Chapter 32 - Swindling A Profit
Xu Yao looked at Lin Qian in a daze. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. “….”
d.a.m.n it. He forgot what he wanted to say!
Lin Qian raised a brow and looked at the watch on his wrist. He then looked at Xu Yao funny. “It’s been 24 hours. Haven’t you digested it yet?”
Xu Yao: “…” Fine, I get it, I get it! Just drop that watch already!
So it’s both Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing who are in love with each other. But why are they so calm while he’s the one who’s stressed out?
Xu Yao wanted to pry Lin Qian’s head open and shout: Do you know what you’re doing!!!!
But he didn’t because he knew Lin Qian would just calmly answer: “Yes.”
Just like what he did yesterday.
At the thought of yesterday’s events, Xu Yao felt like he was moments away from a heart attack. Back then, the visual impact of Lin Qian hugging Zheng PingQing in the kitchen of the Zheng family home was just too devastating. At first, Xu Yao didn’t dare think about it at all. He even tried to convince himself that it was nothing more than a pure brotherhood act.
However, bystander Xu Yao was soon forced to hear the truth. When the two saw Xu Yao, both Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing acted like there wasn’t anything wrong with what they were doing. They even came out of the closet, leaving Xu Yao unable to continue deluding himself.
But there were so many other students in the house at the time. Xu Yao had been too afraid that they might get overheard, so he missed his opportunity to question the two.
When Xu Yao went back home that evening, he tossed and turned all night, feeling more and more apprehensive. Recounting all the things that happened in their senior year, he finally realized…Ah!
d.a.m.n it; those two have been acting lovey-dovey in front of everyone all this time!
Xu Yao, who suddenly found out the truth, almost fell into tears.
Xu Yao originally had a lot to say and many questions he wanted to ask, but now, seeing Lin Qian as calm as always, he didn’t know what to say. After being silent for a long while, he finally managed to ask: “Yesterday…why did you tell me the truth?”
Honestly, if Lin Qian had tried to hide it from him, Xu Yao would’ve certainly believed him with all his might. But Lin Qian didn’t.
Lin Qian looked at him in the eye. “You’re my best friend. I didn’t think I needed to hide it from you.”
And Xu Yao was suddenly relieved. Yes, it was because he was Lin Qian’s best friend that Lin Qian had no reservations about him. Even with such a major secret, Lin Qian hadn’t hesitated to confide in him. Xu Yao could not betray this trust.
Of course, what Xu Yao didn’t know was that in addition to their bond as childhood friends, the reason Lin Qian could tell the truth so confidently was because Xu Yao was the first to support his relationship with Zheng PingQing in their last life.
Back in their last life, Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing had acc.u.mulated so much resentment over the years. Their friends had also been affected by this and remained just as hostile to each other as in their high school days. However, after the initial shock and short digestion period, Xu Yao had been the first to stand up and give them his blessings.
Xu Yao believed in Lin Qian and therefore believed in Lin Qian’s choice.
And now, this Xu Yao didn’t let Lin Qian down either. Xu Yao firmly said to him: “I’ll keep it a secret for you.”
“Un.” Lin Qian replied. “Though confidentiality is only the second most important thing. What I hope is to receive your blessings.”
Xu Yao: “….”
Lin Qian cheerily continued: “If given the chance, Zheng PingQing would tell the world that we’re dating. But now isn’t the best time to make our relationship public, so I’ve been trying to hold him back. Now that you know the truth, you can share my burden!”
Xu Yao choked. “….Can I refuse?” Knowing the sordid truth was enough for his weak heart. He really didn’t have any extra energy to offer any blessings.
Lin Qian thought about it. “You can, but I doubt Zheng PingQing would let you go.”
Xu Yao became mad. “What did I do to deserve this? What does he want from me?”
Lin Qian gave him a look. “…What do you think?”
Xu Yao: “….” He shouldn’t have been greedy for fruit last night! He shouldn’t have walked into the kitchen!
After confirming Lin Qian’s carefree att.i.tude, Xu Yao remembered something else. He decided to ask Lin Qian: “So is this why your test scores declined so much? Because…your mind was too preoccupied…with…dating?” Even as he said it, Xu Yao felt the ridiculousness of his words.
“Do you actually think I’m the kind of person who can’t separate my personal life with my studies?” Lin Qian countered.
Xu Yao went quiet for a while. “Then, this time…”
Lin Qian knocked him on his head: “You just have to believe in me.”
Xu Yao didn’t ask again. Nodding, he said: “Alright.”
Lin Qian continued: “You should believe in Zheng PingQing too.”
Xu Yao became a little depressed. “…Can’t we have a conversation without mentioning him once?”
“You’ll have to get used to him eventually. From now on, he’s going to be like a shadow, following me relentlessly.” Lin Qian replied.
Xu Yao: “…” No, he doesn’t want to get used to him at all.
After they finished talking, the two went into the small office together.
