Chapter 58: The Enigmatic Chen Sen and a Mischievous Plot

“Who is Chen Sen?”

This question stirred within Lin Qing, and he didn’t suppress it. Instead, he directed his query straight to Liu Hong.

Since convincing Liu Hong seemed impossible, it wouldn’t hurt to use him for information now. Lin Qing couldn’t allow everything to proceed according to Su Yao’s schemes.

He needed to exact his own price.

Even though Wang Fanran had left the school, and whatever happened to him was no longer Lin Qing’s concern, Lin Qing didn’t believe it was truly over.

Wang Fanran’s cowardly, bullying nature might prevent him from resenting Liu Hong and his companions, but Lin Qing knew he was hated to the core.

Wang Fanran would likely blame Lin Qing for every misfortune he encountered, effectively deceiving himself. It was as if the world was at fault, not him.

This particular trait was precisely why Lin Qing remained uneasy, constantly guarding against Wang Fanran launching another malicious plot.

“Honestly, I have no idea what Chen Sen truly does,” Liu Hong admitted. “All I know is he’s an unemployed vagrant with an extremely powerful background and a considerable amount of cash. He seems to do nothing, yet he rakes in money daily. Anyone with eyes can tell he’s no good.”

Liu Hong didn’t hide anything in response to Lin Qing’s inquiry. He himself didn’t know much about Chen Sen, only having occasional business dealings with him.

“However, Chen Sen always asks me to introduce him to some thugs, offering a very generous commission,” Liu Hong continued, recalling their transactions. Without bothering to consider if the information was useful, he immediately relayed it to Lin Qing.

Despite knowing Chen Sen was a bad sort, Liu Hong hadn’t outright refused, swayed by the allure of money. Moreover, there were always some clueless fellows who practically delivered themselves to him, making it a lucrative deal to simply package them off to Chen Sen.

“The thing is, the thugs I introduced rarely reappeared,” Liu Hong explained, a hint of unease in his voice. “This made me suspect Chen Sen was involved in human trafficking or something similar. Yet, the families of those thugs claim they’re still in contact and receive a substantial living allowance every month.”

“It’s a very decent allowance, so it doesn’t look like they’ve been sold. Still, they rarely go home. Since I realized this, I mostly stopped making introductions… But some bastard must have spread rumors about my dealings with Chen Sen, because now a lot of thugs come directly to me, wanting to meet Chen Sen and make big money.”

As Liu Hong spoke, a vexed expression immediately crossed his face. He clearly wanted to avoid further entanglement in troublesome affairs.

Yet, the scent of money was intoxicating.

Since the thugs were willing participants, Liu Hong couldn’t stop them anyway. He simply let them go to Chen Sen.

And he, in turn, sat back and collected his cut, feeling utterly delighted.

“How did Wang Fanran come to know Chen Sen?” Lin Qing pressed.

Seeing that Liu Hong had only a partial understanding of Chen Sen, Lin Qing knew further questioning in that direction would be fruitless. He decided to approach the problem from a different angle.

Wang Fanran was different from Liu Hong; he was an ordinary student. He shouldn’t have had any means of knowing Chen Sen.

Otherwise, the thugs wouldn’t need Liu Hong as an intermediary; they could just go directly to Chen Sen.

“I don’t know,” Liu Hong replied, shaking his head. “I didn’t introduce Wang Fanran to Chen Sen. It seems they already knew each other.”

However, this alternative direction also yielded no results. Lin Qing’s questions met with only Liu Hong’s shrugs.

Suddenly, the investigation hit a dead end, with no further clues to pursue.

“Lin Qing, don’t worry. I’ll continue to monitor Wang Fanran’s movements. I absolutely won’t let you fall into danger again!”

Observing Lin Qing’s silence, Liu Hong, though unable to see his face, could sense Lin Qing’s apprehension. Upon realizing this, Liu Hong quickly thumped his chest, promising to help keep watch.

