TECSBRO-(51)
Everyone casually posted on their moments (social media).
Xue Yan used a secondary account to like everyone's posts one by one.
However, his figure was absent from all the photos.
Qi Sui's mother, watching him scrolling through Weibo alone, felt a bit distressed. Xue Yan didn't even have a place to post the large group photo.
She thought for a moment and directly asked Xue Yan if he would be willing to formally become brothers with Qi Sui.
This way, they could openly share the family photo as a member of their family.
Xue Yan didn't immediately respond. His deep eyes seemed to hold a thousand unspoken words, shimmering with a watery light.
So, on that day...
In the family portrait shared by Xue Yan, there was a well-known wealthy family, a famous child model, and Weibo once again exploded and became overwhelmed.
Everyone thought Xue Yan had married into a wealthy family.
After all, it's not typical for someone to become brothers through a formal ceremony and also bring two sons along.
Qi Sui scrolled through Weibo, feeling a bit worried about whether he could find a partner in the future.
But Lu Xu's fan count doubled due to this photo, and some even found Rong Que's cool and handsome type appealing, asking for his Weibo ID in the comments.
However, Rong Que didn't like these things, so he didn't open a verified Weibo account.
As a renowned designer, it was quite difficult for Qi Sui's mother to loan her designs for celebrities to wear on the red carpet, and only those with sufficient status could do so.
In this set of photos, six outfits were showcased in one go.
Several of the top trending searches were related to this photo set.
Now, Qi Sui didn't have to worry about selecting a school for Lu Xu. No one should dare to bully Lu Xu with such a prominent background.
Although there might be many opportunistic individuals, having Rong Que watching over them made things less worrisome.
*
Experiment Elementary School was the best public elementary school in the city, and Qi Sui chose to send Lu Xu there instead of a private school.
Based on his own experience from childhood, private schools were indeed difficult to avoid when it came to comparisons and similar behaviors.
Moreover, Experiment High School next to Experiment Elementary School was also the best, with many wealthy parents eager to enroll their children.
Lu Xu didn't have high expectations for elementary school life. Perhaps it was because Li Si had previously called and complained about how scary the teachers were and how unfriendly the classmates were.
The day before school started, the teacher posted a list of school supplies and a bunch of forms to be filled out in the parent group.
Qi Sui, who had to fill out two sets, found himself with a headache at the table.
The auntie who came to deliver milk joked, "Our kid had the same situation when starting elementary school. So many things to do."
Qi Sui, with a troubled expression, even asked the auntie several times for advice on how to fill them out better.
After printing out the forms, Qi Sui packed them separately into the backpacks of the two children.
Lu Xu, holding his cute backpack, hesitated and said, "Qi Sui gege, shouldn't elementary school students carry more mature backpacks?"
Qi Sui paused for a moment, looking at the backpack in his hand, pink and adorned with a pair of teddy bear ears.
Is this too childish?? Even as an adult, he likes it!
Are elementary school students already so concerned about their image?
Anyway, since they had to buy a lot of stationery, Qi Sui took Lu Xu and Rong Que out for shopping.
Lu Xu chose an ergonomic backpack, with a beige base adorned with cute and beautiful teddy bear line patterns.
Simple yet cute.
After trying it on and finding it very comfortable, Lu Xu decided on this one.
Qi Sui then asked Rong Que what kind of backpack he wanted.
Rong Que had no specific requirements for a backpack, so he grabbed a black one with graffiti prints from the same series. He then noticed Lu Xu staring at him seriously.
"What's wrong?" Rong Que felt a bit strange being stared at.
Lu Xu explained, "Rong Que gege should choose what he likes. Don't buy a backpack just to match with Xiao Lu if you don't like it."
Rong Que felt a bit uncomfortable with Lu Xu's words.
After all, in the past three years, Lu Xu liked everything to match with Rong Que. Suddenly, as they entered elementary school, did Lu Xu become independent?
Rong Que felt a kind of melancholy, like a child whose wings were fully grown, ready to fly away on their own.
It felt very unfamiliar.
After all, Lu Xu had mentioned before that good friends should use the same things, it's cuter that way.
Rong Que, with no clear aesthetic preferences, casually picked a completely different black and white colored backpack.
Lu Xu nodded in satisfaction and wanted to pat Rong Que's shoulder. However, he realized that as time passed, Rong Que was getting taller, and Lu Xu couldn't reach anymore.
