Who Told You To Fool My First Love? - Chapter 7

“Your younger brother?!”

The three of them said in unison.

“Mm,” Lu Zhen explained. “He lost his meal card and had no money to eat, so I gave him money to go get a replacement.”

Such a simple truth left Qiao Muyu utterly speechless.

Damn it, just say so earlier, man! You made a fool out of me for nothing.

At this moment, he could only awkwardly laugh it off: “Your brother… sure has a lot of personality, haha.”

“Don’t start. Who is his brother?”

Zhou Shengyuan, on the other hand, looked desperate to distance himself. “We have different fathers and different mothers. We aren’t related by a single cent! My business is not for you to worry about.”

“I don’t really want to worry about you,” Lu Zhen said nonchalantly. “But if you don’t eat properly, Mom and Dad will worry again when they find out.”

“Whether they worry or not is none of my damn business. Even if I starved to death today, it’s nothing to do with them!”

Just as he finished speaking, Zhou Shengyuan’s stomach suddenly gave an uncooperative rumble.

The others all looked at him: “…”

“Um,” Qiao Muyu looked left and right, breaking the silence at just the right time. “It’s Thursday today. Window No. 3 has sweet and sour pork ribs and fried shrimp balls. If we go too late, they’ll all be gone.”

Zhou Shengyuan paused, swallowed his saliva: “…Oh, then let’s go.”

Ten minutes later, the five of them carried their respective meal trays and found empty seats to sit together.

Zhou Shengyuan’s tray was piled high. It was hard to tell if he normally had such a big appetite or if he was truly starving today, but as soon as he sat down, he buried his head and started devouring his food.

In comparison, Lu Zhen, who was sitting next to him, ate in a much more quiet and elegant manner.

He first took a sip of egg drop soup, then meticulously used his chopsticks to pick out the green onion segments and green pepper strips from the shredded pork with dried bean curd one by one. Finally, he picked a piece of sweet and sour pork rib that looked appetizing to him, tasted a small bite, frowned slightly, and then put it aside, never touching it again—it seemed it wasn’t quite to his taste.

Zhou Shengyuan keenly noticed this and looked up at him: “You’re not eating this?”

Lu Zhen was frank: “Too greasy. Also, they used too much vinegar.”

“Your stomach has been spoiled by the private chefs at home. Don’t you know that wasting food is shameful?”

After showing his disdain, Zhou Shengyuan unceremoniously took the sweet and sour pork ribs from Lu Zhen’s tray and moved them to his own bowl, eating them with even more gusto.

Qiao Muyu watched this scene silently, and couldn’t help but mutter in his heart.

Since Zhou Shengyuan is Lu Zhen’s brother, logically, his family background should be very wealthy too. So why did Xu Anxue say his family conditions were poor and that he was an orphan?

Zhou Shengyuan noticed his scrutinizing gaze, raised an eyebrow, and asked: “Why are you staring at me? Do I have food on my face?”

Qiao Muyu came back to his senses and made up a random excuse to brush it off: “Nothing, it’s just that your hair color is too eye-catching.”

“Yeah, brother,” Du Jingfei also couldn’t help pointing at his yellow hair and saying, “Take a piece of advice from me: find time to dye it back. If the dean of students finds out one day, you’ll definitely be called in for a parent-teacher conference.”

Zhou Shengyuan continued to shovel rice into his mouth without looking up, his face indifferent: “I don’t have parents. My family died a long time ago.”

“Zhou Shengyuan.” Lu Zhen frowned as he looked at him, correcting him with a stern expression: “Mom and Dad are still here.”

Zhou Shengyuan let out a cold snort: “Those are your mom and dad, not mine.”

“…” Lu Zhen’s brow furrowed even deeper, his gaze sinking. It was hard to tell if he was angry or helpless, but he didn’t say another word.

The dining table suddenly became quiet, and the atmosphere grew strangely awkward.

