94 It was nowhere near as appealing as a liar’s words.

After dinner, Zhang Pa went back to his room to work out the script for the animated film. Following Liu Xiaomei’s suggestion, he wanted the story to be fuller and more gripping.

He was still mulling it over when the phone rang again. Fatty was shouting for him to come fight.

Zhang Pa flew into a rage. “Are you sick in the head? What the hell are we fighting for now?”

“Cut the nonsense and come to Zhichun Road,” Fatty said, giving him a precise address.

With great reluctance, Zhang Pa shut down the computer, went downstairs, and pedaled his bicycle toward the battlefield.

From Xingfu Lane to Zhichun Road, even by car it took fifteen minutes. In that much time, any fight would already be over. So Zhang Pa took his time going over.

Sure enough, by the time he arrived, the fight had long since ended. Fatty and the others were all wounded, sitting on the curb and cursing.

Zhang Pa walked over and asked, “Which big boss pissed you off this time?”

Fatty snapped, “You came on a bike? Would it kill you to take a taxi?”

“Wouldn’t kill me. Would make me poor,” Zhang Pa said. “I was even thinking, judging by your every-three-days fighting standard, things have been a little too quiet lately. Looks like I was overthinking it. A guy as impressive as you wouldn’t change his habits so easily.”

Fatty pointed at his own face. “See this? Black eye. And you still dare laugh at me.”

Zhang Pa smiled and asked, “Who was it?”

“No idea. Damn it all, there were eight of them. Every one of them could fight, and none of us could take them down,” Fatty said. “No clue what district they’re from either.”

Hearing that, Zhang Pa glanced over the group. Sissy, Turtle, and the others were all there. Fifteen or sixteen men in total, yet they still hadn’t managed to handle eight opponents. That meant those guys really did have some fighting strength.

Still, when Zhang Pa saw Wang Kun, he gave him a blank look and then said to Fatty, “It’s over, right? If it’s over, I’m leaving.”

“Like hell you are. I’m going to find those bastards,” Fatty said. “I’ve already called people. Wait here.”

Zhang Pa said, “First, you don’t even know their names. Second, you don’t have a photo. Tell me how you expect to find them?”

Fatty said, “Eight young guys, looked to be around twenty, all tall, big and sturdy. They shouldn’t be hard to spot.”

Zhang Pa thought for a moment, then suddenly laughed. “Good news for you. Three blocks away is the Provincial Sports School. There are at least a hundred people there who fit your description. Next door is the Provincial Sports College, and there are plenty there too. Farther north is the Provincial Soccer Team. So tell me, which one of them do you think you lot can actually beat?”

“Damn it,” Sissy cursed. “That’s really unlucky.”

Zhang Pa said, “You fight once every three days and have been at it for years before finally running into athletes. You should count yourselves lucky. All right, I’m going. Goodbye.” With that, he pedaled off.

“Damn it,” Fatty cursed again. Seeing how decisively Zhang Pa was leaving, he turned to glance at Wang Kun.

Wang Kun had blood on his face, and even a wet wipe hadn’t cleaned it off. But his attention wasn’t on his face at all; he kept watching Zhang Pa.

Zhang Pa rode home. After about a hundred meters, he suddenly felt that something was off. Given the habits of the guys from the sports school or the sports college, if eight of them had fought more than a dozen people without a clear winner, they shouldn’t have called it quits so easily.

That was easy enough to understand. If you and I fought and no winner was decided, or one side suffered a little loss, the first thing we’d want to do in the short term would be to knock the other side down and trample them.

If that area was still their turf...

The more he thought about it, the more he turned back toward the sports school. His plan was to take the main road first, then slip into the side streets and try to get a sense of the enemy.

But after riding only two blocks, he saw several dozen people jogging toward him from the opposite direction, all of them tall, broad-shouldered young men. Zhang Pa laughed and turned right at the next intersection, then stopped and called Fatty.

The pig took more than half a minute to answer, as if he were busy doing who knew what. “What is it?”

Zhang Pa said, “Congratulations. The guys you fought really are sports students. I just don’t know which school they’re from.”

“So?”

Zhang Pa said, “Bad news too. Forty or fifty of them are going back to find you. If you can get a taxi, do it now. I figure they’ll be there in another block.”

“Damn your ancestors! If they were coming, you should’ve said so sooner. Why the hell were you even chatting with me?” Fatty hung up and shouted for his brothers to retreat.

Zhang Pa put away his phone and ambled off unhurriedly.

Fatty was always good at running away. By the time Zhang Pa rode back, the dozen or so men were all gone. The athletic youths were still there, scattered widely and searching everywhere for people.

Then he went home. After all that fuss, once he got home he just slept. He had no heart left to open the computer and work.

Working while the task was still underway always made people find excuses to drive themselves on, a kind of persistence. But once that stage was over, everyone wanted a break.

Zhang Pa did not actually want to rest, but with no assignment hanging over him, he naturally allowed himself to relax.

The next morning he got up early, took Old Pi and the five monkeys out for breakfast, and then went to school with them. The first thing he did after arriving was go speak to the principal.

The principal had scolded him harshly yesterday, talking about Sheng Yang and Luo Chengcai. If they were formally detained, those two students would be expelled. At the very least, they could be sent to a juvenile correction facility.

The principal’s meaning was that they should try again to keep the two boys in school. After all, they were still young, simple-minded, and unable to tell right from wrong.

By Zhang Pa’s way of thinking, they should just be detained. What did that have to do with him? But when it came to Principal Qin, the little old man, he truly had no way to refuse.

