Chapter 51: Choosing Between Solving Problems and Cheating [Third Update]

She cried out for a while, but when nothing came out of the bottle, she realized she hadn’t squeezed it hard enough. She increased the pressure in her hands, and the drink shot out from the bottle into her mouth. As the sweet flavor washed over her, Bai Qingxia’s eyes sparkled with a hint of surprise.

The girl turned her head in astonishment to glance at Lu Yuanqiu, then relaxed her grip. She lowered her gaze to examine the bottle’s design. It amazed her that such a cheap, disposable bottle—worth only a few cents when sold for recycling—could be made so ingeniously. It seemed like it could easily be reused, yet most people simply threw it away. What a waste.

Lu Yuanqiu could never have guessed what was going through the girl’s mind at that moment. He commented, “Wow, this actually tastes pretty good.” Bai Qingxia nodded vigorously, her face earnest as she agreed, “Mm!” She cradled the bottle in both hands, took a couple more sips, her face breaking into a satisfied smile, then capped it and stood quietly by, watching Lu Yuanqiu drink.

Watching him enjoy the drink made her feel content, for it was something she had bought for him.

Lu Yuanqiu asked, “Why aren’t you drinking anymore?” Bai Qingxia parted her lips, wanting to speak but hesitated, casting a cautious glance at Lu Yuanqiu without saying a word.

“You want to save it for your father?” Lu Yuanqiu inquired.

The girl pursed her lips, shyly scratched her head in response. Lu Yuanqiu took a deep breath and said, “This bottle is for you. I’ll buy your father’s share. You’ve treated me to drinks so many times; surely I can treat Uncle just once?” Bai Qingxia quickly looked up and said, “That’s not necessary—I just wanted to taste it…”

But Lu Yuanqiu refused to back down. He genuinely cared for Bai Qingxia. Cared for her deeply. This girl never thought of herself.

“Come on, let’s go to the campus shop and buy a drink for Uncle! I’ll grab something to eat as well!” The boy strode off with a big smile, holding Bai Qingxia’s soft hand as they walked toward the campus shop.

Fortunately, there was another group running the 800-meter race on the field, so no one noticed the two of them walking hand in hand.

For a moment, Bai Qingxia forgot to pull her hand away from Lu Yuanqiu’s.

…

As evening fell, the sports meet came to a complete close. In the afternoon’s high jump, Lu Yuanqiu easily won the gold medal as well.

When Liu Wei saw the five first-place medals laid out before her, she adjusted her glasses, utterly stunned.

Lu Yuanqiu, however, kept his achievements low-key. After enjoying a wave of Liu Wei’s praise, he put all thoughts of the sports meet behind him.

The monthly exam was what truly mattered.

This period of study was about to yield its first result.

A few days ago, his uncle had called again, asking about his progress; Father Lu Tian dared not utter a word, and it was Lu Yuanqiu who managed to brush off the inquiry with “I’m making progress.” When the monthly exam ended, the results would be scrutinized by all his uncles—they’d made it clear that every exam from the start of senior year would be supervised.

Senior year was especially important.

He vaguely remembered from his previous life that during this monthly exam, he ended up at the very bottom of his grade. His father was scolded mercilessly, and Lu Yuanqiu received disappointed looks from his uncles.

But this time, he would never be last.

Of course, climbing out of last place was only a step, not the goal.

If before, getting into a good university was a hazy ambition, now Lu Yuanqiu’s goal was to attend the same university as Bai Qingxia.

If they weren’t together in college, who would protect her?

So Lu Yuanqiu had to work hard.

Bai Qingxia was one of the most important reasons for his efforts.

For these three nights, Bai Qingxia didn’t need to work—a privilege granted by Lu Tian.

The exam room was set up.

After school, heading home, Lu Yuanqiu pushed his bicycle, Bai Qingxia walking beside him, both heading toward the school gate.

Their friendship was now basically public knowledge. There was no need to hide it, especially since everyone had seen Bai Qingxia hand him water during the sports meet. Perhaps people thought it was normal, believing their closeness was simply due to being desk mates, so Bai Qingxia no longer resisted walking side by side with Lu Yuanqiu in public.

She was surprised by this change in herself.

But she was happy about it, too.

To walk together with Lu Yuanqiu in public—a simple thing, yet she’d longed for it for three or four years.

Fortunately, their status as desk mates made their friendship seem natural, almost inevitable.

But everyone still wondered: what do the two of them talk about? What could they possibly have in common?

A mystery yet to be solved.

…

Returning home, Lu Yuanqiu quickly walked to the living room and called out to his parents, “Don’t bother making dinner for me tonight—I need to study!”

Both Lu Tian and Su Xiaoya paused in surprise.

Lu Tian couldn’t help but quip, “Only one night left, and you’re cramming at the last minute?”

Lu Yuanqiu replied, “I’m not a foot fetishist.”

With that, he closed his bedroom door.

He was a bit anxious—his classical Chinese memorization was shaky, and the first exam tomorrow morning was Chinese.

Sitting in his room, Lu Yuanqiu began reciting.

By nine o’clock, his head was spinning, but he still hadn’t memorized it well.

Going out for water, he suddenly heard some odd, frantic noises from his sister’s room.

Peeking through the crack, he saw Lu Yidong with her books spread on the desk, her forehead pressed to the pages, little hands waving upward beside her head.

She was muttering, “Absorb! Absorb!—”

Lu Yuanqiu pushed the door open, baffled. “What are you doing?”

“Reviewing,” Lu Yidong replied, turning to look at him. “I have an exam tomorrow too.”

Seeing her brother’s confusion, the little girl explained, “Oh, you mean what I was just doing? That’s a method my desk mate taught me, called the Knowledge Transfer Technique. You press your forehead to the book, wave your hands upward, and you can transfer the book’s knowledge into your brain. She said she tried it, and it worked pretty well.”

Lu Yuanqiu’s brain froze.

“So, this is what you call choosing between doing the work and cheating?”

Damn… Even in 2010, this was popular?

Lu Yuanqiu pulled a wry smile. “Does this actually work? Are you out of your minds?”

Lu Yidong snorted, pouted, “Try it yourself if you want to know. Don’t interrupt my transfer—close the door!”

“Can’t you be a bit more grounded? You really believe such nonsense?”

Lu Yuanqiu frowned, speechless, and closed the door.

Back in his room, he immediately placed the Chinese textbook on the desk, pressed his forehead to it, closed his eyes, and waved his hands upward at his sides.

“Absorb! Absorb! Absorb! Transfer to me—”

Lu Yuanqiu chanted sincerely, his face full of devotion.

ps.
Three chapters today. Please vote for me.
(End of this chapter)