All the other members of the tutoring group have already arrived. But they all seem to be in low spirits as they listlessly did some problems.
When the two came in, the students sluggishly said h.e.l.lo.
Seeing this, Lin Qian curiously asked: “What’s the matter with you all?”
Right after he said this, Jiang TingJun suddenly slammed a hand on the table. He turned to Lou XingGuang and shouted: “Didn’t I teach you this problem already? Why are you still doing it wrong!”
A sad Lou XingGuang replied: “…I forgot.”
“What are you talking about?” Jiang TingJun cried out. “You didn’t remember it in the first place, right?”
Lou XingGuang didn’t dare answer.
Lin Qian: “….”
Lin Qian adopted a soothing tone to try and mollify Jiang TingJun: “Calm down.”
“I can’t calm down.” Jiang TingJun looked at Lin Qian with a dark expression, then glared at Zheng PingQing. “Fortunately, your grades went up a lot; otherwise, I’d be the first to kick you in the face.”
In this first test, there was no sign of improvement in any of the Cla.s.s 8 students. Only Zheng PingQing made some definite progress, but Jiang TingJun was obviously not happy about this.
Zheng PingQing: “…”
He and Lin Qian looked at each other, and they both couldn’t help laughing out loud. What happened to Jiang TingJun and Lou XingGuang? Jiang TingJun’s temper and Lou XingGuang’s meekness were clearly uncharacteristic of them.
It seems that like everyone else, they thought Lin Qian’s sudden dip in performance was because he spent way too much time tutoring Zheng PingQing.
Dong MingEn, possibly wanting to help his friends regain their dignity, raised his hand and weakly said: “In fact, our cla.s.s’ Zhang FanFan made a lot of progress this time.”
Unfortunately, he only made Jiang TingJun angrier. Jiang TingJun turned into a small dragon and started spraying fire on all the underachievers: “Even studying a little would usually mean progress. Why hadn’t anyone of you improved? Do you think you’re even remotely worthy of Ah Qian’s time?”
On the one hand, Jiang TingJun hated iron for not being steel, and on the other hand, he was outraged that Lin Qian’s results had dropped so drastically. He was so riled up that he started cursing and scolding up a storm. The expressions of the Cla.s.s 8 students were beginning to go dark. They were used to being free and lazy. They had never taken studying seriously, but they had tried this time. Yet they were still scolded so severely?
Dong MingEn was getting a little angry. He was about to open his mouth when suddenly the office door was pushed open. A voice suddenly sounded from the entrance: “Eh, isn’t this where you do tutoring? How come people are swearing?”
The initially blazing room immediately quieted down. Everyone frowned at the sudden intrusion of this uninvited guest.
Jiang TingJun was already very angry. Now, when he saw Huo YeRui, the new No.1 in their grade, he became even more upset. Jiang TingJun’s tone was black when he asked: “What are you doing here?”
Looking all innocent, Huo YeRui said: “You are all my fellow cla.s.smates. I wanted to ask about the tutoring situation.”
Huo YeRui’s words were like knives stabbing at their hearts. Everyone’s face visibly changed as they all simultaneously realized that Huo YeRui was here to make fun of them.
Only Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing remained unaffected. Lin Qian smiled at him and asked: “Oh? Were you worried about us?”
Huo YeRui: “…” He was being sarcastic, OK!
“On behalf of everyone here, I’d like to say that I’m looking forward to Cla.s.smate Huo’s care and concern.” Zheng PingQing cut in.
Huo YeRui: “…”
He clearly intended to annoy these people, yet he was instead used as a mockery. Not only did Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing not get angry or embarra.s.sed, but they even struck back at Huo YeRui.
Before the others could say anything, Xu Yao jumped in the conversation first and said: “Cla.s.smate Huo, we don’t want empty words, what are you going to do to help us?”
Jiang TingJun placed both his hands against his chest. “I look forward to Cla.s.smate Huo’s help.”
All the underachievers: “We all wait in antic.i.p.ation.”
Huo YeRui’s chest ached. After a while, he finally found his voice, and with a sneer, said: “Oh? How do you think I’ll be able to help?”
And before anyone could reply, he continued: “Firstly, it’s impossible for me to do tutoring. After all, I don’t want to fall down to the top 20 next month.”
As soon as he said this, Xu Yao and Jiang TingJun gnashed their teeth. Enough is enough!
“I dare you to say that again!” Xu Yao shouted, fire coming out of his eyes.
“Did I say something wrong?” Huo YeRui was back to his innocent expression. “I’m just doing this for Cla.s.smate Lin Qian’s sake. As his friend, don’t you care about his results?”
Huo YeRui then turned towards Lin Qian and tried to provoke him. “Cla.s.smate Lin, you helped tutor other people, which made your grades fall. Yet they haven’t even made any progress. Aren’t you frustrated with this arduous and thankless task?”
