Chapter 19: Trying to Kidnap Me?

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Chen Fan’s rhetorical question about their relationship instantly ignited a commotion in the classroom, stirring up a wave of unrest. The classmates all wore expressions of surprise, unable to believe such words could come from Chen Fan himself.

Over the past two and a half years, their history had perfectly exemplified what it meant to like someone and to be liked in return. Whenever Su Xue was hungry, Chen Fan would skip class, even if reprimanded, just to buy her food. If she casually mentioned feeling cold, he would bring hot water, clothes, and hand warmers—he was practically ready to set himself on fire to keep her warm.

During holidays or when school was about to resume, regardless of rain or shine, Chen Fan would escort Su Xue home or back to school, even spending money to arrange rides in bad weather. Whenever Su Xue was upset, Chen Fan would do everything in his power to cheer her up. If she frowned slightly or raised her voice, Chen Fan wouldn’t dare to breathe heavily; he would grin sheepishly like a loyal dog, always obedient, never straying from her wishes.

Among all the sycophants, Chen Fan’s was undoubtedly the purest bloodline. His passionate pursuit and affection for Su Xue were evident to everyone. Yet, no one expected that today, Chen Fan would behave so unusually—rather than apologizing or begging for forgiveness when Su Xue was angry, he instead questioned her back.

Is that the attitude a sycophant should have?

Not only the classmates, even Chen Fan’s close friend Wei Xun was stunned. Just moments before, Chen Fan had told him he wouldn’t put any more effort into Su Xue. Wei Xun thought it was a joke, but in the end, Chen Fan was serious.

Su Xue, who came to confront him, suddenly froze. Her angry expression stiffened, and her trembling eyes were filled with surprise. Is this still the Chen Fan I know? When he sees me angry, shouldn’t he immediately soothe me, look heartbroken, take the initiative to admit fault, and spend his own money to make me feel better? Why has he completely changed since his fight with Zhao Qinghe?

Under the watchful eyes of their classmates, Su Xue, who had been doused in cold water by Chen Fan’s words, was at a loss. She took a deep breath, put on a stern face, and said, “Putting aside the relationship talk, you, Chen Fan, clearly promised me you would pick me up from school when the holiday ended. How could you go back on your word today?”

Her voice grew choked as she continued, “Because you broke your promise, I missed the bus and had to spend two days' living expenses on a private car back to school. Chen Fan, you know my family is poor, so why did you lie to me? Did I offend you? Or do you just think poor students are easy to bully? Is that why you shamelessly lied to and bullied me?”

As Su Xue’s sobs slowly spread, the previously noisy crowd gradually quieted down. Su Xue’s poverty was well-known at school, but no one looked down on her. After all, many in the audience came from similarly modest backgrounds; there was no need for prejudice.

Everyone also believed that Su Xue had indeed spent two days’ living expenses on a private car back to school. Half of the students present were from nearby villages and towns and knew exactly how much such a trip would cost.

Initially, the classmates were just spectators, but as Su Xue shifted from sympathy to moral coercion, draping herself in a pitiful yet beautiful aura, their expressions turned to pity. They frowned with displeasure at Chen Fan, some boys rubbed their fists in support of him, while the girls whispered insults, calling him a coward who bullies the weak.

Yet Chen Fan paid no mind to the gazes or insults around him. His eyes flicked to Su Xue, who seemed to be crying but had a sly smile at the corners of her mouth, and he immediately began to applaud.

This move left the furious classmates dumbfounded. Wei Xun, ready to defend Chen Fan, just stared in confusion. Su Xue, still crying, furrowed her brow, not understanding Chen Fan’s meaning.

“Su Xue,” Chen Fan calmly asked, leaning against the wall, “I promised to pick you up before the holiday ended. May I ask... who heard it? Who saw it?”

He then pointed to Wei Xun and several nearby classmates. “Did you see it? Did you hear it? Yes or no?”

Wei Xun immediately shook his head. The others awkwardly shook their heads and said no.

Chen Fan crossed his legs and looked at Su Xue. “No one heard or saw me promise you. On what grounds do you accuse me of lying? Even if I did, show me the proof!”

“I...” Su Xue was momentarily at a loss. Actually, she did have evidence—texts in her inbox—but she had been chatting with Zhao Qinghe recently and had already cleared the inbox.

Chen Fan folded his arms and sneered, “Since you can’t prove it, don’t say I lied to you. And don’t slap on the big accusation of bullying classmates.”

