Chapter 57

Chapter 49: Fish and Bear's Paw

At noon, it was always the busiest time on campus, with countless black streams of people pouring out from various teaching buildings, heading purposefully toward the cafeteria. Wen Liang was mixed in with the crowd, chatting and joking with Ren Yi, who had his arm around his shoulder. When they passed the restroom, Wen Liang let Ren Yi go ahead and turned to go in himself. It was the peak of the school dismissal, and the restroom was packed with people, some even squeezing in sideways. Occasionally, a rough voice could be heard singing: "Holding secret documents, stepping on both banks of the Yellow River. In front is a storm, behind are landmines and bombs..."

Wen Liang searched for a spot and saw a group of five or six people gathered in the corner farthest inside. Liu Zhi's fat head stood out like a lighthouse. Wen Liang knew what they were doing and didn't want to get involved. As he passed by, he suddenly heard a voice from the crowd: "Go ahead and fight, if I make a sound, I'll take your last name!"

Wen Liang stopped. This voice, slightly hoarse, made even bold words sound amusing, but that wasn't the point. The point was that Wen Liang recognized this person!

Tan Yu! What had he done to offend Liu Zhi?

"Damn, you're still being stubborn. If I don't beat you until you beg for mercy, I'll take your last name!" A tall boy next to Liu Zhi cursed, raising his fist to strike. The other boys joined in, making the scene lively. Wen Liang patted the tall boy's shoulder from behind and said sternly, "Stop it."

Everyone was taken aback, and the tall boy lowered his fist, smiling. "It's you, Brother Wen..."

Wen Liang felt a bit annoyed. The consequences of his conflicts with Mu Shan were gradually showing, and he could run into someone who knew him even in the restroom. He carefully examined Tan Yu, who seemed clean and unharmed. He nodded to the tall boy and turned to Liu Zhi, surprised. "What's going on? Did Tan Yu cause trouble?"

Liu Zhi's face was bruised and swollen. Damn, he had been so busy since the start of the semester that he hadn't had time to talk to Tan Yu. When did this kid get so bold, daring to hit Liu Zhi?

Liu Zhi, who usually smiled at everyone, was unusually cold today. He snorted without a word. The tall boy said, "He's not even worthy. This kid, with his good looks, dared to flirt with my brother's girlfriend. We came to teach him a lesson."

Tan Yu's face was red, whether from anger or fear. He stiffened his neck and retorted, "What girlfriend? Bei Mi doesn't even talk to Yuan Shaojie. He's a persistent pest, and I couldn't stand it, so I helped her."

The tall boy glared and raised his hand, ready to strike. Liu Zhi coughed lightly to stop him and asked, "Wen Liang, is he your friend?"

Wen Liang walked over and stood in front of Tan Yu, smiling. "He's my brother!" Tan Yu straightened his chest, standing next to Wen Liang, no longer feeling afraid.

Liu Zhi frowned, and the tall boy immediately objected, sneering, "Brother Wen, this isn't your business. Don't make it hard for your brother."

"Think you're so great, huh? Calling you Brother Wen is a courtesy. Don't push your luck."

"Why not just beat him up? Who in Minghua Junior High would dare to challenge us?"

"Exactly..."

Liu Zhi was silent for a moment, then suddenly shouted, "Shut up!" The tall boy and the others opened their mouths, but seeing Liu Zhi's anger, they sullenly stopped.

Wen Liang usually ignored them, but since Liu Zhi had spoken, and considering their connection through Liu Tian, he decided to give him a way out. "Zhi, how about this? I'll treat everyone to lunch. Let's go upstairs and get a private room?"

Liu Zhi laughed and put his arm around Wen Liang's shoulder, saying affectionately, "Sure, you won't go broke today. I'd be a fool to have such a big belly!"

This guy was a real troublemaker! Wen Liang turned to Tan Yu and said, "Go back first. I'll find you later." Tan Yu nodded, still a bit confused. He had always respected Wen Liang for saving his sister, and now for helping him, he would do whatever Wen Liang said.

Liu Zhi led Wen Liang, lowering his voice. "You still dare to ask about my face? Did you see my dad yesterday?"

"Ah?" Wen Liang seemed to understand. "Yes, I chatted with Director Liu a bit..."

"Bullshit, you little rat. I thought our last cooperation was good, but you went to my dad and badmouthed me?"

Wen Liang chuckled, realizing that Liu Tian had misunderstood his words last night, thinking there was a grudge between him and Liu Zhi, and had scolded his son, leaving marks on his face. Was this to make him see?

Whoever says Liu Tian is a brute, I'll be pissed!

"This is a misunderstanding. I only praised you to Director Liu, not a single bad word. It must be a misunderstanding!"

