Chapter 31

On the first day of the new semester, Ding Hao and Xia Lin went to school together to register. As soon as they arrived at the school gate, Ding Hao was surrounded by a group of people. Unlike the past when he was surrounded and beaten, today the people surrounding him were mostly there to recognize him as their leader! Some of them already knew Ding Hao, while others were introduced by Su Jin.

Ding Hao looked around, thinking, "What's going on? Do they think I'm Yu Feng?" In fact, Ding Hao didn't know that during the days he was in the game, many people had been looking for him, especially those who had conflicts with Yu Feng. The news of Ding Hao beating up Zhang Yongwei twice had spread throughout Yun Gang No. 2 High School. The fact that Deputy County Magistrate Zhang was under investigation had completely stripped Zhang Yongwei of his support.

Without finding a new backer, Zhang Yongwei didn't dare to provoke Ding Hao anymore. As Yu Feng's leader, Zhang Yongwei's downfall naturally led to Yu Feng's decline. Yu Feng had bullied Ding Hao a lot in the past, never imagining that offending Ding Hao would lead to Zhang Yongwei's father being investigated. Yu Feng had heard that the situation was serious, and no county leaders had spoken up to plead for Deputy County Magistrate Zhang.

High school students are actually quite simple, regardless of their academic performance, as they have limited experiences. In the past, Yu Feng was very influential at No. 2 High School, but now Ding Hao had risen to prominence. The boys naturally flocked to Ding Hao, calling him "boss" one after another, as if they were ready to establish a new gang.

Xia Lin couldn't stand it anymore. She walked up to Ding Hao, gave the crowd a stern look, and said to Ding Hao, "Ding Hao, the college entrance exam is only a few months away. If you keep thinking about fighting all day, don't expect me to talk to you anymore!"

Ding Hao had been feeling a bit smug, as everyone has a bit of vanity, and being called "boss" by his classmates felt pretty good. But Xia Lin's words immediately woke him up! No, he couldn't get involved in any gang activities; improving his academic performance was the real priority. If he had free time, he could level up in the game to prepare for his future in Qianjiang.

He then put on a serious face and waved his hand at the crowd, "Scatter, all of you. Stop calling me 'boss'! If the study committee member in our class ignores me, who will help me with my homework? Can you guys help me? Little rascals..."

The crowd, mostly just joining in the fun, dispersed when Ding Hao said this. A few who were more familiar with Ding Hao pretended to be heartbroken and shouted at Xia Lin's back, "Favoring beauty over friends! That's not good, not good at all... Ah, a star has been buried!"

"Go away..." Ding Hao didn't care about his classmates' teasing. He pulled Su Jin over and asked, "Are you going to stay in the dorm?"

"My dad wants me to, but I don't think it's useful, just a waste of money."

"You won't know until you try! Let's work hard together this semester and aim to get into college!"

"Ah?" Su Jin had been admiring Ding Hao a lot lately, but he didn't expect the guy to be so conventional on the first day of school, talking about working hard and aiming for college. Is he serious? But seeing Ding Hao's serious face and remembering what Xia Lin said, Su Jin guessed that Ding Hao had been successfully brainwashed by his childhood friend and neighbor. Well, the ranks of the delinquents had lost a major player.

But Su Jin wasn't satisfied and continued to ask Ding Hao, "What do you plan to do about Yu Feng and his gang?"

"Yu Feng? That punk? I can beat up a bunch of them with one punch. Is it worth my time?"

"..." Su Jin was speechless, but Ding Hao was telling the truth. After Ding Hao had beaten up Zhang Yongwei, Yu Feng was really just a punk.

"One last question, Mr. Ding, when did you and Miss Xia Lin start dating?"

Ding Hao and Xia Lin were neighbors, and many classmates knew this. As Ding Hao's desk mate, Su Jin naturally knew, but he hadn't seen them so close before, especially just now, when Ding Hao seemed to be afraid of Xia Lin like a mouse afraid of a cat. Su Jin knew there was something fishy.

"Rubbish! Which eye did you see us dating?"

"Boss, we don't need to hide it, right? Just tell me, I won't spread it around."

"Are you looking for trouble? Xia Lin and I have been friends for over ten years, always like this!"

"Ha, who believes that?"

"Fine, don't believe it!" Ding Hao couldn't admit it, not only because it wasn't true, but even if it were, he couldn't admit it. The school was very strict about early romance. Ding Hao was also worried about affecting Xia Lin's studies. If there were any rumors, Xia Lin might not talk to him anymore, which would be a huge loss...

Of course, saying that Ding Hao and Xia Lin had no relationship wouldn't convince anyone, not just Su Jin, but most people who saw the scene earlier wouldn't believe it either. Even if they hadn't seen it, they could tell from the limited interactions between Ding Hao and Xia Lin in class. Cao Zhe was particularly good at reading between the lines! Cao Zhe had always been the class president, and his father was a deputy director of the school's education office. Because of this relationship and his good academic performance, he was naturally favored by the teachers.

