Chapter 42 Class Monitor, Shall We Walk the Streets Together?

Chapter 42: Class President, Want to Take a Walk Together?

Lu Guifan's answer made Jiang Ruotang have an epiphany.

It was at that moment Jiang Ruotang realized how vast the world was—battlefields without smoke or fire were everywhere. Yet, he had spent ten years of his youth vying for prestige and profit within the limited sphere of the Lin family’s influence. How petty and laughable that seemed now.

"Ruo Tang... Ruo Tang... What are you thinking about?" Zhao Yunshu's voice pulled him back.

Jiang Ruotang gave a small start and shook off his memories, quickly organizing his thoughts to answer Zheng Huasheng’s question.

"I think... Long Ming Group is determined to acquire Huachen Motors..."

At this, a flicker of disappointment seemed to pass through Zheng Huasheng’s eyes. Just moments ago, they had been animatedly discussing Cheng Tan’s development, but now the excitement had faded, leaving an awkward silence akin to a failed blind date.

Jiang Ruotang smirked to himself. *You get to test me, but I can’t take my time answering?*

"But this so-called determination is just an elaborate show by Long Ming Group. The truth is, they never actually wanted to acquire Huachen Motors."

Zheng Huasheng’s gaze intensified. "Why do you think that?"

"It’s simple. Look at the projects Long Ming Group has acquired before—their real target is the new energy vehicle market. Traditional production lines like Huachen Motors’ aren’t their priority."

"Then why did they even join the bidding war for Huachen Motors?"

Unconsciously, a hint of a smile appeared at Zheng Huasheng’s lips.

"Why else? To inflate the acquisition price and force Feng Teng Motors—the second-highest bidder—to spend more on the production line. By tying up Feng Teng Motors’ financial resources and bank loans, Long Ming Group neutralizes their strongest competitor for the upcoming auction of Yixin Electronics. It’s said that many of Yixin’s patents are crucial for new energy vehicles—*that’s* Long Ming Group’s real target."

After Jiang Ruotang finished speaking, the playful glint in Zheng Huasheng’s eyes faded, replaced by a hint of respect.

"So that’s your answer? No revisions?" Zheng Huasheng asked.

"No revisions," Jiang Ruotang replied firmly.

Though this reasoning would stump most eighteen-year-olds, Jiang Ruotang trusted the correct answer Lu Guifan had given him in his past life. Of course, he wouldn’t change it.

Zheng Huasheng’s expression relaxed. "Good. Then we’ll wait and see. If you’re right, I’ll gladly give up my comfortable retirement to lend you a hand."

"A promise is a promise—"

Jiang Ruotang extended his hand.

Zheng Huasheng laughed and slapped his palm. "And no take-backs!"

On the way home, Zhao Yunshu pondered the cryptic conversation between the old man and the young man as she drove, gradually deciphering their coded conversation. She was also astonished by Jiang Ruotang’s insight.

"Ruo Tang, you’ve got quite the audacity."

"Huh? How so?" Jiang Ruotang countered.

"Your grandfather left you a fortune, yet you told Mr. Zheng and me so openly. Aren’t you afraid we might team up to con you?"

Jiang Ruotang lowered his head and chuckled. Indeed, such villains existed—like the Lin father and son in his past life, who wouldn’t rest until they had left him with nothing.

"You didn’t even want my dad’s money, and my grandfather’s inheritance isn’t as much as his."

"W-Well, maybe I was just putting on an act of someone who isn’t greedy!"

Jiang Ruotang couldn’t help but laugh. "What kind of act? You’ve never been greedy. To you, family matters more than money."

The words touched Zhao Yunshu’s heart, filling her with warmth. She couldn’t help but worry about him, fearing he might suffer even the slightest harm.

"Kid, you should always be wary of others. You’re planning to invest in Cheng Tan, yet you casually told Mr. Zheng and me before your partnership was even finalized. Aren’t you afraid we might leak your plans? What if someone competes with you? Or worse, unsavory types come knocking, trying to scam you?"

"Like I said, I trust you. So I also trust the Mr. Zheng you carefully selected for me." Jiang Ruotang looked at her, as if seeing once again the Zhao Yunshu from his past life—the one who worked overtime to pay his medical bills, her hair turning gray early.

Zhao Yunshu sighed. Being trusted so deeply by Jiang Ruotang made her feel she had to be even better to him.

"But you must be happy, right? I’ve always heard from your dad... that you were sad growing up without your mom by your side... feeling like she didn’t care. But now, seeing how much your grandfather left you, it’s clear their love was passed down through two generations."

Though Zhao Yunshu had never met He Yun, she had visited her photography exhibition and always thought of her as a woman with a free soul.

Jiang Ruotang closed his eyes, feeling the breeze against his face—like a gentle whisper from his mother, or a kiss across time.

