"Did you say Tian Changgeng asked you to bring this to me?"
Lu Chao examined the white jade Kongming lock in his hand. Since when was Tian Changgeng this generous?
"Yeah, didn’t we send him a birthday gift yesterday? He liked it so much that he asked me to bring this return gift for you."
Lu Chao turned his head in confusion, glancing at Tian Changgeng sitting at the back of the classroom.
"Then why didn’t he just give it to me directly?"
Su Yunzheng shrugged.
"He said if the other classmates saw, they’d start asking all sorts of questions, so he asked me to pass it to you instead. But..."
Su Yunzheng lowered his voice further.
"I think he’s acting a bit strange. He keeps asking me about you. Maybe you should just return this Kongming lock to him."
Lu Chao rubbed his nose, lost in thought. Then he patted Su Yunzheng’s shoulder.
"Don’t worry. You know how dashing I am—maybe he just wants to be friends."
Su Yunzheng sighed dejectedly. True, plenty of people wanted to befriend Lu Chao.
Lu Chao turned around and gave Tian Changgeng a thumbs-up, flashing him a smile.
Tian Changgeng scratched his head and grinned sheepishly. Finally, the gift had been delivered.
During the break, Tian Changgeng walked over as expected. After exchanging a few compliments, Tian Changgeng suddenly said,
"My cousin and his friends are having a cuju match soon. I heard you’re really good at it. Would you come to my house and give them some pointers?"
Lu Chao’s eyes lit up, but he shook his head.
"Can’t. My family doesn’t let me go out casually."
Tian Changgeng pressed on, "Well, you should know—my cousin’s family is a royal merchant. They’re especially generous. If you’re willing to coach them once, he’ll give you an Eastern pearl."
Lu Chao smiled awkwardly. "Ah, I don’t really know what an Eastern pearl is. Maybe forget it."
Tian Changgeng scoffed inwardly. So this illegitimate son really had no exposure to the finer things—didn’t even recognize an Eastern pearl.
"This Eastern pearl is extremely rare. Rumor has it, it’s even used as tribute for the imperial family," Tian Changgeng whispered into Lu Chao’s ear, as if afraid others might overhear.
"Really?!" Lu Chao feigned disbelief.
Tian Changgeng nodded firmly.
"Then... can he give me two? I’d like to make a pendant for my mother," Lu Chao said shyly.
Recalling his cousin’s instructions, Tian Changgeng agreed without hesitation.
"No problem! My cousin isn’t short on money."
A few days later, Tian Changgeng invited Lu Chao to his house.
This time, Lu Chao didn’t bring Qingshan but instead took Shi Liu to the Tian residence.
Sure enough, Xu Wei was there.
A faint smirk tugged at Lu Chao’s lips.
After introductions, Xu Wei’s gaze lingered on Lu Chao’s long, fluttering eyelashes, stirring an itch in his heart.
"Little Brother Lu, I heard you’re quite the cuju player at school? Beating Changgeng at such a young age—impressive."
Lu Chao clasped his hands modestly. "You flatter me."
The term "Little Brother Lu" made his skin crawl.
"You’ll have to teach me properly today!"
Lu Chao sneered inwardly.
"Of course."
Xu Wei was fourteen, tall but frail from a life of indulgence and little exercise.
Lu Chao, meanwhile, had been training relentlessly. Even if his right arm wasn’t fully functional, he ran like a young bull—swift and unstoppable.
If danger ever came, fighting wasn’t the priority. Speed was.
"Brother Changgeng, let’s team up. Brother Xu Wei is older—defending against both of us shouldn’t be a problem, right?"
Xu Wei nodded confidently. "Bring it on!"
Tian Changgeng wouldn’t dare block him, and Lu Chao barely reached his armpit. How hard could it be? The thought made Xu Wei grin lewdly.
"Brother Changgeng, we’ll flank him left and right. If I signal like this, pass to me. If I do this, it’s a fake. Watch my cues. Your cousin’s real match will be way more intense. If we don’t take this seriously, practice is pointless, right?"
