Chapter 7

Wang Bo woke up from his sleep, feeling a bit dejected. Before he fully awoke, he had been walking up stairs in his dream, and after receiving a reward of 10 points, he continued walking for over a thousand steps until he was too exhausted to move, almost crawling up the stairs. However, he found nothing, and never encountered another step with golden letters again.

However, upon waking, he did not feel exhausted; instead, he felt refreshed. Wang Bo checked the time; it was already past midnight, about an hour after he had fallen asleep, similar to previous times. He recalled what had happened, unsure if he had found another way to earn points or if it was just a lucky find.

If he walked those stairs again, would he still receive points? This could only be revealed the next time he entered the dream. The unexpected discovery made Wang Bo feel a mix of anxiety and excitement, and he couldn't fall back asleep. Feeling particularly energetic after waking up, he got out of bed and decided to check the class group chat to see what everyone was discussing tonight.

To his surprise, at around eight o'clock, his desk mate Qian Ning had dropped a bomb, claiming to have received a tip that someone had seen Wang Da Li get into Huang Da Xian's Mercedes-Benz, with an unknown destination. This sparked a wave of speculation, with various theories flying around. Some were envious, some jealous, and some even resentful, making for quite a lively discussion.

Remarkably, Liu Yan, who usually liked to joke around, took a different stance this time, speaking up to defend Wang Bo. She speculated that Huang Wen had just given him a ride home, and that Wang Bo often checked the group messages without participating. She even suggested that if anyone doubted it, they could just wait a bit and ask him. However, she also threw in a few insults, saying that his conditions were not good enough to be noticed by Huang Wen, which instantly dampened Wang Bo's gratitude.

Subsequently, everyone kept calling for Wang Bo to appear and reveal the truth. Some even messaged him privately to ask if he was around, including Liu Yan, who had just added him as a friend. Unfortunately, Wang Bo hadn't been online all night and only saw the messages now, leading to a tragic situation. Around ten o'clock, the speculations flared up again, and even the idea of a one-night stand was mentioned.

Of course, everyone was just joking around, and no one took it seriously. However, when Wang Bo suddenly saw all this content, he was taken aback. He couldn't help but shout in the group chat at midnight: "Is anyone there? I need to clarify something!"

After eleven, there were no more messages in the group, and now it was completely silent, with no one responding. Everyone might have gone to sleep, or those who were awake might not be interested in his affairs. After a while, Liu Yan sent him a private message: "Just got back?"

Wang Bo quickly replied: "I finished training and came home. Huang Wen dropped me off at the entrance of my neighborhood, and we parted ways. I did homework all night, so I didn't go online!"

Liu Yan responded with an "Oh" and didn't say anything more, as if she already knew. Wang Bo asked curiously: "Why aren't you sleeping?" Liu Yan replied: "Watching a TV drama, can't sleep."

Not knowing if she was telling the truth, Wang Bo said: "I thought you were studying. Don't stay up too late; it's bad for your eyes. Could you please explain to everyone for me? Thanks."

Liu Yan didn't respond much, but Wang Bo assumed she had agreed. He shut down his device and finally went to bed, hoping for a good night's sleep.

On Saturday morning, Wang Bo trained with the track and field team at school. His coach was still the senior student Zhang Yi, who specialized in javelin. After warming up, they went to the school gym for strength training, spending the entire morning there without doing any specialized training. Usually, the gym was only open to teachers, so their use on Saturdays was probably a special arrangement. This might be why Zhang Yi was making the most of the opportunity.

Today's training did not include performance tests, and there was only one coach present. Most of the team members were training independently, with no signs of slacking off. Although Wang Bo claimed he wasn't slacking off either, he found it a bit strange that everyone was so self-motivated. Perhaps his sense of honor was not as strong, and he couldn't understand the mindset of the team members. He felt a bit out of place with the track and field team.

However, when he thought about how happy his parents were about him joining the team, the idea of quitting that had just sprouted in his mind was quickly suppressed.

At ten thirty, the coach blew the whistle to gather everyone, and then announced that today's training was over. Everyone left the school, drenched in sweat. Some were picked up by private cars, some rode their bikes home, and Wang Bo, as usual, walked home.

Today, Huang Wen's car stopped beside him again, and Huang Da Xian called out: "Wang Da Li, do you want a ride?"

Wang Bo, remembering the discussions in the group chat last night, hesitated and looked around to see if anyone was watching. Huang Wen frowned in confusion and asked: "What's wrong? Are you waiting for someone?"

"No, no," Wang Bo explained, "Thank you, but I'm going to eat something. I'm not in a hurry to go home. Why don't you go ahead?"

