Chapter 49 Jiang Ruotang: I Have Mature Taste

Chapter 49 Jiang Ruotang: My Taste is Sophisticated

Cai Ji's case even made local news, with TV stations using it for a public legal awareness campaign, encouraging women and children suffering from domestic violence and bullying to bravely defend their rights.

Almost the entire school was discussing the incident. When Cai Ji walked into the classroom with his backpack, the way his classmates looked at him had completely changed.

Previously almost invisible, he was now showered with concern and warmth by classmates, which made him deeply uncomfortable. He could only nod repeatedly, unsure how to respond to their kindness.

Fortunately, Jian Sha approached him with her phone, excitedly saying, "Cai Cai, look! Your story made it to the trending news on Big Eyed Boy!"

"Ah? Really?" Cai Ji paused.

Big Eyed Boy was a social media platform launched just last year. Initially, it had few users, but this year—especially with the new wave of smartphones led by the M5 release—its user base multiplied, emerging as a leading social media platform online.

Making it to Big Eyed Boy's social headlines meant influence beyond just provincial media—it indicated nationwide viral attention from netizens.

Even some well-known lawyers analyzed the case.

They pointed out that for domestic violence, if classified as abuse, it typically required severe injury or even death to warrant a sentence of two to seven years in prison. In most cases, reporting it would typically only lead to administrative detention. Under such circumstances, victims often faced retaliation and continued abuse even after resisting.

The crucial difference in Cai Ji's case was that his father and stepbrother's long-term abuse was aimed at extortion. The amount—200,000 yuan—was enormous, elevating it from domestic violence to violent extortion, which carried significantly harsher penalties than ordinary domestic abuse. Given the severe social impact, even though the extortion was unsuccessful, the sentencing could still be harsh, likely within the three-to-ten-year range.

Netizens clamored for "harsher punishment," with comments like "They should spend their lives behind bars sewing clothes" and "People like this can't be reformed—they'll just harm society again if released." The online outrage was overwhelming.

But Jiang Ruotang knew just how much courage and determination Cai Ji had summoned to achieve this freedom.

200,000 yuan... Cai Ji's mother transferred it to his account without hesitation, just to give her son a chance to completely break free from Cai Chuan's grip.

And Cai Ji had withstood the pressure, exposing Cai Chuan and Li Chun's crimes to the public.

Zhao Yunshu's lawyer friend reassured Cai Ji and his mother that the evidence in this case was rock-solid—recordings, bank surveillance footage, testimonies from tellers and security guards, internet café footage, and even previously silent neighbors who, after seeing the news, were no longer afraid of retaliation from Cai Chuan and were willing to testify about how Cai Ji had been beaten by his father since childhood.

The police handling the case even called Cai Ji specifically, encouraging him to focus on his studies and prepare for the college entrance exams. The evidence was clear—Cai Chuan and Li Chun weren't getting out, and Li Chun's mother was an accomplice too.

The classroom was the same, his desk the same, but as sunlight streamed through the window and fell on Cai Ji, the air felt fresher, the sky outside seemed vast, and the sound of the teacher's chalk on the blackboard was strangely comforting.

Cai Ji turned his head toward Jiang Ruotang, who was attentively watching the blackboard.

Thank you, Jiang Ruotang.

When I was lost at a crossroads, you pulled me back.

You stayed with me at the corner convenience store, you listened to me, you gave me courage, and you brought so many friends into my life.

As if sensing something, Jiang Ruotang glanced back at Cai Ji, who responded with a beaming smile.

This time, he would live well.

Just then, the physics teacher at the front of the class said, "Cai Ji, come up and walk us through this problem."

Cai Ji paused. The teacher's eyes were full of encouragement, and the eyes watching him were filled with kindness and expectation.

Jiang Ruotang clapped for him. "Cai Cai, explain it in a way even someone like me can understand!"

Zhao Zhangfeng joined in teasing, "Forget Jiang Ruotang—explain it so *I* can understand!"

