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Chapter 567: Chapter 365: The Off-Syllabus Angel in White_2
Wu Xiaoqi sat holding the basketball, completely unmoved.
The students from the four adjacent desks all watched eagerly for entertainment.
Duan Shigang demanded, "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Wu Xiaoqi picked at his shoe, looking disdainful, "What do you mean I’m kidding you? If someone fakes you out on the basketball court and you fall for it, is that being tricked? Clearly, it’s a matter of being outplayed!"
Duan Shigang’s face twisted into a fierce scowl as he clenched his fists and said with a domineering tone, "I didn’t come here to reason with you!"
Wu Xiaoqi replied, "You think I want to reason with you?"
Neither would back down, and they moved closer and closer, looking about to come to blows.
Chen Siyu heard the commotion from the back row and immediately tapped her deskmate, saying, "Xiaxia, the transfer student is facing off with Wu Xiaoqi!"
Without turning around, Bai Yuxia indifferently replied, "Oh, call me when they start fighting."
Yu Wen said to Shen Qing’e, "This transfer student, the first time I saw him, I knew he was no good."
Jiang Yanan added, "Let’s not provoke him." 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
Conflict was imminent.
Wang Longlong jumped in, "Hey, you’d better not touch my Brother Qi. Only those who’ve experienced it personally understand how formidable my Brother Qi is."
Duan Shigang stepped back, crossing his arms, "Heh, you think I’m easy to bully because I’m new here?"
Cui Yu shouted, "Yes!"
Their class 8 might be chaotic internally, but when faced with an external threat, they could unite.
Seeing himself ostracized, Duan Shigang let out a cold laugh. He might not have clout, but even though Brother Gang wasn’t around, a single call to arms and the streets would fill with his brothers.
"Do you guys know Deng Xiang?" Duan Shigang mentioned the name.
Hearing this name, everyone’s expressions turned odd. Wasn’t Deng Xiang the one who had publicly apologized in class 8 after being taught a lesson by Jiang Ning?
Before anyone else could speak, Wu Xiaoqi calmly said, "You’re talking about that kid Deng Xiang, right?"
Wu Xiaoqi had hung out with Deng Xiang for a while last semester and knew him fairly well. Deng Xiang always acted sycophantically around him.
No sooner had Wu Xiaoqi spoken than several students appeared at the doorway of class 8: Deng Xiang, Ge Hao, Gong Xuan, and other boys, all bearing an air typical of streetwise youth.
"Brother Gang, have you settled in?" Deng Xiang asked first.
Spotting Wu Xiaoqi, he added, "Yo, Brother Qi, you’re here too?"
Unaware of the specifics, Deng Xiang laughed and said, "Brother Gang, you made the right choice joining class 8. Our Brother Qi is here, and he’s got a wonderful reputation. You guys should get along!"
Duan Shigang came close to severing ties with Deng Xiang then and there. What the hell, a good reputation?
He’d been duped from the start!
Before he could respond, Deng Xiang continued, "Brother Qi, you changed seats? Why are you sitting here?"
Deng Xiang remembered how Wu Xiaoqi used to be surrounded and tormented by a group of tough girls.
With a poker face, Duan Shigang said, "Because he took the seat that belongs to me."
...
In the end, even after understanding the whole story, Duan Shigang still couldn’t get his seat back, all thanks to Deng Xiang intervening the whole time.
Although it was Wu Xiaoqi who was at fault, Deng Xiang kept persuading Duan Shigang to be magnanimous.
In Deng Xiang’s eyes, high school had its cliques, like Wu Xiaoqi and Qi Tianheng, Li Shi, the rich kids who were at the top of the social ladder, a circle few could penetrate.
Deng Xiang had wanted to hang out with Qi Tianheng, but alas, Qi only wanted him to be his lackey.
Deng Xiang used to be somebody. He could easily gather eight brothers to invade another class. He certainly had his own swagger.
How could he possibly, like Zhao Xiaofeng, serve Qi Tianheng like a dog?
Later, Deng Xiang got close to Wu Xiaoqi, playing basketball with him every day, and they grew familiar.
So, he’d pull Wu Xiaoqi out for meat and drinks every night, and the bill was always on Wu Xiaoqi.
That period was so cool, but it got too excessive. Every meal, the brothers would order extravagant dishes without holding back, indulging in braised lamb ribs, oil-braised prawns, beef tripe, stir-fried intestines, greasy and indulgent.
