When I got back to school, morning self-study had just started. I glanced around the classroom—Nikki's seat was empty. It seemed the rebellious beauty had skipped class on her very first official day. Her mother's hopes of sending her to No. 2 High School to focus on studying were already dashed.
Harper, on the other hand, had arrived early and was already several pages into her exercises—the model of a well-behaved, straight-A student.
I greeted her as I walked past, but her response was lukewarm. Clearly, she wasn't happy that I'd ditched our tutoring session last night to go eat supper with Nikki.
As soon as I sat down, Bucky leaned over and whispered, "Where'd you go last night? You didn't come back to the dorm. Lucky for you, the duty teacher didn't check, or you'd be in trouble."
"Had some family stuff, so I went home to sleep. Why?"
Bucky didn't press further about where I'd spent the night. Instead, his face darkened with worry. "You guys beat up Turkey last night?"
"Turkey?" I blinked before remembering. "Oh, you mean Song Dongyang from Class 165? That guy was acting all high and mighty last night, even slapped my face and said he was taking Nikki out. Nikki's the sister of the school gang leader, Ni Ba. If something happened to her while she was with Song Dongyang, Ni Ba would probably come after *me* first. You think I could just let him take her?"
Bucky had already heard the full story from the Luo brothers. He sighed. "Even so, you shouldn't have hit Turkey. He might be a freshman, but he's been following Zheng Zhantao since school started. He runs errands for him all the time, buys him cigarettes, treats him to meals—they're tight. If you mess with Turkey, Zheng Zhantao's gonna come for you."
I frowned. Just as the conflict with John and Ni Ba's crew had started to settle, another problem popped up out of nowhere—this time with Zheng Zhantao, a senior gang leader. I hadn't seen this coming.
I glanced at Nikki's empty seat. *This is all that little devil's fault.* If she hadn't deliberately stirred things up last night, things with Song Dongyang wouldn't have escalated. Maybe pinching her butt as punishment wasn't enough.
"It's not entirely my fault. Song Dongyang slapped me in the face—I just lost my temper and hit him back. I'll go talk to Zheng Zhantao at lunch and clear things up."
Bucky nodded. "That's probably for the best. Actually, ever since Turkey heard you even dared to fight John, he's been pretty impressed with you. He's tried to recruit you a few times. If you agree to be his underling, he'll definitely let this slide."
I scowled. "I came to No. 2 High to study, not to pledge loyalty to some gang leader. And from what I've seen, the guys who follow these 'bosses' have to fork over money every week, buy them cigarettes and drinks, and jump at their every command. I don't know if they're joining a gang or adopting a new dad. Either way, I'm not doing it."
Bucky looked confused. "But it's normal for underlings to show respect to their boss and run errands for them."
I rolled my eyes. "You wanna call someone 'Dad,' go ahead. I'm not doing it."
Bucky grinned. "Honestly, I don't get all that stuff. But if I *had* to pick a boss, I'd choose you."
I eyed him skeptically. "Why?"
"Because you've got guts. At the Night Light KTV, you stood up for me even if it meant pissing off John and Ni Ba. I feel safe sticking with you."
At first, I was flattered—but then I grimaced. "'Safe'? You're not a girl, and I'm not into guys. That just sounds weird."
After some more banter, morning self-study ended. When the bell rang, a senior appeared at our classroom door and called out, "Which one of you is Andrew?"
The whole class instinctively turned to look at me. I stood up, frowning. "That's me. What's up?"
The guy gave me a once-over and said, "My boss wants to see you in his dorm at lunch. Says he's got something to discuss."
"Who's your boss?"
"Zheng Zhantao. Brother Tao."
With that, he left. The class immediately buzzed with whispers. When someone got called out like this, it was never good—usually meant you'd pissed off the wrong person, and they were coming to settle the score.
Bucky, Big Luo, and Little Luo huddled around me, asking what we should do. Even Harper came over, concern in her eyes. "What's going on? Do you need help?"
I smiled. "It's nothing, just a misunderstanding. I'll go talk to Zheng Zhantao at lunch and sort it out."
When lunchtime finally arrived, I didn't head to the cafeteria. Instead, Bucky and the Luo brothers followed me to Zheng Zhantao's dorm. Not knowing what to expect, I was a little nervous. I'd already made an enemy of Ni Ba—if I pissed off Zheng Zhantao too, my situation would go from bad to worse.
I knocked on the dorm door. A strong voice called out, "Come in."
Inside, five or six guys were gathered around a small coffee table in the middle of the room, eating takeout—fish-flavored pork, twice-cooked pork, spicy shredded potatoes. Zheng Zhantao sat at the center, flanked by his crew.
Song Dongyang was there too, two Band-Aids on his forehead—my handiwork from last night. The moment I walked in, his hate-filled eyes locked onto me and didn't let go.
"Andrew, you're here!"
Zheng Zhantao greeted me with his usual easygoing smile. But I'd learned to read people's eyes—and his didn't match his grin. There was something fake about it.
*Deal with people the way they deal with you.* Facing this smiling tiger, I forced a polite smile of my own. "Brother Tao."
Zheng Zhantao gestured to an empty plastic stool beside him. "You haven't eaten, right? Sit down, join us."
He only invited *me* to sit, completely ignoring Bucky and the Luo brothers. I could guess why—he wanted to make me feel special, like he was giving me face.
After a brief hesitation, I sat down. Bucky and the Luo brothers stayed standing behind me, tense. They knew this wasn't about lunch—it was about last night's fight. Things might seem friendly now, but that could change in an instant.
"Turkey brought this wine to school last week. It's the last bottle—have a taste."
Zheng Zhantao pulled out a bottle of red wine from under the table—a cheap Great Wall Cabernet, probably worth about 100 yuan. But for high school students, this was luxury. Most kids just sneaked cheap beer in their dorms.
I glanced at Song Dongyang. He'd stopped eating and was now glaring at me, arms crossed. The others at the table were watching me like hawks—a stark contrast to Zheng Zhantao's hospitality.
I took a sip from the plastic cup. "Not bad."
Truth was, I'd never had wine before. Whether it was because it was dry red or just low quality, it tasted bitter and awful.
Zheng Zhantao laughed and clapped me on the shoulder like we were old buddies. "Andrew, I heard about what happened between you and Turkey last night."
*Here it comes.* I met his gaze. "What's your take on it, Brother Tao?"
"Join us. Then, like last time, set up a few tables at Yi Yuan Restaurant and apologize to Turkey. We'll pretend it never happened, and from then on, we're all brothers. How's that sound?"
If he hadn't brought up last time, I might've stayed calm. But the mention of that "peace banquet" made my blood boil. Zheng Zhantao's so-called mediation had cost me 2,000 yuan and left me bloodied. If I'd gone to John and begged for mercy myself, it couldn't have been worse.
Still, I kept my expression neutral. "What if I say no?"
Zheng Zhantao's smile vanished. "Are you saying no to joining us, or no to apologizing?"
"Same answer for both."
The room turned icy. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Zheng Zhantao's crew subtly reaching for weapons. Song Dongyang had already gripped the wine bottle under the table.