Extortion

Although he felt a little down about one pretty girl being snatched away by another, Chang'an Fang was actually happy to see this happen. He remembered that, in his previous life, Mo Shen had almost no interaction with her classmates, which was probably one of the reasons she eventually transferred to another school.

Of course, the more important reason was likely that her elders looked down on the town’s school. Just as parents from the surrounding villages hoped to send their children to schools in town, the parents in town strove to send their children to the county seat. The fact that Mo Shen spent a semester at the town school was probably due to two things: Mengfei Cheng, and the fact that she was so young her family wasn’t comfortable with her boarding at a school further away.

However, when it comes to their child’s education, parents are never stingy with their resolve. After winter break, she’d have to obediently head off to study in the city.

The bell for evening self-study had barely rung when the chubby teacher strode to the podium with a stack of test papers. “Let’s use this session to finish going over the test.”

Chang'an Fang pursed his lips—some things, once they start, will keep coming back endlessly.

The chubby teacher monopolized the first period of evening study, then dragged it into the second. He was still there when Mengfei Cheng appeared at the door with the Chinese test papers.

“If anyone needs to go to the restroom, you can go now,” she said.

Mengfei Cheng had probably suffered through holding it in back in her own school days, so she cared a lot about her students’ bladders. However, she was still ruthless about sticking to the lesson plan. When Chang'an Fang wandered back from the restroom, she was already explaining the questions.

Luckily, everyone else would be coming back quickly anyway. He’d made so few mistakes that it hardly mattered whether he paid attention.

The three periods of evening study passed with the teachers going over test papers. At 8:50, school was dismissed. The classroom quickly emptied, though a dozen or so students lingered. Chang'an Fang stayed to preview his next lessons, working on math exercises from the textbook.

While the teachers explained the test, he was sneaking glances at his book. The math book had four chapters, and he was already working on exercises from chapter three, Linear Equations in One Variable.

His behavior during class had probably been noticed by both the chubby teacher and Mengfei Cheng, but since his grades were good and he didn’t disturb others, they pretended not to see.

The best students always enjoy a few explicit or implicit privileges.

“Chang'an Fang!”

A clear girl’s voice called from outside the window. Everyone looked up, and so did Chang'an Fang, who then stood and walked over.

Dianqiu Fang was waiting at the door. When she saw him approach, she walked over to the corridor railing to wait for him, her round-faced deskmate beside her.

“You came in first in the whole school?” The moment he stepped out, Dianqiu Fang couldn’t wait to ask. Her deskmate eyed him curiously.

“How did you know?”

“Our homeroom teacher told us. She told our class to work hard and try to beat you on the next test.”

Chang'an Fang nodded. “You should try your best too.”

Dianqiu Fang found his reaction odd, though she couldn’t put her finger on why. After a moment’s thought, she realized that he was far too calm. She asked in surprise, “Aren’t you excited at all?”

“Not excited. I’m actually nervous. If I do terribly next time, wouldn’t that be embarrassing?”

He pointed back at his seat. “See how hard I’m studying?”

Dianqiu Fang thought that made sense. “Alright, I’ll go then. Keep studying.”

Chang'an Fang simply waved her off. “Alright, go on.”

Dianqiu Fang waved as well, but after a few steps, she glanced back, still finding his reaction strange. Becoming the top student in the whole school—he was less excited about it than she was when she heard the news herself.

Back in the classroom, Ke Wang and Lili Zheng were packing up. When Ke Wang saw him return, she asked, “You’re not leaving yet?”

Chang'an Fang glanced at the wall clock—it was nearly half past nine. He nodded, “Give me a minute.”

He swiftly gathered his books and tucked them into his desk, then left with Ke Wang and Lili Zheng. Ke Wang asked quietly, “Who was that girl just now?”

“My niece.”

“Huh?” Ke Wang blinked in surprise.

Chang'an Fang nodded. “My niece.”

The little girl looked him up and down. “But you’re not that old...”

“My family seniority is just high,” he replied.

Ke Wang pouted, accepting his explanation. She’d seen similar cases in her own village, though she was always among the younger generation. “What did she want?”

“She said her homeroom teacher told their class to study hard and try to beat me on the next test—a little reminder for me to keep working, too.”

“Oh.”

