Chapter 131: Yubai Protecting Zhizhi – 4
Bai Yao knew things were not working in her favor when she saw Fu Zhi leave with Xu Wei without finishing their meal.
The remaining people sat around the dining table as a disconcerting silence reigned in the hall. All of a sudden, Bai Yao's phone rang.
She picked it up. When she saw that it was Dong Cun calling, she finally could not hold back anymore and snarled, "Jingqing had to pull some strings to get his daughter into this school. Now that Fu Zhi snatched the opportunity that should have been Wanwan's away, what am I supposed to tell Dong Cun? What will he think of Wanwan?"
Madam Lu did not want to have anything to do with this topic anymore. She suspected that Fu Zhi was bluffing, so she was going to test it out by taking three bowls of medicine tonight.
Even though Madam Lu was not listening, Bai Yao continued speaking. "I knew she was an egoistic girl who doesn't care about other people. All we ever wanted was for her to give this chance back to Wanwan, that's it. How could she say no to such a simple request? She's really the most ungrateful..."
"Aunt Bai Yao." Before Bai Yao could finish her sentence, a voice rang out from the other side of the table.
She looked toward the source of the sound and realized Lu Yubai was looking at her. Even though he was smiling, his smile did not reach his eyes. Just as Bai Yao thought he was not going to say anything, he opened his mouth and his voice filled the room. "How do you know Zhizhi was chosen by Professor He because of Uncle Jingqing? Did you see it yourself, or did someone tell you about it? Besides, it's occurred to me that you don't like Zhizhi very much. I have no idea why you would bear such malice toward her, but as someone who's much older, wiser, and has experienced more things in life, you should know better than us what to say and what not to say, right?"
Lu Yubai did not interact with the Lu Family a lot. Bai Yao knew that most of his mother's relatives were senior military officers. Since he was a child, his parents had sent him overseas so he could receive training. He had only returned home at the age of 14. He was eccentric and he often exuded an aura of danger. Therefore, even Bai Yao, someone who liked to take advantage of other people, was reluctant to interact too much with him.
Be that as it may, although Lu Yubai was many things, there was one good thing about him: his influence.
In No.1 High School, all the students knew that the only person in school they should never provoke was Lu Yubai, and since Lu Chuwan was his cousin, nobody dared to speak ill of her either.
In some aspects, this was also why Lu Chuwan had been willing to get close to her cousin.
With a grin tugging at the corner of her lips, Lu Chuwan stepped forward and explained. "You've misunderstood my mom. She just thinks this is unfair to me. After all, had Uncle Jingqing not donated a building to the school, do you think an academically underperforming girl who has never passed her Physics examinations before would have been chosen? This is not a lottery or anything. This is an examination, and only those who have answered all the questions correctly stand a chance."
Lu Yubai had only met Fu Zhi twice. The first time had been in town a year ago, while the second time had been during the English Public Speaking Competition. During the competition, her ability to convey her core idea through her speech in a clear and precise way had left a deep impression on him. Therefore, he did not believe that someone like that would be an ignorant or uneducated girl.
"That's just your guess. Blaming her before there's any solid evidence will only make others doubt your upbringing and personality," Lu Yubai scoffed as he rose to his feet. He took his jacket from the back of his chair and then smiled at Madam Lu. "I have to go now. Remember to take care of yourself, grandma."
"Yubai," Madam Lu said.
It occurred to her that Lu Yubai was on Fu Zhi's side as well. He did not care about Fu Zhi using back-door connections to get this chance at all.
When had her grandson begun to side with an outsider? Madam Lu felt upset.
Just as she was about to say something, Mama Liu appeared through the door with a black gift box in her arm. Inside the box were 10 sets of summer clothes from Kimorty.
Lu Chuwan glanced across the gift box but did not say anything. Apparently, she did not feel comfortable with Lu Yubai's way of doing things.
Everyone in the Lu Family knew that Lu Chuwan loved the clothes made by Kimorty. Her closet was filled with their clothes, and everyone who paid attention to her would notice it.
Madam Lu stretched her arm and pulled Lu Yubai to her side. "You and Wanwan are siblings, so you should not argue with each other. Since you already bought these clothes for Wanwan, hurry up and give them to her."
Chapter 132: Yubai Protecting Zhizhi – 5
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
At the same time, Bai Yao nudged Lu Chuwan and said, "See? Your cousin bought you clothes. Don't you love clothes from Kimorty the most?"
The father of Lu Yubai's mother was an influential person, so Bai Yao hoped that her daughter could maintain a good relationship with him.
After a short while, Lu Yubai heard Lu Chuwan say thank you to him, though she sounded reluctant.
She stretched her arm forward as she waited for Lu Yubai to hand her the gift box. However, she waited until her arms felt sore, yet Lu Yubai still did not pass her the box.
Instead, Lu Yubai took the box from Mama Liu. He kept his eyes half-closed, and there was a blank expression on his face.
He did not say anything, and it was only when Lu Chuwan said through tightly-pursed lips, "Brother?" that he finally responded.
He opened his mouth and his apathetic voice filled the room. "You like clothes from Kimorthy as well?"
Lu Chuwan froze, her eyes wide in shock as she realized something. She could hardly maintain the smile on her face as she replied, "Yeah."
