Chapter 94

At noon, Cheng Xiaoyu invited Xia Shamou, Cheng Haoran, and Wang Ou to have a meal at the faculty canteen to celebrate his successful passing of the arts exam.

Originally, he planned to go to a hotel outside the school for a big feast, but Cheng Haoran thought the distance was too far, so they had to choose the faculty canteen on the second floor.

Cheng Xiaoyu hesitated for a moment and then sent a text message to Su Yuxi: "I'm having a meal with a few close classmates at the faculty canteen on the second floor at noon. Do you want to come?"

Not long after, Su Yuxi replied with three words: "Already eaten."

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed inwardly, feeling a bit disappointed for some reason.

The faculty canteen on the second floor was only half the size of the student canteen on the first floor, with half of it being private rooms. Teachers usually ate in the private rooms, while the other half had round tables for casual seating.

Cheng Xiaoyu found a seat and ordered several dishes, including braised lion's head, fermented tofu meat, white-cut chicken, sweet and sour fish, and about seven or eight others. Just as he handed the menu back to the waiter, he saw Li Liwei, Gu Manting, and seven or eight other classmates from his class laughing and talking as they walked up the stairs, apparently also invited to a meal.

Gu Manting's close female friend had also passed the arts exam and was celebrating here. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't even know her name, only that she was one of the people he had criticized before.

Because the canteen was not very large and there were more people celebrating today, Li Liwei and his group had no choice but to sit next to Cheng Xiaoyu and his group.

Li Liwei politely came over to greet them, congratulating Cheng Xiaoyu on passing the arts exam. Li Liwei was a person with both high IQ and EQ. Though he was usually very self-assured, he was not blindly arrogant. To him, Cheng Xiaoyu was a rival who deserved respect. He always believed that a respectable opponent was more important than an irrelevant friend.

Gu Manting was very unhappy with Li Liwei's behavior, feeling that he had not given her face in front of so many classmates. She pouted and refused to look at him, making Li Liwei a bit awkward. He was the only one among the ten of them who had greeted Cheng Xiaoyu.

Cheng Xiaoyu didn't pay much attention to the childish squabbling and smiled at Li Liwei, saying "Thank you." As for the disdainful looks from the people at the next table, he pretended not to see them.

The people at Li Liwei's table dared only to look disdainfully but didn't dare to do anything to Cheng Xiaoyu. Cheng Xiaoyu's verbal skills were so formidable that they left a deep impression. He could insult people without using foul language or repetition, leaving no room for argument.

This made the atmosphere at their table a bit tense, and they didn't dare to speak too loudly.

At Cheng Xiaoyu's table, except for Wang Ou, everyone else was as quiet as a mouse, making this corner of the noisy hall particularly quiet. People passing by would look twice and then walk around.

Fortunately, Cheng Xiaoyu and his group ate quickly. As soon as they left, the table immediately became lively.

Gu Manting couldn't help but scold Li Liwei, "Why did you greet that fat guy?"

Li Liwei, not angry, explained, "After all, I am the class president. Besides, knowing your enemy and yourself ensures victory. Don't you think we lack understanding of Cheng Xiaoyu?"

Gu Manting said disdainfully, "He's just a rich second generation who can write a few fake poems. That's all he can do."

Li Liwei didn't argue with Gu Manting. He knew that an irrational woman had no judgment. He was also thinking that after graduation, he would have to say goodbye to this girl. He didn't bother to mention that Cheng Xiaoyu had broken the record in the arts exam yesterday.

The others didn't know what Li Liwei was thinking and just echoed Gu Manting. Once people form a fixed mindset, it's hard to change. A former underachiever suddenly becoming exceptional was hard for them to accept.

It's like if your poor neighbor suddenly won a five million dollar lottery and started living a luxurious life. Most people would either try to take advantage of the situation or feel jealous and resentful.

The campus radio at noon was playing "Flowers in Full Bloom," a song a male classmate from Cheng Xiaoyu's neighboring class had dedicated to Ji Yunyun, congratulating her on passing the arts exam and getting into the Shanghai Theatre Academy's dance department.

But it wasn't Xia Shamou's version; it was sung by Liu Huaming and clearly recorded in a studio.

Wang Ou was devastated, thinking how shameless people could be. It felt like something that belonged to Xia Shamou had been taken away. She looked at Cheng Xiaoyu with a grievance, saying, "Xiaofat, you can't just ignore this!"

Cheng Xiaoyu, of course, understood how terrifying desires could be. Many people had no底线 (bottom line) for their interests. As long as they could get what they wanted, they would do anything.

Moreover, as long as they didn't record it on a CD and sell it for profit, just covering the song left Cheng Xiaoyu with no recourse.

