C7 The Childhood Friend Who is Out of Reach

Muye finally understood the reason for Lee Yong’s ominous expression. So the man thought that he had cheated.

But wouldn’t that mean that Muye’s test results were above anyone’s expectations? He couldn’t help feeling giddy at the realization, and his heart thundered in excitement. He kept his face neutral, though, else he just might agitate and already angry Lee Yong. “I’m sorry, Mr. Lee. I don’t quite understand what you’re trying to say. I did not cheat.”

The teacher slammed his fist on the table. “Are you saying that to my face right now?” he roared, and Muye pictured steam coming out of his ears and nostrils. “Do you expect me to believe that you scored a total of 688 points on your own?”

“That’s right, I did everything by myself.”

Although Muye’s voice was still steady as he spoke, he was really tempted to jump up and down in joy the moment he heard his final score. He had improved so much in just a few days. Granted, the exams were much simpler than he had anticipated, but he hadn’t expected to score as he did.

His confidence blossomed in the blink of an eye. At this rate, he was only going to get even better in the future.

If he worked even harder, the goal of getting into the highest, most elite university in the country would no longer be an impossible dream.

Lee Yong sputtered in front of him, furious and dumbfounded at the same time. How could this boy be so firm and confident in his claim? He narrowed his eyes at Muye and tried to think the matter over once more. If the boy had indeed taken the same set of exams back at City No. 1 High School, and had answered his mock exams using his stored knowledge, he supposed it wouldn’t exactly be considered cheating.

All that would prove was Zhang Muye’s attentiveness to details.

In the end, Lee Yong sighed and said, “All right, I’ll believe you. I hope that you will do just as well in the college entrance exams. And make sure you do nothing that would disappoint your parents. As your teacher, I want you to spend your time in this school with a clear conscience.”

He didn’t wait for a response and waved at Muye to leave the office.

However, Lee Yong still wasn’t convinced of the boy’s integrity. Even moments after Muye had left, the teacher was still pondering over the possibilities.

“Mr. Lee,” the Maths teacher piped up, adjusting his glasses. “You said this child got a total of 688 marks?”

Lee Yong nodded, but quickly refuted the gesture. “I don’t think it’s true, though. He was expelled from City No. 1 High School recently, and I’ve gone through his past school records. His average was only around 300 to 400 points. He couldn’t have improved so much in just a matter of days.”

The other teacher nodded along in agreement. Lee Yong did have some basis for his suspicions.

In the first place, there were only very few students in the whole province who could clear the 600-point mark. Such a student would have been treated as a treasure no matter which institution he attended.

Why, even those few kids that had managed to get into Nanjing University were worshiped by the entire Xiandai Middle School.

When the bell rang for dismissal, Muye walked out of the campus with a spring in his step. Lee Yong’s doubts didn’t bother him at all. If anything, it only boosted his morale and made him more certain of a brighter future.

He met up with Liu Dong and Sheng Kai at the school gate, and the three rode their bikes home. They chatted the entire way, talking about the universities they were eyeing, graduation gatherings to attend, and even a few plans for farewell speeches in class.

“Hey, Muye,” Liu Dong said. “Since your beloved buddies asked you to write speeches, you’d better not laze around and just get right to it.”

“I know,” Muye laughed.

He might have been kicked out of City No. 1 High School, but the friendships he had forged there were pure and solid. In all the years he had known Liu Dong and Sheng Kai, they had only ever wished him well, even while knowing his difficult circumstances. That hadn’t changed even now.

“Also,” Liu Dong added, “on June 10th, Classes 2 and 3 will organize a graduation party together.”

These two classes had always been particularly close. The students seemed to have developed a bond stronger than that of ordinary schoolmates. It was almost like a brotherhood—they shared every honor and disgrace that either class went through. Naturally, they also participated in a lot of activities outside of school.

As they approached Old Town, they spotted a black Mercedes-Benz parked at the entrance of the community. When they got closer, a beautiful girl with long, flowing hair alighted from the car.

“Xia Chuchu!” Sheng Kai exclaimed in surprise.

Liu Dong and Muye stared at the girl with similar astonished expressions.

She turned at the sound of her name and looked at them, her eyes twinkling like a bright spring morning. She looked to be about 1.68 meters tall, and had a slender figure. Simply put, she was the typical girl most middle school boys fantasized about, the kind that could make teenage hearts beat faster with one look.

