Inside the Dean of Discipline's office, Fang Yu sat before Wang Zhengnan, his hands resting lightly on his thighs, putting on an air of quiet awkwardness. That awkwardness, of course, was entirely feigned.
Wang Zhengnan looked Fang Yu up and down, his brows furrowing slightly.
"What you saw just now, you…" After a long, tense pause, he ventured tentatively.
"What happened just now? I have no idea what you're talking about. I saw nothing, and I heard nothing at all." Fang Yu's eyes went wide, and he shook his head, his face a picture of perfect innocence.
"Heh, quite right. Nothing happened just now." Wang Zhengnan let out a quiet sigh of relief at Fang Yu's words, then took the file folder from his hand and set it on the desk, smiling calmly. "Fang Yu, Chairman Yan has already given his instructions. From this day forward, you are officially a senior year student at Jingcheng High School."
"Thank you, Mr. Wang." Fang Yu smiled gratefully, a flicker of bright excitement crossing his features.
Yet for all Fang Yu's harmless, boyish expression, Wang Zhengnan was secretly turning the matter over in his mind. No matter how he looked at the boy, he did not seem like the scion of a wealthy family. Why, then, had Yan Huaimin, the largest shareholder of Jingcheng High School, personally put in a word for him? There was definitely more to this than met the eye.
With these suspicions swirling in his mind, Wang Zhengnan resolved to get on Fang Yu's good side.
"Fang Yu, if you run into any trouble at school in the future, you come find me. If it's within my power, I'll help you, no questions asked." As he spoke, he pulled a pack of cigarettes from his desk drawer, took one out, and tossed it to Fang Yu.
"Thank you, sir, but I don't smoke." Fang Yu declined with a polite smile.
"Heh, no matter." Seeing Fang Yu's refusal, Wang Zhengnan set the cigarette down on the desk.
"Let me take you to your classroom first." Wang Zhengnan spoke with remarkable politeness.
"Thank you, Mr. Wang." Fang Yu smiled bitterly to himself at the man's overly cordial demeanor, having only just met him. It must be his connection to the Yan Group, he thought. Why else would the man treat him with such deference?
He put the thought out of his mind and followed Wang Zhengnan out of the office.
Senior Class One, Grade Three classroom.
"Students, this is our new transfer student, Fang Yu." Wang Zhengnan stood on the podium, his stern gaze sweeping over the students seated below.
"Hello everyone, my name is Fang Yu." Fang Yu wrote his name on the blackboard, then swept his gaze across the classroom, quickly locking onto one familiar figure in the crowd: Yan Ting.
As Fang Yu's eyes fell on her, Yan Ting pouted playfully at him, then turned her head away.
"Xiao Ting, do you know that handsome new guy?" A beautiful girl sitting beside Yan Ting leaned in and whispered in her ear.
"That's the guy who insulted you." Yan Ting snickered at the girl beside her, a mischievous glint in her eye.
"Oh, is that so? I'm definitely going to teach this guy a lesson for daring to insult me." The beautiful girl let out a quiet huff.
Once Fang Yu had finished his introduction, Wang Zhengnan departed, and Fang Yu quickly spotted an empty desk and took a seat.
No sooner had he sat down than Fang Yu felt two pairs of hostile eyes fixed on his back. He turned around, only to find that one pair belonged to Yan Ting, and the other to the unfamiliar beautiful girl he had seen beside her.
"I never did anything to her. Why is she staring at me like that?" Fang Yu shrugged faintly and turned his gaze away.
At that very moment, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the doorway.