Chapter 9

Zhang Yanjiang said, “The principal has connections higher up, and there are people from the Education Commission and the city bureau as well. Here at No. 1 Middle School, he’s like a local tyrant—whatever he says goes. I heard that most of the younger female teachers in the school have been with him.”
Li Shuang blinked, stunned. What kind of crappy school is this?
Xie Wendong smirked wickedly. “I don’t care about the principal. As long as he doesn’t mess with me, he can keep being his local tyrant. I want to know what the relationship is now between Boss Gao and the Black Dragon Brotherhood.”
Zhang Yanjiang replied, “There are occasional conflicts—every few days there’s a fight. But they’re not serious; it’s just some students fighting among themselves.” He took a breath before continuing, “I heard it might be because Liu Jinglong has a crush on Boss Gao!”
Xie Wendong was taken aback, and Li Shuang rushed to ask, “Is Boss Gao a woman?”
Zhang Yanjiang nodded. “Yes! Don’t be fooled by her gender—she’s fierce! Usually, three or five guys together aren’t even a match for her. It seems she’s also connected to the Triads. They say she’s one of the Triad boss’s underlings, but I’m not sure if that’s true.”
Li Shuang was confused. He tapped his head and said, “I’m dizzy. This No. 1 Middle School is way too complicated. Brother Dong, you figure it out. I can’t handle this.”
Zhang Yanjiang smiled and said to Xie Wendong, “Brother Dong, Tiger Brother is Boss Gao’s top enforcer. Who would have thought he’d be knocked out in just a few hits by you? But Boss Gao won’t let this go easily. You need to be careful.”
Xie Wendong lowered his head, lost in thought. Li Shuang felt annoyed. “What’s there to be afraid of? If enemies come, we’ll fight back! I don’t believe a woman can be that strong!”
Zhang Yanjiang gave a dry smile. “Do you really think we’d want to work under a woman? We’re all forced into it! How should I put it? In short, Boss Gao is no ordinary person. You’ll understand when you meet her.” Then he raised his head, as if speaking to both Li Shuang and himself, “She’s a gorgeous but poisonous black rose!”
Seeing his expression, Li Shuang was stunned. He tugged at Zhang Yanjiang and said, “Hey! Brother, are you into that Boss Gao?”
Zhang Yanjiang shook his head. “Someone like her isn’t someone we can just fall for.”
Li Shuang was completely confused. What did that mean? If you like her, you like her; if not, you don’t. This kid must be crazy.
Xie Wendong suddenly said something nonsensical, “I really hope the day we meet her comes soon! I can’t wait for that day!”

After learning that Boss Gao was connected to the Qing Gang, Xie Wendong’s blood also boiled with excitement. The Qing Gang was one of the three major underground gangs in City J, and together with the Axe Gang and the Brothers Alliance, they were known as the three giants of the underground world in City J. Having the chance to confront one of them, the Qing Gang, though unsure of victory, filled Xie Wendong’s restless heart with passion—his impulsive youth yearned for extreme challenges.

Zhang Yanjiang was stunned by Xie Wendong’s words. A few beams of sunlight pierced through the trees, illuminating Xie Wendong’s face. Unconsciously drawn to his glow, Zhang Yanjiang sighed inwardly: What kind of man is this? Following him might indeed lead to a different journey in life.

It was then that Zhang Yanjiang truly became curious about Xie Wendong. From that moment on, this man who would later become a key figure in Wendong Group was completely conquered. His own restless heart finally found something worth pursuing for a lifetime.

Zhang Yanjiang said to Xie Wendong, “Boss Gao is very powerful. If we confront him head-on, even if we win, we’ll suffer heavy losses. How about…” He paused, thinking that since he had only recently joined Xie Wendong and had even defected, it was uncertain whether Xie would listen to his advice.

Seeing Xie Wendong signal him to continue, he licked his lips and said, “If we can intensify the conflict between Boss Gao and Liu Jinglong, we might gain a lot—at least we won’t have to worry about two enemies!”

Xie Wendong nodded after listening, thinking that this unassuming student was actually quite smart. He had made the right choice by bringing this person along; what he lacked was precisely such a talent. Smiling at Zhang Yanjiang, he asked, “Didn’t you say Liu Jinglong might be attracted to Boss Gao? How can we intensify their conflict?”