Ever since he had met the old man, the principal had always been extraordinarily considerate toward the students. He was unwilling to give up on any of them easily and kept trying, again and again. The most direct proof of that was hiring Zhang Pa at the high salary of six thousand a month to manage the troublemakers.

Zhang Pa was not afraid of fights, and he was not afraid of people harboring wicked intentions. What he feared were exactly the kind of good people who thought only of others. Their kindness made it impossible for him to harden his heart and refuse.

Yesterday afternoon, after criticizing Zhang Pa enough, the old man said he would ask around and see whether the two students could be released.

Then ask away. Zhang Pa naturally had no objections, nor would he pay those two much attention. But last night he had received a call from Liu Zhengyang, and something like this ought to be reported to the principal, just in case it might be useful.

Principal Qin had come very early and was sitting behind his desk reading something. Hearing the knock, he called, “Come in,” and Zhang Pa went in with a grin. “Boss.”

The principal casually told him to sit, then asked, “What is it?”

Zhang Pa said, “The girl who helped Luo Chengcai fight is named Liu Yue. Her father is called Liu Zhengyang. Last night Liu Yue ran away from home, and Liu Zhengyang called to say she had come back. He seems to be working in the capital.”

Principal Qin repeated the name, “Liu Zhengyang?”

“He seems pretty impressive. He had my phone number without even asking,” Zhang Pa said. “His daughter could spend money to hire people to beat me up, so she’s obviously not poor. Their family must have some influence.”

Principal Qin hummed in acknowledgment, then raised another matter. “I’m giving you a task. Get Sheng Yang and Luo Chengcai back here, then keep them under control for me. I’ve put my old face on the line just to get them out.”

Zhang Pa said in surprise, “You really got them out?”

Principal Qin said unhappily, “Nonsense. I’ve been a principal for more than a decade, maybe twenty years. I wouldn’t say I’ve filled the world with my students, but I’ve certainly taught plenty. What’s the big deal about pulling out two kids? Hurry up and go to the detention center to pick them up.”

Zhang Pa asked which detention center.

The principal said, “The Second Detention Center.”

Zhang Pa nodded and said he would go after finishing his own class.

The principal said, “This is the last time. If Sheng Yang and Luo Chengcai keep causing trouble, it’s definitely over.”

Zhang Pa sighed. “If it’s over, then it’s over. There are plenty of bratty kids. If they insist on sinking themselves, what can you do? You can’t govern heaven, earth, or their own willingness. Why waste the worry?”

Principal Qin said, “At any rate, I’m already involved.”

Zhang Pa cupped his hands. “I’m convinced. I’m leaving.” With that, he left the principal’s office.

Seeing that it was still early, he thought he might as well spend a little time in the office first. When he opened the door, he saw Luo Shengnan leaning at an angle on the single bed.

There was nothing wrong with that posture. What was wrong was that she was wearing a short skirt and stockings, one foot bare, the other half-slipped into a high heel that swung lightly back and forth.

The room was small, and Luo Shengnan was facing the same direction as Zhang Pa, so the moment he came in, he saw two long, beautiful legs.

For a hot-blooded man, as long as a woman was not overweight and her legs were not badly shaped, stockings alone could make her seem beautiful and seductive. Zhang Pa froze for a moment, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin. In the end, he simply walked over and sat down at the desk.

Perhaps their time together had made Luo Shengnan accustomed to Zhang Pa’s presence. Teacher Luo only shifted slightly and kept leaning against the wall, playing with her phone.

Zhang Pa opened his laptop, but his mind was full of those two long legs.

He really wanted to ask: with the weather getting colder and colder, aren’t you cold dressed like that?

Then he thought of Liu Xiaomei. If that great beauty dressed this way too... well, he could consider buying her a set of clothes.

As he was thinking this, the sound of cars came from outside. He stuck his head out to look. Good heavens, a huge off-road vehicle had driven onto campus? What kind of scene was this?

That car was outrageously ostentatious, with a high chassis, large tires, and a tall body. One look told you it was expensive. What was interesting was that it had a small rear compartment attached to it, a bit like one of those half-trucks.

Of course, this one wasn’t carrying cargo. The rear compartment was piled high with flowers, a massive bouquet so wide it was wider than it was tall. He couldn’t imagine how thick a man’s arms would need to be to carry it.

More interesting still, the car kept driving straight toward this side and stopped beneath the building, right under Zhang Pa’s office window.

There were several more vehicles parked outside the school, and more than a dozen young men got out and ran into the campus.

At the same time, the car door opened, and a young man in a perfectly tailored suit stepped out. He turned back, took out a remote-controlled airplane and its controller, placed the plane flat on the ground, and launched it into the air.

A strip of red cloth hung beneath the plane. As the plane gradually rose higher, the cloth spread out, revealing the words:

Luo Shengnan, marry me.

Zhang Pa hurriedly turned around and said, “Someone’s proposing to you.”

Luo Shengnan froze. “What did you say?”

“Someone’s proposing to you,” Zhang Pa repeated.

She quickly put on her shoes and ran over, squeezing up to the windowsill to look down. Just then, the plane flew to the height of the window, revealing the words beneath it.

At first Luo Shengnan was astonished. When she saw the man below clearly, a smile spread across her face.

Perhaps because he had seen Luo Shengnan, the young man rested one leg on the ground and shouted upward, “Luo Shengnan, marry me!”

Luo Shengnan turned and ran out of the room, quickly sprinting to the playground.

By that point, the windows facing the playground were already packed with heads, and some people were even filming with their phones. Teachers and students alike were gathering to watch the spectacle.