Chapter 38: Chapter 38 First Day of Middle School Life.

Chapter 38: First Day of Junior High Life.

"Dad."

Lu Zhishi collapsed in exhaustion. "It's summer break. Can we please stop the extra classes?"

His tattletale of a brother had reported to the two authority figures that Lu Zhishi was always daydreaming and that they should find something to keep him busy. But what could a child do besides study?

So Song Qinian hired several tutors for him, specifically to help him consolidate his elementary school knowledge and preview junior high coursework. Killing two birds with one stone—perfect. Song Qinian agreed wholeheartedly.

The tutoring went on for a full six months, and Lu Zhishi was terrified of it; his life revolved entirely around studying.

Song Qinian hummed a tune while washing his hands to prepare dinner in the kitchen and replied, "We'll see how you behave."

Lu Zhishi rolled over on the sofa, lying there lazily, looking completely lifeless.

Lu Tingan brought some documents downstairs and patted his butt, telling him to move. The little lazybones squirmed slowly aside, then flopped back down, not moving another inch.

Glancing at him, Lu Tingan opened the documents and asked while reading, "What's wrong now?"

At this, Lu Zhishi immediately sat up: "It's summer break. I don’t want extra classes, but Dad won’t allow it."

"Hey, hey," Song Qinian quickly stuck his head out: "I said it depends on your performance, not that I won’t allow it."

"So how do you judge my performance then?"

Lu Zhishi really didn’t want extra classes anymore—it felt like living the brutal life of a twelfth-grader. Too terrifying.

"What do you think?" Song Qinian returned to his cooking, his voice coming from the kitchen: "Why do you think we arranged extra classes for you?"

Lu Zhishi slouched back down again, reeking of giving up: "But I’m not overthinking things now."

Song Qinian: "You don’t get to decide that."

Lu Zhishi: "..."

He then went to pester Lu Tingan: "Dad, please say something. No more extra classes."

"You can ask your brother."

"Fine, then I’ll wait for Brother to come back."

Once the authorities relented, Lu Zhishi immediately grabbed a small stool and sat by the door, waiting for his brother to return.

It was midsummer, and even the evening breeze was hot. Lu Zhishi had only been sitting for a short while, but a light sweat already beaded on his forehead.

It was so hot he worried about his precious cabbages. He watered them to keep them plump and juicy and gave some plant food to the tomatoes and cucumbers nearby. Then he picked a cucumber, rinsed it, and went back to his stool to wait.

Taking a bite, he chewed noisily, watching intently.

Song Qinian had almost finished cooking when Lu Zhiyu finally returned.

The driver parked the car at the villa’s entrance, and Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen got out one after the other, looking a bit tired.

"Brother! Brother Chen!"

Lu Zhishi rushed out immediately, munching on his cucumber and taking their backpacks with both hands.

"Mmm mmm mmm..." Lu Zhishi gestured toward the house with his chin, mumbling unintelligibly with his mouth full.

Lu Zhiyu took the cucumber out of his mouth. "What’s up? Why so eager?"

"Waiting for you guys to come home for dinner," Lu Zhishi said, dragging the backpacks along inside.

Chi Chen glanced at the neighboring villa—no lights were on, and the door was closed. Chi Yuehang and Bai Yansheng weren’t home from work yet.

"Let’s go. Dinner should be ready."

Lu Zhiyu broke off the uneaten half of the cucumber, popped it into his mouth, and asked Chi Chen if he wanted some.

"No."

Once inside, Song Qinian was bringing out the dishes, and Lu Zhishi enthusiastically helped by scooping rice into bowls.

There was no rule against talking during meals or sleep in their house, so the family chatted as they ate, eventually bringing up the topic of educational plans.

Song Qinian said, "Lu Zhishi, listen to your brothers at school, and come home with them after school."

"Got it, got it," Lu Zhishi replied, having just finished a bowl of rice and now sipping fish soup from his bowl.

"Xiao Yu, Xiao Chen, what are your plans?"

