A Little Trick, the Scumbag Dad Can’t Hold the Knife After Understanding Love

That was even more unbelievable.

"Haji Xiang, you, with those thick eyebrows and big eyes, actually know the escape route from school?"

"Coming?"

Seeing Ji Nian still hesitating, Lu Jinghuai tilted his head slightly to ask.

But the grip on her wrist tightened even more.

The distant yet clear sound of the school bell drifted over, and Ji Nian thought it was already too late to refuse.

After all, the only reason she came to class was to keep herself occupied. She just never expected the young royal heir to be so bold—skipping class and taking her along.

In the end, Ji Nian nodded.

Lu Jinghuai tried to pull her up, but Ji Nian brushed his hand aside, planted her palms on the desk, and vaulted onto it in one fluid motion. Her wall-climbing technique was clean and graceful.

As her hair fluttered against his face, Lu Jinghuai froze for a moment. He almost reached out to catch it but let the wavy strands fall back instead.

After completing her move, Ji Nian glanced sideways at Lu Jinghuai, her eyes seeming to say, "Bet I'm better than you." But when she turned back, she noticed he seemed lost in thought.

Holding onto the wall with one hand to steady herself, she waved the other in front of his face and even brushed away a sneaky branch of purple bauhinia flowers drifting toward him.

"What's wrong?"

Lu Jinghuai snapped out of it, his gaze tracing her sunlit bright eyes and wind-tousled hair before shaking his head. "Just thinking... you're amazing."

Ji Nian humbly replied, "Not really. In my family, my skills don’t even rank."

At the base of the wall was a broken crate, clearly placed there by someone to make scaling the wall easier.

Looking at her grimy hands, Ji Nian realized she’d forgotten tissues—only for a lightly scented wet wipe to land in her palm the next second.

"Thanks."

Ji Nian wiped off the dust from climbing and thanked Lu Jinghuai.

They landed on an untended flower bed, where the plants had long died, leaving only weeds thriving.

As they stepped off, a car rolled up and stopped right in front of them.

Without hesitation, Lu Jinghuai opened the door.

Realizing he’d arranged this, Ji Nian thought, The young royal heir really planned ahead.

A warmth spread in her chest. He’s such a good kid.

The entire ride, Ji Nian never asked where Lu Jinghuai was taking her.

To her, anywhere was fine. She even took the time to text Shen Qingtang to reassure them and reorganize the timeline of the poisoned drug case.

After her talk with Ji Tingzhou, his words had sparked an idea—she shifted her focus to the family of the deceased, Wang Zhiping. But investigations revealed he’d used a fake identity, with no DNA matches or leads.

Despite the long investigation, progress was stagnant. Chen Mo’s poison samples had arrived two days ago, but every time Ji Nian stood in the lab, she couldn’t concentrate.

She’d been through this before—back when Algernon died in the fire, her hands would shake during experiments. It took ages to recover.

Maybe because her mood was already low, Ji Nian grew restless.

Just then, they arrived.

Stepping out, Ji Nian followed Lu Jinghuai inside and looked up at the massive venue. Rows of sleek, miniature roofless Ferraris—karts—were parked at the starting line. It dawned on her: the young royal heir had brought her go-karting.

The guide smiled. "Young Master Lu arranged for the track to be cleared in advance."

"We’ve also prepared pastries and tea. Would you like some?"

Lu Jinghuai shook his head. "No need."

He’d intended for Ji Nian to rest, but her eyes lit up at the karts. She even started picking one out.

"There’s a tandem one! I’ve never driven this before—can you take me, young royal heir?"

Each kart had unique, meticulously designed paint jobs, far from the generic rental ones. These looked like Lu Jinghuai’s personal collection.

Nodding at the guide, Lu Jinghuai joined her. He glanced at her chosen kart and agreed, "Sure."

That was the plan anyway.

"Let’s change first, okay?"

His voice softened as he watched her curious expression.

Ji Nian nodded, and they were led to changing rooms where prepped gear awaited.

She expected mismatched outfits, but stepping out, she found Lu Jinghuai in an identical red racing suit and black graffiti helmet—only the size differed.

Noticing her studying him, Lu Jinghuai spun around, helmet in hand.

"Does it look odd?"

Ji Nian shook her head. "No, it’s great. Red suits you."

Usually clad in school uniforms or muted casual wear, Lu Jinghuai now looked striking in bold red. His tied-back hair and slightly pushed-up bangs revealed an earring she’d never noticed before.

Once seated, Lu Jinghuai—clearly experienced—fastened her helmet and explained the controls without staff assistance.

"Left foot brakes, right foot accelerates. But your accelerator’s dummy—only the brake works here."

Ji Nian tested the pedals, then nudged the wheel. Amusingly, hers and Lu Jinghuai’s turned in sync.

"Does the wheel obey whoever’s stronger?"

He chuckled but didn’t correct her.

As the engine roared, Ji Nian suddenly asked, "Are minors even allowed to drive?"

The lurch of acceleration threw her back. Wind whipped past as Lu Jinghuai’s calm voice reached her:

"Yes."

"Because this is a baby car."

Ji Nian’s yelp morphed into laughter mid-turn.

By the end, her legs trembled, but exhilaration glowed on her face. Rarely one for thrills, she found the rush oddly cathartic.

The seemingly delicate young royal heir drove like a demon—drifting effortlessly, even teaching Ji Nian.

Bold ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‍pupil and daring teacher, she soon took the wheel herself, speeding wildly with Lu Jinghuai as passenger.

Lap after lap, adrenaline surged. For someone who hated exercise, chasing the wind like this was unexpectedly addictive.

"Here."

Lu Jinghuai handed Ji Nian a bottle of water and sat down beside her.

"Thanks."

The two of them sat in the rest area outside the track, gazing at the now-quiet circuit.

"Feeling any better now?"

Ji Nian paused mid-sip and turned her head to look at Lu Jinghuai.

The scorching heat of the day, combined with the open-air venue and lack of air conditioning, had left them both drenched in sweat.

Lu Jinghuai was no exception—his damp bangs were pushed back, revealing his full forehead, and his pale golden lashes were glistening with moisture.

The zipper of his racing suit was undone, half-slipped off to expose the white T-shirt underneath. The usual saintly aura around him had faded, replaced by something more human, more real.

Ji Nian thought to herself—this was probably Lu Jinghuai’s true self in private. After all, that image of an untouchable, angelic figure had been imposed on him solely because of his looks.

"I do feel much better," she replied casually.

She expected him to drop the subject, but instead, he surprised her by bringing up something personal.

"When I was five, I had a pet turtle."