Lu Xu awkwardly withdrew his hand, "I will respect Rong Que gege's preferences in the future, I won't force you anymore."
Rong Que, upon hearing this, was still a bit unhappy. After all, he had gotten used to Lu Xu's reliance on him, "Xiao Lu, who taught you this?"
He glanced at Qi Sui, and Qi Sui quickly shook his head.
He certainly didn't teach such things.
Lu Xu took out his phone, showed Rong Que the back-to-school guide he made, and said, "Everyone says elementary school is the most crucial period for developing good habits. Lu Xu wants to work hard to be a good child."
Rong Que thought for a moment and remembered that he had dressed Lu Xu this morning.
Lu Xu's praise was probably just a spontaneous impulse. Qi Sui complimented Lu Xu for a bit and then concluded the conversation.
Afterward, they went to buy everything on the list one by one and packed them into their backpacks.
Due to Lu Xu's words, Rong Que deliberately didn't choose the same things as Lu Xu.
Lu Xu, on the other hand, glanced at the items Lu Xu chose every time, wondering what was going on in his mind.
When they were buying erasers, Lu Xu directly grabbed two identical erasers and handed one to Rong Que.
Looking at the eraser in his hand that matched Lu Xu's, Rong Que chuckled, "What's up?"
Just a moment ago, he didn't want them to use the same things.
Lu Xu squeezed the eraser, thought for a moment, and with a slightly blushing face, said, "Good friends should have matching items, otherwise, others won't know that I am your good friend."
Previously, their interaction pattern was more like a big brother taking care of his younger brother. Lu Xu began to like reading manga and, after exploring other ways to interact with classmates and friends, he realized this issue and wanted to have a more equal relationship with Rong Que.
Between good friends, there shouldn't be someone like Rong Que who always goes along with and takes care of him.
At this age, where the concept of independence is just beginning, Lu Xu was unwilling to be treated like a younger brother.
However, there was still some inconsistency on the surface because Lu Xu still liked to cuddle in Rong Que's arms to sleep, only ate the lean meat selected by Rong Que, and so on.
After buying everything, they returned home.
Even before the school started, the teacher had already instructed everyone to buy several copybooks for handwriting practice and some required extracurricular reading materials.
Lu Xu neatly packed all these things in his backpack, preparing for the first day of school tomorrow.
Having finished the evening preparations, Lu Xu lay down on the bed early.
Just like before each new semester in kindergarten, he set a new goal.
Lu Xu's new goal for elementary school was to sleep and wake up early, trying to be able to dress himself in the morning.
However, the obediently lying Lu Xu, who was ready for an early night, ended up having trouble falling asleep.
He tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep. Whenever he opened his eyes, he felt wide awake again.
Rong Que, hearing his restlessness, knew it was normal for Lu Xu to be a bit nervous before the start of the school.
He used his phone to play some lullabies, soothing Lu Xu to sleep.
The next morning, after a small bout of insomnia, Lu Xu managed to eat breakfast and take the car to school on time with Rong Que's help.
Lu Xu and Rong Que were in the same class, so he didn't think there would be many differences from kindergarten after starting elementary school.
As long as Rong Que was there, he felt very at ease.
However, Lu Xu quickly stopped himself from having this thought. He wanted to be a mature and independent child.
At the entrance of the kindergarten in the morning, many older elementary school students, taller in stature, were wearing identical red and white uniforms as they entered the school.
Occasionally, a few students not wearing a red scarf were stopped, and their names were noted down for disciplinary action.
The school entrance was so strict, and Lu Xu felt a bit nervous. Combined with his distinctive appearance, he had a high turn-around rate at the school gate. There were even people secretly taking pictures of him.
Lu Xu clenched his backpack tightly, hoping that they wouldn't make him look too ugly in the photos.
The registration had a time limit and was organized by class. After the homeroom teacher had completed the count of everyone, all parents were asked to leave, leaving only the students in the unfamiliar and less comforting classroom compared to kindergarten.
A few children were tearful because their parents were sent away due to the unfamiliar environment.
In reality, the school was not a boarding school, and students could go home in the evening; there was nothing to be overly nervous about.
Lu Xu and Rong Que chose a middle row position near the wall, hung their backpacks on the chairs, and read the back-to-school guidelines provided by the teacher together.
The surrounding children were somewhat curious about Lu Xu's appearance, unable to resist turning around to look at him for various reasons.
