Two days later, the second round of tests at St. Silan Academy arrived.
The first rays of morning sunlight slanted through the glass door of the convenience store, cutting the diamond patterns into flowing gold foil.
Sheng Ran pushed open the glass door of the convenience store, his slightly messy golden curls catching the light, a freshly heated teriyaki chicken sandwich clamped between his teeth.
He had been racing until three in the morning last night, and now he was still carrying a bit of grogginess and morning grumpiness.
As the sunlight shone directly on him, the young man instinctively narrowed his hazy blue eyes, a few unruly strands of hair falling against his cold, pale neck.
He lazily made his way toward the parking lot, then—
Froze in place.
His beloved motorcycle—that modified dark-themed Kawasaki H2.
Was currently surrounded by three burly men wearing Peppa Pig masks.
What the hell?!
The leader of the group was using chalk to draw Peppa Pig on the motorcycle’s fuel tank. Seeing Sheng Ran approach, he enthusiastically waved:
“Hey, buddy! Mind if we borrow your bike to shoot a video?”
“Borrow my ass!”
Sheng Ran charged forward, ready to fight, but another man suddenly raised his phone:
“Look, everyone! This is today’s lucky audience member!”
The live stream chat had already descended into chaos:
[What the hell, is that the face under the Peppa Pig mask?!]
[Mixed-race! And curly hair! What a magnificent face, I’d recognize it in a second!]
[Let’s keep things separate…]
[Can’t talk about it, can’t afford it…]
[This is what us strong women should be watching!]
Meanwhile, one of the men had already straddled the bike, while the other two faced the phone’s live stream:
“Hey, folks! Today we’re bringing you some street art!”
Sheng Ran narrowed his hazy blue eyes, swallowing the last few bites of his sandwich in two or three gulps. “You motherf—”
Ding-dong! A donation sound effect suddenly rang out in the live stream.
[User “Meow Meow Fist” donated a rocket x1]
The man sitting on the bike immediately perked up: “Thanks, buddy! We’ll perform a ‘Motorcycle Disappearing Act’ for everyone right now!”
Sheng Ran instinctively reached for his pocket—the motorcycle key was gone.
“Looking for this?”
The man standing beside the bike shook the key in his hand, his voice muffled under the mask.
“Swiped it from your pocket while you were buying the sandwich.”
Amid the roar of the engine, the motorcycle sped off, carrying the three Peppa Pig-masked men.
Even more absurdly, they had unfurled a small banner, with crooked handwriting that read:
“Good luck on your exam! ^＿^”
Sheng Ran: “…”
A moment later, Sheng Ran pulled out his phone with a dark expression and dialed Chen Yang’s number: “Come pick me up at my apartment.”
Ten minutes later, Chen Yang roared up on his flashy fluorescent orange motorcycle, two black helmets hanging from the back seat.
“Ran-ge!”
Chen Yang tossed a helmet over, grinning carelessly. “What’s going on? Where’s your bike?”
Sheng Ran coldly swung his leg over the back seat. “Got hijacked by the Peppa Pig family.”
Chen Yang: “…?”
He gave Sheng Ran a suspicious look, muttering under his breath, “Ran-ge, did you take something last night?”
Sheng Ran responded by slapping the back of his head. “Drive.”
As the throttle twisted, the tires screeched against the pavement, kicking up a few dried leaves.
But just as the two of them were halfway there, a black Land Rover suddenly swerved to block their path.
The car doors swung open, and four men in black jumped out, all wearing sunglasses and moving with the synchronized precision of a special forces unit.
“Young Master Sheng, please step off the bike,” the leader of the men in black said, his voice cold and rigid.Sheng Ran narrowed his eyes. “Who sent you? Is Peppa Pig working with you too?”
The lead black-clad man looked up and gave the young master of the Sheng family a strange glance.
He hadn’t heard that the Sheng family’s young master had any mental issues…
But he never answered, merely extending a hand in a gesture of “please.”
Sheng Ran sneered, directly removing his helmet to use as a weapon, swinging it in a sweeping strike toward the nearest person.
The black-clad man sidestepped to avoid it, countering with a grappling move. Sheng Ran spun with the momentum, the hem of his dark green uniform fluttering sharply, his movements crisp and clean.
Chen Yang watched from the side, dumbfounded. Before he could react, two other black-clad men pinned him against the motorcycle.
Ow ow ow! Brother Ran, save me! It hurts, it hurts! They’re twisting my arm!
Chen Yang wailed at the top of his lungs, “Take it easy, take it easy! I’ll give you the bike, alright, bro!”
Sheng Ran had just taken down one of the black-clad men when he turned and saw Chen Yang being pressed down, grimacing in pain.
…Sheng Ran frowned impatiently and stopped moving.
Seeing this, the black-clad men released Chen Yang and said politely, “Thank you for your cooperation.”
With that, they swiftly mounted Chen Yang’s motorcycle and sped away.
Chen Yang rubbed his shoulder, on the verge of tears. “My baby! Brother Ran, what the hell kind of gods were they?”
Sheng Ran stared at the receding taillights of the motorcycle and suddenly let out a cold laugh.
In the end, Sheng Ran and Chen Yang had no choice but to walk to school on foot.
By the time they finally reached the school gate, the exam had already started twenty minutes ago.
Along the way, Chen Yang kept chattering beside him, “Brother Ran, who do you think is behind this?”
Sheng Ran ignored him and walked straight ahead…
Who the hell knows who’s behind it!
The moment the two pushed open the exam hall door, the entire classroom fell silent.
The young man stood at the entrance, his golden curls slightly disheveled from the hurried walk, a trace of lingering hostility still lingering at the corner of his mouth.
Sheng Ran strode back to his seat with long steps, a few strands of hair falling before his brow, making his haze-blue eyes appear even colder.
Just as he pulled out his chair, a sharp glare shot over from the diagonal front—
Jing Nian’an had just figured out her approach to the problem when she was interrupted. She immediately turned her head, almond-shaped eyes narrowing as she glared at him, thinking she looked fierce.
Sheng Ran was taken aback for a moment, then raised an eyebrow.
Seeing him unmoved, Jing Nian’an grew even angrier, puffing out her cheeks as she turned back around.
She gripped her pen and slashed two harsh lines on the exam paper, as if the paper were Sheng Ran’s face.
Sheng Ran leaned back in his chair, resting his chin on his knuckles as he watched her.
From this angle, he could see the tense lines of the girl’s profile, deep in thought.
How strange.
The young man pressed his tongue against the inside of his left cheek.
The restlessness that had been swirling since he woke up suddenly deflated like a punctured balloon, letting out a soft “poof.”