Chapter 22 P - Stunning

"Someone needs to be taught a lesson." Xing Yu gently raised his eyes and looked over, exuding a powerful aura.

An oppressive sense of control came from all directions, almost enveloping Chu Beiling and pinning him to the ground.

Faced with Xing Yu's overbearing aura, Young Master Chu was not to be outdone, but he hadn't forgotten that it was class meeting time, so he lowered his voice to confront him: "Let go."

"Did you make a mistake?" Xing Yu didn't loosen his grip; instead, he tightened it even more. His voice was deep and husky, his tone unhurried. "Do you still dare to be arrogant?!"

Getting Young Master Chu to admit his mistake is simply impossible, especially since the culprit is Xing Yu. Don't even think about it; there's no way he'll do it.

Just as he was about to struggle free from Xing Yu's grasp, the other man released him in time, and just when Chu Beiling thought he could retreat, he was caught again.

Chu Beiling stared at him incredulously, both angry and anxious, but she wouldn't say a single soft word: "Xing Yu, let go right now, or I'll kill you first if you let me out of your clutches."

Xing Yu chuckled, looking like he had nowhere to vent his mischievousness, "Sure! You give it a try."

After saying that, he released Chu Beiling's ankle again, but as Chu Beiling quickly withdrew, he grabbed his ankle again and took control of it.

Xing Yu released and released Chu Beiling, then quickly grabbed him again when Chu Beiling dodged, repeating this process over and over.

Just like a vicious cat catching a mouse, it doesn't kill the mouse immediately after catching it. Instead, it holds the mouse in its hand and teases it, making the mouse think it has a chance to escape. In fact, the mouse's every move is under the control of the vicious cat.

Don't even think about running away.

Chu Beiling, a 1.8-meter-tall boy, was being dragged around by Xing Yu by the ankle with one hand. He was so embarrassed that he wanted to hit Xing Yu.

"You bastard, let go, or I'll really get rough with you."

"Want to kill me, or admit your mistake?" Xing Yu generously made Chu Beiling choose.

What a load of crap.

Even if it means losing a head or shedding blood, Young Master Chu will never bow down to the outrageously arrogant Xing Yu.

Doesn't he care about his reputation?

Chu Beiling raised her chin, full of arrogance: "If you're so capable, then keep holding on. If you let go, I guarantee you won't see the sun tomorrow."

"Oh, I see. For the sake of tomorrow's sun, I'll grant your wish!" Xing Yu leaned back casually in his chair, his eyelids drooping as he looked at him, as if enjoying this leisurely time.

If it weren't for the fact that it was a class meeting and Xing Yu's injured hand, Young Master Chu would have already pinned him to the ground and given him a good beating.

Where was the increasingly disheveled Xing Yu, who was now increasingly relaxed, displaying an arrogant attitude that seemed to say, "No matter what, you can't do anything to me."

I'm so angry!

The more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable and explosive he became. Chu Beiling's stubborn nature kicked in, and he insisted on competing with him, almost overturning the two desks.

Wang Caiyan threw a piece of chalk, which hit Chu Beiling squarely on the forehead: "Chu Beiling, are you rebelling?!"

Chu Beiling glanced at Xing Yu, propped herself up on the table, and stood up from under the desk with one leg. She reached out and closed the window: "It's not a rebellion, it's just that there's a strong wind in the classroom. My soleus muscle is not very controllable and it's easy to turn into a sieve. Please understand, teacher."

Young Master Chu knew that even if he complained to someone who held an instinctive prejudice against him, he would not have the upper hand. He would definitely be the one who got scolded and reprimanded, so lying down and taking the scolding was the right thing to do.

But if it weren't his fault, and he were to be completely criticized without offering any explanation, that would be impossible.

Wang Caiyan's face turned pale when she saw him like this: "Chu Beiling, school is a place for learning. If you don't study well, don't always cause trouble and affect others."

Chu Beiling glanced down at Xing Yu, who was still gripping his ankle tightly. He desperately wanted to shout at Xing Yu in front of the whole class, including Wang Caiyan, "Did I bother you?"

But Young Master Chu knew when to stop. There was no need to continue fighting against Wang Caiyan, who held the power of life and death. Continuing would not end well for him.

So Chu Beiling smiled and said very obediently, "Teacher Wang is right. From now on, I will definitely be a good person."

Chu Beiling promptly admitted his mistake. Although Wang Caiyan was still dissatisfied with this troublemaker, she didn't say much and invited him to sit down.

As soon as he sat down, Xing Yu let go of his hand: "Sorry."

Actually, he should have let go the moment Chu Beiling stood up, but he was afraid that if he suddenly let go, Chu Beiling would fall backward, so he didn't dare to move.

Chu Beiling was somewhat surprised, not expecting Xing Yu to suddenly apologize to him. As long as the other party softened his attitude, he couldn't be tough and confront him: "No need for an apology, just treat me well."

He forced a bitter smile and said, "I don't want everyone to assume I'm the one who did something wrong every time I'm with you, no matter what happens."