Xia Chuchu had also grown up in Old Town, alongside Muye and the two other boys. She was in the same class as Sheng Kai.

In a way, it could be said that she and Muye were childhood sweethearts. As fate would have it, however, Xia Chuchu’s father had joined the then rapidly growing real estate industry. When his business grew and life had finally become prosperous, he had moved his family out of Old Town and into the most prominent villa area in the city. And just like that, Xia Chuchu had turned from a ragged little girl to an enviable young princess who never had to worry about food or clothing.

Over the years, the gap between her and the boys had only become even more distinct. After all, it was a difference in societal classes more than anything else.

However, to Xia Chuchu’s credit, she was also an incredibly talented girl, almost comparable to Cao Ying. She had studied music since her early years, and was proficient in all kinds of musical instruments. At the moment, she was under the tutelage of a master in the music industry, and she hoped to one day become one as well.

Furthermore, she had been very pretty even as a child. All three boys had dreamed of being her lover when they grew older, but none of them had ever admitted it out loud. Instead, they all chose to keep it tucked inside their hearts. What was the point anyway? Xia Chuchu was too far out of their reach.

She smiled at them now, and greeted Sheng Kai first, then Liu Dong. When her eyes drifted over to Muye, she froze, stunned for a few seconds. She had been in the next class, so she had, of course, known that he had been expelled from City No. 1 High School.

Xia Chuchu frowned as she looked at him and thought about how pitiful he was. Once the news had broken out, everyone had instantly understood that his future was compromised.

But she didn’t want him to feel like she was looking down at him because of this. After a moment’s hesitation, she offered him a wide smile. “Hello, Zhang Muye!”

Unbeknownst to her, he had quickly caught on with what she was trying to do. His sharp senses enabled him to pick up on her look of pity, which had looked exactly like Cao Ying’s.

Only the weak and desperate enjoyed being the object of compassion. The same could not be said for the able and the striving. Muye’s jaw clenched as he gritted his teeth, but he quickly returned her smile. “Hi, Xia Chuchu. Have you come to Old Town to pay Grandpa a visit?”

In the past, he would have felt inferior at Xia Chuchu’s sympathetic gaze, but he was a different person now. He knew he was more than capable of shocking those who had been belittling him, and that knowledge gave him more self-esteem than he had ever hoped of having.

More to the point, he had a feeling that the day when he shattered people’s perceptions of him was not that far away. He might as well savor all the moments leading up to it.

“I did come to see Grandfather,” Xia Chuchu nodded. “But I’m also here for Mr. Lee Ren. He told me to meet him here at Old Town. He said he wants to be my mentor!”

“Lee Ren?” Liu Dong repeated in amazement. “As in, The Lee Ren? That guy is going to be your mentor?”

She nodded excitedly, her face beaming with obvious pride.

Liu Dong’s jaw dropped in both admiration and envy.

The name “Lee Ren” had basically been a fixture in the music industry, and it was held in high regard even at present. The artist had composed a number of folk songs that had gained widespread popularity and recognition not only in the country, but across the globe. Most of them were also considered as them songs of the youth, and were especially loved by young students.

Even Central TV had made an exclusive, special report on him a few years back. But the most important detail of all, was that Lee Ren was reputed to be the sole figure to have had a profound influence in the music industry in over two decades.

To think that Xia Chuchu had been able to catch the eye of such a high-profile figure! She was undoubtedly on another level compared to the boys. Indeed, she was feeling like she was somehow at the pinnacle and far above the rest of humanity.

That instantly put a damper on the two boys’ mood. Liu Dong and Sheng Kai couldn’t help seeing her as some magnificent bird flying through the clouds, whereas the three of them were nothing more than ugly toads stuck to the mud.

“Chuchu,” Liu Dong said with a sheepish smile, his tone timid and careful. “Your class is holding a graduation party with us on the 10th. You’re coming, too, right?”

He had never been bothered by her attendance before, but the glaring contrast between her status and the boys’ seemed more pronounced than ever. He couldn’t stop himself from worrying. Did she still care about her old classmates and friends?

“I’ll definitely be there,” Xia Chuchu said brightly and the boys heaved a collective sigh of relief.

She turned away then, flicking her beautiful hair into the wind and following her father into the alley.