The two families were close, and preparations for the kids' futures were shared, following similar processes.

Lu Zhiyu looked at Chi Chen, who also turned to glance at him.

Lu Zhishi perked up his ears, stopped drinking his soup, and watched them intently.

"Whether you plan to stay in the country or study abroad, you need to tell us so we can prepare the materials."

Song Qinian picked up some vegetables and put them in Lu Tingan’s bowl, waiting for him to finish before turning his attention back to the two young men.

Staying in the country would require submitting materials for college admission through recommendation, while studying abroad would also need many documents. Whatever they chose, they had to prepare early.

"Uncle, I plan to stay in the country," Chi Chen said, having finished most of his meal. He set down his chopsticks and spoke earnestly: "I want to apply to the Department of Management at University A."

"Me too," Lu Zhiyu added, "but I want to go to the Department of Management at University S. I like the environment in S City and want to see what it's like."

S City was a well-known city, just as impressive as A City. Lu Zhiyu had wanted to visit S City for a long time.

Lu Zhishi shot a glance. S City was quite far away. He had thought his brother would stay in A City for university if he wasn’t going abroad.

Song Qinian and Lu Tingan were also surprised, but Chi Chen showed no reaction—he already knew.

The two were so close, having been inseparable since childhood, and had long discussed their future plans.

While surprised, Song Qinian didn’t say much. As always, the family respected the children’s choices.

"Understood."

With Song Qinian’s words, things were decided. Lu Zhiyu let out a sigh of relief.

He had thought the dads would object.

"There’s a branch office in S City; make sure to report for work there when the time comes." Lu Tingan put down his chopsticks, wiped his hands, and said.

Before Lu Zhiyu could show a look of dismay, he heard his dad say:

"While you're there, you're not allowed to get into trouble or act like a playboy. I’ll have your uncle keep an eye on you."

Lu Tingan glanced at him, "If I find out you’re picking up any bad habits, you’ll be sent to M Country."

"Of course, I’ll be good, Dad." Lu Zhiyu quickly replied, worried his dad might not let him go to S City.

After addressing Lu Zhiyu, Lu Tingan turned to Chi Chen: "A University’s Management Department has high entry requirements, and even for recommended admission, you’ll need to earn some accolades first. Your grades need to stay at the top of the grade. Talk to your dad about it tonight."

"Yes, Uncle." Chi Chen nodded, hesitating before adding, "But if my dad doesn’t agree..."

Chi Yuehang might be fine with it, but he was worried Bai Yansheng might object. He wanted Lu Tingan to be his advocate.

The two had been seatmates in middle and high school and had been the best of friends ever since. With Lu Tingan’s help, the chances of convincing Bai Yansheng were higher.

Lu Tingan arched an eyebrow, "If he doesn’t agree, I’ll talk to him."

Chi Chen curved his lips slightly, "Thank you, Uncle."

After dinner, Chi Chen headed home with his backpack, while Lu Zhishi followed Lu Zhiyu upstairs.

After eating, it was time to shower. Lu Zhiyu was getting his clothes together in his room, and Lu Zhishi followed him around.

"Brother, why go so far away? S City is quite distant."

"No need to worry. S City has Great-aunt and Great-uncle, plus Elder Uncle and Younger Uncle, and two little cousins." Lu Zhiyu picked up his pajamas and ruffled his younger brother’s curly hair.

"Fat Cheese, I want to go see S City. It’s a vibrant city too."

As the eldest son, Lu Zhiyu knew he would eventually inherit the company and stay in A City after graduation. With a busy work schedule, he might not have time to visit other places later.

While he still had the chance, he wanted to go to college in S City.

"Not only do I want to go to S City, but I also want to check out Z City." Lu Zhiyu patted his younger brother’s shoulder and whispered, "Out of sight, out of mind, it’s the perfect chance to develop my side hustle."

Lu Zhishi knew what his side hustle was—the smart robotics industry. Lu Zhiyu had always enjoyed messing around with that stuff since he was young.

