Chapter 102: The Guest Steals the Show [Please Vote for Monthly Tickets!]

At noon, when classes let out, Zhang Wenhao and Su Ruoran went to the bicycle shed together. As usual, Zhang Wenhao rode Su Ruoran to the bus station. On the way out of the school gate, they happened to see Mo Sinan standing by the roadside, hailing a taxi. Su Ruoran was a little surprised and teased, “I never expected Mo Sinan not to drive his Ferrari to school. That really doesn’t seem like him at all.”

Zhang Wenhao smiled and said, “I’ve worn down his rear tires almost completely too. It probably isn’t so easy to find Ferrari-specific replacements in Jiangcheng.”

Seated on the back, Su Ruoran let out a soft laugh and wrapped her arms around Zhang Wenhao’s waist. “Since he’s gone to Class Twenty-One, you have to be careful from now on. Don’t get too close to him. Keep your distance. If he tries to cause trouble, just ignore him as much as possible.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded and said with a grin, “This guy wanted to win people over in class the moment he arrived. He’s even planning to treat the whole class to dinner at the Jiangcheng Grand Hotel tonight.”

“Really?” Su Ruoran frowned. “That does sound like something he’d do. Did your classmates agree?”

At that, Zhang Wenhao laughed. “They didn’t agree at first, but I talked everyone into it.”

“Why?” Su Ruoran asked, puzzled. “Aren’t you just giving Mo Sinan a chance to show off?”

Zhang Wenhao burst out laughing. “Mo Sinan thinks so. But tonight I’m going to show him what it means to turn the tables.”

Su Ruoran froze for a moment, then quickly understood. She gently patted Zhang Wenhao’s waist and said with a teasing smile, “Wenhao, you’re such a villain. All that effort, and it may all be for nothing. Mo Sinan is probably going to be miserable.”

Zhang Wenhao said, “His money tricks won’t work on the students of Class Twenty-One. First, we’re all grown; we’re not going to spend all day coveting other people’s things or other people’s money. Second, everyone is focused on studying now. The college entrance exam is only two months away. Who would care about his money? Even if he spends a lot, it won’t raise anyone’s exam scores. Besides, Jiangcheng isn’t Beijing. Most high school students here haven’t yet become obsessed with material things. Mo Sinan wants to buy people over with money, so naturally he won’t get much out of it.”

As he spoke, Zhang Wenhao chuckled a few times and asked, “Do you want to come with us tonight?”

Su Ruoran smiled. “There are fifty-one people in your class, and fifty of them are going because it’s a class gathering. Why would I tag along and make a nuisance of myself? You go ahead.”

At five-thirty in the evening, school resumed. Evening self-study began at seven and lasted until nine, but the break in between was too short. With so many people making the trip to the Jiangcheng Grand Hotel, a round trip would probably take more than half an hour. So Zhang Wenhao set the time for after nine o’clock.

Mo Sinan took this matter very seriously. It concerned his standing and authority in Class Twenty-One over the next two months, so he was determined to do it perfectly. As soon as classes were dismissed that afternoon, he personally hurried to the Jiangcheng Grand Hotel, booked the largest private room, and even had the staff replace the large table with five round tables for ten people each. The wine and dishes were prepared in advance as well.

Mo Sinan was excellent at using money to buy people’s goodwill. He understood very well how to spend the same amount of money for the greatest possible return. He had put a great deal of thought into this meal, waiting only for tonight’s dinner to secure himself a firm foothold in Class Twenty-One. Most importantly, he needed to win people over first. If one time was not enough, then twice, three times, ten times, until his prestige in Class Twenty-One would be unmatched and Zhang Wenhao would be gradually pushed to the margins of the class.

When school let out in the evening, the classmates came one after another, some by bicycle, some by taxi, a large crowd making its way to the Jiangcheng Grand Hotel. Mo Sinan had already been waiting at the door of the private room. Each time a few more people arrived, he would step forward and greet them warmly with polite small talk. His enthusiasm was very high, but the responses he got from his classmates were rather indifferent, as though his own eagerness far exceeded everyone else’s.

Mo Sinan had his own calculations. These people were still a little reserved now, but after a few good drinks, things ought to improve.

Then Zhang Wenhao and Li Nan arrived at the entrance to the private room. Mo Sinan stepped forward and said courteously, “Brother Wenhao, at last I’ve been waiting for you. It looks like everyone isn’t very lively yet. Tonight, I’m going to have to rely on you to really get everyone in the mood.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded and smiled. “Don’t worry. That’s exactly why I’m here.”

