[ hong lu beams. and then goes crestfallen. because he'd thought he was being praised??? ]

Oh, I wasn't being praised? Third degree sounds better than fourth or fifth degree, though. It's better if it's a smaller number, right?

[ the household tutors were always happy when hong lu scored in the top percentages - so this meant that they weren't happy very often. hong lu obediently takes another sip of his water. the damaged skin will need to be removed. it won't be pleasant. hong lu's never had his skin removed, though. it sounds like fun. ]

Hm~ Will it be a surprise?