Chapter 27

"So?" Zhao Jiu looked at Xiao Wang.

The voice was slightly deep, like a leader asking him for results; Xiao Wang's heart skipped a beat subconsciously, and he hurriedly picked up his goji berry tea to explain: "It's like this, other teachers currently suspect that the two of you are in a puppy-love relationship."

Zhao Jiu's brows furrowed slightly: "Hm?"

Just for holding hands?

Xiao Wang's heart panicked again; he took a sip of tea and said: "Of course, it's just holding hands, so one can't necessarily say you are in a puppy-love relationship; it is also acceptable between classmates."

Zhao Jiu: "Hm."

Xiao Wang let out a sigh of relief, then realized something wasn't quite right; he felt a headache coming on and returned to the main topic: "But the school must nip all buds of puppy love in the bud..."

"Don't you two walk away..." He looked at Zhao Jiu, the youth lowering his eyes to look at him indifferently, so Xiao Wang changed his wording, "Just don't hold hands anymore."

Zhao Jiu explained: "Hm. Friday was an accident."

Xiao Wang asked, clutching a glimmer of hope: "What kind of accident?"

The kind where you trip and help someone up?

"It's just that the formation of my friends picking me up at the gate was too grand, Su Li thought it was embarrassing and wanted to run, so I just pulled her back."

"But I remember I pulled her wrist." Zhao Jiu looked at the photo, unable to recall when he had held her hand.

Xiao Wang: "..."

It would have been better not to explain.

Everything he said sounded like puppy love, yet how did he manage to be so calm while being questioned by a teacher about puppy love?

"Teacher, is there anything else?" Zhao Jiu asked.

Xiao Wang looked at the goji berries in his thermos: "Forget it, you can go."

Just pretend he had already handled it.

Zhao Jiu went out and headed downstairs; Jiang Xiangnan happened to be coming up with a few boys, and the two sides glanced at each other before brushing past one another.

In the classroom, Su Li was waiting for Zhao Jiu, and seeing him return, she hurriedly asked: "What was it about?"

Zhao Jiu pulled out his chair: "About being photographed on Friday."

Qian Lei had just returned from home, carrying a large bag of snacks, and hearing this, he hurriedly leaned over and asked: "Photographed for what?"

Zhao Jiu sat down: "I held Su Li's hand on Friday and was photographed by a teacher; they think we two are in a puppy-love relationship."

Chen Xue: "???"

Qian Lei: "???"

Aren't these two in a puppy-love relationship?

Su Li rested one hand on the back of her chair: "And what did you say?"

Chen Xue and Qian Lei looked at her in unison; Zhao Jiu denied they were in a puppy-love relationship, so why was she so calm?

Zhao Jiu twirled his pen with his fingertips, recalled Xiao Wang's expression, and pursed his lips: "He said it's normal for classmates to hold hands, and told us not to do it anymore."

Su Li: "That's it?"

Since he didn't believe it, why did he call him up there?

Zhao Jiu looked at her: "Hm. That's it."

Su Li lowered her eyes and thought carefully; if Xiao Wang thought they were in a puppy-love relationship, he should have called her too, but he only called Zhao Jiu, so it was just a reminder.

"Let's review." Su Li turned back to continue working on her old workbook.

Zhao Jiu opened his workbook and continued grinding through problems.

Chen Xue and Qian Lei looked like fools at the two people who had started studying; was now the time for studying?

One denied the puppy love, and the other didn't care in the slightest about his denial.

Aren't they upset? Aren't they sad? Don't they argue?

Chen Xue sat down slowly; in front, Liu Jiajia had returned with someone else's workbook and saw her looking dazed.

"What's wrong?"

Chen Xue glanced at Su Li; the girl was lowering her head to review, very seriously.

She took a piece of scratch paper and wrote: "These two just said they aren't in a puppy-love relationship!"

Liu Jiajia looked at the words on the paper and was horrified; did they misunderstand?

She pulled out a red pen and wrote on Chen Xue's densely packed scratch paper: "Could Zhao Jiu be a scumbag?"

