."

Tears welled up in Hu Li’s eyes.

Bro, you’re a real friend!!

Luo Ye: ...

Mr. Lin gave them a complicated look and handed his phone to Luo Ye, "Alright, call your parents."

Hu Li: ...

Luo Ye: ...

He instantly regretted it.

*

After Luo Ye and Hu Li made the calls, they waited in the office for a full class, but their parents didn’t show up.

Both of their parents were working and couldn’t come right away.

Mr. Lin also didn’t think it was a big deal to call the parents, but Guan Peng’s mother wouldn’t back down.

"No. I wouldn’t care if they just scolded Pengpeng, but this is a fight, it’s different," Guan Peng’s mother said, her high heels clicking annoyingly on the floor, which was irritating in the quiet grade office.

Hu Li retorted, "He threw the first punch."

The woman sneered, using an official tone, "But the severity of the action matters. As students, cheating in exams, poor academic conduct..."

Luo Ye interrupted her, "I didn’t cheat."

Mr. Lin felt a headache brewing.

Both of them were usually good students in the class. One had been the top student in the grade since the start of the school year, while the other also performed well, consistently in the top five.

In fact, Mr. Lin didn’t believe Luo Ye would cheat. He knew Luo Ye’s speed and accuracy in solving problems and had seen Luo Ye studying with textbooks from higher grades during class. It was just a regular exam; there was no need to cheat.

Moreover, every time he saw Luo Ye, it reminded him of an exceptionally talented child he had taught years ago, so he always held Luo Ye in high regard.

He turned to Guan Peng, "The final exam was last semester. If you say Luo Ye cheated, you need evidence to report cheating."

Guan Peng, still holding the back of his head, said, "Anyway, I saw him using cheat sheets!"

Luo Ye’s lips tightened.

This is such a pain.

Mr. Lin also cursed inwardly, thinking Guan Peng’s mother had been in administration for too long and was blowing things out of proportion.

As he was worrying, he suddenly saw someone and stood up, his eyes lighting up.

His sudden movement caught everyone off guard, and the woman thought a school administrator might be coming. She turned to look.

However, coming through the grade office door was just a good-looking guy in a school uniform.

Ji Mian spotted Luo Ye first, then glanced past him, and as he approached, he greeted his former homeroom teacher, "Mr. Lin."

"Hey, Xiang Nian!"

Hu Li was surprised to see the usually stern teacher suddenly look relieved and smile.

Mr. Lin put his hand on Ji Mian's shoulder and pulled him closer.

Luo Ye watched them, blinking slowly.

The tense atmosphere was briefly broken. Several teachers who knew Ji Mian came over, smiling and chatting with him.

"Hey, what brings Xiang Nian back to the junior high?"

Ji Mian smiled at the physics teacher who had taught him before, "Hello, Mr. Xu."

Mr. Xu chuckled, "I was just at the high school building the other day and saw your name on the bulletin board."

"Still in first place?" a teacher asked.

Mr. Xu said proudly, "Of course! When has this kid ever been second?"

Ji Mian suddenly became the focus of the conversation. Except for a few new teachers, everyone in the office knew about him.

When a student is at the top of the honor roll all through middle school, no one forgets his name.

Especially since Ji Mian's high school is right across from the junior high, stories about him still come from next door. Teachers who had taught him and were close to Ji Mian often talk about it, more excited than if their own kid had won first place.

Hu Li stared in disbelief at the scene. He had seen these teachers before, usually stern and serious, but now they were all smiles.

After a few minutes of chatting, Mr. Lin finally asked, "Isn't studying pretty intense right now? What brings you here?"

Ji Mian smiled and said, "You asked me to come."

"?"

Ji Mian reached out and tousled Luo Ye's hair. "This is my brother."

Everyone in the office was shocked, especially Hu Li, who stared at Ji Mian, trying to remember something...

...Holy crap!

The other homeroom teachers looked at Luo Ye eagerly, hoping he'd follow his brother's lead and take first place for three years, all wanting him in their class.

On one hand, it was a love for talent, and on the other, if a first-place student emerged from the middle or high school classes of the affiliated school, the homeroom teacher would receive a substantial bonus.

Ji Mian explained, "My mom had an urgent matter and couldn't come on short notice. So I came to check on the situation."

Luo Ye looked up.

This was the first time he had heard Ji Mian refer to Luo Zhishu as mother.

Mr. Lin looked at Ji Mian, then at Luo Ye's face, and suddenly realized, "No wonder! Every time I see this kid, I think he looks like you. So you're brothers..."

