MWC – Chapter 86 My Deskmate

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

At three in the afternoon, Judge Christine ruled to hear the case and accepted the plaintiff’s lawsuit request, simultaneously issuing a temporary injunction to immediately freeze the involved assets.

Kawashima Ki requested more time because the case involved over a dozen individuals and companies, many of whom were in the East Sea. He needed time to communicate with them.

Christine granted his request, giving the defendants twenty days to prepare.

Lu Ming did not object. To be honest, this case was unprecedented: the first federal body, the Kingdom of Gryffindor’s local court, interfering in the internal affairs of another federal body.

Thus, it was understandable to give the defendants ample time to prepare.

However, the courts in the kingdom are quite independent. An appellate court or higher court can overturn the verdict of a lower court, but they do not have the authority to interfere with what cases lower courts accept.

The next day, Lu Ming rearranged his schedule, squeezing out a morning to visit Furnard Academy.

The school had officially started, and he needed to make an appearance; otherwise, he would be demoted to Grade One.

This school, however, did not seem to have any connection to his family.

But discovering this connection slowly might be a good thing, waiting for the right moment.

Especially considering what Bizhu hinted at—his family might be harboring a shocking secret that, once discovered, there would be no turning back.

For now, accumulating his strength was more important. Everything he was doing was in preparation for confronting his nemesis in the North. And if his family’s secret was even more frightening, discovering it later wouldn’t be a bad thing.

His homeroom teacher, Mrs. Lin, a graceful young woman, was very warm and gentle, chatting incessantly with Lu Ming, seemingly to ease his nerves or awkwardness.

“You’re not the oldest in the class. We have someone who is twenty-one and only started Grade One at thirteen,” Mrs. Lin said with a smile.

Lu Ming nodded absently, just wishing this journey would end soon.

“We also have the youngest and the best student in our class, only thirteen, who skipped two grades!”

Lu Ming forced a smile in response.

“Are you working as a servant for someone? So, you don’t have much time for school?” Mrs. Lin asked with concern.

Seeing Lu Ming not respond, she softly said, “Mr. Wang told me about your situation. If you have any difficulties, just tell me, and I will help you as much as I can!”

Lu Ming sighed inwardly. It was that persistent Mr. Wang from the Academic Affairs Office.

Finally, Lu Ming’s eyes brightened when he saw the sign for Grade 2, Class 3.

The classroom, initially noisy, became very quiet when Mrs. Lin entered.

“Come, sit here!” Mrs. Lin led Lu Ming to the last row, then said, “Mei-Jing is very good at studying and is our class monitor. If you have any questions, you can ask her! She is the one I mentioned who skipped two grades, Jin Meijing!” She turned to the tall figure who had stood up and said, “Mei-Jing, this is Lu Qianxing, the classmate I told you about. Please help him progress, okay?”

She then addressed the eager students who were turning to look, “This new classmate is Lu Qianxing. Everyone, get along well.”

She didn’t make Lu Ming introduce himself, likely to avoid embarrassing him. Last year he was in Grade Three, but instead of moving up to Grade Four, he had to start over in Grade Two.

“Classmate Lu Qianxing, please take your seat!” The voice next to him was clear and pleasant. Lu Ming looked and was slightly startled. Why did she look so familiar?

This small, oval face, narrow and charming.

Where had he seen her before?

Oh, it was Bess’s friend from school, the one who looked almost identical, even in height.

Jin Meijing? Right, that one was called Jin Meiyan. He remembered because of her distinct face, similar to the filters in modern times, and because of the name Mei-Yan.

Now this one, with her neat bangs and delicate, charming face, had a completely different aura—pure and lively.

Are they sisters? Twins?

Right, Bess had said Jin Meiyan came to visit her sister or something?

But how could one attend a noble school and the other a charity school for poor students?

Even if the parents were divorced, it shouldn’t be like this.

Lu Ming sat down, occasionally curiously glancing at Jin Meijing. These two sisters had completely different temperaments. Jin Meijing was wearing the Furnard Academy uniform, a traditional light blue tunic with a knee-length black skirt, white socks, and black lace-up shoes, looking extremely pure and scholarly, beautiful and serene.

“Brother Qianxing, why are you looking at me so strangely?” Jin Meijing asked, her large, bright eyes blinking curiously at Lu Ming.