Then Zhang Wenhao patted Mo Sinan on the shoulder. “Could I trouble you to greet the classmates still coming in? I’m going inside to arrange the seating for everyone.”

Mo Sinan agreed out loud, but in his heart he was irritated. He thought, What the hell do you think you are, Zhang Wenhao? Why are you giving me orders? Just wait. I’ll put on a good show for you tonight, a solo performance of my own!

After waiting another ten minutes or so, the rest of the classmates arrived one after another. Aside from Mo Sinan, all fifty students from Class Twenty-One were present. Zhang Wenhao arranged the seating mainly to prevent everyone from sitting randomly and leaving a few girls unable to sit together. Otherwise, it would be awkward if one or two girls ended up surrounded by a group of boys.

Once the seats were arranged, Mo Sinan asked the waiter to add one more chair and sat down beside Zhang Wenhao. He had his reasons: the closer he sat to Zhang Wenhao, the more his own flamboyant display would dim the halo around Zhang Wenhao.

The hotel had already prepared the food and drink. Mo Sinan had even specially ordered ten bottles of red wine, each priced at more than five thousand yuan. If he were hosting in Beijing, he would certainly have regarded bottles of Lafite worth over ten thousand yuan as the only choice. But in Jiangcheng, he instinctively looked down on this second-tier city and so unconsciously lowered the standard a little.

The cold dishes were already served, and the waiter had filled everyone’s glasses. Mo Sinan stood up with a smile, tapped the wine glass in his hand with his chopsticks, and said, “Thank you all for coming. I’m new here and will still need everyone’s help in the future. This dinner is just a small token of my regard, so please eat and drink to your heart’s content tonight.”

The crowd’s response was rather lukewarm. They gave a brief response and nothing more, which left Mo Sinan feeling somewhat depressed.

At that moment, Li Nan called out, “Wenhao, this is our first class reunion in Twenty-One. As class monitor, you should say a few words to everyone, no matter what.”

As soon as Li Nan said that, the students at the five tables immediately began to shout in agreement. Zhang Wenhao held an irreplaceable place in their hearts, and just as Li Nan said, this was also the first time the students of Class Twenty-One had gathered for a meal. If Zhang Wenhao did not stand up and say something, they would absolutely not agree.

Zhang Wenhao smiled faintly and stood up. “You’ve all been in Class Twenty-One for some time now. During all this time, we’ve gone through many things together. The stability and unity of Class Twenty-One today could not have happened without the help and effort of everyone here. So here, I’d like to drink to all of you and thank each and every one of you. Without you, there would be no Class Twenty-One as it is now!”

“Good!”

Everyone cheered. All at once, they stood up with their glasses in hand. Zhang Wenhao also raised his glass and loudly said, “Class Twenty-One! Bottoms up!”

In unison, everyone shouted, “Class Twenty-One!” Then came the crisp, ringing sound of glasses clinking. The room filled with excited voices as everyone drank the first toast, while Mo Sinan stood there holding his glass, stunned and bewildered.

What was going on? Wasn’t he supposed to be the one to give the first toast? Hadn’t he already stood up beforehand and raised his glass? How had the leading role suddenly become Zhang Wenhao’s? And what was all this shouting about Class Twenty-One? What did that have to do with him? Shouldn’t they be raising their glasses and shouting his name, thanking him for this lavish banquet?

As he watched everyone around him finish the first drink, Mo Sinan found himself standing there with a glass in hand, not knowing how to save face. After a long moment of dazed silence, Zhang Wenhao looked at him in surprise and asked, “Classmate Mo Sinan, what’s wrong? Everyone has finished theirs. Why aren’t you drinking?”

Before Mo Sinan could react, Zhang Wenhao had the waiter pour him another glass of wine. He lifted it and clinked it against Mo Sinan’s glass, then raised his own and said with a light smile, “To Class Twenty-One!”

After saying that, Zhang Wenhao tipped his head back and drained the glass. Only then did Mo Sinan realize that Zhang Wenhao had unknowingly turned the tables on him. He had hosted this meal in order to draw closer to these people, but instead he had ended up making a wedding robe for someone else. With just a few words, Zhang Wenhao had turned what was supposed to be his own main stage into a class reunion. Now there were fifty protagonists in this private room and one supporting character. That supporting character was him.

Damn it!

Mo Sinan hated it so much he nearly ground his teeth to dust, but Zhang Wenhao had already emptied his glass. With so many people watching, if he did not drink this cup, he would probably become public enemy number one. Furious as he was, he could only force a warm smile, nod, and say, “To Class Twenty-One,” before swallowing the red wine as if choking back tears.

