"Since Zhou Yuan already agreed to you all, you should stand in front of him. As for me, forget it," Cheng Xing said with a faint smile, his tone tinged with indifference.
Wang Yan was stunned. She hadn't expected such words from Cheng Xing, and the casual use of "already" struck a nerve. Both Li Dan and Chen Qing felt a flash of offense.
What did he mean by "since Zhou Yuan already agreed to you all, you should stand in front of him"?
Was he implying that if Zhou Yuan hadn't agreed, he would have outright refused?
Zhou Yuan was equally taken aback.
In the past, whenever Chen Qing's group had cut in line, Cheng Xing had always let them, no questions asked. It didn't matter whether Chen Qing was present or not—her friends, Wang Yan and Li Dan, would still leverage their close ties with her to cut, and Cheng Xing would oblige without hesitation.
Could it be that Brother Cheng doesn't like Chen Qing anymore? Zhou Yuan thought, but he quickly dismissed the idea.
No one understood Cheng Xing better than Zhou Yuan, who had stuck by his side for over a year. Cheng Xing had always harbored deep feelings for Chen Qing.
There was no shortage of beautiful and accomplished girls in school who admired Cheng Xing.
In this era, girls tended to avoid the quiet, studious boys and were more drawn to those like Cheng Xing—bold, rebellious, and a little dangerous. But no matter how many girls vied for his attention, Cheng Xing remained indifferent to all of them.
He only had eyes for Chen Qing.
Over the years, he had done so much for her. The number of fights he'd gotten into because of her was countless.
Zhou Yuan couldn't believe Cheng Xing had suddenly stopped liking Chen Qing. This was likely resentment—the sting of being publicly rejected on the school basketball court.
Who wouldn't feel a bit bitter after something like that? Especially someone as proud and respected as Cheng Xing.
At that moment, Li Dan walked over, her voice sharp and icy.
"Wang Yan, let's go. Just because we can't cut in line here doesn't mean we can't cut in line elsewhere."
Li Dan was not one to wait in lines. If Cheng Xing wasn't around, her boyfriend, Zhang Qi—a notorious delinquent at a nearby high school—had enough influence to get her what she wanted. And if all else failed, her charm was more than enough to convince most boys to let her cut.
She led Wang Yan toward the front of the line, stopping before Zhang Yi.
"Zhang Yi," Wang Yan said sweetly, "can we cut in line here?"
Zhang Yi was a senior from Class 9, a delinquent, and a follower of Chen Jiuyang, who happened to be under Zhang Qi's command.
Li Dan's boyfriend Zhang Qi was the boss of Ancheng's Third High.
Normally, Zhang Yi wouldn't have dared refuse Li Dan. But today was different.
The earlier confrontation between Cheng Xing and Wang Yan's group hadn't gone unnoticed. Everyone could see the tension. If Zhang Yi allowed them to cut now, it would seem like an open challenge to Cheng Xing.
No one at First High dared disrespect Cheng Xing like that.
Zhang Yi stood frozen, sweat dripping down his back as the crowd watched, waiting to see what he would do.
Li Dan's expression darkened as Zhang Yi's silence dragged on. She hadn't expected even Zhang Yi to hesitate.
"Fine!" Li Dan sneered. "Just you wait, Zhang Yi."
Before she could escalate further, Chen Qing, who had remained silent throughout, finally stepped forward. Her voice was cold and commanding.
"Enough already! It's just a 'shuiluomo'. Are you really that desperate?"
The icy authority in her tone made Li Dan flinch.
"Get back to your places!" Chen Qing snapped.
Li Dan opened her mouth to argue, but Wang Yan pulled her back, signaling her to drop it.
Chen Qing's frosty glare left no room for debate. Reluctantly, the two girls followed her away, leaving the scene.
The surrounding students exhaled in unison, relieved the tension had finally broken. For many, it was their first time seeing the usually warm and cheerful Chen Qing so visibly upset.
This second clash between Cheng Xing and Chen Qing's group, following their public argument on the basketball court, ended with Chen Qing walking away, her group trailing behind.
The spectators were thrilled—they had plenty of gossip to share back at school.
But Zhang Yi, standing stiffly at the front of the line, looked utterly defeated.
Why did I even come here today? he lamented.
If only he'd used a flimsy excuse to skip and spent the day gaming at the internet café. That would've been far better than being stuck in this mess.
With his 'shuiluomo' in hand, Zhang Yi wandered aimlessly down the school street, his shoulders slumped.
Suddenly, a hand tapped him on the shoulder.
Zhang Yi turned around to see Zhou Yuan smiling at him.
"Don't worry," Zhou Yuan said reassuringly. "Brother Cheng asked me to tell you—at First High, no one dares mess with you."
Zhang Yi blinked, his dejection giving way to cautious relief.
It seemed even in the aftermath of a confrontation; Cheng Xing's influence remained as unshakable as ever.