Thursday morning

Lu Xing habitually went through his NPC routine.

Wake up, wash up, make food, say goodbye to Wen Lingxiu.

Ever since he sang for Auntie Wen that night, he always felt that Auntie Wen was a little strange...

Auntie Wen had clearly given up the idea of him being Nannan's father in her heart.

But these past two days, she had been extremely considerate and gentle towards Lu Xing.

It was like... like the last bit of tenderness before parting.

"I can understand."

Lu Xing calmly packed the thermal container and put it in his schoolbag.

"When a game server is about to shut down, if it were me, I would also play it to death."

At least I can't lose out!

Ever since he found out about Auntie Wen's background...

Lu Xing suddenly felt that there was a reason for Auntie Wen's surveillance obsession.

Alright, camera wholesaler, I forgive you.

Who made me a soft-hearted god?

Lu Xing hummed a song as he walked to the door.

Wen Lingxiu stood there, her long hair draped over her shoulders, wearing a pink silk nightdress.

Lu Xing's school uniform was draped over her slender, lotus-root-white arm. Seeing Lu Xing come over, she smiled softly.

"Come here and put on your clothes."

Lu Xing deftly put on his coat and said with heartache.

"CEO Wen, I go to school early, I can get up by myself. Your work is so hard, I want you to get some more sleep. No, no, I have to learn to make some calming soup recently."

A warmth spread through Wen Lingxiu's heart.

She gently patted away the wrinkles on Lu Xing's shoulder and said with a smile.

"It has nothing to do with you. I wanted to get up a little earlier myself, to get some fresh air."

Click.

As Wen Lingxiu was zipping up Lu Xing's coat, a crisp shutter sound startled her, and she immediately looked up.

Click.

Another shutter sound.

Auntie Wen's surprised and gentle face was recorded in the camera.

Lu Xing smugly shook the camera in his hand, raised an eyebrow, and said with a smile.

"Recording CEO Wen's little daily life?"

When you say something to coax someone, you have to at least make a show of it.

Otherwise, if someone remembers it one day, it will be a bad debt.

Wen Lingxiu was taken aback for a moment. She quickly remembered what Lu Xing had said when they went to the theater that day.

He said he wanted to make a photo album called "CEO Wen's Daily Little Progress."

Wen Lingxiu's nose suddenly stung. She immediately lowered her head to hide her flustered eyes and said softly.

"I haven't put on my makeup yet."

Lu Xing said in surprise, "A lotus emerges from clear water, naturally unadorned."

"So this is how the poems I rack my brains to memorize every day are used! Theory really needs to be combined with practice!"

Wen Lingxiu embarrassedly pushed his shoulder and stuffed the schoolbag into his hand.

"Glib-tongued!"

"Bye-bye, CEO Wen! Remember to eat lunch even if you're busy with work!!!"

"I know, I know."

The moment the main door closed, the smile on Lu Xing's lips fell. He walked towards the station with a steady pace.

Phew—

Wen Lingxiu clutched her pounding heart and leaned against the door.

Unconsciously.

Her gaze fell on the camera on the cabinet.

Flipping through the two photos in the camera, Wen Lingxiu smiled, her eyes glistening. She murmured.

"I thought you were just saying nice things to coax me."

She hadn't expected...

That what Lu Xing said would actually count!

Two photos. Although she was the protagonist in both, because of the special person who took them, Wen Lingxiu stared at them for a long, long time.

A great fire had burned all her photos.

Of all the images of her from the past twenty or thirty years, besides a few that could be found in archives...

Wen Lingxiu couldn't find any other records.

She had already given up.

But now.

Lu Xing said he wanted to make a new photo album, to record every little bit of her every day.

Everything seemed to be starting anew.

"So good... so good."

Wen Lingxiu slowly slid to the floor, tightly hugging the camera to her chest.

If I were a little younger, if you didn't have this past.

How wonderful that would be.

...

Today, a tense atmosphere permeated the campus.

For no other reason.

The results of the first mock exam were coming out.

"Lu Xing!"

Lu Xing walked forward.

"Lu Xing!!"

Lu Xing walked forward.

"Lu Xing!!!"

Study Committee Member Hu Zhongzhong seemed to be waiting for Lu Xing. He first called out to him.

Seeing Lu Xing's "don't cue me, I'm deaf" look, Hu Zhongzhong got anxious.

