CHAPTER 963: CHAPTER 557: TESTING THEM (2)

It was a delicate glass cart, wrapped in string lights, giving off a beautiful glow, making the fruit cake on the cart look exquisite. Around the cake, a few colorful juices were carefully arranged.

Zhao Xiaofeng and his two cronies pushed the glass cart, passing by countless students dining, knowing that Zhao Xiaofeng was backed by a big brother, so he wasn’t afraid of teachers at all.

He pushed the glass cart all the way to the table where the first-year students sat.

Zhao Xiaofeng glanced at Lan Zichen and Wu Yunzhi at the neighboring table and shouted, "Cut the cake!"

With that, his two cronies picked up the cake knife while Zhao Xiaofeng lifted the cake and said to those around, "Today is my birthday, everyone have some cake."

The students who were already rallied responded immediately, getting up from the table enthusiastically:

"Bro, happy birthday, sharing the joy!"

He accepted the cake.

The initially shy students, seeing someone take the cake, felt much less embarrassed. After a few more words, Zhao Xiaofeng, along with the cake’s tempting appearance, quickly got all eight people at a table to accept the cake.

Having cleared one table, Zhao Xiaofeng moved to another table, cut a piece for everyone, and distributed it all the same.

Then he approached Lan Zichen and Wu Yunzhi’s table. With the examples set by the previous tables, everyone at this table smiled and said happy birthday, sharing the joy and accepting the cake.

Lan Zichen didn’t speak, but a classmate who got along well with her took a piece for her.

Everyone at the table had cake, except for Wu Yunzhi.

That’s right, Zhao Xiaofeng deliberately excluded him.

During morning self-study, Brother Tian walked into the Fourth Middle School gate and took a liking to Lan Zichen, who was cleaning.

So he went to flirt with her, but Wu Yunzhi actually dared to stop him and even acted extremely arrogantly. If it weren’t for Director Wang at the school gate, Zhao Xiaofeng would have beat him up for Brother Tian!

This is just a small act of revenge now.

Zhao Xiaofeng didn’t even look at Wu Yunzhi, directly ignoring him and continuing to deliver cake to the next table.

The reactions at Wu Yunzhi’s table varied; some nibbled their cake while casting glances at Wu Yunzhi.

Though nobody said anything, Wu Yunzhi felt as if others were commenting inwardly about his poor social interactions.

Being openly excluded in distributing food made you feel awkward not just during school days, but even in the workplace. When colleagues treat everyone to milk tea except you, it’s still an embarrassing situation for adults.

Zhao Xiaofeng distributed cake to five or six tables around, missing Wu Yunzhi’s table only.

Wu Yunzhi’s face darkened; his narrow-minded nature couldn’t swallow this insult, yet he had no way to vent, feeling like a punch on cotton.

’Just you wait!’

Wu Yunzhi marked Zhao Xiaofeng in his mind.

...

The disruption from the birthday cake didn’t cause any ripple at table number 27.

During the meal, Chen Siyu remembered Bai Yuxia’s prompt. She quietly nudged Jiang Ning and then showed her phone screen to him.

There, in large letters on the screen note, was: "I found something fun; if you look into Tongtong’s eyes for more than five seconds, she’ll have a particularly amusing reaction! Trust me!"

After seeing this, Jiang Ning first glanced at Chen Siyu. The twins were earnestly looking at him, hoping he’d try it.

Jiang Ning wouldn’t disappoint their kind intentions. He was no longer the boy who’d loudly scold, ’Have you all gone mad?’ and didn’t understand fun.

So, Jiang Ning shifted his gaze.

The twins secretly nudged Bai Yuxia, signalling—it’s begun, it’s begun!

Xue Yuantong picked up a chicken drumstick with his chopsticks, feeling a sense of satisfaction as he prepared to eat, only to notice Jiang Ning’s gaze.

Jiang Ning’s eyes were calm, staring intently at him.

Chen Siyu was excited, "It’s starting, it’s starting!"

She eagerly anticipated the scene where both would laugh out loud.

Five seconds later, Xue Yuantong pursed his lips, unhappily bringing the chicken leg from his chopsticks and complained, "If you want to eat, just say so, why stare at me like that... "

’Huh?’

Chen Siqing looked at her sister, "This isn’t right, it doesn’t make sense at all!"

Chen Siyu was puzzled, "How would I know?"