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Lu Ming waved his hand.

Soon, the lullaby began—the first math class, just learning negative numbers. Lu Ming quickly lay on his desk, thinking about Katsura Ayaka’s case. Maybe he had slept late and woken up early, feeling a bit tired; or perhaps the classroom’s routine itself was making him sleepy. Lu Ming gradually felt his eyelids getting heavy.

Suddenly, he jolted awake as the class bell rang.

“Brother Qianxing, here are the key points from this lesson. Please take a look!” Jin Meijing placed a notebook in front of Lu Ming, sticking out her tongue, “Sometimes, the teacher repeats things so much, fearing we won’t understand, and I get sleepy too.”

Lu Ming was slightly stunned. This notebook was very old, but the handwriting was particularly neat, densely packed with not a single space left blank. Jin Meijing clearly cherished it and tried to make the most of it.

“Brother Qianxing, negative numbers are actually very easy to understand…”

Lu Ming helplessly waved his hand, “I understand. Negative 100 plus negative 100 is negative 200. Negative 100 plus 50 equals negative 50.”

“Great!” Jin Meijing was delighted, saying, “We won’t cover negative addition and subtraction for a few more classes. If you sleep during those classes, I’ll keep an eye on the teacher for you.”

Lu Ming thought that she wouldn’t see him until who knows when, but nodded, “Thanks!”

This little girl was quite likeable, straightforward, and intelligent.

“The next class is physics, talking about chemical and physical changes… Brother Qianxing, did you do well in this before…” Jin Meijing suddenly covered her mouth as if she had said something wrong.

Lu Ming was slightly confused but quickly understood. Mrs. Lin must have told her to help improve his grades and mentioned that he was repeating the grade. So, she was trying to figure out which subjects he struggled with and which ones he already understood, to help him accordingly.

But she accidentally let it slip that she knew he was repeating the grade.

Lu Ming helplessly said, “It’s okay. I was in Grade Three last year and Grade Two this year. There’s nothing to be ashamed of…” He intended to reassure her.

However, as he said this, the physics teacher walked in. The classroom, previously buzzing, fell silent. Lu Ming’s words became particularly jarring.

Immediately, everyone turned to look at Lu Ming as if he were a freak.

Then, there was some giggling and laughter.

“Quiet!” The physics teacher frowned and glanced at Lu Ming sitting in the last row. “Student Lu Qianxing, I hope you won’t disrupt student Jin Meijing’s studies or hold her back!”

It was a male teacher who naturally liked the smart, pretty female student with excellent grades. As for the repeating student, he would prefer them to disappear.

“Okay!” Lu Ming replied straightforwardly.

The physics teacher was taken aback, looking deeply at Lu Ming, realizing that this student was not easy to scold.

Ordinarily, children would either be very self-conscious or visibly angry at this moment, but not Lu Ming. He responded so frankly and calmly that the teacher knew he needed to be more lenient.

After the fourth class, Lu Ming got up, thinking that he would come back and make another appearance in half a month.

The students rushed out, causing a commotion as they headed to the cafeteria, eager to be first in line.

Lu Ming smiled, thinking it was no different from his previous life.

Turning around, he was slightly stunned to see that Jin Meijing hadn’t moved. She took out a clean handkerchief from her desk, wrapped around a hard bun. Seeing Lu Ming looking at her, she smiled calmly, taking a small bite and swallowing. When she saw that Lu Ming hadn’t left, she said, “Brother Qianxing, you must come in the afternoon! Mrs. Lin said you hardly ever show up. Isn’t that right?”

Lu Ming smiled, “Doesn’t the school give you enough allowance? Why not apply for more? At least going to the cafeteria should be enough, right?” He felt discussing this wasn’t too sensitive. This little girl didn’t seem to mind.

“Oh, I save my allowance. I want to use it when I go to college. I should be able to get a full scholarship, but attending college, expanding my horizons, and becoming an excellent student is expensive. I’ve also applied for a work-study program, cleaning classrooms every day,” Jin Meijing replied with a slight smile. “Brother Qianxing, how much do you earn as a servant each month? Do you have to support your family? It must be tough.”

Lu Ming nodded, “Not too bad!” He glanced at her, then turned and walked out of the classroom.

In the afternoon, instead of going to school, he went to Room 408 to meet relevant witnesses, feeling a vague sense of guilt.