Chapter 77

After the final scores were released, they couldn't be announced immediately. The teachers would do a final check tomorrow to ensure there were no errors before posting the results.

Xia Wushuang left the information office in a huff and went straight to the classroom, calling out Wang Bai, who was studying, to ask, "How did you do it?"

The idea of a daily meeting had turned into a bubble, making her tone quite harsh. Wang Bai, who didn't understand why she was acting so strangely after everything was fine last night, replied, "Do what? Did I do something wrong again?"

"I'm asking about your Chinese score! How did you manage to do that on the midterm exam? Don't tell me your cousin is studying Chinese in a foreign country!" she said, almost at the end of her rope.

"Oh, the scores are out?" Wang Bai thought to himself why the system didn't notify him, did he fail? But looking at Mr. Xu's expression, he must have done well. Maybe the system needs to confirm something. He asked, "What did I score?"

"130!" she said angrily. Wang Bai was shocked; he had never scored so high before. Then he asked, "Do I need to attend extra classes with this score?"

"Hmph," Xia Wushuang wouldn't let him dodge the question, "First, explain how you got this score, then we can talk about other things."

He touched his nose and sighed, "Actually, to be honest, I've been hiding my true abilities for the past two years. I originally planned to show my true colors during the college entrance exam, but because of a special reason, I had to give it my all this time, so it turned out like this."

After saying that, he looked into the distance with a profound expression, looking like a lonely hero.

"Do you think I'm a three-year-old?" Xia Wushuang gritted her teeth, "Or did you really use your best skills to avoid extra classes?"

He immediately realized she had misunderstood and waved his hands, "No, no, that reason has nothing to do with extra classes, but rather... a bet!"

"You're kidding me? Fine, explain clearly. What bet, with whom, and tell me everything," she nagged.

Wang Bai was taken aback, scratching his head and ears, trying to think of an excuse. Suddenly, he clutched his stomach, "Ouch, my stomach hurts. I need to go to the bathroom. Teacher, you go ahead, no need to wait for me. It might take a while. We'll talk about this later!"

He ran off to the bathroom, and Xia Wushuang couldn't stop him. Feeling even more angry, she thought to herself, "You won't get away with this until you explain everything clearly!"

Wang Bai paced back and forth in the bathroom, finally coming up with a brilliant idea. He called Lu Lu, who answered in the hallway. He said, "Hey, girl, I need your help. If Ms. Xu asks you, tell her you made a bet with me. If I can get into the top 100 in the midterm exam, you'll sleep on the floor and let me have the bed. Got it?"

Lu Lu, embarrassed by Ms. Xu listening in, replied timidly, "I, I got it."

Wang Bai was delighted, "Thanks a lot. I'll take you out for a big meal later!"

Xia Wushuang couldn't take it anymore, snatching the phone and shouting, "Wang Bai, get back here now!" Then she glared at Lu Lu with a complex expression, "You're dismissed, go back to the classroom."

Wang Bai didn't expect his secret plan with Lu Lu to be overheard by Ms. Xu. He blamed Lu Lu for not being discreet and appeared in front of Xia Wushuang again, forcing a smile, "Hehe, teacher, I really can't tell you. Consider it my privacy, please don't ask anymore, okay?"

"Hmph, privacy, huh?" she sneered, "Fine, very well. Since you're being unreasonable, I won't be reasonable either. Your essay this time was a mess. From now on, you'll submit a thousand-word essay to me every day! Practice makes perfect. If you can't submit it, you'll have to write it at my place until you finish before you can go home!"

She glared at him threateningly and then left. Wang Bai inwardly groaned. Although he was happy to have more time alone with Xia Wushuang, he had many other things to do. Submitting an essay every day would delay a lot of his plans.

If he had known this, he might have agreed to attend extra classes, which would only be a couple of evenings a week. If he had known Ms. Xu's original plan was a daily meeting, he definitely wouldn't have thought this way. This requirement was already a significant reduction from what she initially planned, but it also included genuine concern for his writing skills.

After school, Lu Lu went to the dorm to get some more things. She planned to move everything over the next few days and stay at Wang Bai's place permanently. This way, she wouldn't be bound by the dorm's curfew and could have more time to study.

However, it was already Thursday, and the small room that was supposed to be cleaned by Friday was still in its original state. Wang Bai was busy, and his father was lazy, so the task was delayed.

When they got home, they heard Wang's mother shouting from the kitchen to Wang's father, who was watching TV, "It's already Thursday! We agreed to clean the small room by Friday. When are you going to start?"

Wang's father shouted from the sofa, "I know, I'll take care of it."