“But, as for Su Yao…”

However, when Su Yao’s name was brought up, Liu Hong grew somewhat bashful. He stammered, his gaze filled with expectation, leaving Lin Qing momentarily speechless.

“I understand. I’ll bring you up to Su Yao frequently, and I’ll only say good things.”

Lin Qing knew exactly what Liu Hong wanted and immediately gave his answer. Su Yao was always tripping him up; now it was his turn to retaliate once.

He would let Su Yao experience the taste of being passive.

Just as he detested Liu Hong’s persistent pestering, Su Yao held the same attitude towards Liu Hong.

Liu Hong remained oblivious that the girl he adored was merely putting on an act. The true Su Yao was a terrifying presence, certainly not a kind and gentle little rabbit.

Upon hearing Lin Qing’s words, Liu Hong’s face immediately lit up with joy. He rubbed his hands together excitedly, thinking that Zhou Lin’s suggestion had been truly brilliant.

He had won over his ‘brother-in-law’ in one fell swoop!

“In that case, I happen to have three amusement park tickets right here. Tomorrow’s the weekend, so why don’t you and Su Yao come along and have some fun?”

Liu Hong seized the opportunity created by Lin Qing’s matchmaking words. Before Lin Qing could even refuse, he promptly pulled the tickets from his pocket and pressed them into Lin Qing’s palm.

The tickets were carefully protected in a cartoon-covered holder, a testament to Liu Hong’s earnest efforts for Su Yao.

Alas, his devotion was misplaced. If Liu Hong were to give the tickets directly to Su Yao, their fate would undoubtedly be the trash can.

As for him giving them to Su Yao…

They would likely meet the same fate.

Although Su Yao usually acted incredibly clingy, it wasn’t genuine affection. She was like a little girl playing house with her toys.

The utterly bored Su Yao was engrossed in her game, relishing the unexpected twists and surprises it offered. She could play with her toys as she wished, but for a toy to make demands?

That was simply out of line.

However, met with Liu Hong’s hopeful gaze, Lin Qing found himself unable to directly refuse. It seemed, no matter what, he would have to seek out Su Yao personally.

Even if it was to refuse, it had to come from Su Yao herself.

****

“Excellent, Su Yao, your recitation was perfectly accurate,” the language teacher announced, a look of profound satisfaction on his face. He gazed at Su Yao, who had flawlessly recited the text, and found himself growing fonder of her with every passing moment.

If the school were filled with exemplary students like Su Yao, the teachers’ lives would be significantly easier. The school’s admission rates would skyrocket, and consequently, their salaries would rise in tandem.

“Teacher, you’re being too harsh on us!” a student called out.

“Exactly! Everyone knows Su Yao is a genius with a super high IQ!” another chimed in.

“Su Yao can just glance at a textbook and recite the whole thing, but we can’t! Teacher, please lower the expectations by a *billion* points!”

“A study god like Su Yao is practically guaranteed a top-tier university for the college entrance exam.”

As the students in the class began to tease, Su Yao didn’t remain standing. She quickly took her seat.

She wasn’t listening to the compliments; her mind seemed to wander. Yet, as if something intriguing had caught her attention, the corners of her lips couldn’t help but curl upwards.

A mischievous glint flickered in her obsidian-like eyes. It seemed she was plotting some sort of prank.

Her deskmate, seated nearby, watched as Su Yao raised her hand and gently brushed a strand of long hair behind her ear. The Bluetooth earbud clipped to her ear flashed rhythmically, indicating it was active. The deskmate couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

‘Comparing oneself to others is a path to despair!’

Ever since Lin Qing had been ushered out by the teacher, Su Yao had been wearing her Bluetooth earbud, slacking off. Yet, even while her mind drifted during class, she could still multitask.

And still be praised by the teacher.

‘But what exactly was Su Yao listening to? What made her smile so happily?’