The Real Young Master is Entangled by the Paranoid Fake Young Master - Chapter 24

“Zhaoqing? Song Zhaoqing?”

Zhao Yi’s voice pulled Zhaoqing back to reality. Noticing his seatmate’s suspicious look, Zhaoqing quickly refocused his attention on the problem.

“Wow, your eyelashes are so long!” Just as Zhao Yi reached the third problem, Zhaoqing felt a sudden breeze in front of him.

He looked up to see an athletic-looking girl sitting on the desk in front of them.

“Hi! I’m An Yi, the class president. Zhaoqing, Teacher Tang was worried you wouldn’t settle in well after transferring, so he asked Zhao Yi and me to help you out. Let me know if you need anything!”

An Yi was vibrant and exceptionally warm. Her enthusiasm was different from Jiang Yizhu’s; she was brisk, bright, and candid. Her kindness didn’t stem from a desperate need for popularity, but from an innately optimistic nature. She was like a little sun impossible to dislike or refuse.

“Oh, my dear Top Student, don’t keep the new student buried in books on his very first day. Take him for a stroll around the school! We have the grade-level morning assembly during the long break soon; it’s better to go out and have some fun now.”

An Yi’s cheerful personality was infectious. Zhaoqing couldn’t help but give her a smile. This caused An Yi to look as if she had discovered a grand secret.

“You have such a beautiful smile! Why isn’t mine that sweet? Sigh…” She let out a sigh, her thoughts immediately jumping elsewhere. “When I was little, I used my mom’s lipstick to draw two fake dimples on myself to make my smile sweeter. My mom beat me for it, but I didn’t give up, I even wanted to save money for dimple surgery when I grew up. Everyone says I look okay, but when I smile, I look like, like a squirrel!”

As An Yi prattled on, Zhao Yi gave Zhaoqing a helpless look, as if to say, she’s been like this since the day I met her.

Zhaoqing found her adorable. He didn’t have many female friends; besides his own sister, An Yi was the first to get close to him. He genuinely liked her. He found himself growing more and more fond of this class.

Just then, the classroom speakers chimed. An Yi snapped to attention and charged out like a small whirlwind to organize the students into lines for the assembly on the sports field.

When their class arrived at the field, the school leadership hadn’t arrived yet, but several other classes were already there. From a distance, Zhaoqing could hear a chorus of whispers among the students.

“Gosh, is he real?”

“How can he be that handsome?”

“Why does he have long hair, though? Is he really a boy?”

“I heard he came from High School No. 1!”

“What? Someone from No. 1 would come to our school as a visiting student? Is your source reliable?”

“Of course it is! Don’t you know he was the top of his grade at No. 1? My cousin told me his family is incredibly rich. Can someone really have good looks, a great family, and perfect grades? Life is so unfair!”

Even with patrolling teachers trying to straighten the lines, they couldn’t suppress the students’ excitement.

“What’s going on? Is there a transfer student? Is one student really worth all this fuss?” An Yi asked in a low voice next to Zhaoqing, looking puzzled.

Zhao Yi didn’t echo her confusion; he simply tugged on Zhaoqing’s sleeve and signaled for him to look at the stage. Zhaoqing followed his gaze and saw a youth more dazzling than the sunlight standing on the platform, cold and noble.

The principal’s voice boomed through the speakers, filled with pride.

“Next, I would like to invite student Song Yuening to introduce himself.”

At that moment, Yuening’s gaze shifted slightly, landing squarely on Zhaoqing’s face. He saw the shock in Zhaoqing’s eyes, exactly as he had hoped.

Then, Yuening offered a faint smile. His glass-colored eyes sparkled like gemstones, adding a touch of vitality to his already exquisite features. He looked like a stream thawing in early spring shimmering, beautiful, and dreamlike.

The students below let out a collective gasp.

Why are you looking at me like that? Zhaozhao, do you feel like I’m… haunting you now? Yuening thought, his mood soaring.

“Did you hear? That new transfer, Song Yuening, won the election for Student Council President. Eighteen votes to three, it was a total landslide!”

“That’s expected. I checked with someone at No. 1; did you know Yuening already has guaranteed admission offers from S-University and Q-University? No wonder he’s so fearless about transferring here. I wonder how much the Principal had to pay to poach him from No. 1?”

“Pay? Does No. 1 look like it lacks money? Besides, Yuening’s family is loaded; he definitely didn’t come for money.”