Jian Sha, sitting across the aisle, rolled her eyes. "If Zhao Zhangfeng has to understand, you'd have to start from middle school material—"

Waves of laughter filled the room, and Cai Ji, who usually struggled with social anxiety, felt an unexpected sense of calm.

He walked to the front, took the chalk from the teacher, and spoke in a clear, confident voice: "First, calculate the object's acceleration... then apply Newton's second law... finally, the answer is 4N."

When Cai Ji put the chalk down, the physics teacher sighed. "What a shame Cai Ji didn’t participate in last semester’s science competition. He might’ve placed highly!"

Cai Ji lowered his head. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to—it was because Cai Chuan and Li Chun had beaten him so severely he couldn’t even hold a pen.

Thinking about it, there were so many regrets.

"If the road ahead is clear, don’t linger on the past!" Jiang Ruotang called out loudly.

The physics teacher, realizing he’d touched on a painful memory, patted Cai Ji’s shoulder. "That was shallow of me. There are far more important competitions ahead in life, and I believe you’re ready to face them head-on. The past is gone, but glory and brilliance still await you tomorrow!"

Cai Ji nodded firmly. Before returning to his seat, he added, "For a physics teacher, your pep talks are pretty impressive too."

The classroom filled with laughter once more.

Jiang Ruotang shot Cai Ji a text, suggesting they celebrate his freedom with a meal at a local eatery near the school.

Cai Ji felt he should be the one treating everyone and wanted to invite Zhang Feng, Jian Sha, and the class monitor too.

During second period's break, Jiang Ruotang’s milk tea delivery arrived, and she asked Cai Ji to go with her to the school gate to pick it up.

Walking side by side under the sunlight, Jiang Ruotang couldn’t resist asking, "Who came up with the idea of reporting it at the bank? We were all focused on the violence, but evidence was hard to gather, and the sentence would’ve been lenient. I never considered this approach. Was it one of my mom’s lawyer friends? Even she seemed surprised when you made that decision."

Cai Ji lowered his head, taking a sip, and said quietly, "It wasn’t my idea, and it wasn’t a lawyer’s either... It was actually the class monitor."

Jiang Ruotang nearly choked on a pearl from her milk tea.

"Who? You mean who?"

"The class monitor..." Cai Ji, seeing Jiang Ruotang’s shocked expression, began to worry he’d said something wrong. "You two are so close—I thought you knew..."

Jiang Ruotang was so stunned she almost dropped her milk tea.

In her mind, Lu Guifan was the type to play by the rules and follow convention. It never crossed her mind that he’d teach Cai Ji this "set them up" move!

Could this really be the same class monitor she knew?

Back in their first year of high school, a recent grad had moved into the apartment below Cai Ji’s. Hearing the sounds of him being beaten, she called the police.

When officers arrived, they found Cai Ji huddled in a corner, arms shielding his head, covered in footprints.

But at the station, under Cai Chuan and his stepmother’s account, the incident was written off as excessive parental discipline. The police warned Cai Chuan to show restraint—only for Cai Ji to be beaten again as soon as they got home.

Cai Chuan had hit him while sneering, "See? No one can stop a father from teaching his son a lesson!"

His voice was loud enough for the entire building to hear.

The young woman downstairs faced daily harassment and verbal abuse from Cai Chuan and Li Chun until she moved away. Other neighbors, seeing this, grew even more hesitant to intervene.

That was when Cai Ji realized simply calling the police was useless.

Lu Guifan, after hearing about Cai Ji’s situation during a walk with Jiang Ruotang, looked into the legal statutes and carefully planned this bank sting operation for him.

If domestic violence alone couldn’t rid Cai Ji of Cai Chuan and Li Chun for good, then they’d face consequences for their greed instead.

Not 3,000, not 5,000—but 200,000 yuan. A truly "substantial sum."