Lu Yubai did not comment in response. He rested one of his arms on the back of the chair. Everyone in the hall was looking at him. He had a gorgeous profile, his skin was fair, and his fingers were slender. There was no imperfection on him, and he looked just like a masterpiece created by God.
A silent, indescribable awkwardness hung heavily in the air. Everyone looked at each other, but nobody was talking. After a while that seemed like ages, Madam Lu could not hold herself back anymore and broke the silence. "Yubai!"
It was only then that Lu Yubai straightened his body and rose to his feet. He turned to Lu Chuwan and said, "I'm sorry, but I can't give you the box. Inside the box are the clothes that I bought for Zhizhi."
Lu Chuwan put her arm down when she heard Lu Yubai's words. She felt awkward and embarrassed at the same time. She pressed her lips tightly, and her body began to shake uncontrollably.
"Why did you buy clothes for her? You are not that close to her anyway," Madam Lu chimed in as she looked at the box. She estimated that Chuwan was about the same size as Fu Zhi, so she added, "Since she isn't here anymore, why don't you just give these clothes to Wanwan?"
"I'm sure Wanwan wouldn't mind either. Right, Wanwan?" Bai Yao added, as she wanted to leave a good impression on Lu Yubai.
"I'm sorry." Lu Yubai smiled. His eyes were clear and pure, just like the deer that hopped around in the forest. However, the words that tumbled off his tongue next shocked Lu Chuwan to her core.
"I don't want to."
He had been eccentric and unsociable from a young age. He was willing to take care of his family, but that did not mean that he wanted to have anything to do with them. Since he did want to make Lu Chuwan look bad, he added, "If you like clothes from Kimorty, you can get them from the store yourself."
After saying that, he pulled his phone out and transferred some money to Lu Chuwan.
Everyone could sense that there was a fundamental difference between the way he treated Lu Chuwan and Fu Zhi. This seemed more like humiliation, and the feeling became even more apparent after what he said next. "I heard that you took Zhizhi's dress during the competition last time. Is that right? If you don't have enough clothes to wear, I can buy some for you, but don't you think you still owe Zhizhi an apology?"
Lu Chuwan's eyes instantly went red around the rims. "So you think it's my fault? This is what you think of me as well?"
The sight of her crying made the hearts of everyone in the room, save for Lu Yubai, melt.
Madam Lu turned to Lu Yubai and scolded him. "Look at what you've done. How can you scold your own sister because of an outsider?"
It had been raining like cats and dogs in Yu City in the past few days, so the air was humid.
Lu Yubai had come to the household just to see Fu Zhi. Now that Fu Zhi was gone, he did not have to stay anymore. Since he was upset right now, he did not want anyone else to feel happy either.
"How can you say that, grandma? Zhizhi is my cousin as well. She's willing to sell her kidney for me, so it's both natural and right for me to spend my entire fortune on her," Lu Yubai replied. He paused for a moment before adding with a smile etched on his face, "Besides, I'm just stating something that I saw with my own eyes. I didn't even scold you, so why are you crying?"
'Yeah, he's right. Why am I crying?'
Lu Chuwan did not know why she was crying either. She just felt aggrieved at Lu Yubai for not siding with her. However, she did not have the guts to say this out loud, and her face was getting redder and redder.
Lu Yubai did not care about her answer anyway. He hated girls who wanted the entire world to revolve around them the most. He let out a sneer as he said, "Anyway, suit yourself."
Chapter 133: Intentional Homicide
Even though Lu Yubai did not like them, he was able to keep his cool. After bidding Madam Lu farewell, he then left the Lu Household.
The moment he hopped into his car, his phone rang. When he answered the call, a female voice wafted out. "Mommy should be free around December, after your brother has finished his operation. Then, you can bring mommy to see the little girl you want to adopt. If..."
"That's not necessary anymore." Lu Yubai interrupted. "She is good now. She has been adopted by Aunt Xu Wei."
*
At the same time, in the Lu Household...
Lu Chuwan was replying to WeChat messages from the class committee. She had taken a week off from school, and all the male students in her class were worried about her.
"I've read through your notes. They're very helpful, but I can't go out with you this week. I initially wanted to bring you along to meet Professor He to express my gratitude, but I guess you already know the result. My uncle donated a building to the school, so... Anyway, this is my fault, and I—"
Before Lu Chuwan could finish her sentence, Xiang Yusheng replied, "All of us already know about it. Fu Zhi cheated in the examination. You're the victim, so you don't have to apologize to me!"
Very soon, after Xiang Yushen finished speaking, Lu Chuwan sent a voice message to him in a low, hoarse voice. "There must be a lot of people who think that Fu Zhi got selected because she worked hard for it, and you're the only one in the whole school who put himself in my position and considered how I feel. I really appreciate that, Brother Yusheng."
"Don't say that. Everyone thinks that because they don't know the truth!"
Lu Chuwan was pretty, so she was the belle of the school. Even though Xiang Yusheng was rich, he was plain-looking and his family was lower in status compared to the Lu Family. He had been courting Lu Chuwan since day one, and he got a little excited when he heard her calling him Brother Yusheng. "Don't worry! I'll never allow this kind of young good-for-nothing to tarnish the name of our school! I'll make sure she will not get her way, and I'll do everything in my power to kick her out of our school!"
