When Lu Li thought about the rumors that were being spread, his face darkened with anger.

It was true that Jiang Yi’s father was the Lu family’s driver, but there had never been any “selling out his son for favors,” nor had Jiang Yi ever been asked to ingratiate himself with Lu Li or anyone else.

However, within their circle, people spread gossip about Jiang Yi, claiming that as the son of a driver, he was submissive and servile to them, practically a little slave who followed Lu Li around, always at his beck and call, acting as his personal servant since childhood.

Lu Li, furious, took a thick stack of award certificates and smacked the heads of several upperclassmen, each strike followed by a scolding.

“Never won any awards in your life, but you have the nerve to insult Jiang Yi?”

The upperclassmen were miserable. They had once had points deducted by Jiang Yi, who wore a red armband. Out of spite, they couldn’t swallow their anger and started spreading rumors in their circle.

These arrogant and overbearing students thought, “We can’t touch Lu Li, who’s on the basketball team, but surely we can get back at the driver’s son, right?”

But who would’ve guessed that the rumors would grow out of control, to the point that people were even claiming Jiang Yi was Lu Li’s illegitimate brother. The rumors got so wild that Lu Li himself had to step in.

Lu Li didn’t have the heart to bring Jiang Yi’s actual trophies to the restroom, so he only brought photocopies of his award certificates. If he had brought the real trophies, these idiots in front of him would have been scared out of their minds.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

A stern voice echoed in the restroom. Lu Li and his group turned their heads to see the disciplinary director storming in, pointing at them. “Stand still, all of you!”

It turned out that the upperclassmen’s friends had gotten worried when they hadn’t returned for over an hour, fearing they might have gotten beaten up. They set aside their pride and hurried to fetch a teacher for help.

Ten minutes later, in the disciplinary office, the director took a sip of tea and, after hearing the situation, was still skeptical. He found it hard to believe that no one had laid a hand on the upperclassmen.

After all, when he entered the restroom, he saw Lu Li, with his rebellious gaze, full of hostility, one foot propped on a chair, swinging a thick stack of papers at the students.

Lu Li didn’t look like a gentle person to begin with, and with his clenched jaw and cold expression, it appeared as if he were using the papers as a weapon to attack the students.

The director set down his teacup and looked sternly at the upperclassmen. “Now, be honest with me. Did the other side gang up on you?”

The upperclassmen exchanged glances and shook their heads.

The director frowned, thinking they were scared of retaliation. He softened his tone and asked, “Just tell me, what exactly did they do to you in the restroom?”

One of the upperclassmen sheepishly replied, “They made us read out award certificates.”

Another added, “We read for an hour.”

The disciplinary director: “…”

Lu Li straightened up, pulling out Jiang Yi’s award certificates, and handed them out to the teachers in the office, walking around the room until each teacher had several in hand.

The teachers, utterly confused, looked at the disciplinary director with blank expressions, holding the certificates.

Ying Zhuohan, always enthusiastic and proud, chimed in, “Come on, seniors, read another one for the teachers.”

The upperclassmen: “…”

Half an hour later, since no evidence of fighting could be found and both sides’ accounts aligned, there was no choice but to let the matter go. However, because the disciplinary director had witnessed Lu Li using the award certificates to hit the upperclassmen, which was considered inappropriate behavior, he punished Lu Li by making him write a self-reflection letter to be read at the flag-raising ceremony the next day in front of the entire school.

Lu Li didn’t argue with the punishment, but before leaving, he meticulously gathered up all the certificates he had handed out to the teachers, not leaving a single one behind.

---

In the advanced class.

When Cheng Chao returned during the second period in the afternoon, Jiang Yi looked at him curiously, “Did you have diarrhea again?”

Cheng Zhao leaned back in his chair: “…”

Jiang Yi, serious, said, “You were gone for an hour. You should take some medicine.”

“Maybe you should ask the teacher for another break and go to the infirmary to get some medication.”

Cheng Chao was about to explain that he didn’t have diarrhea when the class president came over to inform Jiang Yi that he needed to go to the administration office to collect the class’s merit flag.

Jiang Yi, already used to this, got up and headed to the office.

Upon entering the office, he immediately felt something was off.

From the moment he knocked on the door, all the teachers turned their gaze toward him, their expressions strangely difficult to read.

Instinctively, Jiang Yi looked down to check his uniform, finding that all the buttons were done up properly and there were no stains. Everything seemed fine.

The homeroom teacher cleared his throat and called Jiang Yi over to collect the merit flag.