Some students approached Lu Xu to borrow an eraser and started conversations with him. Lu Xu was somewhat puzzled as the elementary school classmates seemed more welcoming than he had expected. It didn't seem as terrifying as Li Si had described.
Rong Que sighed while watching.
He was already one of the more popular students in the class when he was alone. Rong Que wasn't fond of talking too much, but since he started sticking with Lu Xu, he didn't have such concerns anymore. After all, it was hard to find another child in the entire school as cute and special as Lu Xu.
The homeroom teacher on the stage had probably finished dealing with her tasks and finally stood up, clapping her hands, "Alright, students, now you are no longer kindergarten kids. Let's tighten up those loose habits."
"It's not good to talk when the teacher is speaking, so everyone be quiet and listen to the teacher."
"I am your homeroom teacher, you can call me Teacher Lan. Today, our main tasks are to select a class monitor and arrange the seating."
When Lu Xu heard about arranging seats, he subconsciously thought it was something they could choose themselves. After all, in kindergarten, they could sit with their friends. Lu Xu never considered that he might be separated from Rong Que.
Then he heard, "Alright, now all students, go stand in the corridor and line up from shortest to tallest."
Lu Xu widened his eyes, glancing at Rong Que and then at the other classmates' heights in the class.
With Lu Xu and Rong Que in the middle, there might be more than twenty students in between them. There were just over forty students in total.
Rong Que glanced at Lu Xu. He hadn't considered these things before, but during shopping, Lu Xu reminded him. Perhaps Lu Xu did need to try being a bit more independent.
Starting with having their own seats might be a good beginning.
Lu Xu, feeling dejected, was led outside by Rong Que when suddenly an idea struck him.
If he stealthily stood on his tiptoes in front of Rong Que, maybe no one would notice.
Rong Que didn't stop Lu Xu's little action; instead, he also somewhat childishly hoped the teacher wouldn't notice that Lu Xu was standing on his tiptoes.
However, Teacher Lan was evidently well aware of what primary school students might be thinking. As she passed by Lu Xu, she stopped, watching to see how long he could keep it up.
Lu Xu couldn't maintain the tiptoe position, shaking a bit. Teacher Lan gently patted his shoulder, and Lu Xu immediately lowered quite a bit.
Then Teacher Lan rearranged Lu Xu to the front positions.
Lu Xu turned back, peering through more than ten other kids, looking pitifully at Rong Que.
Rong Que could do nothing about it.
A boy behind Lu Xu followed his gaze and, with an air of familiarity, asked, "Is he your brother?"
Lu Xu, suddenly engaged in conversation, didn't react immediately. After a few seconds of thinking, it seemed accurate to call Rong Que his brother, "Yes."
The boy exclaimed, "Wow, I envy you! I wish I had a brother too."
Lu Xu felt a bit proud out of nowhere. Indeed, Rong Que was a perfect brother for him.
"Oh, by the way, I'm Song Xiao. We might be sitting together," Song Xiao counted the number of students in front, and they happened to be the two with even numbers.
Lu Xu was still happy that someone took the initiative to talk to him. "I'm Lu Xu."
Song Xiao widened his eyes, "I knew you looked familiar!"
"I follow you on Weibo. My mom took away my phone, so I can't prove it to you," Song Xiao leaned in, a bit excited but still lowering his voice, "I've been following you since the birthday gift unboxing episode! You were super cute back then."
"Oh, but you still look great now. I'm so lucky to be your desk mate."
Lu Xu was momentarily stunned, feeling a bit embarrassed by the compliments from someone he just met. He rubbed his nose, "Uh, thank you."
"Students in the front, no talking!"
Then the teacher arranged everyone to sit in rows according to their height.
Lu Xu got a seat in the second row near the wall, and his desk mate turned out to be Song Xiao, the one he just spoke with.
This made Lu Xu a bit less fearful and nervous about the unfamiliar environment.
Rong Que was already in the sixth row, the last row, and happened to be sitting in the middle.
The distance between the two seemed to grow even further.
Teacher Lan continued from the podium, "Changing seats next semester will be based on your grades. If you want to sit with your good friends, strive to get higher scores."
Hearing this, Lu Xu's eyes lit up. Teacher Li used to praise Rong Que for being smart. If Rong Que became the top scorer, they could sit together.
Next was the election for class committee positions. The teacher briefly explained the responsibilities of each role, then allowed students to come forward for self-nomination. Finally, the candidates waited outside the classroom for anonymous voting.