The school strictly prohibited early romance, but Cao Zhe thought it was only for students who didn't study well, like Ding Hao. For students like him, who were both academically and morally excellent, dating wouldn't affect their studies; on the contrary, it could improve their performance! He had always admired the study committee member, Xia Lin. He believed that if he and Xia Lin were together, they could discuss study techniques and solve difficult problems during their free time...

But Xia Lin seemed uninterested in him, and he couldn't understand why. His family was well-off, his parents were teachers, and his father was a deputy director at No. 2 High School. If he had to admit a flaw, Cao Zhe thought his appearance was a bit lacking. But hadn't many famous people said that a woman's beauty and a man's talent were what mattered? Didn't the saying go that a man's talent and a woman's beauty were a perfect match...

Xia Lin always treated him indifferently, and Cao Zhe was very troubled. But what troubled him even more recently was that Ding Hao, who had no previous interaction with Xia Lin, had suddenly become very close to her. Cao Zhe had heard about Yu Feng beating up Ding Hao and was surprised that Xia Lin had stood up for Ding Hao twice, even breaking her phone in the process. What did this mean? At first, Cao Zhe didn't believe that Ding Hao and Xia Lin had a relationship.

But when Ding Hao and Xia Lin took a day off together, Cao Zhe started to suspect something. Ding Hao often took days off, and the teachers and classmates were used to it, but Xia Lin, the study committee member, rarely took a day off. The fact that she took a day off with Ding Hao was suspicious! On the first day of school, someone quickly told Cao Zhe about the incident at the school gate, and he felt even more uneasy!

So, Xia Lin wasn't as cold as a stone. Since she accepted early romance, he still had a chance. He believed he was better than the orphan Ding Hao. At least in terms of academic performance, Cao Zhe always ranked in the top five of the class, while Ding Hao had only made it into the top ten once, in the first semester of his sophomore year. Now, it was a miracle if he wasn't in the bottom ranks.

So, while everyone was busy registering and paying tuition and dorm fees, Cao Zhe went outside to buy a Xiaomi phone. In the afternoon, when the classmates were studying in the classroom, he brought the phone and the tutoring materials he had prepared to Xia Lin's desk.

"Xia Lin, Mr. Huang said this set of materials is very good," Cao Zhe said, placing the materials on Xia Lin's desk and glancing at Ding Hao, who was pretending to do his homework. He coldly snorted and then smiled at Xia Lin.

"Um, it is very good." Xia Lin knew about this set of materials; it was recommended by the homeroom teacher. She couldn't afford it, but she found it while helping Ding Hao with his studies, and he had given it to her.

"Then you can use this set. I have two copies." Seeing Xia Lin's acknowledgment, Cao Zhe was excited and explained his intentions.

"No need, I already have it. Thanks!" Xia Lin was calm. She knew why Cao Zhe was being so nice, but she wasn't lying; she really had it.

"Ah? Didn't you buy it?"

"Here, class president!" Xia Lin's roommate couldn't stand it anymore. She was straightforward and didn't like Cao Zhe, knowing that Xia Lin didn't like him either. She handed the materials to Cao Zhe.

Cao Zhe took the materials, a bit embarrassed, and pretended to flip through them. "You really bought it..." He saw two messy characters on the first page: "Ding Hao!" His brows furrowed. "This is Ding Hao's? You borrowed it from him, right?"

Xia Lin's face turned red. She thought, "Oh no, this set of materials was originally Ding Hao's. He wrote his name on it before giving it to me, and I didn't erase it. I only used it occasionally, and my roommate Ma Zhen sometimes looked at it too. Ma Zhen knew that Ding Hao and Xia Lin were neighbors, so she didn't find it strange. But now that Cao Zhe mentioned it, Ma Zhen quickly covered her mouth, looking apologetically at Xia Lin.

"No, I bought it myself. He just borrowed it to look at it and wrote his name on it..." Xia Lin didn't know why she was explaining to Cao Zhe, perhaps out of fear that he would report to the homeroom teacher.

"Oh..." Cao Zhe, of course, didn't believe it. He hated Ding Hao for getting there first. He had confirmed that Xia Lin hadn't bought the materials, and today he planned to use his position as class president to get closer to her by giving her the materials. But she was already using them, and they were from Ding Hao!

Cao Zhe stood there for a while, then asked, "So, you're staying in the dorm this semester?"

"Um, yes." Xia Lin, seeing that Cao Zhe wasn't leaving, turned to her roommate Ma Zhen, who was trying hard not to laugh.

"Staying in the dorm is good, very good. We can discuss and ask the teacher about any study problems in a timely manner..." This was Cao Zhe's second plan. He hadn't expected that Ding Hao would spend so much money on such expensive tutoring materials to give to someone. Cao Zhe was more worried that Xia Lin wouldn't stay in the dorm, as that would mean she and Ding Hao would go to and from school together. They were already close, and being together every day...

What was that phrase? "Let's go home together after school!" Such an ambiguous phrase, damn, Cao Zhe thought, feeling depressed. Now, hearing that Xia Lin was staying in the dorm, he felt better, knowing that Ding Hao probably hadn't even paid his tuition and certainly couldn't afford the dorm fees!