Du Jingfei, sitting on the left, quietly leaned into Qiao Muyu’s ear to gossip: “What’s the situation? Could this Zhou Shengyuan be an illegitimate son of the Lu family?”

Xu Runcan, sitting on the right, also leaned in, her eyes shining: “I told you, where there is money, there is trouble. In a wealthy family, resentment is bound to be born.”

Qiao Muyu, who was sitting in the middle, gave them each a piece of meat: “Shut up, eat more and gossip less.”

He secretly glanced at Lu Zhen, who was sitting opposite him and saying nothing. Seeing him for the first time being so frustrated by someone else’s words that he could only stew in his own anger, he inexplicably felt a sense of satisfaction. Why was that?

So, even a young master has his troubles.

Well, it seems Heaven is fair after all. His psychological state felt a bit more balanced now.

Qiao Muyu didn’t put too much thought into the Lu brothers’ business. Recently, most of his attention had been drawn away by the midterm exams coming up in half a month.

However, arriving with the golden autumn season was not just the unavoidable midterm exam, but also the annual sports meet.

Wan Qianghai had always valued class collective honor. Every time there was a large-scale activity like this, he would call on the students in the class to actively sign up and participate to win glory for the class.

But most students in Class 1 were not interested in sports activities. Registration had been open for three days, and many events were still vacant.

However, the school had requirements: every event must have at least one student from every class signed up.

The sports committee member, Hu Jun, had a massive headache about this. If it weren’t for the rule that each student could participate in at most three events, he would have signed up for all of them by himself just to fill the spots.

To finish the task, with no other choice, Hu Jun had to be as he was in previous years: humbling himself and begging every brother and sister to sign up.

During a break that day, Qiao Muyu was organizing his class notes at his desk when a registration form was handed to him. He looked up to see Hu Jun’s face leaning in with a cheeky grin: “Hehe, Class Monitor, why don’t you sign up for something for the sports meet?”

Qiao Muyu, however, did not intend to participate in this sports meet.

First, he wasn’t good at sport. Signing up would just mean getting the ‘participation is what counts’ award.

Second, he didn’t want to delay his midterm exam review because of pre-race training. He hadn’t given up on the goal of surpassing Lu Zhen in these exams and returning to the top spot in the grade.

So, he pretended to sigh: “Count me out. You know better than anyone that I’m a sports slacker. It’s hard enough for me to not skip morning runs. Let’s not go out on the field and make a fool of myself.”

“It’s fine, participation is what counts! Competition results don’t really matter!” Hu Jun begged. “And Little Yu, you’re the Class Monitor. You can’t just wash your hands of such an important activity like the sports meet, right? Old Wan said all class committee members should actively help with this event!”

Qiao Muyu was truly stumped by those words.

After thinking about it, he volunteered: “How about this? I’ll take responsibility for the logistics and security for this sports meet. As for the competition side of things, you should go ask others.”

He figured that since he couldn’t do nothing as Class Monitor, he would just work a bit harder for those two days of competition.

Even though he didn’t sign up as an athlete, solving the logistics problem was a relief. Hu Jun breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s perfect! I’m a hundred percent relieved to leave this job to you!”

After saying that, he took the registration form and moved to the next seat to harass his next target.

“Hehe, Study God Lu, sorry to bother you, are you interested in signing up for an event?”

Qiao Muyu, who was sitting in front, paused his pen, and a plan came to mind.

He himself was happy to be free, but Lu Zhen shouldn’t be allowed to escape so easily. He had to encourage him to sign up for a few events to disrupt his study schedule, right?

So, he turned around to watch the show.

“Sports meet?” Lu Zhen looked at the registration form.

“Yes, yes, it’s the school sports meet at the end of the month. It’s so much fun!”

Lu Zhen had only been at Third High for two months. Hu Jun wasn’t familiar with him and didn’t know his situation well, so he asked, “Oh, by the way, Brother Lu, how are your sports?”