Lu Xu wasn't very interested in these positions, especially the one that seemed to intrigue Song Xiao the most – class monitor. From the description, being the class monitor appeared to be the most demanding role, with a lot of responsibilities and managing the most people.
Song Xiao, with his strong language skills, delivered a humorous and charming self-introduction. He also mentioned what he would do for the class. With his stylish small black glasses, he appeared reliable, cultured, and won the vote decisively.
Lu Xu started to find elementary school a bit boring, somewhat resembling what Li Si described as dull. However, he became a bit more interested when the teacher mentioned the role of publicity officer.
Lu Xu looked at the blackboard at the back with childish graffiti and layout.
The role of the publicity officer was to handle these things, and Lu Xu happened to be good at them. So, when it came to the election for the position of publicity officer, Lu Xu raised his hand.
Unlike the previous candidates who delivered lengthy speeches, Lu Xu kept it simple. He said his name and mentioned his hobby of drawing. Then, he turned around and, with chalk, drew a puppet cat on the blackboard.
With simple white lines, the outline of the puppet cat was apparent. Even the fluffy fur on its chest was depicted.
With just a few strokes, Lu Xu took no more than a minute.
Applause and astonishment erupted from the audience. Lu Xu tilted his head slightly, his eyes shining. His favorite and proudest thing was drawing. Even the teachers praised his artistic skills.
However, as he walked out and saw the closed door, starting the anonymous voting, Lu Xu surprisingly felt a bit nervous. Especially when he heard his name being quickly counted after the announcement was made.
It seems that only a few people raised their hands.
The boys and girls who were running for the position surrounded him, praising him, and saying that he would surely be elected.
Actually, anyone could participate in creating the bulletin board together, but the role of the publicity officer involved making key decisions. With a skilled artist like Lu Xu, their class's bulletin board would undoubtedly win awards every semester.
When the teacher let them back into the classroom, Lu Xu glanced at the blackboard. Beneath each name, there were only a few vertical lines, and the characters were not completely filled. Lu Xu's name had nothing beneath it, but without a doubt, about 80% of the students must have voted for him.
So, the teacher didn't bother writing anything.
Lu Xu breathed a sigh of relief. No wonder the teacher counted his name so quickly earlier; they probably didn't need to count.
As he sat back down, Song Xiao praised Lu Xu again. However, since Song Xiao had been following Lu Xu's Weibo, he knew that Lu Xu's drawings were impressive.
Lu Xu felt a little happy.
Rong Que ran for the position of sports committee member. Lu Xu always knew that Rong Que had a strong athletic ability, but he thought Rong Que preferred subjects like mathematics and Chinese.
Later, during the art class representative election, Lu Xu did not raise his hand. Although his classmates nominated him, Teacher Lan chose to have the students who raised their hands re-vote. Lu Xu not raising his hand indicated his lack of interest.
The art class representative was a girl with short hair who had previously failed to become the publicity committee member.
Lu Xu felt happy for her.
After the election of these positions, it was time to move the books. Teacher Lan asked the class monitor to organize ten people to move the books.
Song Xiao stood up and asked if anyone would volunteer. Only five or six people raised their hands.
Lu Xu saw that Song Xiao looked somewhat lost. Perhaps in his kindergarten, everyone did things together.
After some thought, Lu Xu also raised his hand to help share the burden.
Song Xiao quietly thanked him, and Lu Xu shook his head. It wasn't a big deal.
Seeing Lu Xu raise his hand, Rong Que also raised his hand.
Lu Xu couldn't lift the books, so Rong Que decided to carry Lu Xu's share as well.
The number of people was still insufficient, so Song Xiao had to forcefully recruit a few tall boys to make up the ten required. They then went together to the place where they would receive the books.
Walking together, Lu Xu was curious and asked, "Brother Rong Que, why didn't you run for positions like math class representative?"
Rong Que glanced at him and replied, "I'm not interested in any position."
Lu Xu became even more curious. If that's the case, why become the sports committee member? It must be tiring to handle equipment before PE class.
"The sports committee member has to supervise the exercise, so I was afraid that you might get too tired," Rong Que whispered to Lu Xu.
For such behind-the-scenes matters, it's better not to publicize them widely.
Other classmates might think it's unfair and report it to the teacher.
Upon hearing this, Lu Xu felt warm inside.
He declared that Rong Que was the best brother in the world!
As everyone came out to move things, there was a suspicion that some were playing and not moving very fast.
