A street urchin turned academic genius, starting by saving the blind school beauty.

Chapter 69 Math Competition

Lu Zhaoye fell asleep as soon as he got the cat hook he'd been longing for. Xu Qingwan remained calm for the entire class and didn't disturb Lu Zhaoye's sleep.

However, before get out of class ended, Xu Qingwan secretly took the hook back from Lu Zhaoye's desk drawer and put it back in its original place.

Looking at her "little home" that had returned to normal, Xu Qingwan couldn't help but smile.

But the next second, she thought of her bad classmate's relationship with Xu Ziqing, and Xu Qingwan couldn't help but feel heartbroken.

"No, you must ask clearly during evening self-study."

Xu Qingwan thought to herself, and just then the bell finally rang.

Lu Zhaoye woke up groggily, stretched, and scratched Xu Qingwan's arm.

"Why am I feeding you? You're not studying properly anyway."

Xu Qingwan snapped out of her daze and rolled her eyes at Lu Zhaoye.

"Hmph, you haven't been studying properly at all; you've been sleeping all day."

"pig!"

Lu Zhaoye continued to lie on the table, speaking lazily.

"I didn't sleep well last night. I felt like something was chasing me and licking me in my dream, which kept me awake. Don't blame me."

Xu Qingwan blushed upon hearing this and quickly turned her head away.

"Who...who's making you sleep poorly? Maybe you caught a chill last night?"

Lu Zhaoye's lips twitched. "Xu Qingwan, do you dare to put your hand on your conscience?"

Luckily, he woke up early this morning, otherwise he would have really thought he wasn't sleeping well.

However, he didn't have concrete evidence to prove that Xu Qingwan was behind it last night; he only knew that he found Xu Qingwan in his arms as soon as he woke up.

"Okay, let's go eat."

Xu Qingwan straightened up and said, then turned her head and asked in return,

"By the way, what color do you like?"

Lu Zhaoye chuckled upon hearing this, and with a flamboyant flourish, he ran his fingers through his hair and said...

"What are you doing, little deskmate? Are you trying to find out my preferences?"

Xu Qingwan blushed and kicked Lu Zhaoye, then tossed her high ponytail and strode away.

"Hmph, fine, don't tell me then."

Lu Zhaoye was amused by Xu Qingwan's helpless expression and called out to her before she left the classroom.

"I like blue."

A few students were still in the class, and the moment they heard Lu Zhaoye shout, they parroted him.

"I like blue~~"

Lu Zhaoye slapped his forehead. How come the "Onion, Ginger, and Garlic Trio" are still in the classroom?

He turned his head, propped himself up, and looked over his wall of books at the front row.

With tears welling in his eyes, Qin Tianzheng gripped Lu Zichen's shoulders with both arms, his face full of affection.

"Chenchen, I like blue~~"

"..."

Lu Zhaoye stood up with a dark expression, turned his head and walked towards their seats.

Seeing this, the two quickly ran away laughing, and Lu Zhaoye was about to catch them.

Suddenly, a petite figure appeared before him. Lu Zhaoye frowned, a little frightened.

"What's wrong, class monitor?"

Lu Zhaoye swallowed hard. Why did it feel like ever since he joined Class One, this little girl would grab him no matter where he went?

"Come on, let's go to the cafeteria for lunch."

Lu Zhaoye curled his lip. What's going on, little sister? You're pulling this stunt again. Do you really think I'll be coerced by you?

"If you're not afraid I'll tell Qingqing about you and Xu Qingwan, then you can leave."

After saying that, Zhang Xinhan turned and walked out of the classroom.

Lu Zhaoye sighed, having no other choice but to follow.

However, to avoid being misunderstood, he still invited Lu Zichen, Qin Tian, ​​and Li Hao.

"......"

Five people sat at a dining table to eat. Zhang Xinhan sat opposite Lu Zhaoye.

The three brothers—scallion, ginger, and garlic—sat a few seats apart on the side, not daring to get too close.

"Here, please fill this in truthfully."

Zhang Xinhan took a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to Lu Zhaoye.

Lu Zhaoye took it, his eyes lit up as he looked at the contents, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"Wow, we're only in our second year of high school and we already have to work on all these file books?"

Zhang Xinhan handed over the yearbook that everyone used after graduation when they were kids. It included some QQ accounts and some little messages.

Furthermore, there were some things I added myself on this paper, such as my favorite colors, my favorite foods, and what I usually do on holidays.

And... what kind of girl do you like?

"Stop talking nonsense, hand it in to me after evening self-study tonight."

"No, what exactly do you want?"

Lu Zhaoye didn't understand Zhang Xinhan's meaning; he was terrified.

If it weren't for his younger brother's timely intervention during afternoon PE class, Lu Zhaoye would have suspected that his older sister was going to execute him on the spot.

Now they've sent him another order like this, practically asking him what color his underwear is.

"Stop talking nonsense. If you dare to fill in anything wrong, you're finished."

Zhang Xinhan said coldly, then abruptly changed the subject.

"By the way, are you participating in the math competition next Saturday?"

Lu Zhaoye carefully put away the note and replied,

"No, I'm not capable enough."

Zhang Xinhan said "oh" and gave the chicken leg from her plate to Lu Zhaoye.

"Qingqing told me that you got first place in the entrance exam in your first year of high school."

Lu Zhaoye ate his chicken leg and answered casually.

"That happened almost two years ago, so it's not very relevant."

"Yes, that's right. Qingqing hasn't been able to see for almost two years either."

Lu Zhaoye froze, the chicken leg he was eating suddenly tasteless. He had no idea what Zhang Xinhan was going to say.

"You probably know about her family situation, but we still need a lot of money to cure Qingqing's eyes."

"The prize money for this math competition is 50,000."

After finishing his chicken leg, Lu Zhaoye looked up at Zhang Xinhan and said seriously,

"We can't let Xu Ziqing participate in the competition."

"The college entrance exam is just one year away; participating in competitions would waste too much time."

Zhang Xinhan didn't react much and continued speaking.

"I'm going to help Qingqing get this bonus back. What about you?"

"..."

Lu Zhaoye smiled. So, it turned out that the little girl was trying to force him to participate in the competition and win the prize money.

Although this feeling of being forced made him very uncomfortable.

But this feeling of being needed made him feel very good.

"Yes, I will participate."

Zhang Xinhan chuckled self-deprecatingly, cupped her cheek in her hand, and stared at Lu Zhaoye as she spoke.

"I knew you'd participate for Qingqing's sake."

Lu Zhaoye sensed something was off about Zhang Xinhan's gaze and silently swallowed.

"I remember you've only known each other for less than two weeks, why is that?" Zhang Xinhan continued to ask.

"Because I felt I had been too privileged in the past, I wanted to make it up to Xu Ziqing a little more, that's all."

Zhang Xinhan paused briefly, then continued to press for answers.

"Is your gentleness towards her also because of this?"

"I've heard that you weren't like this before."

Lu Zhaoye finished the last bite of his meal, put down his chopsticks, and said matter-of-factly,

"Because I've become intelligent!"

"And besides, people always love to hear stories of ordinary people achieving success against all odds, don't they?"

"Rather than saying I became gentler towards Xu Ziqing, it's more accurate to say that Xu Ziqing's inherent gentleness softened this rascal?"

After saying that, Lu Zhaoye called out to Lu Zichen and the other two who were not far away, stood up, and left.

Only Zhang Xinhan remained, sitting at the dining table watching this scene. She murmured to herself,

"Actually, you are all very gentle people."