Chapter 40: Rooftop

Jing Du passed by the garden and stopped abruptly.

A melodious and graceful piano melody drifted over like a whisper in a starry night; the tune's melody was at first like a tranquil night, then gradually became deep and impassioned...

He suddenly looked up, his gaze like a torch, toward the rooftop of the Art Building.

Who was it?

The exams within the Academy were still ongoing; to think someone had handed in their paper before him.

Jing Du liked the piano because his mother had been an elegant and intellectual musician before she passed away, and she had later studied under the internationally renowned pianist Mailunsa, following her teacher on global tours from a very young age, and even held concerts starting at age 10, being hailed as a rare musical genius.

Yet this sudden piano music just now seemed to be introduced by the sound of a shooting star streaking by, giving one a shock to the soul.

It had quite the feeling of high mountains and flowing water meeting a kindred spirit.

Jing Du turned his steps and headed toward the rooftop.

He pushed open the European-style wrought-iron door of the rooftop.

The piano music stopped abruptly.

Jing Du walked onto the rooftop; the sultry wind brushed past, the swing swayed slowly, and the azure sky was like a bright mirror, like a midsummer dream.

"Where is the person?"

Jing Du walked to the piano, his fingertips stroking the keys inch by inch, as if he could feel that person's body heat from afar; the piano bench still retained warmth: "Just left?"

There were two entrances to the rooftop; Jing Du ran quickly to the other entrance and looked down through the spiral staircase, happening to see half of that person's thin shoulder disappear around the corner.

So familiar... but he couldn't remember who it was.

Jing Du followed the stairs down and pushed open the door again, but the other party had long since disappeared into the garden.

He looked at the gardener wearing a hat and trimming the plants: "Did you see the boy who just came down from the rooftop?"

The gardener waved his hand: "A boy?"

"Didn't see him, didn't see him... but someone was playing the piano on the rooftop; that piano music was quite nice, though it made one feel stifled inside."

Jing Du looked at him deeply for a moment, said nothing, and left in silence.

After the exam, one could take a half-day off in unison.

As the bell rang, people came out of the exam rooms one after another.

"Hey, how did you do on the exam?"

"How else? The same as usual. My family has already prepared the money for me; if my ranking isn't good enough, I can still change it, so what's the point of worrying about this?"

"Math, physics, and chemistry really aren't meant for humans to study."

"It doesn't matter what score I get; I have to go home and inherit the family business anyway."

"You aren't a Special Student, so why do you care about grades? They still foolishly think grades are a watershed, hahaha... hilarious. Actually, the amniotic fluid in the womb is the most important watershed."

Seeing that everyone had come out, Ling Wu walked into Class A.

Qi Yu and Ming Tan both took the exam in their own class and soon sat down in their seats.

Ling Wu asked politely: "Qi Yu, how did you do?"

"Pretty good." Qi Yu nodded at him: "How about you? Several of the knowledge points tested this time were ones I highlighted for you last time."

Ling Wu answered truthfully: "I did pretty well."

A mocking voice came from behind:

"Pretty well?"

Ming Tan crossed his arms, arrogant: "Ling Wu, doing well is doing well, and doing poorly is doing poorly; there's no need to puff out your cheeks to look fat."

"Who doesn't know that your three subjects combined barely passed the passing line last time?"

Qi Yu clearly felt Ming Tan's hostility; why was he always speaking harshly to Ling Wu?

【What's going on? Why is the protagonist shou picking on the supporting male character for no reason?】

【So mean and nasty.】

【Is it mean and nasty to tell the truth? The supporting male character already has poor grades and occupies the best educational resources, yet he won't let people say a word about it?】

【The hostility in the comments is too heavy.】

【Are the supporting male character's fans judging morality by appearance? And not mentioning the fact that he scalded the villain at the start? A leopard cannot change its spots; the supporting male character acts like a good person for two episodes and you're bought off. You'd better pray he doesn't show his true colors later.】

【The supporting male character is just Cannon Fodder anyway; he's not as bad as the two vicious supporting male characters Shen Zhaojue and Wei Ranxu. How come I don't see you all denouncing them?】

【Stop arguing...】

Qi Yu opened his lips, just about to say something, when Zhang Lijuan pushed the door and entered.

"Students, quiet down."

Zhang Lijuan: "I just received a notice from the school; you can take a half-day off after the exam, and school will be dismissed as usual tomorrow."

Cheers erupted from below:

"Great, going to school is like going to hell."

"I can go street racing."

"Young Master Liu, give me a ride."

"I really don't know what's so good about this crappy school. I want to tell someone to blow up the teaching building; at worst, I'll tell my dad to pay for it."

Amidst the chorus of cheers, Zhang Lijuan beckoned to Ling Wu: "Student Ling Wu, come here."

"Teacher Zhang, is something the matter?"

Zhang Lijuan: "It's about the Art Association we discussed last time. I saw the registration list submitted by the study committee member; you are going to play a piano piece, right?"

Ling Wu nodded: "Yes."

Zhang Lijuan patted his shoulder: "Prepare well and win glory for our Class A. As for the other two, I'm not worried."

The other two?

Only then did Ling Wu remember that Zhang Lijuan had said in the office last time that each class had to register 3 people for the Art Association, and he was the last one needed.

Before Ling Wu could even ask, Zhang Lijuan said to herself, "Every time the Art Association holds an event, the Special Students in the class are required to perform a stage play; our class has both Qi Yu and Ming Tan."

The young masters and misses of the nobility were all very well-bred, but deep down they looked down on celebrities and models, feeling that the former were just actors performing to sell smiles, and the latter were just a more high-end version of selling flesh, which led them to also look down on stage play performances.

Thus, all the so-called "dirty and tiring work" was pushed onto the Special Students.

Watching them perform with all their might, amusing people like clowns.

Zhang Lijuan added earnestly, "With the three of you being such obedient and sensible students, the teacher can rest easy."

Only then did Ling Wu realize what a good impression they had left on Zhang Lijuan back when they were pushed into the water...

"Teacher, I understand."

Ling Wu waved to bid her farewell, then looked back halfway: "Don't worry, it won't affect your year-end bonus."

Year! End! Bonus!

Year-end bonus...

Year-end bonus.

Gather three performing students to redeem the year-end bonus gift package!

Zhang Lijuan's image of a clean and upright proletarian shattered completely in the wind.

How did he know that this Art Association business had a year-end bonus?

Zhang Lijuan covered her face with a bitter smile; it was truly a disgrace to her dignity.

Ling Wu left Class A and skirted around the garden, preparing to head toward the outside of Sike Academy; several shadows vaguely flashed in the flower corridor behind him, and he looked back, but the surroundings were empty and there was nothing there.

Following him?

A hint of a smile appeared on the youth's cold, clear face, like the sun breaking through the clouds.

He changed his route and headed toward the remote back gate of the Academy.

The back gate of Sike Academy was relatively quiet; unlike the main gate, which opened directly onto bustling streets and commercial centers, the back gate was closer to the Lower City District, consisting of alleys that were, however, clean and tidy.

An old man by the roadside asked Ling Wu eagerly, "Child, would you like to buy some candied haws?"

The old man was dressed simply, with several patches on his clothes, clearly someone from the Lower City District struggling to make a living, selling goods near the Noble Academy; if lucky, he could earn some money, but if unlucky, he would be driven away and beaten by security guards who despised commoners.

Ling Wu barely hesitated: "I'll buy some."

He took out a bank card that didn't require a PIN: "Keep the change."

Afterward, he quickly disappeared from the school gate.