Lu Chao didn’t miss the flicker of unease on Tian Changgeng’s face. He needed to know—was Tian Changgeng in on this? What role did he play?
Tian Changgeng nodded hesitantly, torn between Lu Chao’s logic and fear of his cousin. He glanced at Xu Wei a few yards away and finally agreed.
His cousin had only wanted to play cuju with Lu Chao. Surely it was just for the competition, right? He’d keep an eye on Xu Wei’s mood. If his cousin got upset, he’d ease up. No need to provoke him.
Seeing Tian Changgeng’s conflicted expression, the edge in Lu Chao’s mind softened slightly.
The whistle blew.
Lu Chao charged toward the bamboo-woven cuju ball, weaving past effortlessly before darting toward the opponent’s side.
Xu Wei’s eyes locked onto Lu Chao, excitement surging as he gave chase. His height gave him an advantage, and he quickly closed in. Seeing Lu Chao’s flushed cheeks, his breathing grew ragged.
Suddenly, Xu Wei stuck out his right foot, trying to trip Lu Chao.
But Lu Chao, as if sensing it, kicked the ball hard and swerved sharply to the right.
The ball smashed into Xu Wei’s shin, making him hiss in pain.
"Brother Xu Wei, if someone tries to intercept, you’ve got to change direction," Lu Chao taunted, grinning.
Hah. A feisty one.
Xu Wei lunged again, using his body to block Lu Chao.
Lu Chao passed to Tian Changgeng, but Xu Wei ignored the ball entirely, fixated on chasing Lu Chao.
Disgusted, Lu Chao signaled Tian Changgeng to pass back.
Tian Changgeng stared at his cousin’s back, baffled. Since when did cuju involve not watching the ball? Wait—was this a grudge match?!
Then it hit him. Lu Chao’s older brother was this year’s top scholar in the prefectural exams! Just like his cousin at the county school! Oh no, oh no! Tian Changgeng panicked.
He couldn’t afford to offend his cousin—but Lu Chao was just as dangerous!
"Lu Chao, heads up!"
Seeing Lu Chao cornered, Tian Changgeng kicked the ball toward him.
Xu Wei turned at the shout, but Lu Chao suddenly stopped and lashed out with a kick.
Thud!
Xu Wei, already exhausted from running, crumpled as pain shot through his leg.
Lu Chao gasped dramatically. "Oh no! Brother Xu Wei, are you okay? It’s just a game—safety first! You can’t throw caution to the wind for the ball!"
Xu Wei, dust-covered, shot Tian Changgeng a glare.
Tian Changgeng hurried to help him up, whispering, "Sorry, cousin. I thought I was passing to you."
Xu Wei shoved him away. "Get lost! We’re done!"
Tian Changgeng stumbled back and landed hard on his rear, shooting Lu Chao a worried look.
Lu Chao wiped the sweat from his face and said to the two of them, "Brother Xu Wei, your stamina isn’t the best—you’ll need to work harder! And Brother Changgeng, you should’ve just charged straight to the other side to score just now. Why did you think of passing to me? The ball was almost intercepted by Brother Xu Wei!"
Xu Wei watched as Lu Chao earnestly lectured them on how to play and coordinate, the words "You did that on purpose, didn’t you?" stuck in his throat, unable to be spoken.
He had originally hoped to impress Lu Chao, then coax him into agreeing to another outing—just the two of them—without anyone noticing. But today, he’d ended up looking utterly disheveled instead.
"Little Brother Lu Chao really knows how to play. Perhaps I didn’t rest well last night—let’s call it a day for now. I’ll invite you out again another time, alright?" Xu Wei stood up, and the attendants outside the court hurried over, some wiping sweat, others bringing water.
Lu Chao shrugged. "If I’m free, sure."
"Someone, bring it over."
Xu Wei clapped his hands, and Huang Li—whom Lu Chao had seen before—approached with a tray carrying a box.
"Open it."
Lu Chao lifted the lid, and inside lay two enormous pearls, gleaming with a soft, lustrous glow.
