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Chapter 117: Chapter 108 Slow Walk By Tang Shao (Subscribe please!)_1
Of course, Tang Qing noticed that his gang members and Brother Hao were holding back their punches, giving him the impression of a staged fight. Xie Wendong, to his disgrace or rather ’cooperation’, had perhaps never been beaten like this before. His screams made the scene even more pathetic.
Tang Qing shook his head. Yet another spoiled second-generation rich kid who enjoyed hitting others but couldn’t take a beating himself. These type of people annoyed him. He wished Xie Wendong would show some courage. He was indeed a disgrace to all the second-generation rich kids, lowering their overall standard.
"Enough, tell them to stop. It’s boring to watch such a lukewarm fight." Tang Qing said indifferently.
At this, Brother Hao felt embarrassed. Noticing that Tang Qing had seen through his gang’s petty ruse, he wanted to say that it was to avoid trouble later—if they seriously injured Xie Wendong, the resentment would escalate, and Tang could not escape the consequences. However, he didn’t voice his thoughts; his excuses seemed reasonable, but there was also a sense of truth in them for whoever listened.
"Stop, all of you! And you, stop bloody screaming! If you continue, I’ll lose my temper. Are you even a man?" Brother Hao ordered his men to stop. Watching Xie Wendong continue to wail made him want to slap him again. He hadn’t even hit him that hard, and yet Xie Wendong was squealing like a pig being slaughtered. It was so irritating.
At this, the gang members stopped their attack and stood down.
On the floor, Xie Wendong ceased his wails and looked at Tang Qing in fear. He had clearly bitten off more than he could chew. He felt his beating was for nothing. Mention of ’young master Tang’ by Brother Hao had frightened him. Brother Hao was aware of his father’s position, and yet he didn’t hesitate to slap him, indicating that Tang Qing’s influence was even more significant—greater than a mid-level officer at the very least. The thought made Xie Wendong’s fear surge.
He started to worry about his and his father’s fate. The more he thought about it, the more frightened he became. And if Tang Qing held a grudge against him... A shudder ran through Xie Wendong, and he felt a looming sense of doom.
"I say, Mouse, can’t you guys do legitimate work? You’re going to fall flat on your face someday if you continue like this," Tang Qing spoke slowly, addressing Brother Hao. It felt weird to constantly call him by his pseudonym. It felt more ’friendly’ to call him by his given name, Mouse.
"Young Master Tang, you’re right. But we have no choice. We lack education, connections, skills, and we can’t stand the hard labor at construction sites. Working in a factory would mean enduring too many restrictions. We’re restless by nature. That’s why we are like this," Brother Hao replied with a bitter smile.
Tang Qing felt like hitting him after hearing his self-justifying smile. So they thought they even had a reason to be gangsters. Were these valid reasons? Slightly angered, he retorted, "You might as well say that you guys are lazy. Anyway, it’s not my business. Neither am I obligated to supervise you. I’m leaving. As for him,"—he waved towards Xie Wendong—"Deal with him yourselves."
With that, Tang Qing turned to leave, not interested in saying another word to either Xie Wendong, who lay on the ground terrified, or the gang of ’victims of circumstance’. Both were irritating in their own ways.
"Yes, take care, Young Master Tang," Brother Hao quickly said, bending over with a polite smile. His manner was as if he had practiced it a thousand times. However, Tang Qing didn’t even see it.
"Take care, Young Master Tang," the gang members chorused, quickly memorizing Tang’s face to avoid any trouble in the future. With just a few words, their leader switched sides—now, that was a powerful second-generation rich kid.
As Tang Qing receded into the distance, Brother Hao let out a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat off his forehead. Fortunately, there were no disastrous outcomes. However, seeing the ring leader lying nearby infuriated him. Initially, he planned on beating him up again to vent but considering Xie Wendong’s father was a leader, he decided to hold back.
His smile vanished as Brother Hao coldly ordered Xie Wendong, "Get up. Stop pretending to be dead. And you guys, pick up the money. It would be a shame to walk away from this without some gains."
His gang immediately picked up the notes scattered around and handed them over to Brother Hao.
"You hit me and still want my money?" Xie Wendong said angrily, clutching his face as he stood up. His tone was aggrieved, similar to a bullied woman on the verge of tears, as though he was a victim of injustice.
These words made Brother Hao furious. He stepped forward. Before Xie Wendong could react—
"Smack..."
—Brother Hao slapped him again, shouting, "Damn, you think all of us go out without needing money? That we don’t need money for taxi rides home, food, and drinks? Do you think hitting you doesn’t require effort? Plus the consolation charge for the shock just now. Be thankful your father is deputy bureau chief. Otherwise, I would have made you pay more."
"What’s Tang Qing’s background? Why are you so afraid of him?" Xie Wendong said, somewhat dazed by the slap. He had looked into Tang Qing’s background; to his knowledge, Tang only ran a clothing business. Given this information, he had let down his guard. But reality differed—a misunderstanding, perhaps? Had the person who provided this information deliberately misled him?
