Second Brother

Night self-learning class was over, and with the students coming out from their classrooms, the corridors were buzzing with noise.

Him standing there was already a scene in itself, and his blue blood presence with a hint of laid-back attitude made him stand out from the lively crowd.

It was as if he had walked out from a painting. The strokes of his contour were clean, yet every detail on him was rich and pronounced.

Many students saw him and could not take their eyes away.

Some girls even stopped and got together, whispering to each other shyly.

"Who's that? He's so handsome. Is he a new teacher in our school?"

"He's too young! And a new teacher at this hour? He's probably here to pick someone up, but if he's really a new teacher, then it would be awesome!"

"I thought outsiders are not allowed in our school without valid reasons."

"Who cares! You should be grateful that such a handsome young man has graced your eyes! Maybe God knows that we're studying hard and decided to reward us for one! I'd be willing to do another hundred mock-up tests!"

Lu Huaiyu had always been handsome and when he lifted his head slightly, his lower jaw looked even shaper and prominent.

The streetlamp's warm light shed a layer of warm light on his face, granting a hint of softness to his cold and sharp looks.

Ning Li stared at him as the uniquely deep and pleasant voice that carried a tinge of laziness entered her ears.

Then, a thought appeared in her head.

'He knows about what happened on the internet? And he's here at this hour…'

She thought of the surveillance footage that was released online, and her heart beat faster.

"I'm coming down."

With that, she hung up the phone as she turned around to Pei Song for the water bottle. 

"Thank you."

…

Ning Li headed down and walked to Lu Huaiyu. She instantly felt an overwhelming amount of eyes on her.

She had gotten used to it but it was a little too much for her to handle today.

She sighed as she looked at the young man some distance away. 

He really stood out.

"What brings you here?"

Ning Li stood in front of him. She was only as tall as his chest, so she had to lift her head slightly to talk to him.

Lu Huaiyu then noticed her phone and frowned.

"Give me your phone."

Ning Li was somewhat confused. 

However, Lu Huaiyu was already reaching out for her phone.

She paused for a second but handed her phone to him eventually.

The phone was not locked, so Lu Huaiyu was able to access it directly.

She had more than 99 missed calls, all from unlisted numbers. Unread messages filled the mailbox and all of them were extremely unpleasant.

He squinted his eyes to cover the harsh coldness from inside.

He thought he had dealt with the matter as quickly as possible, but the damage done could not be erased that easily.

His long and slender fingers tapped on the phone for a while before he took a new sim card out from his pocket and inserted it into the phone. Only then did he give it back to Ning Li.

"Since your number's been exposed, it's better for you to change to a new one."

Ning Li was planning to do so too but she did not expect Lu Huaiyu to be a step ahead of her.

She took her phone back, and it seemed that her phone had caught his unique cedar fragrance.

"The surveillance footage… is that you?"

It was a question but Ning Li sounded firm.

Lu Huaiyu looked away.

"Yunzhou Second High is Cheng Xiyue's alma mater."

He meant that Cheng Xiyue was the one who solved the matter.

He did not answer her question directly, and instead, he shifted all the credits to Cheng Xiyue. However, Ning Li knew that he must be involved.

It had been many years since Cheng Xiyue graduated, why would he pay attention to such a trivial matter?

On top of that, other than Lu Huaiyu, she could not think of anyone who would want to get the surveillance footage.

Ning Li gripped onto her phone tightly. Suddenly, she felt that the whole situation was a little troublesome. 

She was already in his debt and now with this matter, she owed him even more.

"Hey, Ning Li?"

Ren Qian's voice came from behind.

Ning Li turned around. 

Lu Huaiyu also shifted his attention behind her.

The two of them seemed to have created a barrier around them with their unique aura. The other students stopped and watched but none of them dared to get close to them.

Ren Qian came out late, but he originally planned to send Ning Li out of the school with Pei Song.

Even though things had taken a U-turn on the internet, no one could guarantee that Ning Li was safe. There might still be people out there who wanted to cause trouble.

As fellow classmates, they believed they should offer a helping hand.

However, he came out to see Ning Li talking to a young man alone.

Ren Qian had been looking at Pei Song's handsome face for almost every day now, so his sense of beauty was boosted to a new high. He barely took anyone seriously.

However, when he saw Lu Huaiyu, he was shocked by the man's looks.

He greeted Ning Li, but when his gaze landed on Lu Huaiyu, he hesitated.

"This is…"

If he remembered correctly, Ning Li had no friends in Lincheng. Moreover, the man emanated a unique aura. With the blue blood presence, they all pointed to the fact that he was not just anyone.

He thought Ning Li had just arrived in Yunzhou a while ago, yet how did she come across someone like him?

Ning Li felt a little embarrassed.

There was nothing to hide about Lu Huaiyu's identity.

Though if she was the one who explained it, it would sound strange.

After all, she technically had nothing to do with Lu Huaiyu.

"This is Lu…"

"Lu Huaiyu."

Lu Huaiyu introduced himself before Ning Li could finish.

He stepped up and walked past Ning Li.

"You guys are Lili's classmate?"

Ren Qian felt an invisible sense of imposing pressure from the man as he got closer.

It felt different from youngsters who tried to act mature or experienced. For him, it was not made up as it felt natural. It made one revered and admired his unique presence.

Even though the man looked young, at most in his early twenties, the aura on him was unlike nothing else.

Compared to Ren Qian, Pei Song reacted fairly calmly.

He nodded with the plain look on his face. 

"Yes, we are."

Lu Huaiyu smiled.

'I'm Lili's brother. She's still new here, so please take care of her."

Ning Li looked at him and her eyes twitched.

'Brother?'

Slightly surprised, the two opposite him looked at Lu Huaiyu and then back at Ning Li. 

Ning Li's surname was Ning and Lu Huaiyu's surname was Lu, so how could they be siblings?

Besides, if he was Ning Li's cousin, Ning Li would not have to go through the mill before this.

However, Ning Li did not say anything as if she had acknowledged it tacitly. With that, Ren Qian and Pei Song did not press on the question.

Ren Qian cleared his throat and chuckled. "Oh, it's Ning Li's brother. Ah, it's nothing, we didn't really do anything. Ning Li was the one who helped us."

Lu Huaiyu lowered his head to look at Ning Li, who was behind him, with a curious gaze.

It had only been two days since her transfer and her classmates were already defending her?

It seemed like the girl was quite… well received.

Ning Li felt his strange gaze on her. 'What's with that look?'

However, Lu Huaiyu quickly moved his attention away.

"It's getting late. We should send Ning Li home."

Ren Qian nodded wisely and parted ways with Ning Li.

Lu Huaiyu turned around and took Ning Li's bag off her shoulders.

"Let's go, Lili."

…

Cheng Xiyue waited outside the school in his car.

When Ning Li saw it, she understood everything.

She was two steps behind Lu Huaiyu.

"Second Master Lu, you really don't have to…"

"Call me brother."

Lu Huaiyu corrected her with his lazy tone without even turning around.

Ning Li realized the rumors about him were real. He had the temper of a young master and was a difficult person to be with.

She paused for a bit, but she eventually went with it.

"Second Brother."

The girl's voice was soft but when it was heard, it felt light and encouraging.

Lu Huaiyu stopped in his steps. 

Not noticing that moment, Ning Li accidentally bumped into his back.