“What is it?” Lin Ran looked at Cao Xun in confusion. The guy had come over as soon as class ended. Was he here to threaten him again?

Cao Xun was a little taken aback too. Ever since he’d taught Lin Ran a lesson last semester, Lin Ran had always looked scared whenever they met. But today, there was nothing in Lin Ran’s gaze. He looked at Cao Xun like he was a complete stranger.

“If you’re here to threaten me, you can save your breath. I’m not interested in messing with you, and I’m even less interested in Li Li,” Lin Ran said first.

“Good. But don’t let me hear any rumors about that. I don’t care if they’re true or not—I’ll beat you up again either way.” Cao Xun nodded, but still made sure to threaten Lin Ran.

Lin Ran shook his head with a laugh. Su Shijie came over just then.

“Old Cao, what’s this about? Got nothing better to do after class, so you came over to pick on my buddy?” Su Shijie watched Cao Xun with a roguish grin.

“I wouldn’t call it picking on him. I’m just giving him a warning,” Cao Xun said.

“Heh, give it up already. You really think Little Ran would be interested in your girl? Her face is about the only thing she’s got going for her. The girls around Little Ran now are thousands of times prettier than Li Li.” Su Shijie looked at Cao Xun with disdain.

“You think I don’t dare hit you?” Cao Xun frowned.

“You do. You’d hit anyone, Cao Xun. But I can guarantee you this: if you lay a hand on me or Little Ran, your life’s gonna get real interesting.” Su Shijie chuckled.

Cao Xun didn’t say anything. Su Shijie was telling the truth. With his family background, who’d dare hit him?

“But seriously, Old Cao, you’ve always had our classmates’ backs, so let me give you some advice: Li Li’s the kind of girl you should stay away from. You’ll regret it sooner or later.” Su Shijie patted Cao Xun on the shoulder and spoke earnestly.

“That’s none of your business,” Cao Xun said.

“I was just giving you a heads-up. It’s not like I care.” Su Shijie pursed his lips.

As soon as Cao Xun left, Su Shijie crouched beside Lin Ran and whispered, “Little Ran, I’ll send you a few pictures later. Save them. If that guy gives you trouble again, show them to him.”

“What pictures?” Lin Ran asked curiously.

“They’re incredible. So incredible you wouldn’t believe it!” Su Shijie grinned mischievously.

So, before class started, Su Shijie sent Lin Ran the pictures, along with a message.

Su Shijie: I took these pictures at a bar over the break. I was still trying to decide whether to show them to Cao Xun—after all, that guy’s always had our classmates’ backs. Now, though, it’s up to you!

Lin Ran looked at the pictures. They were pretty blurry, with lights of all different colors—the sort of shots you’d take in a bar. The first one by itself didn’t show much, but all five together? Good grief.

Lin Ran shook his head as he looked at the pictures. Li Li was the woman in them, but the man wasn’t Cao Xun. He was an older man who looked well past his prime. In the photos, Li Li was sitting on his lap, and the old man’s pants seemed to be halfway down...

That was disgusting.

Lin Ran didn’t save the pictures. There was no point. He had no intention of getting involved with Cao Xun anyway. Besides, the pictures would just take up storage space and gross him out.

After two classes, an announcement over the PA called all the students and teachers to the auditorium for the opening ceremony. Everyone lined up and headed downstairs.

As they left the school building, they happened to run into the students from Grade 12, Class B coming downstairs. Bao Xinrou was among them, her uniform jacket hanging open, giving her the look of a delinquent girl. Once downstairs, Bao Xinrou spotted Su Shijie walking beside Lin Ran. Of course, Su Shijie saw her too.

The moment their eyes met, Bao Xinrou clenched her fist and gave Su Shijie a downright vicious smile. Su Shijie swallowed nervously.

Lin Ran was dying to laugh. Bao Xinrou had to be the only woman in the world who could keep Su Shijie in line. But nobody knew that, even though Lin Ran disliked girls, he didn’t dislike Bao Xinrou. Sure, she acted like a delinquent all the time, dyed her hair, painted her nails, and sometimes smoked. But she only looked rough on the outside; deep down, she was a good person. If a girl at school was harassed or bullied by students from another school or by some street punks, Bao Xinrou would be the first to step in. She never hid how she felt, either. Happy meant happy, angry meant angry, sad meant sad. She was straightforward and genuine. Compared with girls who acted one way on the surface and were another way inside, Lin Ran didn’t dislike the real Bao Xinrou. Of course, he didn’t like her, either.