"When I was little, I thought love meant shared meals and constant companionship. As I grew older, I craved freedom, understanding, and a broader world. Maybe she couldn’t give me enough of the former, and the latter—something her wisdom and ability could have provided—she just didn’t have time for. Now, I don’t blame her. Instead, I wonder if she took all the photos she wanted, if she captured those ephemeral moments, if she saw sights and events I might never witness in my lifetime... If she were still alive, could we sit in the car like this, chatting about the common topics between mothers and sons? Or would her travels have given me an even wider perspective?"

Zhao Yunshu pulled the car over, unbuckled her seatbelt, and hugged Jiang Ruotang.

Leaning close to her ear, he whispered, "Mom, I’m okay now. Don’t worry."

The words were for Zhao Yunshu—and for He Yun.

On Monday morning, Zhao Yunshu sat in her office, anxiously awaiting the financial news set to release at ten o’clock. She worried the outcome might differ from Jiang Ruotang’s prediction, yet she also felt an unshakable trust in him.

Exclamations and chatter erupted from the break room.

"Oh my god! Feng Teng Motors is Huachen Motors’ new owner?"

"What? Wasn’t Long Ming Group the highest bidder?"

"This is huge! What about the stocks?"

"Industry insiders say Feng Teng Motors is shooting itself in the foot. While they disrupted Long Ming Group’s expansion in the auto industry, they’ve also burdened themselves with massive bank loans and tight cash flow. Now, they can only hope Huachen Motors justifies the massive investment."

Hearing this, Zhao Yunshu clenched her fists excitedly.

*Yes! Ruo Tang was right!*

The surge of joy she felt was like seeing her son rank first in class on a final exam report card.

As for Zheng Huasheng, he sat on his balcony, sipping tea and playing with the mynah bird in its cage.

"The kid won."

"The kid won! The kid won!" the mynah chirped cheerfully, parroting him.

But none of this mattered to the average high schooler.

Only Jiang Ruotang allowed himself a small smile when he saw the news.

He sent Zheng Huasheng a text: [Mr. Zheng, I won.]

Zheng Huasheng, true to form, replied swiftly: [Brat, I’m already on my way to meet your Lawyer Dai.]

Jiang Ruotang’s eyes twinkled with amusement. Both Zheng Huasheng and Dai Ming were highly efficient—their collaboration would surely be highly productive.

Though... Mr. Zheng had difficulty getting around, and always taking taxis made him, as the boss, might seem a bit disrespectful to his elders.

"Ruo Tang, Ruo Tang, what’s so funny?" Lin Lu’s voice broke into his thoughts.

"Ah, I'm watching the takeover battle between Long Ming Group and Feng Teng Motors!"

Lin Lu chuckled. "That's grown-up stuff. How would we students understand the inside scoop?"

"Just here for the drama," Jiang Ruotang replied.

"Really just for fun?" Bai Yingchuan's voice came through, with playful suspicion.

"Huh?"

"I've been following this news too. Judging by the outcome, did Feng Teng Motors get played by Long Ming Group?" Though Bai Yingchuan was sprawled across his desk, he leaned toward Jiang Ruotang's direction.

This made Lin Lu, sandwiched between them, feel like an awkward third wheel—utterly superfluous. He wanted to join the conversation but had no idea what they were talking about. Who got played by whom?

Jiang Ruotang didn’t expect Bai Yingchuan to care about this. Chin in hand, he retorted lazily, "Don’t tell me your folks invested in Feng Teng Motors' stocks? Now that they’re tanking, it hurts, huh?"

"You guessed right." Bai Yingchuan nodded with a smile. "Should I sell them now?"

"Sell? Buy more while the price is low. Feng Teng Motors has been around the block. Seeing their stocks drop like this, they’ll soon release some big rebound news."

"Like what?" Bai Yingchuan asked with interest.

This was actually Jiang Ruotang’s intuition. He imagined what he’d do if he were part of Feng Teng Motors’ management.

"For example, announcing that Huachen Motors is killing it overseas—right after Feng Teng acquired them, they secured a huge overseas order or something."

"Good." Bai Yingchuan smiled.

"Don’t take my word for it. I’m just shooting the breeze. We’re all students in an ivory tower... Though..."

Jiang Ruotang was about to say more but stopped when he saw Lin Lu’s left-out look.

Unexpectedly, Bai Yingchuan reached around Lin Lu’s back and flicked Jiang Ruotang’s head, teasing, "Hey, don’t leave us hanging mid-sentence."

"Cough..." Jiang Ruotang never expected Bai Yingchuan to joke with him. "You’re the one leaving things unsaid!"

"Even if I do, I’m still better than you," Bai Yingchuan shot back.

Jiang Ruotang gave him a deadpan finger gesture before turning back to wrestle with the electrons in his physics problem.

