The next morning, Lu Ming was woken up by the sound of Lin Hua knocking on the door. He rubbed his bleary eyes and glanced at the light outside the window.
Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on the floor.
Lu Ming got up and quickly finished washing up. Putting on his gravity mechanical watch, he stepped out of his room to have breakfast with Lin Hua.
Seeing that his parents weren't at the table, Lu Ming knew they had already left for work.
Lu Ming sighed, "Mom and Dad really are busy! They have to get up so early for work every day."
Lin Hua looked at Lu Ming. "Alright, little Lu Ming, stop acting so profound. I still have to drop you off at school after breakfast." Lu Ming twitched the corners of his mouth awkwardly.
Nevertheless, he quickly finished his breakfast and followed Lin Hua to school.
Lin Hua parked the car by the side of the road near the school. Lu Ming was just about to get out.
Suddenly, a pitch-black luxury car emblazoned with his family's product logo drove up and stopped at the school entrance. A noblewoman who looked like a fox stepped out from the passenger seat.
Holding a small megaphone, she walked to the car door and pulled it open with a flourish.
The beautiful lady turned on the megaphone to play music and then spoke a long speech through it.
Then, Suneo jumped out of the car impatiently. With his chin held high, he strolled across the red carpet on the ground, casually greeting his classmates.
Lu Ming watched the scene and then looked at Lin Hua, who was snickering beside him. "What are you looking at, little Lu Ming? Isn't it just like I said? Making an entrance like this has real style."
"Too bad you didn't seize the opportunity yesterday. Your limbs were as stiff as a zombie's, not natural at all."
Lu Ming rolled his eyes as Lin Hua continued her non-stop chatter.
Gian, arriving at school, saw the crowd gathered at the gate again. He angrily assumed it was Lu Ming showing off once more.
He squeezed through the crowd aggressively, only to see the flashy Suneo. "Well, if it isn't Suneo! You actually dare to challenge my position as the King of the Kids."
Without another word, Gian walked into the school to wait for Suneo in the classroom.
Nobita also saw the triumphant Suneo. His face was full of envy as he imagined himself being the one walking on the red carpet.
When Shizuka arrived at school, she happened to see the large crowd again and thought Lu Ming was being teased by his sister once more.
But looking closer, the people in the crowd were actually Suneo and his mother.
Relieved that it wasn't Lu Ming, Shizuka happily entered the school.
After saying goodbye to Lin Hua, Lu Ming also went inside. Suneo, however, lingered at the gate for a long time and almost ended up being late!
As soon as Suneo reached the classroom, he was given a beating by Gian, who had been waiting for him.
The first period today was math. A math textbook lay in front of Lu Ming, but his mind was completely elsewhere.
He pretended to listen attentively, eyes fixed on the blackboard, but in reality, his thoughts had long since drifted away.
Occasionally, when he felt bored, he would turn his head to look at Shizuka sitting next to him.
Shizuka was a very quiet girl who always listened carefully and took notes.
Sometimes Lu Ming would help her solve difficult math problems. His clear and concise reasoning made Shizuka see him in a new light.
Meanwhile, Nobita, sitting in the back corner of the classroom, felt even more miserable seeing Shizuka's admiration for Lu Ming.
Throughout the day, Nobita seemed a bit listless. He would occasionally steal glances at Lu Ming and Shizuka, his heart filled with envy and jealousy.
While Lu Ming and Shizuka were studying together, they also got to know an all-around genius, Dekisugi.
Dekisugi not only had exceptional talent in mathematics but also excelled in various other subjects.
Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for PE class. The students filed out of the classroom and headed to the playground.
During PE, the teacher announced that today's task was to run three laps around the playground. For Lu Ming, this amount of exercise was nothing.
But for Nobita and Shizuka, who usually didn't like exercising, it was a bit of a struggle.
Before the first lap was even finished, Lu Ming saw that Shizuka was panting. Her forehead was covered in sweat, and her pace had slowed down.
Seeing this, Lu Ming intentionally slowed down to stay by her side and whispered, "Don't worry, Shizuka. Run slowly and adjust your breathing rhythm."
Shizuka hummed in response and nodded. Following Lu Ming's pace, she gradually adjusted her breathing and running posture.
By this time, Gian and Suneo were almost finished with their three laps, while Nobita was still at the very back of the pack.
After finishing the three laps, Lu Ming and the others cooled off under a large tree at the school.
Just then, a panting Nobita approached Lu Ming with a bottle of mineral water in his hand, forcing a somewhat stiff smile onto his face.
"Lu Ming! You've been running for so long, you must be thirsty! Here, have a bottle of water." Without waiting for a response, Nobita shoved the mineral water into Lu Ming's hand and ran off.
Lu Ming was stunned for a moment. Looking at the water Nobita had handed him, he felt a bit puzzled but didn't think much of it.
Just as Lu Ming was about to unscrew the cap, he saw Shizuka beside him. She was bent over with her hands on her knees, gasping for air, her lips looking a bit parched.
Seeing this, Lu Ming unscrewed the cap of the mineral water and held it out to Shizuka.
Shizuka looked up, her eyes full of gratitude as she saw the water Lu Ming was offering. "Thank you, Lu Ming!" With that, Shizuka took the water from his hand and took a large gulp.
Neither Lu Ming nor Shizuka noticed Nobita's face turning pale in the distance.
Nobita was about to rush over to stop Lu Ming, but he was grabbed by Gian, who had been hiding behind him.
"Nobita...! Where do you think you're going? Are you trying to avoid the two of us?" Gian said menacingly.
Suneo also stepped out from behind Gian. "That's right! Nobita, you must be hiding from us because of yesterday's baseball game."
Nobita wanted to say something, but it was too late. Shizuka had already taken the water from Lu Ming and swallowed a large mouthful.
"No... Don't drink it, Shizuka!" Nobita cried out in despair.
Nobita still wanted to rush over and stop her, but it was too late! Shizuka had already drunk the water.
Lu Ming noticed the commotion coming from Gian's group nearby and looked at them with a puzzled expression.
Held by Gian, Nobita stood there blankly, staring at the half-empty water bottle in Shizuka's hand.
Nobita's heart was filled with despair. He had put the annoyance potion in that water! He had originally wanted Lu Ming to drink it so that Shizuka would hate him.
But now... now Shizuka had drunk it instead.
Lu Ming looked at the despairing Nobita and sensed that something was wrong. He frowned as he watched him.
Lu Ming was about to walk over and ask Nobita what was wrong when Shizuka tugged on his sleeve.
Lu Ming turned to look at Shizuka in confusion. "What's wrong, Shizuka?"
"It's nothing, Lu Ming. I feel a bit better after drinking the water." She smiled at him and said gratefully, "Thank you so much for the water, Lu Ming!"
"It's nothing. Nobita gave me this bottle, but I saw you were really struggling, so I gave it to you." Lu Ming said with a smile.
"I see! It looks like I'll have to thank Nobita then!" Shizuka said.
But neither of them knew that the annoyance potion inside Shizuka had already begun to take effect.