“I’ve got the worst luck in the world. Why do I run into that crazy woman every time I go out? Damn it,” Su Shijie complained.

“You two sure have a connection. Why don’t you just make her yours?” Lin Ran teased him.

“Get lost. I’d rather like a guy than her. Who’d want a violent delinquent girl like that unless they were an idiot? I’m telling you, if you date a girl like her, you’ll never know how many times she’s cheated on you.” Su Shijie sounded thoroughly annoyed.

Lin Ran couldn’t help laughing. Su Shijie had it all wrong. Bao Xinrou had plenty of friends, including guy friends, but aside from teasing girls, she never flirted with guys. If a guy tried flirting with her, she’d just beat him up.

“Don’t tempt fate. You might end up eating those words,” Lin Ran said with a smile.

“Tempt fate, my ass. Just watch. If I ever fall for Bao Xinrou, I’ll livestream myself chopping off my ** and eating shit. You can hold me to that, Little Ran.” Su Shijie sounded completely confident.

Lin Ran clicked his tongue and nodded. Fine, he’d hold him to it. He didn’t remember much about Su Shijie and Bao Xinrou after graduating high school in his previous life, so he had no idea how things would turn out between them. But honestly, he couldn’t see Su Shijie falling for Bao Xinrou. Still, teasing him was too much fun to pass up.

“What’s with that tomboy look? Just look at Baozi’s stupid mug.” Su Shijie was still running his mouth.

“If you’ve got the guts, try calling her Baozi to her face,” Lin Ran said with a smile.

“If I had the guts, I’d definitely call her Baozi to her face.” Su Shijie said shamelessly.

Lin Ran could barely hold it in, and the students behind them were snickering quietly too.

On the way to the auditorium, Su Shijie cursed Bao Xinrou every which way and sarcastically hummed a poem someone had written about her.

“Bao Xinrou, not so sweet, one punch kills two bulls with ease. When she’s done, she drinks a beer, then skips away without a care!”

“Bao Xinrou, not so sweet...”

“What were her parents thinking, putting ‘gentle’ in her name? Look at her—is there anything gentle about her? She’ll never get married. She’s definitely gonna end up an old spinster.”

...

In the end, Lin Ran couldn’t hold back and burst out laughing. Su Shijie and Bao Xinrou were like fire and water—sworn enemies. But Bao Xinrou really would punch Su Shijie, while all he dared to do was run his mouth behind her back. When they were face-to-face, he wouldn’t dare say a thing.

“Brother Jie, you’d better stop. If Baozi catches wind of this, she might come straight to our classroom and wait for you at the door!” one of the students behind him warned.

“I’ll say what I want. Anyone who spreads it around can answer to me.” Su Shijie threatened them fiercely.

“Honestly, Brother Jie, Baozi’s pretty good-looking. She’s just too violent. Why don’t you think about making her yours? You’d be doing the rest of us a favor and getting rid of a major threat!” the boy joked.

“Get lost! I’ll make your mom mine! Don’t bring up Bao Xinrou again—I’m already pissed off just hearing her name!” Su Shijie cursed.

“Yangyang’s actually got a point. Bao Xinrou’s just a little violent; she’s pretty good-looking, really. Haven’t you seen the reviews and rankings of No. 5 High School from other schools? Bao Xinrou’s ranked thirteenth on the beauty list!” Lin Ran couldn’t resist teasing Su Shijie too, though what he said was all true.

“Little Ran, did a donkey kick you in the head? Aren’t you supposed to hate women? Why are you sticking up for Baozi?” Su Shijie looked at Lin Ran, completely baffled.

“I never said I hated Bao Xinrou. Sure, she’s violent and acts like a delinquent, but she’s genuine and straightforward. She doesn’t hide behind a fake smile or play games.” Lin Ran sounded helpless.

“Then why don’t you make her yours?” Su Shijie snorted.

Lin Ran shook his head, not sure whether to laugh or cry. He’d better stop bringing up Bao Xinrou with Su Shijie.