The corner of Lu Chuwan's lips curled upward, but she restrained herself. Then, she said, "All things considered, Fu Zhi is still my cousin. I don't wish to make things too bad for her, so why don't we just forget about it? I'm fine with getting the short end of the stick. I just don't want anybody to get hurt because of this incident..."
However, Xiang Yusheng could not hear what she was saying anymore. He opened their school's forum, his face distorted with anger as his fingers began to dance nimbly on the keyboard.
*
The next day, Fu Zhi did not go to school.
She had helped He Ming correct his program the previous night, and by the time she was finished, the sun was already up. When she emerged from her room, she bumped into Lu Yumo, who had pulled an all-nighter playing games. Both of them walked toward the staircase, but all of a sudden, Lu Yumo missed a step and accidentally pushed Fu Zhi, who was walking in front of him, down the stairs.
There were two flights of stairs in the Lu Mansion, and Fu Zhi had been standing on the lower one. Due to the fact that she had not had enough sleep the previous night, she was a little slow to respond. She fell hard down about six steps before she finally regained her balance amid Xu Wei's cries.
The first one to come back to his senses was Lu Yushen. He squatted in front of Fu Zhi, not knowing what to do. He wanted to help her up, but he was afraid that he might hurt his sister.
Lu Yumo finally snapped out of his drowsy spell. He hurriedly went up to Fu Zhi and asked, "How do you feel, Zhizhi? Where does it hurt?"
Fu Zhi did not know how to explain either. Her tailbone felt kind of numb, but sharp pain radiated in her legs. She tried to get up, but to no avail.
Right now, she just wanted to break Lu Yumo's legs.
The Lu Mansion descended into chaos in the morning.
Xu Wei hastily called Dr. Liang and screamed, "Yeah, it's Zhizhi! Hurry up, Dr. Liang. My daughter's legs are broken, and her body is covered in her own blood! What should I do?
"I can't calm down right now! This was intentional homicide. It was my eldest son. He wants to kill my daughter. I have to call Mr. Xu. I want to sue him!"
Lu Yumo said, "Huh?"
Chapter 134: Let's Get Through This Together
When Fu Zhi fell down, she did not cry. However, Lu Yumo, aka the one who had pushed her, bawled his eyes out as if somebody had died.
Unfortunately, his tears were worthless.
"Honey, Dr. Liang hasn't arrived yet. Can you go pick him up? When Yumo pushed Zhizhi down the stairs, I'm certain her legs broke. I definitely heard a crack. I'm worried that it will be too late by the time Dr. Liang comes!" Xu Wei said anxiously, her tears streaming down her face like a dam broken loose.
Lu Yushen nodded in assent beside her. After all, he had seen his sister fall down the stairs with his own eyes. She could not get up from the floor even though it had been a while, so she must have broken her legs.
On the other side, Lu Yumo looked at Fu Zhi and lapsed into silence. He had been regarded as an intellectually-challenged kid his whole life, and it was at this moment that his brain decided to elude this claim. After he thought for a while, he said, "It wasn't a hard push, I swear. I just... I just poked her slightly..."
He spoke as carefully as if he was walking on ice. Upon seeing that nobody was paying him any attention, he decided to speak again. "I don't think her legs are broken. Do you guys understand?"
"I saw with my own eyes the way you pushed Zhizhi down the stairs and broke her legs, so no matter what you say, I'm not going to believe it! Yumo, mommy is really disappointed in you."
Lu Yumo, who had always disappointed his mother, relapsed into silence.
Xu Wei wiped the tears off her cheeks and turned away from her eldest son, as she did not wish to talk to him anymore. She looked at Lu Yushen and asked, "Yushen, can you do mommy a favor and carry your sister upstairs? Remember to be gentle."
The tips of Lu Yushen's ears turned red, and his pale skin flushed pink in embarrassment.
He bit his lower lip and nodded. He stretched his arm forward and lightly tapped Fu Zhi's neck with his finger.
He patted her to warn her before lifting her up from the floor.
When she saw that all of them had finally stopped talking, Fu Zhi figured that it was about time she chimed in. She swung her legs and said, "My legs are fine."
'See? I can still swing them, though my tailbone hurts.'
"You don't have to do this, Zhizhi. You don't have to pretend to be strong," Xu Wei replied. "Just tell mommy how much it hurts. Mommy will stay here with you, okay?"
Fu Zhi did not know what to say. She knew her mother had gotten started again.
Lu Yushen placed Fu Zhi on the couch in the living hall. His eyes were half-closed, and there were tear stains on his cheeks.
Xu Wei asked, "You are not going upstairs?"
Lu Yushen did not reply. He took his blackboard and began writing something on it. When he finished writing, he turned his head away and handed the blackboard to Fu Zhi.
Fu Zhi took a look at the blackboard. The following words were written on it: "Her room is too far away. Zhizhi is a little heavy, and I'm scared that my arm will get dislocated. If my arm is dislocated, my hand will let go. If my hand lets go, Zhizhi will fall down again."
Fu Zhi: "???"
Her tailbone hurt even more.
Xu Wei hurriedly went forward and covered her eyes. Then, she took the blackboard away and said, "You're just hallucinating, Zhizhi. Everything you saw just now was not real."
