Zhang Beixing and Zheng Jituo hurried toward the academic building, their expressions rushed.
As they passed a flower bed, Zhang Beixing's peripheral vision caught sight of blue and white clothes hanging on a clothesline within it. He thought of something and paused.
After a moment's thought, Zhang Beixing turned his head and said to Zheng Jituo, "Wait for me a second."
Then, he hurried into the flower bed.
"Hey, Lao Zhang, where are you going?" Zheng Jituo asked.
"Just wait, I'll be right back."
「...」
It didn't take long before the two were walking through the campus again.
Unsurprisingly, Zhang Beixing had become the most eye-catching person on campus!
There were many reasons for this, such as his handsome looks and good physique. But the most critical factor was his sky-blue... security guard uniform!
"Lao Zhang, what are you doing?"
Zheng Jituo was completely dumbfounded. Seeing Zhang Beixing suddenly leave, dive into the flower bed, and return dressed in a security guard's uniform, he scrutinized Zhang Beixing from head to toe, his expression growing increasingly bewildered.
Wait a minute. We're going to back up Lin Siqi! Why the hell did you run off halfway through and change your outfit? Do you think you're on a fashion runway? And even if you wanted to change, you could have picked something nicer. Why put on this shabby old security guard uniform? It looks like it's been worn for ages; the color's all faded!
"Are you planning to slack off and become a security guard before graduation? Taking a thirty-year shortcut by avoiding the career grind?" Zheng Jituo asked.
"Get lost. I have my reasons!" Zhang Beixing said irritably, tugging at his collar to straighten it and smoothing out the wrinkles on the uniform.
Hearing this, Zheng Jituo stared at Zhang Beixing for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't see any reason. It just looks like you've lost your mind. What decent university student ditches their own clothes to wear a security guard uniform?"
"That's your problem. You're too superficial!" Zhang Beixing said. "Let me ask you, why are we going to the academic building? What are we going to do there?"
"Because Sister Qi is being bullied by some punks, and we're going to stand up for her. What's wrong with that?" Zheng Jituo replied.
"Exactly. Now, let me ask you, you're a student. If you go around fighting with punks on school grounds instead of focusing on your studies, what do you think the school will make of it?"
"What would the school think? Well, I'm standing up for a fellow student, upholding justice. Is there a problem with that?" Zheng Jituo asked, puzzled.
"Yes!" Zhang Beixing nodded. "A very big problem! Doesn't the school have a security team? Don't you think they'd handle this? Today, you're fighting thugs to help someone. Tomorrow, are you going to beat up the dean of students to help someone? The day after that... I dread to even think about it!"
Zheng Jituo was utterly bewildered by this speech, his small, beady eyes widening to the size of soybeans.
He mulled over Zhang Beixing's words, a nagging feeling telling him something wasn't quite right. But for the life of him, he couldn't pinpoint what it was.
「A short while later.」
Inside a public classroom on the third floor of the academic building, five men stood around, casually twirling car keys in their hands. To an uninformed observer, they might have seemed like keys to a fancy sports car, but a closer look revealed they were just for a beat-up Santana.
One of them looked at Lin Siqi and said with a swagger, "Girl, I'm asking you one last time, are you coming or not?"
"I'm not going!" Lin Siqi retorted, her tone still firm.
But her hand, hidden beneath the table, clutched her clothes even tighter. Clearly, she wasn't as strong as she appeared. Lin Siqi was terrified. She couldn't understand how merely attending classes and occasionally setting up a stall on the sports field during her free time could have attracted the attention of these people from off-campus. She had never associated with such shady characters before. But now...
"Heh, still playing tough, huh?" one of them sneered. "Fine, we can wait. We've got all the time in the world."
Another chimed in, "I hear you run a part-time stall on campus, right? Tsk, tsk. If people are always hanging around it, do you think anyone will buy your stuff?"
The man who spoke first smirked, clearly having gathered information about Lin Siqi before coming.
