Chapter 123: Darker Than the Underworld

Sometimes, a sheep in wolf’s clothing is even more detestable than a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Such people possess not only the wolf’s inherent traits of cruelty and malice but also qualities a wolf lacks, such as being despicable and treacherous. Zheng Dayong was a standard sheep in wolf’s clothing. Seeing that Liu Yunfei’s attention was fixed on the crowd, and that he himself was standing behind Liu, unnoticed, Zheng realized it was the perfect moment to strike. *You’re Zhang Xiaoli’s boyfriend, aren’t you? Let’s see what you can do once I’ve got her in my grasp.*

Although Zheng was cowardly and wretched, he was not without emotions; he had his own crushes, and Zhang Xiaoli was his dream girl. Every time he stole a glance at her, he would fantasize that his gaze had transformed into hands, caressing and kneading her youthful, curvaceous body—though a gaze can never truly become a hand.

Today was the perfect opportunity. By grabbing Zhang Xiaoli and pinning her throat with one hand, he could threaten Liu Yunfei, while his other hand could inadvertently satisfy a long-held dream. Zheng Dayong remained preoccupied with these thoughts, paying no mind to the standoff or the gunfire. He inched forward, two steps at a time, careful not to let anyone—including Zhang Xiaoli—sense his intentions.

He was close now. Just two more steps. Zheng felt a surge of secret joy. Zhang Xiaoli was looking at Liu Yunfei with concern, completely unaware of his approach. Her full chest, her rounded form—certain parts of Zheng’s body were already undergoing a strange change. He felt that even if he were to lose his hand the moment he reached out to touch this long-coveted prize, it would be worth it.

Unfortunately, Zheng Dayong lost the use of his hand before he could even touch her. A shot fired backward by Liu Yunfei struck Zheng’s arm dead center. The high-velocity bullet caused massive damage as it tore through his arm, exiting the other side and embedding itself deep into the concrete floor. Now, consumed by pain, Zheng forgot all his lecherous thoughts. With blood gushing from both wounds, he could only collapse and howl while clutching his arm.

"Take him to the hospital," Liu Yunfei said, holstering his gun as nonchalantly as if shooting a man were an everyday chore.

The members of the New Unity Union, sensing a reprieve, waited for the amnesty. Jiang Tao was the first to move. He didn’t view it as fleeing; rather, he felt he was upholding humanitarian values. At this moment, he had transformed into a white-clad angel with a red cross above his head, rushing to save a patient on the brink of death.

"Jiang Tao, hold on a second," Liu Yunfei said, as if suddenly remembering something.

Jiang Tao wanted to ignore him, but he didn't dare. He stopped, fearing that if he hesitated, Liu might pull the trigger again. Although he stopped, he didn't dare turn around. *Will he shoot my arm next, or my leg? Or will he just put a bullet in my head? I’m only nineteen! I still want to get married, I want to have a son, I want to go to Beijing, I want to eat abalone, I want to use the bathroom...*

Liu Yunfei had no affection for these social dregs who bullied the weak and feared the strong, but he didn't want to spark a major conflict with the Four Harmonies Society just yet. Even if he killed Jiang Mancheng, others would simply take his place; such people were inexhaustible.

"Relax, I'm not going to shoot you."

Hearing this, Jiang Tao finally dared to turn around, his face plastered with a smile—not the arrogant smirk from before, but a bright, sycophantic grin. "Boss, what are your orders? From now on, you’re our boss. If you point east, we’ll never head west."

"I’m not interested in being your boss. Just take a message to your father."

"Oh? So you and my dad are friends?" Jiang Tao thought to himself, *Why didn't you say so earlier? It’s just a case of the dragon king’s temple being flooded by his own family.*

"Whether we are friends or enemies depends on your father’s attitude. Tell him this: as long as others don't offend me, I won't offend them. Tell him to stay out of the Zhou family's business." Liu Yunfei had no intention of being friends with Jiang Mancheng, thinking to himself that one look at his face was enough to know he was riddled with sins and destined for the firing squad sooner or later.

"Got it, got it. I'll tell my dad. If there's nothing else, I'm leaving." Seeing that his old man and this kid had clearly crossed paths, Jiang Tao just wanted to slip away before Liu changed his mind.