Truth be told, Fu Zhi was not heavy. It was just that Lu Yushen had to get injections and medicine every day, so he was weak physically. There was a colony of needle holes and bruises in different sizes on his right arm. While he'd been carrying Fu Zhi, those needle holes and bruises had hurt him a lot, so he could not carry her for too long.
Fortunately, Lu Jingqing came back with Dr. Liang very soon.
Dr. Liang had brought along with him tons of medical instruments, such as a ventilator, a cardiogram monitor, an automated external defibrillator, and a negative-pressure fracture fixation device. However, he was confused when he saw Fu Zhi.
He was a doctor with high medical ethics. Besides, he'd admired Fu Zhi a lot ever since he had seen her cure Madam Lu last time, so when Xu Wei asked anxiously about her condition, he just went along with it and replied, "She's in a serious condition. Thank God Mr. Lu brought me here in time, so the wound on your daughter's palm is going to recover soon!"
Xu Wei was stumped.
"That being said, she indeed injured her tailbone. I'll prescribe her some cream and painkillers, and if that still doesn't help—"
Xu Wei interjected. "Will there be any complications?"
Dr. Liang, who could not hold back anymore, replied, "No, no, no, there will not be any complications. This is not a big deal. As the family member of a patient, you shouldn't make a big fuss over anything! It'll affect the emotional state of the patient!"
Chapter 135: I'll Visit You On Every Festive Occasion
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Xu Wei could not calm down yet, so Lu Jingqing went forward to ask Dr. Liang about the things they should take care of during this period of time.
After doing that, he sent Dr. Liang away. He turned around and stared coldly at his eldest son. Lu Yumo knew he was doomed.
After a short silence, he said, "Dad, there are no cameras in the house, but I believe you understand, right?"
"Yeah." Lu Jingqing nodded. As soon as Lu Yumo's eyes shone, he heard his father say, "I can't believe you had the guts to push Zhizhi down the stairs, Lu Yumo. I'm so disappointed in you. Now, get back to your room and think about what you did. From this day onward, you're grounded!"
Even though Lu Yumo looked like a tough man on the outside, there was a princess inside of him that was emotionally fragile. After being scolded by his father, he was so overwhelmed by sadness that he had the urge to break his legs to prove his innocence.
Feeling really devastated, he shouted back, "Then I'll stop playing games, and you won't have to give me pocket money anymore!"
'Oh, really?' Lu Jingqing raised his eyebrows in delight as he hastily replied, "Alright then. If that's what you want."
He still had not forgotten the last time Lu Yumo had created a WeChat group and complained about him.
Lu Yumo was stumped. He had not expected his father to say yes so soon without any hesitation.
Therefore, he decided to create another WeChat group tonight without Xu Wei and Lu Jingqing. He vowed to heaven that he would open the eyes of his other two siblings and show them how evil and cruel their parents were.
*
Half a day later, Fu Zhi was forced to sit in a wheelchair that Xu Wei had bought for her.
Lu Yumo felt sorry for Fu Zhi, so he kept walking in circles around her and attending to her demands.
However, Fu Zhi just wanted to sleep. She tried to tell him so, but he just refused to go away. In the end, she thought for a moment and said in a nice tone, "Do you still want your legs or not?"
Lu Yumo was left speechless.
Since he still wanted his legs, he went away and walked to the living hall.
In the living hall, Xu Wei was praying to God so that Fu Zhi would recover sooner.
Since he had nothing to do, he pulled out his phone and began scrolling through No.1 High School's forum.
The moment he tapped into his school's forum, he noticed that there was a post with 3,000 replies at the top. The title of the post was: "The transfer student thinks we are all fools."
He was familiar with the ID. It belonged to Xiang Yusheng. Xiang Yusheng was a twelfth-grader, so it was very apparent who he was talking about.
Lu Yumo hastily clicked on the post. The more he read, the darker his expression became.
After Xu Wei finished her prayer, she turned her head around and was shocked by the grim expression on Lu Yumo's face. She asked, "What's wrong? Why do you look as if you've eaten sh*t?"
Lu Yumo did not say anything. Piqued by curiosity, Xu Wei went up to her son and looked at his phone.
The first thing Xiang Yusheng had exposed was Fu Zhi's test results back in her small town. Then, he'd said that the school authorities had allowed Fu Zhi to enroll in No.1 High School because her father had donated a building to the school. He'd even mentioned in the post that the reason Fu Zhi had won first place at the English Public Speaking Competition as well as gotten chosen by Professor He was all because of her father. All in all, the entire post was accusing Fu Zhi and her family of tampering with the school system so that Fu Zhi could get glory at school.
There were a few replies below the post. Most of them were scolding Fu Zhi, and one of them was even cursing her.
After Xu Wei finished reading the post, she pulled a machete from behind her back expressionlessly.
The blade shone coldly under the light.
"What are you doing, mom? You have to calm down. There's no need to get angry with those stupid internet trolls!" Even though Lu Yumo was furious as well, his face went pale when he saw his mother react that way. "It's against the law to kill someone. You're Zhizhi's only mother, so you have to take care of her!"
Lu Yumo knew that only Fu Zhi could calm his mother down.
As expected, his mother calmed down. She patted his shoulder and said, "You know what, you're right, Yumo. Mommy should not act rashly."