They thought Cai Ji would use the money to strike out on his own, completely cutting ties with them. Fearing this might be the final financial support from his mother, they couldn’t help but resort to violent threats—and ultimately faced the consequences.

Jiang Ruotang returned to the classroom and immediately glanced at Lu Guifan's seat. The other boy wore an indifferent expression, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Leaving no trace, he walked away after his task was done.

Jiang Ruotang could only sigh in admiration—this was how smart people operated: enduring hardships in silence, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As he passed by Lu Guifan, he placed a cup of Jinxuan tea on his desk and leaned down slightly to whisper, "Here’s your tea, mastermind."

Lu Guifan responded with a faint hum.

His cool-as-a-cucumber attitude made Jiang Ruotang grind his teeth in frustration, but in the end, he only dared to pretend to choke him from behind.

Like he had eyes in the back of his head, Lu Guifan raised a hand and rested it against the side of his neck.

Jiang Ruotang could only huff and return to his seat.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Jiang Ruotang and the others crowded around Cai Ji and left the classroom, heading to a small restaurant near the school.

This was Cai Ji’s happiest, most relaxed day in years, and he was even smiling as he ordered.

Jiang Ruotang couldn’t resist teasing him, "Whoa, Cai Cai, you’ve got dimples when you smile! So sweet and cute!"

Zhao Zhangfeng rapped his knuckles on the table. "Hey, hey, Jiang Ruotang, hands off Cai Cai!"

"My taste is totally mature now, alright?"

"Yeah, right!"

The two looked ready to bicker again, but Cai Cai helplessly separated them.

Lu Guifan just sipped his cola, acting like nothing happened.

Luckily, a server came over and asked, "Are you ready to order?"

Only then did Jiang Ruotang and Zhao Zhangfeng finally settled down.

Jian Sha was the first to order. "I’ll take the chili pork stir-fry."

"Sweet and sour ribs for me!" Jiang Ruotang called out.

Zhao Zhangfeng frowned. "How do you eat something that sweet? Give me a spicy duck blood stew!"

Cai Ji pushed the menu toward Lu Guifan. "How about you, Prez?"

Instead of answering, Lu Guifan looked at Jiang Ruotang and asked leisurely, "Jiang Ruotang, since your taste is so ‘mature,’ who’s your type now?"

Under Lu Guifan’s gaze, Jiang Ruotang—who had been carefree just moments ago—felt like his heart had just exploded.

Lu Guifan’s delicate yet intense eyes, his sharp features, his defined jawline, the clean lines of his Adam’s apple, even his long fingers wrapped around the cola can—every bit of him hit Jiang Ruotang’s ‘mature’ checklist.

Maybe growing up just meant getting better at hiding what you really felt.

Cai Ji and Zhao Zhangfeng both turned to look, while Jian Sha’s eyes sparkled, loving the drama.

Meeting their gazes, Jiang Ruotang declared proudly, "Right now, my favorite is Teacher Wang Siben!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Zhao Zhangfeng choked on his own saliva and coughed violently. "Holy shit! Your taste is terrifying!"

Cai Ji doubled over laughing. "Wang… Wang Siben? Isn’t he a crosstalk performer? He’s, like, seventy years old!"

Jian Sha, meanwhile, sighed in disappointment and muttered to herself, "When will I ever get to see an omega confess to an alpha instead of alphas just forcing their way through…"

Jiang Ruotang lowered his head and chuckled.

"Huh. That’s definitely ‘mature.’"

"Alright, alright, stop laughing! What’s the problem with comedians? Or being seventy? Teacher Wang makes people laugh—isn’t that hot?" Jiang Ruotang tapped the menu. "Class President, it’s your turn to order!"

Without even glancing at the menu, Lu Guifan replied, "Garlic stir-fried water spinach."

"Why get something so boring? Are you trying to save Cai Ji money?" Jiang Ruotang teased.

