CH 67

Timeskip.

The elite private college only admitted the smartest students and students from the richest families. The two richest families in the city were the Dawson and the Yue families.

Zhen Wu was grateful he got to go to college incognito. The teachers and students all thought Zhen Wu was a love child of businessman’s mistress.

‘Lam Ting isn’t this the boy who gave you a love letter?’ Chu Lan asked and pointed at sleeping Zhen Wu.

Lam Ting was one of the most beautiful girls on campus. She wanted her boyfriend to be the richest, smartest and most handsome boy on campus. Many boys chased after Lam Ting. She looked down on lazy boys like Zhen Wu.

‘He’s a small frog in a well that wants to marry a princess,’ Chu Lan said.

‘Chu Lan, don’t say anything else,’ Lam Ting said.

The truth was Zhen Wu was framed. Zhen Wu was sleeping on a desk when Lam Ting collected college assignments on behalf of a tutor. A love letter fell out of Lam Ting’s textbook onto Zhen Wu’s desk, and she took Yue’s company prototype design by mistake. Zhen Wu chased after Lam Ting to exchange the love letter and the design. Zhen Wu wasn’t interested in having a girlfriend, and he didn’t bother to clear the misunderstanding because he knew the rumor would quiet down soon.

‘Look out the window,’ the first student said. ‘Isn’t she the exchange student from Italy?’

‘What’s there to look at?’ the second student asked.

‘She’s Lucy Brenda,’ the first student said. ‘She’s the heiress of Dawson’s company, and she’s more beautiful than Lam Ting. All the boys want to date her.’

‘You have no chance with her,’ the second student said.

‘I can admire from a close distance,’ the first student said.

Last night Zhen Wu stayed up reviewing Yue’s company financial reports. He thought he could catch up on sleep at college, but the gossip in the tutorial room were like a thousand bees buzzing around his head.

A tutor escorted Lucy into the tutorial room.

‘Hello,’ Lucy greeted. ‘I’m Lucy Brenda. It’s my privilege to study at this college.’

‘Lucy, it’s our privilege you’re studying at this college,’ most of the boys in the tutorial room cheered.

‘Everyone go back to your seats,’ the tutor said. ‘Lucy take a seat anywhere.’

Most of the boys cleared the books and stationary off the seat next to them because they hoped Lucy would sit next to them. They were disappointed when Lucy chose to sit next to the sleeping Zhen Wu.

Zhen Wu sensed there were many people giving him daggers. He opened his eyes, and the boys in the room were glaring at him. Then he turned around and he was startled to see someone sitting next to him.

‘Hello,’ Lucy greeted and smiled at Zhen Wu.

Old students or new students were the same to Zhen Wu, he didn’t recognise any of the students.

‘Hello,’ Zhen Wu greeted and went back to sleep.

The students in the class were used to Zhen Wu’s aloofness toward them.

Lucy diligently wrote lecture notes, and if someone stared at her, she would smile politely at them.

Zhen Wu woke up after the tutorial class ended, and packed his bag.

‘You can borrow my notes,’ Lucy said.

‘Thank you,’ Zhen Wu said.

Zhen Wu accepted Lucy’s notes. Her handwriting was impeccable.

‘My pleasure,’ Lucy said.

Zhen Wu walked to the front gate. Every time he turned around, Lucy smiled at him. He must have gone crazy because he smiled back at her. If there wasn’t only one entry and exit gate, he would have thought Lucy was following him.

Although Zhen Wu didn’t remember Lucy, she was happy to be by his side after more than ten years. She stood at the front gate, and watched him walk home. When she couldn’t see him anymore, she took out a gold pearl, held it to the sky and it sparkled.

At home, Zhen Wu walked past Yue Ni who was always cursing someone on the phone. He thought Yue Ni’s personality was more like Ling Jia than Yue Gu Zai and Zhen Zhen. He entered he kitchen where Yue Gu Zai was making dinner.

‘Dad, where’s mum?’ Zhen Wu asked.

‘Your mum’s in the lab,’ Yue Gu Zai said. ‘Go wash up and dinner will be ready.’

Yue Gu Zai set the table in the dining room. He was angry to see Yue Ni dyed her hair burgundy.

‘Yue Ni, dye your hair back to your natural hair color,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

Yue Ni frowned and picked up her keys.

‘Dad, are you having that time of the month again?’ Yue Ni asked. ‘It’s been more than a week since mum hasn’t come out of the lab. You’re using me as your punching bag to vent your frustrations.’

