Just then, the bell rang for class. Su Qing said, “I’m going to the classroom first. Remember to treat me to dinner after school!”
With that, Su Qing ran off ahead.
“What do you think?” Xu Dong said from the side. “You couldn’t have let her wipe all those snotty noses for nothing. You’re right next door, brother. You have the advantage.”
Lin Fan rolled his eyes. “What are you even thinking? I’m not interested in her like that.”
Even though Su Qing was beautiful now, Lin Fan still couldn’t erase the image of her former snot-nosed self from his mind.
Xu Dong continued talking as he followed Lin Fan.
Lin Fan couldn’t be bothered to answer him.
Time flew by, and before long, it was time to leave school.
When the dismissal bell rang, Wang Zhengwei appeared at the classroom door once again. This time, however, he no longer wore a fierce expression. Instead, he walked in with a broad smile. “Brother Lin Fan, they say you don’t truly know someone until you’ve fought them.”
Wang Zhengwei entered the classroom with a smile and came to Lin Fan’s desk. “If you’d told me earlier that you and Su Qing were so close, none of this would have happened. Let me buy you a drink tonight to apologize.”
Wang Zhengwei had no real interest in buying Lin Fan a drink as an apology. He had simply heard that Su Qing planned to have Lin Fan treat her to dinner that evening.
That made Wang Zhengwei so jealous his teeth ached. He was not bad-looking, and his family had both money and connections.
Yet Su Qing could barely be bothered to say more than a few words to him. More importantly, he was not the only one pursuing Su Qing. A whole group of wealthy young heirs with even more powerful connections and wider networks were after her as well.
Now that he had discovered this new opening in Lin Fan, it was a shortcut!
Lin Fan frowned. “Forget the drink. Do you want to spend a few days in the hospital too?”
Wang Zhengwei’s expression immediately darkened. He asked coldly, “What do you mean by that?”
“Did that fat guy who got alcohol poisoning get out yet?” Lin Fan said with a smile. “People like you should stay away from Su Qing. Don’t get any funny ideas. That’s all I have to say. Dong, let’s go.”
The surrounding students were all somewhat stunned by Lin Fan’s words.
Wang Zhengwei had come to Lin Fan and spoken so politely in the first place, already giving him plenty of room to save face.
Yet no one had expected Lin Fan to be so ungrateful that he would actually say something like that.
“Is this guy that arrogant just because he’s latched onto Su Qing?”
“Su Qing really does have connections. There are countless wealthy young heirs pursuing her who are stronger than Wang Zhengwei. But what does that have to do with Lin Fan?”
“Wang Zhengwei definitely won’t let this go now.”
The students watched Lin Fan and Xu Dong leave the classroom, then turned their gazes toward Wang Zhengwei, whose face had turned the color of liver.
Although Wang Zhengwei could not compare with Qing City’s top young heirs, his family still had powerful connections. When had he ever been humiliated like this?
Qing City was a small place. Even if he had offended one of those top young heirs, and gone to their door to say something like that, they would probably have shown him some consideration.
Wang Zhengwei clenched his fists. “Lin Fan, you really don’t know when you’re being given a way out! Just you wait!”
As he walked beside Lin Fan, Xu Dong said, “Brother Fan, by refusing to give Wang Zhengwei any face, you’ve probably made a big problem for yourself.”
Lin Fan asked, “If I hadn’t done that, would the problem have been any smaller?”
There were only two school beauties at their school, and the scene that morning of Su Qing walking arm in arm with him had already spread everywhere. As he walked down the road, countless students looked at him with such hostility that they seemed ready to tear him apart.
“True.” Xu Dong helplessly rubbed his forehead.
By the time they reached the school gate, it was already somewhat crowded. Who knew how many boys were standing there?
Lin Fan and Xu Dong went over to take a look. The group had formed a circle around Su Qing at the entrance, watching her.
Even in her school uniform, Su Qing was beyond the comparison of ordinary girls. Her hair fell loose around her shoulders as she stood with her head lowered, playing on her phone.
“Hey.” Lin Fan called out.
Su Qing looked up. “You’re out? Wang Zhengwei didn’t give you any trouble, did he? I just heard that he went to your classroom.”
Lin Fan shook his head. “Looks like you have quite a lot of influence. He even came over specially to make peace with me.”
“Of course I do. Come on, hurry up and take me to dinner.” Su Qing smiled.
The surrounding boys wished they could charge over and stab Lin Fan a few times. If murder were not against the law, Lin Fan probably would have died countless times by now.
Who knew how many of the school’s top wealthy heirs had wanted to take Su Qing out to dinner, yet not one of them had succeeded?
And now Su Qing had actually asked Lin Fan to take her out.
The three of them headed toward a food street near the school.
After they left, seven or eight muscular men in black T-shirts appeared in a shadowy alley.
Every one of them was broad and heavily built, with thick features and shaved heads. At a glance, they were clearly not men to be trifled with.
Wang Zhengwei stood in front of them and said, “See that person? Help me deal with him. This two hundred thousand is yours.”
With that, Wang Zhengwei handed a card to the leader.
The bald leader had several knife scars across his face. He grinned and said, “Piece of cake.”
After saying that, he led his men after them. This bald man was no ordinary street thug. His name was Chi Zhouxiong.
He was one of the most notorious thugs in the area around Qing City, and he had dealt with students on Wang Zhengwei’s behalf more times than he could count.
“Lin Fan, what have you been doing this past year?” Su Qing asked as she walked ahead, two skewers in her hand.
Lin Fan said, “Learning how to catch monsters.”
Su Qing rolled her eyes. “Stop talking nonsense. I’m asking you seriously.”
Walking behind them, Xu Dong watched Su Qing and Lin Fan chatting nonstop and felt indescribably envious.
Although he and Su Qing had been classmates in middle school, Xu Dong had always loved being around beautiful girls. Back then, he had not even bothered talking to a snot-nosed girl like Su Qing.
Who could have known that she would undergo such a dramatic transformation? He walked behind them with regret written all over his face.
Lin Fan suddenly knitted his brows. He sensed something wrong and looked back, seeing seven people quickly approaching him.
“I have something to take care of. Wait here for me.”
With that, Lin Fan turned around and walked into an empty alley.
One of the men beside Chi Zhouxiong asked, “Boss, what do we do?”
“What a stupid question. Chase him,” Chi Zhouxiong said.
“Then what about the girl and the other guy?”
Chi Zhouxiong cursed. “Don’t lay a finger on that girl. If even one hair on her head is missing, we’ll all be in deep trouble. Just deal with that guy named Lin Fan.”
Chi Zhouxiong had been active in this area for years, so he knew how many wealthy young heirs wanted to pursue Su Qing. Some of them had even given him private warnings to keep an eye on her. If anything happened to Su Qing, he would be in serious trouble.
As for that Lin Fan…
Chi Zhouxiong sneered, and the seven men followed Lin Fan into the alley.
Hardly anyone ever passed through this alley, and a sour, foul smell hung in the air. Chi Zhouxiong had assumed that Lin Fan had noticed them and fled in fear.
He had not expected Lin Fan to be standing there calmly with his hands in his pockets, as if he had been waiting for them.