Xing Yu stared at Chu Beiling's downcast and dejected eyes, then his narrow eyes lifted slightly, his expression complex yet resolute, as if he had made a decision.

On Thursday and Friday, a group of first-year high school students took their first monthly exam and were thoroughly outmatched by the school. After the exam, they went home for the weekend, and all their unhappiness vanished.

Anyway, we won't know the grades until we go back to school on Sunday, so we can still have a relatively enjoyable weekend.

When we returned to school on Sunday, all the grades were out.

When the art class rankings were seen on the bulletin board in the art building, the entire building erupted in excitement. Chu Beiling ranked first with a score of 287, leading Xing Yu, who was in second place, by nearly 20 points.

If Chu Beiling continues to maintain these grades and doesn't fall behind in her academic subjects, she'll basically be guaranteed admission to the art academy she wants.

Some art students who were curious about Chu Beiling's academic performance specifically went to check his grades.

Chu Beiling ranked 89th in her grade during her first year of high school. Her grades were not outstanding compared to the academic students, but they were not bad either. She could have easily entered the academic experimental class if she had improved her score by more than ten points. Among a group of art students, she could be considered quite excellent.

What shocked the art class even more was that Chu Beiling entered the art class with the second-to-last score.

The stark contrast between before and after is astonishing, leading many to speculate whether he used some kind of cheat code, otherwise how could this be possible?

Even Wang Caiyan called him into her office and asked him if he had cheated on the exam.

Chu Beiling frowned slightly, quite displeased with Wang Caiyan's questioning, which he saw as a desecration of his serious study.

He blurted out, his arrogance boundless: "I controlled my score. I really like the number 572. As long as I can get admitted, that's all that matters."

Wang Caiyan's expression wasn't very good, but she couldn't say much. She could only say, "Don't be silly. Grades are important. Don't be willful and do whatever you want."

Chu Beiling didn't say much about this. Under the discussion and gazes of everyone, she returned to the classroom and sat down next to Xing Yu.

The person in question had just pulled out Chu Beiling's top-ranked drawing paper to show off to Xing Yu when a crowd suddenly gathered around his desk. He casually grabbed his textbook and covered the drawing paper with it.

Xu Tunan, who entered the class with the third-to-last score, was particularly excited. He anxiously and excitedly asked Chu Beiling for the secret to improving his grades, and was also curious about how Chu Beiling had jumped from second-to-last to the top three in the class.

Chu Beiling couldn't really explain this either. He couldn't very well say that he was just unlucky in exams and always failed big ones, so he could only use the same approach he used with Wang Caiyan to deal with Xu Tunan.

Upon hearing this, Xu Tunan gave a thumbs up: "You're awesome! You're the only one who dares to do this during the high school entrance exam. Aren't you afraid of messing things up by controlling the scores and ending up with no school to attend?!"

Li Dong stomped on Xu Tunan's foot hard: "Hu Tutu, you think you're so good with words."

Xu Tunan smiled and said, "That's true. If you're going to do this, you must know what you're doing."

Li Dong rolled his eyes: "You might as well not say anything."

Chu Beiling didn't want Li Dong to stop Xu Tunan, this chatterbox, from talking in order to protect his pitiful self-esteem. The main reason was that he was too ashamed to continue making up stories about how his entrance exam scores were so bad because of the score control measures.

He had no choice but to tell the truth: "The fact is that I failed the exam, not that my score was manipulated."

"Ah!?" Now it was Xu Tunan's turn to be embarrassed, but he was always optimistic that the result was good, so the process didn't matter. "It's okay, I'm already in Xigao anyway, one exam is nothing."

Chu Beiling's Adam's apple bobbed, and he responded with a soft "hmm".

Li Dong was curious about Wang Caiyan's reaction: "What did she say when she called you to her office?"

Chu Beiling shrugged indifferently: "What else can they say? They're questioning the legitimacy of my academic achievements."

As soon as he finished speaking, the young men and women surrounding him frowned in unison, clearly displeased.

Seeing the others' expressions, Chu Beiling chuckled and started rambling again, "Actually, her doubts aren't wrong. I have a Doraemon. Before the exam, he gave me a memory bread and a pen to improve my grades."

He grabbed a pen and waved it in front of everyone, saying, "I'll be in the top three in no time!"

Chu Beiling pulled out a box of pens and glanced at everyone: "Here they are, 150 each. You won't lose out."

Li Dong muttered to himself, "A shrewd businessman."

A pen that costs a dozen yuan was inflated several times over by Chu Beiling with just a few words, and the key point is that people actually believed it.

Seeing everyone's eager expressions, Chu Beiling was even more delighted.

Xu Tunan was actually planning to buy it when Xing Yu, who never participated in such topics, suddenly said, "Hu Tutu, remember not to go under the overpass when you get old, lest you be tricked into buying health products."

A group of teenagers, realizing that Chu Beiling was teasing them, burst into laughter.

They tease each other, warning each other not to get tricked into selling health supplements when they're old.

Chu Beiling put away her pen and began to shoo people away: "Go back to your seats quickly, the bell is about to ring for class."

Just as I finished speaking, the evening study bell rang, which was quite a coincidence.

