Chapter 12: Two Young Followers

After Li Kang and Xu Jin were taken away by Zhang Dagen, Yan Yu entered the cafeteria surrounded by the enthusiastic support of his two followers.

“Boss, I ordered five chicken drumsticks and three braised pork knuckles for you. Look at how skinny you are—how can you not eat more to build yourself up?” Zhu Xiangyang placed a large plate of food in front of Yan Yu, piled high with greasy pork, lamb, and beef. Yan Yu shot Zhu Xiangyang a glance. “I don’t want to end up as fat as you.”

“You still dare call the boss skinny? Didn’t that punch earlier teach you a lesson?” Hao Zhuang scratched his head. “Boss, how did you throw that punch at the fatty just now? Can you teach me?”

“Depends on your performance,” Yan Yu smiled slightly. “You two go ahead and introduce yourselves.”

“I’ll go first!” Zhu Xiangyang eagerly declared. “My name’s Zhu Xiangyang, everyone calls me Fat Zhu. Boss, you can just call me Fatty. Male, likes girls, nothing else special... Wait, I can eat a lot.”

“That’s obvious...” Hao Zhuang flexed his muscles as he spoke. “I’m Hao Zhuang, nickname Hao Big Guy. Not to brag, but unless I meet someone like the boss, I can take on three or four guys at once no problem! The classmates in our class say I’m slow, but actually I can be sharp as a whip—sometimes!”

Fatty and Hao Zhuang were truly the class clowns of Class 2. Fatty was a bit sly and timid, while Hao Zhuang was straightforward and somewhat simpleminded. Together, they never ran out of things to talk about.

After getting acquainted, Yan Yu felt these two weren’t bad people.

“So, what’s the story with our Class 2? The college entrance exam is coming up, yet everyone’s still so lazy?” Yan Yu asked curiously.

Fatty took a bite of his drumstick and wiped the grease from his mouth. “Come on, Boss, you transferred to Rongcheng No. 1 High and don’t know about our senior Class 2? Our class is famous for being the rich kids’ class. Everyone’s grades are lousy, all here through connections. The principal put us together to keep us from bothering the good students.”

“We’re notorious for disrespecting authority and causing trouble. Several previous homeroom teachers were chased off after only a few days. Only Teacher Su Han managed to keep us in line... So, Boss, you must have quite a background to transfer into our class?” Hao Zhuang asked.

Yan Yu replied calmly, “Don’t worry about my background. Just know that you won’t lose out by following me.”

“That’s what makes you the boss—I love that mysterious vibe!” Fatty gave Yan Yu a thumbs up, then let out a sly laugh.

“Brother.”

Just then, Zhou Xiaowan appeared behind Yan Yu and called softly.

Yan Yu turned, looking at Zhou Xiaowan with an amused expression. “Now you remember to call me brother? If you’re going to call me that, say it properly—call me Brother Yu!”

“Brother Yu!” Zhou Xiaowan gritted her teeth, completely helpless against Yan Yu.

“What do you want?” Yan Yu pointed to the seat beside him, signaling her to sit.

Fatty and Hao Zhuang wisely moved aside; they were born to be loyal sidekicks.

“He Qing...” Zhou Xiaowan whispered, “something happened to him.”

“I know, I was there when it happened. Zhao Qingqing came for him, but things went awry and she failed. He ended up biting off his own tongue.”

Zhou Xiaowan was shocked; the school always kept such incidents strictly confidential. If she didn’t have her own connections, she wouldn’t have known He Qing had bitten off his tongue.

Yan Yu’s recounting proved he wasn’t lying.

“Didn’t Master Cao say Qingqing wouldn’t come after us again so soon?” Zhou Xiaowan asked weakly.

“It was unexpected. I’ll call my master and ask about it,” Yan Yu replied, taking advantage of the situation. “But don’t worry. Zhao Qingqing might hurt others, but she’ll never hurt you.”

Zhou Xiaowan managed to steady herself, though she was still anxious.

“By the way, where have you seen Zhao Qingqing?” Yan Yu suddenly asked.

“I’ve only heard her voice at other times. The only time I actually saw her was in my dorm room...”

“Which dorm?”

“Peach Blossom Building 1, room 401. The dorm has been cleared out and sealed by the school,” Zhou Xiaowan answered.

Yan Yu nodded slightly. “Alright, I’ll let my master know.”

Zhou Xiaowan murmured a thank you and left. Fatty and Hao Zhuang returned to Yan Yu’s side, eyes shining as they sized him up.

“Who’d have thought the boss is Zhou Xiaowan’s brother from the next class?”

“Distant relatives,” Yan Yu replied calmly, then thought for a moment. “You guys don’t have anything planned for lunch break, right?”

“We’re always at your disposal, Boss!” Hao Zhuang replied with a grin.

“Is there a willow tree on campus? Later, help me get a willow branch.”

Fatty was speechless. “Boss, what do you want with that?”

“Just do it. Can you get it or not?”

“There’s a willow tree by the man-made lake,” Hao Zhuang nodded.

“Good, I’ll leave it to you.”

With everything arranged, Yan Yu continued eating, his mind drifting to today’s schedule.

In the afternoon, they had a PE class, and Yan Yu planned to use the opportunity to check out the sports equipment room again.

...

PE class, for other classes, was a time to exercise and relax. For senior Class 2, it was freedom for girls to gossip and boys to sneak cigarettes.

After a brief roll call, the PE teacher left everyone unsupervised and headed to the teachers’ dormitory.

Yan Yu, with Fatty and Hao Zhuang, wandered to the door of the sports equipment room.

“You two keep watch here. If anyone comes, knock and shout my name—loudly. Got it?” Yan Yu instructed.

Fatty frowned. “Boss, what are you doing here? I heard some kid saw a ghost in there at noon.”

“Nonsense, there’s no ghost here. I heard he was secretly, uh, enjoying himself until he passed out,” Hao Zhuang countered with another bizarre version.

Ignoring their banter, Yan Yu asked, “Where’s the willow branch I asked for?”

Fatty pulled a willow branch from his pant leg. Before handing it over, Yan Yu caught a whiff of its foul smell and couldn’t help but kick Fatty. “Did I tell you to stuff the willow branch down your pants?”

Fatty protested, “It’s such a long branch—I couldn’t just carry it in my hand!”

“Forget it...” Yan Yu glared at him, took the willow branch, and walked into the sports equipment room. “Remember, shout my name if anyone comes!”

With that, he firmly shut the door. A cold draft swept through, making both Fatty and Hao Zhuang shiver.

“Damn... Did we not wear enough today? Why is it suddenly so cold?”