Liu Hong had no objections to Chen Sen making a request and then changing his mind. He agreed without hesitation.

The one paying calls the shots.

Whatever the boss says is right.

Besides, this saved them the trouble of looking after that useless Wang Fanran.

Zhou Lin was a chatterbox who never knew when to shut up. As soon as he heard that Wang Fanran had egged Li Dong on to hurt someone, he told Liu Hong, who was bored at home, so Liu Hong could get the whole story.

The police had even come to the school to gather evidence, so the incident had caused quite a stir. Rumors were flying all over campus.

So it was no surprise that Chen Sen had found out.

Thinking of the job Chen Sen had hired him for before, Liu Hong felt wary of the guy. Aside from doing business for money, he figured it was best not to have anything more to do with him.

That was why, when Chen Sen contacted him with a more lucrative job for him and his underlings, Liu Hong turned him down flat.

Sure, cash was tempting.

But it was better to earn money honestly and keep your feet on the ground. No point dreaming of getting rich overnight.

“That’s impossible! Chen Sen promised me—as long as I…”

After hearing Liu Hong, Wang Fanran, who’d been kicked flying, gritted his teeth against the pain and immediately started shouting in disbelief.

But before he could finish, Liu Hong suddenly grabbed a textbook from the desk beside him and hurled it straight at Wang Fanran.

Shut up.

Whatever bad things Chen Sen had done had nothing to do with Liu Hong, and he had no interest in finding out… But since he had ties to Chen Sen, it was better not to let Wang Fanran say too much.

The goddess Su Yao was still in the classroom. He couldn’t let her look disgusted.

“Hehe, Brother Liu, let us keep giving that fat pig a warm welcome. You can just watch from the side.”

Seeing Brother Liu make that move, Zhou Lin, one of the underlings standing nearby, spoke up at once, offering to take the burden off his boss.

They hadn’t gotten their fill of beating him just yet. Time to keep going.

Wang Fanran acted timid and submissive most of the time, but behind their backs, he was always mouthing off.

He looked down on them as if he were somebody important.

That was exactly why Zhou Lin had kept an eye on him.

He couldn’t stand the guy.

“Sure. Go have fun.”

Liu Hong didn’t turn down Zhou Lin’s suggestion.

He had no interest in Wang Fanran.

If Zhou Lin wanted to beat him up, that wasn’t a problem.

But…

“You’re Lin Qing, right? Zhou Lin told me about you. You’ve had a rough time. Getting stabbed must’ve been awful.”

As Zhou Lin led a group of people off to crack their knuckles and beat up Wang Fanran, Liu Hong didn’t go straight to Su Yao. Instead, he turned to look at Lin Qing, who was standing nearby.

He didn’t have much of an impression of the boy who’d just transferred to their school.

He only remembered that Lin Qing was quiet and kept to himself.

Now Lin Qing stood off to the side with snacks in his arms, just as quiet as Liu Hong remembered.

That long black hair was ridiculously over the top. It really did cover his face completely.

Only a slightly pointed chin showed.

Damn it!

The school discipline officer was always on his case about how he dressed, so why didn’t they do anything about a guy like this?

This was discrimination against delinquents!

And Lin Qing’s look was seriously outdated. What era was this? Sweeping his hair back to reveal a pretty face… That kind of tired old trope was so overdone.

Besides, looks were something you were born with.

If you’d been ugly since childhood, then even if you wore thick glasses with lenses like the bottoms of beer bottles, you’d still be ugly enough to scare people once you took them off.

Liu Hong just couldn’t believe that Lin Qing had looked like this since he was a kid and that nobody had ever seen his face…

Surely some family members or friends had seen what Lin Qing really looked like.

These days, you had to show the opposite sex what you had to offer. You had to confess boldly if you wanted to win someone’s heart.

Just like he was doing with Su Yao…

If you kept at it, victory was yours!

“I wasn’t hurt by the knife.”

But after hearing Liu Hong, Lin Qing suddenly spoke up.

Compared to Liu Hong’s easygoing manner, Lin Qing’s reply was a little too literal.

Liu Hong was taken aback. Then he looked at Lin Qing with genuine surprise. He hadn’t expected this scrawny kid to have some guts!

There weren’t many people in the class who dared talk to him like that.

Interesting.

Lin Qing wasn’t trying to act cool. He was just stating the facts plainly, which was why Liu Hong didn’t find his answer irritating.

From Lin Qing’s appearance and the way he spoke, Liu Hong had already decided that he was an exceptionally rare honest-to-goodness good guy.

“Pfft.”

While Liu Hong and Lin Qing were talking, a laugh that someone couldn’t hold back came from nearby.

It was only a laugh, but Liu Hong recognized it at once.

The goddess Su Yao was laughing!!!

At once, Liu Hong looked up in delight toward Su Yao’s seat. Su Yao, who’d been reading intently, had put her book down and turned to look their way.

Her eyes, dark as onyx, were fixed straight on him. The faint smile lifting her lips was utterly intoxicating.

Liu Hong felt as if he’d drowned in Su Yao’s smile.

While Liu Hong gazed at Su Yao, completely lost in his own world, Lin Qing, standing beside him, looked up at her too.

But unlike Liu Hong, who had hearts in his eyes, Lin Qing’s gaze was completely cool.

And wary.

What exactly had Su Yao meant by that “good show” she’d mentioned on the phone yesterday?

Given Su Yao’s nasty personality, not knowing the answer left Lin Qing’s heart in a constant state of unease. He couldn’t settle down.

Maybe Su Yao already knew that, which was why she’d brought it up on the phone ahead of time.

She kept tormenting his thoughts.

What a wicked woman.

As Lin Qing thought about all this, Su Yao sat at her desk. After pointedly ignoring Liu Hong, she noticed Lin Qing looking at her too, and her smile grew even brighter.

She couldn’t wait for the show to begin. Just how shocked would Lin Qing be?

The thought alone was fun.

It was a shame she couldn’t get close to Lin Qing at school. That bothered Su Yao just a tiny bit.

Still, the thought of keeping things between her and Lin Qing secret was pretty thrilling.

Thinking this, Su Yao smiled at Lin Qing. Her gaze slid down to the bandage wrapped around his left hand, and an unusual light flickered in her dark eyes.

She was extremely curious about this mysterious Lin Qing!

While things were all warm and friendly over here, Wang Fanran was having a miserable time on the other side. The delinquents led by Zhou Lin knew how to beat someone up: it hurt like hell, but they didn’t break bones or damage internal organs.

He’d only be left with bruises, but even the slightest touch would hurt like crazy.

As Wang Fanran took the beating, he glared viciously at Lin Qing. He knew he couldn’t keep it to himself any longer.

Let’s blow this all up together!

“Brother Liu, I have something to say!!! Lin Qing and Su Yao are involved! I saw them kissing in the locker room with my own eyes!!!”

With that in mind, Wang Fanran shouted it out, spilling everything without a second thought.