Chapter Fifty-Five: Return to School (Part One)

Inside the private room, several men lay unconscious on the floor. Scattered wine glasses littered the ground, and bottles tipped over, pouring liquor with a constant, noisy gush—yet no one had any time to pay attention to such chaos.

The man groveling before Liu Yixian, pleading for mercy, was utterly desperate. He began to regret returning too soon—how could HJ’s underworld still have someone so fierce? Weren’t all the tough guys supposed to have been wiped out by that man named Chen?

As Liu Yixian drew closer, the pleading man’s eyes flashed with a hint of resolve, though his voice trembled as he crawled backward. “You can’t kill me! My big brother won’t let you get away with it!”

Liu Yixian sneered, snorting coldly. “I’ve been searching for someone to target. What’s your big brother’s name, and where can I find him? Once I’m done with you, I’ll pay him a visit.”

For Liu Yixian, this journey to HJ had been nothing short of a nightmare. He’d avoided targeting the high-ranking officials to spare Chen Hongxu any trouble, but these underworld scum—since they were involved, he saw no reason to let them go. Killing them was of little consequence; in these turbulent times, no one would waste sympathy on such men.

Admittedly, life in the underworld was far from easy. Since that day when Chen Hongxu had turned the tables on them, these men had endured Su Xiaoxiao’s warning, the sweeping crackdown of the G Team, and now, out of nowhere, another deadly threat had emerged.

The man begging for his life was Li Tao. He had managed to avoid the whirlpool and, upon receiving word from his trusted confidant, returned early to clean up the mess—only to stumble into this predicament.

Li Tao feared Chen Hongxu more than anyone else. He wondered if falsely claiming connections would bring disastrous consequences. But circumstances were stronger than people; if he didn’t invoke a powerful name, he’d surely fall to this lethal figure tonight.

Li Tao swallowed nervously. “My big brother is a student!”

Liu Yixian paused, veins bulging as he grinned menacingly. “Hu Tianmiao?”

Li Tao’s position in the underworld wasn’t insignificant. The last time they targeted Chen Hongxu, all the major figures in HJ City had acted together. After the G Team’s vengeful sweep, the underworld was left a blank slate. Li Tao, seasoned and ruthless, adept at seizing opportunities, now wielded considerable influence in HJ’s underworld.

Yet such a figure claimed to follow a student? Unless it was the son of the city’s Party Secretary, Liu Yixian couldn’t imagine who else it could be. Old grudges and new enmity surged in his heart; if the man before him showed the slightest hint of recognition, Liu Yixian would tear him to pieces.

Li Tao hesitated for a moment—just long enough for a blood line to spurt from his arm. The pain snapped him back, and he dared not be distracted again. “No, my big brother’s surname is Chen. His name is Chen Hongxu!”

Liu Yixian halted, twirling his dagger, and glanced at the terrified, wounded man. He tested, “Chen Hongxu? He and I are mortal enemies.”

Li Tao’s pupils contracted. He cursed his luck, but being shrewd, he immediately sensed something was off. If the man before him truly had a death feud with Chen Hongxu, he’d have finished Li Tao already, not wasted so many words.

“Time to gamble,” Li Tao gritted his teeth, shedding his earlier fear. He slowly stood up, head held high, a look of grim resolve on his face. “Since you have a feud with Brother Chen, take it out on me. I only hope this matter ends with me—leave Brother Chen out of it.”

He closed his eyes, enduring a long silence. Li Tao knew he’d gambled correctly, yet dared not move, fearing that if this man gained favor with Chen Hongxu, he might kill Li Tao preemptively and report afterward—then he’d truly suffer a disastrous loss.

Li Tao remained with his eyes shut. To an outsider unaware of the situation, he might have seemed dignified and principled, until a subordinate, flustered, cried out, “Brother Tao, just now a man with a baseball bat told me you should meet him tomorrow after Brother Chen gets out of school. He said you know what will happen otherwise! Was it that man who injured our brothers here? Should we gather some men and chase him down?”

Li Tao slowly opened his eyes, a trace of delight flickering within. He knew he’d made the right choice, and perhaps could even establish a connection with Chen Hongxu. To him, Chen Hongxu was unfathomably powerful—a figure who could kill gods and demons alike in both the underworld and the legitimate world. Just look at HJ City’s current situation: following this lord would guarantee a carefree life.

He reached up to touch his sweat-soaked back, glanced at his waiting subordinate, and said coolly, “What are you thinking? That man is my fellow disciple. We used to serve the same boss, and he loves joking with me.”

His subordinate nodded obediently, hunched over like a pecking chick.

“Gather every brother we can. After meeting the prince tomorrow, I’m going to make a big move. The HJ underworld doesn’t need so many leaders—one is enough, and that’s me!” Li Tao’s eyes glittered with ambition.

…

Returning to school, Chen Hongxu felt as if he’d entered another world. He realized he was drifting ever farther from a peaceful life.

He parted ways with Xue Xi at the school gate and headed alone toward his classroom. Turning up the stairway, he encountered his homeroom teacher, the formidable Xia Ruohhe, who stood at the corner looking furious.

Xia Ruohhe’s face was stern, arms folded across her chest. She spotted Chen Hongxu peeking out—then quickly retreating, clearly trying to escape. “You’re really giving me no respect. I’ve been waiting for you all morning!”

Only then did Chen Hongxu realize Xia Ruohhe had waited especially for him. He forced a wry smile, steeling himself to approach, greeting her with a silly laugh, “You’re early, teacher!”

Xia Ruohhe’s expression remained grim, as if Chen Hongxu owed her money. She snapped, “You were released yesterday, yet you only came to class today. You even had your little girlfriend call in to excuse you. Don’t you know how tight the schedule is for seniors? Your grades aren’t good to begin with—if you keep this up, how will you get into college?”

“How did you know I was released yesterday?” Chen Hongxu was puzzled; the news shouldn’t have spread so quickly.

“Zhang—Why are you asking so many questions? Tell me your plans!” Xia Ruohhe was nearly sidetracked by Chen Hongxu, and angrily smacked him with a book.

Chen Hongxu laughed. If he guessed right, Zhang Shufang must be quite close to Xia Ruohhe, and this visit was probably thanks to Xia’s request. Feeling grateful, he was proud to have such a good teacher in his final year. After all, inviting a top-tier expert from the blacklist wasn’t something anyone could easily afford, even if Xia Ruohhe and Zhang Shufang were close. Still, Xia hadn’t taught him for long—were they really that familiar? No. Using private connections for public matters to this extent, Chen Hongxu was sincerely moved.

“I know my grades make it hard to get into a proper university. But why must I take the entrance exam? Why shouldn’t those prestigious universities compete to recruit me?”

Xia Ruohhe stared at his confident smile and muttered, “You’re shameless.”

Chen Hongxu nodded, accepting the comment, and brushed past her.

Of course, Xia Ruohhe’s accusation wasn’t about Chen Hongxu bragging; she’d just recalled what Zhang Shufang had said—Chen Hongxu belonged to that special category. For someone like him to compete in running, it was outright cheating. If that’s not shameless, what is?

Author’s note:
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