Courir partout et jouer des rôles mineurs

Chapitre 53

Li Wenwen pondered in her mind. Was she the one who didn't get along with Qiu Shanglin, the one who would make a move against him?

She's so frail she could be blown away by a gust of wind, how dare she spread rumors?

The matter wasn't hard to figure out. During the second break between classes, Xia He helped lure Fan Lixiang to the men's restroom—well, actually, he tucked his head under his arm and dragged him there.

Li Changsheng didn't have to scare him at all; he confessed everything.

It's true that he spread the rumors, but he didn't see it with his own eyes.

It's said that Li Wenwen wanted to go to dance practice early that morning. Seeing people in the auditorium, she peeked through the crack in the door and saw Qiu Shanglin sitting and Li Changsheng squatting. One was looking down while the other was looking up; from her angle, it was easy to misunderstand. The child was quite frightened and quickly ran away. She ran into Fan Lixiang outside, who, seeing her so distraught, asked what was wrong. Li Wenwen didn't dare to be certain, but simply asked for his opinion. Upon hearing that such a good thing had happened, Fan Lixiang casually brushed her off and went back to tell everyone about it as a novelty.

Rumors spread like wildfire. At first, it was just that the two of them "might" or "seem" be kissing in the small auditorium. But by the end, everyone was convinced that they had kissed! They definitely kissed, otherwise why would they be hiding in the small auditorium?

He twitched his fist twice, and Fan Lixiang was so frightened that he begged for mercy. Changsheng didn't think it was a big deal; he was mainly annoyed by the strange looks people gave him and Shanglin. After thinking for a moment, he decided to let him slap himself ten times, five on each side.

After saying that, he left, leaving Xiahe to volunteer to oversee the execution.

Chang Sheng hadn't expected that Fan Lixiang was quick-witted but cowardly. He didn't dare to hold back the ten slaps, and he used even more force, making both cheeks swell up—tsk, this kid is so stupid.

School ended at four o'clock in the afternoon. As soon as the bell rang, Daqiang sneaked to the door of Class 1, Grade 3 and waved to Xia Lin furtively.

He hesitated and glanced at Shang Lin beside him, but she didn't say anything or pay any attention.

After hesitating for a moment, Da Qiang walked out slowly, impatiently saying, "Let's go, instead of going to the Happy Valley today, let's watch the video. I just learned a way to sneak in without spending any money."

Xia Lin was tempted, but after looking back and thinking for a moment, she reluctantly refused: "No, I can't go today."

Daqiang was taken aback: "Aren't you going to watch the latest Hong Kong martial arts film?"

Xia Lin was also helpless: "My sister..."

I have to go to work to pay off my debts, but I just can't bring myself to say it.

Daqiang understood, and noticing Shanglin's gaze sweeping over from the corner of his eye, he quickly retreated: "Okay, we'll talk about it tomorrow. We're going now, we'll tell you when we get back!"

Major contradictions and minor contradictions

During physical education class, on the playground, Qiu Xialin, no longer as lively as before, squatted in a corner under a tree, holding a blade of grass in his mouth, staring blankly at the busy ants on the ground.

A boy from your class ran over, sweating profusely and panting: "Playing soccer? Why aren't you moving?"

Listless: "Leave me alone." Let me fend for myself.

The other person squatted down beside him, curiously watching the busy ants on the ground: "Look at them?"

Xia Lin said enviously, "Why don't they leave any footprints?"

The other person was acting strangely, feeling a cold wind blow against their back. Xia Lin's expression was serious; he wasn't joking.

How can you drag a blade of grass in your mouth up and down without leaving a trace?

I've been working at the Mocha Cat Boutique in Zifang Town for two days now. Every morning I get up early to clean the shop, go to school, and then stand behind the counter after school—I'm not even as tall as the counter!

Homework is done at the store, dinner is also eaten at the store, and the store closes at seven o'clock. After that, I sort out the day's income, organize the goods, summarize the lessons learned, go home, and I'm so tired that I fall asleep as soon as I hit the bed.

"You can't mop the floor, you can't remember prices, and you argue with people when you're selling things," Qiu Shanglin said. "What else can you do besides eat, sleep, and play?"

Her fragile self-esteem suffered an unprecedented blow.

Why are there always footprints left on the floor after mopping? If only I could fly and mop the floor, there would be no more footprints. Let's see what Qiu Shanglin has to say... My mind wanders.

The girls gathered under the shade of the trees, gossiping about all sorts of rumors. The word "gossip" wasn't common then, but girls are naturally gossipy. Curiosity is innate, requiring no instruction from school or teachers.

Pan Ling glanced at Qiu Xia Lin, who looked dejected in the distance, then at Qiu Shang Lin, who remained calm and composed, and asked curiously, "What about your brother's homework?"

"There can't be customers in the store all the time, so give him half an hour every day to do his homework."

