Chapter 61: The Aoqiao Cup Awards Ceremony

The Aoqiao Cup awards ceremony was held at the Capital Mathematics Center.

Many well-known scholars in the mathematics field attended the ceremony, and a crowd of news media surrounded the venue.

In the backstage corridor, Old Jiang was confirming the final procedures with the staff when another old man with graying hair walked over with a smile.

“Zhidong, let’s discuss something…”

Old Jiang’s expression turned serious at the sound of that voice.

The staff paused and stepped back.

Old Master Shen, dressed in a well-fitted custom suit and sporting a specially styled hairdo, walked over energetically.

Old Jiang said, “What are you doing here?”

He always felt that this troublesome in-law wasn’t up to any good. After all, the man usually called him ‘Jiang,’ so suddenly being so familiar must mean something was up.

Sure enough

“You’ve already interacted with Lu Shi up close. Could you let me present the award this time?”

Old Master Shen reasoned persuasively: “Even though you hold a high status in the mathematics world, our Jushang Bank has been the biggest sponsor of the Aoqiao Cup in recent years. It seems quite appropriate for me to present the award…”

Old Jiang snorted coldly and refused without hesitation: “Not appropriate. The academic circle has its own rules. The presenter was decided long ago. You can’t just change it as you please.”

Old Master Shen stamped his foot: “So what if it’s decided? It hasn’t started yet! Can’t I just buy my way in?”

But Old Jiang was adamant and refused.

Old Master Shen’s breath caught in his throat. He muttered darkly, “Finally got a legitimate reason to one-up me, look how cocky he is.”

Lu Shi had heard that Shi Rui’s grandmother was currently hospitalized in a top-tier hospital, bedridden every day. He planned to visit her after the awards ceremony.

Shi Rui happened to have one last delivery to make. Lu Shi waited for him to deliver the milk tea to the customer and then brought him to the awards ceremony. They would go together after it ended.

“Brother Shen, this is my friend from Ning County.” Lu Shi briefly explained the situation to Shen Zheming.

Shen Zheming extended his hand to Shi Rui: “Pleasure to meet you.”

Shi Rui didn’t know Shen Zheming’s background. He grabbed his hand and shook it warmly: “Hello, hello! Brother Lu’s brother is my brother. When my grandmother gets better, I’ll send you some of her handmade rice cakes. They’re super fragrant.”

They had come in a hurry, so Lu Shi rushed to the backstage to prepare.

Shen Zheming glanced at Shi Rui’s eager expression as he looked at Lu Shi and asked calmly, “Are you two close?”

Shi Rui: “Yeah, I used to hang out with Brother Lu in school. Back in middle school, I knew he would turn out great and be successful.”

Shi Rui hadn’t finished high school and had started working early. His education was limited, so he couldn’t use fancy words to praise someone, but his tone was sincere.

Shen Zheming’s lips curled into a faint smile as he heard someone praise Lu Shi.

At the moment, the first-place winner of the Aoqiao Cup went on stage to receive the trophy and the honor plaque bearing a cash prize of several hundred thousand. The sound of camera shutters rang out, and spotlights all focused on the person ascending the stage.

Shen Zheming watched Lu Shi accepting flowers and applause. He said, “He really is outstanding.”

Like a flower blooming in a swamp, perhaps once thinking of withering, but always carrying a deep-seated unwillingness that made him stubbornly break through the thorns above as long as there was sunlight.

“Brother Lu isn’t just outstanding; he’s also loyal,” Shi Rui couldn’t help adding.

Shen Zheming: “For example?”

Shi Rui’s expression was full of admiration even as he recalled: “Ning County can’t compare to big cities. The public security there was bad. There were often street thugs and gangsters. He helped me out several times, always beating them to a pulp.”

“And once I had a fever at school. Brother Lu even climbed over the wall to buy fever medicine and cooling patches for me. He also waited for hot water to help me take the medicine.”

Shen Zheming raised an eyebrow, his expression cooling. “Oh, is that so.”

Shi Rui nodded vigorously, oblivious to anything.

Lu Shi received the award and finally took a photo on stage with Old Jiang, who presented it.

Sitting below, Old Master Shen nearly crushed his chair.

After the awards ceremony, Shen Zheming called out to the two who were about to go to the hospital together: “Take my car. I’ll drive you.”

Normally, the two could sit in the back, and one person in the front passenger seat. It would be just right, not cramped.

Shi Rui and Lu Shi hadn’t seen each other for a long time and had a lot to talk about. Naturally, Shi Rui headed for the back seat.

So the driver watched helplessly as his young master, instead of taking the spacious front passenger seat, sat right between the two in the back with a blank expression.

The car had just started moving.

Shi Rui leaned forward to talk to Lu Shi: “Brother Lu, you used to like swimming, right? Once my grandmother’s condition stabilizes, let’s go swimming sometime.”

Lu Shi turned his head, about to agree: “Sure…”

“How long until we get there?” Shen Zheming suddenly interjected.

The driver was startled. He looked at the navigation and replied, “About half an hour. There’s some traffic.”

A little while later.

Shi Rui: “Brother Lu, I recently found a new game that’s really fun and stress-relieving. When you get a chance, create an account and we’ll play together.”

Lu Shi: “I’m not very good at games.”

Shi Rui: “It’s okay, I can teach you.”

Lu Shi opened his mouth.

Shen Zheming cut off the conversation again: “How much farther?”

The driver thought Shen Zheming was dissatisfied with his driving speed. Cold sweat broke out on his back: “Another five or six kilometers.”

Lu Shi glanced at Shen Zheming’s unreadable profile. He licked his lips and asked softly, “Brother Shen, are you feeling unwell?”

He felt that the Alpha pheromones around him seemed a bit agitated.

Shen Zheming restrained his pheromones. The back seat was cramped, and Lu Shi’s breath brushed against his neck like a small feather when he leaned in to speak.

Shen Zheming lowered his eyes and said softly, “I suddenly feel a bit carsick. That’s why I want to get there quickly.”

The driver glanced in the rearview mirror in surprise.

He had been driving for Shen Zheming for years, and Shen Zheming often used his phone or tablet in the car. He had never mentioned carsickness.

“Could the air conditioning in the car be set too high?” Lu Shi reached out to turn down the rear heater a bit. “How about this?”

Shen Zheming looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly thought of something: “Still a bit.”

Lu Shi moved and took out earphones from his pocket: “Do you want to listen to music? It might help relieve it.”

Shen Zheming pressed down on his hand and let out a soft breath.

“No need to go through all that trouble. Can I lean on you? Just for a while. It should be fine.”

Lu Shi thought about it.

That made sense. Sitting in the middle without anything to lean on, swaying back and forth, it was easy to get dizzy.

“Brother Shen, you can lean on me!”

Shi Rui, hearing Shen Zheming say he was carsick, enthusiastically and generously pulled his hat aside, revealing his broad shoulder. “I’ve got you. You can lean as long as you want.”

The car fell silent for a moment.

Shen Zheming, originally considering Lu Shi’s feelings, had planned to help Shi Rui transfer his grandmother to Shen Luo’s hospital for treatment. No matter how top-notch the experts, a single call to Ping’an Health Medical could gather them.

But now he kind of wanted to throw this guy out halfway.

Shen Zheming glanced at him coldly and said in a very harsh tone.

“I twisted my neck sleeping last night. I can’t lean on your side.”

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