‘Yue Ni, where are you going?’ Yue Gu Zai asked.

‘Running away from home,’ Yue Ni said. ‘My dad doesn’t love me. I’m going to small dad’s home.’

Yue Ni waved bye to Yue Gu Zai and Zhen Wu and she ran to her car.

Zhen Wu shook his head. It was Shu Tang Jue’s fault for spoiling Yue Ni, he pitied Yue Gu Zai.

Yue Gu Zai cursed Shu Tang Jue. Why did Shu Tang Jue hog Yue Ni affections when Shu Tang Jue had Shu Tang Li?

‘Zhen Wu, go call your mum to eat dinner,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

‘Dad, I’ll do my best,’ Zhen Wu said.

Zhen Wu walked toward the lab. Zhen Zhen skipped sleep and meals when she was experimenting inside the lab.

Yue Gu Zai was frustrated he didn’t get to sleep with Zhen Zhen when she was in work mode.

‘Zhen Wu, tell your mum if she doesn’t come out to eat dinner, I’ll blow up her lab,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

Zhen Wu thought Yue Ni was right, Yue Gu Zai was having that time of the month again.

That night Zhen Wu couldn’t sleep because Yue Gu Zai and Zhen Zhen stayed up all night bickering about Yue Gu Zai threatening to blow up Zhen Zhen’s lab.

In the morning, Zhen Wu rode a bicycle to college with panda eyes. When he entered his morning tutorial room, a girl with a long pair of legs bumped into him.

‘I’m sorry,’ Lucy said. ‘I didn’t see you.’

Zhen Wu suspected Lucy didn’t accidentally bump into him.

‘It’s my fault,’ Zhen Wu said. ‘I should have looked out for a pig’s legs.’

Zhen Wu learned how to insult people from Ling Jia. But unlike Yue Ni, he rarely insulted people.

Lucy laughed, and it was music to most of the boys in the room.

Zhen Wu looked at Lucy’s smiling face, and he remembered about the notes she loaned him. He took out her notes from his bag and gave the notes back to her.

‘Thank you for the notes,’ Zhen Wu said.

‘My pleasure,’ Lucy said.

Zhen Wu yawned and walked to a seat in the back row. Lucy followed him and sat next to him.

Lam Ting purposely chose an unpopular elective so she could have some peace away from the rowdy boys who chased her. She resented Lucy for choosing the same elective because the boys in their year changed their classes to match Lucy’s classes.

Chu Lan kicked Zhen Wu’s seat.

‘If you’re going to sleep in class, go home and make room for students who want to learn,’ Chu Lan said.

Lucy frowned, she was angry Chu Lan disturbed Zhen Wu’s sleep.

‘Hey did you hear me?’ Chu Lan asked. ‘Make room for Lam Ting and me to sit.’

Zhen Wu moved his seat closer to Lucy’s seat to make room for Lam Ting and Chu Lan to sit.

Chu Lan kicked Zhen Wu’s seat again, because Chu Lan wanted Zhen Wu to sit somewhere else.

‘Chu Lan, forget it,’ Lam Ting said. ‘Let’s sit.’

Since Chu Lan and Lam Ting helped Lucy to sit closer to Zhen Wu, Lucy let their rudeness slide.

Half way through the tutorial class, Zhen Wu’s phone rang.

‘Hello,’ Zhen Wu greeted.

‘Big brother, where are you?’ Yue Ni asked. ‘I’m near your campus. I want to use your car.’

‘Yue Ni, where’s your car?’ Zhen Wu asked.

‘Don’t ask,’ Yue Ni said.

‘I only have a bicycle,’ Zhen Wu said.

‘Big brother, you’re the CEO of Yue’s company and leader of Ni Sheng,’ Yue Ni said. ‘Why are you so stingy?’

‘Riding a bicycle is good for the environment and good exercise,’ Zhen Wu said. ‘Do you want to use my bicycle or not?’

‘Yes,’ Yue Ni said. ‘I’ll be right there. Wait for me.’

Zhen Wu hung up and he wanted to go back to sleep.

‘You ride a bicycle?’ Lucy asked. ‘Next time can you give me a lift on your bicycle?’

‘OK,’ Zhen Wu said.

Zhen Wu agreed because Lucy loaned her notes to him.

‘Look at the two country bumpkins,’ Chu Lan said. ‘What century are we living in? These two country bumpkins still want to ride a bicycle.’

Zhen Wu and Lucy weren’t bothered by insults from a mosquito.

