Chapter 16: A Subtle Scheme

Moreover, she loved to put on the air of a heroine—bold and forthright. One moment you’d be at each other’s throats, but after a brief reconciliation the next day, she’d still be willing to call you brother. She truly possessed the kind of loyalty found among those who lived by their wits on the outside, though perhaps this was also one of her weaknesses.

Just now, Zheng Furen intended to exploit this very weakness.

After the second period, Gao Lixia from Class 6 of Senior Three was walking not far from her classroom when she suddenly turned her head and saw Zheng Furen coming in her direction.

There was no mistake—Zheng Furen was indeed coming to see her! Gao Lixia immediately concluded as much.

Damn, he’s already come looking for me, and he’s come all by himself!

Gao Lixia was filled with suspicion, but then noticed that Zheng Furen was wearing the smile of a harmless tiger.

He didn’t seem to be here for a fight, at least not with any aggression.

What surprised her even more was that Zheng Furen took the initiative to apologize.

What on earth was this supposed to mean? Gao Lixia could only be caught off guard, left reeling by a series of surprises.

But then Zheng Furen, with an air of gravity, told Gao Lixia that their positions as overlords in this modern high school were now in jeopardy; from now on, they might not even be able to collect protection money.

Though Zheng Furen spoke as if gently advising her, in Gao Lixia’s ears, his words sounded more dire and urgent.

Like a storyteller deliberately creating suspense, Zheng Furen did not immediately reveal who exactly was threatening their supremacy.

But with her straightforward and fiery temper, Gao Lixia could not restrain herself. “Spit it out—who is it? Is it that vixen Ye Xiaoting who controls Classes 1 to 3? Has she quietly found a backer outside who can completely overshadow us?”

The situation at this modern high school was as follows: Ye Xiaoting, the school’s queen bee, held sway over Senior Three Classes 1 to 3; Gao Lixia dominated Classes 4 to 6; and Zheng Furen controlled Classes 7 to 10.

Of course, this was only on the surface. In reality, as Zhang Pu had observed about the world of cultivators, there existed students with special connections or those who were akin to “hidden masters,” who, though they appeared uninvolved in these worldly disputes, were not to be trifled with by Ye Xiaoting, Gao Lixia, or Zheng Furen.

Such hidden figures were not limited to Senior Three; even in the lower grades, they existed.

It was not unheard of for a showy campus overlord to be secretly subdued by one of these reclusive powerhouses—Zheng Furen, Ye Xiaoting, and Gao Lixia had all experienced this. In the end, they had been forced to submit in secret and pay tribute, while the hidden masters, uninterested in fame, allowed them to maintain their outward prestige.

Yet, never before had any of these hidden masters deliberately tried to dismantle the rule of the three campus overlords.

So, Gao Lixia naturally did not suspect some hidden master from within the school as the one trying to seize her territory.

Thus, the only other possible suspect, aside from the two of them, was Ye Xiaoting, the other queen of the school.

Ye Xiaoting practiced taekwondo; Gao Lixia was confident her own skills in Chinese boxing were her equal, while Zheng Furen’s martial arts were more eclectic.

Despite Zheng Furen’s apparent control over four classes, neither Gao Lixia nor Ye Xiaoting feared him. In fact, they often handled matters that crossed into his territory.

Just yesterday, when Gao Lixia saw Zheng Furen make a fool of himself, she had immediately ridiculed him, as was typical.

“It’s not Ye Xiaoting! Honestly, are you afraid of her?” Zheng Furen asked, keeping up the air of mystery and, like Pigsy, seized the chance to give Gao Lixia a jab.

“Screw her, I’m not afraid of anyone!” Gao Lixia shouted back.

In general, she and Ye Xiaoting could act like close sisters in public.

But women could never quite match men when it came to loyalty—turn your back and gossip about each other as if it were nothing.

“Just say it! Stop beating around the bush,” Gao Lixia finally lost all patience. “Zheng Furen, what the hell is wrong with you today? You’re acting completely unlike yourself!”

“Very well!” Zheng Furen rolled his eyes and said, “This person is new. But in this school, we can’t afford to offend him!”

Zheng Furen was being deliberately vague, his cunning at work, leaving Gao Lixia to guess and let her imagination run wild.

“You don’t mean this newcomer has some special relationship with the school authorities?” Gao Lixia asked.

“What do you think?” Seeing that Gao Lixia had almost walked into his trap, Zheng Furen decided to go along with it. “Notice how he wasn’t here before? He just transferred in out of nowhere.”

He didn’t mention Zhang Pu beating him up—not just for the sake of pride, but also because he didn’t want Gao Lixia to become wary. This way, she would feel confident enough to take people to ambush Zhang Pu outside school.

“So you mean…” Gao Lixia’s mind was clearly not as sharp as Zheng Furen’s.

No wonder Zheng Furen often called her “pig-headed” behind her back.

“We split into two teams—after school today, we’ll give him a taste of what’s what outside the gates!” Zheng Furen laid out his plan as if everything was already arranged.

In fact, he could tell Gao Lixia had been itching for a fight lately—it had been too long since her last one, so it was the perfect opportunity.

Zheng Furen knew full well that even with her crew, Gao Lixia might not be able to handle Zhang Pu, because Zhang Pu was terrifying—so terrifying that just thinking of him made Zheng Furen’s heart race.

All he wanted was for Zhang Pu to make another enemy—just as well, it would also avenge Gao Lixia’s mockery of him that afternoon.

This, as they say, killed two birds with one stone.

Zheng Furen figured that someone as pig-headed as Gao Lixia would never be able to tell she’d been manipulated. In the end, she’d be dealt with by Zhang Pu, then, just like him, would feign submission, bide her time, and look for a chance to get back at Zhang Pu.

A woman’s heart is narrow, and it would be a miracle if she didn’t look for every opportunity to exact revenge after suffering a loss.

Such was the depth of Zheng Furen’s scheming.

Seeing that Gao Lixia had no objection to his arrangement, Zheng Furen proceeded to secretly introduce Zhang Pu to her.

Then, Gao Lixia quietly sent some of her underlings to loiter around Senior Three, Class 10, memorizing Zhang Pu’s appearance in advance—so that, after school, they wouldn’t accidentally attack the wrong person outside the campus gates.