Friday, early self-study.

Zhang Chi and Duan Shigang walked into Class 8, faces battered and bruised.

Cui Yu was astonished: "Oh my goodness, our class has gained two giant pandas!"

The eyes of Class 8’s students were especially curious when looking at the two.

Zhong Huai asked, "What happened to you?"

Zhang Chi replied with a sullen face: "Business war."

Saying that, he glanced at Liu Chuandao.

If Liu Chuandao hadn’t run away first last night, he would never have ended up like this. He fought three people last night, Duan Shigang fought four, all of whom were skilled fighters.

Liu Chuandao said, "I also participated in the business war last night, drank too much, and slipped away."

Zhang Chi withdrew his gaze, not demanding anything from others, as he was inherently a selfish person.

Han Wen Nuan turned around, cautiously asking, "Are you okay?"

Zhong Huai was thinking, "He doesn’t seem okay, does he?"

Zhang Chi: "I’m fine, tutoring sessions as usual."

Han Wen Nuan sighed in relief, her expression relaxing, and praised, "Mr. Zhang, you truly are ambitious."

Zhang Chi clenched his fist: "Everything I’ve done is for our future!"

The morning self-study class ended.

Director Wang, on patrol, appeared at the door of Class 8, glaring at Zhang Chi: "What happened to you?"

Director Wang was the head of security at the Fourth Middle School and was also responsible for some of the training plans for the athletic students. The security office was also known as the small black room. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

Zhang Chi didn’t dare to confront him directly and quickly changed his story: "I drank too much last night, slipped, and fell."

Director Wang’s expression was cold: "You managed to fall on your face pretty well."

Zhang Chi: "I fall often; no one is better at it than me."

Director Wang ordered him to confess honestly, but Zhang Chi kept finding excuses, refusing to admit the truth.

Finally, after a reprimand, Director Wang left Class 8.

When Duan Shigang came in and learned that Director Wang had interrogated Zhang Chi, he immediately warned, "Chi Zi, if Director Wang really pries the details out of you, you must accept the punishment and not take shortcuts!"

Zhang Chi didn’t care: "No one is better at keeping secrets than me!"

...

After breakfast, Chen Siyu brought her sister to play in Class 8. The two little girls squeezed onto one bench.

Chen Siyu noticed the empty seats of Jiang Ning and Tongtong; the two had gone for another walk alone.

It seemed like they had been doing this for a long time.

Then, past scenes surfaced, and Chen Siyu suddenly realized that the two of them knew Jiang Ning much earlier than others, even before Xue Yuantong.

She inexplicably mused, "I always think, if only I could go back to that day."

Bai Yuxia: "Which day?"

"I don’t know exactly which day, but I can’t go back anyway." Chen Siyu pinched her sister’s fingers.

Bai Yuxia: "Nonsense."

It made her laugh.

"Yin Yu!" someone called from the back door of the classroom.

Everyone looked over and saw a well-known flunky of the grade, hailed as the man at the peak of flunkiness—Zhao Xiaofeng!

Yin Yu stood up and bid farewell to Shen Qing’e, walking over gracefully.

Zhao Xiaofeng smiled broadly: "Come on, let me introduce you to some people!"

He had no choice but to comply, feeling quite oppressed. His ploy of choosing dimwits for lackeys to make himself appear wise before Brother Tian had been discovered by Yin Yu.

If he didn’t follow Yin Yu’s orders and Qi Tianheng found out, the consequences would be unimaginable!

At that time, everything he owned—clothes, shoes, watches, phones, tablets, gaming consoles, even his house, and car—would all be lost!

Zhao Xiaofeng clenched his teeth in mental anguish: "No!"

Yin Yu smiled sweetly: "Okay, thank you."

Zhao Xiaofeng, watching the girl’s innocent smile, perceived her deep cunning.

He led Yin Yu to the little garden, where at this moment, Deng Xiang, Ge Hao, and a few other known troublemakers of the grade were smoking on benches.

The couples courting at the garden kept their distance, wary of arousing trouble.

Zhao Xiaofeng said, "These are my important subordinates at school!"

He had just finished speaking when he noticed Deng Xiang and the others with their bruised faces, leaving Zhao Xiaofeng stunned—what a bunch of worthless minions.

Yin Yu looked even more puzzled.

"Xiang Zi, Hao Zi, what happened to you?" Zhao Xiaofeng couldn’t figure it out.

Deng Xiang looked grim: "Last night, we fought a decisive battle, conquering the market of Fourth Middle School."

Zhao Xiaofeng didn’t care about such trivial matters; he had wanted to showcase his prowess to Yin Yu, but his subordinates were so disappointing!

