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Chapter 10: A girl whose looks rival Xiao Mingyue’s

As soon as Dai Ming finished speaking, everyone turned their eyes to Shen Huan.

The muscles in Shen Huan’s face twitched, and his complexion looked like a corpse four or five days old.

Shen Huan stole a glance at Class 4’s students and squeezed out a faint murmur through clenched teeth, “W-we can’t do it here, can we?”

Lu Li chuckled softly, “To admit a mistake and correct it is the greatest virtue; the Ministry of Education has long required teachers to teach with civility and character, so if someone does wrong yet refuses to apologize in public, does he still deserve to be a teacher?

Alas, such behavior is outrageous; it undermines our school’s ethos and violates professional morality! Professor Dai, what do you think?”

Mr. Liu cast Lu Li a grateful look; he knew Lu Li did not need to offend Shen Huan so thoroughly, yet by repeating Shen Huan’s own words he was venting on Mr. Liu’s behalf.

Dai Ming nodded approvingly and said in a deep voice, “For a teacher, setting an example is paramount; Director Shen, apologize!”

Shen Huan bit hard on his teeth, sweat beading on his forehead, and at last he lowered his proud head. “Student Lu Li, I misunderstood you earlier; I’m sorry!”

“Dad!” Shen Tan cried in shock; it was the first time he had seen Shen Huan bow to someone else. “How can you apologize to Lu Li? He’s just a poor student!”

Shen Huan glared at him and pushed the back of his son’s head down. “Cut the crap! This mess is your fault, so hurry up and apologize to Student Lu Li!”

“S-sorry!” After that smack on the head, Shen Tan apologized obediently.

The entire audience gasped, and the students of Class 4 were stunned one by one.

That day, the halo was stripped from arrogant Shen Huan, and overbearing Shen Tan fell from his pedestal.

“Shen Tan, since you have apologized, you thereby acknowledge my score and concede that our wager is my victory,” Lu Li glanced sidelong at him. “So please apologize to Tang Yang as well.”

“Lu Li, don’t push your luck!” Shen Tan clenched his fists.

Lu Li smiled faintly, “A man is nothing without integrity; honesty is a citizen’s second ID card… these are your father’s own words.”

Shen Tan gritted his teeth yet finally bowed to Tang Yang. “Tang Yang, I spoke out of turn earlier!”

Tang Yang’s face flushed with joy, and every cell in his body felt delighted.

Knowing how to read the room, Mr. Liu hurried to smooth things over, unwilling to let Lu Li antagonize Shen Huan any further. “Heh-heh, Director Shen, kids just fool around; why take the apology so seriously?

All right, all right, that’s the end of it; let’s step outside and talk. Class, keep doing the exam… you haven’t finished that paper yet! Don’t think you can slack off!”

Speaking as he moved, Mr. Liu pushed Shen Huan and Shen Tan toward the door.

Shen Huan flicked his sleeve, snorted, and left.

Dai Ming regarded Lu Li with interest and said calmly, “Student Lu Li, shall we go out and chat as well?”

“Sure.” Lu Li followed Dai Ming outside.

A while later, Mr. Liu returned alone.

The students looked at him eagerly, and Tang Yang could not hold back. “Mr. Liu, after Shen Huan lost so much face, won’t he take revenge on you and Lu Li? Shen Huan is petty; I don’t want you suspended and Lu Li expelled.”

Mr. Liu rolled his eyes at him. “What nonsense! Director Shen isn’t that kind of person.”

After a pause, Mr. Liu snorted, “Even if a teacher does something wrong, as students you should not gossip behind his back. And you… leading the lie just now… getting bold, aren’t you!”

Tang Yang scratched his head awkwardly yet still muttered with a hint of stubbornness, “They went too far; I couldn’t stand it.”

Mr. Liu sighed softly, “Class, I know you meant well for me, but Shen Huan said one thing right: a man cannot stand without integrity. I hope you all become honest people; a lie can only fool someone dumber than you, but sincerity can befriend someone smarter.”

The students nodded repeatedly, thoughtful expressions on their faces.

Shao Linlin bobbed her head like a pecking bird. Although Mr. Liu was a bit slick, he spared no effort in teaching them life lessons; that was what students like Shao Linlin appreciated most about him.

Seeing everyone deep in thought, Mr. Liu smiled slightly. “As for Lu Li… nothing will happen to him. He is a thousand-li horse, and today he has met his discerning judge; his road will be much smoother from now on.”

The students wore envious looks; to be noticed by a professor from Yongning University… how lucky!