‘You in the back seat,’ the tutor said. ‘Explain this theory to the class.’

The tutor was angry with students like Zhen Wu who slept and caused a nuisance in class.

‘Do you mean me?’ Zhen Wu asked.

‘Yes you,’ the tutor said.

The elective was Greek theology and text books were written in Greek. The tutor wanted to embarrass Zhen Wu and use him to warn the other students to be attentive during the tutorial class.

Lam Ting disagreed with the tutor’s method of disciplining a disruptive student. Even she struggled to read the Greek words on the board.

The room became silent. Most of the students were anticipating Zhen Wu to embarrass himself.

Lucy looked at the board. She could understand the Greek words on the board but she could only read each Greek word slowly.

Zhen Wu was sleeping during the class, how was he supposed to know what theory the tutor wanted him to explain?

Zhen Wu looked at Lucy, she pointed to a textbook page. He opened his textbook, and silently read the Greek words on the page. Then he stood and explained the theory to the class.

The tutor wanted to point out the flaws in Zhen Wu’s explanation but Zhen Wu’s explanation was accurate and straight forward for the class to understand.

Zhen Wu called the tutor a couple of times before the tutor heard him.

‘You… can sit down,’ the tutor said. ‘Next time pay attention during class.’

Zhen Wu sat down. Lam Ting and Chu Lan looked strangely at Zhen Wu. They couldn’t believe Zhen Wu could explain the Greek theory flawlessly, because he slept during class.

Lucy smiled at Zhen Wu. She knew her Zhen Wu was a genius.

Usually the boys ran out the room after a class, but they were thunder struck by Yue Ni. Yue Ni’s burgundy hair, the piercings on each of her ears and the red leather dress made her look like a rebellious beauty. Yue Ni was only a fifteen-year-old, but she was tall, slender and looked mature for her age. She knew she was beautiful like Yue Gu Zai and Zhen Zhen, although she looked more like Yue Gu Zai.

‘Who’s the boyfriend of the beautiful girl at the door?’ a male student asked.

Zhen Wu packed his bag, and he looked at the door. He ran to Yue Ni, and he pulled her outside because he didn’t want his classmates to find out about his identity.

‘Yue Ni, why didn’t you wait for me at the gate?’ Zhen Wu asked.

Lam Ting and Lucy followed behind Zhen Wu.

‘Is she your girlfriend?’ Lucy asked.

Zhen Wu turned around and looked at Lucy.

‘What girlfriend?’ Zhen Wu asked.

Zhen Wu didn’t know why Lucy looked sick. He only wanted Yue Ni to leave the campus before anyone recognised Yue Ni.

‘Yue Ni, didn’t you want to use my bicycle?’ Zhen Wu asked. ‘Let’s go.’

Yue Ni wasn’t oblivious like Zhen Wu. Yue Ni could see Lucy was secretly in love with Zhen Wu.

Zhen Wu was right, Yue Ni was mischievous like Ling Jia. Yue Ni wrapped an arm around Zhen Wu and she smiled sweetly at him.

‘Big brother, I changed my mind,’ Yue Ni said. ‘I want you to give me a lift home.’

‘Yue Ni are you sure?’ Zhen Wu asked. ‘Because I don’t know if I’m worthy enough to give our family’s little princess a lift home.’

‘Big brother, it’s your lucky day,’ Yue Ni said. ‘You have the honor of giving me a lift home today.’

Lucy stood heartbroken at the front gate. She watched Zhen Wu happily give Yue Ni a ride home on his bicycle. She was wrong. She thought if Zhen Wu spent time with her then he would remember her. She didn’t expect Zhen Wu would have a girlfriend. Zhen Wu looked like he loved his girlfriend. It meant she didn’t have a chance to be with Zhen Wu.

Lam Ting was driven home. She rejected Li Tu who was a rich second son so she didn’t know why she was drawn to the country bumpkin Zhen Wu riding a bicycle, who she heard was a mistress’ son.

Zhen Wu obliviously rode his bicycle home while Yue Ni hugged his waist.

‘Big brother, today dad asked me if I wanted to take over Ni Sheng,’ Yue Ni said.

‘Yue Ni, I’ll support your decision,’ Zhen Wu said.

Although Zhen Wu was tired from managing Yue’s company and Ni Sheng at the same time, Yue Gu Zai had done the same thing for many years. Zhen Wu was happy to hand over Ni Sheng to Yue Ni, because he thought Yue Ni was more suitable to be the leader of Ni Sheng than him.

