Volume 2: Strolling with the Wind, Chapter 38: The Four Heroes of the Northern Mansion

Seeing Bai Lei enter arrogantly, Chu Tianyu forced a wry smile and thought to himself, “It seems there’s going to be some interesting action!”
As expected, Bai Lei immediately clashed with Wang Shengyi as soon as he entered.
Wang Shengyi, seeing another person dressed in “commoner” clothes—exactly like Chu Tianyu’s—couldn’t help but ask in surprise, “Who are you? What are you doing in our dorm? You didn’t even knock—no manners at all!”
“Wow, you already sounded annoying just from your voice, but now that I see you in person, I feel even more nauseous! Ugh~~~” Bai Lei said exaggeratedly, pretending to vomit.
Xu Zhanqiang, pleased to have someone who could vent his anger for him, immediately beamed and said warmly, “Everyone is a guest when they enter. Come, sit here.”
“See? That’s what I mean by manners. Hehe, but big guy, thanks for your kindness. I’m here to find my junior, Chu Tianyu,” Bai Lei replied, mixing sarcasm with an answer.
“Junior? Is Chu Tianyu your brother?” Xu Zhanqiang asked in surprise.
“He’s not my brother—he’s my junior. In other words, I’m the boss who protects him. I was just at the door when I heard someone bragging in front of my junior about some ‘glorious’ hotel or fancy restaurant—really annoying. That’s why I came in to take a look,” Bai Lei replied.
“Ah, then… are you guys gangsters?” Chen Qing asked in a trembling voice. Wang Shengyi also grew nervous. If they were gangsters, he really couldn’t afford to offend them—he was delicate and valuable, fearing those reckless “barefoot” thugs.
Hearing this, Bai Lei smiled smugly and replied, “I wouldn’t even bother with such a low-class and unskilled job as being a gangster! Haven’t you read fantasy novels? Which protagonist doesn’t hang around school, relying on a heroic aura that makes them seem invincible, then shaking their muscular bodies to gather tons of juniors and admirers, building their own army to rule the world? And there are even more beautiful girls crying and shouting that they like them, ready for them to choose from. Then, reluctantly, they pick a few top school beauties and live a happy life from then on. Hahaha, truly enviable!”
As he spoke, he seemed completely immersed, talking nonstop, with saliva dripping from his mouth and an expression of fantasy-filled delight on his face…

Everyone in the room, except Chu Tianyu, was stunned with their mouths wide open. Chu Tianyu, on the other hand, was looking around for a place to hide, having chosen to follow such a leader. Perhaps his decision not long ago had been too impulsive—before he could even experience anything exciting, he might end up in utter humiliation.

It took a while for everyone to recover. Even the chubby kid following Bai Lei secretly wiped his sweat, looking extremely embarrassed.

Wang Shengyi, hearing that he wasn’t here to cause trouble, relaxed a bit and regained his arrogant attitude. “My dad’s car will be here soon to pick me up. Who’s going?”

“Tch, it’s just going to ‘Huihuang’, right? Tianyu, today the boss is treating us at the five-star ‘Rongyao’. Everyone here should go—except those who want to go to ‘Huihuang’!”

“What do you mean?” Wang Shengyi demanded urgently.

Just as Bai Lei was about to retort, the chubby kid spoke up foolishly from behind, “Boss, didn’t you just say you couldn’t find your debit card and that the cash was with one of your other guys? We’re here to get some money from him too. How about we go out and have a meal first? Why do we need to go to ‘Rongyao’ for a treat now? Boss, did you find your card? That’s great…”

Hearing this, even Bai Lei, with his thick-skinned demeanor, couldn’t help but blush slightly. He then turned around and yelled at the chubby kid, “Damn it, Bao Cai! If you don’t talk, no one thinks you’re mute!”

Seeing his boss angry, the chubby kid, called Bao Cai, looked aggrieved and muttered, “That’s what you said earlier, boss. I didn’t say anything wrong…”

“Damn it, ◎~￥＃~￥……”

Wang Shengyi, energized by this, quickly sneered, “Oh, so you’re just a worthless piece of trash—good looks but no substance, only good at talking big. I thought you were someone special at first. Turns out you’re just this. Well, it’s okay to be poor, but honesty is key. Don’t keep lying around—otherwise your lies might burst! Anyway, I’m not like you, willing to overlook others’ mistakes. I’ll treat everyone—those who want to go to ‘Rongyao’ included…”

“You?” It was Bai Lei’s turn to be speechless.