"Won't this affect my sleep time? My teacher said we need to sleep for eight hours to grow taller."

He gets home at seven, goes to bed at eight, and gets up at six, getting a full ten hours of sleep.

"But then he can't play anymore."

"Learning is also a form of play." Qiu Shanglin is impartial and incorruptible, showing absolutely no leniency towards the law.

The pain should be deep, and the discipline should be thorough. Since I've decided to be his "bad older sister," I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget.

Pan Ling stuck out her tongue: "Luckily you're not my sister."

Shang Lin chuckled, his gaze sweeping over the listless Qiu Xia Lin. "So he's learned to think now? It's a good thing he's learned to think. If hardship and setbacks can help him grow and mature, I don't mind giving him more challenges."

Touching my chin, perhaps the current level is too light, and I need to hone it a bit more?

Li Changsheng was about to go over and comfort the poor child when he saw him shrouded in dim light, and he felt extremely sorry for him. He had always thought that Qiu Shanglin was making a mountain out of a molehill. If it were anyone else, and they dared to bully Xia Lin like that, Changsheng would have slapped them without saying a word. But Qiu Shanglin was disciplining his own brother... After all, I'm not his brother, so it's not appropriate for me to interfere.

Xiahe ran over and put her arm around him: "Hey, I need to tell you something!"

Chang Sheng frowned and deftly dodged away: "Get to the point, stop hugging me like a woman."

He hates physical contact.

Xiahe didn't take it to heart; he was already used to Xiahe's eccentricities.

"Angkor invites you to play billiards tonight."

Without hesitation, he replied, "I'm not going."

"He's treating."

"I'm not going."

His eyes widened: "He's treating us to drinks at the Little Wine Fairy Restaurant in town, which is quite upscale!" Little Wine Fairy is a newly opened restaurant, and the head chef is a master of Shandong cuisine. He worked in big restaurants in the city his whole life and returned to his hometown after retiring. The restaurant has been very popular since it opened.

"Not interested."

Eating and drinking well might be tempting to others, but for Li Changsheng, it was nothing out of the ordinary.

Since getting to know Qiu Shanglin, I've become particular about everything – food, drink, clothing, and accommodation – not about price, but comfort, health, and satisfaction. These three adjectives sound easy, but they're incredibly difficult to achieve. Just the word "satisfaction" – to get Qiu Shanglin to be satisfied, do you know how much effort that takes?

Little Wine Immortal? Dinner for Qiu Shanglin and Qiu Xialin was delivered from there.

Changsheng was planning to stay at the restaurant after school instead of going home, so that his grandmother wouldn't have to cook for him separately.

What? Little Wine Immortal doesn't deliver?

Of course, we don't give gifts to outsiders. Qiu Shanglin is practically our boss, so why don't we give him gifts either?

He didn't know exactly how big Shanglin's business was or how much savings he had. But he did know about Shanglin's joint venture to open a restaurant, since it was right under his nose.

When Zhang Hongwei asked, she casually replied, "I'm just killing time anyway. Some people have asked me to invest, and I can't refuse them out of politeness, so I'll just treat it as playing around with some money."

Hmm, they've built a two-story restaurant.

Xia He truly admired Li Changsheng's composure, which remained unmoved by any wind. Was he not afraid even if the sky were to fall?

"Brother Wu thinks highly of you. He's mentioned several times that he wants to have a meal with you so you can get to know each other. Don't just refuse; there's no harm in getting to know each other. Besides, Brother Wu is now the boss of East Street. I've heard he has a very strong background and connections in the provincial capital!"

The powerful East Street boss he mentioned was seventeen this year, hadn't even finished junior high, was brave and ruthless, and had won over a bunch of youngsters with his reckless fighting spirit and chivalrous nature. He now controlled two billiard halls on East Street, and had even used his connections to get three billiard tables in one of them, keeping all the profits for himself. He ambitiously wanted to take over the entire underground industry of Zifang Town—underground industry, my foot! What underground industry could Zifang Town possibly have?

The sun is still shining in the sky. In the small town of Zifang, let alone gangs, if there is a crackdown, this rabble will scatter.

Changsheng understood perfectly. If he had been forced by circumstances to take the same path as Angkor Wat before, it was different now. Qiu Shanglin had high hopes for him.

"If you want to be in the underworld, you can't stay in a small place. If you're so capable, go to a big city and conquer half the territory, like becoming the boss of the South or the boss of the North. Then I'll be impressed." - Qiu Shanglin's original words.

Furthermore, she stated very clearly that, now and in the future, it is a world where money reigns supreme. Loyalty, blood oaths, and brotherhood are all empty words. Does being in the underworld mean you can fight with a knife without money?

Li Changsheng clearly remembered her disdainful expression, as well as her earnest admonitions.

Liking martial arts is one thing, but going astray? That's inappropriate.