Chapter 127: You Must Take Responsibility for Me

Gao Ran's arrival thoroughly exposed Zhang Tianfeng's scheme, letting his classmates know he was just a little liar.

But there was an advantage to this deception: thanks to Zhang Tianfeng's warning, the students in the class behaved themselves much better.

Having finished watching the spectacle, they sat up straight and played the part of well-behaved students the moment the two walked over. Meanwhile, the students in the other classrooms remained completely unaffected, carrying on with their usual noise and chaos.

And then... they were punished by the young teachers from the university and made to run laps around the sports field.

Gao Ran taught the first class of the day. Zhang Tianfeng also learned a new piece of information: Gao Ran would concurrently serve as the head teacher of Class 16.

Although life might not be easy, at least it would be convenient to ask for leave in the future.

After class, under the pretext of reprimanding him, Gao Ran called Zhang Tianfeng into a small office.

"How much did your father invest in Haizhong University to get you this kind of treatment?"

A private office—even the grade director probably didn't enjoy such a privilege.

"Why do you care so much?"

Gao Ran rolled her eyes and got straight to the point. "I was actually planning to look for you. My dad asked me to check if you need help. If you do, he'll go all out to drive the Xu family out."

"Please, don't. The Xu family is actually doing me a favor right now."

"Doing you a favor? Do you have any idea how far they've gone by now?"

"Do you know?" Zhang Tianfeng countered.

The Xu family's pace of expansion was rapid, and many of their moves could be detected on the surface. But some measures were known only to insiders.

This was currently Zhang Tianfeng's weak spot—he had no friends within the system.

Qin Lin had anticipated this, so he sent Gao Ran to offer a favor.

"Are you saying that Xu Kuangdao has already negotiated policy concessions with the leaders of every provincial capital and is ready to unseat me at any moment?"

"Yes. Your company isn't irreplaceable. Those leaders would rather see the grander spectacle and more boastful promises of Xu Kuangdao."

This time, Gao Ran was genuinely a bit worried. The more she learned, the more anxious she became.

Xu Kuangdao seemed to have mobilized the power of the Xu family. Capital was being poured in frantically, clearing channels, distributing goods, renting stores, and winning over suppliers.

From the officials in the system down to the lowest-level workers, they had cleared paths through everyone.

In contrast, all Gao Ran could see on Zhang Tianfeng's side were some dispensable measures that could be replaced at any moment.

Having watched Zhang Tianfeng grow, she knew there was a massive gap in strength if he wanted to compete against Xu Kuangdao.

Unless—unless he was willing to ask the Huo family to step in—this battle was a guaranteed loss.

"If that's all he has up his sleeve, he will still lose to me this time and end up paving the way for my success."

"Are you planning to ask your friends in Hong Kong for help?"

Seeing the strange look in Zhang Tianfeng's eyes, Gao Ran quickly explained, "I didn't mean anything by it. I was just worried about you, so I asked."

"I don't need the Huo family to intervene to make the Xu family collapse like a landslide."

Zhang Tianfeng stood up and said, "As for you, just teach your classes here diligently and wait for my return."

"Ah? You're leaving again?"

"My leave wasn't over in the first place. I only came back this time to scout things out. I'm off~"

Waving goodbye, Zhang Tianfeng quickly walked out.

Before he could even sit down upon returning to the dormitory, he was surrounded by seven people.

"An eight-man dorm, and you managed to offend all seven of us at once. You're really something, Teacher Zhang."

Seeing Li Yunsong deliberately keeping a straight face, Zhang Tianfeng felt like laughing. This guy was definitely a smooth talker, but his lying skills still lacked a bit of polish.

"Is this how you treat your benefactor? Didn't you see how the students from the other classes were being scolded?"

Zhang Tianfeng suddenly turned the tables, startling all seven of them into a daze. With their level of sophistication, how could they compete with Zhang Tianfeng? They couldn't even counter a single sentence.

"Now I understand why this kid has such a beautiful girlfriend. His ability to talk nonsense is unmatched."

"Yeah, even I feel inferior."

The crowd dispersed and sat on their beds, all looking at Zhang Tianfeng.

"Hey buddy, how old are you? You look so young."

"Eighteen."

"Damn, you must be from a wealthy family to still be in high school at eighteen."

"I earn my own money to pay for my tuition," Zhang Tianfeng said as he made his bed. "It's because of work that I only reported for school now."

"What kind of work do you do? Why don't you just work at my family's factory? With your cleverness, landing a sales manager position would definitely be a breeze."

"Your family owns a factory?"

Zhang Tianfeng turned to look at the short-haired teenager, who had a sharp, oval face and slightly dark skin. His name was Lu Wu, a local of Zhucheng. Word was that he had passed the high school entrance exam on his own merit.

"Yes, we have a furniture factory in Jiangcheng. It's been running for over ten years, specializing in making Chinese-style furniture for foreigners."

"Impressive. You must have earned quite a bit of foreign exchange for the country."

Foreign exchange was a major theme of the 1970s and 80s. As the country opened up and integrated with the international community, trade was naturally indispensable. Back then, foreigners did not accept the domestic currency, so foreign exchange was highly needed.