Seeing Wen Liang's firm words, Liu Zhi couldn't pursue it further. He had almost wanted to beat Wen Liang in the restroom, but remembering his father's warning and Wen Liang's reputation, he decided to let it go.

Liu Zhi wasn't stupid. If someone could make the always fearless Liu Tian cautious, he could be flexible.

The school cafeteria had two floors. The ground floor served large pots of food, with twenty windows in a row, offering porridge, steamed buns, noodles, and rice, similar to any high school of the era. Ordinary students ate here, where the food was efficient and plentiful, though the quality was not to be expected, barely better than pig feed. However, with many high-ranking officials' children and wealthy students, and the school's military management, all students had to eat lunch on campus, making many uncomfortable. After much discussion and feedback, the school renovated the second floor this year, dividing it into several stalls for a pilot program. In just two months, it became very popular, with seats hard to come by and rising revenue, making the vice-principal in charge of logistics very happy.

When they went upstairs, Wen Liang was once again impressed by Liu Zhi. No wonder he was so capable, personally handling disputes and even arranging for a table and food upstairs. This organizational skill was no wonder he had never failed since junior high.

The group squeezed in, and without alcohol, they drank beverages, quickly becoming familiar. High school was simple; it took three seconds to meet someone and three seconds to become friends, of course, if they were to fall out, it might take less than three seconds.

As they were eating, Xu Yao bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time. Wen Liang's lips twitched, and he ate a piece of beef indifferently. Girl, at least you're a beloved beauty in the class, can't you pay attention to your image?

Xu Yao scanned the area and ran over to Wen Liang, her face full of surprise. Wen Liang put down his chopsticks, knowing something important must have happened. He and Xu Yao had an understanding; they generally didn't interact much at school. Although he didn't care, Xu Yao's identity was known to the school's main leaders as Xu Fuyan's daughter. If any gossip reached Old Xu's ears, Wen Liang didn't want to test a father's patience.

"Found you, let's go. Ji Su was taken to the playground by Mu Shan..."

Xu Yao was out of breath, and Wen Liang stood up, handing her his water cup and smiling. "Don't worry, drink some water first. I'll handle it."

Xu Yao took the cup and drank it in one go, her casualness drawing attention. Wen Liang walked out, saying to Liu Zhi, "I have something to do. This meal is on me. I'll treat you all properly another time."

Liu Zhi stood up, smiling. "How can I miss this? Let's go together. Zhang Song, Jiang Tao, you two come with us."

The tall boy and another strong-looking boy stood up. Wen Liang knew this was Liu Zhi's way of showing goodwill. Since Liu Tian already knew the situation, there was no need to hide it from Liu Zhi. "Brother Zhang, Brother Jiang, no need to come. This isn't a fight. We're cultured people, we'll talk it out."

Everyone laughed, and the people around them looked over. Liu Zhi nodded and whispered, "Let's keep this quiet. Don't spread it around."

Wen Liang approved and led Xu Yao downstairs. When the three disappeared, the tall boy, Zhang Song, clapped his hands and praised, "What a man! In the whole school, only our leader and Wen Liang dare to do this to Mu Shan. He's got guts!"

Jiang Tao looked envious. "What's the big deal? The best part is that he played basketball with Mu Shan for Ji Su, and his teammates were Ning Xiaoning and Xu Yao. Now Xu Yao is rushing for Ji Su. What kind of level is this? Not only is he close to the three beauties, but he can also keep them from fighting. He's like a god! I think even our leader can't compare."

"Nice, nice..."

If Liu Zhi knew that these guys were criticizing him after just seeing Xu Yao, he might lose ten pounds in anger.

"How did you see Ji Su go to the playground?"

Wen Liang was surprised. He had just settled things with Ji Zheng last night and hadn't had time to tell Xu Yao. How did she know about Ji Su?

"Well, I haven't heard from you in the past two days, not knowing how things were going. I was a bit worried about her. After school, I went to the girls' dorm to find her and ran into Meng Ke from your class. She said that Mu Shan took Ji Su to the playground on the way back. I got worried and came to the cafeteria to find you. Ren Yi said he saw you come upstairs..."

Wen Liang looked at the worried and kind girl, feeling warmth in his heart. She was beautiful and from a good family but never acted superior. She laughed heartily, fought with her fists, jumped around when happy, and cried when sad. She might not be perfect, but she was real, genuine, and whether as a lover or a friend, Xu Yao was always the best choice in every boy's heart!

Wen Liang reached out and patted her head, saying softly, "Don't worry, everything will be fine."

Liu Zhi, following behind, sneered, thinking, "Impressive!"

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