Apart from Lu Youming and Lan Yu, the students of Class A hadn’t seen Lu Sheng for over two months.
So when Lu Sheng walked into the classroom, naturally, she captured everyone’s attention.
Originally thin, Lu Sheng had put on a bit of weight due to being fed by Jiang Ting and her brothers while she recuperated at home; her face looked rounder than before, and instead of coming off as aloof, she was more approachable.
Her skin had also become fairer from not going outside, making her unpowdered face appear as delicate as a peeled eggshell, exuding an understated grandeur in her movements.
She brought about an immediate sense of being a privileged rich girl.
Most of the classmates showed looks of envy, but Tang Yiyi, who was sitting in the front row, clenched her fists in anger the moment she saw Lu Sheng enter the classroom.
Her fingernails were digging deep into her palms, her eyes full of loathing. Seeing how effortlessly beautiful Lu Sheng was, she felt an urge to slash her face to pieces.
More than two months ago, Lu Sheng’s performance at the equestrian center had been stunning.
The video of her jumping hurdles went viral on the school forum, hanging on the hot posts for a long time and even now, it still occasionally sparked discussions with over a thousand comments.
For someone who had never taken an equestrian lesson and learned to jump obstacles on the spot, to then completely overshadow Tang Yiyi—who held an HBBK Level 3 Equestrian certificate—showcased an astonishing talent.
In the video, the exquisite girl sat upright on horseback, dressed in a neat and smart navy blue short-sleeve outfit. Her high ponytail revealed a smooth forehead, her expression and eyes cool and distant.
Not only were her movements in jumping each obstacle technically perfect, as if from a textbook, but her posture was also elegant. She was captivatingly beautiful and unflappably determined, impossible to look away from.
Although Lu Sheng’s birth as an illegitimate child was often criticized, there was no denying among those who had seen the video: she seemed to have more class than those so-called rich missies in the school.
It was as if she was born to dazzle and be the center of attention.
On the day of the competition, Lu Sheng fell off her horse and fractured her lower leg. However, the accident was entirely due to the horse suddenly losing control—not because of any problem with the girl’s skill.
So, after that equestrian lesson, or rather, after that bet with Tang Yiyi, Lu Sheng became the undisputed school beauty of Shengjing, while Tang Yiyi was ridiculed to the point of being unable to hold her head up at school.
Those underhanded things Tang Yiyi did were also hotly debated on the forum for a long time.
Convinced that her HBBK Level 3 Equestrian certification guaranteed she could crush Lu Sheng, who had never taken an equestrian class, Tang Yiyi sought her out for provocation.
More calculatingly, she used Lingxi, the medicine that could improve Lu Youming’s asthma, as a bet, virtually forcing Lu Sheng into competing against her in jumping obstacles.
If Lu Sheng refused the competition, she would seem cowardly, indifferent, and unwilling to take a risk for her own brother’s health.
But if Lu Sheng did compete, she would certainly not win against Tang Yiyi.
Instead, Lu Sheng not only won but won decisively, in a 360-degree, all-round fashion. It was a figurative slap in the face.
Who among the spectators doesn’t love to see someone being metaphorically slapped in the face, especially when it’s as loud and swelling as in this case?
Hence, during the past two months, while Lu Sheng had been recuperating at home, Tang Yiyi’s experience at school had been terribly frustrating, more than she had ever known in her life.
Losing the bet she initiated was one thing, but importantly, she arrogantly claimed that if she lost to Lu Sheng, she’d give the Lingxi to her and would even take Lu Sheng’s surname in Shengjing.
After that day, although no one dared to call her, the Tang Family’s heiress, "Lu Yiyi" to her face at school, anyone who mentioned her on the forum would sarcastically call her Lu Yiyi.
It was infuriating and there was nothing she could do about it.
She attempted to threaten the forum admin to delete the posts, which only backfired when the admin openly posted screenshots of her threats.
As a result, the ridicule towards her inability to accept defeat only intensified within the school.
Contrastingly, in the forums, the sentiment towards Lu Sheng was altogether different.
Lu Sheng’s nomination as the school beauty of Shengjing remained pinned to the top, filled with praise and affirmations of affection for her, and quite a few juniors from the first and second years expressed their desire to pursue her, elevating her to the status of a goddess.
One is highly praised by everyone, the other is trampled underfoot; the contrast couldn’t be more stark.
Seeing Lu Sheng walk to the back of the classroom and sit down at her own desk,
Tang Yiyi took several deep breaths before she managed to act as if nothing had happened.
Then, she took out her cell phone from her pocket and swiftly sent out two text messages.
[Lu Sheng is back at school.]
[Now she will definitely participate in tomorrow’s special recruitment test. Are you sure your plan will work?]
Tang Yiyi felt uneasy, but the other party quickly replied, raising a question.
[How could it not work? My plan is flawless.]
[As long as she takes part in this special recruitment test, she can forget about attending Beijing University and Qing University for the rest of her life. Shengjing will expel her, and her reputation will be ruined forever.]
[Don’t worry, I dislike her sanctimonious and arrogant demeanor even more than you do. A bastard girl who grew up in the countryside really thinks she’s better than everyone else, so full of herself that she looks down on everyone.]
[The way she was lifted onto a pedestal, I’ll find a way to pull her down from it. I want her to taste what it’s like to offend me!]
The resentment is palpable through the screen.
Seeing these messages, Tang Yiyi’s mood instantly relaxed.
After being the butt of mockery for more than two months, she finally saw a glimmer of a turnaround, a chance to fight back!
As long as Lu Sheng takes part in the special recruitment test tomorrow, it would be her downfall.
At this thought, not only did Tang Yiyi feel less aggrieved, she even couldn’t help looking forward to it.
However, this anticipation and pleasure did not last long, as soon after, the class teacher Zhou Wu walked into the classroom.
The smile on Tang Yiyi’s face froze as she heard Zhou Wu’s next words.
"Good morning, everyone."
Zhou Wu stood at the lectern, "I believe you’ve all seen that Lu Sheng is back today. First of all, let us welcome her back as she has recovered from her leg injury."
As the teacher finished speaking, a round of applause erupted in the classroom.
It was clear that, though Lu Sheng had always been quiet and didn’t talk much in class, because she was so strong and beautiful, many classmates hoped for her return.
Zhou Wu continued, "Tomorrow is the final exam of this semester for our school, and like in the past, the exam will be computerized in the computer exam room."
"However, this year the exam will be divided into two versions. One set is our own Shengjing High School final exam, and the other is a joint exam by Beijing University and Qing University for the special recruitment."
"I have already tallied on Monday, and apart from Lu Sheng, all our classmates have signed up for this special recruitment test. Therefore, tomorrow only Lu Sheng will use our school’s exam paper, while all other students will use the special recruitment paper."
"Because the exam is tomorrow morning, I will distribute the examination numbers ahead of time this afternoon, and I will also take everyone to see the exam room and seating arrangements."
Speaking of which, Zhou Wu seemed to remember something, "I also need to tell everyone that this exam will be much stricter than any we’ve had before. In addition to two proctors from our school in each exam room, there will be proctors from Beijing University and Qing University as well."
"Of course, I trust the integrity of our students, but I still need to remind everyone: you must abide by the examination room rules, and you absolutely cannot cheat. If any cheating behavior is discovered during such a high-level examination, the consequences will be very serious."
After listening to Zhou Wu’s words, Tang Yiyi was completely stunned.
Lu Sheng, she’s only taking the final exam and not the special recruitment test??
What is wrong with her??