To run a furniture factory for over a decade without going under, they were definitely a wealthy family. Who would have thought that there was actually a filthy rich guy in his own dormitory?

"You even know about foreign exchange?" Lu Wu was instantly intrigued. He crossed his legs and said, "We earned some, but not that much. Foreigners' money isn't easy to make. They're incredibly picky and demand all kinds of inspection reports. It's a real pain."

"As long as you can make it, it shows you guys are very capable."

"You're too polite. If you ever need anything, brother, just let me know. Arranging a job for you won't be an issue." Lu Wu stood up as he spoke, carrying himself like the boss of the dorm. "Now that everyone in our dorm is here today, let's go out for a big meal. My treat."

"I still have homework to do, so I won't be going," one of them quickly declined.

Zhang Tianfeng turned to look. It was another short-haired youth, but with a rather introverted personality. "Wang Liang, you're just too embarrassed to go, aren't you?"

Lu Wu smiled and said, "It's my treat, so it won't cost you a dime. If you really feel bad about it, just do my homework for me to pay it off."

Hearing this, the expressions of the others turned slightly awkward.

"Wang Liang probably isn't skipping because of that. He might have other things to do but finds it inconvenient to say so openly."

As soon as Zhang Tianfeng spoke, Li Yunsong caught on and quickly added, "Right, right, right! I saw a girl walking alone with Wang Liang in the park earlier."

Romance was always the hottest topic in the dormitory. In an instant, the room erupted into mock howling and playful outrage.

"Well, if you won't say, so be it. Let's go then. Young Master Lu is paying for everything tonight."

"Young Master Lu is awesome."

"Young Master Lu is the man."

Amidst the flattering cheers, the group gradually headed out.

This round of drinking was wild and unrestrained. Even Zhang Tianfeng, who usually exercised self-control, ended up eighty percent drunk under the influence of this high school camaraderie he had never experienced before.

Walking back shoulder-to-shoulder, the group didn't notice at all that they had gained a little tail behind them.

After confirming that Zhang Tianfeng had returned, Gao Ran parked her car and pretended she had just finished work, walking out of the teaching building.

"Hello, Teacher Gao."

Seeing her, the group sobered up instantly and hurriedly greeted her.

"Hello. How did this guy get so drunk?"

"It's our first dorm gathering, so we inevitably drank a bit too much. Teacher Gao, please don't blame him."

"I won't. Just hand him over to me, I'll take care of him."

Since their relationship was already out in the open, Li Yunsong and the others naturally had no doubts about Gao Ran's role and readily handed Zhang Tianfeng over to her.

Watching the two walk away, Lu Wu was filled with envy.

"This kid is so lucky, getting such a beautiful girlfriend who is also a teacher."

"Old Lu, you can't force these things. It all depends on fate."

"They say fate is written in the stars, but I've never believed in that. Do you know why I offered to treat everyone?"

"No idea."

Lu Wu grinned.

Given Zhang Tianfeng's background, he wasn't worth treating at all. Classmate camaraderie? Please, he reported late; what kind of classmate was he? Being friends with him was entirely because his girlfriend was beautiful. Even if he couldn't steal her away, he could at least use him to get in touch with more high-quality women, right?

"It's better you don't know. Let's go. Us rough guys should head back to rest."

"Old Lu, drinking too much makes you thirsty. You guys go up first, I'll go fetch some water."

"Why fetch water yourself? Just give Wang Liang a few cents and let him do it."

"Rich people naturally live a rich life. Let those who are struggling handle the trivial chores."

The group stumbled back upstairs, and Gao Ran's car slowly pulled away.

Since she had come to Zhucheng to teach, her father had bought her another apartment in the city center.

Returning home, Gao Ran was drenched in sweat from carrying Zhang Tianfeng to the bed.

"Stinky man, reeking of alcohol and sweat. I really don't know what I see in you."

"Thirsty... I want water, bring me water quickly."

"Hey, you actually dare to order me around."

Glaring at him, Gao Ran still obediently went to fetch the water.

By the time she returned, Zhang Tianfeng had already drifted off to sleep.

She grumbled a few more times, and then began to undress him...

Yes, she had thought about it for a long time and finally made up her mind. If she kept agonizing over certain things, they would never be resolved. It was better to be bold and take the initiative. Once that line was crossed, she would have more leverage to speak her mind.

"You don't trust me and won't even tell me your counter-strategy. Let's see what you have to say tomorrow."

She murmured to herself as she wiped down his body. After cleaning him up, she washed up herself, turned off the lights, and went to sleep.

...

Early the next morning, Zhang Tianfeng woke up parched. He slowly opened his eyes, and his eyes widened in surprise as he took in the unfamiliar room.

Before he could even turn his head, he caught a familiar fragrance. In an instant, Zhang Tianfeng froze completely.

Stiff for a few minutes, he slowly turned his head, and Gao Ran's delicate face came into view.

Crap, it really was her! He was completely screwed now.

Wait, wasn't he drinking with Lu Wu and the others last night? How did he end up here?

As he got out of bed while trying to piece things together, the movement woke Gao Ran.

The girl opened her large eyes and said pitifully, "You have to take responsibility for me."

Zhang Tianfeng's head throbbed instantly.