Song Dongyang stared at my five dice, his face pale as a sheet. He finally realized he'd been played. From beginning to end, he was like a monkey dancing in the palm of my hand, completely unaware he'd been led into a trap. Now that he finally understood what had happened—it was too late. The game was over, and the outcome decided.
None of the surrounding students had expected this kind of ending. The classmates from Class 163, who had been silently worrying for me, now erupted in cheers. Students from other classes pointed at my five dice with amazement, whispering to one another, "This Andrew is too cunning—he was acting the whole time! So much for trust between people!"
When Song Dongyang first showed up, he had harassed our classmate Xu Jie, acted like a creep, and then openly provoked me. Bucktooth had long had enough of him. Now, seeing Song lose, Bucktooth immediately stepped forward and roared, "What the hell! Weren't you all arrogant earlier when you spat in the beer? A man walks the path he chooses—even if it's on his knees. Now drink that crap down or get humiliated in front of over two hundred students!"
All eyes turned to Song Dongyang. More and more students were gathering around, watching gleefully as the scene unfolded.
Song Dongyang's face twisted with anger and humiliation. Even his little cronies looked grim. One of them, a guy with dyed yellow hair, stepped up to defend his boss. "What are y'all yelling for? Turkey was just messing around, and you dumbasses took it seriously?"
That idiot should've kept quiet—his words instantly enraged my crew. Bucktooth jumped up and cursed, "Messing around? Then let me mess around too! Your mom's a whore, seducing strangers and giving birth to a loser like you!"
"You son of a—!"
Yellow Hair lost it and rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight. But Big Luo rushed forward in a flash—over 150 pounds and nearly six feet tall. Without hesitation, he grabbed Yellow Hair by the throat like a chick and lifted him off the ground. "Wanna throw hands, huh?"
Meanwhile, some students from Song Dongyang's Class 165 tried to rush in, but the crowd was too thick—they couldn't get through to help. At the center of the crowd were all Class 163 students, standing guard with fierce stares. Song Dongyang had no way out.
Despite being the "boss" of Class 165, Song Dongyang was now trapped in the middle of another class's turf. To his credit, he still managed to hold on to a bit of composure. He ignored Bucktooth and Big Luo, instead locking eyes with me, the one clearly in charge. He said in a low voice, "Andrew, are you really going to push this that far?"
I looked at him with disdain. "If I had lost, and refused to drink, would you have let me off?"
He didn't answer—because he couldn't. Even if he said yes, no one would believe him. I gave him a glance and said calmly, "Obviously you wouldn't. But I will let you go—because in my eyes, you're nothing but a bottom-feeder. Without Zheng Zhantao backing you, you're just a fart. Now get lost."
Song Dongyang's face went from green to white. Even John, standing not far away, didn't look pleased—probably because he thought my words were aimed at him too. After all, John relied on Ba Ge and his dad, the school director, to throw his weight around in our class.
My classmates didn't expect me to spare Song Dongyang, but they now looked at me with newfound respect. Without me saying a word, they cleared a path for him to leave.
Song Dongyang had lost all face. Gritting his teeth, he turned and prepared to leave with his cronies.
But then—Harper suddenly stepped forward and blocked his path. With her head held high and her pretty face proud, our beautiful class monitor said crisply, "Hold it."
Holding back his temper, Song Dongyang asked, "What now?"
Harper pointed at her best friend Xu Jie and said with a touch of arrogance, "You bullied Xu Jie earlier. I want you to apologize."
At her words, Bucktooth instantly showed deep regret. Xu Jie was the girl he had a secret crush on. He was probably cursing himself for not thinking of asking for an apology—it would've been the perfect way to win her favor. Now he could only stew in silent remorse.
Song Dongyang was put in an impossible spot. Losing to me was already humiliating enough. Now being asked to apologize to a girl in front of everyone? That was salt on the wound. His rep as a class "boss" was practically crumbling.
But he had no choice. He glanced at me, then at the menacing stares of Bucktooth, Big Luo, and Little Luo. He had to lower his head and mumble to Xu Jie, "I'm sorry…"
Xu Jie, a fairly ordinary girl, seemed unsure how to react in front of such a large crowd. Harper, on the other hand, remained poised and graceful. "We accept your apology," she said.
With boos and jeers all around, Song Dongyang fled the scene in disgrace. Only then did Director David finally show up with several male teachers in tow. Puffing out his beer belly and fuming with anger, he barked, "What's going on here? A crowd like this—are you all trying to start a fight?"
David had a fearsome reputation at school. He loved to punish students and most were terrified of him. Seeing him arrive, many students quickly dispersed.
Seeing this old guy made my blood boil. I forced a fake smile and said, "Good day, Director David. We're just grilling and hanging out. Is there a problem?"
David likely already knew the three thugs he sent to deal with me last night had failed to delete those incriminating photos from my phone. Now that he saw me, he looked visibly uncomfortable and forced a smile. "No problem, no problem. Just here to have fun. Enjoy yourselves."
As he tried to slink away, I stepped up, slapped a hand on his shoulder, and smiled like an over-eager student. "Director, don't go. We grilled plenty of food—have a taste!"
A few nearby male teachers frowned, and the students around us stared, stunned. A student slinging his arm around a school director's shoulder? What kind of decorum was that? Where was the authority?
Everyone expected David, known as the "Big Devil," to explode in anger. But to everyone's shock, he didn't. Instead, he laughed nervously and waved his hands. "No thanks, no thanks. I'm not a fan of BBQ. You all enjoy."
"No worries, just take a taste. Bucktooth, hand me that sweet potato. Yeah, that one still roasting."
Under the wide-eyed stares of students, Bucktooth handed me a half-raw sweet potato. I cheerfully extended the BBQ fork toward David. "Director David, try this roasted sweet potato."
David's face turned ugly, but he didn't dare lash out. With a strained expression, he forced a reply, "No need. I'm good."
I kept smiling warmly, but my eyes were ice-cold. My voice, though polite, carried weight. "Eat."
David saw the cold glint in my eyes—and finally understood fear. He didn't dare delay any longer. He took the fork with a forced smile worse than a crying face, opened his mouth, and took a bite of the half-cooked sweet potato, chewing with extreme reluctance.
"How is it?"
"…Delicious. Very delicious."
I let go of his shoulder and laughed loudly. "Then eat more, Director David. You work so hard for us students and teachers—it's the least we can do."
There was nothing tasty about that half-raw sweet potato. If not for the blackmail I held over him, David would probably have stabbed me with the BBQ fork. But he wasn't stupid. My words clearly referenced the three thugs from last night, and he was panicking.
"Andrew, I'm going to get drinks for the class. Come help me carry some."
Linda's voice came from behind. She had woken up, now dressed in a casual Adidas tracksuit and pink sneakers, her hair in a ponytail. She looked less seductive, but more youthful, gazing at me with a mix of scolding and amusement.
She had probably seen the whole scene and was afraid I was pushing too far—so she quickly found an excuse to pull me away.