Huo YeRui’s words directly hit all the underachievers’ hearts, causing them to feel embarra.s.sed and guilty. These people all had ill-tempered personalities, and Dong MingEn, who was put on the spot, abruptly stood up with a ‘bang.’ He was ready to rush forward and beat Huo YeRui up.
But he hadn’t even lifted a foot yet when Jiang TingJun already went into action. He grabbed Huo YeRui by the collar and dragged him towards Dong MingEn and friends. “Apologize, you f.u.c.king apologize to them.”
Huo YeRui and the students from Cla.s.s 8 were shocked.
Xu Yao was also furious. “It’s not your cla.s.s, why are you b.u.t.ting in other people’s business? Why don’t you blah, blah, blah”
Fu YiFei and Pan Qibo also coldly commented: “Too meddlesome.”
“Wow, after getting first place in the test, you’ve decided to take care of our entire grade now?”
Everyone was speaking over each other that Huo YeRui didn’t even have room to put in a word. And ironically, the students of Cla.s.s 8 couldn’t speak either. They could only watch on stupidly as the top students vented out their anger on Huo YeRui.
Huo YeRui didn’t expect Xu Yao to lose his temper to this extent. Sometimes, things just go beyond one’s expectations. He was currently outnumbered by these aggressive students, the same students who would recklessly fight in school. Huo YeRui was a little terrified now. Taking a step back, he hastily said: “I-I’m not that concerned…”
At this moment, Lin Qian finally walked towards Huo YeRui.
Lin Qian was walking at a leisurely pace, his expression amiable. He was even smiling, as if people hadn’t just been shouting. But somehow, Huo YeRui felt more oppressed by Lin Qian than Jiang TingJun who had just grabbed him by the collar. He wanted to take another step back, but realizing that this action might make him look weak, Huo YeRui straightened his posture and with trembling eyes, began: “You…”
Lin Qian widened his smile. “Way back, Cla.s.smate Huo offered to help me, but ultimately didn’t manage to do it. Now that he’s offering to help again, we should happily accept.”
Huo YeRui: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
What the frick, was Lin Qian for real? That was so long ago, yet he still remembers that?
Huo YeRui didn’t dare be sarcastic anymore. Instead, he said: “H-how else could I possibly help?”
Lin Qian touched his chin and really thought about it. Zheng PingQing coolly answered: “You can buy everyone a copy of ‘National College Entrance Exam Questions For The Decade."”
Huo Yerui: “!!!” Don’t even mention that! I almost forgot the reason why I wanted to kill Zheng PingQing and his brothers!
That’s not the only reason I’m angry, alright!
“I recently gave Huo YeRui a copy, and now he suddenly gets first place. I guess the book really works! Since Huo YeRui received such a great gift, he should give back to everyone and buy us the same book.”
Huo YeRui: “!!!” It has nothing to do with your stupid book! I threw that book in the trash right after my party!
Lin Qian nodded. “That’s an excellent idea.”
Huo YeRui: !!! Why are you agreeing!
Zhang PingQing started counting the number of people in the room: “…nine people, so nine books…”
Lin Qian interrupted him: “No, no, Zhang Fanfan might not come often, but she still works hard. She should get a book too.”
Zheng PingQing clapped. “Oh, right, that would be very thoughtful of you. And with ten books, you can even bargain with the store and get a discount.”
Zheng PingQing and Lin Qian kept talking one after the other until suddenly, Huo YeRui was looking at a signed contract.
Fearing that Huo YeRui would later go back on his word, and having learned from Dong MingEn, Huo YeRui was given a contract to sign on the spot. Moreover, unlike Dong MingEn’s horrible writing, this particular contract was written using special jargon and beautiful handwriting.
By the time Huo YeRui snapped out of his daze, he had already signed the contract that forfeited sovereignty and humiliated the country.
Satisfied, Zheng PingQing read through the contract. “Cla.s.smate Huo, you better hurry. We’re still waiting to learn.”
Huo YeRui was coughing up blood, but he didn’t dare say anything else. When he finally managed to leave the room, he suddenly kicked the wall. Gritting his teeth, he yelled: “Lin Qian, Zheng PingQing, just you wait and see!”
Meanwhile, in the office, everyone could hear Huo YeRui’s ruthless words….they all remained quiet.
Xu Yao snorted. “How naive.”
Dong MingEn: “Plus one.”
Lou XingGuang: “We can pool our money together and buy a burlap sack to stuff him in tomorrow.”
The others: “Brother XingGuang, forget about it.”
Zheng PingQing, who was still happily reading the contract, couldn’t help but find it beautiful. “That ‘National College Entrance Exam Questions For The Decade’ really was too d.a.m.n expensive. My heart was aching when I had to buy it for that guy. But I didn’t expect to earn my money back so soon! Earning nine books worth of profits…this investment has to be the highest return rate I’ve ever gotten!”
Everyone else: “…..”