Casually chatting and getting to know each other, they finally found the place to pick up the books.
Song Xiao reported to the teacher inside and then announced the class number.
The teacher pointed to a stack of books against the wall, "These are for your class."
Song Xiao entered and checked the subjects before roughly dividing them and handing them out to everyone.
For some reason, Song Xiao gave Lu Xu a little less, but Lu Xu didn't find it difficult to carry.
However, Rong Que still took half of them over.
Looking at the noticeably fewer books in his hands compared to Rong Que's, Lu Xu felt a bit worried and said, "Will the teacher scold us for this?"
The impression he had of Teacher Lan was quite strict, and for some reason, Lu Xu couldn't shake the feeling that this kind of behavior might lead to a reprimand.
Rong Que reassured him as they walked, "It's okay, I'll give you some before we go inside."
Lu Xu felt relieved, and the two of them walked to the back of the line, chatting and laughing.
However, for some reason, Teacher Lan was waiting outside the classroom.
As they turned the corner, they saw the class teacher not far away.
Quick as lightning, Rong Que took a few books and placed them on top of Lu Xu's pile.
Lu Xu nervously glanced at Teacher Lan but thankfully, she didn't notice them and sighed in relief.
However, when entering the classroom, Lu Xu accidentally made eye contact with Teacher Lan, and like a startled rabbit, he quickly entered the room.
The class teacher seemed a bit intimidating.
The books were placed on the podium, and the class monitor, Song Xiao, was systematically counting six books per subject and placing them in the first row for everyone to pass down.
By the time Lu Xu returned to his seat, there were already two books.
When the third book was passed down, Lu Xu even helped pass Song Xiao's books to the back.
Including exercise books and textbooks for Chinese, mathematics, and English, as well as various other subjects, there were surprisingly more than ten thick books.
Lu Xu held the heavy textbooks, feeling a bit weighed down.
Elementary school seemed much more challenging than kindergarten.
Teacher Lan came in and instructed everyone to write the class name on their books according to a specific format, emphasizing that they should do this at the beginning of each semester.
With even the class and name having a fixed format, Lu Xu felt the pressure even more.
After finally finishing writing his name, Lu Xu sighed. He wrote so slowly that he almost didn't recognize the character for "Lu."
Elementary school seemed quite stifling, and he couldn't help but yearn to go home.
Teacher Lan checked the time, tossed the class schedule to the first boy in the front row, and said, "Starting tomorrow, you'll be on duty, and it will rotate down the line. Before one o'clock, either in the morning or after today's dismissal, make sure to write the schedule on the blackboard in advance."
"After lunch, you must be back in the classroom by one o'clock."
After saying this, she let everyone self-study and assigned an afternoon for a thorough cleaning.
Lu Xu breathed a sigh of relief; at least, the school didn't start today, giving him some time to adjust.
Opening the Chinese textbook, Lu Xu found that he didn't recognize half of the characters. He had to look at the word explanations in the back to barely get through a poem.
Turning to math, he encountered many unfamiliar symbols.
In the end, Lu Xu chose to read an art book for a while.
Rong Que, observing from behind, could see what Lu Xu was doing the whole time. Watching him flip through one book after another, frowning and tossing them aside, Rong Que began to worry in advance about this child's future academic interests.
Lu Xu finished reading all the art books and endured until it was time for lunch and the end of the class.
He quickly turned around to find Rong Que, grabbing his hand and asking Rong Que to accompany him to the restroom.
Lu Xu inexplicably feared Teacher Lan and didn't dare to raise his hand to say he wanted to go to the restroom during class.
After taking their time to tidy up, they headed to the cafeteria and found that the line was already quite long, stretching all the way to the back.
They had no choice but to look for a shorter line.
In the cafeteria, not only first graders but students from all six grades were eating.
The line was too long, and Lu Xu felt hungry by the time it was his turn.
He looked at the dishes in front of him, thinking of saying what he wanted when the cafeteria lady threw three dishes into his tray.
Especially when there were not many dishes left, the cafeteria lady struggled to scoop several times to fill up a tray.
Lu Xu took the tray, his face somewhat stiff.
Rong Que, after getting his meal, noticed Lu Xu standing nearby and not going to his seat.
He looked around but couldn't find many available seats.
The two of them circled the cafeteria and finally found an empty seat left by some older students who were in the first batch.
Lu Xu took a few bites randomly, feeling that each dish had a similar taste, like a mixture of all flavors, making it unpleasant.