As soon as Lu Yumo let out a sigh of relief, he heard his mother say, "I'm Zhizhi's only mother, so I can't go to jail and make her sad. However, you're different. She has plenty of brothers!"
As if she had discovered something new, she shoved the machete into Lu Yumo's hand and added, "You know who spread rumors about your sister, right? If you're a man, then help mommy and your sister get rid of this person! Mommy swears that she'll come visit you in jail on every festive occasion!"
Lu Yumo did not know what to say.
Chapter 136: Don't Have Enough Money To Bail You Out
Lu Yumo did not want to resort to such an extreme measure. He felt that whenever something happened to Fu Zhi, his mother would turn into an entirely different person.
Right now, he could only do his best to calm his mother down. He said, "There is the following statement in the Buddhist scriptures: Lay down your slaughtering knife and become a Buddha. Mom, you have to stay calm!"
Well, Xu Wei was unable to lay down her slaughtering knife, at least not for now. She could not fathom why these people had to do this to Fu Zhi. She was filled with so much rage that her body was trembling nonstop. "Nonsense. This is pure bullsh*t! Your father donated the building to the school because he wanted the students to study in a better environment, and there are tons of people who bribe their way into No. 1 High School every year, so why must they single Zhizhi out? Besides, what proof do they have to claim that Zhizhi didn't earn those glorious moments through her own effort, huh? Why can't a student from a small town be outstanding? Must Zhizhi be an academically underperforming student like you? How absurd!"
As he looked at the machete in his mother's hand, Lu Yumo dared not say no at the moment. He shook his head vigorously and said, "Yes, yes, yes, you're right! I'm a loser. Zhizhi is the best girl in the world, and she is totally different from me."
As he was talking, he saw Lu Jingqing emerge from his study with a deep frown etched on his face. His eyes instantly lit up as he hastily shouted, "Dad, do something! Mom's trying to kill someone!"
Lu Jingqing then said, "Weiwei, put down the machete. It'll leave a bad impression if anyone sees you holding it."
Lu Yumo nodded profusely. Just as he was about to say that he wanted to invite his father into his two WeChat groups, he saw his father pull out a dagger from his study. Then, his father approached him with the dagger in his hand and said, "You're, after all, a descendant of the Lu Family, so what you do and what you say are closely related to our image. Your mother's machete is a little rusty, so it doesn't conform to your image. This dagger is new. Take it and go find the person who started all this to..."
He paused for a moment and looked Lu Yumo in the eyes before adding, "Get rid of him."
Lu Yumo was so speechless that he did not know what to say.
It seemed to him that there was only one thing he could do now. The things the post had mentioned in the forum were indeed horrible. The Lu Family had given him the green light, not to mention that his parents also had the power to help him get to the culprit through the web. Now that everything was in place, how could he still run away from his responsibility? As her brother, how was he supposed to face her in the future if he did not stand up for her when someone was bullying her?
With those thoughts in mind, Lu Yumo took the dagger from his father's hand and marched away valiantly with his eyes brimming with determination.
After he went back to his room, Xu Wei turned to Lu Jingqing and said worriedly, "I just want him to teach the kids that scolded Zhizhi a lesson. He won't really go and kill them, right?"
Xu Wei covered her wallet, which was getting thinner and thinner every day. She did not have enough money to bail her eldest son out of jail!
"Don't worry about him. He knows what he should do. Come on, the meal is ready. Let's call Zhizhi down to eat."
*
Fu Zhi received a voice message from He Ming. He was inviting her to a meal. However, since her tailbone had not recovered yet and she was tired, she turned down his invitation.
"I'm planning to take part in an international competition with this AI intelligence, and I'm also going to apply for a patent." He Ming sent another voice message to Fu Zhi. "I need roughly a month to analyze the ideas that you gave me after I return to the capital. Do you have anything else to tell me?"
"Farewell, Xiao He," Fu Zhi replied flatly, giving He Ming the impression that she was offering incense to him at his funeral.
However, before He Ming could say anything, Su Xing video-called her on her phone.
Fu Zhi answered the call immediately, and Su Xing felt as if someone had stabbed her in her heart when she saw Fu Zhi's bloodshot eyes. "Did you see the post already?"
Without giving Fu Zhi a chance to say anything, she hastily added, "Don't cry, Zhizhi. Nothing good could come out of their mouths. They're just making malicious speculations about you!"
Fu Zhi did not know what Su Xing was talking about. She tried to climb out of bed, but the pain that shot up her tailbone did not allow her to do so. She clicked her tongue in frustration, and Su Xing thought she was sad. After all, not many people could remain calm when they became the target of cyberbullying.
Su Xing took another look at the post. She could not understand why those people would say so many mean things about Fu Zhi. She was such a nice person!
Su Xing clenched her fists, as she felt she had to do something.
'I have to do something! I must fight back on Zhizhi's behalf! I have to protect her!'
Then, Fu Zhi, who was still in a befuddled state, saw a strange light sparkling in her deskmate's eyes. She picked a black keyboard out of nowhere and began tapping away, filling her room with a rapid succession of tapping sounds.
Three minutes later, Su Xing pressed her lips firmly. She looked just like a rooster that had just lost a fight. Her eyes were red like a rabbit's as she sobbed. "Zhizhi, help me. There are too many of them. I can't beat them..."