Chen Xue secretly turned her head to look at Zhao Jiu; at this moment, Zhao Jiu reached out his hand: "Su Li, I'm out."

Su Li tore off two sheets of scratch paper and passed them to the back; Zhao Jiu took them and continued calculating.

Chen Xue: "..."

Liu Jiajia: "..."

Who would believe this?

Did they agree in secret to tell everyone they weren't in a puppy-love relationship?

Zhao Jiu switched to a new sheet of scratch paper and looked outside; so why hadn't the people from the Zhao Family arrived yet?

Running a company wasn't as painful as grinding through these problems.

Zhao Jiu rested his forehead on one hand and continued doing problems.

Monday morning.

A car finally stopped at the school gate just as the students finished their morning reading; school leaders came out to welcome the man into the administrative building.

After two periods, the students began their morning exercises; ten minutes later, the exercises ended completely, and large groups of students gathered in twos and threes, slowly wandering back to the teaching building.

Zhao Jiu took a small notebook out of his pocket; it was still biology.

Su Li was also preparing to take hers out, but her peripheral vision caught Su Cheng laughing and talking with someone; she retracted her gaze and pretended not to see.

Su Cheng's laughter stopped; she also saw Su Li, who was walking not far ahead with Zhao Jiu, one behind the other.

Su Cheng looked at Su Li's currently oblivious expression and felt pity; besides, Su Li following along like this looked like a little sidekick, not a girlfriend.

"Xiao Jiu!"

Suddenly, a mellow male voice came from ahead, and the nearby students had long since looked toward them.

A man in a tailored suit stood in front with one hand in his pocket, school leaders were crowding around the man, and the man was smiling elegantly at Zhao Jiu.

Su Li and Zhao Jiu were startled and hurriedly controlled their overly excited emotions.

"Uncle, why are you here?" Zhao Jiu raised a hand to wipe the sweat gathered on his chin, and Su Li lowered her head, trying her best to be inconspicuous.

A crowd of surprised gazes fell upon Zhao Jiu; having just finished morning exercises, the youth had sweat on him, yet facing this man whom even the school leaders were respectfully accompanying, he was not the least bit intimidated, but rather very casual.

"Hot?" Zhao Renhe looked at his little nephew, his eyes smiling, looking quite kind.

Zhao Jiu took off his school uniform jacket and nodded: "Mm, hot."

At this moment, a school leader said: "Mr. Zhao, we can go back to the administration building to chat."

"No need..." Zhao Renhe was just about to say he could take him back to the hotel.

Zhao Jiu had already lifted his feet to walk forward, saying: "Let's go to the administration building, I still have class."

A group of leaders were just about to say that two classes didn't matter, but Zhao Renhe seemed used to the young master's overbearing temper and said helplessly: "Fine, listen to you."

Zhao Renhe followed Zhao Jiu toward the administration building with a doting look on his face, and the school leaders continued to surround Zhao Renhe.

Su Li walked quietly to the side of this group of people.

Behind them, a large group of students stood blankly, watching the school leaders, who were usually incredibly stern, smiling at that man.

"Is that person Zhao Jiu's uncle?"

"Zhao Jiu's family background seems quite significant; it might even be stronger than Jiang Xiangnan's family."

"So the School Cafeteria really was changed because Zhao Jiu came to study here!"

A group of students gathered together, gossiping excitedly and in low voices.

Su Cheng bit her lip as she watched the figures walking away, especially when she saw Su Li following them too.

Up ahead, Zhao Renhe and a group of leaders were about to walk into the administration building following Zhao Jiu, and one of them looked at Su Li, who had followed for no apparent reason, intending to tell her to go back.

Suddenly, Zhao Jiu threw his school uniform jacket backward; before the group of leaders could react, they saw Su Li suddenly dart out, catch his jacket, and then follow along at their side, seemingly intending to go to the administration building with them.

Only then did Zhao Renhe notice there was another girl beside them?

