"Why?" Xiao Han asked.
"Hehe..." Li Dapang chuckled and said, "You have no idea the look on their faces when I handed them ten thousand yuan. They were so shocked that their eyeballs almost fell out."
"Haha..." Hearing that, Xiao Han burst out laughing and said, "You wouldn't sell me out, would you?"
"Of course not!" Li Dapang shook his head and said, "I just told them I'm starting a business with a friend. They don't know what I'm up to."
"Do you really plan on not continuing your studies?" Xiao Han inquired.
"As long as I can make money, why would I bother studying?" Li Dapang frowned, kicked off his slippers, then put one foot up on a chair and asked, "Even if I get into a top university, what then? It still comes down to making money. Since I can make money now, why take a detour?"
Xiao Han was left speechless. Li Dapang's reasoning left him with nothing to say.
"Alright, you win," Xiao Han said helplessly.
Xiao Han had a low tolerance for alcohol, and after a bottle of beer, he felt a bit dizzy. His cheeks were slightly flushed.
When they left the food stall, Xiao Han felt a bit unsteady on his feet.
Just as they stepped out of the food stall, he saw a familiar figure. Li Dapang said in surprise, "Isn't that Jiang Xiaoliang?"
"Yeah," Xiao Han nodded and said, "He's... taking a female classmate to a hotel?"
"Whoa, that's pretty bold," Li Dapang grinned and said, "I'll take a picture."
With that, Li Dapang hurriedly followed and used his phone to capture the two entering the hotel. Jiang Xiaoliang was quite arrogant, and ever since he became Li Dapang's deskmate, they had quite a few conflicts. Now, Li Dapang finally had evidence of Jiang Xiaoliang taking a girl to a hotel room—an opportunity sent from heaven.
...
Xiao Han returned home.
Mother Xiao seemed very despondent. When she saw Xiao Han return, she quickly wiped her eyes, then smiled and asked, "Xiao Han, you're back?"
"Yeah!" Xiao Han nodded and then said, "Mom, you're at home?"
"The company gave us a day off today," Mother Xiao nodded.
Mother Xiao worked as a cleaner at a company in the city center, earning just over a thousand yuan a month. The salary of a cleaner was very low, yet the work was extremely taxing. To supplement the family income, she had no choice but to clean shoes on the streets at night.
Seeing Xiao Han go into his room, Mother Xiao hurriedly followed and said, "Xiao Han, I..."
"Mom, what were you going to say?" Xiao Han asked.
"I wanted to say that the Hanmen Training Class is full, so..." Mother Xiao's eyes moistened.
"I know," Xiao Han nodded and said, "I don't want to go to the Hanmen Training Class either. I just want to review my lessons at my own pace. I promise you, I will get into a key university. I won't let you worry about me!"
"Yes!" Mother Xiao was momentarily choked up, unable to believe her son had finally grown up, finally sparing her from worry. He was no longer the son who seemed to be walking through life like a zombie. Tears of joy filled Mother Xiao's heart.
...
Wangjiang District.
Inside an entertainment city.
These past days, Liao Zhijie had been brooding over being beaten up by Xiao Han, so much so that he hadn't gone to school for several days. As the son of a wealthy family, he couldn't stand such a humiliating disgrace. Therefore, he sought out Brother Si from Wangjiang District.
Brother Si's real name was Liu Si.
He was the top boss of Wangjiang District. It was said that he had many properties under his control—bars, entertainment venues. All these were lucrative businesses. Moreover, Liu Si had a monopoly on many projects in Wangjiang District, making quite a fortune over the years. He himself lived a life of decadence and luxury.
Five Thousand Years Entertainment Club.
This was one of Liu Si's nightclubs, located along the riverbank in Wangjiang. The whole nightclub stood beside the shore like a resplendent castle. Five Thousand Years was also Liu Si's headquarters, and he was often active in this venue.
Liao Zhijie walked back and forth in front of the entrance to Five Thousand Years with two classmates.
"A-Jie, are we really going in?" asked one male classmate.
"Of course!" Liao Zhijie nodded and said, "Damn it, we can't let the insult by Xiao Han go just like that."
"But, Liu Si is a gangster," the male classmate said worriedly. "We can't learn bad things from him."
"Damn it, what's good and what's bad?" Liao Zhijie glanced at him and then said, "As long as you can have money to spend and live above others, that's all that's good."
"Yes, yes!" the male classmate quickly nodded in agreement.
"Come on, follow me in!" Liao Zhijie's expression darkened.
Then, the group hurriedly made their way into the nightclub.
At the entrance, over ten tall, alluring beauties stood on either side. Seeing guests arrive, the women bowed and said, "Welcome to the Five Thousand Years Entertainment Club!"
"Go, call your manager out," said Liao Zhijie, no stranger here, having first come to this place to lose his virginity in his freshman year. Now he considered himself an old hand in such matters, although his two male classmates were visibly excited.