Fu Zhi was speechless.
Chapter 137: Lu Yumo The Poor Scapegoat – 1
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
By the time Fu Zhi clicked into the post, there were about 3,000 comments below it.
"She's stealing a girl's dream and life through backroom deals. Is she not afraid of the day of reckoning?"
"How can she be so shameless? Is she not aware of her own level? She already has the resources of the Lu Family all to herself. I don't understand how she has the audacity to snatch the opportunity to meet up with Professor He from a good student."
"Is it only me, or does she really look like she has done a lot to her face? Not only is she poor academically, but she also has a wicked heart. No wonder Qian Wenrui banished her to Class 21!"
"Over here! Give me a like if you agree with expelling Fu Zhi from No.1 High School! Push my comment to the top so that the school authorities will see our demand!"
After Fu Zhi scrolled through the post and all the comments, she finally realized what Su Xing had been talking about.
She looked through all the comments and found the particular one that scolded Su Xing. Clicking her mouse and tapping on her keyboard in quick succession, she effortlessly hacked into that person's account and deleted the account.
*
In Yu City, in a cyber cafe near No.1 High School, clouds of cigarette smoke swirled as an endless stream of clicking noises filled the air.
Lu Yubai had a cigarette clasped between his lips as he ran his fingers nimbly up and down the keyboard. His eyes behind his gold spectacles were half-closed, and there was an indifferent expression on his face.
Suddenly, someone went up to him and threw a blue phone in front of his computer.
After he took a look at the phone, he picked up the coat he had put on the back of his chair and rose to his feet.
*
Xiang Yusheng was feeling pretty great today. After walking out of school, he decided to go to the cyber cafe to let off some steam.
There were not many pedestrians in the alley.
Meanwhile, he was talking to Lu Chuwan on his phone.
The post in the forum had successfully stirred up emotion amongst the students, and the internet ghostwriters he had hired through Weibo to harass Fu Zhi were doing their job well. Everything was going according to his plan.
He then told Lu Chuwan, "In two more days, I assure you that Fu Zhi will get kicked out of our school. The things that belong to you will always be yours. No one can take them away from you, not even a loser like her."
Lu Chuwan said something in return, causing the young man's face to turn red. He lowered his head shyly, and his steps became lighter.
They kept talking for five minutes straight. Perhaps he was too absorbed in his conversation with Lu Chuwan, as he did not notice that there were very few pedestrians in the alley.
He continued to walk down the alley, when he suddenly felt that something was not right. He looked around and realized it was too quiet.
It was 5:30 now, and by right, he should've run into a few of his schoolmates.
His heart began to race in his ribcage before he heard a light scoff.
He looked toward the source of the sound. It was Lu Yubai.
He was standing by the window at the back door of a bar. His slender figure was sliced into several pieces by the window frame. His eyes were half-closed, and a grin was playing at the corners of his lips.
He was juggling a baseball bat in his hand. Under the warm light, his fingers were beautiful, his bones stood out on his wrist, and the muscles on his arm were well-defined.
Xiang Yusheng could hear the whistling sound of the wind while Lu Yubai was playing with the baseball bat in his hand.
His heart skipped a beat, and he took a step back. "What do you want from me?"
Lu Yubai had powerful backers. According to the upper crust of Yu City, the Lu Family must have done a lot of great deeds in their previous life, which was why they'd been able to form a bond with Lu Yubai's mother and the Zhou Family, which stood behind her, in this life.
Unlike most people, who only dared to bully students at school, Xiang Yusheng had heard that Lu Yubai's parents had sent him overseas to receive special training from a young age.
He knew Lu Yubai was coming for him, but he had no idea what he had done wrong.
On the other side of the line, Lu Chuwan wondered why Xiang Yusheng had not replied after so long. Therefore, she asked, "What's wrong? Has anything happened?"
It was only then that Xiang Yusheng calmed down. Lu Chuwan was Lu Yubai's cousin. Since he was doing this for Lu Chuwan, Xiang Yusheng reckoned that Lu Yubai would not dare do anything to him.
Chapter 138: Lu Yumo The Poor Scapegoat – 2
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Xiang Yusheng tightened his hand on his phone. Just as he was about to ask Lu Chuwan for help, Lu Yubai stepped forward and snatched his phone.
Lu Chuwan continued to ask him questions. "What happened? You..."
"It's me."
When she heard a familiar voice, Lu Chuwan froze. Her heart skipped a beat as she thought about the conversation she'd had with Xiang Yusheng.
However, she soon snapped back to reality. Forcing herself to calm down, she asked with effort, "Brother Yubai? Why is Xiang Yusheng's phone in your hands?"
Lu Yubai looked at the baseball bat in his hand and let out a scoff. Then, he asked again in a cold, emotionless voice, "You have no idea why his phone is in my hands?"
He paused for a while before adding, "This is the second strike. One more strike, and you're going to face the consequences. You can fool an idiot like him to your heart's content, but unfortunately, your petty tricks don't work on me. I will not warn you again, Lu Chuwan. You better watch yourself if you don't want anything bad to happen."
Then, he ended the call. After doing that, he turned to Xiang Yusheng and pointed his baseball bat at his face.