What Bai Lei never expected was that not only would he face such embarrassment now, but in the near future, due to the spread of rumors by certain people, the story of him—a guy who loved to brag, claiming to come from a wealthy family and be powerful, when he was actually just a poor guy—would spread throughout the entire North Mansion freshman circle. He would soon become a laughingstock and an object of disdain.

After that, no matter how Bai Lei tried to make amends—spending money on gold cards, checking into luxury hotels, treating others to meals—he was still accused of borrowing money, selling blood, and taking out usury, on the verge of ruining his family. Eventually, even those who usually took advantage of him couldn’t bear to let him treat them anymore. He kept showing off his expensive possessions, including several latest-model sports cars and RVs, but others claimed they were either borrowed or stolen, or he might be involved in illegal activities. As a result, no one dared touch his things or use his cars, fearing they might be contaminated or infected with some unknown disease. The most absurd part was that he even claimed to be the best player in the popular online game “All Creatures 2”—pure nonsense! When he tried to flirt with a beautiful school beauty, he was exposed on the spot, and labels like “online scammer” and “scumbag” stuck to him forever…

For two whole years (after their junior year, everyone was busy with their own affairs; who had the time to worry about others?), Bai Lei truly tried to keep a low profile, as he often said. Despite his “remarkable” exploits and fame, he was extremely depressed, unable to understand why reality differed so much from his idealized visions.

…

Suddenly, Wang Shengyi’s phone rang. Upon answering, he heard that his father’s driver had arrived at the school gate. He gave the others a defiant look, his arrogance growing, as if to say, “See? I wasn’t lying!” Then he said, “Well, let’s go. My dad’s car is here.”

“Great!” Chen Qing replied excitedly, clearly eager to experience “Glory,” which held great appeal for him.

“What about you guys?”

With Wang Shengyi’s question, the atmosphere in the room became awkward. Xu Zhanqiang needn’t be mentioned—he had already made his stance clear. Bai Lei stood there, frustrated, thinking that if he hadn’t been careless and lost his card after registering and paying, he wouldn’t have suffered such humiliation.

The chubby guy behind him, nicknamed Bao Cai, was even more confused, standing there blankly, unsure of what to think.

Seeing this, Chu Tianyu realized he needed to step in. He stepped forward, pulled Bai Lei aside, and said, “Let’s not go. It’s too fancy; it’s not right for us. By the way, boss, didn’t you say you wanted to go to a street food stall? I’m hungry. Xu Zhanqiang, come with us too! I’ll make sure you get four steamed buns and a bowl of soup, haha!”

“Hehe, great, then I can’t refuse!”
Watching the four of them rush out to eat at the street food stall, Wang Shengyi’s face was filled with resentment.
“Wang Shengyi, should we go too? They really are such fools—you invited them out of kindness, yet they don’t appreciate it at all…” Chen Qing, who stayed behind, said.
Seeing only Chen Qing left, looking at him with hopeful eyes, Wang Shengyi replied indifferently, “Mm, ignore them. Let’s pack up and leave too…”
“By the way, Wang Shengyi, I… I have a friend from my hometown. I was wondering if I could bring her along?”
“Mm, okay!”
“Oh! Thank you so much!”
…
“Come on, guys, eat to your heart’s content. I heard that after today, we won’t be allowed to leave campus and will have to go through military training! What a damn hassle. I actually lost my card at the worst possible moment. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have to come here to eat street food or endure those annoying people! If I can’t find it when we go back, I’ll go report it lost tomorrow and get a new one. Then I’ll treat you guys well to make up for today’s meal.” Saying this, Bai Lei stuffed another mouthful of food into his mouth.
“Forget it. Why worry about that guy? You yourself said you won’t be able to leave tomorrow, right? Let’s talk about it later. Come on, let’s finish this drink!” Xu Zhanqiang said.
“Yeah, boss. It’s good enough that we have something to eat now. At least this counts as eating out,” Bai Lei’s companion agreed.
Obviously, the two of them didn’t take Bai Lei seriously, thinking he was just joking around. Anyone who knew Bai Lei well knew he tended to exaggerate and make jokes to liven up the mood—never to be taken seriously!
“What, you don’t believe me? I’ll have someone send me millions right away. Just wait…” He said, reaching for his phone to dial a number.
Chu Tianyu knew exactly who he was. He was indeed someone who could get millions immediately. When he was queuing up to sign up, he used the unique communication method of the Xuanji Sect to provide the license plate number of the Mercedes that had brought Bai Lei there. He quickly received a reply showing that the Mercedes now belonged to Lei Xinxian, the wife of Bai Hanzhi, the current chairman of Thunder Technology. Thus, Bai Lei’s identity became obvious!
Not to mention Thunder Technology, which had strategic cooperation projects with Chu Ye Group, even its nationwide “Xiao Xiang Guan” fast-food chain, worth over tens of billions, would be enough for this young master to spend millions every day while still complaining of being tired!