"Yes!" the girl nodded.
It wasn't long before a man in a black suit hurried over.
"Yo, isn't this Young Master Liao?" Manager Li greeted him with a chuckle.
"Manager Li, find me two of the best girls to take care of these two brothers," Liao Zhijie said. "Also, I want to see Brother Liu."
Manager Li was clearly taken aback. He asked with some confusion, "You want to see Brother Liu?"
"Yes!" Liao Zhijie nodded. "I've run into some trouble recently and I want Brother Liu to step in and help me sort it out."
"Haha..." Upon hearing this, Manager Li immediately laughed and said, "Is there really something you can't handle, lad?"
"Indeed!" Liao Zhijie nodded.
"Alright then!" Manager Li agreed. "For the sake of friendship, I'll take you to see our Brother Liu."
After that, Manager Li led Liao Zhijie upstairs.
Liao Zhijie had never met Liu Si, but deep down, he admired Liu Si a great deal. Liu Si was the undisputed authority of Wangjiang District. No one in the whole district dared to mess with Liu Si.
They reached the third floor. Manager Li knocked on the door of an office.
"Come in!" A resonant voice came from inside. Manager Li hurriedly pushed the door and entered.
The room was elegantly simple. Uniformly colored in dark red, the classic Chinese-style furniture. A man in his forties was sitting on the sofa, and a woman in a cheongsam, looking like a classical beauty, was sitting on the coffee table, earnestly making tea.
"Brother Liu, are you enjoying your tea?" Manager Li asked with a smile.
"Hmm!" Liu Si nodded and asked, "What's up?"
"Someone wants to see you!" Manager Li said quickly.
"Who is it?" Liu Si opened his eyes slightly.
Liao Zhijie took one look at Liu Si and immediately shrank back. With more than a decade of presence in Jianghu, Liu Si's aura gave off the sense of a towering mountain. Liao Zhijie was just a simple student who, although he was the Little Overlord of Linjiang No.1 Middle School, only bullied fellow students and was completely ignorant of society's dangers.
"Brother Liu, it's me!" Liao Zhijie approached awkwardly.
Liu Si glanced at him and asked, "Who are you?"
"I... I'm your admirer. I'm a student at Linjiang No.1 Middle School, my name is Liao Zhijie," Liao Zhijie quickly explained. "I've always wanted to follow Brother Liu."
"Sure!" Liu Si nodded and said, "You kid, are you in some kind of trouble?"
"Yes, yes." Upon hearing this, Liao Zhijie nodded quickly and said, "Brother Liu, I've been having some issues with a bully at school who has beaten me up a few times. I've asked a few brothers from the underworld for help, but to no avail. I've heard that Brother Liu is the big shot in Wangjiang District, so I came to ask for your help."
"You need me to take care of such a simple matter?" Liu Si asked disdainfully. "Xiao Li, since Student Liao is in trouble, help him out."
"Yes!" Manager Li quickly nodded.
"Thank you, Brother Liu. Thank you so much," Liao Zhijie quickly said as he nodded his head.
With the help of Liu Si, Liao Zhijie felt an immediate surge of excitement. If he could mix with Brother Liu, he'd be a boss in Wangjiang District from then on. At this thought, Liao Zhijie felt his heart burst with joy.
......
In the following week, Xiao Han immersed himself in his studies.
Even though he had a brilliant mind and could solve problems in the shortest possible time.
Monday, as he arrived in the classroom, Xiao Han felt a bit awkward. Chen Zihan had already taken her seat early and was bent over, reciting her English textbook. Remembering the incident at his home on Saturday night made Xiao Han feel somewhat embarrassed.
"Zi Han, I... I'm sorry about that night!" After sitting down at his desk, Xiao Han said awkwardly, "I truly apologize to you!"
"Don't talk nonsense," Chen Zihan glared at Xiao Han and then said, "I don't know anything about it."
"Zi Han, you..." Xiao Han was at a loss for words.
"Do you want me to forgive you?" Chen Zihan suddenly revealed a sly smile.
"Yes," Xiao Han quickly nodded.
"Okay!" Chen Zihan nodded and said, "If you really can get second place in the next mock exam, then I will... forgive you."
"Really?" Xiao Han asked.
"Of course it's true!" Chen Zihan quickly nodded and said, "As long as you can get second place, I'll definitely forgive you. And..."
"And what?" Xiao Han asked curiously.
"And I'll also give you a kiss," Chen Zihan's face turned red as she shyly lowered her head.
"You said it," Xiao Han quickly agreed.
"Hmm!" Chen Zihan nodded shyly.
Xiao Han's heart raced with joy. He couldn't believe that Chen Zihan had agreed to his request; it filled him with the motivation to strive harder. Xiao Han quickly said, "Alright, it's a deal then. You can't go back on your word."