The Master’s Mask Unveiled Again
Chapter 1038 - 1037: This Is Just the Beginning

Chapter 1038: Chapter 1037: This Is Just the Beginning

Qi Zhen shed tears of gratitude. Their Xiao Family must have accumulated blessings over several lifetimes to encounter such an understanding and thoughtful little angel.

Xiao Qimo had done so many foolish things, yet she continued to shield him.

Today was another day of feeling sorry for the daughter-in-law.

Qi Zhen glared fiercely at Xiao Qimo: "If you ever let Mianmian down again, I’ll break your legs!"

Xiao Jianli chimed in: "Expel him from the Xiao Family!"

Xiao Qimo: ...

Lu Mian thought Director Qi’s status at home was too pitiful. She grabbed his palm, turned sideways, and murmured softly, "It’s okay, I’ll put you on my household registration."

Xiao Qimo gazed at the girl. Never mind the script or whatever, just seeing her defend him filled his heart with happiness and contentment.

If only those last few words could be omitted, it would be perfect.

——

On Monday, the campus had a slightly different vibe.

Students heading from the dorms to the classrooms for lessons were always chatting in small groups about something.

Lu Mian overheard a phrase; it seemed to be about the school’s cultural festival.

Freshman year was always packed with events.

From the welcome gala after starting school to club recruitments and student council admissions, one activity followed another.

Lu Mian hadn’t joined any clubs. Outside of classes, she either accompanied Sui Yuan or visited the physics lab to find Xiao Qimo.

No matter the event in school, even if the student council president personally invited her, she wouldn’t show up. Rumors circulated in school suggesting that Bookworm Lu Mian was only good at studying and fighting, but useless at everything else.

The fighting claim originated during the Chixia Sect’s military training and had since spread.

At this moment, Lu Mian lazily wandered into the classroom.

There was still one minute before class began, yet none of the students were in their seats. Instead, they huddled around Lu Yutian, engaging in lively discussion, some jotting things down.

"Does our design like this work? Isn’t it lacking creativity?"

"The Elite Class’s specialty is artificial intelligence. For a cultural festival, coming up with something decent is enough."

Lu Mian walked past them, catching fragments of their talk.

She disliked crowds and noise, so she steered clear of the students and took a seat by the window in the last row.

Leaning against the chair back, she quietly extracted her phone and focused on gaming, thus beginning her daily routine.

Soon, the chatter around Lu Yutian began to die down.

Not because the professor had arrived, but because someone noticed Lu Mian sitting alone, sparking discontent.

"Class rep, what’s her deal? Isn’t this a group activity? She’s not participating at all?"

The speaker was a fairly cocky boy named Ge Yu. His family ran a profitable business in Jinjing, lending him an air of confidence when he spoke.

Lu Yutian lightly pressed his hand down, saying, "Don’t say it like that; maybe she doesn’t know yet."

After she spoke, her lips pulled into a subtle curve as she lowered her head.

Ge Yu sneered.

A couple of boys brainwashed by her also felt Lu Mian was being unreasonable.

To put it bluntly, Lu Mian didn’t see herself as one of the Elite Class. She avoided participating in activities, didn’t pay attention in class, and generally behaved as an outsider. To them, she wasn’t interested in forging any bonds.

But Lu Mian ought to realize that Elite Class students were the crème de la crème of Qing University, poised to be prominent figures upon entering society. If she disrespected the Elite Class today, she shouldn’t blame them for isolating her!

Class representative Tao Jianchen hesitated for a moment before saying, "I’ll go talk to Lu Mian."

Tao Jianchen walked over to Lu Mian, and since he was standing, it was easy for him to catch sight of the game on her phone screen.

It was a newly launched game called Divine Traverse, a flagship product of the Sufeng Game Company this year.

Compared to "Heroes Association" and "Knight’s Journey," this new game maintained the company’s high standards and attracted considerable attention shortly after its release.

Looking at Lu Mian’s cold and mischievous features, Tao Jianchen nervously chuckled, "You’re playing this too? The classmates are all into this game."

Lu Mian glanced up, noticing him addressing her. Casually unleashing a powerful move in the game, she then shut her phone.

"What is it?" she asked, lifting her head.

"I’m the class representative, Tao Jianchen." Tao Jianchen felt uneasy inside, unsure why he felt so intimidated standing before Lu Mian, a fellow student. Her gaze swept lightly over him, yet it made him feel restless and on edge.

After pondering for a moment, he finally realized—this must be what they call presence.

"Everyone’s discussing ideas for the creative cultural festival. Do you want to come over and listen? Our class plans to submit a collective project—our initial decision is to hand-draw a themed poster."

This task had been assigned on Friday, but Lu Mian happened to be on leave that day and was unaware.

The school required each class to present at least one project. Elite Class students were mostly focused on academics, leaving them uninterested in artistic activities.

With no one in the class showing an aptitude for art, they simply decided to draw a poster as their submission.

Lu Mian didn’t move but contemplated for a moment before saying, "Have you considered using coding to create an illustration?"

Elite Class students were all familiar with coding.

It was also something they excelled at.

Tao Jianchen paused in silence, but before he could respond, Ge Yu started mockingly ridiculing her.

"Do you think everyone has time to spare? Using code to draw—do you know how much time that would take? Not contributing is one thing, but now you’re being bossy too!"

"Exactly! We’ve been discussing for ages, and you dismiss it with one sentence?" someone echoed.

Lu Mian narrowed her eyes, glancing at Ge Yu’s group. Her tongue lightly curled against her upper palate as she smirked before lowering her gaze.

That glance was cool, aloof, and resolute.

She chose to stay silent. Not arguing wasn’t conceding—it was drawing a line.

She casually pulled out her phone again and resumed her game.

Tao Jianchen quickly apologized a couple of times before returning to Ge Yu’s group, quietly saying, "Alright, alright, let’s continue the discussion."

Lu Yutian uncertainly asked, "Is she really not coming over?"

"If she doesn’t want to take part herself, there’s nothing we can do!"

"Yutian, don’t bother with her. People without any sense of team spirit can’t be expected to contribute anything to the class!" Ge Yu, as Lu Yutian’s number one suitor at school, had been showering her with attention since day one.

He believed the colder he acted toward other girls, the more Lu Yutian would notice him.

"Alright..." Lu Yutian reluctantly nodded, looking down with a subtle sense of triumph.

The Elite Class had no room for Lu Mian.

She’d best know her place and go back to where she came from.

Otherwise, this was just the beginning.

The group resumed their discussion.

During a break in her game, Lu Mian glanced out of the window.

University life...

So dull.

——

After class ended at noon, Lu Mian, as usual, went to the cafeteria with Sui Yuan for lunch.

Along the way, Sui Yuan kept chatting about things in her class and club activities.

"Hey Mianmian, aren’t you super busy lately? You’ve got to turn in projects for the cultural festival—finishing tasks for the Applied Physics department and then dealing with the Elite Class’s stuff. Haha, I don’t envy your double major at all now..."

"Little Baldy!" Lu Mian teased with a laugh, reaching out to tousle Sui Yuan’s hair. "I’m not busy."

"Oh right, you always handle everything with ease."

Lu Mian didn’t mention that she wasn’t busy simply because she hadn’t participated in any activities.

However, during lunch, her roommate Shu Shu called her. After Lu Mian shared her location, Shu Shu said she’d be coming over to discuss something.