Deep down, he was shouting in rage: To Class Twenty-One? To hell with Class Twenty-One! I spent tens of thousands tonight. Did I come here to chant slogans with you?

At that moment, someone else spoke up. “Class monitor, the college entrance exam is almost here. Say something to encourage everyone. Right now, everyone is looking to you. Under your influence, we’ve all started pushing ourselves.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded, smiled slightly, and had the waiter pour him more wine. Then he said, “Then for the second toast tonight, let us thank everyone for the effort you’ve put in during this period. Even though our class is still at the bottom of the year on this mock exam, every single one of the fifty students has improved compared with the last exam. Even if some of you improved only by a few points, that still came from everyone’s hard work. There are still two months left, the final two months. I hope everyone can hold on until the very end and not relax for even a moment. For your own future, give these last two months everything you have!”

“Good!”

The whole class stood up again. Zhang Wenhao always seemed able to inspire them tremendously with just a few words. Whether it had been back then, when he stood on the podium and addressed the teachers and students of the entire school, or when he rallied everyone to defend the interests of Class Twenty-One, or now, his words had already reached the point of near blind faith among the class.

Mo Sinan had not experienced the many trials and hardships Class Twenty-One had gone through. He also did not know that these students had once lost their dignity because they were assigned to Class Twenty-One, only to win that dignity back again because they were in Class Twenty-One. During this time, they had come to correct their attitudes and truly understand the duties of a student. All of this was thanks to Zhang Wenhao.

So to say that Zhang Wenhao was the soul of Class Twenty-One was not the slightest exaggeration. It was completely justified.

Mo Sinan was truly depressed now. As the meal went on, he had become an outsider instead. That left him extremely unbalanced. After everyone finished the second toast, he said, “Everyone, tonight just eat and drink as much as you like. Order whatever you want. As long as they have it here, feel free to order it. Don’t be polite. It started a little late tonight, so on Friday I’ll treat everyone to a real blast of fun at the best club in Jiangcheng!”

Li Nan laughed. “If this were before, I wouldn’t need you to treat me. I’d be out every weekend anyway. But now time is precious. We can’t afford to waste it.”

What Li Nan said was the voice of everyone else’s heart. Because they had all been poor students before, almost every one of them loved to have fun, and most of them played pretty wildly. They had basically tried everything they could and had had their fill of it. Now they were starting to buckle down, and those amusements no longer held much appeal.

A classmate glanced at Mo Sinan and instinctively assumed this guy was also a poor student, so he said, “There isn’t much time left. From now on, let’s just focus on studying honestly. If you want to play, you can wait until after the college entrance exam.”

Mo Sinan looked a little embarrassed, but inwardly he was cursing. Who the hell do you think you are, lecturing me like this? Do I need your damn education?

At that moment, Zhang Wenhao lifted his glass again. “For the third toast, I wish everyone the best of luck in the college entrance exam. May you all achieve results that satisfy yourselves. After the exam, when everyone gathers again to drink together, I hope each of you can smile with no regrets and no lingering disappointment.”

With every toast, there was meaning. Zhang Wenhao’s third toast made a faint sadness rise in everyone’s hearts. Thinking of how, two months from now, they would each go their separate ways, an intense reluctance to part suddenly took root in them. All of them had been looked down upon throughout most of their three years in high school. They had long hoped that this hellish school life would end as soon as possible. Yet in this final semester, in Class Twenty-One, they had finally come to understand the preciousness and beauty of high school life.

Everyone rose again. This time, they did not merely clink glasses with the classmates at their own tables; some even walked over on their own to the neighboring tables and toasted the others. And Zhang Wenhao, as class monitor and the soul of the class, was greeted by everyone who came forward to clink glasses with him. The emotion in their eyes was genuine, beyond any trace of falsehood.

A chill ran through Mo Sinan’s heart. At last he understood what kind of unassailable place Zhang Wenhao held in these people’s hearts. Judging from their fervor, they practically regarded him as the leader of Class Twenty-One.

At the same time, he also understood that today he had completely and thoroughly demonstrated what it meant to labor in vain, while Zhang Wenhao had perfectly embodied the meaning of stealing the thunder from the host.

He had originally wanted to spend big and make these students revere him, but instead he ended up making wedding clothes for another man. With a few rounds of words, Zhang Wenhao had turned his own stage into a class gathering. Not only did he place himself on an extremely awkward and marginal position, he also greatly deepened the bond between the other forty-nine people and Zhang Wenhao. What a deal that was. He had lost so badly it was ridiculous.