Rong Que wasn't picky about food, but he knew Lu Xu couldn't eat these dishes. The meat was all fatty, and the vegetables were a bit greasy. Lu Xu would probably feel nauseous after a few bites.
Rong Que sighed, took a couple of bites casually, and then pulled Lu Xu away.
Lu Xu hesitated a bit; he knew he would get hungry if he didn't eat.
Rong Que took Lu Xu's tray with one hand and held his own with the other. Although they didn't eat much, being the last in line meant there wasn't much left for each dish, and it was mostly soup.
"Let's go, let's get something from the convenience store to fill our stomachs," Rong Que said as he first disposed of the leftover food and placed the trays aside. Then, he took Lu Xu's hand, and they went to the convenience store to wash their hands.
However, when they reached the entrance of the convenience store, they saw a crowded line inside and outside, almost four layers deep. Moreover, there were many older students.
Lu Xu frowned, "Maybe we should just go back and drink some water."
Rong Que shook his head and then led Lu Xu to a shaded seat under a tree, saying, "Wait for me here, don't wander off."
Lu Xu nodded and watched as Rong Que walked towards the convenience store with a determined stride, giving off an air of a hero venturing into the unknown, not to return again.
Lu Xu clenched his clothes tightly, feeling worried about Rong Que's upcoming struggle.
Ten minutes later, Rong Que finally squeezed out of the crowd.
In his hands were two bread, but the bag had already been crushed, and the bread was flattened into pancakes.
Rong Que hadn't noticed yet, happily running to Lu Xu's side and then, like a precious treasure, took out the flattened bread.
When he extended his hand, he too froze.
Then the two burst into laughter, sitting on the chairs eating the flattened bread.
Lu Xu, chewing on the compacted bread, felt a bit emotional.
He had eaten well in kindergarten, and since being adopted at the age of seven, he hadn't faced much hardship. Yet here they were, enjoying flattened shapeless bread.
Oh no, it's bread.
Rong Que asked Lu Xu if he wanted to go home for lunch. During the lunch break, he noticed many classmates, probably from nearby, leaving the school with a sign.
With the two hours of noon break, it was enough time to go home, rest, and have a meal.
There was no need for Lu Xu to endure so much hardship; he had already experienced enough difficulties in the past.
Now he was to be taken care of like a treasure.
Lu Xu quickly nodded; he didn't want to eat the school lunch at all.
After finishing their meal and thinking of returning to the classroom, they stood up and ran into Teacher Lan.
Even Rong Que, as an adult, felt a hint of nervousness.
Unexpectedly, Teacher Lan smiled gently at them, "Didn't manage to get lunch?"
Lu Xu quickly nodded; although they got their food, they indeed hadn't taken more than a couple of bites.
"Kindergarten and elementary school are a bit different; it takes some time to adjust." Teacher Lan seemed to be heading back to the classroom, and the two had no choice but to follow along.
"Lu Xu seems to have a weaker constitution; you might consider enrolling him in a sports or dance interest class when he goes home."
This suggestion reminded Rong Que that, previously, he wanted Lu Xu to enjoy his childhood and only enrolled him in art classes.
However, sports-related interest classes could indeed contribute to better health.
Lu Xu realized that Teacher Lan wasn't as scary as he initially thought and felt less nervous.
The three of them returned to the classroom together, and Teacher Lan resumed her serious demeanor.
Lu Xu learned about the dual personalities of adults for the first time.
Out of respect for the teacher's presence, Rong Que didn't contact Qi Sui. He decided to wait until after school.
Feeling a bit bored sitting at his desk, Lu Xu casually doodled on a piece of scrap paper until suddenly, the classroom alarm rang.
Teacher Lan announced from the front, "Alright, students, it's time for lunch break. During this time, no talking, no wandering around. If caught, forget about napping; you will go stand outside."
Lu Xu was stunned. How could anyone sleep here?!
Then he saw the classmates next to him skillfully packing up their things. Some took out the jackets they received in the morning, draped them over their heads, and lay down on the desks.
Seeing this, Lu Xu had no choice but to follow suit and lie down.
He had napped on the desk in kindergarten, but naptime there was over an hour long. Lying here for so long made him feel like his body would stiffen.
After lying down, Lu Xu's ears were covered, and the sweep of his hair felt a bit itchy on his face.
He turned his head a few times, and the braids Rong Que had made for him poked uncomfortably.