Even the liquor was Blue Classic from Yanghe, including the high-end "Dream Blue!"
Damn, during that time, Deng Xiang’s brothers nearly got fat from feasting.
With such spending, a meal costing over a thousand yuan, Wu Xiaoqi was pained and stopped hanging out with them as much.
Deng Xiang had hoped Wu Xiaoqi would keep footing the bill. How could he let Duan Shigang quarrel with him?
As for Brother Gang’s favor? How much was it worth compared to all those extravagant dishes?
Of course, Deng Xiang still cherished the old times, considering Brother Gang was his former friend.
Seeing Deng Xiang unwilling to help, Duan Shigang didn’t say a word. Considering he was new to Fourth Middle School and not quite grasping the situation, he bit the bullet and swallowed the loss in silence.
...
Ge Hao and Deng Xiang walked back in silence.
Suddenly, Ge Hao challenged, "Why did you help Wu Xiaoqi instead of Brother Gang?"
"Didn’t Brother Gang help us both when he was at Iron Middle School?"
This made Deng Xiang grin, but he stopped in his tracks and stood in the first-floor corridor, facing the twinkling lights of Building 4.
"Haozi, have you noticed how much Brother Gang has changed after a few months of working?"
Ge Hao thought hard and said uncertainly, "It seems like he’s lost his dominance?"
"Yep, the work beat him down, crushed his spirit," Deng Xiang said gravely.
Hearing this, Ge Hao realized something. "Actually, I felt it when he came back."
"Brother Xiang, to be frank, Brother Gang went out there, found out how tough it was, and came back to school with his tail between his legs."
Deng Xiang agreed completely, "Exactly, times have changed. If it were up to me, it would’ve been better for Brother Gang not to come back at all."
"Then he would still be the real Brother Gang in my heart."
"See, now he’s been scared by work, lost his spirit."
After this exchange, Ge Hao finally understood why Deng Xiang wasn’t favoring Duan Shigang anymore.
Deng Xiang patted his shoulder, "Let’s just leave it at that. We’ll do things as we always do."
"Brother Gang can still be fierce when he’s pushed too far."
Ge Hao couldn’t help but reminisce about the glorious days of Brother Gang’s three years at Iron Middle School, yearning for the past.
Alas, the once king had fallen.
...
During the second evening self-study session, Gao Heshuai came to teach, prompting a round of cursing among the students under their breath.
Despite it being self-study, he was going over new material.
Thanks to Gao Heshuai holding the fort, the second session passed peacefully.
Only Duan Shigang, who couldn’t find his math book, was ridiculed by him several times and was made to stand for the entire session.
After class, Duan Shigang’s ardor had cooled.
He decided to go outside to unwind and take in the great views of Fourth Middle School.
First, he looked left, and found Song Sheng blocking the way.
Then, he looked right, and Pang Jiao was blocking the way.
Duan Shigang decided to go past Pang Jiao. He only needed to get past her to reach the aisle.
But passing Song Sheng would mean getting past another student as well.
"Excuse me," Duan Shigang said casually.
His adaptability was strong. He had endured months in the sweltering steel factory, so what was one seat to fear?
Pang Jiao glanced at him impatiently, her expression congealing into disgust on her face.
Pang Jiao’s hefty body squeezed forward slightly, leaving a gap about the size of a hand.
Duan Shigang thought it was enough. He turned sideways, back toward Pang Jiao, and tried to squeeze through.
The gap was too narrow to avoid rubbing against Pang Jiao’s flesh, making Duan Shigang feel like he was wading through a swamp.
That’s when Pang Jiao suddenly leaned back.
Duan Shigang instinctively leaned backwards too, which would have been fine since he could have pushed against the back desk to create enough space to pass.
But the back desk was occupied by another chubby girl, who was firmly pushing against the desk.
Trapped in the middle, Duan Shigang was in a tough spot, almost getting squished.
Finally squeezing through, Duan Shigang pointed at Pang Jiao and said angrily,
"Did you do that on purpose?"
Pang Jiao’s plump hand slammed down on the desk with a loud bang, "Didn’t I make room for you?"
The already noisy break turned even louder with Pang Jiao’s strike, drawing looks from nearby students.
Yu Wen, Shen Qing’e, Dong Qingfeng, Song Sheng, and others looked over at the scene.
Duan Shigang’s face flickered as he remembered the advice his father gave him before sending him back to school, and he silently unclenched his fists.
"Just bear with it a bit longer."
...
