Chapter Twenty-Eight: Focus
Chapter Twenty-Eight: Focus
In the morning, after Chen Xiao got out of bed and left home for school, he nearly fled as if escaping some disaster.
Damn! He had been smug, thinking he'd upheld his gentlemanly principles, only to realize that, without even a proper wash, he'd managed to "dry clean" someone in his sleep! Where could he possibly cry injustice now? And the most unbearable part—damn it! He'd done it, but it was so wonderful... no, that's not right! It all happened in his sleep, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't recall any detail at all!
A loss! Such a huge loss!
At half past nine, a black Volvo pulled up outside the gates of Kidd Academy. Xu Yifan looked exhausted, with a faint swelling on his left brow. He was usually a handsome, dashing young man, with a pair of naturally alluring eyes that charmed girls. Now, though, his peach blossom eyes had swollen into something more like peaches, robbing him of some of his appeal.
From a distance, Xu Yifan saw Chen Xiao walking up the main road with a one-shoulder backpack. Chen Xiao’s expression was heavy, his gaze unfocused, as if his soul had wandered off somewhere, lost in thoughts unknown. Thankfully, the road in front of Kidd Academy had been widened into a first-class highway; otherwise, Xu Yifan suspected that, given Chen Xiao's distracted state, he might walk right into a lamppost.
When Chen Xiao approached, Xu Yifan called out to him three times before he responded, forcing a helpless, bitter smile onto his face.
“What’s wrong with you?” Xu Yifan stepped out of the car, grinning as he sized Chen Xiao up. “You look as if you were ravaged last night.”
Chen Xiao gave him a wry smile and added a middle finger, then noticed Xu Yifan’s swollen eyes. “What about you? Someone came to beat you up?”
Xu Yifan rubbed his swollen eye, showing no sign of dejection but instead puffing out his chest. “You don’t understand! Scars on a man are like medals! If a man doesn’t have any wounds, he’s not much of a man.”
But as he puffed his chest, the movement tugged at his injury, and pain made his voice tremble.
“You’re really hurt?” Chen Xiao’s tone became serious, his expression grave. “Who did it?”
Jokes aside, Chen Xiao was truly concerned for his only friend. If Xu Yifan had genuinely been beaten like this, as a brother, he couldn’t stand idly by.
“Don’t worry. I was beaten, but you can’t avenge me,” Xu Yifan rubbed his chest, forcing a smile. “Yesterday, you asked where I went when I skipped class? I’ll tell you—I found myself a master, someone truly skilled! It cost me a lot to hire such an expert. Yesterday, I went to pick him up at the airport, settled him in, and practiced a little.”
He chuckled, “Chen Xiao, when we spar, even though you’re better, you still can’t take me down all that easily, right? But this teacher I found is the real deal! Yesterday, he threw me down twice in a row! And he was holding back!”
Twice?
Chen Xiao’s mind stirred—he must have encountered a true master.
He knew Xu Yifan’s abilities well. Xu Yifan, though born into wealth, wasn’t a pampered playboy; when they met three years ago, his fists were already tough, clearly someone used to real fights from a young age.
Over the three years of their friendship, both had joined the karate club, and Xu Yifan had put in serious effort. Now, he wasn’t far behind Chen Xiao; on any given day, three or five ordinary guys couldn’t get close to him.
For someone with such skills to be thrown down so easily…
“You’re not seriously thinking of taking up martial arts, are you?” Chen Xiao laughed. “Will your old man agree? He’s counting on you to inherit the family business. Do you want to follow your elder brother’s path?”
Xu Yifan’s elder brother, the eldest son of the Xu family, was already thirty. Though the Xu family owned billions, that eldest son showed no interest in business. Moreover, he was even more stubborn and hot-tempered than Xu Yifan.
He didn’t mix in the business world but instead made a name for himself in the underworld of K City. Born rich and powerful, he made waves, his skills formidable. When he first appeared, those in the underworld dismissed him as a pampered pretty boy. But he angered the Xu eldest son, who then took up a long blade and chased seven or eight men across three streets! By the end, his white shirt was stained red, and from then on, the underworld of K City had a new force, nicknamed “Little Red Robe.”
In K City, the name “Little Red Robe” was renowned!
Chen Xiao looked at Xu Yifan, his face showing concern—not because he had any prejudice against the underworld, but because he didn’t want his best friend to go down that path.
“Don’t worry,” Xu Yifan strode over, throwing an arm around Chen Xiao’s neck. Though it hurt to raise his arm, he still laughed heartily, “Even if I do join the underworld, I’ll drag you along as my top enforcer. I’m just interested in martial arts! Once I get good, with our looks and skills, I’ll convince the old man to invest a couple hundred million, and we can make kung fu movies, become action stars. Ha ha…”
He tossed his car keys to the security guard at the school gate, who hurried to park the car for him.
“Why’d you switch to such an old man’s car?” Chen Xiao glanced at the black Volvo—usually driven by mature, steady men. He no longer had a car, but two years ago, his driving skills were still quite good.