The few people who had been surrounding him returned to their seats, and the classroom fell silent, as if only he and Xing Yu remained in the world.

Young Master Chu took the drawing paper he had just torn from the picture book from under his textbook, pushed it in front of Xing Yu, pointed at the first-place cup in the Q-version Chu Beiling's hand, and raised his chin at Xing Yu: "See, what did I tell you? First place."

Although Chu Beiling's academic performance and class ranking were still lower than Xing Yu's, Xing Yu's top ranking in art was enough to make Chu Beiling proud.

Xing Yu also laughed: "Yes, very impressive."

Xing Yu was not surprised by Chu Beiling's result at all, nor was he as shocked as others. As long as he remained calm, this result was well within his normal performance level.

Chu Beiling's biggest problem is his unstable mentality; he always fails important exams that involve making choices.

"Xing Yu, one day I will surpass you." Young Master Chu challenged him with a smile.

Xing Yu lifted his eyelids, his voice low and husky, his tone unhurried: "I don't care about grades at school. I only care about the joint entrance exam for art colleges and the national college entrance exam three years from now. Wherever you surpass me, whatever you say will be law, and I will never refute you."

Chu Beiling's eyes lit up: "Really?"

"certainly."

"Okay, you wait."

Xing Yu let out a few lazy laughs from his chest, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I'll wait for you."

As expected, Ms. Li was incredibly resourceful. Not long after evening self-study ended and she returned to her dormitory, she sent a message asking Chu Beiling to send her a picture of his monthly exam results.

His performance in this monthly exam can be considered as fulfilling Ms. Li's instructions and requirements.

Chu Beiling was still nervous and expectant, hoping that Ms. Li would praise him instead of finding fault with him.

Not long after sending the call, Ms. Li called. Chu Beiling glanced at the busy people in the dormitory and decided to go down to the flower bed to answer it.

At this time, almost everyone stays in their dorm room and few people will come out intentionally, except for young couples who want to avoid crowds and meet up, and him who hides in the corner of the flower bed behind the dorm to talk to his parents so that his roommates won't hear him.

It was early October, and the summer heat in Hangzhou was gradually dissipating, replaced by a pleasant coolness. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the Bodhi tree, and I could smell the aroma of instant noodles in the air, perhaps from a dormitory.

Gentle and peaceful, everything was so beautiful.

But Li Shuying on the phone said, "A ranking of 89th in the grade is too bad. You must get into the top 50 in the next monthly exam."

Chu Beiling's throat was dry and parched, and he couldn't respond to Ms. Li's words for a moment.

He is an art student, so his art grades are the most important thing. He has already devoted a lot of energy and time to achieving this level of academic performance. To be in the top 50 of his grade, he would have to devote even more energy and time.

Drawing requires constant practice to maintain one's skills; once one becomes rusty, it's difficult to guarantee that one can maintain their current level of achievement.

Ultimately, drawing is still the most important thing to him, and as long as his academic grades don't fall too far behind and he can get into a university, that's enough.

However, Chu Beiling couldn't bring himself to say such things to Ms. Li.

Li Shuying frowned: "Not going to say anything again?"

Chu Beiling slowly squatted down, leaning against the flower bed and burying his face in his knees.

What could he say? What could he possibly say?!

He always tried his best to meet Ms. Li's expectations and requirements, but every time he met them, he received no praise and was instead found to have all sorts of faults.

He really didn't know what to do.

Li Shuying waited patiently until she was no longer impatient, then said sternly, word by word, "Chu Beiling, speak."

Chu Beiling took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. He still couldn't tell Ms. Li directly that he didn't want to devote extra energy to taking care of her academic studies, so he could only say, "I'll try my best."

“It’s not about trying, it’s about absolutely having to,” Li Shuying demanded forcefully, brooking no argument.

After giving the instructions, Li Shuying brought up Wang Caiyan's mention of controlling grades: "Also, if your grades are bad and your mentality is bad, don't make excuses. If you can't do it, you can't do it. Your biggest problem is that you can't admit your mistakes, do you hear me?"

His lips were dry, and when Chu Beiling opened his mouth, his lips were stuck together. He pursed his lips tightly before he could finally speak: "I understand."

"The three years of high school are the most crucial period in life, which is related to your future destiny. Spend more time with Xing Yu and learn from him, instead of just hanging out with Li Dong all day long."

Li Shuying said decisively, with a very strong and authoritative tone: "I won't say any more. You can decide for yourself."

Chu Beiling lowered her eyes and replied, "Understood."

Li Shuying didn't say anything more and hung up the phone.

Chu Beiling squatted on the ground for a while to catch her breath, then used the flower bed to help her stand up and prepare to go back to her dormitory to continue studying.

She turned around and happened to be seen by Xing Yu.

Moonlight squeezed through the gaps in the branches, forming bright beams of light. Xing Yu stood in the triangular area at the corner, the silvery-white moonlight spreading from him all the way to Chu Beiling's feet, connecting the two of them into a single line.

Chu Beiling stared intently into his eyes, her mood worsening: "You were eavesdropping again?"