Lu Li's handsome face curved into a faint smile. "Wait for me a moment, I'll go buy it."
"Forget it, the teacher will notice."
"It's fine, just help me cover for a bit."
Before she could refuse again, Lu Li dashed off like a streak of wind and disappeared from sight.
Yu Zhi glanced into the classroom, making sure no one had noticed his departure, before letting out a sigh of relief for him.
The school's convenience store wasn't far from this teaching building, so it didn't take long before Lu Li hurried back with a bag in hand.
He panted a couple of breaths and pointed to a spot by the wall. "Let's eat over there."
That spot was a blind spot in the teachers' line of sight, ensuring no one in the classroom would notice them.
Yu Zhi followed him on tiptoe, crouching down once they reached the spot.
Lu Li had bought quite a lot—besides a bottle of cola, there were all sorts of snacks. He opened the bag for her. "Pick whatever you want."
Yu Zhi hadn't been hungry earlier, but looking at the snacks now, her stomach suddenly growled a little in response.
She picked a pack of teddy bear cookies, cautiously opening the wrapper before eating one after another.
Seeing this, Lu Li chuckled softly. He twisted off the cap on the cola and handed it to her. "Eat slower."
"Thanks."
Yu Zhi pulled her phone out from inside her sleeve. "How much? I'll transfer it to you."
Lu Li froze for a moment. Seeing her calm expression, as though she regarded him purely as a classmate, a faint sense of disappointment flashed across his heart.
Adjusting his mood quickly, he was about to decline when he caught a glimpse of the green icon on her screen. He paused for two seconds. "Then add me on WeChat."
"Sure."
After they exchanged WeChat contacts, they continued crouching there, eating snacks and chatting occasionally.
The duration of a class period wasn't terribly short, but it wasn't particularly long either.
When Professor Ma stepped out of the classroom, he immediately took both of them to his office.
Though they had stood in front of him looking entirely upright and proper, slightly reducing his anger, there was still no escaping the punishment they deserved.
With a grand wave of his hand, he tossed down five test papers for each of them. "You two will finish these and hand them in tomorrow."
Yu Zhi: "..."
If she'd known earlier, she wouldn't have dozed off during class.
Though reluctant, she accepted the stack of papers, clutching them tightly in her hands.
Professor Ma lectured them for quite a while longer before dismissing them right as the next class was about to start.
As Yu Zhi came out, her eyelids drooping again, Lu Li couldn't help but ask with concern, "Still sleepy?"
Yu Zhi shook her head. "Not sleepy." She just wasn't in a good mood, that was all.
"Alright, if there's anything you don't know how to solve, just come ask me."
Lu Li's grades ranked near the top of the year, particularly in science subjects, earning him the high regard of many teachers.
As for the test papers Professor Ma had given, they were no problem for him at all.
Yu Zhi responded faintly with a sound of acknowledgment. When the bell rang signaling the start of class, the two of them didn't exchange more words and returned to their seats.
Lin Chengyu, who had been curious ever since Lu Li deliberately provoked Professor Ma earlier, couldn't wait to sidle up to him the moment he came back.
"Hey, Brother Lu, you're not seriously playing around, are you?" He raised his eyebrows, grinning like a rogue.
Lu Li gave him a shove. "Get lost."
His expression betrayed nothing, but his hands kept fidgeting with the test papers in front of him.
"Hahaha, Brother Lu, turns out even you can trip up sometimes."
Lin Chengyu took his reaction as being flustered and teased him incessantly.
"Lin Chengyu, you want a beating?" Lu Li looked at him with a half-smile, as though ready to punch him the second he dared to say more.
"No, no, no!" Lin Chengyu waved his hands in surrender, quickly turning away and ceasing the provocation.
Once his surroundings grew quiet again, Lu Li glanced one more time toward the last row of seats, an indescribable feeling stirring inside him.
**
Yu Family.
Yu Baisheng sat on the sofa in the living room, face stern, glancing at the front door every so often.
The moment the person he awaited appeared, he stood up immediately, barking, "Yu Zhi, get over here."
Yu Zhi's steps halted briefly. She cast a glance at the people seated in the room, quickly understanding the situation.
"Go ahead."
She took two steps forward, lifting her head to meet Yu Baisheng's gaze with a calm expression.
"What kind of attitude is that? First day at school and you're already picking fights! Do you even know who you hit? Do you know what the Yu Family does?!"
Yu Baisheng's voice grew louder as his anger escalated. The usual gentle demeanor had long since vanished, replaced by a bulging vein on his forehead.
"Baisheng, calm down." Yuan Li quickly approached, patting his back to help him catch his breath, speaking gently. "She's still a child, talk to her properly."
Her gesture didn't alleviate Yu Baisheng's anger; on the contrary, it made him more agitated. "Talk properly? Would she even listen if I did? If she did, would she be out there hitting people?!"
"Alright, sit down first." Yuan Li guided him back onto the sofa, handing him a glass of water.
Yu Zhi observed Yu Xinman, whose eyes had turned red, a trace of mockery flashing through her gaze.
She stepped forward, leaning slightly closer. "Tch, you're really made of water, huh."
Crying once in the classroom was bad enough, but coming home to cry again? Not worried about going blind from all the tears?
Yu Xinman bit her lip. "Sister, I know you don't like me, but I only told Dad because I wanted him to help you resolve this."
With the commotion surrounding Yu Nian's issue reaching such heights, it was reasonable to believe the Yu Family wouldn't let Yu Zhi off lightly. It was a clever excuse on Xinman's part.
Upon hearing this, Yu Baisheng slammed the cup onto the table. "Yu Zhi! You've already done wrong, and now you're taking out your anger on your sister?"
Yu Zhi turned her head slightly, her lips curling into a half-smile. "Oh? And what did I do wrong?"
"Still trying to argue? You sent someone to the hospital, and you're still arguing?!"
"Do you know why I hit her?"
"Does it even matter why? It's wrong to hit anyone in the first place!" Yu Baisheng wasn't interested in her reasoning. His mind was consumed with thoughts of how to handle the situation with the Yu Family.
Yu Zhi raised an eyebrow and turned to leave. "Then I have nothing more to say."
"Stop right there!" Yu Baisheng pointed at her. "You're coming with me to apologize to the Yu Family right now!"
"Apologize?"
Yu Zhi let out a laugh, as if she had heard the most ridiculous joke. "I doubt they need an apology from me."
With that, she headed upstairs without looking back, leaving Yu Baisheng to rant and rave behind her.
"Dad, I'll go with you to the Yu Family. I'll apologize on her behalf," Yu Xinman said as she moved to stand behind him, massaging his shoulders.
After all the yelling and venting, Yu Baisheng finally seemed to calm down a little.
He patted Xinman's hand and let out a weary sigh. "If only Little Zhi were half as sensible as you. Then I wouldn't have to worry so much."
Yu Xinman smiled softly. "Dad, Little Zhi spent so many years living outside. It's normal for her to have picked up some bad habits. I believe she'll change for the better in the future."