Chapter 822 - Here Comes Another Big Shot!
Chapter 822: Here Comes Another Big Shot!
Gu Mang woke up around 7 AM the next day, a frown forming on her face the moment she shifted in bed. Her body was sore and she felt so tired that she did not even want to open her eyes even after she came out of the bathroom.
Lu Chengzhou, who had woken up when he felt the mattress moving, placed his hands on her waist and rubbed his chin against the crook of her neck. His morning voice sounded deep, husky, and lazy as he said, “Don’t attend the balloting ceremony and the debate. Just sleep.”
“No.” Gu Mang pursed her lips when she heard how hoarse her voice was. She also wanted to give the man, whose naughty hands were roaming all over her body from behind, a good kick.
Lu Chengzhou’s breathing was getting heavier. “I’ll call Yang Tianming to tell him that you are applying for leave.”
Once again, Gu Mang mercilessly spat out, “No.”
Lu Chengzhou chuckled when he saw how insistent she was. “Alright. Go sleep a little longer. I’ll wake you up at 8.”
“Mm.” Gu Mang’s slightly tensed body gradually relaxed.
…
At 8.40 AM, the teams that had made it through the first round slowly trickled into the Academic Center through the square in front of it.
Although everyone had reacted indignantly to Leng Xuan’s manipulation of Gu Mang’s score, it was just for the sake of fighting for their own interests. They did not want to see an international competition like this one be tarnished.
The Jijing Special Institute was a world-class academic mecca with teaching resources that far surpassed other international academic institutions. Nobody wanted to miss this chance to enter the world’s leading institution, so the second round of competition was still very competitive among the 59 teams.
Most importantly, the way the team debate was conducted meant that one of the 59 teams would advance straight to the third round without having to take part. Everyone was hoping that they would be the lucky team.
Everyone was currently nervously, talking about the teams that they thought were the strongest among the remaining ones. At first, they had thought nothing of Capital University, but after Gu Mang set a record on the written test with her perfect score, nobody wanted the Capital University team as their opponent.
“I thought the Capital University team posed no threat to us, but they ended up eliminating the Imperial College team and made Leng Xuan an international embarrassment,” commented an H University professor.
“It’s quite a disgrace indeed. Her reputation would’ve been destroyed if not for Jijing Island and the Leng family stepping in to protect her. The thing is…” The M University professor turned his head. “We all know how difficult the written test is. It’s not even exaggerating to say that Gu Mang is a genius. She’s only been attending Capital University for only three months so far, right?”
It’d be more believable if she had achieved such a feat after joining the medical organization, but she managed to get that perfect score after studying at Capital University for just three months… The H University professor kept his silence. For some reason, he felt that Gu Mang was actually much more capable than they thought. I heard that Gu Mang didn’t want to take part in this competition and that someone from Jijing Island deliberately added her name to Capital University’s team roster. By the look of it, that person must have been Leng Xuan. What she did to Gu Mang backfired in her face. Without attending any training sessions or making any preparations, Gu Mang managed to set the record for the written test.
Before the H University professor could think more on this matter, the sound of a car horn echoed across the entire square, distracting him. The people walking in the square subconsciously stopped in their tracks and looked over only to see a black sedan with a black flag that had a golden sun painted on it driving to the side of the square from the main road.
The Academic Center forbade all vehicles from driving in the space. But being the smart people that they were, everyone could tell that the car belonged to someone with status, for it drove towards the Academic Center in full view of the public.
It just so happened that the judges and staff were at the side door when they heard the car honking. They turned their heads in the direction of the sound and their expressions changed when they saw the sun emblem on the flag.
“Why is the Gu family’s car here?” someone muttered under their breath in surprise.
“What’s going on with the medical competition this year? Not only did the Elders’ Association, the Leng family, and the Bai family show up, but the Gu family is also here now.” One of the staff started breaking out in a cold sweat. We’ve never been able to see big shots of this level at the Academic Center before…
“What is the Gu family doing here? The younger members are already enrolled in the Jijing Special Institute and they don’t have…” the staff’s voice trailed off, which made the judges turn their gazes towards him.
He opened his mouth but said nothing even after several seconds, so Kang Qi asked, “They don’t have what?”
The staff snapped to his senses somewhat, but he did not answer Kang Qi’s question. Instead, he asked, “How is Gu Mang related to the Gu family?”
All the judges fell silent at once and shock was evident in their eyes. They knew that Gu Mang was Old Master Bai’s granddaughter, but they forgot that her surname was Gu. Did Gu Mang come in the Gu family’s car?
The moment this thought appeared in their minds, they saw a tall and slender figure walking slowly toward the Academic Center’s entrance from afar. The girl was wearing a white shirt that had its sleeves rolled up messily and black baggy pants. Despite the simple outfit, her presence was eye-catching.
Everyone knew Gu Mang’s face, so when they saw that the woman wasn’t Gu Mang, the staff said, “If the person in the car isn’t Gu Mang, then why is the Gu family here?”
Gu Mang had refused Lu Chengzhou’s offer to drive her to the Academic Center and had gathered at the entrance with the rest of Capital University’s team instead.
While Qiao You lowered her head in embarrassment when she saw Gu Mang and remembered how arrogantly she had behaved in front of her before, Shen Qianzi showed no change in expression and only squeezed her fingers slightly. The guys on the team, however, greeted Gu Mang excitedly.
She politely greeted them back.
Yang Tianming then said to her, “The professors and students of Imperial College had dinner with us last night. They were quite eager to meet you. It’s a pity that you weren’t there.”
Imperial College had been eliminated in the first round of the competition, so they were sent back to their country on Jijing Island’s private plane this morning. They took their defeat quite well but felt somewhat sad that they hadn’t been able to meet Gu Mang last night.
Gu Mang massaged her wrist. “Ah, I had something on last night.”
Just then, the black sedan rounded a corner and slowly pulled to a stop in front of the crowd, making the Capital University team turn their attention back to it.
Gu Mang’s phone vibrated right then. She took it out and looked down to reply to the message while standing lazily with a hand in her pocket. She seemed indifferent to her surroundings.
The morning sun was especially strong at this hour and it made the golden sun on the black flag even more prominent. The driver got out of the car and opened the back seat door before standing to one side respectfully. A girl in a light blue dress then got out from the car.
The judges were shocked to see the newcomer.
One of the staff members asked, “Who’s that girl? Is she a participant as well?”
The rest of the judges wordlessly turned their eyes to Kang Qi, who blinked in utter surprise. “T-that’s my student, Gu Yin.”
Gu Yin and the Gu family? Aren’t Gu Mang and her sisters? Why did the Gu family only send Gu Yin over in a car?