Chapter Nine: Enmity Forged Over Lunch (Part Two)

As soon as we sat down, Zhang Li leaned in with a serious look and said, "Xiao Qiang, that Xia Jianren is not someone you want to mess with. I’ve heard about him. His father is the chairman of Xiawang Construction in C City, and his uncle—well, even more impressive—he’s the mayor of C City. You really don’t want to cross someone like that; it would just bring trouble."

"What? Xia Jianren has such a powerful background?" Wang Lili exclaimed, astonished. She patted her chest, visibly relieved that nothing worse had happened. "He’s just a typical rich kid, Xiao Qiang. You really shouldn’t try to go up against him."

"Hmph, so what? Just because he’s a rich kid he thinks he’s untouchable? Just because he’s the mayor’s nephew, no one can touch him? I, Xiao Qiang, don’t buy it! If he dares to provoke me, I don’t care if his father is the king of the world, I won’t be afraid!" Even though Xia Jianren’s background startled me, who was I? I had been reborn! Still, it made me truly start to consider how I might become stronger myself. Only by becoming powerful could I fear no one.

"Xiao Qiang is right," Su Xin chimed in supportively. "No matter who it is, there’s nothing to be afraid of. As long as you stand tall and walk the right path, you don’t need to worry about others’ schemes or tricks."

"That’s all well and good, but the world isn’t so fair, is it? Just be careful, Xiao Qiang." Zhang Li patted my shoulder and fell silent, likely knowing that if we kept talking about this, it would ruin everyone’s mood before we’d even started eating.

"Alright, let’s not talk about these unpleasant things anymore. By the way, Zhang Li, don’t tell me you just met Wang Lili today?" I glanced at the two of them with a teasing smile. "Wang Lili, Zhang Li has called me ‘Big Brother Qiang’ since we were kids. How about it? Would it be too much if you became my little sister?"

My words made Wang Lili blush. She wasn’t exactly beautiful, but she was definitely above average. Sitting next to Su Xin, though, she looked more like a supporting character. Still, her shy, flushed expression was quite charming.

"What, ‘Big Brother Qiang’? That was just when we were kids and didn’t know any better! Lili, don’t listen to him. If anything, you should be his big sister!" Zhang Li blurted out, but then realized his mistake—if she were my big sister, wouldn’t that imply something was going on between him and Wang Lili?

Su Xin giggled, "Oh, you two… Innocent or not, it seems like things between Lili and Zhang Li aren’t so simple."

"Ahem, where are you all taking this conversation? Lili’s father and mine are good friends. We’ve known each other since we were little. My family just moved back to C City, and we’re neighbors now, so her father asked me to look out for her."

"Oh! Childhood sweethearts, then? That’s even rarer. Zhang Li, you’d better seize your chance," I joked, clapping my hands. "Very nice, I’ve gained another little sister."

"Stop it! Just because she’s shy doesn’t mean you should tease her. Lili, don’t pay any attention to Xiao Qiang—he’s obviously just having fun at your expense," Su Xin laughed, giving my arm a playful slap and arching her eyebrows in mock reproach. My heart skipped a beat—at that moment, Su Xin really looked like my girlfriend…

Finally, Wang Lili, still blushing, looked up at me and Su Xin, glancing back and forth before laughing, "You two should stop teasing me and Brother Zhang Li. To me, you two are the real couple here…"

The moment she said it, the smiles froze on both my face and Su Xin’s. I was startled because she had seen through my feelings. As for Su Xin—how would I know what she was thinking?

"Ha ha, Lili, what nonsense are you saying? We’re all just good friends. There’s no couple or anything like that," Zhang Li hurriedly stepped in to smooth things over, realizing that some things were better left unsaid—otherwise, it would only get awkward.

The food arrived quickly, and with the awkwardness hanging in the air, the meal ended almost as soon as it began, with hardly any conversation. In the end, Zhang Li paid the bill before anyone could object, and we all left the restaurant, heading back to the classroom. As soon as I walked in, I saw Xia Jianren’s sour expression, but I ignored him and went straight over to sit with Su Xin. All this while, I noticed Su Xin’s cheeks were still tinged with pink, and her glances at me were furtive and shy, as if Wang Lili’s words had truly embarrassed her. Gossip can be a terrible thing for students—especially for someone as beautiful as Su Xin, who, out of modesty, would naturally become more cautious about these things. I, on the other hand, wasn’t bothered. I didn’t want to rush anything—after all, there was plenty of time ahead.

I had to admit, life at Chonggao was intense. After the morning’s chaos, the afternoon classes had officially begun. Watching the elderly teacher on stage, spittle flying as he lectured enthusiastically, I found my eyelids growing heavier and heavier, fighting off yawns. Imagine a teacher shouting at you all day, “What’s one plus one?”—wouldn’t you get sleepy? That’s how I felt now. It wasn’t that I didn’t respect my teachers, but the knowledge in my head simply wasn’t on the same level as high school textbooks anymore. In the end, I lost the battle against drowsiness and fell asleep at my desk.

That afternoon, we had three periods of math. The teacher, Professor Ren, was the most respected elder at Chonggao. All the teachers at No. 4 High knew that Professor Ren had once lectured at Peking University and was famous nationwide. After retiring, he returned to his hometown, C City, to live out his days, but the principal of No. 4 High, an old friend, had persuaded him to teach math there. Professor Ren’s lectures were brilliant and unique, quite unlike any other teacher’s, and many students loved his classes. But today, there was an exception—and that was me, Xiao Qiang! To dare sleep in Professor Ren’s class, to show such disdain for his teaching—only I, a man unmatched in all of history, would do such a thing.