MDPWU Chapter 17

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Zhou You and Zhuang Qian were both dumbfounded. Tong Tong then opened his coat and took a pen from the inner pocket.

"I actually didn’t plan on coming, and I didn’t want you all to come either." Tong Tong waved at the group of guys ahead and continued, "It’s unnecessary. You know I don’t have time for this."

"Xiao Kai isn’t just picking a fight for no reason. This has to be settled," Zhuang Qian said.

"That’s why I’m here," Tong Tong said, unexpectedly smiling with narrowed eyes. "But I can’t waste time."

"So you’re saying all this just to explain why you brought ten test papers?" Zhuang Qian sighed.

"Smart," Tong Tong snapped his fingers.

"Top student! A model young man!" Zhou You draped an arm around Tong Tong’s shoulder, pulling him close and rubbing his head vigorously against his own chest. "You look so good when you smile! Why are you always frowning like an old man?"

Tong Tong struggled fiercely, breaking free. His hair was now completely messed up. He kicked Zhou You hard on the butt.

"That was ruthless," Zhou You laughed loudly, completely unfazed. Then, he suddenly picked Tong Tong up and tossed him into the air.

"You damn—ah!" The sudden loss of balance made Tong Tong yell.

Zhou You caught him steadily and looked down, threatening, "Still dare to kick my butt?"

"I do!" The moment Tong Tong spoke, he was thrown into the air again.

"Dare now?" Zhou You caught him again.

"Put me down!" Tong Tong's face had turned pale.

"You little rascal," Zhou You chuckled and finally set him down.

After steadying himself, Tong Tong glared at Zhou You before walking toward the group ahead.

"You two have a weird dynamic…" Zhuang Qian squinted.

"What do you mean weird? We’re fine." Zhou You bent down to grab his military bag and swung it onto his shoulder, squinting at Tong Tong’s retreating figure. "He’s just got that kind of temper. Gotta deal with him like this. But, honestly, it’s rare for me to like someone so much, even with such a bad attitude."

Zhuang Qian's expression shifted.

"I'm his lifelong bestie!" Zhou You declared, laughing loudly as he ran after Tong Tong.

Zhuang Qian rolled his eyes, feeling like he was overthinking things.

"Alright, move out!" Zhuang Qian shouted, waving his steel pipe.

Yanshan Park was the largest recreational area for the elderly in the region.

Deeper inside, hidden behind dense trees, was a vast wild lake that only locals knew about.

The lake wasn’t deep, but it was wide.

This area hasn’t been developed yet, so people who enjoy wild fishing tend to gather here.

A large group of people marched in, and from a distance, they could already see Xiao Kai and his crew.

Xiao Kai had been waiting there for a while, with more than twenty people standing behind him.

About six of them were from their school, but the rest were unfamiliar faces.

As the other group approached, they too stepped forward.

The two groups stood nearly face-to-face before stopping in their tracks.

They just stood there, not moving, as three minutes of silence passed.

Zhou You didn’t understand what was going on. He wanted to ask but was afraid to interrupt this mysterious exchange of silence.

Holding back as much as he could, his nose started itching.

Sensing trouble, he quickly raised a hand to cover his nose, hoping to handle it discreetly.

But… he couldn’t hold it in. He leaned forward and let out a loud sneeze.

Everyone turned to look at him.

"Sorry, guys, I just recovered from a cold, and I woke up early today." Zhou You rubbed his nose, looking quite apologetic.

Since the two groups were already standing close, Zhou You naturally turned to the person in front of him and asked, "Got a tissue?"

The guy across from him was momentarily stunned but didn’t say anything. He simply reached into his pocket.

"Thanks, man," Zhou You expressed his gratitude.

"It’s just a pack of tissues, no need to be so polite," the guy waved it off casually.

"Whoa, are you from my hometown?" Zhou You’s face lit up upon hearing his accent. "Where are you from?"

"Hey! No way! I’m from Jinzhou!" The guy’s eyes widened. "What about you?"

"I’m from Harbin!" Zhou You spread his arms wide.

The guy did the same, and the two embraced like long-lost brothers.

"What are you doing here? Studying?" Zhou You asked enthusiastically.

"You sure came a long way too. I’m not in school anymore—I work in auto repair here," the guy responded excitedly.

"Really? Auto repair is great! I’ve got a motorcycle I modified myself. Swapped out the original engine for a twin-cylinder one, but I’m too scared to take it on the road."

"We’ve got a lot of motorcycles at our shop. Come by and check them out sometime!"

Just as the two were about to become best buds, arms slung around each other, Xiao Kai finally couldn’t hold back anymore.

