Chapter 48

Chapter 4: My Child Bride

"Ring..." As the class bell rang, Cao Hu could only glare at Liu Yong and Fang Mingyuan with a mix of anger and embarrassment before turning to return to his seat.

"Boss, be careful of this guy. He’s not a good person. Just now, Zhao Ya came to look for you, and his eyes were all over her!" Liu Yong whispered in Fang Mingyuan’s ear. Influenced by Hong Kong and Taiwan movies and TV shows, the kids of this era often called each other "boss." Fang Mingyuan didn’t bother to argue about it and just let it be.

"Hmm!" Fang Mingyuan narrowed his eyes and said calmly. This Cao Hu indeed seemed to be no ordinary troublemaker. He had just arrived and was already trying to poach his friends. Over the years, Fang Mingyuan had always kept a distance from Zhao Ya, mainly because she was still a child, and getting too close made him feel like a creepy uncle. The Zhao family had always been good to him, especially Zhao Jianguo, who treated him like family. But now, Fang Mingyuan saw Zhao Ya more like a young sister. If it was Zhao Ya’s choice, that would be one thing, but if someone tried to force it, he wouldn’t be so lenient.

Liu Yong chuckled and returned to his seat. Having been classmates with Fang Mingyuan for five years, he naturally knew his temperament. Fang Mingyuan wasn’t the type to provoke trouble, but once trouble came to him, the consequences were severe. Yan Buxu, who used to be a bully, lost all his face in class after Fang Mingyuan dealt with him and was transferred to another class as a teacher the following year. This was the best example. Liu Yong found Cao Hu extremely unpleasant. The moment he entered the class, his eyes were all over the girls, clearly not a good person.

Cao Hu had no heart for the lesson. His chest was filled with rage. The laughter from earlier felt like knives slicing through his heart, leaving deep, bloody wounds. He had never been so humiliated upon first meeting someone, especially in such a small place, facing a bunch of country bumpkins! He, who considered himself from a big city, naturally looked down on the children from the town. But as a newcomer, he didn’t know how to retaliate against Fang Mingyuan. Without his old gang, should he roll up his sleeves and take matters into his own hands?

Cao Hu forcibly suppressed his anger. The reason his father sent him to this desolate town was because he had caused trouble and fought at his previous school. If he got into a fight on his first day, he would surely be beaten again. It wasn’t worth it. He had to endure, being fourteen, he understood the importance of patience. He would wait and deal with Fang Mingyuan later. Revenge is a dish best served cold!

As the noon dismissal bell rang, everyone started to pack their bags. The Qinxixia Equipment Factory Middle School was not in the same location as the primary school. The primary school was in the center of town, near the main crossroads, the most bustling area, while the middle school was on the outskirts. The middle school had a cafeteria, but Fang Mingyuan always ate lunch at Zhao Ya’s house, which saved him nearly half the journey. Sometimes, he would take Zhao Ya to his family’s restaurant. Feng Qian’s family had also moved to a residential area near Zhao Ya’s house, into an old building. These residential buildings had kitchens for each household, but the toilets were shared. Compared to their initial flat, this was a significant improvement.

Fang Mingyuan and Liu Yong walked ahead on the way to the bike shed, followed by a sullen Cao Hu. At the bike shed, Feng Qian and Zhao Ya were already waiting for them. They were now in the same class.

"Brother Yuan, you’re so slow! We always have to wait for you!" Feng Qian’s laughter was like a clear stream, pleasant to the ear. The little girl had grown into a young lady, but she still enjoyed clinging to Fang Mingyuan as much as before.

"Right, it’s just a short distance, yet you always fall behind us. I don’t know who the girls are here!" Zhao Ya scolded playfully.

"Let’s go! My stomach is already growling!" Fang Mingyuan pushed his bicycle out of the shed without a care, but he noticed Cao Hu’s eyes gleaming as he approached. Although the girls, being around eleven or twelve, might not understand the implications, Fang Mingyuan, having lived two lives, knew exactly what it meant. A surge of anger rose within him. This Cao Hu really didn’t know when to back off.

"How is this guy like a piece of sticky candy, so annoying?" Liu Yong muttered. Zhao Ya and Feng Qian were the two most popular girls in the grade. For a transfer student to act so arrogantly upon arrival seemed too much, even if his father was the deputy factory manager.

"Hello, I’m Cao Hu, I just transferred from Tongchuan City..." Cao Hu’s plan was well thought out. In such a small place, no matter how beautiful the girls were, once they heard he was from Tongchuan City, they would be curious. Tongchuan was a city, while Haizhuang was just a town. He could proudly tell them that his father was the newly appointed deputy factory manager, Cao Yiping, and that he had come to Haizhuang with him. This was more tasteful than constantly mentioning his father’s position!

Once they knew his father was the new deputy factory manager, they would naturally look at him differently. Naive girls would be easily swayed by a few words and become his prey. However, it seemed that these two girls were very close, and if he wanted to win both, it would be difficult. He had to choose one. Feng Qian was pure, and Zhao Ya was charming; both had their own merits. Cao Hu was unsure which to choose, as either choice would be a significant loss.

"Hey, Cao Hu, why are you looking for a donkey here?" Liu Yong deliberately called out loudly.

"Looking for a donkey?" Zhao Ya and Feng Qian looked at Cao Hu in surprise. Although donkeys weren’t rare in Haizhuang, Cao Hu had just transferred, so why would he be looking for a donkey in the bike shed?

Cao Hu felt his blood rush to his head, his face turning red. He wanted to punch Liu Yong to the ground for deliberately embarrassing him in front of the girls!

"Let’s go!" Fang Mingyuan glanced coldly at Cao Hu. "Cao Hu, I warn you, don’t have any funny ideas about my child bride, or you’ll regret ever coming to Haizhuang!"

"Child bride?" Cao Hu’s mouth opened wide in shock, like a fish gasping for air. What era was this, where child brides still existed?

"Disgusting!" Zhao Ya and Feng Qian’s faces turned red, but even a fool could see that their embarrassment was more than their anger.

The four of them got on their bikes and rode away, leaving Cao Hu standing outside the bike shed, dazed and disheartened.

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