Unaware that the two were not biological brothers, and about to start talking about how their eyes and noses resembled each other, Ji Mian quickly interjected, "Mr. Lin, what's wrong with my brother?"

"The kids had a little disagreement. This kid claimed he saw Luo Ye cheating during the final exam..."

Ji Mian chuckled, as if he found the idea amusing, "Cheating?"

Luo Ye looked at Ji Mian's smiling face and discerned: he was angry.

Who was he mad at? Him or Guan Peng?

Mr. Lin coughed to clear his throat, "I also believe that Luo Ye, given his grades, wouldn’t need to cheat."

"Mr. Lin, are you suggesting Pengpeng is lying?" The woman raised her eyebrows.

Mr. Lin immediately frowned, "I didn’t say that, but the fact remains there’s no proof Luo Ye cheated."

Guan Peng nervously looked up and met Ji Mian’s half-smile.

He stammered, "I... I really saw it."

Ji Mian was still smiling, "Next time you see my brother cheating, make sure to call it out right then and there."

His tone was so casual, as if the accusation were just a silly joke, dripping with disdain.

Luo Ye tensed up briefly, then relaxed, realizing Ji Mian wasn’t mad at him.

Beside them, Hu Li’s eyes, fixed on Ji Mian, lit up even more.

Holy crap...

Ji Mian looked away, "Mr. Lin, without any video proof, there’s no point in arguing about this."

Mr. Lin nodded, "Yes, calling the parents here isn’t about whether Luo Ye cheated. It’s mainly because the two kids got into a scuffle during recess."

A fight?

Ji Mian paused, quickly looking Luo Ye up and down.

"Ahem, Guan Peng was the one who got hurt."

"Oh..." Ji Mian turned to Guan Peng’s mother.

"My brother shouldn’t have hit anyone."

"..."

"Just give me a breakdown of the medical costs." He smiled slightly, "I’ll pay you ten times the amount."

Hu Li’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, momentarily forgetting to admit that he was the one who hit someone, not Luo Ye.

The woman’s face darkened, "We..."

She was about to speak, but Mr. Lin shot her a meaningful glance.

The woman’s words caught in her throat.

Having been at the school for years, she was well aware of Ji Mian and even knew a thing or two about the Xiang family.

Ji Mian, such a promising student, had been highly regarded by several leaders at the affiliated high school since graduating from middle school. Several other high schools, even better than the affiliated one, had also offered him opportunities with conditions no worse than the affiliated school. Unexpectedly, Ji Mian chose to stay at the affiliated high school.

Moreover, during his three years in high school, this child never disappointed anyone.

Their school hasn’t had a student rank in the province’s top ten for several years, and the school leaders have their eyes on this year’s top student, hoping to achieve a high ranking in the college entrance exams to attract stronger candidates during admissions.

Plus, there’s the influential Xiang family to consider...

In the school’s administrative hierarchy, if someone wants to advance their career, they should know not to mess with certain people.

The woman caught Mr. Lin’s meaning and immediately fell silent.

Seeing this, Mr. Lin continued, "If that’s the case, then we don’t need to call Hu Li’s parents, right?"

"..."

Seeing the woman no longer speaking, Mr. Lin relaxed.

If Guan Peng was truly in the right, Mr. Lin wouldn’t take sides. But after so many years as a teacher, he can tell who’s lying and who’s guilty.

Ji Mian asked half-heartedly, without much concern, "Auntie, where was your child hurt?"

"...Head."

Ji Mian glanced at the back of Guan Peng’s head but didn’t spot any injuries.

However, he felt that hitting others is unacceptable and shouldn’t be normalized for kids.

"Xiao Ye, apologize for hitting him."

Luo Ye was startled, hearing Ji Mian call him that for the first time, and didn’t react immediately.

"No, big brother!" Hu Li suddenly stepped forward.

His voice boomed.

Ji Mian was taken aback by Hu Li’s booming "big brother."

"It was me who hit him!" Hu Li blurted out, bowing deeply to Guan Peng. "I’m sorry!!"

Ji Mian: "..."

When Hu Li looked up, his face was flushed with excitement.

Damn! Luo Ye’s brother is so cool! So impressive!

The red-haired delinquent who had made a lasting impression on Hu Li flashed vividly in his mind.

Hu Li’s inner chuunibyou flared up, and he felt the urge to salute with clasped fists.

Big brother isn’t scary, he’s awesome! Big brother, watch over me!