Lu Xu, frustrated, pulled off the hair tie and used it to tie his bunny ears on top of his head.
His hair was now loose, and he could finally sleep a little more comfortably.
However, this position was just not conducive to falling asleep.
Lu Xu began to miss the times when Teacher Li's classes were so relaxed that he could easily fall asleep.
He didn't know when he had fallen asleep; it was probably out of sheer boredom.
When the wake-up bell rang, Lu Xu opened his eyes and felt uncomfortable all over his body.
When he sat up, his neck even made a slight cracking sound.
Lu Xu looked around dazedly.
Before he could fully wake up, the teacher announced it was time for the big cleanup.
Finishing the cleanup early meant getting home sooner.
Upon hearing the prospect of going home early, the classmates immediately got excited and started getting up.
Lu Xu also heard the key point; all he wanted now was to go back and sleep.
Without caring about anything else, he joined the others in grabbing a broom from the back of the classroom.
Rong Que came out with two brooms and handed one to Lu Xu.
Then Rong Que noticed Lu Xu's hair.
Lu Xu had his hair loose, with his ears tied together on top, resembling hands gripping bunny ears.
"Come here," Rong Que pulled Lu Xu to the doorway, then untied his hair tie and casually made a ponytail. After years of practice, Rong Que was quite skilled at creating various hairstyles.
Lu Xu suddenly remembered what kind of hairstyle he had before going to sleep.
The hygiene committee announced that they were responsible for cleaning specific public areas, including under the big tree outside and in front of the second flower bed.
Rong Que raised his hand and volunteered to go.
Cleaning the classroom produced too much dust, and being outside was at least a bit more comfortable. Moreover, only two people were needed for the public areas, and they didn't have to mop the floor. Rong Que and Lu Xu should be able to finish sweeping.
Once Lu Xu left the classroom, he felt a bit relieved. He twisted his neck and arms, couldn't help but complain, "Sleeping in the classroom is really uncomfortable."
Rong Que nodded. In fact, it was even more uncomfortable for him. Being slightly taller, the curled-up position was even more uncomfortable.
Rong Que asked Lu Xu to start sweeping from the opposite side so that they could meet in the middle.
Lu Xu obediently went to his position.
Rong Que wanted to finish quickly on his own, so that Lu Xu would have to do less.
However, after focusing on sweeping for a while, Rong Que heard Lu Xu's voice, which sounded different than usual.
Frowning, Rong Que turned to look.
In front of Lu Xu stood two senior students still in their school uniforms, also holding brooms. It seemed like they were participating in the school cleanup on the first day.
Lu Xu looked a bit pitiful standing alone in front of them.
Rong Que immediately felt that something was not right. He put down his tools and walked over.
Before he reached them, he heard one of the senior students say, "Oh, look who's trying to become famous. So impressive."
Rong Que approached with a stern face. The two senior students seemed to be dismissive of him and taunted, "Can't argue back, so call your big brother."
Lu Xu bit his lip, his little bunny eyes turning red with anger, "It's not like I'm the one making a mess here!"
Back when Rong Que was in elementary school, he had conflicts with older students as well.
Rong Que grabbed Lu Xu's hand to comfort him, then calmly glanced at the badges on the chests of the two senior students. "Fourth-grade students, Li Hao and Niu Yue, right?"
The two senior students, upon hearing this, froze for a second with their smirks disappearing. Quickly, they covered their badges with their hands.
Smiling, Rong Que said, "I've remembered your names. Moreover, school rules clearly state that bullying behavior on campus will result in a severe disciplinary record."
Clearly not new to such actions, the senior students threatened, "If you two sissies dare to report to the teacher, you'll regret it."
Rong Que's gaze turned cold. These fourth-grade students, where did they learn to use such language?
Without saying a word, he pulled Lu Xu and walked towards the classroom.
This kind of incident needed to be reported to Teacher Lan immediately.
They could deal with it at home after informing Qi Sui.
Li Hao tried to grab Rong Que, but Rong Que's eyes shifted slightly. When Li Hao reached out with considerable force, he suddenly felt as if he had hit a solid wall, and his fingers cracked with a sound.
After the incident, Li Hao, holding his injured hand, screamed in pain. Niu Yue, unaware of the situation, went to check on him.
Rong Que quickened his pace.
Upon reporting the incident to Teacher Lan, she appeared visibly angry. She immediately called the fourth-grade class teacher, then informed the school principal about the situation.
