The lazy and pleasant voice echoed and made her ears ring.
Ning Li’s heart raced for a moment. She smiled. “Is that so?”
Lu Huaiyu looked at his watch. “I’ve applied leave for you tonight.”
She asked in surprise, “Are we going out?”
Lu Huaiyu nodded softly and said with a smile, “Don’t worry. It won’t take long.”
She turned around for a quick glance. “But I have competitive Physics class tonight…”
“It’s just one period of class. It won’t affect your progress. Zhou Fei can give you extra tuition after this,” he said frivolously.
Ning Li went quiet for a moment.
“Okay, hold on for a moment.”
Then, she hung up the phone and returned to the classroom to get her bag.
He Xiaochen was reading in her seat while waiting for rush hour at the cafeteria to pass. When she saw Ning Li coming back in, she could not help but ask, “Ning Li, why are you packing?”
“I have to leave early today,” Ning Li replied.
He Xiaochen was shocked. “Aren’t you coming to competitive Physics tonight?”
Ning Li nodded.
Pei Song looked at her when he heard that she was not attending class. Ning Li had always been alone, and this would be the first time she was leaving early.
Nonetheless, Ning Li did not notice Pei Song’s glance as she grabbed her bag and left.
…
Downstairs, the campus was full of students walking around.
Even though Lu Huaiyu chose to wait in a rather quiet corner, his appearance stood out naturally. His presence garnered a lot of attention from the students.
Fortunately, this was not the first time, so he had experience in dealing with this situation.
Ning Li went up to him. She stood in front of him though she had to look at him with her head up. “Where are we going?”
Lu Huaiyu held her bag for her but was not in a hurry to leave. He took something out from his pocket and gave it to her.
“This is for you.”
Ning Li looked down and saw a candy resting on his palm. She blinked softly and took the candy. Her slender and soft fingers were cold when they grazed his warm palm.
Then, she twisted the candy wrapper and put the candy into her mouth. The refreshing sweetness filled her mouth instantly, and her charming crystal-clear eyes squinted right away.
“Lemon candy?”
He looked at her. “Don’t you like it?
“No, but I like peach better,” Ning Li’s cheek bulged as she said in a muffled tone.
Lu Huaiyu nodded. “Peach, I see.”
Ning Li looked at the man with a suspicious gaze. She had a feeling that something was not right. “Second Brother, is this the prize that you have for me?”
He softly flicked her forehead with her finger. “Do I look like a stingy man to you? This is the first prize.”
“There’s more?”
After a quick calculation, she realized that it had been only an hour since she told him about her results. He should not have had enough time to prepare any presents, so she was baffled.
Lu Huaiyu brought her to the school exit.
“You will know when you reach there.”
At the entrance, Ning Li saw Cheng Xiyue’s car at first glance and was slightly surprised. “Brother Xiyue is here as well?”
Cheng Xiyue popped his head out of the window and said with a bright smile, “Little Ning Li, I heard you got first place in your test! You really remind me of my younger self!”
Lu Huaiyu opened the door. “If I remember correctly, the highest score you’ve ever gotten is only 699. That’s worlds apart from 737.”
Cheng Xiyue glared at the man coldly.
Ning Li got into the rear seat. “Brother Xiyue, why are you so free today?”
Cheng Xiyue smiled. “It’s getting noisy at home, so I came out for some fresh air.”
In reality, Ning Li knew what must have happened. After the results came out, the Cheng family had picked Cheng Xiangxiang up right away.
The Cheng family’s second house paled in comparison with the first house. With Cheng Xiangxiang’s poor results, the second house of the family would be in turmoil for the night.
Soon, Cheng Xiyue started the car.
…
Twenty minutes later, they arrived at a cozy restaurant that seemed luxurious with a quiet and relaxing environment.
The owner of the restaurant was a familiar friend of Cheng Xiyue’s. After a quick chat, the three of them entered the VIP room.
Ning Li sat beside Lu Huaiyu while Cheng Xiyue sat opposite him.
The menu was then passed to her.
“Little Ning Li, order what you like. It’s on Second Master today!”
Cheng Xiyue held a grudge against Lu Huaiyu because of the Japanese restaurant incident the other day. He ought to take revenge on the man and earn back his worth by eating!
Ning Li ordered a few dishes and then gave the menu to Cheng Xiyue who ordered a bunch of dishes without hesitation.
There was crusty onion soup, Saint-Jacques scallops, black truffle tofu soup…
Ning Li frowned slightly. Lu Huaiyu disliked most of the dishes Cheng Xiyue had ordered. She turned to Lu Huaiyu but realized that the man did not care.
The man sensed her gaze and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ning Li paused for a while before saying, “The rock sugar hasma soup sounds nice. Why don’t we swap it with the crusty onion soup?”
Cheng Xiyue looked at her. “Huh? Little Ning Li, you don’t like it?”
Ning Li nodded to say that she did not.
“Okay, you are the boss.” Cheng Xiyue shook his head in slight disappointment.
“I don’t like onions,” she declared.
Cheng Xiyue grumbled, “Second Master doesn’t like them either. You guys are really similar…”
He originally wanted Lu Huaiyu to suffer, but it seemed like his little mischievous plan was foiled.
“Really? What a coincidence.” Ning Li took her cup of tea for a sip.
Lu Huaiyu raised a brow. A second later, he chuckled and echoed, “Yeah, what a coincidence.”
She tightened her lips while her ears itched and the refreshing taste of the lemon candy lingered on her tongue.
…
It was already dark after dinner.
Ning Li thought of going back, but after a while, she realized that Cheng Xiyue was not driving towards the Ye residence.
“Brother Xiyue, where are we going?”
Cheng Xiyue looked into the mirror. “We are going to Yunding Fenghua. Didn’t Second Master tell you?”
Ning Li turned to Lu Huaiyu who glanced at his watch. There was still time. He then looked at her with a subtle grin.
“You will know when you reach there. What’s wrong? Afraid that I’ll sell you away?”
Ning Li shook her head while she studied him with her bright eyes. “No, I have nothing valuable on me either.”
Given Lu Huaiyu’s net worth, there was no need for him to do that anyway.
Lu Huaiyu looked outside the window as his long fingers tapped on the armrest softly. There was a hint of restlessness in his subtle movements.
His deep eyes squinted, and a moment later, his lips curled into a grin. He no longer dared to offer his guarantee for certain matters.
…
At Yunding Fenghua.
It was Ning Li’s first time in Lu Huaiyu’s house.
The huge mansion was simple yet elegant. Footsteps echoed as she walked, making the place seem bleak.
Lu Huaiyu took her upstairs.
“Follow me.”
Ning Li did as she was told.
On the third floor, where the spacious balcony was, a telescope was installed, and Lu Huaiyu was adjusting it.
Ning Li was surprised. “Second Brother, this is—”
Lu Huaiyu looked at her. “The book that Zhou Fei gave you was originally mine.”
He then waved her over with his hand. “There’s a meteor shower tonight at 9:00 p.m., and it’s almost time. Do you want to have a look?”
Ning Li walked over.
The endless night sky stretched as far as her sight could reach.
Then, a bright meteor soared across the sky.
Lu Huaiyu looked into the night and asked boldly, “Among candy, onions, and meteors, which one do you like the most?”