But Lu Zhiyu also knew that he would inherit the family business someday, so robotics was just a hobby for now.

If the opportunity arose, the company could also branch into robotics and develop that sector.

"You could develop it in A City too," Lu Zhishi said.

Lu Zhiyu waved it off:

"A City doesn’t have much of a market for smart robotics. S City, Z City, and G City do, but S City has our relatives there, so I’d prefer to go there."

S City was the best choice—its Department of Management at S University was among the top in the country, the environment was good, the city was prosperous, there was a market for development, and relatives lived there too.

Seeing Lu Zhiyu about to go shower, Lu Zhishi quickly said, "Brother, I don’t want to take extra classes anymore. Dad said to ask you."

Lu Zhiyu stopped, "Then we can skip it for now."

He meant that they could pause the extra classes for now, but if Lu Zhishi started getting in his head again and ended up mopey and down, losing weight, then the classes would have to resume.

Lu Zhishi quickly raised his hand in agreement.

While Lu Zhiyu showered, Lu Zhishi went to see his dads and then returned to his room. He wouldn’t go find Brother Xiao Chen tonight, as he was probably discussing the matter with Chi Yuehang.

The next day, Lu Zhishi brought a bag of homegrown cucumbers and tomatoes to Zhao Xiaoxing. The two sat on the steps in the yard, munching on cucumbers.

"Where is Brother Xiaoyun planning to go?"

"Not sure yet." Zhao Xiaoxing took another bite, munching loudly, his words mumbled: "When I asked him, he said he hasn’t decided."

He then asked, "What about Brother Xiao Yu and Brother Xiao Chen?"

"They’re staying in the country. My brother said he’s going to S City, and Brother Xiao Chen is staying in A City."

"Oh." Zhao Xiaoxing slowed his chewing, looking downcast.

Lu Zhishi turned to look at him, "What’s wrong?"

"Nothing." Zhao Xiaoxing shook his head, took another bite of cucumber, and chewed without much enthusiasm.

After a while, Zhao Xiaoxing said, "Am I really a dumb mushroom head?"

"Of course not, don’t listen to my brother’s nonsense. He’s just being sarcastic." Lu Zhishi patted him on the back, "He calls me Stinky Cheese and Lazy Cheese all the time. He just mouths off a lot."

"Yeah." Zhao Xiaoxing remained glum.

The summer vacation was quite relaxing—no homework, no cram classes from teachers, just a brief period of time without worries.

When September arrived, Lu Zhishi started his new school.

Song Qinian walked him to the gate, straightening his clothes while prattling on.

"Listen to your brother at school, and call Dad if anything happens."

"There’s a place near the school where you can take a nap at noon. You can eat lunch at school or outside, or have the housekeeper deliver food."

"Study hard, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. After school, go home with your brothers obediently."

Lu Zhishi listened and nodded.

It was getting late, so Lu Zhiyu took his younger brother to the middle school building, with Chi Chen coming along to check things out.

The first floor of both the middle school and high school buildings was set aside, while the honors classes were usually on the second floor for convenience.

Lu Zhiyu walked him to his classroom, where many students were already present. Those with older siblings were helping tidy their desks.

"Lu Zhishi, over here!"

Zhao Xiaoxing, eagle-eyed, spotted them as soon as they entered and immediately waved him over to sit.

He wanted to be Lu Zhishi’s seatmate again!

Zhao Xiaoxing had arrived early and secured a good spot—the first desk by the window in the first row.

Perfect, great for focusing.

Though Zhao Xiaoxing usually loved sleeping in and would prefer a back-row seat, he had taken the front desk this time, likely for Lu Zhishi’s sake.

"You’re here so early?" Lu Zhiyu walked over, placed the backpack on the desk, and greeted Zhao Xiaoyun, who was nearby.

Zhao Xiaoyun laughed, "The kid got up super early this morning, saying he wanted to come early to grab a front-row seat."