Yet the moment they remembered they lacked Lu Li’s ability, they all showed dejected faces again.

Mr. Liu clapped his hands and encouraged them, “Don’t lose heart; you have simply not discovered your own sparkle yet, nor met someone who recognizes it. Heaven gives each of us a talent; you are gold, you are uncut jade. As long as you study hard and listen well in my class, you will shine sooner or later.”

Only then did the students regain their spirits.

“Shine sooner or later?” Only Shao Linlin looked horrified, her big eyes watery. “But morning and evening I just want to sleep, Mr. Liu… am I doomed?”

Mr. Liu: “…”

Students: “Hahaha.”

Mr. Liu rubbed his forehead helplessly; in truth he wanted to tell Shao Linlin she could completely slack off, for aside from her pretty face she really had no other sparkle…

…

Lu Li and Dai Ming strolled through the campus, stopping now and then.

Pushing up his thick glasses, Dai Ming asked with a smile, “Lu, are you interested in mathematics?”

Lu Li thought for a moment and shook his head.

Dai Ming exclaimed in surprise, “Your math is excellent. The problem I gave was hard; even 90% of the Olympiad-math class might fail it. Without diligent study you should not have solved it so easily.”

Lu Li gave an embarrassed laugh, “Maybe I was just lucky.”

“You’re quite modest… good, very good. Modesty is a virtue,” Dai Ming chuckled.

… Lu Li’s eyes lit up; he raised his thumb. “Professor Dai knows so much, worthy of Yongning University.”

Dai Ming lifted his chin slightly, happily absorbing the praise.

Shen Huan had flattered him many times and it had left him unmoved, yet a casual compliment from Lu Li made him float.

“I heard from your teacher Liu that your family situation isn’t great.” Earlier outside, Shen Huan had tried to transfer the ¥5,000 compensation to Lu Li, but Lu Li could not accept it because he did not have a phone.

In this era, not owning a phone was indeed unusual.

So Dai Ming asked Mr. Liu and learned Lu Li’s family situation.

His parents had passed away, and he supported his sister through work-study while keeping up with school; such a good child was rare indeed.

Lu Li smiled calmly, “Life is hard at home, but poverty can’t curb ambition; even in muddy water a lotus can bloom.”

Dai Ming could not help feeling respect; for someone so young to speak like that was remarkable…

He took out a brand-new phone and handed it to Lu Li.

“Professor Dai, what’s this?” Lu Li froze.

Dai Ming laughed, “My wife recently bought me the newest Hu*wei model, but I’m used to my old phone, so this one has barely been touched. Take it; young people need the internet to broaden their horizons, and with a phone I can keep in touch with you.”

“Thank you, Professor Dai.” Lu Li accepted it with both hands without refusing.

First, he did need a phone; second, this was the olive branch Dai Ming had extended, and he had to grasp it.

“Don’t call me Professor Dai; it sounds distant. Just call me Teacher Dai,” Dai Ming said approvingly.

Lu Li immediately replied, “Teacher Dai, and please don’t call me ‘Student Lu’ either; just use my name… the way my parents used to.”

Dai Ming smiled genially, but before he could answer, a pot-bellied middle-aged man ran over with a girl whose head was lowered.

“Professor Dai, why are you here alone? Where’s Shen Huan… didn’t he stay with you?” The pot-bellied man automatically ignored Lu Li standing beside Dai Ming.

“Director Shen went back on his own. Hmm, Principal Ma, what’s this about?” Dai Ming looked curiously at the girl next to Ma Xiong.

Ma Xiong was the principal of Lu Li’s school.

Rubbing his hands together, Ma Xiong said, “I heard you were holding special-admission exams, so I brought the top student of the senior year to meet you. This young lady is Chu Zining; her scores are excellent. She finished your test paper in 1 hour and got everything right.”

“Oh, I see.” Dai Ming nodded indifferently. Had a student finished the paper in 1 hour earlier, he would have been amazed.

But after seeing Lu Li, he now felt the girl was merely decent.

Dai Ming’s aloofness puzzled Ma Xiong.

Wasn’t it Professor Dai himself who said that anyone who could solve the paper within 2 hours was a 1-in-10,000 math genius and would receive a special-admission slot?

Why did he seem so indifferent now…

Only Lu Li looked curiously at the girl with her head down. So she was Chu Zining?

As he looked, she happened to raise her head, revealing a gentle, refined face and a pair of moist, limpid eyes.

Like a warm spring breeze brushing his heart, Lu Li froze… this girl’s looks… were actually no worse than those of Xiao Mingyue, the human pinnacle with 9 Charisma points!

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