Chapter 67 of 100

Chapter 67

13 min read3,181 words

Chapter 23: Cao Hu's Provocation

The next day, Miyamoto Orichi, with a contract in hand and a smile on his face, set off on his journey back to Japan. Fang Mingyuan and Fang Bin naturally returned to Hai Zhuang Town. Back in Hai Zhuang Town, Fang Mingyuan waited for the assistants from Japan while preparing the subsequent drawings for "Yu Yu Hakusho." This time, he only needed to draw the main characters and add text, leaving the rest to be filled in by the assistants. This greatly increased the speed of his work. Meanwhile, Su Aijun was also looking for suitable future assistants for him at the art academy in Fengyuan.

On the fourth evening, Fang Bin received a call from Su Aijun at his hotel. After returning to the capital, Sun Lan was summoned to Zheng Dongyu's office and severely reprimanded. The next day, she was publicly criticized throughout the company, had her bonus for the next six months deducted, and was transferred to the company library as a bookkeeper, with a two-year probationary period. During this period, no one in the company was allowed to promote her for any reason. The head of the logistics department, Gong, was given a major demerit, publicly criticized throughout the company, and demoted to acting head. The vice president who had instructed Gong was given a major demerit within the party and had to make a profound self-criticism within the company's upper management, as well as apologize to Su Aijun in person. As for Bai Lin, he not only received a three-bedroom apartment in the second ring and was promoted to a deputy department-level position, but also benefited from the situation.

"Sun Lan will probably resign or be transferred," Fang Mingyuan muttered. If it were him, he would likely do the same. As long as there was someone at home, he could work at another company. With things at this point, it was about as good as it could get. Although Gong, the head of the logistics department, seemed to be a scapegoat, and the vice president's punishment was too light, in China, even the State Premier could not handle such matters entirely according to regulations. Zheng Dongyu's favor towards Bai Lin was clearly an attempt to compensate for the fact that he knew it would be difficult to completely appease Su Aijun's anger.

School life was rather dull for him now. The familiar knowledge and a group of children around twelve years old did not really interest him. However, the teachers at school were very lenient with him and never questioned what he did in class. Of course, this was also the result of him being the top student in his grade for the eleventh consecutive time. Sitting at the back had another advantage: during class, no one except the teacher could see what he was doing, so he could confidently draw manga in class.

Cao Hu, sitting on the other side of the classroom, looked at Fang Mingyuan with envy. After this period of study, he had learned more about Fang Mingyuan from others. This peer, who was like a Five-Finger Mountain pressing down on their heads in terms of academics, made Cao Hu increasingly envious. Because of Fang Mingyuan's presence, he, the son of a deputy factory manager, was overshadowed by the girls in school.

Every time class ended, a group of girls would always gather around Fang Mingyuan's desk. The most common among them were Zhao Ya and Feng Qian, who chattered incessantly. It was unclear what they had so much to talk about. A few boys who were friends with Fang Mingyuan would also occasionally join in. Fang Mingyuan would always smile faintly, saying a few words from time to time, which would make these girls very excited.

"Is it just because he's good at studying? He's not even that good-looking!" Cao Hu muttered under his breath. What he said was not wrong. Fang Mingyuan's appearance was only above average among his peers, far from being a handsome young man, mainly because he had single eyelids, which made his eyes seem smaller. Cao Hu believed he was much more handsome and manly.

"Is being good at studying not enough? If you have the ability, why don't you get the top spot?" Li Yuxin said coldly, "Don't just envy him here!"

"Envy him?" Cao Hu did not expect his muttering to be heard, and his face turned red.

"Envy or jealousy! You know it in your heart!" Li Yuxin did not give Cao Hu a chance to argue and turned back around.

"Hey, didn't you used to always get the top spot in class and grade? The mid-term exams are coming up soon. Why don't you give him a taste of his own medicine?" Cao Hu said in a low voice.

"I have no grudge against him. He hasn't provoked me. Why should I give him a taste of his own medicine?" Li Yuxin turned her head and looked at Cao Hu, "Do it for you? I don't have the time for that!"

Cao Hu felt a bit dejected. He knew his own capabilities. If it came to fighting or playing sports, he believed he could hold his own against anyone in the school. But when it came to studying... well, he was realistic. Unless he cheated, his father would definitely think the sun was rising in the north if he got the top spot in the grade. Since Li Yuxin was not provoked, he had no other options.

Soon, it was time to go home. Fang Mingyuan and his group naturally walked together, while Cao Hu, Luo Yuzhong, and a few other students from the second and third grades followed behind. By the time they reached the second and third grades, the boys had learned a lot about social interactions and, with their parents' advice, knew that getting along with Cao Hu, the son of a deputy factory manager, would benefit their families and their future succession. Therefore, they all tried to ingratiate themselves with Cao Hu, forming a small group. However, none of them were willing to provoke Fang Mingyuan. Whenever Cao Hu showed any desire to do so, someone would change the subject or earnestly try to dissuade him.

Over time, Cao Hu was not a fool and understood that no one wanted to provoke Fang Mingyuan.

The flow of students quickly entered the town center. Fang Mingyuan and his group were going to a restaurant for dinner. With the Fang family's restaurant becoming increasingly popular, the Fangs and the Zhaos were becoming less inclined to cook at home. So they often went to the restaurant for meals. Feng Qian, who often followed Fang Mingyuan and Zhao Ya, naturally went with them. However, today was Liu Yong's birthday, and Fang Mingyuan had promised to treat everyone, so a few more people joined them.

"Mingyuan, what's that?" Zhao Ya suddenly stopped her bike and pointed to the side of the road.

Fang Mingyuan looked in the direction she pointed and saw that a few billiard tables had appeared on the side of the road.

"That's billiards, also known as snooker or pool," Fang Mingyuan recalled that China was about to enter a period of widespread billiards. Originally considered an elegant sport, billiards had become ubiquitous in China, with people playing everywhere. Although not a rare item in China, having appeared in major cities before the liberation, this was the first time billiard tables had appeared on the streets of Hai Zhuang Town.

"Fang Mingyuan, you seem to know how to play. Let's have a few games! Dare you?" A voice full of provocation came from behind, and it was Cao Hu.

---