"What the hell are you guys doing?!"

"…………"

"Let’s meet up later! We’re grilling fish over here later, come have a drink." Zhou You whispered.

The guy discreetly gave an "OK" sign.

The two groups fell into silence again.

"Alright, how do you want to settle this?" Tong Tong spoke up.

Xiao Kai didn’t respond directly. He gave him a once-over and said, "Your family’s in such bad shape, yet you’re wearing limited-edition sneakers worth over ten grand?"

Tong Tong looked down at his shoes. "Shoes are hard to sell. I managed to sell a few new pairs, but this pair got returned after being worn, so now they’re second-hand."

Xiao Kai fell silent.

"Wait," Tong Tong frowned after his instinctive response, "you didn’t call me out here to buy my shoes, did you?"

Xiao Kai snapped, "Who the hell would wear your shoes?"

Just as he finished speaking, Tong Tong’s stomach suddenly growled.

He froze in embarrassment, not even daring to glance down.

"Hungry?" Zhou You, completely oblivious, tilted his head and asked.

Without waiting for a response, he continued, "I told you to eat that bun before we left, but you insisted on giving it to me." Zhou You frowned and dug through his pocket for a while before pulling out a bag of dumplings. "I knew you’d get hungry. Here, eat some. They’re still warm."

Tong Tong glanced at Xiao Kai’s expression and, realizing that a fight wasn’t about to break out just yet, accepted the dumplings.

He really was a bit hungry.

"Eat first, I’ll go set up the fishing rods." Zhou You turned to his massive military backpack and called out, "Qian’er!"

"Yeah!" Zhuang Qian responded.

"Get the bait ready." Zhou You started pulling things out of his bag. "Can a couple of you guys set up the grill?"

"Got it." Two of their classmates went over to help.

"We’re grilling fish, right?" one of them asked.

"Obviously. There’s a farmhouse ahead with free-range chickens. Should we grill some chicken too?" another suggested.

"Sounds good. I’ll go buy some sausages."

"Need veggies? My house is nearby—I can grab some."

Before they knew it, their twenty-plus classmates were completely distracted by barbecue plans.

Xiao Kai’s face grew darker and darker until he looked like a lump of charcoal.

"Can you all show me some respect?!" Xiao Kai finally exploded. "I came here to provoke you!"

Silence fell over the entire group.

Zhou You thought for a moment. "How about this: after we catch three fish, the fourth one is yours?"

"…………"

"Deal." Xiao Kai nodded.

Over forty young men got to work—some setting up grills, some catching fish, some lighting coals.

After setting up the fishing rod, Zhou You pulled out a small folding stool for Tong Tong to sit on.

He then found a good fishing spot, cast his line, and stood there.

Tong Tong continued munching on dumplings.

Xiao Kai lit a cigarette and slowly approached, trying to maintain his composure. "To be honest, I wasn’t planning to fight you today. I just wanted to scare you a little, so you’d learn to be more—"

"Put it out," Tong Tong frowned. "Or go smoke somewhere else."

Xiao Kai: "…………"

Xiao Kai stubbed out his cigarette and crouched down. "That guy in your class, Chen Chunyu—he’s your friend, right?"

"Yeah," Tong Tong replied, puzzled. "Why?"

"His family is dirt poor, and you guys still hang out with him?" Xiao Kai asked.

"You pick your friends based on how much money they have?" Tong Tong shot back.

"I’m not looking. Anyway, no one's poorer than my family." Xiao Kai shrugged.

Tong Tong was amused by him.

"Chen Chunyu is from the same village as me," Xiao Kai said. "He told me you’ve been taking good care of him. I heard his subsidy was arranged by your family? Anyway, he’s been telling me a lot these past few days, and now I’m starting to feel like you weren’t as punchable as you seemed back when I saw you at your dad’s company."

"You can have the third fish," Tong Tong said.

Xiao Kai was stunned for a moment and muttered under his breath, "I’m not here just for your fish."

Tong Tong smiled without saying anything.

"How’s your family doing now?" Xiao Kai asked.

"They’re alright." Tong Tong thought for a moment. "Well, let’s put it this way—we’re not at the point where we go outside and stare at people’s shoes to see how much they cost."

Xiao Kai frowned. "You really know how to run your mouth."

"That day, at my dad’s company..." Tong Tong tilted his head and looked at him. "What was your dad going to say to me?"

"Nothing." Xiao Kai stood up. "Don't make me remember it. Every time I do, I feel like punching you."

Tong Tong was about to say something when a cheer erupted in the distance.

