Chapter 32 — Two Fading Figures
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Wei Zhao did not for a moment believe that Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu had some secret crush on him. He could guess well enough why the two of them had come: that little minx Shen Yushu loved a good spectacle and had dragged Gu Mengyao along.
"Just here for the show," Wei Zhao said indifferently.
"Why do I feel like that was Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu from our class?" Kang Xiaofeng was rather excited. "Boss, don't tell me you've won the favor of two beauties?"
"You think too much." Wei Zhao gave the back of Kang Xiaofeng's head a helpless smack. "If I'd known you were this much of a talker, I'd have let Zhang Naipao's blow land on your skull and knock some sense into you."
"Heh heh..." Kang Xiaofeng laughed heartily. Three years of high school, three years of eating dirt, and who would have thought that on the eve of graduation he'd finally get a moment to strut. Looking at the three former schoolyard tyrants sprawled on the ground behind him, Kang Xiaofeng felt an indescribable rush of satisfaction.
"Brother Liang, you all right?" Gao Xiaofu's injuries were lighter, and his belly no longer hurt so much. Once Wei Zhao had gone, he hurried over to Zhong Yongliang's side and helped him up from the ground.
"I'm fine," Zhong Yongliang said, his face dead white. From the look of him, the words rang a little hollow.
"Brother Liang, what do we do about this? Just swallow it?" Gao Xiaofu asked, deeply aggrieved.
"Damn that bastard, we really took a beating today," Zhong Yongliang cursed viciously. "Who'd have thought the kid had some moves? I nearly fell for his tricks."
"It's all my fault for letting my guard down." Seeing the ugly look on Zhong Yongliang's face, Gao Xiaofu hurried to admit fault first, lest the man vent his anger on him.
"That's not on you." Zhong Yongliang waved a hand. He himself had been thoroughly manhandled by Wei Zhao; there was no blaming anyone else. They simply were no match for the man. "With just the three of us, we don't seem to be his match anymore. If we want to teach him a lesson, we'll have to bring in outside help."
"How about we talk to Zou Ruoming and get him to step in?" Gao Xiaofu suggested.
"Not him. If he finds out about this, we'll have lost face so badly we won't be able to show our heads in school again," Zhong Yongliang said with a wave of his hand. "I'll go find some people on my dad's side."
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Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng made it back to the classroom safely, and many classmates who had been worried for them breathed a sigh of relief. Most of them thoroughly disliked the arrogance and bullying of Zhong Yongliang and his lot, though a少数 few took a spiteful delight in the spectacle and were faintly disappointed to see Wei Zhao and Kang Xiaofeng come back unscathed.
But what puzzled everyone was that Zhong Yongliang, Gao Xiaofu, and Zhang Naipao did not return to the classroom. Even when the big lecture began, the three were nowhere to be seen—which could only mean something.
Zhong Yongliang did not want Zou Ruoming to learn of this, yet he ran into him anyway on the athletic field.
Gao Xiaofu, supporting Zhang Naipao, trailed behind Zhong Yongliang. The three of them staggered along crookedly like deserters from a routed army.
"Zhong Yongliang, what happened to you three?" Zou Ruoming was playing basketball on the field and spotted the three figures approaching from a distance, vaguely familiar. A closer look and it turned out to be Zhong Yongliang and the others.
Zhong Yongliang cursed his luck under his breath. When you're down on your luck, even cold water gets stuck between your teeth. How had Zou Ruoming just happened to see them? As one of the four great young hoodlums of the school, Zhong Yongliang cared deeply about his face. Now that another hoodlum had seen him in such a sorry state, if word got out, his reputation as one of the four would be finished.
"It's nothing..." Zhong Yongliang did not want to say much. He waved a hand and quickened his pace.