From the back of the classroom, classmates joked:

"I notice Bai Yingchuan loves talking to Jiang Ruotang the most."

"Yeah, he laughs the most when teasing Jiang Ruotang."

Bai Yingchuan turned around and quipped, "Then I’ll tease him more so I can laugh even more."

Lin Lu’s panic set in again. He’d thought he was closer to Bai Yingchuan, but now it was clear Bai Yingchuan was far more interested in Jiang Ruotang.

All he wanted now was to fit in between them. Before, he’d pretended to help Jiang Ruotang get closer to Bai Yingchuan. Now, seeing Bai Yingchuan’s interest in Jiang Ruotang, he could only try to cater to Bai Yingchuan’s wishes.

Otherwise, once he became useless, Bai Yingchuan would kick him out too.

Back then, he’d played humble to achieve his goals. Now, Lin Lu genuinely felt small.

He jumped in to continue the conversation for Bai Yingchuan: "Ruo Tang, I’m curious too. What were you about to say earlier?"

Jiang Ruotang glanced back. Lu Guifan was nowhere to be seen—he’d wanted to ask him about the physics problem but couldn’t find him.

Oh well. Since he couldn’t solve it alone anyway, he might as well chat.

"Wasn’t there a script recently about the development of private car manufacturers? Something called *The Boiling Years*?"

Bai Yingchuan nodded. "Yeah. The producer contacted me, hoping I’d play the younger version of the protagonist. Not many scenes—just a few days of shooting during winter break."

"You turned it down?" Jiang Ruotang lifted an eyebrow.

Bai Yingchuan glanced at Lin Lu, who immediately explained for him: "Ying Chuan ran it by my dad. My dad thinks Ying Chuan’s popularity is rising, so he should focus on locking in his fanbase. The script is too traditional and unlikely to appeal to audiences. The producer only wanted Ying Chuan for his younger role to bank on his clout for funding. So..."

So he politely declined.

Jiang Ruotang looked at Bai Yingchuan and asked slowly, "And what about you? Don’t you have any thoughts of your own?"

"I also think the script is a clichéd inspirational story, every step feeling like it’s lecturing the audience. Not very appealing." Bai Yingchuan watched Jiang Ruotang, waiting for his opinion.

"Well, if they want to use your fame to secure funding, that means you hold the cards. You could demand they hire younger writers to revise the script. Keep the same story but make the dialogue and characters snappier and realer. The news has been talking about developing the real economy and reflecting on the past thirty years of progress. Doesn’t this script fit perfectly? If your fame really can attract investors, maybe some respected mentors or directors will get behind the show’s core and elevate it into some anniversary or tribute drama. You could just—"

Jiang Ruotang raised his index finger, signaling "level up."

Lin Lu whispered, "That’s too idealistic... It’s not that easy in reality..."

"Well, Bai Yingchuan, it’s your call."

With that, Jiang Ruotang turned to look at Lu Guifan’s seat again. The desk was empty, the small thermos at the corner looking lonely.

"I’m decent at physics. I could help you with that problem too," Bai Yingchuan offered, noticing Jiang Ruotang’s wait for Lu Guifan.

"Ah? I believe in your skills, but not my own brain."

Jiang Ruotang tapped his temple with a smile, wondering if something had happened to Lu Guifan.

"I’m going to the restroom."

As Jiang Ruotang stood to leave, Bai Yingchuan’s gaze followed his back, his expression gradually darkening.

He could sense Jiang Ruotang’s unique reliance on Lu Guifan.

"Ying Chuan, Ruo Tang just—"

Before Lin Lu could finish, Bai Yingchuan cut him off with a cold smile.

"He’s just going to find his class monitor. You don’t need to make excuses for him—you might not even understand him yourself."

Bai Yingchuan’s icy smile left Lin Lu at a loss for words.

Lowering his eyes, Bai Yingchuan recalled how, long ago, he’d suspected Lin Lu was using him to control Jiang Ruotang.

Uninvolved, he’d feigned ignorance.

Everyone said Jiang Huaiyuan was the reason for his success, that his own efforts meant nothing to the world.

So when he learned Jiang Ruotang was being manipulated by Lin Lu, he felt an odd sense of accomplishment.

But after transferring to Guangyao High, Bai Yingchuan realized the truth was far from what Lin Lu had described.

Jiang Ruotang had no delusional desire to invade his personal space, no self-important crush—in fact, his boundaries with Bai Yingchuan were so distinct they were practically cold. There was no conflict between them, not even enough interaction to speak of.

What exactly went wrong?

Was it because of Lin Lu?

At that moment, Lin Lu was still overanalyzing Bai Yingchuan’s last remark.

Jiang Ruotang checked the restroom but didn’t find Lu Guifan.

So it had to be the grade-level office.

But Lu Guifan was top of the class—what more could the teachers possibly demand of him?