“My BMW Z8 was taken by my master, so I just grabbed another from home this morning,” Xu Yifan explained, then lowered his voice, “By the way, later you have to introduce me to that Cabbage Girl. Last night, I called and helped sort things out for you. Funny how things worked out.”
“What happened?”
Xu Yifan grinned, “That Cabbage Girl offended a girl at school, right? You said the girl was upset because she’d just been dumped, and that’s why she clashed with Cabbage Girl?”
Chen Xiao nodded, then his mind clicked, and he glared at Xu Yifan, “Don’t tell me…”
“That girl was the one you saw yesterday morning at the school gate—when I was breaking up with her,” Xu Yifan spread his hands and sighed.
Chen Xiao froze, then cursed with a smile, “So it all started with you! You dumped her, she felt bad, and to vent, she bullied Cabbage Girl?”
“Hmph, so hypocritical,” Xu Yifan sneered. “But Xiao Ma likes her, so he stepped up for her and got into trouble with your Cabbage Girl.”
“She’s not ‘my’ Cabbage Girl,” Chen Xiao frowned, “Don’t say that.”
“If she’s not yours, is she mine?” Xu Yifan laughed as they walked side by side into the school. “Since you say she isn’t yours, I’ll make my move! I saw her once from afar when she registered, she’s really cute.”
Chen Xiao stopped, looked at Xu Yifan, and sighed, “You’d better not mess with her. Her family isn’t well off; just being here is hard enough for her. She’s not like the rich girls at school, you…”
“Hahaha!” Xu Yifan pointed at Chen Xiao, laughing loudly, “See! I haven’t even made a move, and you’re already anxious! Alright, alright! Brothers are like limbs, women are like clothes! If you want me to leave her be, I’ll leave her be!”
Before Chen Xiao could retort, Xu Yifan switched topics, “By the way, if you’re free these days, I’ll take you to meet my master! Let you see what a real expert looks like!”
Later that morning, Chen Xiao attended a management class, while Xu Yifan went to the gym—his schedule differed from Chen Xiao’s. At school, Xu Yifan could walk anywhere as he pleased, not just because his father was wealthy, nor only because his brother was a notorious local figure.
One reason: Kidd Academy, this elite school, counted Xu Yifan’s father as one of its investors, and even the land belonged to him.
To put it simply, Xu Yifan was the “son of the school director.” He was clever but didn’t enjoy studying, his grades were mediocre, and he spent most of his time in the gym or with girls.
Chen Xiao dutifully attended class that morning, ate lunch in the school cafeteria—using Xu Yifan’s meal card. Ever since Xu Yifan had told him those words, Chen Xiao had relaxed. Since they’d decided to be lifelong brothers, there was no need to be overly formal or distant.
Today’s schedule was light; nothing until two in the afternoon. Chen Xiao didn’t feel like sweating it out in the gym—his part-time jobs left him exhausted, and he barely had energy for karate anymore.
He decided to stroll over to the academy’s library.
Kidd Academy’s library was bigger than the city library! A fully modern building, equipped at great expense with a foreign-imported electronic management system; the library alone cost over a hundred million.
Unfortunately… such a fine library was often deserted. After all, how many rich kids really cared about learning? Their lives were carefree, with no pressure to advance, so they wasted their youth as they pleased; few chose to spend time in the dull library.
Thus, it was always the quietest spot in Kidd Academy. Since Chen Xiao arrived three years ago, in his memory, the library’s occupancy never exceeded twenty percent.
Chen Xiao wasn’t a bookworm, but the library had another attraction: free computer access.
This benefit, perhaps only Chen Xiao enjoyed. Every student at Kidd Academy owned a laptop; some, like Xu Yifan, switched laptops more often than phones, always grabbing the latest models.
But Chen Xiao couldn’t afford one now. The library’s row of free desktop computers became his favorite haunt.
Fiber-optic internet, top-tier computers, elegant and quiet environment—even the best internet cafes in K City couldn’t offer this!
But today, when Chen Xiao entered the library hall, he was stunned!
So many people?!
The library, usually empty enough to throw a bomb without hitting anyone, was now over half full! And at a glance, ninety-nine percent were boys!
The atmosphere felt odd…
As Chen Xiao walked in, he noticed most boys were casually holding some book, sitting distractedly, but obviously—their attention wasn’t remotely on the pages.
Walking through, Chen Xiao saw many boys sneak glances toward the northwest corner of the library…
The seating was clustered in a fan shape around the northwest corner. The rich kids, who never normally visited the library, all seemed bewitched.
Chen Xiao was disappointed to see his favorite seat occupied. But then, he immediately understood!
At a long table near the window in the northwest corner, a girl sat quietly alone. Surrounding seats were full, but only that inner table had a single girl sitting there. The boys' furtive gazes were clearly focused on her!
Seeing her appearance, Chen Xiao was stunned.
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