"Damn it, if everyone’s subordinates were as wise as mine, how could the world not prosper?"

Zhao Xiaofeng resented everything.

Before he could speak, Ge Hao’s swollen face grinned wide, revealing his big teeth: "Brother Feng, where did you find this girl? She’s really pretty!"

The other delinquent students laughed: "Probably owes Brother Zhao money!"

"Haha, what to do if she can’t pay it back?"

"Definitely need to teach her a lesson."

"What kind of lesson?"

Ge Hao: "Of course, give her a beating with a stick!"

"Hahaha!" Everyone burst into laughter.

Yin Yu still smiled, assigning levels to their morals.

Zhao Xiaofeng shouted angrily: "Shut up, she’s my newly recognized sister!"

A few delinquent guys quickly shut their mouths, afraid to anger him!

"I wasn’t talking about you, Brother Feng!" Ge Hao thought quickly on his feet, pointing to a distant young couple, yelling: "Come over here, come here to me!"

"Talking about you folks! Didn’t you hear?"

The couple glanced at each other.

Back in 2015, delinquents were far fewer compared to the past twenty years, and their behavior was much more restrained, but smoking in the restroom couldn’t disappear even after ten years.

The boy in the couple had seen Deng Xiang and his gang smoking in the restroom several times during breaks, talking arrogantly, acting very powerful.

To avoid being targeted, he chose to walk over.

Deng Xiang finally spoke: "Big sis, don’t take it to heart, my pals have a squint, they were just talking about someone else."

Deng Xiang shook his cigarette pack, offering smokes to the boy: "Want one?"

The boy hesitated for a moment but accepted.

Deng Xiang asked a few simple questions, and the boy answered all truthfully.

Finally, Deng Xiang flicked the cigarette ash: "Alright, you can go."

The boy obediently left.

This summoning and dismissing behavior slightly showcased his dominance.

Yin Yu praised: "You guys are pretty decent."

She found it quite amusing too.

Deng Xiang was somewhat cautious, rubbing his swollen face: "Sis, if you have any troubles in the future, like duty stuff, any problems, we can show our faces for you."

Yin Yu ended up being punished with duty.

She smiled: "Thank you so much."

...

Jiang Ning and Xue Yuantong wandered around the campus, it was the end of March, the season when spring flowers bloom.

He walked on the wooden bridge over the pond, Xue Yuantong followed behind him, her footsteps echoing "clang clang," as she held her phone, showing photos of cherry blossoms to Jiang Ning, then sending them to Chuchu.

"Jiang Ning, are they pretty?"

"Pretty."

"Then would you be grateful to me and give me some money?" she squeezed her little hand.

Jiang Ning: "No way, money is my life."

Xue Yuantong accused him: "Jiang Ning, your vision is too narrow!"

She pouted and said: "You focus on the small change on the ground because you’re standing on the first floor. If you stand on the tenth floor, you won’t be able to see the small change on the ground, only by rising higher can you see the golden hills in the distance; you need to have a bigger perspective!"

Jiang Ning: "No wonder you greeted Tang Fu today, she didn’t hear you because she was standing too high to see you."

Xue Yuantong almost wanted to bite him.

’I can’t be a dwarf forever, someday I’m going to stand at the highest point!’

The two strolled from the east garden, through the campus’s main road, to the school’s western garden.

They walked on the cobblestone path, Xue Yuantong exchanged messages with Chuchu while keeping pace with Jiang Ning, both sides were dear friends, she was cheerfully smiling.

They passed a circular flowerbed, where elegant magnolia trees bloomed with white blossoms, and the fragrance was intense.

The only thing was, the air was tainted with some unpleasant smoke, which diminished Jiang Ning’s enthusiasm.

On the bench beside the flowerbed, Deng Xiang and Ge Hao spoke arrogantly to Yin Yu, discussing prominent figures of Fourth Middle School, occasionally calling over an ordinary male student to showcase their strong influence.

Enjoying the joy of ruling their domain!

"Haha, that guy’s girlfriend changed her look when she saw her boyfriend’s expression." Ge Hao gloated.

A delinquent boy flicked the cigarette ash, sharing his insights: "It’s normal, back in middle school, if anyone had a crush on a pretty girl, they’d bring people to hassle the guy she liked."

"After a few rounds, the girl would feel that the guy she liked was too cowardly, far weaker than us, and later she’d be easy to win over, haha."

"Well said, this little garden is practically half our turf, especially at night." Deng Xiang puffed away, rambling without restraint.

Yin Yu smiled slightly, finding them quite useful tools.

And at that moment, Jiang Ning appeared.

All those present took notice of him, and Deng Xiang’s face froze.

Jiang Ning looked at them and calmly said: "Smoke farther away."