Then they had dinner. After dinner, the siblings went to their room to do homework, Wang's father continued watching TV in the living room, and Wang's mother watched TV in the bedroom. After a while, Wang's mother shouted again, "Why haven't you started yet? It's almost bedtime. Are you not planning to clean it at all?"

"Ah!" Wang's father, engrossed in his TV show, said impatiently, "We can just get a bunk bed and have them share a room. Besides, you said we're going to buy a new house soon, so we might move anyway."

"You're just lazy!" Wang's mother scolded him, then opened the door to Wang Bai's room and said in a gentle voice, "Lu Lu, I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay in your brother's room for a few more days. Your uncle is too lazy, and I can't do anything about it. I'll help you clean it when I have a day off."

Then she turned to her son sternly, "Don't bully your sister, got it? If you make her wash your back again, I'll make you kneel on the washboard!" She then closed the door and went back to her room. Wang Bai muttered, "Dad actually betrayed me..." Lu Lu giggled.

"You're still laughing? It's all your fault, being so reckless, now I can't face my parents."

"Who told you to lie? You deserve it!" Lu Lu turned and smiled at him, her eyes bright. Seeing her sweet smile again made Wang Bai's heart beat faster, and he felt a bit embarrassed thinking about her actions last night.

"Do you know how bad your sleeping habits are?"

Lu Lu looked puzzled, seemingly unaware of how bad her sleeping habits were. When she slept on a small bed or a mat, her habits were better. But on a big bed, she tossed and turned, and her blanket would end up who knows where. The first few times she stayed at Wang Bai's, she was more reserved, so her habits didn't show. Last night, she got more comfortable and started causing problems.

"You're making it up. My sleeping habits are the best in the dorm. I don't snore or grind my teeth," she defended herself, not wanting to be accused of a flaw.

Wang Bai said, "Then why was my blanket on you last night, and yours on the floor? And do you remember what you did to me while you were sleeping?"

"What did I do?" She felt a bit guilty but still tried to deny it.

Wang Bai mumbled, "Nothing good, that's for sure."

Lu Lu followed his gaze, which landed on his crotch, and blushed, stammering, "You, you're lying! How could I do anything bad to you? I, I didn't do anything!"

"You touched me, deal with it..." He mumbled, not wanting to argue further, and turned back to his homework.

He left her standing there, worried and frowning, trying to figure out what she had done to him last night. "Where did I touch him? Could it be like what Jiajia said? His inner thigh?!" Her face burned, and she wished she could find a hole to hide in.

After Lu Lu finished her bath, she saw Wang Bai on the computer and walked over to stand behind him. She saw him chatting in a small group with Liu Yan and Jin Xiaoli and huffed.

Wang Bai turned and said, "You're done? You can go to sleep now, or turn off the light." Lu Lu pouted, staring at the screen, clearly not willing to leave. It seemed she would stand there and watch him until he went to bed.

He had no choice but to let her watch, knowing he wouldn't discuss anything inappropriate with Liu Yan and the others.

Suddenly, they mentioned the KTV incident, and the two girls started urging, "Wang Bai, we want to hear you sing! Turn on the mic!"

He replied, "Now? But there's no accompaniment..."

No problem, a cappella is fine. We just want to hear your voice, quickly!" They sent a group chat voice request.

Wang Bai, unable to resist, and with no good reason to refuse, turned to Lu Lu and said, "Don't make a sound, or they'll hear you and it'll be bad."

Fortunately, Lu Lu knew better. Although she was extremely unwilling, she nodded. Then Wang Bai accepted the mic.

After the mic was connected, the two girls chattered excitedly. Wang Bai's house only had a simple microphone, so the sound came through the speakers, and Lu Lu could hear everything clearly.

After a few exchanges, they got to the point and insisted Wang Bai sing. He said, "What should I sing?" Liu Yan said, "Sing whatever you know, anything." Jin Xiaoli added, "Yes, something fresh, not what we've heard before."

Wang Bai thought for a moment and said, "How about 'Springtime'?" "Good, good!" "That's it!" The song was popular, and the melody was familiar, but Wang Bai couldn't remember the lyrics, so he had to look them up online before singing.

Even though it was a cappella, his unique voice still made it special, and he captured the沧桑 (沧桑 means "weathered" or "aged" in this context, but it's hard to translate directly) feeling of the song. After he finished, not only were the two girls left wanting more, but Lu Lu, who was secretly listening, was also shocked, staring at his profile, thinking, "Wang Bai has this skill too? I never would have guessed. His voice is so powerful."