“It’s okay,” Lu Zhen said.

It was rare to hear something other than an excuse pushing the responsibility away. Seeing a chance, Hu Jun was about to persuade him more when Qiao Muyu suddenly patted Hu Jun on the shoulder and exaggeratedly recommended him: “That’s amazing! When Lu Zhen says ‘it’s okay,’ it means he’s super talented! Last time I asked him how his grades were, he said ‘it’s okay,’ and he ended up getting first place. Hu Jun, don’t let this dark horse of sports slip away!”

Upon hearing this, Hu Jun’s eyes lit up when he looked at Lu Zhen: “Brother Lu, then why don’t you sign up for a sprint? You have such long legs, it must be perfect for you!”

Lu Zhen had no objections: “Sure.”

“No, one event isn’t enough. Which events still don’t have anyone signed up? Arrange them all for Brother Lu!” Qiao Muyu said again.

Hu Jun checked the registration form and said: “There are still no entries for men’s long jump and the 1500 meters.”

Qiao Muyu waved his hand grandly: “Arrange it!”

“This…”

Hu Jun was both tempted and hesitant. After all, running 1500 meters was a grueling task. Nobody wanted to sign up for it. In previous years, he had to beg everyone to fill that spot.

He scratched his cheek and asked for Lu Zhen’s opinion cautiously: “Is that okay, Brother Lu?”

Lu Zhen raised an eyebrow and looked at Qiao Muyu, seemingly noticing that there was an unusual intention behind this person’s actions.

But Qiao Muyu just crinkled his eyes and gave him an innocent smile: “I believe in you, Brother Lu. Go for it.”

Lu Zhen didn’t ask further and picked up a pen to sign his name on the registration form: “Whatever.”

“Great!” Hu Jun was so happy he was about to cry. “Brother Lu, you are my savior!”

Qiao Muyu’s plan succeeded. He turned back and sat upright, the corners of his mouth curling upward uncontrollably.

Run, run away. It would be best if you get exhausted, you dark horse prince.

The weather in Nanjian City in late October was crisp and cool, neither cold nor hot—very suitable for outdoor activities.

The sports meet that the students of Third High had been looking forward to finally arrived as scheduled, arranged for Thursday and Friday.

The sports field had long been decorated with colorful flags and banners, waiting for the athletes to show off their skills.

Early Thursday morning, the Third High campus was bustling with excitement, and every class was making final preparations for the opening ceremony.

As the newly appointed head of the logistics department, Qiao Muyu put his school bag down upon arriving in class and dragged his two logistics assistants, Du Jingfei and Xu Runcan, to the small shop outside the school to purchase competition supplies.

The three of them had just walked to the school gate when they suddenly saw two black sedans stop one after another.

Du Jingfei habitually scanned the car emblems, his eyes lighting up immediately: “Holy crap! A Bentley!”

Passersby who heard this turned their heads to look in unison.

“Why does this car look so familiar?” Xu Runcan muttered. Two seconds later, she suddenly remembered: “Ah! It’s the car from Lu Zhen’s family!”

No sooner had she spoken than the passenger door opened. A middle-aged man in a professional suit walked out. He adjusted his lapels and was just about to open the left rear door when the door was pushed open from the inside first. A yellow head of hair poked out listlessly.

The man in the suit felt discouraged: “Young Master Zhou, opening the door is a job I should do.”

“I have my own hands,” Zhou Shengyuan said, completely speechless. “Also, how many times do I have to tell you? Stop calling me that, damn it. It’s crazy.”

After finishing, he carried his school bag and walked into the school without looking back. The man in the suit sighed helplessly at his retreating back.

Lu Zhen followed closely behind and got out of the car. As soon as he looked up, he made eye contact with Qiao Muyu and his group of three who were watching from not far away.

Xu Runcan immediately waved at him excitedly: “Study God Lu, good morning!”