Both of their desks had already been tidied up, cleaned by Zhao Xiaoyun. Lu Zhishi said gratefully, "Thank you, Xiao Yun."

Zhao Xiaoyun patted his shoulder, "No big deal."

Since the desks and everything were already clean, Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen couldn't do much to help. They gave a few words of advice and headed back to the high school section with Zhao Xiaoyun.

Lu Zhishi took out his stationery from his backpack and arranged it on the desk. Beside him, Zhao Xiaoxing happily hummed a cheerful tune.

The textbooks hadn’t been handed out yet, so Lu Zhishi chatted with Zhao Xiaoxing when someone gently poked his back.

Lu Zhishi turned around curiously.

The two girls sitting behind him were fair-skinned and neat—one lively and outgoing, the other quiet and reserved.

The more outgoing one, probably a social butterfly, smiled and handed over two pieces of chocolate, saying, "I’m Xi Yue, and my seatmate is Lan Lan. What about you guys?"

Her seatmate, Lan Lan, quietly took out two packs of large cookies and passed them over without saying a word, seeming very shy.

Zhao Xiaoxing accepted the chocolate and cookies and in return handed over two bottles of banana milk. He then expertly rummaged through Lu Zhishi’s backpack, pulled out two packs of jerky, and shared them with the girls behind.

Lu Zhishi said, "I’m Lu Zhishi, and he’s Zhao Xiaoxing. Nice to meet you."

"Were those your older brothers who came earlier?"

"Yeah, the one with thick eyebrows and big eyes is Xiao Xing’s brother. The two who came with me later are my brothers."

Xi Yue nodded, "Zhao Qiyun, Lu Zhiyu, Chi Chen—I know them. They’re well-known in the high school section."

Lu Zhishi was puzzled, "Famous? How?"

Zhao Xiaoxing also scratched his head, "My annoying brother?"

The two exchanged glances, leaning in to whisper, "I hadn’t heard about that."

"Me neither, they never mentioned it."

Xi Yue looked around—the teacher hadn’t arrived yet—and took out her phone to show them.

On the screen was a photo of last semester’s high school academic ranking: Chi Chen was first, Lu Zhiyu second, and Zhao Xiaoyun fifth.

It listed names, photos, and scores.

Xi Yue said, "My older sister is in the high school experimental class too. She said these guys have always ranked like this from middle school to high school, though Zhao Qiyun’s grades fluctuate a bit."

Zhao Xiaoxing grew anxious and quickly asked, "How do they fluctuate?"

"Just usually hovering around the top five in the grade."

Zhao Xiaoxing breathed a sigh of relief—that was alright, as long as he didn’t drop out of the top ten.

After chatting a bit more, Lu Zhishi learned that the two girls tested into the school from an elementary school in the west of the city and had impressive scores.

Especially Lan Lan, who ranked third in the grade, only a dozen or so points behind Zhao Xiaoxing, who was second.

Zhao Xiaoxing felt a competitive vibe, and Lu Zhishi couldn’t help but glance a few times at the quiet Lan Lan, praising, "Impressive!"

The girl was gentle and quiet, with long black hair, big eyes, and delicate, pretty features—what people online call a "first-love face."

Xi Yue had a bright, striking appearance with defined features, more of a "cool big sister" look.

Xi Yue put an arm around her shoulder, smiling brightly and confidently, "Of course, our Lan Lan is amazing."

She added, "Our teacher actually thought Lan Lan would rank first, but then you two showed up out of nowhere."

Since they were getting acquainted, they exchanged WeChat info—it would be easier to talk as seatmates later.

The classroom was buzzing as everyone gathered to chat and get to know each other, until the homeroom teacher walked in.

The homeroom teacher was Ouyang Ben, but everyone called him Lao Ben.

Bald, built like a bear, with dark skin and towering at over 190 cm, he surprisingly taught Chinese class.

The contrast was amusing.

"What, just because I’m buff I can’t teach Chinese?" Lao Ben said grumpily.