Xiang Yusheng could feel a cold sensation spreading from his face, but he did not dare move away. He seemed to still have not figured out what was going on. "Young Master Lu, you have to tell me why you're doing this, okay?"
The moment Lu Yubai heard what he said, he sneered.
The young man inside the deep alley was tall and slim. He also had a pair of captivating eyes that could take one's breath away. He lifted one of his brows as he looked at Xiang Yusheng coldly. There was a grin tugging at the corner of his lips as he said, "Because of the post in the forum. Who gave you permission to badmouth Fu Zhi?"
Xiang Yusheng froze. This was not what he had imagined. He had thought Lu Yubai was on Lu Chuwan's side. However, it seemed to him now that he had gotten it all wrong from the get-go.
"Young Master Lu, I..." He attempted to help Lu Yubai sort out the relationship with his family, but he did not dare speak too explicitly due to the baseball bat against his cheek.
"Remove the post and get all the students that scolded Fu Zhi to apologize to her."
*
Lu Yumo discovered a few locations that Xiang Yusheng frequented from Song Fang in Class 21.
By using the dagger given to him by his father, which was now in his hand, he wanted to show Xiang Yusheng what the consequences of bullying his sister were. At the same time, he wanted to prove to Fu Zhi that he was dependable and she could rely on him.
However, three minutes after he walked into the alley, he saw Xiang Yusheng lying lifelessly on the ground.
His face was swollen, his legs were broken, and he was at his last gasp. It seemed as if he had just gone through some kind of heavenly tribulation.
"What the f*ck?" Lu Yumo was stunned. He could not believe that someone had already beaten Xiang Yusheng before he could. He hastily went forward, picked him up from the ground, and shouted into his ear, "What the hell, dude? Who did this to you? How could you not wait for me?"
He sounded exasperated and disappointed, just like a wife who had caught her husband sleeping with another woman.
Xiang Yusheng could not speak at all right now. He was having a hard time breathing, and all he could manage to do was roll his eyes.
Lu Yumo could not bring himself to take advantage of someone else's perilous state. He left Xiang Yusheng his phone number and said, "You should never have bullied my sister. Anyway, give me a call once you feel better. We'll settle the score then."
Xiang Yusheng nearly vomited blood when he realized that Lu Yumo was not going to help him call an ambulance.
Just as Lu Yumo rose to his feet and was about to go home, a police cruiser appeared at the other end of the alley.
A police officer emerged from the car and shouted, "Hey! You over there! Hands in the air where I can see them!"
Lu Yumo was stunned. He had no idea why but he had a bad hunch that he was going to become someone else's scapegoat today, and if that happened, he was certain that his father would look down on him.
Therefore, to prevent that from happening, he kicked Xiang Yusheng in the stomach several times until the police officer pulled him away.
"What are you doing? Didn't you hear what I said? Stop beating him!"
"You would have said I was the one who beat him regardless of whether I really beat him or not, so why can't I just beat him instead?" Lu Yumo shouted back in response.
The police officer was stumped.
'When did I ever say that?'
However, he soon forced himself back to reality and said, "Public fighting, false allegations against a police officer... I'm taking you in, kid!"
Chapter 139: The Li Family Joins The Fray – 1
It was already 7 p.m. by the time Fu Zhi found out that Lu Yumo had been caught by the police.
Xu Wei took out her purse with tears in her eyes as she scolded Lu Jingqing. "I told you he's a man of straw. You didn't believe me, and now I have to use my own money to bail him out!"
She was crying very hard, but no one could tell if she felt sad for her money or her son.
Fu Zhi made a call to the research institute. "My eldest brother was caught by the police because he thought he was smart. Hurry up and call those people to release him."
The person on the other side of the line answered very quickly. Then, before he hung up the phone, he said, "It's been confirmed that the special drugs developed in the laboratory were replaced by someone. The culprit was found, but he was not one of the core research members. We made him sign the confidentiality agreement, and he was dismissed from his duty."
'Since the real culprit has been found, it seems like I misjudged Li Nanli,' Fu Zhi thought.
*
Fu Zhi rested at home that day. When she returned to school on Friday, she was summoned to the academic affairs office.
The spacious office was full of people. Other than Director Liu and the class teachers, the vice-principal and a group of public relations staff were also in the office.
Everyone was wearing a serious expression on their faces, and the atmosphere was tense.
"You see, Ms. Fu Zhi..." Director Liu took the initiative to speak up first. He had mixed feelings about the thing he was about to say next. He took a deep breath and then continued with a stern expression. "I'm sure you're aware of the rumor posted about you in our school forum, right?"
"Of course, she's well aware of it," Qian Wenrui chimed in. She glanced at Fu Zhi contemptuously and sneered, "She's a student who entered the school through the back door. I strongly believe that she must have used a dirty trick to get chosen by Professor He. Right now, the news about her is everywhere on the internet. Our school..."
"Ms. Qian!" Ma Mingquan shouted, making Qian Wenrui stop talking.
Then, the vice-principal stepped forward. He thought for a moment before he began to speak. "It has been more than 100 years since No.1 High School started operating, and because of you, our reputation is now at risk. In the past two days, I've received plenty of anonymous letters from parents and students, all of them demanding that we expel you from the school."
