Chapter 27: Not Lu Li
As soon as Lu Li’s voice came through the speakers, everyone was stunned. Wasn’t this supposed to be the time for the broadcasting club’s morning announcement? Why was Lu Li on the air? And how did he get into the broadcasting room? Didn’t anyone from the broadcasting club stop him? The students who were waiting for the daily dose of challenge letters looked at each other in confusion.
The president of the broadcasting club was so angry that his chubby cheeks trembled. “It was him! President Chu, you have to uphold justice for us!”
Chu Jingyi remained noncommittal. “Let’s hear what Lu Li has to say first.”
The president’s face turned green. You weren’t like this before! When they were reading the challenge letters, Chu Jingyi stormed into the broadcasting room with a group of student council members, reprimanded them with the school rules, and left them utterly humiliated. Now that Lu Li was openly violating school rules, she wanted to “hear what he has to say”? This was blatant favoritism! He had heard from some second-year students that the Chu family’s only daughter was involved with Lu Li, but he didn’t believe it. How could a prestigious family like the Chus, with their lineage of high-ranking officials, be interested in a poor boy? Now it seemed that reality was truly stranger than fiction.
In the activity classroom in Building Three, Wen Hupo put down her paintbrush and looked calmly at the speaker. She was also curious about what Lu Li was going to do.
“Hello everyone, this is Lu Li. I’m sorry for taking up your time, but there are a few things I want to announce.” A typical Lu Li opening. He claimed to be sorry, but he didn’t give anyone a chance to refuse. So hypocritical. Wen Hupo thought to herself.
“I’m sure everyone is familiar with my name these days. Host Du from the broadcasting club has been reading two challenge letters addressed to me every day. I have to thank him for bringing an unknown nobody like me into the spotlight. Du, thank you.”
Another timid voice came from the PA system. “You’re… you’re welcome…”
The president of the broadcasting club stomped his foot in anger. “Why is Du Tao there too? How did that bastard get controlled by Lu Li? Are you all useless?”
“The first thing I want to announce is to clarify a misunderstanding, or rather, a rumor. Many people are curious about what happened at the New Year’s Eve party, thinking that I have some kind of secret relationship with the transfer student, Wen Hupo. I want to clarify that Wen and I are just ordinary classmates. There was no physical contact between us at the New Year’s Eve party. All the performances were done through clever positioning. I hope Host Du Tao will stop listening to those malicious rumors, okay?”
Du Tao’s voice was very weak. “Okay… okay, please don’t—” The microphone was muted for a few seconds, then turned back on.
“Thank you for your understanding, Du, and thank you to the other seniors in the broadcasting club for your cooperation.” Just listening to his voice, one could imagine Lu Li’s smile. But many people felt a chill run down their spines, gaining a deeper understanding of the name “Lu Li.”
Only Chu Jingyi thought differently. She raised her head and looked at the members of the broadcasting club with disdain, her expression seeming to say, “See, my Lu Li didn’t kiss any other girl.”
“Of course, my words alone aren’t enough to convince everyone, so I have a second announcement. The reason why there’s nothing more than friendship between Wen and me is because I already have a girl I love.”
This statement piqued everyone’s curiosity. What kind of girl could compare to Wen Hupo’s charm? A girl that Lu Li would go to such lengths to clarify for?
The Class Monitor’s heart skipped a beat. She covered one ear with her hand, wanting to hear, yet afraid to hear.
“She’s my classmate. She has helped me a lot in the past. She’s a kind and gentle girl, and I’ve already met her father. I don’t want baseless rumors to affect our relationship. I also hope she’ll always be happy. She’s also troubled by these rumors, so I’m here to declare that Lu Li did not kiss Wen Hupo, and the only person Lu Li likes is her.”
As Lu Li spoke, the gazes of everyone in Class 1 of the second-year liberal arts program unconsciously fell on Chu Jingyi standing at the door. There was no doubt that the girl Lu Li was talking about was the Class Monitor, right? Was this a public confession? Although no one spoke, their hearts were filled with envy and admiration. To have the courage to admit this in front of the entire school was a feat that couldn’t be simply judged as “smart” or “stupid.”
