Chapter Eight: The Dinner Gathering and the Conflict

At nine o’clock on the morning of the ninth, the end-of-term exams for the first semester of the third year officially began. For Zhou Xuan, exams posed no challenge whatsoever; he finished each subject’s paper in less than an hour as usual.

Thus, for every subject, Zhou Xuan confidently handed in his paper ahead of time and strode out of the exam room with assurance.

On the tenth of January, once the exams concluded, the school was officially on holiday. After three days’ rest at home, everyone would return to school to collect their results, and then they could embrace the winter break with peace of mind.

Yet, for those in their third year, this holiday was anything but carefree. The coming semester would be their last in junior high, so every teacher assigned an overwhelming amount of winter homework: more than a dozen sets of test papers for each subject, along with various workbooks and problem sets waiting to be completed.

Naturally, the students groaned and complained, but their protests were met only with admonishment from the homeroom teacher. At the beginning of next term, if any student’s grades dropped significantly, their parents would be summoned to explain how their child “reviewed” over the break—whether they’d actually studied or simply played around.

On the afternoon of the tenth, after the final exam had ended, Zhou Xuan decided to reward everyone for their hard work. He invited Liu Yixue, a few of his dorm mates, and Zhuo Lian out for a hearty meal.

In the end, Liu Yixue’s good friend, Yu Xiaoling, insisted on tagging along, making it difficult for Zhou Xuan to refuse.

Zhou Xuan was familiar with Yu Xiaoling’s nature and couldn’t shake the feeling that, sooner or later, Liu Yixue would be taken advantage of by her. He didn’t particularly like dealing with her and made a mental note to warn Yixue, lest she come to regret it later.

The venue Zhou Xuan chose was a riverside food stall—good atmosphere, right by the Yangtze, with pleasant scenery and fair prices.

By now, the others weren’t particularly surprised to see Liu Yixue join them. After all, the two had been inseparable lately; anyone with sense could tell they were likely dating.

Still, since they were only junior high students, the two were discreet and refrained from any overt displays of affection. In everyone’s eyes, they simply chatted and ate together more often than before.

If a high school or college student had witnessed them, they’d have scoffed, “They’re not even holding hands—what kind of romance is this?”

Zhou Xuan didn’t mind; they were still young, and there was plenty of time ahead.

During the meal, Zhou Lin couldn’t help joking around, calling Liu Yixue “sister-in-law,” which made the usually shy girl blush bright red.

“Hey, Zhou Lin, can’t you behave for a moment? Not even a mouthful of meat can shut you up?” Zhou Xuan didn’t want him to continue; otherwise, Liu Yixue might be scared off.

“Alright, alright. Let’s just eat!” Zhou Lin replied, giving Zhou Xuan a knowing look as if to say, “I get it.”

Everyone had noticed how much Zhou Xuan had changed over the semester. Previously, he was just another face in the crowd—nothing remarkable, and his grades weren’t even among the highest.

But since October, Zhou Xuan seemed to grow more impressive every day, dazzling everyone with one achievement after another.

Later, Zhou Xuan even moved out, and, according to Zhou Lin, his parents had opened a clothing store in the city, doing brisk business. His classmates looked at him with a mix of envy and jealousy: top student, dating the school beauty, and a family running a successful business.

Most assumed that this dinner was Zhou Xuan’s treat because his family had come into money. Once peers, Zhou Xuan had surged far ahead, leaving the others struggling to keep up, the gap between them growing ever wider.

Zhou Xuan had no inkling of their thoughts. He only knew there was one semester left before graduation. Their time together was running short, so it was good to gather while they could—after all, his dorm mates had always been good friends.

As they ate, drank, and laughed, a commotion nearby drew their attention.

They were sitting outdoors, right by the railing overlooking the river. The owner had set up many tables at the entrance of the food stall, so patrons dined and drank right there. Anyone strolling along the riverbank would pass by their table.

A group approached. At the front, a young man was being shoved along by three or four others behind him, who occasionally struck him as they went.

The young man, in his early twenties, wore an old but well-tailored suit—impeccably made, fitting him perfectly. If not for his exhausted expression, bloodshot eyes, and face flushed with anger, Zhou Xuan would have mistaken him for an elite office worker from one of Shanghai’s business towers.

Everyone eyed the group curiously. From the look of things, the young man at the front was clearly being bullied, while those behind him were up to no good.

As they pushed him along, they kept cursing, “Trying to run? You think it’s so easy to take the boss’s money?”

“If you don’t pay up soon, we’ll take one of your hands!”

Hearing such threats, the diners instinctively averted their eyes, not wanting to get involved.

These men looked dangerous—clearly troublemakers—and everyone couldn’t help but worry for the young man.

“You think I don’t know? It was you who cheated my father, drove his company to ruin. And now you’re forcing us to pay back money? Where’s the justice in that?” the young man shouted angrily.

“Oh, still talking back?” The leader slapped him hard across the face.

Already unsteady from being shoved, the young man lost his balance and stumbled straight into Zhou Lin at their table.

With a crash, he knocked into Zhou Lin, who then bumped into the table. Bowls and soup spilled everywhere, leaving Zhou Lin and two others with stained clothes before they could react.

Zhou Lin leapt to his feet. “What’s your problem?”

Zhou Xuan and the others stood up, pulling Liu Yixue and the other girls behind them, the boys squaring their shoulders and fixing the group with steady gazes, waiting to see their response.

The young man, realizing what had happened, quickly stood and apologized to Zhou Lin, embarrassed. “I’m sorry! So sorry!”

The thugs, who had been laughing moments before, were surprised to find their actions had provoked the whole table’s displeasure. Initially, they’d worried they might have picked the wrong fight, but seeing it was only a group of junior high students, they relaxed.

The leader’s face darkened as he yanked the young man up. “Wei Lian, get moving! Planning to eat here?”

He shot a menacing glare at Zhou Xuan’s group. “What are you looking at?”

Zhou Xuan ignored the threat. The young man’s apology had nearly settled things, but hearing the name “Wei Lian,” Zhou Xuan was struck by how familiar it sounded.

“You’re Wei Lian, from the University of Science and Technology?” Zhou Xuan asked, fixing his gaze on the young man.

The young man hesitated, then replied, “You know me?”

With that confirmation, Zhou Xuan was certain—this was the Wei Lian who would one day become famous.

Looking at the men holding Wei Lian, Zhou Xuan declared, “Wei Lian is under my protection!”