He turned his head and saw Zhou You standing on a protruding rock, leaning back while holding onto his fishing rod. The muscles in his arm were tensed, forming well-defined lines.

He pulled up a huge fish on the hook.

The fish was indeed big—big enough to make the group of boys, who had an average mental age of about eleven at the moment, jump up in excitement.

Everyone picked up the discarded sticks on the ground, shouting and jostling together.

The way boys cheer and the way they get into fights actually sound the same.

It was all just: "Oh oh oh oh oh ah ah ah ah ah!"

Tong Tong was caught up in the atmosphere and had just started walking over when—

"Stop!"

A deep male voice rang out, loud enough to drown out all the noise.

Just from the sound of it, you could tell it wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.

Everyone froze, holding their makeshift weapons.

"Which school are you from?!" The man’s voice carried authority, and most of the boys instantly realized—

That was the tone of a teacher.

They all turned around to look.

The students from Mingde High School were stunned.

The person approaching was none other than their homeroom teacher from Class 2, Grade 11—Mingde High’s infamous “Chalk Throwing Maniac”, Mr. Mao.

"Tong Tong?" Mr. Mao immediately spotted him standing at the edge of the crowd and roared in anger, "So now you’re not just fighting at school? You’ve even started leading gang fights outside?!"

Tong Tong opened his mouth to explain, "No—"

"You’re completely corrupt! No discipline at all! A student who dared to throw a punch on stage at an awards ceremony! You must not want to study anymore!" Mr. Mao was so furious that he swung the fishing bucket in his hand and began shouting, "I’m going to report all of you to the principal and have you recorded for a major demerit! Forget about being named Model Student, Outstanding Cadre, or getting any scholarships at the end of the term!"

Panic spread among the students—a major demerit would be permanently recorded in their files.

Especially for some of them who relied on scholarships.

Tong Tong and his classmate Chen Chunyu were both scholarship recipients, along with a few others from different classes who were receiving school subsidies.

If they got a demerit, they’d definitely be disqualified.

Tong Tong might not have cared about the money before, but now he couldn’t afford to lose it.

Mingde High School’s scholarships were generous, and he needed to get one.

"Why is the teacher here?"

"Who snitched?"

"What do we do? Are we really getting a demerit? My mom will kill me."

"My dad will finish me off…"

Some of the boys started whispering anxiously, looking pale.

Mr. Mao took out his phone and stepped forward, preparing to record their names one by one.

Tong Tong suddenly took a step forward.

Mr. Mao instinctively stepped back in alarm.

Then, they saw Tong Tong reach into his pocket and pull out a stack of white papers.

He turned and started handing them out, making sure everyone got one.

"Teacher, we’re attending an extracurricular tutoring session," Tong Tong said calmly as he finished distributing the papers. He held up a pen and pointed at the worksheet in his hand. "We printed these ourselves. The school study room is closed on weekends, and cafés don’t have enough space for this many people. It’s quiet here, so we came to study."

Everyone immediately caught on and threw themselves into an intense, enthusiastic discussion of the test questions.

Some even started debating political theories, arguing passionately.

Mr. Mao: "………………"

"Who are you trying to fool?!" Mr. Mao was even more furious. "Then what are these sticks for?!"

"Oh! That’s part of our well-rounded education. I teach martial arts!" Zhou You suddenly spoke up, stepping forward. He pressed his foot against the end of a stick lying on the ground, flipping it into the air.

He caught it with ease.

The crowd erupted in cheers.

Zhou You crouched slightly, then propelled himself forward, skillfully demonstrating a set of staff techniques. His movements were powerful and swift, each strike slicing through the air with force.

Then, in a flash, his staff shot toward Mr. Mao—but before anyone could react, he hooked it back just as fast.

Everyone was stunned. Some had even closed their eyes.

When they came to their senses, they all turned to look at Mr. Mao.

The tip of Zhou You’s staff had stopped just one centimeter away from Mr. Mao’s eye.

Mr. Mao held his breath.

Zhou You grinned and swiftly retracted his staff. "What do you think of my technique, Teacher?"

Mr. Mao felt an inexplicable sense of being subtly threatened. "It’s… quite impressive…"

"Of course." Zhou You suddenly straightened his posture, speaking firmly and righteously, "Chinese students must develop morally, intellectually, physically, and aesthetically in a well-rounded way! We don’t slack off! We don’t fall behind! We strive to be good sons of the motherland and contribute to building a better future for our country!"

Mr. Mao: "………………"

______

Author’s Note:

Mr. Mao: So basically, you’re just making a fool out of me.

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