“Host Du, do you have any questions?” Lu Li’s voice came from the PA system again.
“Uh… um, may I ask, what’s your beloved’s name?” Even a fool could tell that Du Tao was being forced to read a script.
The Class Monitor covered her ears, her heart pounding like a drum. She could feel everyone’s eyes on her, her heart filled with shyness, and a hint of joy that was slowly spreading.
“That’s a secret.” Lu Li said. “That’s all I wanted to say. Good luck on your final exams, and I wish all the seniors good luck on the college entrance exams. Thank you.”
The broadcast ended, but the ripple effect of Lu Li’s words lingered. The gossip about the challenge letters and Wen Hupo was forgotten. Everyone was asking the same question: Who was the girl Lu Li liked? And… who was Lu Li? He had made a public announcement, but why did he keep her name a secret at the most crucial moment?
Wen Hupo turned her head thoughtfully and looked at the school playground. Several teachers were jogging on the red plastic track. Her impression of Lu Li was once again shattered. Perhaps he wasn’t as hypocritical as she thought? Perhaps he wasn’t as promiscuous? She didn’t know, she couldn’t figure him out. How could a person be so cunning and yet so sincere, so promiscuous and yet so devoted?
She wrote Lu Li’s name on her canvas, stared at it for a long time, and finally covered it with a stroke of azure blue paint.
When Lu Li returned to the corridor outside Class 1 of the second-year liberal arts program, the members of the broadcasting club were still there. They were blocking his way with menacing expressions, clearly waiting for him. Lu Li frowned slightly and was about to speak when he heard Silly Goose’s voice. “What are you doing blocking the corridor? Do you want to get points deducted?”
The chubby president of the broadcasting club reluctantly stepped aside. Lu Li saw the Class Monitor standing there with her hands on her hips. The moment she saw him, her face flushed red, and she just stared at him without saying a word.
This silly girl… Lu Li’s heart warmed. It was too obvious, people would gossip.
“Lu Li, how are you going to explain yourself?” The chubby president snorted, the layers of fat on his chin trembling, sweat dripping down his face.
“Explain? Explain what?” Lu Li walked up to him, feigning confusion.
“You illegally used the broadcasting club’s resources. This is a serious violation of school rules. Of course, you can choose not to explain, then you can just get the hell out of Chuanhai No. 1 High School.”
“Was I the one who used the broadcasting system?”
“Nonsense! You admitted it yourself, and now you’re trying to deny it?” The chubby president was furious.
“You believe it just because he said it was Lu Li?” Lu Li laughed. “What if I said someone was impersonating me, trying to frame me? Would you believe that? I was in the classroom the whole time, only went to the bathroom for a bit. How could I have flown to the broadcasting room? And am I stupid? Occupying the broadcasting room and then publicly admitting my identity? Senior, use your brain, do you really think it was me?”
The chubby president was stumped by Lu Li’s barrage of questions and actually hesitated. “Did you get in touch with Du Tao?”
Someone replied, “Yes, we did. Du Tao said it wasn’t Lu Li, but he refused to say who it was.”
The chubby president still didn’t want to let Lu Li off the hook. He looked at Chu Jingyi. “President, can we check the surveillance footage?”
Chu Jingyi’s mind was completely occupied by Lu Li. “You have to write a request and submit it to me for approval before you can access the surveillance footage.” Judging by her expression, they would never get her approval in this lifetime.
The chubby president looked at Lu Li suspiciously. “Was it really not you? You weren’t deliberately trying to get back at the broadcasting club?”
“No.” Lu Li answered quickly.
The president of the broadcasting club wanted to grab Lu Li and interrogate him, but Lu Li was protected by Chu Jingyi. As long as he refused to confess, there was nothing they could do. In the end, the members of the broadcasting club could only swallow their pride and admit that someone else had occupied the broadcasting room. They watched as Lu Li swaggered back to the classroom, walking shoulder-to-shoulder with Chu Jingyi.
The feeling of powerlessness made the president feel even more frustrated. In the end, he punched the metal railing in anger. “This is so damn frustrating!”
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