The class burst into laughter. Lu Zhishi laughed too and elbowed Zhao Xiaoxing, who was sneakily munching on cookies while giggling.

Lao Ben seemed strict but was actually pretty easygoing. He waited for the laughter to die down before writing his name and phone number on the board.

"Call me if anything comes up. I know you all brought your phones."

Lao Ben added, "Don’t let me catch you using them, or I’ll call your parents."

The class groaned in unison.

"The opening ceremony is at nine. We’ve got an hour left—let’s do some self-introductions."

Lao Ben flipped through the roster: "Lu Zhishi."

"Here."

Lu Zhishi stood up, went to the podium, and wrote his name on the board: "I’m Lu Zhishi. I’m glad to be classmates with everyone."

After saying a few more things about his hobbies, Lu Zhishi returned to his seat.

Some people kept looking at him, and there was whispering, but he ignored it.

He was used to it—after all, he looked like his younger dad, Lu Tingan, and seeing his face often reminded people of him.

Next were Zhao Xiaoxing and Lan Lan.

Zhao Xiaoxing followed his dear Lu Zhishi’s example and kept his introduction brief.

Lan Lan spoke even less, her voice soft and gentle. She finished quickly and went back to her seat.

Not long after them, it was Xi Yue’s turn. Her social butterfly nature took over as the girl talked enthusiastically at the podium, sharing knowledge about everything from astronomy to geography.

On the way to the auditorium, Zhao Xiaoxing said admiringly, "You know so much!"

Xi Yue replied, "My dad’s a teacher—he knows a lot. My mom travels a lot for work, so she knows a lot too."

Zhao Xiaoxing said excitedly, "My dad’s a teacher too, and my mom travels often for work!"

Xi Yue smiled, "Then we have a lot in common!"

She then asked Lu Zhishi, lowering her voice, "Lu Zhishi, do you know Lu Tingan?"

Lu Zhishi didn’t say he knew him, but didn’t say he didn’t either; he just smiled.

"Our Lan Lan is a fan of Lu Tingan. If you know him, could you ask for an autograph for us?" Xi Yue whispered.

Such a young Tingan fan? Lu Zhishi lowered his voice, "I’ll try to ask for you."

Xi Yue hooked arms with Lan Lan and winked at her.

Lan Lan pursed her lips, her cheeks slightly flushed, and nodded.

The auditorium was huge—the school was loaded and built a space large enough to accommodate both the middle and high school sections.

By the time they arrived, it was already packed and buzzing with people.

The moment Lu Zhishi appeared, everyone automatically looked.

"Since when is there someone this good-looking in middle school?"

"Probably a freshman. Never seen him before."

"Too bad he’s so young, or else..."

"Seems like the middle school heartthrob is gonna change."

"Doesn't he remind you of someone?"

He was really good-looking and looked a lot like the famous movie star Lu Tingan. Many had grown up watching Lu Tingan’s films.

The auditorium was noisy, and Lu Zhishi couldn’t make out what others were saying. He tugged Zhao Xiaoxing along to find their class’s assigned seats and settled in.

"Middle school and high school just have more style. Elementary school never felt like this," Zhao Xiaoxing slouched comfortably, leaning against Lu Zhishi and whispering to him.

Lu Zhishi chuckled, "What kind of style?"

"The style of growing up!"

After that, the two of them cracked up, though it wasn’t clear what was so funny.

As they were talking, a stir went through the high school section on the left, rippling over to the middle school side.

"The high schoolers are here."

"They’re so tall, and their uniforms look really nice."

"I see my older sister."

"And my older brother!!"

"Chi Chen, it’s Chi Chen! And Lu Zhiyu! Why isn’t Zhao Qiyun here?"

Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing quickly stood up to look toward the auditorium entrance, but the crowd was so dense it was impossible to make out who was who.

The high schoolers had morning readings and self-study sessions, so they arrived much later than their middle school juniors. The middle school section was almost full by the time the high schoolers started trickling in.