A faint smile flickered in Lu Guifan’s eyes as he said leisurely, "This is Teacher Wang Siben’s favorite dish. Jiang Ruotang, it seems your love for him isn’t deep enough."

Jiang Ruotang stiffened, caught off guard by the comeback. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond, his ears went pink.

Luckily, no one noticed. Jian Sha and Zhao Zhangfeng were glued to their phones, while Cai Ji tossed in a beer-braised duck before they ordered.

As they ate, they discussed Cai Ji’s future plans.

"I told my mom there’s no way she’s quitting her job. I’ll grind to pull up my Chinese and English grades so I can get into a university in the capital—that way, I can reunite with her."

"The capital’s great! I want to get into the Central Academy of Fine Arts!" Jiang Ruotang raised his hand.

"Come on! Forget whether your art skills are up to par—even the cultural score cutoff is above the second-tier university line!" Zhao Zhangfeng reminded him.

Jian Sha immediately came to Jiang Ruotang’s defense. "Your brother’s been working hard this semester. He’s already top 250 in the whole school—by the end of the term, he might actually make it to the second-tier line!"

Jiang Ruotang clinked his cola can with Jian Sha’s. "What about you, Sister Sha? Where do you want to go?"

"Hmm… the Chinese department at Huawen University. I love novels—who knows, maybe one day I’ll write some masterpiece so moving that Director Jiang will adapt it into a film?" she joked.

"Isn’t Huawen University also in the capital? That’s a really high cutoff score!"

"What about you, Class President? Do you also want to go to the capital?" Cai Ji asked.

"Prez could probably get a free pass. With all those national competition gold medals, any university would fight to have him," Zhao Zhangfeng sighed. "You guys should be worrying about me instead…"

Jiang Ruotang laughed. "You’re the last person who needs worrying. You’re insanely talented but don’t even realize it. Your coach told our folks you’re a prodigy—don’t limit yourself to Sheng City."

"Does that mean I can aim for the capital too? So, are we the capital squad now?" Zhao Zhangfeng asked.

"Hahaha, the capital squad sounds great! All five of us are going together—no one gets left behind!" Cai Ji cheered.

"So, what’s next? You’re not going back there, are you? It’s a mess. Your stepmom won’t be gone forever—what if she comes back in a few months and starts trouble again?" Jiang Ruotang asked.

Zhao Zhangfeng added, "Don’t bother with all that. If you’re staying in Sheng City for the college entrance exams, just live with us. We could all walk to school together—how cool is that?"

"Yeah, if you want your own room, we’ve got a guest room on the first floor," Jiang Ruotang also invited.

Cai Ji’s heart swelled.

"Don’t worry. My mom hasn’t gone back to the capital yet—she stayed to help me rent a place. My grandparents will move in to take care of me and keep me company, so I won’t be alone. You guys don’t have to worry."

Cai Ji’s grandparents were very kind to him and were his family too. Reportedly, they weren’t even seventy yet and were in good health. They hadn’t been very comfortable living in the capital anyway, so coming back to accompany Cai Ji was perfect.

"My little sister even called me. She’s three years old, and it was the first time I’d ever heard her voice—so tiny and sweet. She promised to wait for me until the exams were over, and then she wants me to take her to the amusement park. Honestly, I used to think that once she was born, Mom wouldn’t care about me anymore. But the moment I heard her tiny voice calling me ‘big brother,’ I just wanted to give her everything."

When they heard Cai Ji had plans for his future, Jiang Ruotang and the others were relieved.

During the meal, Cai Ji's phone kept ringing—it was Cai Chuan and Li Chun's lawyer calling, asking for a letter of forgiveness. Cai Ji quickly blocked them.

If he could forgive something like this, he might as well be canonized as a saint.

Even if they knelt and apologized, they could never undo the years of pain and suffering Cai Ji had endured.

After the meal, they went back to rest. Before lying down, Jiang Ruotang checked his phone and found a message from Lu Guifan.

[Now I understand why you like Teacher Wang Siben.]