Zhang Yanjiang smiled confidently and said, “I’ve been at No. 1 High School for almost two years and know something about Liu Jinglong’s personality. He’s extremely loyal. Without his intelligence, he could never have built his current influence at the school. Because he’s easy to get along with and willing to go to extreme lengths for his friends, he has a group of close friends who always stick by him. If we can get those closest friends to the hospital and make it seem like Boss Gao did it…”

Zhang Yanjiang paused, seeing that Xie Wendong was listening attentively. Taking a breath, he continued, “Given his personality, even if he likes Boss Gao, he’ll fight desperately against her!”

Xie Wendong was speechless and lowered his head, thinking for nearly five minutes.

Even someone like Li Shuang, whose physical strength outweighed his intelligence, thought this idea was excellent. He pulled Zhang Yanjiang over, nodded vigorously, patted his shoulder, and said in a very “big-shot” tone, “Hmm, brothers really know how to think!”
Zhang Yanjiang also felt a good impression of this straightforward and generous man, and said modestly, “It’s just my own random thoughts; nothing big.”
Smart people may not necessarily like those as smart as themselves, but they generally don’t reject those with simpler minds—because they’re smart!
After hearing Zhang Yanjiang’s words, Xie Wendong felt there was some truth to them, but… Xie Wendong slowly said, “Even if this idea really succeeds and causes Liu Jinglong and Boss Gao to suffer losses, the Qingbang will still join in later… Actually, I don’t even care about Liu Jinglong and Boss Gao’s forces at all. What really matters to me is the Qingbang. This idea doesn’t harm the Qingbang at all; it will only make them focus all their efforts on dealing with us…” Xie Wendong didn’t want to discourage Zhang Yanjiang, so he patted his shoulder and said, “Actually, your idea isn’t bad either, but you need to think further ahead. Don’t be blinded by immediate gains! You need to see who your real enemies are! You’re smart—I hope you won’t disappoint me.”
After hearing Xie Wendong’s words, Zhang Yanjiang was drenched in sweat. He had always thought he was smart, but compared to this man before him, he felt like a child. Zhang Yanjiang bowed respectfully to Xie Wendong and said, “Thank you, Brother Dong, for these words. They made me realize I still have a lot to learn. I’ll work twice as hard from now on to not disappoint you!”
Xie Wendong nodded and said, “You’re really smart. I need talents like you. I hope you can be sincere with me from now on…”
Zhang Yanjiang said loudly, “Brother Dong, you’re the only person I admire. I’ll stick by you for life!”
Xie Wendong affectionately took Zhang Yanjiang’s hand and said, “Good brother, let’s make our way through the world together. Haha~~~”
“Hmm!” Zhang Yanjiang nodded firmly, his eyes slightly moist. He felt grateful that fate had allowed him to meet such an amazing man at a young age.
Xie Wendong released his hand, walked outside the woods, and looked up at the sky, saying, “Do you know? I don’t worship unlimited power, I don’t like endless wealth, and I don’t care about what kind of empire I’ll build in the future. All I want is a process—a process where I can experience the thrill of competition. That’s what I truly desire. That feeling might be like birds flying in the vast sky, with nothing to restrict their wings, allowing them to look down on everything below!”

Xie Wendong’s voice wasn’t loud, yet everyone present could hear it clearly. The rising sun was behind him, its rays illuminating his figure so brightly that it was hard to look directly at him. No one knew exactly how to describe their feelings, but they all felt that Xie Wendong was extremely tall and so close to the sun—a height they would never be able to reach.

“Brother Dong, what you said is so strange! I don’t understand at all!” Li Shuang touched his hair, breaking the silence. Xie Wendong smiled; he himself didn’t know why he had voiced his thoughts. It seemed he was truly changing day by day. Being around such passionate young people had transformed his personality, but he didn’t resist these changes because he was happy in his current life and cherished the loyalty these young people showed him.

Xie Wendong said, “Li Shuang, do you know? There’s one thing you said that’s absolutely right!”

Li Shuang asked in surprise, “Brother Dong, what did I say? What’s so right?”

Xie Wendong laughed loudly, “No matter when, if enemies come, we’ll meet them head-on!” With that, he turned and walked out of the school. Laughter could be heard in the distance. Everyone watched Xie Wendong’s retreating figure, exchanged glances, and burst into laughter together, trying to suppress their emotions as they chased after their hero. Li Shuang, confused, remained behind, thinking, “What’s going on today? Have everyone’s brains rusted off? Hey, wait for me! I’m fat and slow—go slower…” “A bunch of heartless guys!…”

When Xie Wendong stepped out of the school, he heard Li Shuang’s deep voice behind him.

