The Boss

Fang Chang'an was certainly not losing his mind; it was just that the students who had just arrived were all classmates—Zhang Lu, Liu Bei, Wang Sha, and Li Xiaoyi. He had his back to the moon gate, and it was only through the reactions of Liu Yan and Chang Wei that he noticed them, a bit late, but even if it was just for show, he felt compelled to put on an act. Firstly, he was the class monitor and needed to maintain decorum; secondly, it was a way of expressing himself, conveying, "I know bullying is wrong, and I won't bully you."

He didn't expect these kids to fully grasp his intentions, but subconsciously, it would certainly affect how they perceived him. Liu Bei, Wang Sha, and Li Xiaoyi didn't respond, and Zhang Lu, clearly timid, probably found courage due to her role as vice monitor. She murmured an assent and asked, "What are you doing?"

Fang Chang'an smiled, "We're discussing some questions. We'll head back soon."

"Oh."

Zhang Lu obviously didn't believe him but didn't press further. After the brief exchange, she lowered her head and walked toward the dormitory. Liu Bei and Wang Sha curiously glanced over, while Li Xiaoyi kept his head down, as if afraid that even a glance would earn him a beating.

Behind them, other students who lingered in the classroom until lights-out were trickling by. Fang Chang'an glanced at them and said to Chang Wei, "Let's go over there. It's not good to stay here."

He spoke as he walked under the shelter. Chang Wei, Zhao Xu, and Liu Yan followed after him. Fang Chang'an sat down on a long bench, its red lacquer faded and peeling, as comfortably as if he were at home, and gestured to the others, "Sit, sit."

Chang Wei pulled out another bench and sat. Zhao Xu hesitated, looked at Fang Chang'an's expression, and finally sat next to Chang Wei. Liu Yan remained standing.

Fang Chang'an shifted over, patted the bench, and smiled, "Yan, sit. Sit."

Liu Yan glanced at Chang Wei and gave an awkward smile, "It's fine, it's fine. I'll just stand."

Fang Chang'an patted the bench again but said nothing. Liu Yan looked at him, then at Chang Wei. Chang Wei cursed, "Are you deaf? Didn't you hear him say to sit?"

Only then did Liu Yan gingerly take a seat.

Fang Chang'an patted his shoulder and smiled, "Really, don't feel aggrieved. Wei kicked you a couple of times, but it was for your own good. Do you know what incitement to commit a crime is? That's a charge you could be sentenced for—consider yourself lucky."

Liu Yan had never paid attention in politics class, and even if he had, he wouldn't understand how incitement was defined or punished, much less how he ended up accused of it. He dared not ask, quickly nodding, "I know I was wrong, I really do."

Fang Chang'an smiled, "There’s no deep resentment between us. Consider this a case of not knowing each other until we fought. From now on, we're all friends. As the saying goes, more friends, more paths. We're still young—no need to cut off our future so early, or cause trouble for our parents, right?"

Liu Yan nodded fervently again.

Fang Chang'an then turned to Chang Wei. "Wei, you've vented your anger. Let's leave it at that, alright?"

Chang Wei felt something was off—what did he mean by venting his anger? But with no time to ponder, he nodded quickly, "Sure, as long as you don't hold a grudge."

Fang Chang'an smiled, "I'm not the type to bear grudges. Besides, we really had no quarrel to begin with. From now on, we're friends. If you run into anything you don't understand in your studies, come find me anytime. Don't be shy."

"Alright," Chang Wei agreed readily, thinking, "You're just in your first year, and classes haven't even started. Even if I wanted to copy homework, what use would you be to me?"

Fang Chang'an continued, "Xu and Yan, you too. Don't be shy."

"Okay," the two replied. Liu Yan glanced around, stood up and said, "I'll go buy some snacks."

Fang Chang'an said, "No, no, you don't need to."

"It's fine," Liu Yan replied, quickly running to the little shop at the entrance. Chang Wei watched his retreating figure, hesitated, then turned to Fang Chang'an and explained, "When I called Zhao Xu's name earlier, it wasn't on purpose, not to make him take the blame. It just slipped out."

Fang Chang'an smiled and nodded, "I trust you, Wei."

Chang Wei opened his mouth but said nothing, feeling a lingering frustration he couldn't pinpoint. He had offered an explanation and Fang Chang'an had sincerely accepted it—so why did he still feel uneasy?

