It was as if he wasn't going to the Imperial Academy alone in the future—she would be with him.
-
The Imperial Academy had strict rules and heavy coursework, and its teachers were not as easygoing as Sir Jiang. Lu Shuo found it hard to adapt at first.
He entered along with the new students. Most of these new students were from official families, entering at the age of twelve. Standing among them, Lu Shuo was half a head taller and very conspicuous.
His status was clear: he was the adopted son of the Xuan Duke Mansion. But being sent in at such an age showed that he was mediocre at best. Moreover, most of these official children already knew each other, while Lu Shuo was a stranger to them, so they naturally didn't gravitate toward him.
Fortunately, Lu Shuo wasn't the only older one. Among the new batch, there were a few youths from ordinary families, aged fourteen, fifteen, or even sixteen when they entered. Because of their humble backgrounds, they had never thought about the Imperial Academy as children. Only as they grew older did their talents become apparent, and their parents scraped together resources to let them take the entrance exam, thus earning a place.
These people were usually more modest and simple in temperament. When Lu Shuo was with them, he sometimes felt like he was back in his childhood.
... But the pressure was also great, mainly because these people were genuinely talented and had entered the Academy on their own merit, unlike him, who relied on the Duke Mansion's connections.
After the first minor exam, Lu Shuo looked at his score of "Lower B" and gripped his brush tightly.
He dared not hope for an A, but he had observed his classmates and, based on their usual performance, estimated himself to be around "Upper B."
He never expected it to be "Lower B."
Behind him were only those playboys who didn't take exams seriously and a few students who were even duller than him and entered through even stronger connections.
The classmates he interacted with more often had either gotten A or Upper B.
Lu Shuo felt very dejected.
He didn't understand why, despite listening attentively in class and diligently studying the notes from the Eldest Young Master and the Fourth Miss, he had ended up with this result.
On the day of the ten-day holiday, Helan Chang and Helan Rong came to find Lu Shuo to go home together.
They were in different classes, so naturally they didn't attend lessons together. Although they had said Lu Shuo could come to them if he had any problems, they had no shortage of friends at the Academy, so Lu Shuo didn't go out of his way to bother them.
"What's wrong?" Helan Chang asked, looking at the gloomy Lu Shuo. "Did someone bully you?"
Lu Shuo shook his head. "No."
"Then why do you look like that?"
Lu Shuo took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "I didn't do well on this exam."
Helan Rong said, "What, did you get a C?"
Lu Shuo said, "Lower B."
"Pfft, that's not bad! You're already in the B range, why ask for more? Even if it's a C, as long as it's not Lower C, there's still hope!" Helan Rong shrugged carelessly. "Helan Chang and I both got B last time, and we were pretty satisfied."
Lu Shuo: "..."
He glanced at them silently, thinking, you two have no ambition, but I can't afford to be like that.
Helan Chang comforted Lu Shuo: "It's the first exam, so it's normal not to adapt. These teachers come up with tricky questions that don't test what was taught in class. I got used to that long ago."
Helan Rong added, "Ah, not everyone can be like Eldest Brother. Just take it easy."
Lu Shuo sighed silently, his heart heavy.
Last holiday, the Fourth Miss had asked him if there was anything new at the Academy. He said no, because exams were coming up and everyone was busy.
At that time, she had encouraged him, telling him to be confident, and that maybe if he relaxed, he could get an A. But now...
He was afraid he would disappoint her.