Chapter 323: Chapter 322: Do You Blame Others for Being Too Strong When You Lose?
The phone rang a few times before connecting.
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“Uncle Han Jin,” Sheng Zijin exhaled a ring of smoke, calling out earnestly and submissively.
When Han Jin heard this voice, he didn’t react at first, unsure who it was. It took him a while to remember—it was someone from the Sheng Family.
His tone was very indifferent, forming a stark contrast to Sheng Zijin’s earnestness.
“Miss Sheng, is there something the matter?”
“Uncle Han Jin, I wonder if you have some time in the next couple of days to meet up? My grandfather has also asked me to bring you a gift, hoping you will do us the honor of seeing your niece.”
...
Han Jin, though he lived in Wucheng, was well aware of the situation back in Jinjing. He disliked forming cliques and hated family strife even more.
Thus, he flatly refused.
“Miss Sheng, I gratefully take to heart Old Mr. Sheng’s kind intentions. I have already left Jinjing for two years, and there are things beyond my ability to help with. I am really sorry; I have a meeting at work tomorrow, and the day after I am going on a business trip. Apologies.”
“But…” Sheng Zijin hadn’t finished speaking when the call was abruptly cut off.
Just as she had decisively hung up on Bai Fangfei, Han Jin also ended the call with her without hesitation.
Sheng Zijin took a deep breath. On this trip to Wucheng, she had failed to accomplish any of the tasks entrusted by her grandfather and had even caused Era Middle School to lose such face.
Could their Sheng Family still secure a spot as a first-tier family this time?
——
Today was the day for the Lu Family’s dinner gathering.
In the restaurant, the Lu patriarch Lu Chengweng and his wife, yellow jade, sat at the head of the table, followed in sequence by Lu Xingtang, Pei Jinlan, and Lu Xi, with Fu Man and Lu Xinnuan on the other side.
The two elders were in a good mood because their eldest grandson was present, constantly urging Lu Xi to take more food.
Lu Xi kept smiling and complied.
Being an easygoing person, with a stable temperament and impressive abilities, he was much liked by the seniors. From time to time, he also served food to the two elders. Three generations of the family enjoyed a harmonious atmosphere.
However, when he looked across the table at his aunt and Lu Xinnuan, he couldn’t help but feel some emotions stirring within him.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Kunpeng High School has really held its head high recently.”
“Oh, what happened?”
Lu Xinnuan’s chopsticks paused as she was picking up rice.
Lu Xi got the news from Lei Shuqi, and he said, “Didn’t Kunpeng School have an inter-school exchange meeting? This time, Kunpeng won and took all ten of Era’s school badges!”
“That is certainly a happy event; Kunpeng High School is indeed great.”
“Yes, such an honor is a first for the school.”
Pei Jinlan waved her hand, “How can it be the first time? When you yourself won against five, your school was all shocked.”
“Mom, back then I faced only five, but this time it was one against ten.”
“Oh? Who is it that’s so incredible?!”
“Of course it’s—”
Before Lu Xi could finish his words, Lu Xinnuan across from him suddenly spoke up, sweetly.
“Brother, how is Sister Sheng Zijin doing? Their school lost, so she must be feeling quite upset.”
Pei Jinlan let out a sound of realization, “That’s right, Miss Sheng came over for that matter. The more spectacularly Kunpeng wins, the more miserable her loss, right? Lu Xi, how can you be happy about this!”
“Yeah, Brother, I think you should go comfort Sister Sheng,” Lu Xinnuan pursed her lips, “Actually, I think the purpose of the inter-school exchange meeting was to focus on exchange, not competition. There really was no need to humiliate them so badly.”
“Xinnuan makes sense,” Lu Xingtang nodded.
Although there had been unpleasantness before, with Lu Mian’s departure, these elders had no choice but to stand by Lu Xinnuan’s side. As time passed, they became more tolerant towards her, no longer mentioning the incident that night.
Moreover, Lu Xinnuan’s academic performance was still quite good, and she hadn’t made any major principled mistakes.
After all, she was just a child, young, and would improve over time.
Lu Xi glanced at Lu Xinnuan across from him, his gaze becoming colder. He understood some things but chose to be accommodating because they were family.
Lu Xinnuan brought up Sheng Zijin to interrupt him before he could mention Lu Mian’s name, setting the tone for Lu Mian beforehand.
The intention of the other party was self-evident.
He furrowed his brows and clarified, “In the exchange between the two schools, there must be a winner and a loser. It’s either their school that looks bad or Kunpeng High School that looks bad. Face is earned by strength, and those who lose must accept it. Could they really blame others for being too strong?”
“Brother?” Lu Xinnuan called out doubtfully.
“Lu Xi?” Pei Jinlan muttered to herself, sensing her son’s displeasure, and quickly followed his lead, “Then tell us, who is the one who has won such great honor for Kunpeng High School?”
“It’s Lu Mian.”
Lu Xi calmly stated, “In the past few days, competitors challenged her in subjects like languages, mathematics, and foreign languages, and they also competed in sports, Go, and games, all losing to her alone.”
“…”
His tone was very calm, but his heart was already turbulent. He felt as excited as Lei Shuqi had been when he first spoke of it, and equally proud. His sister was truly outstanding, unbeatably so.
This was not what the Lu Family wanted to hear.
Lu Chengweng and the yellow jade exchanged glances, their faces looking rather unpleasant. Lu Xingtang and Pei Jinlan turned away, busying themselves with picking up food.
As for Fu Man, she just held her chopsticks and looked down.
Pouting, Lu Xinnuan complained unhappily, “Brother, you’re so biased…”
Lu Xi: ?
“When I participated in the exchange event, why didn’t you praise me?” she pouted, “And… you’re not unaware of Lu Mian being with an old man…”
She spoke as if it were an offhand remark, with the tone of casual conversation.
“What?” Lu Chengweng’s face turned pale, shocked enough to put down his chopsticks.
Lu Xinnuan panicked.
“Grandpa, don’t be angry with me. I only saw it that night when I went back to the school to fetch my review materials, and my brother saw it too.”
“Lu Xi?”
Lu Xi denied, “That’s not the case. The matter isn’t clear, how can we speak about a girl in such a way?”
“Then you tell me, why did she get into an old man’s car at eleven o’clock at night? Moreover, that man is not a relative of our family, nor is he a teacher or elder, just a stranger. Doesn’t that raise questions?”
“…”
Lu Xinnuan added another sentence, “Initially, when Lu Mian moved out of the house, Mom and I started to have our suspicions…”
Around the dining table, silence fell.
Fu Man took a trembling deep breath, tapped her bowl, and said in a low voice, “Stop talking, let’s eat.”
“Right, let’s not talk about it anymore.” Pei Jinlan laughed lightly, “Lu Mian, now that she’s severed ties with us, we can’t control much anymore. Ah, I just hope she doesn’t cause any disgrace to the family reputation…”
Pei Jinlan then changed the subject, “Right, the day after tomorrow, the 7th, is Nuannuan’s birthday. We must celebrate her twentieth birthday properly. Eldest sister-in-law, is big brother coming back?”