He quickly chased after Lu Xing. Just as he was about to grab Lu Xing's shoulder, Lu Xing dodged to the side and stood still.

Lu Xing said indifferently.

"Study Committee Member, what's wrong? Did you lose money again?"

"Hu Zhongzhong! What are you trying to do again!"

Li Dachun had just entered the school when he saw Hu Zhongzhong pestering Lu Xing, and he immediately got angry.

Although Xing-xing is tall, his body is weak!

He's eaten so much of Xing-xing's delicious food. He absolutely will not allow anyone to bully Xing-xing!

Li Dachun was like a giant bomb.

He ran over with the speed of a hundred-meter dash and slammed into Hu Zhongzhong, sending him flying!

"Aiyo, holy crap!"

Hu Zhongzhong fell to the ground, his whole body numb from the impact, his head buzzing.

"Big silly Chun! What are you trying to do!"

Hu Zhongzhong was furious.

Li Dachun stood in front of Lu Xing, frowned, and said angrily.

"You are not allowed to bully Xing-xing!"

Hu Zhongzhong: ...

Damn it!

So annoying!

Hu Zhongzhong scrambled up from the ground, took out a piece of paper from his pocket, and quickly stuffed it into Lu Xing's hand.

Hmm?

Lu Xing looked at the paper in his hand with confusion.

He opened it.

On it were three big words—

"Apology letter?"

Hu Zhongzhong lowered his head, his neck and face flushed red with embarrassment. He stammered.

"I– I asked my dad to investigate who stole the money."

"And then, and then they caught the thief."

"I'm sorry. I wrongly accused you. I apologize to you!"

Huh?

Li Dachun was dumbfounded.

He wasn't here to fight, but to apologize?

Lu Xing perfunctorily glanced at the apology letter in his hand and threw it directly on the ground.

Hu Zhongzhong was dumbfounded.

This isn't right!

Really not right!

Usually, after he apologized, shouldn't Lu Xing say it's okay!

Why did he throw the apology letter away!

Lu Xing put his hands in his pockets and said flatly.

"Pick it up."

Li Dachun immediately bent down.

"I'm not talking to you. I'm talking to the Study Committee Member."

Li Dachun was shocked.

Holy f*ck!

Adoptive father!

Aren't you just trying to stir up trouble?

Hu Zhongzhong's face was flushed red with embarrassment.

Lu Xing was already prepared for him to fly into a rage.

Unexpectedly, Hu Zhongzhong took a deep breath, really bent down, and picked up the apology letter from the ground.

"I'm sorry."

Lu Xing raised an eyebrow.

Oh.

It seems he's not completely hopeless.

Lu Xing reached out a hand to take the apology letter. The next second, the thin piece of paper once again fell to the ground.

"Pick it up."

Hu Zhongzhong gritted his teeth, wanting to get angry!

But thinking of how he had been so brainless and stupid as to try to frame Lu Xing before, he suppressed his anger again, bent down, and picked up the apology letter.

"I'm sorry."

Lu Xing was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

He took something out of his pocket, threw it to Hu Zhongzhong, turned around, and waved his hand.

"You're forgiven."

"What?!"

Hu Zhongzhong looked at Lu Xing with pleasant surprise.

He was already prepared for Lu Xing to throw the apology letter away again.

He hadn't expected Lu Xing to accept it?!

Hu Zhongzhong opened his palm. Inside was a cream-filled chocolate.

"By the way."

Lu Xing stopped, turned his head, and said.

"The person who gave you that idea, you'd better stay away from him. He's trying to harm you."

Hu Zhongzhong was silent for a moment and said.

"The person who gave me the idea was Wang Anxiang."

"And the thief my dad found was also Wang Anxiang."

No wonder Wang Anxiang was so eager to pin the title of "suspected thief" on Lu Xing.

Wang Anxiang wasn't trying to kill with a borrowed knife.

Wang Anxiang was planning to sacrifice a plum tree to save a peach tree.

(TL: An idiom meaning to substitute one thing for another to avert a disaster.)

Lu Xing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled. "So young, and so many tricks up his sleeve. He still hasn't done enough practice problems."

Watching Lu Xing's dashing departing back...

Li Dachun and Hu Zhongzhong stood there, looking at each other. Hu Zhongzhong suddenly said.

"Big silly Chun, so you usually eat this well behind my back?"

Li Dachun suddenly became alert.

"Get lost!"

"You're not thinking of snatching my adoptive father, are you?"

...

...

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