His parents were working today, and there probably wouldn't be much to eat at home. He was quite hungry and wanted to grab a quick meal, which wasn't just an excuse to avoid getting in the car.

To his surprise, Huang Wen laughed and said: "Oh, eating? Me too, I'm hungry. Let's go together. Where do you want to eat?"

Wang Bo hadn't expected her to invite him so casually. Was this her personality? He was clearly taken aback and hesitated before answering: "There's a small restaurant not far from here. They have good salty meat rice and bone soup. I was planning to go there..."

Huang Wen's smile froze, and she said: "Get in the car. I'll take you somewhere else."

Wang Bo thought to himself: If you don't want to eat salty meat rice, don't force me. He said: "Next time. I have something to do after eating. I don't want to trouble you. Thanks." Then he walked away without hesitation.

Seeing him leave so abruptly, Huang Wen didn't get angry. She leaned back in her seat, looking calm, and then told the driver to go.

A while later, Wang Bo was enjoying his rice and bone soup, thinking: Huang Wen's behavior is so strange. Is she really interested in me, or is she just being kind as a senior on the track and field team?

He couldn't come to a conclusion, mainly because the discussions in the group chat last night had been so intense, and the various chaotic speculations had made him suspicious.

After finishing his meal, Wang Bo walked home. As he walked, he saw a young girl in a tight T-shirt and short jeans walking alone. Her legs, though not long, were slender and white, making her back view quite pleasing to the eye. Wang Bo followed her at a distance, treating it as a way to relax.

Not far ahead, two young men approached the girl. Their attire suggested they were not up to good. One of them had a tattoo on his right hand. They whistled at the girl, who slightly turned to avoid them and walked past. The two men laughed and turned to look at her, whispering to each other. Then they quickly caught up to her.

The two men flanked the girl, trying to talk to her. She seemed unwilling to engage, holding her bag in front of her chest and walking faster.

However, the two men persisted, and the one with the tattoo even put his hand on her shoulder. The girl struggled to shake it off, but his hand was like a vice, refusing to let go.

Wang Bo didn't want to get involved in other people's affairs, but as they tussled, he saw the girl's fair face. He thought: "Oh no, isn't that the arrogant princess Lu Lu? We're in the same class; I can't just stand by and do nothing."

Lu Lu was Wang Bo's classmate, with excellent grades and a diligent attitude. She was quiet in class, only getting along well with her desk mate Yu Jia. She rarely smiled, and her appearance was not particularly beautiful, but her skin was fair and smooth, and she was still single, making her popular in school.

However, she was not very friendly to boys and always coldly rejected their advances, earning her the nickname "arrogant princess" or "ice beauty."

Wang Bo and she had hardly spoken, but in this situation, he couldn't just ignore it.

He stepped forward and said: "Hey, hey, let her go. Let her go." The three of them turned to look at him. Lu Lu's fair round face was flushed with embarrassment, and she looked at him with a hint of relief, as if he were a savior. Though she didn't like boys, Wang Bo was at least a classmate and could be trusted compared to the thugs.

The two men looked impatient. One of them said: "Who are you? Mind your own business." Taking advantage of their distraction, Lu Lu slipped away from them, darting behind Wang Bo, relying on him for protection.

Wang Bo smiled wryly and said: "Big brothers, be magnanimous. This is my classmate. Please let her go and don't make things difficult for her."

The man with the tattoo spat on the ground and said rudely: "What gang are you from, kid?"

"I'm just a student, I haven't joined any gang," Wang Bo replied calmly, keeping an eye on their movements. He thought: These guys are not easy to deal with; this won't be easy.

Hearing that he was just a regular student, the two men looked disdainful. The tattooed man said: "You're just a student, and you're trying to meddle? Do you know the rules?"

As he spoke, he slapped Wang Bo. Lu Lu, behind him, flinched, realizing that these thugs were not to be trifled with. She had thought Wang Bo could save her, but now that they were about to hit him, her heart sank.

However, the slap didn't land on Wang Bo's face. He deftly blocked it, a natural and instinctive move. The thug, embarrassed by the missed hit, cursed: "Damn, you're trying to fight back?"

He kicked at Wang Bo, and the other thug watched, amused. But then he froze. Wang Bo nimbly sidestepped, avoiding the kick, and then lunged forward, delivering a precise punch to the thug's ribs. The thug grunted and bent over, almost falling. His companion quickly supported him, realizing that Wang Bo had a solid background. Knowing they couldn't win, the thug didn't try to retaliate immediately, just muttered a few words and fled with his companion. The thug who had been punched kept looking back, his eyes full of malice, as if trying to memorize Wang Bo's face.