"Ha," Brother Hao chuckled. "That’s why I said you’re brainless. Didn’t investigate properly before taking action. Since you paid, I’ll do you a favor and tell you one thing: His uncle is the chief officer of West City Police Station. To be blunt, your father is no match for him."
"Chief officer?" Xie Wendong asked, taken aback. He was not shocked by the higher rank but by the lower one. He had imagined some bureau chief or city leader, but it turned out Tang Qing’s uncle was just a local police chief.
"Let’s go, guys. Time for lunch," Brother Hao said.
Without acknowledging Xie Wendong, he and his boys left the alley, ready to have a good meal and sooth their nerves. At the same time, they had to ensure their boys stayed quiet and not stir up any trouble. The situation didn’t favour anybody; Xie Wendong would definitely not thank him, and Tang Qing seemingly was not going to acknowledge his earlier gesture. He was in a bad place, caught between a rock and a hard place. And if Brother Wolf found out about this incident, he would be caught between three hard places. He needed to find ways to minimize the impact.
Xie Wendong watched Hao Ge leave and he felt so wronged that he wanted to cry. Not only was he beaten, his money was gone, and he had also greatly offended Tang Qing, he had lost completely.
"Damn it, so what if you’re a bureau director, my dad is a deputy director, I’m not afraid of you," muttered Xie Wendong, covering his face.
Of course, he was only talking tough. He might act foolishly, but he wasn’t entirely stupid. His father certainly had connections in the city - otherwise, how could the Municipal Party Standing Committee have passed the HR appointment concerning his father? And Tang Qing’s uncle, who attained such a position, was obviously not a pushover. He wouldn’t dare to meddle with him without knowing his background. Since neither the underworld nor the legitimate world could touch Tang Qing, he could only devise other plans.
Suddenly, Xie Wendong remembered something and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips, "Hmph, I know you have a childhood sweetheart fiancée. That means I still have a chance. Just wait and see."
Now he wouldn’t be rash enough to face-off directly with Tang Qing. As long as Wang Yan’s parents find out about Tang Qing’s fiancée, they certainly won’t let him have anything to do with Wang Yan.
Hmph, he still has a chance.
Having understood that, Xie Wendong suddenly felt cheerful. He straightened his clothes, dusted himself off and cheerfully went home.
...
In the following few days, Tang Qing didn’t see Xie Wendong at all. However, the tales of Xie Wendong had not yet subsided in the class. The scene from yesterday and the story behind it were too explosive and shocking for the students. They received daily gossip updates from Class 3 alike. Xie Wendong in Class 3 reportedly kept a low profile attending classes and enduring the disdain from all his classmates and teachers.
Of course, Xie Wendong couldn’t tell his father about what had happened. He had offended his classmates, the class teacher, and the principal at school and even used despicable means. His dad would undoubtedly give him a good beating. 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝔭𝖚𝖇.𝔠𝖔𝔪
Following the principle of "avoid making trouble", the principal and teachers tacitly did not inform Xie Wendong’s father about the situation.
After enduring a few days of gossip from his classmates, Xie Wendong deeply experienced the taste of being ostracised. After much deliberation, Xie Wendong decided to transfer schools - he just couldn’t stay at this one.
As for getting back at Tang Qing, he dare not even think about it for the time being. Tang Qing, as a person of influence, certainly knew people. Rushing in foolishly like he did last time was absurd. He will not directly confront Tang Qing anymore. Previously, he was confident that he could completely crush Tang Qing, but now, even with his strength and backing, things didn’t work out. He could only resort to outsmarting him. Xie Wendong felt pitiful; the usually arrogant him was forced down to the level of outsmarting people.
...
January 14th
Friday
Rain mixed with snow drifted from the sky.
The final Monthly Exam of the term had started.
Many were wondering whether Tang Qing could maintain his rank one position this time. As long as three could widen the gap with the second like last time, it would be clear that he would be the top of the year, and everyone else could give up.
The direct concern, however, felt no pressure.
The more exams Tang Qing took, the more relaxed and confident he became. He did not ’show-off’ by handing in his papers early but reviewed his answers many times. Although the questions were indeed much more challenging compared to the previous two exams, it did not matter much to him as he had a solid understanding of the subjects. This highlights the significance of fundamentals.
Like the last time, Tang Qing felt that he could score full marks in science and English without any issues. For Chinese, due to its unique nature, he could not guarantee a perfect score. Regardless, he was confident of scoring above 135.
As the top of the year, Tang Qing seated in the first row, naturally attracted the teachers’ attention. If Tang Qing were not mentally strong, the intense scrutiny could have made him nervous.
Of course, as the top student, his papers would be marked first. As soon as each exam ended, a group of teachers would gather around Tang Qing’s paper to mark it. The more they marked, the more excited and thrilled they became. Before the final biology examination ended, the teachers already knew the game was set. Even if Tang Qing scored only half of the total marks in biology and the student ranking second scored full, Tang Qing would still be seated firmly in the first position.
PS: Sorry for being late, please bear with me. I’m exhausted.