To the high schoolers, the middle schoolers were like little kids. Seeing them watching so closely, the older students waved and said hi warmly.

Lu Zhishi looked for a long time, his eyes getting blurry, but still couldn’t find the person he was searching for.

"Forget it, let’s stop looking. Lunch is almost here anyway," Zhao Xiaoxing pulled him back to his seat.

Once everyone had arrived, the school leaders gave speeches on stage, followed by representatives from the seventh and tenth graders.

The seventh-grade representative was Lu Zhishi, who ranked first in his grade. He gave his speech off the cuff, bowed after finishing, and walked off.

Ninth and twelfth graders also had representatives who spoke, talking about their future plans.

School opening ceremonies were pretty much all the same. Lu Zhishi listened for a while before lowering his head, getting sleepy.

He’d woken up too early that morning—he was still on summer sleep time.

By the time the ceremony ended, Lu Zhishi was wide awake again. He glanced at his watch—two hours had passed, and there were only thirty minutes left before school ended.

Everyone noisily flooded out. Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing stayed behind for a bit, waiting until most people had left before heading slowly back to their classroom.

As they walked, Lu Zhishi suddenly felt a hand cover his head, messing up his curly hair.

Lu Zhishi: "?!"

Who would dare mess up his handsome, awesome curly hair?!

Turning around, he met Lu Zhiyu’s smiling eyes. Lu Zhishi’s face lit up: "Stinky older brother, I had a feeling it was you."

He waved to Chi Chen: "Brother Xiao Chen, why haven’t you guys left yet?"

Chi Chen: "Too crowded. We’ll wait a bit."

Zhao Xiaoxing spotted his older brother and ran over, digging through his uniform pockets.

Zhao Xiaoyun said helplessly: "Leave some for me."

Zhao Xiaoxing took a bunch and shared half of the pudding with Lu Zhishi, then gave some to Lu Zhiyu and Chi Chen.

Lu Zhiyu declined: "You guys eat it. We have some too—we just grabbed some from your brother this morning."

People around them glanced their way, whispering to each other, their eyes frequently darting over.

They looked puzzled, excited, shy—all sorts of expressions. Lu Zhishi scratched his head, confused.

When they reached the middle school section, Lu Zhiyu patted his little brother’s shoulder: "Alright, you two head back now. We’ll wait for you at the school gate at noon."

Back upstairs in the classroom, it was loud and chaotic. The homeroom teacher hadn’t arrived, there was no class monitor, and no one was maintaining order.

Lu Zhishi returned to his seat, took out the practice workbook he’d bought, and wrote down a new solution to a problem he’d just thought of.

After finishing, he explained it to Zhao Xiaoxing.

Xi Yue watched from behind, impressed. She leaned toward Lan Lan and whispered: "No wonder those two are top two in the grade. They can even study in this environment."

Lan Lan nodded in agreement. Watching the two figures in front of her, she quietly pulled out her math test paper and started working on it.

Xi Yue: "?"

Just before class ended, Lao Ben stopped by, announced an early dismissal for lunch, and hurried off again.

Lu Zhishi packed his things and left with Zhao Xiaoxing, waiting for Chi Chen and the others at the school gate.

"What should we eat for lunch?" Zhao Xiaoxing asked worriedly.

"Not sure," Lu Zhishi also frowned.

Everyone in their student days has that one conversation that keeps happening:

—"What should we eat for lunch?"

—"I don't know."

And then there's also:

—"Hey, is my test paper with you?"

—"? Why would your test paper be with me?"

The more Lu Zhishi thought about it, the funnier it seemed, and he told Zhao Xiaoxing, who also laughed along.

The two stood side by side, grinning, until a few sweet-smelling, pink envelopes were handed to them.

Their smiles stopped abruptly, and they stood frozen.

In front of them were two older girls from the high school division, taller than them and wearing high school uniforms, beaming at them.

Lu Zhishi and Zhao Xiaoxing slowly looked up.

"What's this?"