Bai Yuxia was speechless, reflecting on herself, "Why did I trust these two idiots?"

...

Before the evening self-study.

The boys in the back row were talking about mountain bikes. Liu Chuandao mentioned he had played with ’track bikes,’ a kind of bicycle without brakes, thrilling for its adrenaline rush.

Duan Shigang stated that track bikes were nothing; he directly modified motorcycles.

Liu Chuandao argued that track bikes were more dangerous because without brakes, it felt like dancing on the edge of death while riding them.

The two of them started debating passionately about which type of vehicle was more dangerous, trying to assert who was more badass, with their argument reaching intense levels.

Yet neither could convince the other.

They asked the four guys sitting at the back row together for their opinions.

Hu Jun was puzzled, "I’m curious, if track bikes have no brakes, how do you stop?"

Liu Chuandao replied knowledgably, "By naturally decelerating, or using your foot on the wheels or on the ground as brakes!"

After pondering, Hu Jun queried, "If you’re going too fast, the foot brake wouldn’t work, right?"

Liu Chuandao proudly said, "Of course it wouldn’t work, you can’t stop it."

Imagining potential scenarios, Hu Jun directly asked, "Suppose, suppose you can’t stop at a turn, and a big truck’s coming at you, what then?"

Wang Longlong cheerfully chimed in, "Then you’ll definitely deal with it spectacularly!"

Liu Chuandao asked, "What do you mean?"

Dan Kaiquan interjected, "I’d sit at the kids’ table."

Guo Kunnan added, "I’d sit at the seniors’ table."

Ma Shicheng concluded, "No way, according to rules, everyone sits at the peers’ table."

...

During the evening self-study, Chen Siyu waved a generous hand to treat Xue Yuantong to milk custard.

She said she got the money from her sister, which made Xue Yuantong curious.

Chen Siyu said she tricked her sister out of her pocket money.

"How did you trick her?" Xue Yuantong was ready to learn some tactics, not necessarily to use but to know.

"WeChat transfer," Chen Siyu said.

Jiang Ning listened to the two girls chatting, although in 2014 it wasn’t common to pay by scanning QR codes, and purchases were usually made with cash.

But by this time, the features of sending red envelopes and transferring money had already appeared, with no withdrawal fee at that moment, directly transferring into bank accounts.

Many students at Fourth Middle School, including the former Jiang Ning, had their living expenses transferred to their bank card by their parents, and then withdrew money via ATMs themselves.

Chen Siyu showed the chat record to Tongtong.

Chen Siyu asked her sister for money to top up her phone balance. Chen Siqing transferred her 50 yuan, but Chen Siyu claimed there was a bug and she didn’t receive it, so she asked her sister to transfer again.

Chen Siqing was indeed fooled and transferred another time, so Chen Siyu got two 50-yuan transfers.

Xue Yuantong was wide-eyed, "Can you really do this?"

Chen Siyu: "Of course, I learned this new trick and passed it onto you."

After learning this, Xue Yuantong glanced at Jiang Ning beside her, ’It’s a pity he heard it, otherwise I could have tricked him! Let him know my skills.’

Without Jiang Ning as a target, Xue Yuantong shifted slightly, originally intending to target Chuchu and let her taste her cleverness.

But thinking about Chuchu’s thrifty usual self, she actually couldn’t bear it, fearing if Chuchu found the money missing, how heartbroken she would be.

Remembering when they were little and Chuchu once lost one yuan and secretly cried.

Xue Yuantong chose another target.

She messaged her mom: "Mom, have you finished work?"

Aunt Gu: "Having dinner at the company, will be home later."

Xue Yuantong began executing her plan: "Mom, my phone bill is out of credit, please transfer me 20 yuan to top it up."

Even during tough times, Aunt Gu had never skimped on Tongtong’s money. Now that the family was well-off, she transferred her daughter 50 yuan:

"Giving you a bit more."

Xue Yuantong: "Mom, I can’t click to receive it, seems to be broken, very laggy!"

"Mom, send me again!"

In the Evergreen Liquid kitchen, sitting in a corner, Aunt Gu saw her daughter’s message and sent another 50.

Xue Yuantong quickly accepted the two transfers, feeling ecstatic.

She messaged her mom: "Mom, I just fooled you, I could actually click to receive it the first time, hahaha!"

Aunt Gu: "Mom’s not stupid, Mom just wants you to be happy."