In the afternoon, Xie Wendong and Li Shuang went to the hospital to check on the injured brothers. Sanyan and Gaoqiang were there too. They learned that five people were hospitalized, but none of their injuries were serious. Only then did Xie Wendong feel relieved. Sanyan suggested that since they were all fine, they could go play billiards. Although Xie Wendong wasn’t interested in billiards, he didn’t want to dampen everyone’s spirits, so he nodded. Sanyan immediately added, “I’m not playing with Brother Dong. That needs to be made clear first.” “……” “……” “……”

The three of them were speechless.

The first time Sanyan met Xie Wendong, he remembered that Brother Dong hadn’t made a single shot. Those memories were still vivid in his mind…

Li Shuang’s dissatisfied voice came from the hospital corridor, “Hey! Why do I have to play with Brother Dong?”

Sanyan and Gaoqiang’s voices rang out at the same time, “Because you’re the best at billiards among us!”

“Hmm! That’s true! … Hey! It seems like I’ve never won against you two before!” “…” “…” The corridor fell silent.
The next day, Xie Wendong gave up riding his bike and ran to school. He felt that the opponents he faced were getting stronger, and a strong physique was necessary. It was about two kilometers from his home to No.1 Middle School. As he ran, Xie Wendong punched the air from time to time, stopping to walk for a short while when he got tired. By the time he arrived at school, he was drenched in sweat. He was in a good mood today and deliberately greeted the old guard at the school gate.
The old man waved at him, “Young man, why are you so sweaty? Go inside quickly before catching a cold!”
Xie Wendong nodded and smiled before running toward the teaching building. After a few steps, the sound of a motorcycle came from behind him. “No way!” Xie Wendong reflexively jumped to the side of the road. A motorcycle stopped beside him. “Hey, it’s you again?! Do you have a habit of driving in the middle of the road?”
Xie Wendong turned around and couldn’t help but laugh. It was the beautiful “senior sister” who had almost hit him the day before. Xie Wendong nodded and smiled, “Hello, senior sister!”
The girl on the motorcycle blushed slightly and giggled, “You have a good memory!”
Xie Wendong deliberately sized her up. Under his intense gaze, she felt a bit embarrassed and said petulantly, “Hey, what are you looking at? Have you never seen a beautiful girl before?”
Xie Wendong replied “poutingly,” “It’s because you’re so beautiful that it’s hard to forget! It’s not that I have a good memory.” In fact, that was also his true feeling—such a beautiful girl was truly hard to forget.
Her face turned red, as if a little rabbit had suddenly entered her heart. If someone else said such things, she would ignore them, but for some reason, when this boy—whose name she still didn’t know—said them, it took on a different meaning. She felt an indescribable joy. Yet every time she saw this boy, her heart would pound wildly. She didn’t know what this feeling was, so she decided to avoid him.
The girl got back on her motorcycle, said “Bye-bye,” and drove away before Xie Wendong could say anything. After going about ten meters, she turned around and shouted, “My name is Gao Huiyu!”

The girl’s voice echoed in Xie Wendong’s ears, “Gao Huiyu, what a beautiful name!” Seeing her spirited figure, he felt excited. An idea popped into his mind: Could this girl be Boss Gao? Xie Wendong shook his head, dismissing the thought, thinking to himself that there were countless girls with the surname Gao—how could it be such a coincidence? For some reason, he really didn’t want this girl to be Boss Gao.

Xie Wendong entered the classroom, which was noisy. Li Shuang was already friendly, dancing around with a few boys nearby, talking animatedly. Xie Wendong sat down at his seat. Liu Ting, sitting next to him, asked, “Deskmate! Do you know? Someone fought in the small woods behind the school playground yesterday. Several students are in the hospital and can’t come to class today!”

Xie Wendong smiled and shook his head. “I’m not very sure.” Then he asked Liu Ting, “Has the school said anything about dealing with this?”

Liu Ting shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything about it. But such a serious incident—the school can’t just ignore it, right?”

Xie Wendong replied, “Not necessarily! Don’t forget this is No. 1 Middle School—the most chaotic middle school in the whole city. By the way, why did you come to No. 1 Middle School?”

Xie Wendong thought Liu Ting must be a smart girl with good grades, so she shouldn’t be studying here.

Liu Ting made a sad face and said, “I used to be too fond of playing. My grades weren’t good in the high school entrance exams, so I had no choice but to come here!”

Xie Wendong asked curiously, “What do you usually do for fun? There doesn’t seem to be many things girls can do!”