If he really wanted to reveal his identity, not to mention the number of kidnappers and the trouble involved, even just the level of attention would be enough to expose him. So, before he could finish speaking, Chu Tianyu grabbed him and said, “No, no, boss. Didn’t you leave a few thousand yuan with me? That should be enough for now. We definitely trust and support you. You don’t need to do anything too extreme. Isn’t staying low-key your usual principle?”
After Chu Tianyu spoke in a firm yet gentle manner, Bai Lei seemed to remember something as well and stopped insisting. He only grumbled reluctantly a few times before continuing to eat the food on the table.
As they ate and drank, time passed quickly. The four of them at the table had already become quite close. The guy called “Cabbage” turned out to be another new underling of Bai Lei’s “boss.” His real name was Bao Caida, from Zhejiang. When he introduced himself in the dormitory, Bai Lei shortened his name to “Cabbage” based on his build.
As the wine flowed and the atmosphere grew lively, the new friends also let loose, teasing and joking with each other.
The tall Xu Zhanqiang could barely speak clearly. Stuttering, he said, “I, I mean, Bai Lei, why does your name sound so awkward? Bai Lei… it sounds like ‘scoundrel,’ right?”
“Damn it, I knew you’d ask this again. Let me explain once more. Bai Lei—‘Bai’ means pure and upright, and ‘Lei’ means thunderous and powerful. Together, it means having noble integrity and living a magnificent life! Like a dragon soaring, walking freely with the wind…” As he spoke, he staggered to his feet, showing off the signature move he had been practicing since kindergarten.
Chu Tianyu couldn’t bear to watch and quickly pulled him back to his seat, saying, “Enough, enough. Everyone can see your greatness. Come on, sit down and talk.”
“By the way, Bai, Bai Lei, why do you keep taking in underlings as soon as you arrive? You don’t seem like the type who makes a living like this, do you?” Xu Zhanqiang continued to ask.
“No, it’s not for you. Haven’t I told you? In books, the protagonist always takes in some roommates as underlings to build their own team—that’s what makes it cool! Besides, don’t look at me. I might act tough, but I’m actually weak. If it comes to real action, I’m actually scared. So, I thought, rather than being scared of others, I’d rather make others fear me. But seriously, in online games, I do have a group of loyal friends who fight alongside me—that’s what’s really great! Haha…” Bai Lei was completely drunk and blurted out everything in his heart.

Among the four of them, only Chu Tianyu wasn’t drunk at all. Joke aside, he had been traveling the world with his second master since he was twelve. There was hardly a day when he didn’t drink a little under his second master’s influence, especially the monkey wine they found in the mountains—that was truly potent. The beer he was drinking now was no different from water to him; it didn’t even require any internal energy to process.

Seeing that Bai Lei was truly drunk, Chu Tianyu took the opportunity to ask him a question. “Oh, boss, when recruiting followers, why do you always pick people like me and Bao Cai? We can’t fight or fight back…”

“Well, that’s something you don’t understand. When recruiting followers, there are two types. The first type are those who seem silly and not very smart, who follow you around all the time, allowing you to fully showcase your own handsomeness and extraordinary prowess. The second type are tall, strong, and capable fighters who, in critical moments, can take care of things while we run away…” Bai Lei said drunkenly. When talking about the first type, his eyes kept flicking between Chu Tianyu and Bao Cai, while when talking about the second type, his eyes were fixed on Xu Zhanqiang!

But soon, even the drunken Bai Lei couldn’t help but “wake up” to three intense glares. At the same time, Xu Zhanqiang roared, “Fellow followers, rebel! Go ahead, kill this worthless boss first!”

“Ah~~~ You’re serious! Damn it, Xu, be gentle when squeezing…”

“Oh~~~ Great, Bao Cai, wait for it! A gentleman speaks but doesn’t act. I didn’t expect you to actually take action. Ouch, it hurts so much when you bite!”

“Ugh~~~ Chu Tianyu is still the best. He even fetched me food. Huh, isn’t this the piece of meat I spat on the ground because it was too fatty? I’m full. Can I stop eating? Ugh~~~ Oh my god~~~”

“Uuu~~~ I’ll never be the boss again. With brothers like you, what more could I ask for? Let’s become sworn brothers! In ancient times, there was the Oath of the Peach Garden; now, there are the Four Heroes of Beifu. Uh…”