Chapter 72 I want to thank my deskmate
Lu Chi has not been sleeping well these past two days.
His home phone was bombarded with calls from admissions teams at Tsinghua and Peking Universities, who offered him generous terms, including the option to freely choose majors like Guanghua School of Management at Peking University and School of Economics and Management at Tsinghua University. They also offered him a scholarship of 100,000 yuan and free room and board.
He rejected them all.
Although the conditions offered by the other party were very tempting, he did not want to go to another place.
Because his most important person is here.
On the other hand, the newspaper asked him to return to the school for an interview or to give a speech.
Lu Chi chose to unplug the landline.
The world fell silent instantly.
Today is the day for the teacher appreciation banquet.
Lu Chi got up early and stood quietly in front of the mirror.
The cold light from the mirror reflected on his face, which was expressionless.
He looked in the mirror and used his fingers to lift the corners of his mouth upwards. The muscles seemed to be pulled by invisible threads, reaching the perfect position with an almost frighteningly precise curve.
Release your fingers.
A standard, emotionless smile appeared in the mirror.
"Smile, smile naturally, smile like a normal person."
He recited his lines in a low voice.
After practicing this several times, I finally felt safe enough to leave the house.
As soon as I came downstairs, I saw Yu Qing leaning against his bicycle, the morning light casting a long shadow over him.
He raised his hand and waved to Lu Chi, smiling broadly: "Good morning, Lu Chi!"
"Good morning!" Lu Chi smiled instinctively.
It was still that formulaic smile, so perfect you couldn't find a single flaw. Even though her lips were smiling, there was no joy in her eyes.
Although Yu Qing looked strange, he didn't have the same sense of horror as before. Instead, he seemed like a Psyduck, a bit cute in his dullness.
He rode his bicycle over, stopped next to Lu Chi, and patted the back seat: "Get on."
Lu Chi hesitated for a moment, then sat down and gently grabbed the hem of Yu Qing's short-sleeved shirt.
"Hurry up! I can't afford to pay for the top student if he gets hurt!" Yu Qing shouted. The bicycle creaked and slid out of the community. The morning breeze lifted the bangs of both of them at the same time.
Lu Chi instinctively gripped the hem of Yu Qing's clothes, the wind making them flutter loudly.
The bicycle weaves through the alleyway lined with sycamore trees, sunlight filtering through the leaves and casting dappled patterns.
The sweet aroma of roasted chestnuts wafts on the breeze, mingled with the faint scent of gardenias.
The bicycle bell jingled.
Lu Chi turned his head slightly and saw that Yu Qing's profile was gilded with a fuzzy edge by the sunlight, a silhouette unique to the boy and carrying the warmth of summer.
……
The car wheels came to a stop at the entrance of the restaurant.
Yu Qing braced herself on one foot, turned around and said to Lu Chi, "We've arrived. Get out of the car."
Lu Chi remained seated in a daze in the back seat, his fingers clutching the corner of his short-sleeved shirt wrinkled by the wind, as if he hadn't recovered from the speeding through the Wutong Lane.
He looked up and saw the teachers and classmates who were waiting for him at the door, and then he vaguely understood.
So there really is a ginseng fruit in this world.
He swallowed it without even realizing it, without tasting it.
It's already over.
Yu Qing leaned his bicycle against the wall, and the principal greeted him with a smile, shaking Lu Chi's hand tightly: "Lu Chi, thank you for bringing honor to our school."
Several reporters followed with cameras.
The camera was practically right up to their faces.
"Lu Chi, what are your thoughts on achieving such excellent results this time?"
Lu Chi instinctively shrank back, and Yu Qing secretly supported his back, whispering, "Don't be afraid, you are the protagonist today. All the flowers will make way for you, just keep going."
Lu Chi took a deep breath, and the tangled mess in his chest was instantly smoothed out.
His eyes no longer darted away. He pursed his lips, his voice still trembling slightly, yet each word reached everyone's ears: "Thank you... my deskmate Yu Qing."
Everyone looked at Yu Qing.
The camera then turned to him.
Yu Qing was slightly taken aback.
He cursed inwardly: "Idiot, why bring me up? You should be praising the teacher, the school, and the leaders. You have no sense of social etiquette at all, you're so stupid!"
Yu Qing cursed inwardly, but smiled at the camera.
His laughter was quite awkward.
Seeing this, Old Xu quickly came over to smooth things over, saying with a smile, "What Lu Chi means is that mutual help is the key to common progress. Our school has always pursued the educational philosophy of 'peer support.' Never give up, never abandon, and advance and retreat together is the soul of our school's education."
"Yes, yes, yes, our school emphasizes the spirit of unity. We welcome everyone to apply to our school. We will do our best to nurture every student and provide the best teaching resources," the principal quickly agreed.
The reporters then asked a few more questions.
The principal, fearing that Lu Chi would give a wrong answer, quickly answered first.
They kept saying how good No. 1 Middle School was, how great it was, how absolutely fantastic it was.
Upon hearing this string of advertising slogans, the reporter's initial enthusiasm turned into disinterest, and the meeting ended unhappily.
After the interview, the principal made an excuse and left.
Old Xu led everyone to a private room on the second floor.
The private room was very lively.
They gathered in small groups, mingling together.
Lin Yueyue also brought a digital camera and kept taking pictures of everyone.
The moment Lu Chi entered the private room, everyone stopped what they were doing.
All eyes turned to him.
The look in his eyes was no longer the perfunctory one he gave to a nobody, but rather one filled with envy, guilt, and even caution.
Yang Jing gritted her teeth and stood up first. She walked up to Lu Chi somewhat embarrassedly and said, "Lu Chi, I used to always lead the bullying of you and deliberately embarrass you. Today, in front of everyone, I sincerely apologize to you. I'm sorry."
"N-nothing...it's nothing." Lu Chi waved his hand hastily.
"That won't do. You'll have to punish yourself with a drink later," Yu Qing joked.
"You don't need to tell me."
Yang Jing blushed and returned to her seat.
Then, those who had mocked him, those who had deliberately bumped into his table, and those who had imitated his stuttering... all came forward one by one to bow and apologize to him.
Lu Chi just kept whispering, "It's okay."
Old Xu watched all of this with satisfaction.
Yu Qing's eyes unconsciously became moist; he was happy for Lu Chi.
At this moment, the boy finally received his coronation.
Lin Yueyue walked over and nudged him with her shoulder, saying, "I told everyone what you said last night, so why didn't you even say thank you?"
"Thank you," Yu Qing said in a hoarse voice.
"It's alright, just consider it returning the favor. Besides, he didn't do anything wrong, did he?" Lin Yueyue stood next to Yu Qing, constantly pressing the shutter button with her camera, happy for him as well.
At the dinner table, everyone reminisced about past anecdotes and chatted about the future.
After a few rounds of drinks, Old Xu stood up, raised his glass to everyone, and said, "I'd like to toast you all, may you little rascals have a bright future ahead of you, and return still young at heart!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