When Jiang Ruotang reached the window of the grade office, he spotted Lu Guifan’s back. Before Lu Guifan could notice him, Jiang Ruotang quickly ducked down.

He heard Wang Fuzi said sternly: "Since the second monthly exam is approaching, we’ve persuaded the principal to just give you a warning. Lu Guifan, remember—you’re a senior now. All your energy should be focused on studying! Look at what a mess you’ve made with this incident!"

"I understand," Lu Guifan replied.

Wait? What was Wang Fuzi talking about? What could a high school senior possibly do to cause a scandal besides puppy love?

"There are only about eight months left until the college entrance exam. Can’t you just wait? Once it’s over, you can tutor as many students as you want!"

Wang Fuzi went on and on. Seeing that class was about to start, Teacher Song quickly jumped in.

"Lu Guifan just wanted to help his family out—his intentions were good. Now that he’s promised not to take on any more tutoring jobs, we should trust him to keep his word. Otherwise, no matter how much we lecture, it won't make a difference!"

Wang Fuzi finally exhaled and said in a low voice, "Fine. Go back to class."

Jiang Ruotang’s heart raced. He immediately turned to leave—if Lu Guifan came out and caught him eavesdropping, it'd be mortifying.

But he forgot he was crouched beneath the windowsill. As he turned, his head jerked up—*clang!* His skull collided with the window frame, almost knocking him over.

"What was that noise?" Wang Fuzi asked.

Teacher Song leaned out and, spotting Jiang Ruotang, gave him a helpless look. Jiang Ruotang scrambled away in a panic.

"Who was that?"

"No idea. They ran off."

By the time Jiang Ruotang returned to his seat, his heart was still pounding. He rubbed the back of his head—*damn, I thought my skull would split open.*

"What happened to you?" Lin Lu’s voice was full of concern.

Just then, Lu Guifan walked into the classroom. As he passed Jiang Ruotang, the latter dropped his head onto the desk, pretending to sleep.

A soft, exasperated sigh came from above, followed by a hand gently messing with Jiang Ruotang’s hair.

"Don’t make yourself any dumber."

Jiang Ruotang didn’t look up. His neck and ears turned red.

*What good would it do you if I got any dumber?*

Only after Lu Guifan had walked away did Lin Lu reach over to pat Jiang Ruotang’s head. "Did you hit your head? Where? Are you dizzy?"

"My head’s made of steel—don’t worry." Jiang Ruotang grinned like an idiot.

Bai Yingchuan, who had been about to reach out, tucked his hand back into his pocket. He, too, wanted to mess with Jiang Ruotang’s hair.

Jiang Ruotang didn't have art class that evening, so he stayed at school for study hall.

Before evening study hall, there was an hour-long break. Jiang Ruotang sent Lu Guifan a message:

[*Prez, wanna go for a walk with me?*]

Lu Guifan read the message. Though he knew what Jiang Ruotang really wanted to ask, he agreed anyway.

Jiang Ruotang bought two *jianbing guozi* from a stall near the school gate—packed with meat, eggs, and sausage—and walked side by side with Lu Guifan.

Watching Jiang Ruotang order like a pro, Lu Guifan found him a walking contradiction—yet those contradictions made him vivid and endearing.

He was the young master of a great director’s family, chauffeured to and from school in a private car. His art studio lessons reportedly cost a fortune. Yet here he was, ordering a three-yuan *jianbing* from a street vendor while chatting animatedly with the owner. He could discuss supermarket discounts with Lu Guifan’s mother, figuring out the most cost-effective way to shop, or sprawl on their beat-up fake leather couch playing games on his phone.

They walked aimlessly, their only goal being to finish their *jianbing*—walking as far as they felt like before the food was gone.

"You know… instead of tutoring middle schoolers and getting reported to the school, you might as well tutor me. I’d never snitch on you," Jiang Ruotang said pointedly.

Lu Guifan replied, "Tutoring others earns me money. Tutoring you doesn’t pay, and it’s a pain in the ass."

"I get the ‘pain in the ass’ part, but why no pay?" Jiang Ruotang asked.

"Didn’t you decide all by yourself we were friends?"

"Oh. Hearing you say that warms my heart, but even brothers keep things square."

"Idiot. Haven’t you been paying my phone bill and bringing us groceries?"

"*I’m* the idiot? Then do you know why you got reported?" Jiang Ruotang turned to face him.

"You know why?" Lu Guifan gave a faint smile.

"Of course. You taught way too well. Your students’ grades improved, and other parents got jealous. You’re just one person—you can’t tutor every middle schooler. If they can’t all improve together, the parents of the kids falling behind reported you just to be petty. Can’t beat the competition? Ban the cheat."

Jiang Ruotang made a slashing motion with his hand.

"Oh."

"Did you at least get paid for the tutoring?" "Nah." Lu Guifan actually laughed at that.