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He turned to the classmates who had been unwittingly dragged into the dispute. “Everyone, be honest—since high school and becoming classmates, have I ever bullied any one of you here?”

The boys and girls looked at one another, ashamed, and avoided his gaze. After all, Chen Fan never bullied anyone. If a classmate was being bullied, he and Wei Xun would stand up for them. There was no question of Chen Fan mistreating honest students or looking down on the poor.

For a moment, everyone was unsure whom to support.

Regaining the upper hand, Chen Fan turned to Su Xue and said bluntly, “You missed the bus, which is why you spent more money. Why blame me? And say I bullied or lied to you? Everyone’s eyes are sharp—has anyone ever seen me bully you since freshman year?”

Wei Xun chimed in beside him, “Exactly. Fanzi has treated you so well, Su Xue, we’ve all seen it. If I were you, I’d just give in to Fanzi. Only Chen Fan would spend all his pocket money on you. If it were me, I’d gladly warm his bed every day!”

The classmates, amused and caught up by Chen Fan and Wei Xun’s words, nodded in agreement. After all, for two and a half years, no one had witnessed Chen Fan bullying Su Xue; rather, it was Su Xue bullying him.

Caught in this whirlwind, Su Xue was stunned. She hadn’t expected that after breaking down in tears, Chen Fan wouldn’t show any concern or tenderness but instead keep contradicting her. Even when Wei Xun teased her, Chen Fan did not stop him.

Realizing she was losing ground, Su Xue panicked. She couldn’t just sit there and take it. She had to make Chen Fan repent deeply, feel indebted to her. Otherwise, who would help cover the expenses in her little ledger if Chen Fan was gone?

Su Xue put on a pitiful act again, her voice trembling.

Just as she was about to continue playing the victim and stir the pot, a man in his thirties entered the classroom. The students near the door immediately sat up straight.

Next came a loud scolding. “What are you all gathered here for? Look at the floor—you can’t even walk without stepping on trash. Our class’s cleaning area is a mess. Are you just going to stand there with your arms crossed? Have you been acting like spoiled brats at home these past few days and now you’re lazy again at school? And you, Du Ming, as the sanitation monitor, what kind of job are you doing? Hurry up and organize cleaning!”

As the homeroom teacher Huang Fei entered, the students who had been crowding around Chen Fan and Su Xue immediately dispersed. Those who hadn’t done well last semester quickly followed the sanitation monitor out of the classroom, afraid of being scolded. The rest halfheartedly wiped desks, blackboards, and scrambled to sweep the floor.

Since the holiday had just ended and final grades were yet to be announced, no one dared to provoke the homeroom teacher. Even if there was no assigned task, they found something to do.

Once the crowd thinned, Huang Fei’s gaze settled on Chen Fan and Su Xue. Seeing the two, he felt a headache coming on. But when he noticed Su Xue’s reddened eyes like a frightened rabbit, Huang Fei was taken aback. Did he just see Chen Fan bullying Su Xue? Was the sun rising from the west?

As Huang Fei approached, Su Xue wiped her face haphazardly, cast a resentful glare at Chen Fan, and then went to her seat.

Huang Fei shot a glance at her, then turned to the innocent-looking Chen Fan and scolded Wei Xun, “Wei Xun, you’re just standing there like a lamppost. Get moving and clean the sanitation area. Chen Fan, come with me to the office.”

Wei Xun grumbled as he took a bamboo broom and left the classroom. Chen Fan stood and followed the homeroom teacher out.

At that moment, Su Xue, returning to her seat and watching Chen Fan leave, suddenly noticed the bandages on his hands.

“Are those injuries from the fight with Zhao Qinghe?” she wondered. “But I remember Chen Fan didn’t get hurt much; Zhao Qinghe was the one injured worse.”

“Could it be that when Chen Fan fought Zhao Qinghe, I first worried about Zhao Qinghe and ignored Chen Fan, and so he’s been holding a grudge? Besides, during that time, Chen Fan cut off contact with the outside world, and his phone was taken by his sister Yang Hua, who also deleted messages from his inbox. That’s why he misunderstood I never messaged or called him.”

Su Xue suddenly paused, recalling Chen Fan’s previous words: “What kind of relationship do we have, Su Xue? Why should I pick you up?”

Now she finally understood the meaning behind Chen Fan’s words and why his attitude toward her had changed so drastically. Chen Fan was simply fixated on the fight with Zhao Qinghe, using the excuse of “relationship” to pressure her into being with him.