Liu Yan soon emerged from the shop, arms full of snacks, which he piled on the table. Fang Chang'an recognized many of them—dried fig strips, crispy rice crackers, instant noodles, little biscuits, sausage, chocolate malt balls, milk tablets, Tang Monk meat...

After setting the snacks down, Liu Yan looked at Fang Chang'an, visibly anxious. Fang Chang'an smiled, picked up a pack of milk tablets, snapped off one and popped it into his mouth. "Thanks, Yan."

Liu Yan finally relaxed, smiling, "No problem."

Chang Wei took a milk tablet, Zhao Xu grabbed some dried fig strips, and Liu Yan watched Fang Chang'an's expression as he finally sat down again.

Fang Chang'an stood, smiled, "Alright, we've eaten. I have to go to bed—got to get up early tomorrow. Let's look out for each other from now on."

Liu Yan had just torn open a pack of instant noodles, but hurriedly stood up, wanting to say something, yet unsure what. He looked to Chang Wei, who said, "Take some, since they're already bought."

Fang Chang'an didn't stand on ceremony, grabbing a pack of milk tablets, a sausage, a bag of instant noodles, a bag of biscuits, a bag of chocolate malt balls, and a handful of chocolate coins, stuffing them in his pockets, waving as he smiled, "I'm off."

"Alright!"

Chang Wei and Zhao Xu also stood, watching Fang Chang'an stride through the dormitory moon gate and into the boys' dorm, only then exhaling in unison.

Chang Wei's anxiety stemmed from psychological pressure that had piled up unknowingly, while Zhao Xu and Liu Yan felt their own pressure mostly because of him—especially Liu Yan, who was still completely confused, unable to figure out how the reinforcements he called ended up on Fang Chang'an's side instead.

"Wei, what just happened?" Liu Yan finally asked after sitting down.

"You're asking me?"

Chang Wei was frustrated, about to curse, but paused and sighed, "He has connections with the town leadership. He's not someone you can mess with."

"Really?" Liu Yan found it unbelievable. Fang Chang'an clearly came from a poor family, relying on his teacher relatives—how could he have such impressive connections?

Chang Wei glared, "Why don't you try him yourself?"

Liu Yan chuckled awkwardly, not daring to respond. Zhao Xu cautiously said, "What if he's bluffing?"

Chang Wei picked up a sausage, bit open one end, tore off the wrapper, and ate half before speaking, chewing, "If he claimed to be related to Shen Baoguo, I wouldn't believe it. But he says he's close to Shen Mo—that's almost the same... The main thing is, if it's real, not just me, my dad could get in trouble. At least a few thousand yuan to smooth things over—not worth it."

Truthfully, he had no idea how much it would cost or what it would take, but saying so made him sound impressive.

For rural kids at this time, a few thousand yuan was astronomical. Liu Yan and Zhao Xu were duly intimidated, silent for a long while.

Chang Wei said nothing, savoring his sausage and the moment.

After some time, Liu Yan cautiously asked, "Who's Shen Mo?"

Chang Wei ignored him, but Zhao Xu replied, "The mayor's granddaughter."

He saw Liu Yan's bewildered expression and felt a surge of pride, then spoke in earnest, "It's actually possible. Fang Chang'an is good-looking and smooth-talking—girls must like him... Hey, could they be dating? Should we report him?"

"Are you stupid?"

Chang Wei cursed, "What good would reporting him do us?"

He finished his sausage, tossed the wrapper on the ground, picked up the milk tablets, snapped off another piece to eat.

"Anyway, Fang Chang'an's relatives are teachers, and his grades are good. Listen to him talk—does he sound like a first-year kid? More like my dad! When he grows up, he'll definitely be amazing! We have no real grudge with him, no need to make trouble... If he ever makes it big, maybe we'll benefit."

Liu Yan and Zhao Xu weren't exactly ambitious—just drifting through school—so hearing this wide-eyed talk left them a bit awed. The boss really was the boss, transferring from the county and with a police officer father.

Chang Wei observed their expressions, weighed things, and decided tonight's events hadn't harmed his reputation or authority. He solemnly instructed, "Later, tell Da Hu and Ba Dan not to mess with Fang Chang'an. If you can, get close to him. Having a good relationship with someone like him will be useful when we're out in the world."

"Our grades may be bad, but we can't lack discernment. As our boss says, you need to know whom you can push around and whom you should befriend. Otherwise, you might not even know how you ended up dead one day."