The area where the incident occurred was near a flower bed outside, and it was recorded by surveillance cameras, capturing the entire process. It was evident that they deliberately swept the garbage they didn't want to clean into Lu Xu's area, leading to the dispute.
Moreover, the content of their words, filled with mockery and taunting towards Lu Xu, was also recorded. The subsequent threat of wanting to fight Rong Que further solidified the case of bullying younger students.
Even if they wanted to deny it, the evidence was against them.
After dealing with the situation, Teacher Lan allowed them to return to the classroom as everything was resolved.
When they returned, they found that two different senior students were now responsible for sweeping the adjacent area.
After finishing the cleaning, the teacher instructed everyone to pack up, and parents could come to pick them up early on the first day, typically an hour ahead of schedule.
Finally, they could leave that unpleasant place. With his backpack on, Lu Xu eagerly walked out of the school gate with Rong Que.
As soon as they stepped out, Lu Xu couldn't help but point at his chest and say, "Why does it feel like there's a mountain pressing down in this school?"
Rong Que couldn't help but chuckle.
It was only the first day of first grade, and Lu Xu already felt the weight of being at school.
Hopefully, he wouldn't grow to hate school too much in the future.
When Qi Sui came to pick them up, Lu Xu felt for the first time that parents were so warm and welcoming. He ran over and gave Qi Sui a hug.
Seeing Lu Xu so enthusiastic, Qi Sui felt quite pleased.
After getting on the car, Lu Xu, with a coquettish tone, said to Qi Sui, "Big Brother Qi Sui, can we go out for dinner tonight?"
Without much thought, Qi Sui replied, "Of course, you've worked hard on your first day of school. What would you like to eat?"
Rong Que rubbed his forehead, knowing that with their parental attitudes, it would be hard to refuse any request from Lu Xu.
Qi Sui made a phone call to the family's housekeeper, informing her of their plans, and then took Lu Xu directly to the nearby food street.
They hadn't been to this area before, and Lu Xu couldn't help but exclaim when he got off the car. He commented on the bustling crowd, the delicious aroma in the air, and the majority of people wearing school uniforms—elementary school students brought out for a meal by their parents.
Lu Xu inexplicably felt a sense of pressure similar to being back at school.
After finding a hot pot restaurant that smelled good and had available seats, they all squeezed around a small table.
Lu Xu started recounting the painful experiences of today's lunch, and Qi Sui listened with amusement.
Rong Que was a bit speechless. Qi Sui, acting like a child, always enjoyed applauding Lu Xu.
After swallowing the food in his mouth, Rong Que said seriously, "Do you have a house nearby? The school's meals and nap conditions aren't great, which isn't conducive to Lu Xu's learning."
Lu Xu, who had been naïve about his surroundings, admired Rong Que for bringing up the impact on his studies. He quickly nodded.
Qi Sui thought for a moment and then pulled out a peculiar app. Although it was originally designed for selling items, Qi Sui had repurposed it as a financial record to keep track of his expenses.
Qi Sui flipped through the app and said, "Indeed, there is one, but it's not very close to your school. Shall I call someone to come over and cook lunch for you at noon?" Pointing to a location not far from the food street, he added, "It might take more than twenty minutes on foot. Forget it; I'll buy another set nearby. I can always find someone willing to sell at a high price."
"No need," Rong Que said, "I can ride a bicycle to carry Lu Xu."
After hearing this, Qi Sui thought for a moment, then glanced at Rong Que's height.
Unable to hold back, he burst into laughter. "You should eat more, at least grow to 1.5 meters! I'm worried you might end up dropping Lu Xu now."
Rong Que had a dark expression.
Any bike that can carry a person is not small.
He could ride it himself, but in case of any situation, there was a high possibility of him falling off and hurting himself.
"Then I'll get Auntie an electric bike. It's convenient for her to pick you up every day. When you grow a bit taller, you can ride a regular bike yourself," Qi Sui said, starting to contact Auntie and then organizing the house with the caretaker.
After fiddling for a while, Qi Sui raised his head and gave a reliable OK sign. "Tomorrow at noon, Auntie will pick you up at the door, and your passes have been applied for."
Lu Xu immediately applauded Qi Sui.
After experiencing a painful and bitter noon at school, he now understood how precious it was to be able to go home for a nap and lunch.
Qi Sui also appreciated Lu Xu's understanding and awkwardly rubbed his head, saying, "It's nothing, it's nothing."
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