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I never thought you, Chen Fan, would be so cunning! Su Xue snorted softly. So you wanted to force me to admit we’re a couple by deliberately acting cold toward me. Little trickster, I know you too well.

She reached for her little ledger on the desk, finally feeling relieved.

Meanwhile, in an empty classroom...

“You’re dressed like you’re going to a fashion show. Everyone else wears school uniforms or ordinary cotton or down jackets, but you’re trying to be trendy on your own. What’s going on? Since the political counselor and grade director aren’t here, you’re letting loose?”

“Even if they’re not here, you’ve got you, Teacher Fei, watching over us. I wouldn’t dare to let loose. It’s just that my uniform and down jacket got washed by my mom recently, so I had no choice but to wear this.”

“Change into proper clothes tomorrow. If Director Ge sees you, you know how he deals with people.”

After reprimanding Chen Fan’s attire, Huang Fei took a sip of tea and asked, “I saw Su Xue crying earlier. Did you bully her?”

“Me bully her? Teacher Fei, do you think that’s possible? If she didn’t bully me, I’d be over the moon,” Chen Fan shrugged helplessly, looking completely innocent.

The school was small, and Chen Fan’s relentless pursuit of Su Xue was already the talk among teachers and students. As the homeroom teacher, Huang Fei knew well about Chen Fan and Su Xue’s situation.

“Chen Fan, whether you bully her or she bullies you, it’s time to wake up. There are just over a hundred days left before the college entrance exam. Aren’t you even a little worried?”

“I am!” Chen Fan was indeed worried. He had just been reborn, but his knowledge was outdated. The things he had learned before were long forgotten. If given a test now, it would be like reading an ancient script.

“Since you’re worried, you should focus. Now isn’t the time for love affairs, but to hold your breath and push forward.”

Huang Fei punched Chen Fan’s shoulder like a brother. “I know you don’t take the college entrance exam too seriously because your family has land, cars, a house, a business, and money... No, what I mean is your current scores are hovering between third-tier and vocational colleges. With a bit more effort, you could secure a stable spot in a second-tier college. Su Xue’s grades have always been in the top 100 of the grade, top 20 in class, solidly second-tier with a chance for first-tier. Do you want to watch the girl you like get into a good university and find someone else?”

“No... I don’t!” Chen Fan almost blurted out the truth but shook his head.

Huang Fei had said all this to him in the previous life. It was through Huang Fei’s guidance that Chen Fan’s grades skyrocketed over the last hundred days, allowing him to surpass the second-tier cutoff.

Whether in the past or now, Chen Fan regarded Huang Fei as the most outstanding and responsible homeroom teacher in the entire grade. Huang Fei truly never gave up on any student, regardless of their grades, unlike those teachers who only took and never gave.

So even if this scene repeated itself from the past, Chen Fan listened humbly without impatience.

What Chen Fan didn’t know was that an uninvited guest had arrived outside the school.

...

Outside the High School.

Two of the three annoying troublemakers who had tried to ambush Chen Fan a few days ago, Zhang Zheng and Hu Kai, appeared at a small shop across from the school.

“After Alè got beaten up, he’s completely lost his drive. Kai, maybe we should find a time to talk some sense into him. After all, living the street life is better than sitting at home doing nothing,” Zhang Zheng said.

“I’ve tried to find Alè three times these past days, but he really doesn’t want to get involved anymore. You know his temper—no matter how many times we try, he won’t listen.”

“Without Alè, our Iron Men Trio is just a name!”

Zhang Zheng and Hu Kai sighed and squatted at the shop entrance, silently smoking cheap cigarettes.

When the cigarette was finished, Zhang Zheng looked at the tightly closed school gates and said, “Kai, we came empty-handed to ask Fan Ge to let us join him. Isn’t that a bit improper? After all, when you pay tribute, you don’t come empty-handed.”

“Do you have any money?”

“No.”

“I don’t have a cent either. What else can we bring? We can’t go home and slaughter a pig to offer Fan Ge. Besides, Fan Ge spends money so freely, a few hundred bucks don’t matter to him. Do you think he’s short on cash?”

“That’s true.”

Indeed, Zhang Zheng and Hu Kai weren’t here to cause trouble for Chen Fan today—they wanted to join forces with him.

Just then, three motorcycles approached nearby. Hu Kai, sharp-eyed, glanced over and his expression changed dramatically.

“Ah Zheng, look over there—it’s Rat and Jinzi!”