He looked at Su Li; the girl was clutching her ponytail, her face also covered in a layer of fine sweat, holding Zhao Jiu's jacket obediently and quietly.

Although he didn't want Su Li to follow, his upbringing since childhood would not allow him to make a move to tell a girl not to follow them.

And this girl seemed to be the one in the files.

Seeing that he and Zhao Jiu didn't speak, the school leaders were even less likely to go out of their way to tell Su Li to return to the classroom, simply assuming they were together.

"We have several reception rooms on the fourth floor." A leader pressed the elevator button, and after the elevator doors opened, the group entered the elevator.

Zhao Renhe smiled and said: "Then I'll trouble you all."

"Xiao Jiu transferred over suddenly without discussing it with the family, so we weren't prepared."

"I was worried he wouldn't be used to it here."

The group of leaders was shocked; so he transferred over while bringing a building with him?

Isn't the Zhao Family a bit too bold?

"Student Zhao is adapting very well. And we will also have teachers pay special attention to him, striving to help him catch up on the missed progress as soon as possible," a leader said.

The fourth floor arrived, the elevator doors opened, and Zhao Jiu stepped out with Su Li; he looked back at the person who had just spoken and said: "I'll just catch up on it myself."

The atmosphere in the elevator suddenly became awkward for a moment.

Zhao Renhe was just about to tell him to rein in his young master temper while outside, but Zhao Jiu had already walked toward a side corridor, so Zhao Renhe had to say: "Sorry, he's been spoiled at home."

"It's fine," the principal said, slightly puzzled; he had clearly been well-behaved before, so why was his temper seemingly so bad today?

But it was still much better than Jiang Xiangnan.

The group followed Zhao Jiu as he walked over there.

Zhao Jiu stopped near the lounge they had passed before, turned around, and looked at the group of adults walking over: "Which room?"

"Xiao Jiu," Zhao Renhe said with a headache, "be polite."

Zhao Jiu was already standing in front of a lounge by himself, and Su Li stood there honestly holding the clothes without speaking.

Someone from the crowd came out and opened the door, and Zhao Jiu walked in with Su Li.

"Sorry to trouble you all today," Zhao Renhe said at the door, offering polite pleasantries.

Su Li and Zhao Jiu hurriedly sized up the lounge; if they could go back today, the two of them wouldn't have to take the Midterm Exam!

The layout of the lounge was a bit different from twelve years later, the sofas were different, the placement of the furniture was different, and there were no photos of students winning awards on the walls; they didn't know if this would affect their return.

After Zhao Renhe finished exchanging pleasantries with the leaders at the door, he walked in; a person behind him brought in tea, and after setting the things down, thoughtfully closed the door and left.

Su Li and Zhao Jiu looked at Zhao Renhe, who had sat down; now all that was left was to get him out of this lounge.

The two of them calculated how to get rid of him.

Zhao Renhe sat on the sofa without noticing, looked up at Zhao Jiu, and finally let his gaze fall on Su Li.

The information he had secretly had people investigate showed that Zhao Jiu seemed to have a good relationship with this girl.

He heard he transferred over because of her.

But...

He raised a hand to push up his glasses; Zhao Jiu had posted on Weibo but deleted it in seconds. On the surface, he didn't want people to find out where he was, but that photo was just a candid street shot, clearly intended to lure people over.

So the question was, why did Zhao Jiu want to lure people over?

Was he not afraid of others finding out he had fallen for an ordinary girl?

Or was this girl named Su Li just his cover?

Zhao Renhe felt this possibility was more likely, but the problem was, was Zhao Jiu the kind of person who was easy to see through?

He had been shrewd since he was small; no one could handle him.

Did he have some other scheme in mind?

Zhao Renhe lifted his teacup and pondered.

Su Li stood in the corner clutching her school uniform; Zhao Renhe must have already started playing Russian nesting dolls.

Zhao Jiu picked up his teacup, took a sip, and waited for his uncle to get himself tangled up before dealing with him.

The two of them glanced at the deep-in-thought Zhao Renhe.