Hearing this, Lin Siqi's composure faltered, a flicker of panic in her eyes.
The man saw this and grinned. Little girls are just little girls; a little scare is all it takes, he thought, then continued, "You're a university student, so you're smart. We just want you to come to the school gate. Someone wants to chat with you, nothing serious. So, you should know what's good for you. Show us some respect..."
BANG!
The sound echoed from the classroom doorway. Before the man could finish speaking, a male voice interjected, "Don't blame you for what? For being an orphan and taking a dump in public?"
Hearing this, everyone in the classroom turned to look.
A tall, handsome man in a security guard's uniform walked in, holding a bag of cookies.
He glanced around the room, noticing that the remaining students were all girls, and only a few of them, clearly those who hadn't left after class. Zhang Beixing instantly understood why these off-campus individuals were acting so arrogantly.
Then, he fixed his gaze on the men standing near Lin Siqi. "So, you're the ones causing trouble at Shi University? Got a lot of nerve, trying to mess with my turf, huh?"
As he spoke, Zhang Beixing deliberately adjusted the collar of his security uniform.
Seeing Zhang Beixing, the group of outsiders was initially intimidated by his uniform, a flicker of panic in their eyes. But then they reasoned that he was just one person. They were here to find someone, not to fight or cause trouble. The university was open to the public, and they hadn't broken any laws. With that, their confidence returned.
One of them even cursed directly, "Fuck your mother, you damn security guard! What the hell are you blabbering about?"
"I said you're an orphan who shits in public. Got a problem with that?" Zhang Beixing retorted, pinching his nose as if the man reeked. "And what makes me a 'stinking' guard? My uniform is clean; I just washed it today. Unlike that tight, tacky shirt of yours, which stinks to high heaven. No wonder I could smell crap from a mile away! You got a taste for that stuff, huh?"
At his words and gesture, a ripple of snickers went through the girls in the room.
Some of them recognized Zhang Beixing by his handsome face. Though they didn't understand why he was wearing a security guard's uniform, they didn't call him out. After all, they were just a group of young women, already quite frightened by the sudden intrusion of these troublemakers. Now that someone had come to their rescue, they were too relieved to cause any trouble for him.
The hot-tempered man was about to explode with rage. As a long-time dropout and idler, face was incredibly important to him. Otherwise, he wouldn't constantly show off his Nth-hand "Soul Ring Car," which he'd bought on a thirty-six-installment plan. Being insulted by Zhang Beixing in front of so many girls had deeply wounded his pride. He turned livid, his face flushing red as he lunged forward, yelling, intent on teaching Zhang Beixing a lesson.
"Damn it!"
But before he could make a move, someone stopped him. It was his leader.
This was a young man in a cheap-looking suit, trying to project an air of being more important than he was. He seemed to be aiming for a Tom Hardy-esque coolness, a sort of 'How do you look like an underworld boss? Just act a bit reserved' vibe.
He walked up to Zhang Beixing, a smirk playing on his lips. He lit a cigarette, looked Zhang Beixing up and down, and after a moment, chuckled. "Brother, you've misunderstood. We're all law-abiding citizens. Why would we cause trouble? We're just looking for someone. We'll leave as soon as we find them. Could you do us a favor and let this slide?"
As he spoke, he pulled a cigarette from his pocket and offered it to Zhang Beixing.
Zhang Beixing glanced down. Well, well, it was even the same brand favored by that 'Bro Yuan' character. This guy certainly had his act together.
Zhang Beixing nonchalantly took the cigarette.
The man in the suit, thinking he had successfully placated Zhang Beixing, grinned even more broadly.
But the next second, he saw Zhang Beixing pocket the cigarette, then pull out a slim cigarette of his own and stick it into the suited man's hand.
The man was stunned.
Then he heard Zhang Beixing say, "What do you think you're doing? Huh? Don't try that crap with me, got it?"
"You think you can bribe me with one cigarette?"
"I'm a security guard. My job is to protect this school. Understand?"