Lu Zhen turned to the side and said something to the man in the suit. The man in the suit nodded and then walked toward them with a friendly smile.

After standing still in front of Qiao Muyu and the others, he bowed slightly and introduced himself very politely: “Hello, I am the butler of the Lu family. My surname is Wang. You must be Young Master Lu’s classmates, right?”

At this moment, Qiao Muyu suddenly understood Zhou Shengyuan’s speechlessness. Calling someone “Young Master” was indeed chuunibyou and insane.

However, Lu Zhen, who was being called “Young Master” on the side, had an indifferent face, looking as if he was already used to this.

Qiao Muyu swallowed his inner complaints and replied with a smile: “Hello, Mr. Wang. May I ask if there is something you need?”

“It’s like this. I heard that last time Young Master Zhou had a dispute with a classmate in your class and accidentally hit someone. Mr. Lu and Mrs. Xie originally wanted to come and apologize to you in person, but they are too busy with work and couldn’t make it, so they asked me to come on their behalf. I am truly sorry.”

Wang Chuan bowed slightly, his attitude sincere. “I hope you don’t hold a grudge against Young Master Zhou. He might have a bit of a hot temper, but his nature is not bad.”

The three of them didn’t expect him to come specifically to apologize solemnly for this matter. For a moment, they looked at each other in confusion, feeling a bit intimidated and not knowing how to respond.

“It’s, it’s fine!” Du Jingfei was the first to regain his senses. “That guy Hu Jun is tough. He was fine two days after getting beaten. He definitely hasn’t taken this trivial matter to heart.”

Xu Runcan added: “Yes, don’t worry. We don’t think Zhou Shengyuan is a bad person. He’s just a bit of a ‘tsundere.’ Who knows, maybe we can even be friends in the future, haha.”

“That is good,” Wang Chuan said. “In addition, Mrs. Xie heard that the school is having a sports meet this week, so she prepared some supplies for the students in your class as a token of her appreciation.”

Qiao Muyu: “Supplies?”

“Yes, mainly prepared for the athletes participating in the games.” Wang Chuan pushed up the bridge of his glasses and introduced them one by one. “Sports drinks, glucose water, towels, wristbands, and of course, Band-Aids, bandages, and disinfectant alcohol, in case someone accidentally gets injured during the competition and needs to handle the wound promptly. Oh, right, there are also some small snacks essential for watching the games. I hope you will like them.”

Qiao Muyu froze. Wasn’t this exactly the stuff they were about to go buy?

Although these things combined weren’t worth a huge amount of money, the value was in the care and thoughtfulness. Plus, it happened to save him a lot of energy, so he thanked him quickly: “Mr. Wang, you are too kind. On behalf of the students in Class 1, I thank you and Mrs. Xie.”

“You are welcome,” Wang Chuan smiled. “Please follow me.”

Qiao Muyu followed him toward the cars. He originally thought Wang Chuan would take a package out of the trunk for him, but he gestured toward another sedan parked on the side: “Old Wu.”

The driver received the signal and unlocked the door. Wang Chuan opened the car door and the trunk, and Qiao Muyu was so shocked by the full carload of supplies that he was nearly speechless: “This much?”

These items were even packaged one by one in exquisite gift bags. Those who didn’t know would have thought they were wedding favors for a banquet.

“Not much,” said Lu Zhen, who was standing on the side. “The bags for non-athletes only contain snacks and drinks, and Old Wang prepared enough for two classes. Half of them are for Zhou Shengyuan’s class, so our class only has 48 portions.”

48 portions is still totally over the top!

Qiao Muyu felt his head spin. I’m not an octopus, damn it. How am I supposed to carry these back?

I really don’t understand the social etiquette of you wealthy families.

Seeing Qiao Muyu frowning and lost in thought while facing the pile of gift bags, Lu Zhen asked: “What’s wrong?”

Qiao Muyu asked sincerely: “Can you go find a sack? I’ll drag them back.”

Lu Zhen: “…”