"Go, go. You should cover Zheng Dayong’s medical expenses; he is your subordinate, after all. I won't charge you a protection fee. We have a class to get to." After saying this, Liu Yunfei called for Zhang Xiaoli and headed toward the old teaching building.

*He still wanted to charge me a protection fee? You’re more ruthless than the mob. Sigh, I wanted to shake someone down for two bucks, and now I’m losing money instead. Not worth it.* Jiang Tao felt a sense of defeat like never before.

When Liu Yunfei walked into the classroom, Gao Yueqiu was teaching English. Seeing them both arrive late, even a fool knew they must have spent the night together. Gao Yueqiu muttered to herself, *Students these days are too open, aren't they? Living together so blatantly? Even if Liu Yunfei is a bad student, Zhang Xiaoli seems like such a nice girl. I can’t let her be led astray. Even if I’m not their homeroom teacher, I’m still their teacher, and I have a responsibility.*

The ten-minute break was too short, so Gao Yueqiu scheduled their talk for after lunch. Liu Yunfei had intended to go shopping with Zhang Xiaoli, but they had to head to the faculty building instead. He didn't want the events of last night to spill into school, so he told Zhang Xiaoli to listen more than she spoke.

Before Zhang Xiaoli could see the teacher, Liu Yunfei was pulled into the principal's office. The principal smiled obsequiously and handed over a few lists. "Everything is tallied up. When are you going to... heh heh."

The principal felt awkward pressing him, but he was still nervous. That day, he had been so angry that he had believed the boy without even meeting his parents. *What if it turns out the kid was just bluffing? If the whole faculty finds out they were played by a student, I’ll have to go hang myself in the bathroom.*

"Efficient work," Liu Yunfei said, tucking the lists into his bag.

"Nothing ventured, nothing gained—oh, wait," the principal let his true thoughts slip, then quickly corrected himself: "I meant to say that the teachers' mindset is... well, sigh, in this day and age, everyone is obsessed with material gain, even the teachers." The principal sighed as if he weren't one of them.

"You can't say it like that. Teachers are human, too. They’re wage earners with material needs." Liu Yunfei stood up, unwilling to watch the principal’s performative act any longer.

"Yes, yes, of course. Please convey our school's gratitude to your parents on behalf of all our teachers." The principal was very satisfied with this student's "understanding." *See, he’s one of our own. It shows our teachers' education is effective, and it proves that I, as principal, am quite competent.*

Liu Yunfei was fast, but Zhang Xiaoli was slow; he didn't know what they were talking about. Liu Yunfei leaned his arms lazily against the corridor railing, gazing into the distance. Among the hurried passersby in the sunlight, he thought he saw a blurry figure. Suddenly, he deeply missed the chatty girl whose whereabouts were unknown. A line crossed his mind: "Time walks by like a pedestrian, ripples like water, as if you are still standing there, never having gone far."

"Well said. Very evocative."

"Teacher Gao, are you done? Xiaoli, let's go." Liu Yunfei hurriedly took Zhang Xiaoli’s hand and they rushed downstairs.

Gao Yueqiu watched the student’s retreating back, feeling a bit lost. *What kind of student is he really?* Just now, she could clearly sense deep affection, melancholy, and a persistence she had never seen before in his eyes. *Was he missing someone? It couldn't be Zhang Xiaoli.* "'As if you are still standing there, never having gone far.' Isn't that the same for the person in my own heart? Even after so many years, I still feel he is right by my side, never having gone far."

"What did Gao Yueqiu want with you for so long?"

"Don't change her name like that. Teacher Gao is a very nice person. She talked about her first love and told me that the beauty of a first love lies in its innocence; if you lose that innocence, it’s not as beautiful anymore. Teacher Gao is very concerned about you, too." Zhang Xiaoli seemed lost in the conversation they had just had.

"Oh? How is she concerned about me?"

"She said you have a good character, but a bad temper; you have high intelligence, but poor grades; you are popular, but have poor eloquence." After all that talk, it boiled down to three "goods" and three "bads."

Liu Yunfei retorted indignantly, "Nonsense! Do I have a bad temper? And saying my grades are bad is even more ridiculous—speaking of English, I dare say I’m better than her. My eloquence is only poor because every time I meet her, it’s under special circumstances."

"Oh? What special circumstances?"

"I’m on my period."

"Bullshit! You're a hooligan! Do men even... do they even have that?"