‘Big brother, are you tired?’ Yue Ni asked.

‘Yue Ni, it doesn’t matter if I’m tired,’ Zhen Wu said. ‘What I care about is if my precious little sister wants to take over Ni Sheng. If you don’t want to, I won’t force you. Yue Ni, what about the Tan Lang’s districts your small dad made you in charge of?’

‘Small dad gave those districts to me to play with,’ Yue Ni said. ‘Big brother, I heard uncle Wo resigned.’

Yue Ni hated seeing Zhen Wu overworked. Since Wo Ta Tian resigned from Yue’s company, Zhen Wu was sleep deprived.

‘Uncle Wo resigned because dad delegated all of his duties at Yue’s company to uncle Wo,’ Zhen Wu said. ‘Uncle Wo said working at Yue’s company made him too busy to find a wife.’

Yue Ni scoffed.

‘More like uncle Wo has too many women and he doesn’t know who to marry,’ Yue Ni said.

Zhen Wu laughed.

‘Big brother, give Ni Sheng to me,’ Yue Ni said.

‘OK,’ Zhen Wu said.

At home it was the first time Yue Ni saw Zhen Zhen stepped out of the lab in the last fortnight. But Yue Ni almost dropped her bag when she saw Zhen Zhen carry a baby.

‘Mum… dad is going to go berserk,’ Yue Ni said. ‘Mum, did you have a love chid with another man?’

Zhen Zhen happily played with the baby boy in her arms.

‘Yue Ni, don’t say nonsense,’ Zhen Zhen said.

‘True,’ Yue Ni said. ‘Mum, you’re always in the lab so you won’t have time to commit adultery. Mum, is the baby a robot?’

Yue Ni probed the baby for the switch, and the baby cried.

‘Mum, you made a realistic baby robot,’ Yue Ni praised.

Zhen Zhen hit Yue Ni’s probing hands.

‘Yue Ni, someone left this baby at our front door,’ Zhen Zhen said.

Zhen Wu walked into the living room, and he overheard Zhen Zhen and Yue Ni’s conversation.

‘Mum, do you want to keep the baby?’ Zhen Wu asked.

‘Why not?’ Zhen Zhen asked. ‘Look how adorable this baby is.’

‘Mum, if you want to keep the baby then Yue Ni and I will love the baby as our sibling,’ Zhen Wu said. ‘But why did someone leave the baby at our front door?’

‘Zhen Wu, investigate this baby’s family background,’ Zhen Zhen said. ‘If there are no complications then we’ll raise this baby.’

‘Yes mum,’ Zhen Wu said.

‘Mum, is the baby a boy or a girl?’ Yue Ni asked. ‘What’s the baby’s name?’

‘It’s a baby boy,’ Zhen Zhen said. ‘Your dad said since we found him on the first day of the month, your dad named him Yue Di Yi.’

Zhen Wu was grateful he wasn’t named after the first day of the month.

Zhen Wu tickled Yue Di Yi’s stomach, and Yue Di Yi laughed.

Yue Ni walked into the kitchen, Yue Gu Zai was cooking dinner. Yue Gu Zai was happy to be a full time house husband after handing over Yue’s company and Ni Sheng to Zhen Wu and Yue Ni, because he got to spend more time with Zhen Zhen at home.

‘Dad, don’t you think it’s unfair you always have to cook?’ Yue Ni asked.

‘Yue Ni, do you want your mum to cook?’ Yue Gu Zai asked.

Yue Gu Zai couldn’t forget the first time he tasted Zhen Zhen’s cooking.

Yue Ni shook her head. She remembered the time she asked Zhen Zhen to cook a meal for her when Yue Gu Zai was working overtime. The taste of Zhen Zhen’s cooking was unforgettable.

‘Yue Ni, go wash up before dinner,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

‘Dad, big brother agreed to give Ni Sheng to me,’ Yue Ni said.

‘Yue Ni, your big brother and I believe you’re more suitable to be the leader of Ni Sheng,’ Yue Gu Zai said. ‘But your big brother and I only want you to be happy. Are you sure you want Ni Sheng?’

‘Dad, I should earn my keep after living off you and mum for many years,’ Yue Ni said. ‘But dad, if I bankrupt Ni Sheng, you have to take responsibility.’

Yue Gu Zai rubbed Yue Ni’s head affectionately.

‘My little monkey, don’t take being the leader of Ni Sheng lightly,’ Yue Gu Zai said.

***

End of Chapter Sixty-Seven