Chapter 17: A Small Cut

Shen Zheming’s family was too wealthy, his personality too cold. At first, Ding Wei and Yu Xi felt a strong sense of distance from him.

But after meeting twice and hearing Lu Shi talk with Shen Zheming at length, they gradually loosened up.

On the way back, they passed a Minghui Pharmacy. Lu Shi said, “Wait for me a few minutes.”

Then he ducked inside.

The remaining three stood by the roadside.

To avoid awkwardness, Ding Wei mustered his courage and initiated a conversation with Shen Zheming.

“Brother Shen, you’ve changed so much since school. You used to be super cold and aloof. I didn’t even dare look up when I passed by.”

Shen Zheming put down his phone. “That’s because you didn’t know me well enough.”

Many said he was only close with his childhood friend Huo Qian. In truth, they just grew up together and were familiar. Huo Qian wasn’t afraid of him; every time they met, he’d wrap his arm around Shen Zheming like a brother. Over time, Shen Zheming got used to it.

As for others, they either approached with ulterior motives or wanted to curry favor with the Shen family. Shen Zheming had seen it all since childhood and long ago learned to keep his distance.

His cold attitude was his silent refusal. Even though he had a good reputation at school, no one dared to truly understand him.

Lu Shi came out of the pharmacy carrying a bag. “Your hand.”

This was directed at Shen Zheming.

Only then did the others notice a small dark red cut on the second knuckle of Shen Zheming’s left ring finger.

Ding Wei was surprised. “When did that happen?”

The cut had stopped bleeding, and Shen Zheming himself hadn’t even felt any pain.

“When he was helping me assemble the chair earlier,” Lu Shi answered for Shen Zheming.

Since they left, that cut had been like a stone weighing on Lu Shi’s heart.

He reached into the bag, rummaged around, found a spot near a streetlamp where it was brighter, and dipped a cotton swab in iodine.

Yu Xi held the bag for Lu Shi. “Brother Lu, you’re so attentive!”

Shen Zheming’s hand was beautiful—long fingers that exuded strength, with faint blue veins visible under the pale skin.

Lu Shi pinched the cotton swab, lifted Shen Zheming’s hand, and brought it closer for a look.

His words carried a tone of earnest advice, sounding somewhat mature.

“Don’t underestimate a small cut. If you don’t treat it in time, after you go home tonight, take a shower, soak in water, then sleep with full-on bacteria attack—the next day it’ll be inflamed and obedient. Then it’ll hurt and itch, ten times worse.”

Ding Wei blurted out, “You know so much.”

Yu Xi tugged hard at his clothes.

Only then did Ding Wei realize he might have said something wrong.

Lu Shi had been switched at birth. The family he was swapped into was very poor.

Although the news didn’t state it explicitly, that man named Lu Jinguo had been dug up privately as a gambling addict, owing a mountain of debt.

What does a drunkard gambler do when he comes home?

Lu Shi wasn’t a medical student. There was only one reason he knew these things—

He had been hurt too often and learned from experience.

After applying the iodine and disinfecting, Lu Shi tore open a band-aid and waited for the medicine to dry a bit before sticking it on.

But there was no wind tonight. After a few seconds, it still wasn’t dry. Lu Shi’s patience was limited, so he simply lowered his head and blew on it twice.

Shen Zheming’s fingertips twitched.

Lu Shi looked up. “Does it hurt? I think I was pretty gentle.”

Shen Zheming softened his tone. “It doesn’t hurt.”

It’s just… a little itchy.

The warm breath brushed over the wound like a feather. Where there had been no sensation at all, now a fine prickling itch spread.

It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was hard to ignore.

Lu Shi decided it was good enough. He held the band-aid by both ends and pressed it over the small cut.

Yu Xi and Ding Wei stood to the side.

Ding Wei was a bit of a macho straight guy, still feeling guilty for his earlier slip-up, wishing he could glue his mouth shut.

Yu Xi watched and gradually felt something was off.

Maybe his imagination was too vivid, but he kept feeling that Lu Shi putting the band-aid on Shen Zheming looked just like a newlywed couple exchanging rings at a wedding ceremony—and it was even on the ring finger.

Brother Lu seriously putting on the ring, Brother Shen looking at him with indulgent eyes, letting him fiddle with his hand…

Holy crap!

Yu Xi was startled by the terrifying thought in his head and quickly shook it to clear the image.

Lu Shi had no idea what others were thinking. He was just extremely satisfied with the band-aid he had applied.

Even later, when he was lying in bed after a shower, he was still savoring that masterpiece—perfectly aligned, OCD-friendly, not crooked at all.

His tablet displayed the registration info for this year’s capital mathematics competition, the “Aoqiao Cup.”

Back in school, Lu Shi had always been gifted in math. When he first got into Capital University, because he lost only one point in math, the teachers had specifically encouraged him to sign up for this competition.

But at the time, his life was filled with other things, and he never ended up participating.

Lu Shi skimmed through the details, his eyes stopping on the prize money.

As long as he made the top five, he could get at least three hundred thousand yuan.

To the Chen family, that amount might not mean much, but they wouldn’t just hand him three hundred thousand either.

He had thought carefully about what Shen Zheming said in the afternoon. He really needed to plan a backup for himself.

Eventually, he would definitely have to cut ties with the Chens. With this money, plus what he already had in his bank account, he could try starting his own business.

The Aoqiao Cup had fairly loose requirements: any citizen aged 20 or under, registered in the capital, with no criminal record and no bad behavior, could sign up.

For Lu Shi, this was a great opportunity, but also a huge challenge.

No matter how talented he was in math, he had been away from school for a while. Many high-difficulty problems might be beyond him now.

But fortunately, there were still two months until the exam. He had time to prepare.

The next day, in a classroom inside the Minxing Education Building, Chen Youxuan sat with friends.

A friend saw Chen Youxuan filling out the Aoqiao Cup registration form on his tablet and couldn’t help exclaiming, “You’re already in college, why keep grinding? And the prize money is so little—your family doesn’t even need it, right?”

Chen Youxuan had often represented his school in various competitions during high school and achieved good results.

He snorted lightly. “You don’t get it. The prize isn’t important. What matters is that by getting a good ranking, I can meet many influential people and help expand the family’s network.”

“You’re so thoughtful, always thinking about the family.” After speaking, the friend asked curiously, “By the way, didn’t you say your brother is also taking classes at this institution? Haven’t seen him yet.”

At the mention of Lu Shi, Chen Youxuan’s expression cooled.

“He didn’t even finish high school, so of course he’s not on the same floor as us.”

“What? His education is that low…”

“Don’t talk about my brother like that. It’s not his fault he’s not good at studying. He’s already tried hard enough.”

Chen Youxuan filled in his personal information and confirmed his registration.

Hmph.

Even if Lu Shi was the biological child, so what? Once he got a ranking in the competition, it would be clear who was more useful and could bring more help to the family.

By then, the family would surely place high hopes on him and give him the best resources.

As for Lu Shi—a bumpkin crawled out of some backwater—he probably didn’t even know what this competition was. What right did he have to compete with him?

He was just a clown who got lucky, still trampled under Chen Youxuan’s feet.

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