Under the gaze of all the teachers, Jiang Yi went to get the flag. As he was about to leave, the homeroom teacher asked, “How’s your speech preparation for tomorrow’s assembly coming along?”

Jiang Yi nodded earnestly, “It’s all ready.”

The homeroom teacher, satisfied, waved him off to return to class.

---

That evening, Jiang Yi lay on his bed, working on a puzzle while talking to Lu Li on the phone.

Jiang Yi’s father had been home frequently, and the wall Lu Li used to climb over had been raised, making it impossible for him to sneak in. For now, their only communication was through phone calls at night.

“I think the teachers were acting a bit strange around me today.”

Jiang Yi continued working on his puzzle, pondering for a moment before honestly saying, “It was like they were looking at something weird.”

Lu Li: “…”

As he continued writing his self-reflection, he replied, “Nonsense. You’re not some kind of weird thing.”

Jiang Yi placed the final piece of the puzzle, admiring the perfect fit. Feeling pleased, he swung his legs happily and asked, “What are you doing right now?”

Lu Li, scribbling furiously, replied, “Writing homework.”

Jiang Yi, feeling proud of him, thought Lu Li was finally taking his studies seriously. “Alright, then focus on your homework. We can talk tomorrow.”

Seeing that Jiang Yi was about to hang up, Lu Li, for once, didn’t show any signs of displeasure and quickly agreed.

After hanging up, Jiang Yi, in a cheerful mood, grabbed his clothes and went to take a shower.

The Next Day

The morning was bright and sunny with clear skies. At the grade-level assembly of the Middle School, the host began the opening speech with precise, eloquent diction.

At the front of the advanced class, Jiang Yi stood in the first row, holding his neatly folded speech in his hand, waiting to go on stage.

“Next, let’s welcome Jiang Yi from Class 1 of the advanced program to deliver his speech.”

All eyes from across the school turned to the boy on the stage. He stood tall, his blue-and-white school uniform spotless, his black hair soft, and his expression calm. Under the golden sunlight, he looked almost like a beautiful painting.

“Dear teachers, dear fellow students, good morning…”

Jiang Yi’s clear, crisp voice echoed through the microphone, spreading across the campus. His pronunciation was impeccable, making the speech pleasant to listen to.

“Is that Jiang Yi? The one who’s first in the grade?”

“Oh my god, not only is he good at studying, but he’s also so good-looking…”

In the back rows, a few girls couldn’t help but whisper among themselves.

Lu Li, standing at the front of the international class, smirked to himself. Of course, they hadn’t seen Jiang Yi when he was in kindergarten.

Back then, Jiang Yi was even cuter than he is now. Though he’s still adorable, now he likes doing homework. When he was little, he preferred watching “Little Bobby” and splashing in puddles on rainy days. He was so easy to amuse.

On stage, Jiang Yi, who once loved puddles and cartoons, smoothly finished reading his speech, earning a round of applause.

As Jiang Yi stepped down from the stage, he noticed Lu Li standing nearby and hesitated, slowing his pace. He was puzzled as to why Lu Li was standing by the stage.

Lu Li was dressed in his school uniform, holding two sheets of paper, looking quite triumphant as if he was waiting for something.

Seeing Lu Li’s confident demeanor, Jiang Yi felt a bit more at ease. Although he didn’t know why Lu Li was holding papers, he thought it probably wasn’t anything bad, judging by his eager expression.

Jiang Yi returned to the advanced class, glancing at the stage, wondering if Lu Li had quietly won an award or if he was going to give a speech as a student representative, just like him.

But then he heard the host announce, “Now let’s welcome Lu Li from the international class to deliver a reflection.”

Jiang Yi: “???”

Lu Li casually stepped up onto the stage, effortlessly skipping three steps at a time. His light blonde hair was dazzling, and his pale blue eyes stood out.

But even more striking was the thick stack of papers in his hand. Lu Li leisurely opened his reflection letter and adjusted the microphone before speaking confidently, “Dear teachers, dear fellow students, good morning. I’m Lu Li from the international class.”

“Today, I’m here to deliver a deep reflection on my behavior from yesterday. Here’s my reflection: First, I should not have used Jiang Yi’s outstanding achievements to provoke Wang De from Class 3 of the international program.”

“Nor should I have, knowing that Wang De did not have certificates from competitions like the ‘Peach Blossom Cup,’ ‘Hope Mathematics,’ ‘Hua Math Star,’ or ‘AMC8,’ brought Jiang Yi’s certificates to show him.”

“Thanks to the teacher’s guidance, I now realize that my actions caused significant mental distress to Wang De, as I exposed him to what true excellence looks like, placing great psychological pressure on him.”

“…”