"Ahem, ahem, now let's begin our class meeting," announced Zhang Xuehua.
"Class, today we have a very handsome new student joining us. Ye Feng, don't be shy; come up and introduce yourself." Zhang Xuehua gestured for him to step forward.
Reluctantly, Ye Feng rubbed his eyes, thinking it was better not to refuse the homeroom teacher's request. Slowly, he made his way to the front of the room.
"Hello, everyone, I'm Ye Feng. We'll be classmates from now on. That's it," he said and quickly retreated from the podium.
"Alright, alright! Our new classmate Ye Feng is just a little shy. Let's give him a warm welcome!" Zhang Xuehua started clapping, and seeing the teacher's enthusiasm, the rest of the class followed suit.
"Wow, Ye Feng is so cool! My idol!" one girl sighed dreamily.
Her deskmate, however, grumbled jealously, "Cool? He's just putting on a show!"
"Did you see that?" another student whispered, awestruck. "I've never seen Zhang Xuehua act so warmly. He's amazing; I'm going to make him my leader," Hao Jian declared excitedly.
"Yeah, yeah! Fatty, let's block Ye Feng after school and make him our leader. Then, with him around, we'll be set for life! Goodbye, lonely nights, hello happiness!" said Fan Tong with a laugh that oozed mischief.
…
"Ye Feng, my family is here to pick me up. I'll head out now," Lin Shiyun said at the school gate, her voice carrying a hint of reluctance.
"Go on, go on," Ye Feng replied, spotting the sleek Bentley "Angel's Arrival" model parked outside, which had already caught his eye.
He knew the "Angel's Arrival" Bentley wasn't something just anyone could own. From what he'd learned during his time in the Ye household, he knew it had a hefty price tag of 25 million yuan, with only 100 models in the world. It was the kind of car even immense wealth couldn't easily secure. This girl was from Tianjing too… interesting indeed.
"Hey, hey, don't just stand there like a lovesick fool. She's already gone. Stop blocking the gate like a stone sculpture!" A familiar, obnoxious voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Ye Feng turned and recognized the voices of Hao Jian and Fan Tong, both puffing heavily as they approached, clearly having hurried over.
"So you're our boss, right? Right, boss!" they chimed.
"Annoying." Ye Feng dismissed them with a sigh and began to walk away.
"Hey, boss! Don't leave! And you, fatty, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and follow the boss!" Fan Tong urged.
Ye Feng finally gave in to the relentless pair. He'd walked quite a way, tried to explain, and had almost resorted to force, but they refused to back down.
Then Fan Tong suddenly spoke, "Boss, I know all about Zuo Fei, the biggest obstacle in chasing after Lin Shiyun."
"Oh? Let's hear it," Ye Feng replied, intrigued by anything that might involve Lin Shiyun.
"Sure, but first, you have to officially agree to be our boss," Fan Tong replied with a shameless grin.
"Alright, alright, I'm your boss. Now, spill it," Ye Feng finally relented, deciding that, though shameless, these two might be entertaining as sidekicks.
"O great Boss, we're honored!" Hao Jian and Fan Tong began a grand display of bowing.
Ye Feng stopped them quickly; he may have agreed to the title, but he didn't need the theatrics.
"Alright, Hao Jian, tell me what you know about Zuo Fei," Ye Feng said, glancing at Fan Tong.
"Uh, Boss, I'm Fan Tong; he's Hao Jian," Fan Tong corrected, wincing.
"Really? You looked more like a Hao Jian, and he looked like a Fan Tong," Ye Feng replied, smiling slightly.
Both boys sighed in exasperation.
"Alright, no more jokes. Tell me about Zuo Fei," Ye Feng said.
"Right, Boss! Zuo Fei is the only son of the chief of Beihai Police, Zuo Ming. Zuo Ming spoils him terribly, and Zuo Fei hangs out with delinquent kids all the time. Because of his father's position, he does whatever he pleases, knowing his dad will clean up his messes afterward. If it weren't for Shiyun's powerful family, she would've fallen victim to that beast long ago," Fan Tong grumbled.
"And from what I know, Zuo Ming actually supports his son's pursuit of her, thinking her family's influence could help him climb up the political ladder," Fan Tong continued.
"A police chief, huh? Quite the position." Ye Feng murmured, his tone full of disdain. Then he asked Hao Jian, "Do you know anything about Shiyun's family background?"
"Not much, Boss. Just that someone in her family is a high-ranking military officer," Hao Jian replied, scratching his head.
Ye Feng thought back to all the prominent Tianjing families he knew. "Military officer, surname Lin… if I'm right, this girl has quite the background," he mused.
"By the way, how do you two know so much?" Ye Feng asked, intrigued by how ordinary students like them had any clue about Lin Shiyun's family.
"Boss, can we keep it to ourselves for now? You'll find out eventually," they replied awkwardly in unison.
Ye Feng shrugged, "Alright, everyone has their secrets."
"Thanks, Boss! You're the best," they laughed, letting out loud whoops that drew the attention of passersby.
Ye Feng distanced himself, feigning ignorance. "I don't know those two clowns," he muttered, shaking his head.
"Boss, wait up!" they shouted, hurrying after him with complete disregard for the stares of others.
As the sky grew darker, Ye Feng glanced back at them. "Alright, it's getting late. Go home before your mom starts calling you for dinner."
"Oh, yeah," they replied, finally realizing the time. Watching Ye Feng walk off, they both waved, "See you, Boss!"
Hearing their farewell, Ye Feng nearly tripped but gave a brief wave in response.
"Hey, Fatty, what if Zuo Fei tries to mess with our boss?" Fan Tong asked.
"Who cares? If he dares, I'll mess with his entire family. Besides, Zuo Ming's not going to be untouchable forever," Hao Jian replied darkly.
"Good idea. Alright, time to head home," Fan Tong chuckled, throwing an arm around Hao Jian as they walked off together.
"Hey, Skinny, what if my dad asks why I'm home so late?" Hao Jian asked.
"Just tell him you were at my house. And if my dad asks, I'll say I was at yours. Honestly, are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending?" Fan Tong retorted.
"Fine, fine," Hao Jian muttered.
"Hey, stop tickling me, you punk. You know I'm ticklish!"
"Catch me if you can, Fatty! You'll never catch me!"
(End of Chapter)