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at Wang Ou and said with a bitter smile, "What can I do? I can't tape their mouths shut."

Wang Ou, indignant, said, "If they upload it to a music website, we can ask them to take it down."

Cheng Xiaoyu shook his head, "They're not that stupid. They probably just posted it on some forums to increase their visibility."

Xia Shamou, hearing the song, turned to Cheng Xiaoyu, wanting to know what was going on. Cheng Xiaoyu could only shrug, indicating he didn't know either.

Feeling helpless, Cheng Xiaoyu thought he would have to call Fu Xiyue after school to get some information.

The first class in the afternoon was physical education. Since physical education scores counted towards the college entrance exam, and this world didn't have the habit of canceling classes, it was rare to have a PE class in the final year of high school.

Cheng Xiaoyu went to change into his sports uniform. Recently, he had lost some weight, weighing a bit over 160 pounds. He now looked like a slender, chubby boy, but the label of "fat" still stuck. He was still far from being truly slim.

In the gym locker room, he and Wang Ou changed into their sports uniforms. The loose-fitting uniform was a bit baggy on him, so he tightened the waistband and put on the white gym shoes.

Looking at Wang Ou, who had taken off his shirt to reveal a muscular body with a six-pack, Cheng Xiaoyu was envious. Wang Ou, a national champion in the 100m and 200m races, had already been admitted to the Shanghai Institute of Physical Education through an application.

For the two of them, the remaining month and a half was just a simple enjoyment of their final high school days.

When the two of them walked into the gym, most of the classmates were already standing in the center on the left side of the gym.

But Cheng Xiaoyu noticed something was not normal. Most people were looking at the other side of the gym. Following their gaze, he saw that the class having the PE class was Su Yuxi's class.

Without a doubt, Su Yuxi, wearing white-striped blue sports pants and a white T-shirt, with her hair tied in a ponytail, was the focus of everyone's attention as she played basketball.

Although she was wearing loose-fitting sports pants, her buttocks were well-defined and her legs looked particularly long. The white T-shirt accentuated her well-proportioned figure, giving her a very athletic and feminine beauty.

Especially when she dribbled the ball, her movements were graceful, and sweat dripped from her pale cheeks, like shining diamonds. The entire gym's attention was on her. She seemed unaware, and with a quick and agile move, she skillfully dodged the girl in front of her and made a perfect jump shot, the ball swishing through the net, followed by thunderous applause from the entire gym.

Su Yuxi walked back expressionless, her peach-colored lips slightly parted, and the rise and fall of her chest added a touch of allure to her delicate appearance.

Cheng Xiaoyu realized for the first time that a girl playing basketball could be so beautiful and that the seemingly frail Su Yuxi had such excellent athletic skills.

The whistle for assembly blew in Cheng Xiaoyu's class. Wang Ou slapped Cheng Xiaoyu on the butt and said, "Stop staring. Su Goddess is in a different world from us."

Cheng Xiaoyu, not to be outdone, slapped Wang Ou on the butt and said with a smile, "Don't put her on a pedestal. I think she's just an ordinary girl inside."

Wang Ou scoffed, "Don't act like a love guru. You're still a rookie who hasn't been in a relationship. If you dare to go over and greet her, I, Wang Ou, will be your slave for the rest of my life!"

Cheng Xiaoyu chuckled, "Don't regret it!"

Wang Ou, sensing something was amiss from Cheng Xiaoyu's sly smile, but not believing Cheng Xiaoyu could have any connection with Su Yuxi, added, "It only counts if Su Goddess responds!"

Cheng Xiaoyu frowned, pretending to be troubled, "That's a challenge, but not impossible."

Wang Ou, no match for Cheng Xiaoyu's cunning, immediately took the bait, laughing, "Know when to back off, young man. Su Goddess is not to be trifled with. If you insist on taking the risk, I don't mind accepting your knees."

Cheng Xiaoyu took one last look at the radiant Su Yuxi, then joined the line with Wang Ou, feeling a bit ashamed for making a bet about his own sister.

Blood ties are a mysterious bond. Once he knew she was his sister, an invisible thread naturally connected them. Even though Cheng Xiaoyu had never met Su Yuxi before, it didn't stop him from feeling a sense of responsibility, no, a duty, to protect her.

No matter how much they drifted apart, no matter how unfriendly Su Yuxi was to him, he should be the one to stand in front of her when danger came, and this was an unavoidable and natural duty.

This kind of love based on blood ties is often greater than romantic love because it is more selfless and pure, like the love between parents and siblings.

Couples may break up after experiencing the ups and downs of life.

But no matter how the world changes, siblings will always be siblings.