Chapter Eighteen: Making a Grand Entrance

Zhang Wenhao spent most of his weekend practicing flexibility and agility. By Monday morning, during the long break between classes, he was chatting with Li Nan and others in a corner of the playground when he noticed Chen Chong and Zheng Xiaohe standing not far away, whispering to each other while casting glances in his direction.

Seeing the smug satisfaction on Chen Chong’s face, Zhang Wenhao thought to himself that he had to find a chance to settle the score with the two of them. He quickly deduced that Chen Chong had sent Feilong to ambush him because he’d been spending too much time with Su Ruoran recently. A plan began to take shape in his mind.

He waited until after school in the afternoon, when most students rushed to the cafeteria for dinner, Su Ruoran among them.

The cafeteria buzzed with noise. Su Ruoran was sitting at a table in the corner, eating quietly. Zhang Wenhao picked up his meal from the counter, and as he turned, he spotted Chen Chong a few windows away, also carrying his food and heading straight toward Su Ruoran.

Zhang Wenhao hurried his pace, overtook Chen Chong, and went directly to Su Ruoran. Under Chen Chong’s astonished gaze, he sat down opposite her.

Su Ruoran looked up, saw that it was Zhang Wenhao, and smiled slightly. “How was your weekend?” she asked.

Zhang Wenhao grinned. “I spent the whole weekend cramming English. Looks like your promise will be fulfilled soon.”

“Really?” Su Ruoran laughed. “You’re that confident?”

“Absolutely,” Zhang Wenhao replied. “I’m certain I’ll score over 110 on the next mock exam.”

Su Ruoran studied him for a moment, then suddenly asked in English, “What do you think of the cafeteria food today?”

Zhang Wenhao curled his lip and answered fluently in English, “I haven’t eaten yet, so how would I know? But I never have high hopes for cafeteria food.”

Su Ruoran was silent for a moment, then shook her head with a sigh. “It seems I really will have to keep my promise. Your learning speed is astonishing.”

Zhang Wenhao gave an awkward laugh. “Can we talk about something other than studying? It feels like that’s all we ever discuss.”

“That’s not true,” Su Ruoran smiled gently. “It’s just that, for us right now, studying is the most important thing.”

Zhang Wenhao nodded. “By the way, when we were in Class Three, I noticed you liked reading novels during your free time?”

Su Ruoran smiled. “Yes, if I spent all my free time studying, I’d be exhausted. I like fiction—either light and funny or thrilling and suspenseful.”

Zhang Wenhao couldn’t help but sigh. “You get such good grades just by paying attention in class. Can you teach me how you do it?”

Su Ruoran lowered her head and smiled. “Well, just focus on what the teacher says. If you really understand the lesson, you won’t need to waste time outside class reviewing, doing extra homework, or attending cram school. Learning isn’t as complicated as you think.”

A wave of inferiority swept over Zhang Wenhao. Without his photographic memory and the five-point boost to his intelligence, his grades would never have improved so much. Yet Su Ruoran reached the top so effortlessly. This girl was truly exceptional.

As they chatted and laughed, Chen Chong watched them coldly from a distance, seething with rage.

He dumped his untouched meal into the trash. The only reason he came to this cheap cafeteria was to get closer to Su Ruoran, and yet Zhang Wenhao had beaten him to it!

What infuriated him more was that Su Ruoran had never smiled or joked so casually with him. In fact, they’d barely exchanged a few words before. Yet now she was chatting so animatedly with Zhang Wenhao.

Worse still, he had already arranged for Zheng Xiaohe to have Feilong teach Zhang Wenhao a lesson. He’d watched from the shadows as Zhang Wenhao was beaten, and Feilong had warned Zhang Wenhao to stay away from Su Ruoran. Yet here was Zhang Wenhao, brazenly sitting across from her in front of everyone, chatting away as if nothing happened!

It was infuriating!

Chen Chong stormed out of the cafeteria. The first thing he did was pull out his phone and call Zheng Xiaohe.

Zheng Xiaohe, who was home for dinner, picked up before he could say a word. Chen Chong’s angry shout came over the line, “Damn it, Xiaohe, call Feilong again and tell him to give Zhang Wenhao another good beating tonight!”

“What happened?” Zheng Xiaohe asked quickly. “What did that kid do now to piss you off?”

Chen Chong cursed, “Damn it, I thought after last time he’d have some sense, but that bastard still dares to pester Su Ruoran!”

Zheng Xiaohe immediately understood. “Don’t worry, bro, I’ll handle it. I’ll call Feilong right away and have him bring some guys tonight.”

“And this time,” Chen Chong growled, “tell Feilong to really go hard—break his arms and legs if he has to. If anything happens, I’ll take the blame!”

“Got it!” Zheng Xiaohe hung up and immediately dialed Feilong, not knowing that Feilong was currently lying face-down in a hospital bed. His backside, beaten raw by Zhang Wenhao, would take at least a week to heal. He couldn’t even move and needed his wounds dressed several times a day, so he’d simply decided to stay in the hospital.

Hearing that Zheng Xiaohe wanted him to beat up Zhang Wenhao again, Feilong’s wounds seemed to burn anew. Remembering Zhang Wenhao’s ferocity and ruthlessness that night, Feilong shuddered.

“Are you kidding? You want me to mess with that maniac again?” Feilong thought. “No way. I’m not going near that psycho again. You and Chen Chong have money and influence—I was hoping you’d help me get revenge, not the other way around.”

So Feilong said, “Xiaohe, I’ll be honest with you. Zhang Wenhao may look mild-mannered, but he’s got guts. I can’t handle him. You’d better find some real tough guys, bring some weapons, and cripple him for good. Otherwise, he won’t be intimidated.”

Zheng Xiaohe blurted out, “Feilong, cut the crap. Just tell me how much you want this time.”

“It’s not about money,” Feilong retorted. “I’m not the solution here. You need someone meaner—get it done once and for all.”

“Fuck!” Zheng Xiaohe realized Feilong was refusing, cursed him, and spat, “Guess I was blind to think of you as a friend.”

Zheng Xiaohe was fuming. Feilong was the only thug he knew, and if Feilong refused, he had no one else to help Chen Chong with this.

With Chen Chong still waiting at school for an update, Zheng Xiaohe could only call back and relay Feilong’s words verbatim. Upon hearing this, Chen Chong was furious. “Fine! I’ll handle it myself!” he snapped, and hung up abruptly.