As I was saying," Mr. Cheng continued, addressing her parents, "she's bright — one of the top students in her class — but she tends to test boundaries. Today was a perfect example."
Her mother gave a polite, tight-lipped smile. "We'll be sure to speak with her about it."
Lu Hua let out a soft sigh, but kept quiet this time. The last thing she needed was another one of those looks from her mother.
Her father cleared his throat and rose from his seat. "Thank you for informing us, Mr. Cheng. We'll handle this at home."
Her mother stood too, shooting Lu Hua a look that promised this conversation wasn't over.
Lu Hua followed them out of the office, and as she stepped through the doorway, she noticed the boy still seated on the bench. His gaze briefly flicked to hers, a lazy sort of stare like he had nothing better to do. The corners of his mouth twitched, not quite a smirk.
Lu Hua rolled her eyes and kept walking. Weirdo, she thought.
The car ride home was mostly quiet, save for the hum of the tires on asphalt. Her mother made a pointed, "We'll discuss your attitude when we get home," and Lu Hua just nodded without looking up from her phone.
She wasn't thinking about that random boy in the hallway. She didn't care. At all. Not even a little.
After what felt like the longest parent lecture of her life, Lu Hua finally escaped to the safety of her room. She shut the door behind her with a soft click and let out a sigh, leaning against it for a second before pushing off.
Without a second thought, she grabbed a pair of loose, baggy pants from her dresser and pulled on a black slim-fit shirt that hugged her figure just enough. Comfort came first — but she wasn't about to look like a total disaster.
She tied her hair up in a quick messy bun and glanced at herself in the mirror. Much better.
Crossing the room, she dumped her bag on the desk chair and pulled out her notebooks. With a stretch and a yawn, she dropped into her seat and flipped to the page of chemistry notes Mr. Cheng had been droning about earlier.
"Calcium oxide reacts with water to form calcium hydroxide," she muttered, scribbling down the equation again.
Her brow furrowed. As annoying as Mr. Cheng could be, she refused to let anything from his class trip her up.
"Lu Hua's phone buzzed on her desk."
Sheng Yue:
How'd the meeting go?
Lu Hua:
Same as always. Cheng talked too much. My parents pretended to be shocked. I pretended to care.
Sheng Yue:
Survived then.
Lu Hua:
Barely. I'm banned from 'causing trouble' for a month apparently.
Sheng Yue:
Bet that lasts two days.
Lu Hua:
You have no faith in me.
Sheng Yue:
None.
Lu Hua huffed a small laugh, then tossed her phone aside and went back to her notebook.
The clock on her desk read [10:42 PM.] Lu Hua blinked down at her notebook, realizing she'd been staring at the same equation for the past five minutes.
She stretched, the back of her neck stiff, and pushed her chair back with a sigh. Her stomach gave a low, embarrassing growl.
"Whatever," she muttered, grabbing her phone and heading downstairs.
The kitchen light was dim, one bulb flickering slightly. She opened the fridge and stood there for a second, scanning for anything decent. Spotting a leftover rice bowl, she grabbed it out, tossed a fried egg on top, dumped some chili oil over it, and gave it a half-hearted stir with a spoon.
She took a bite. Burned her tongue a little. Worth it.
Sitting at the counter, she scrolled through her phone while eating, not really paying attention to anything in particular. A group chat was half-alive with people complaining about homework. Sheng Yue had already gone quiet for the night.
After finishing, Lu Hua rinsed the bowl, left it in the sink, and dragged herself upstairs.
She didn't bother double-checking her messages. Lights off. Phone on silent. Head buried in her pillow.
Within minutes, she was out.