“Hah, smart people like him just transfer for fun. He’s just a visiting student. Besides, he’s a sickly thing with long hair like a girl. He’s tall for nothing with health that bad, he’ll probably die young!”

“Why are you being so bitter? What’s wrong with being a visiting student? And how can you say someone will die young? Have some decency! You’re just jealous because he’s handsome and capable.”

“Seriously, how can someone look like that? Yesterday, I ran into him in the hallway. Usually, I’m too scared to look him in the eye, but I mustered the courage to glance at him. My whole face felt like it was roasting—he probably thought I looked like a tomato, haha.”

“Anyway, the Principal absolutely adores him. He treats him like a deity. Remember that biology lab that was never approved? Yuening mentioned it to him, and guess what? It opens next week.”

“That’s incredible! I guess the same words carry more weight depending on who says them. I’m so jealous!”

On his way to get water, Zhaoqing heard people talking about Song Yuening everywhere. Unsurprisingly, Yuening had become a celebrity at High School A instantly.

His self-introduction on the field had been appropriate and humble, completely different from his style at High School No. 1. Zhaoqing didn’t know if the guy had suddenly changed his nature, but the short, powerhouse speech had won everyone over.

Zhaoqing was plagued by PTSD from the shadow Yuening cast over him. He feared that Yuening would quickly gather a group of people to continue bullying him. He also feared that Fu Lansheng would follow him here.

In his past life, Yuening had followed the Song family’s strict growth standards without deviating an inch. Transferring to a lesser school like High School A was unthinkable.

What is he trying to do?

How could Song Shicheng and Old Madam Song tolerate such nonsense?

Zhaoqing realized he was different; if he came to High School A, Song Shicheng would at most feel lose face. But Yuening was the Song family’s genius they wouldn’t let him “ruin” his future like this.

After much thought, Zhaoqing appeared at the Song family dinner table for the first time in days. Neither Yuening nor Song Shicheng were present, which was perfect.

Old Madam Song sat there in her emerald jewelry, waiting for the butler to serve her. She didn’t spare Zhaoqing a single glance. Zhaoqing didn’t beat around the bush and stated his purpose, hoping she would be furious.

But after hearing that Yuening had transferred to High School A, Old Madam Song showed no anger at all.

This left Zhaoqing baffled. Not just him, Song Lili’s face was a mixture of surprise, confusion, and hesitation. Zhaoqing realized Yuening had kept this a secret even from her.

“Heh, since when do you have the right to comment on Ningning’s affairs?” Song Zhiyuan sneered from the side.

Song Zhiyuan was fuming internally. Yuening’s explanation was that High School A had a powerhouse technology specialty track, and since he had already mastered everything at No. 1, he wanted to specialize. Since he had just ranked first in the three-city joint exams, Song Shicheng was confident in him and told him he could transfer back if he didn’t like it.

Zhiyuan knew the Song Corporation needed a tech-savvy leader for the next decade, but he couldn’t help but think the worst. Is Ningning doing this because of Song Zhaoqing?

Because of him… why? Because Zhaoqing saved him? Impossible Ningning doesn’t remember the accident, right? Even to repay a debt, why gamble with his future?

Zhiyuan remembered a servant telling him that they had seen Yuening standing “reluctantly” outside Zhaoqing’s door several times at night, lingering even after the door was shut.

The thought made the veins on Zhiyuan’s forehead throb. He hated Zhaoqing more with every passing second.

Mini-Theater:

(One night after the banquet)

Song Yuening (tossing a stack of papers casually): What do you think of this school?

Lin Qi (Wondering what he’s up to, glancing at the papers): It’s, not bad (for an average student).

Song Yuening: Compared to No. 1?

Lin Qi: There’s no comparison! No. 1 is an old-money prestigious school the best in the country, bar none!

Song Yuening: I think this school is good. He’s smarter than I thought; No. 1’s education model is too stagnant. In ten years, High School A will have more prospects.

Lin Qi (I see absolutely none of what you’re saying!): You’re right, sir.

Song Yuening: Anyway, I already have several early-admission spots. No. 1 is boring. Arrange a visiting student spot for me. Compared to that, I have something more interesting to do, I want to see if High School A is really as good as he imagines.

Lin Qi (Shocked): Ah!!! But… who is this “he” you’re talking about?!

(Young man, I see your potential; you really have a talent for chasing your wife.)