Many parents would rather choose to believe that the rumor about Professor He was true rather than not, especially now that the wellness of their children was in jeopardy. After all, not everyone was able to give up such a great educational opportunity.
Fu Zhi raised her head and replied coldly, "So? Why are you telling me this?"
Then, without giving them a chance to say anything, she added, "Did you guys open the back door for me?"
The vice-principal frowned. He had not expected that Fu Zhi would be this tough.
Indeed, he had investigated the entire incident and he knew there was no shady deal involved. However, that still could not change the fact that Fu Zhi's father was the reason she had been able to enter No.1 High School.
Besides, according to Qian Wenrui, she had cheated in the school entrance examination.
Most importantly, Professor He had gone into seclusion to continue his research once he had gone back to the capital. The research would last for more than a month, and the school authorities could not get to him at all.
Therefore, no one could currently help Fu Zhi clear her name!
"Right now, everyone on the internet is saying that you don't deserve this opportunity, and Professor He went back to the capital in anger after this whole thing exploded. No matter how we try to explain, even if we let you retake the paper with new questions, nobody will believe us. They will just think that we're covering up for you."
The vice-principal added, "We can't allow anyone to tarnish our school's reputation. Initially, every teacher in the school agreed to expel you, but since your parents want you to receive a proper education, I'm going to give you a second option. Let Lu Chuwan replace you and attend the meeting with Professor He instead."
Chapter 140: The Li Family Joins The Fray – 2
Both Lu Chuwan and Fu Zhi were members of the Lu Family, and they were girls.
This was the best solution the school authorities had been able to come up with after long deliberation.
"The school will issue a letter of apology and say our teacher made a mistake. It was Ms. Lu Chuwan who was chosen all along, and our teacher got your names mixed up," one of the members of the public relations team who stepped forward said. "As the saying goes, the goodies must be kept within the family, so here's the thing. Your cousin got a better result, and we're going to publish it to attract other people's attention. This way, they will stop badmouthing you on the internet and the school's reputation will not be affected. It's a win-win situation."
Indeed, it was a killing-two-birds-with-one-stone kind of approach. The vice-principal had thought of everything. The reason he had summoned Fu Zhi to the office while so many teachers were around was to put pressure on her, as well as to warn her.
Fu Zhi licked her lips as a grin played at the corners of her mouth. She looked straight at the vice-principal and said coldly, "But why does it seem to me that what you guys are doing right now is more like a shady deal? Is Lu Chuwan really that desperate to get the spot?"
The vice-principal was stunned for a while, but he soon composed himself. "Do you know about the hot topic section on Weibo? It's exactly because of you that the school is being trashed by people on the internet. If the school had not covered this up for you, your scandal would have spread throughout the entire hot topic section! I'm trying to solve the problem here!"
It went without saying that Fu Zhi was familiar with the hot topic section on Weibo. After all, she had occasionally appeared there with different identities in the past few years.
Most people praised her and her team and called them saviors that had descended from heaven, but there was also a minor group of people that dissed them. However, those people were silenced by the people that supported them.
Fu Zhi did not care about these slanderous tales at all, and more often than not, all these false tales would be taken care of by a special team before they could even reach her ears.
The vice-principal then told her forcefully, "I have already given you this option. Do you agree or not?"
Fu Zhi replied, "I don't agree."
The vice-principal was stumped.
It was only now that he saw the light and understood why Director Liu had said that Fu Zhi did not seem like an obedient student.
He felt as if there was a fire brewing inside of him, and so did Qian Wenrui. As if she had had enough of Fu Zhi's attitude, she said, "Do you think Chuwan really wants the spot that much? She chose to step up this time because she doesn't want you to become a victim of cyberbullying!"
Fu Zhi replied flatly, "Okay." Then, she paused for a moment before adding, "I thought you guys wanted me to give up my spot for her. Well, she doesn't have to do this at all. This kind of cyberbullying is nothing to me. Honestly, I think she's the one who can't take it."
Qian Wenrui was stumped as well.
She was getting more and more frustrated with Fu Zhi's impassiveness. Lu Chuwan was her only hope if she wanted to improve her record. "How can you be so stubborn? This incident..."
Before she could finish her sentence, the vice-principal's phone rang.
It was the principal calling.
The vice-principal's face turned serious as he made a shushing gesture to everyone in the room.
"Ah? Yes, yeah, yeah. Fu Zhi is with us right now... Hmm? Okay, I'll take note of that.."
After he hung up the phone, his face turned even darker. He turned to all the teachers and ordered them. "Go back to your respective classes immediately and ask all your students to stop posting about Fu Zhi on the internet. Those who don't follow the order will be severely punished, and in serious cases, will be expelled from the school!"
"What do you mean by that, vice-principal?" Qian Wenrui was confused. Everyone was just stating the truth, so she did not understand what was wrong with that and why the vice-principal was forbidding them to criticize Fu Zhi.
She then added, her voice now stern, "Our country promotes freedom of speech. Don't you think this is unfair to the other students?"
The vice-principal was in a bad mood. The moment he heard Qian Wenrui's words, the fire inside of him grew even stronger and he exploded. "Unfair to the other students? Do you know who called us just now? The Li Family from the capital! They called the school and asked why our students don't pay more attention to their studies instead of some ridiculous scandal on the internet!"