The three of them walked into the hallway. There were no lights, and it was pitch dark. Lili Zheng took out a small flashlight, looped her arm through Ke Wang’s, and illuminated the way ahead for Chang'an Fang.

Ke Wang kept chatting. “Well, you really should keep up your studies.”

As they turned the corner, Chang'an Fang glanced back at her with a smile. “Honestly, I never expected to come in first, but since I’ve already done it, that top spot is mine from now on.”

The little girl’s rosy lips curled skeptically. “Braggart!”

“I’ve got no room left to improve—surely I won’t slip back, right?”

“You can’t say that. Don’t get arrogant! Arrogance leads to failure,” she lectured him in all seriousness.

“This isn’t arrogance, it’s confidence.”

When they left the academic building, Chang'an Fang rolled his shoulders and told the two girls, “You go on ahead.”

Ke Wang asked, “What about you?”

“I’m going for a run.”

“Huh?” The two girls were surprised.

Ke Wang asked, “Why do you need to run?”

“There’s a physical fitness test for the high school entrance exam. I’m getting a head start.”

The two girls exchanged a look. Ke Wang shook her head. “Isn’t that a long way off? You’re already starting to practice?”

“Better to start early. Running more never hurts.”

Ke Wang glanced at the dark track. “Well, you go run then. We’re heading off.”

“Bye,” said Chang'an Fang, waving. He stopped at the track to warm up, while the two girls looked back at him as they left, their expressions a bit bewildered. They’d probably never considered someone would start preparing for exams this early.

No wonder he was top of the class.

Chang'an Fang had eaten well that day. Even after walking a lot, he felt he could try running a full lap. However, this proved to be as unrealistic as saying, “I could eat a whole cow” when you’re starving—it was just talk.

He started running from in front of the academic building, passed the restroom, and hadn’t even made it halfway before he was panting heavily, already worried his muscles would be sore come morning. He slowed down, gasping for breath but kept pushing forward.

As he ran past the restroom, he could see the school gate in the distance. He estimated it was about three hundred meters away and planned to stop there. Suddenly, two dark figures appeared ahead, purposefully stepping onto the track and blocking his way.

Chang'an Fang’s heart tightened. He tried to circle around them, but the one on the inside lane immediately sidestepped to block him. The one closer to the wall, in a tone filled with the bravado of a student troublemaker, sneered, “Running? Where do you think you’re going?”

Chang'an Fang sighed inwardly and stopped, working to steady his breath as he looked over the two who’d come up to him. There was only a single bulb glowing over the school gate, and a bit of light from some classrooms that hadn’t been switched off, but none of it reached here. In the dim night, he could only make out vague outlines.

They were two young boys—the one near the wall was slightly taller, maybe about 1.7 meters; the one on the inside lane was three or four centimeters shorter, as skinny as Chang'an Fang himself, both with long hair hanging over their eyes.

When Chang'an Fang stood still, the two boys closed in, one with his shoulders high, the other slouched, both eyeing him with a streetwise air. “Hand over your money.”

They were more than a hundred meters from the guardhouse at the gate. Chang'an Fang’s legs were already wobbly from running—he couldn’t outrun them. He could shout, but he had no faith the guards would do much. Worse, if he called for help now, it would probably just mean a long-term feud afterward.

Of course, that didn’t mean he would just meekly submit.

“Are you here for me?” Chang'an Fang asked.

The shorter one, perhaps annoyed by his lack of fear, scowled and brought his face close, trying to glare fiercely. “Who else would we be here for?”

“Did Yan Liu send you?”

“Why are you asking so many damn questions?”

The shorter one reached out, apparently to slap Chang'an Fang’s face. Chang'an Fang grabbed his wrist and slapped him hard across the cheek with a loud smack, then followed up with a kick.

Though he wasn’t especially strong, adrenaline gave him power. His attack was sudden—the slap left the boy reeling, and the kick sent him stumbling.

Chang'an Fang quickly followed with another kick. As the boy yelped in surprise, his unbroken voice cracking, Chang'an Fang shouted in the darkness, his tone full of swagger:

“Do you even know who I am? Huh?”

“You know how many teachers I can call with a single phone call? You know who Baoguo Shen is? Huh?”

“Yan Liu tricked you, you idiot, and you really dared to come mess with me? You think I’d just hand over my money? Even if I did, would you dare to take it? Planning to spend the night in the police station, are you?”