Attached was a photo of Teacher Wang Siben at twenty-five, dressed in a Zhongshan suit during a stage performance.

With thick, jet-black short hair, handsome features, and a dashing pose—he was a total heartthrob.

Jiang Ruotang glanced back at Lu Guifan, who had already laid down to rest.

What was that supposed to mean?

That Jiang Ruotang was, at his core, just into looks?

Jiang Ruotang replied: [Handsome faces are everywhere, but bald Sanmaos float forever.]

The implication was that even the most handsome men would eventually lose their hair to time, just like Teacher Wang Siben, whose three remaining strands swayed during his crosstalk performances, capturing the audience's attention.

When Lu Guifan saw the message, he let out a laugh—a sound that stood out in the silent classroom.

With Cai Ji’s situation settled, Wang Fuzi, embarrassed by his hasty judgment, could no longer face his students. Citing old age and declining energy, he applied to step down from teaching.

Teacher Song Qinghe officially became the homeroom teacher of Class 1, Senior Three.

One day, Jiang Ruotang ran into Wang Fuzi in the hallway. Though reluctant, he still forced out a polite "Hello, Teacher Wang."

As for Wang Fuzi’s expression or attitude, Jiang Ruotang no longer cared.

But to his surprise, Wang Fuzi stopped and called out to him. Other passing students turned to look.

"I was wrong to accuse you."

Jiang Ruotang stood there, frozen for a moment.

"But even if you find Chinese boring, you still have to memorize what’s required and study the essay formulas. If you really want to get into the Central Academy of Fine Arts, Chinese is actually the easiest subject to ace."

Jiang Ruotang was the type who, if given an inch of respect, would return a foot.

Hearing Wang Fuzi’s genuine concern, he nodded humbly. "I’ll work hard. Thank you, Teacher Wang."

Wang Fuzi, apparently embarrassed too, nodded and walked away.

For most people, life is a river that flows endlessly forward without reversing.

To turn conflict into harmony—that, too, is a sort of blessing.

Cai Ji’s new home was in a residential area close to the school—a small two-bedroom apartment on the seventh floor.

The good news was that it had an elevator, so his grandparents could get around easily.

Lu Guifan and the others had gone ahead to help. Jiang Ruotang, holding a big bottle of Coke, stood at the door, about to ring the bell, when he heard Teacher Wang Siben’s crosstalk playing on the TV inside.

His voice was aged, but the tone carried an oddly funny tone.

The moment the door opened, Jiang Ruotang was face-to-face with Lu Guifan.

One hand on the doorknob, the other holding his phone, Lu Guifan lowered his gaze. His oversized black-framed glasses had slid halfway down his nose, showing his gorgeous eyes right in front of Jiang Ruotang.

Wang Siben’s straight-faced comedy routine continued: "What is love? You can dodge the first day of the month, but you can’t dodge me!"

Jiang Ruotang’s throat went dry, like his secret was being broadcast by Wang Siben’s words right in front of Lu Guifan.

But Lu Guifan simply turned away, and from the sofa came the voices of Zhao Zhangfeng and the others.

"Ugh, how did the class president win again?!" Zhao Zhangfeng tugged at his hair.

"Class president, are your fingers blessed? This is my game—how do you always win?!" Cai Ji’s curly hair stood on end.

Jian Sha also protested loudly: "Lu Guifan, you truly are realism incarnate, popping every dream bubble!"

Lu Guifan just sat back on the sofa, his calm demeanor making the others grit their teeth in frustration.

Though only eighteen, he often carried himself like a veteran bureaucrat. Yet when he lifted a finger to push his glasses back up his nose, there was a refined grace to it—like a slow-motion 4K film shot.

Jiang Ruotang stepped closer with the Coke. The living room was noisy, but all he could see was Lu Guifan.

On the TV, Wang Siben, wearing a blue-gray traditional gown, went on with his routine:

"What is jealousy? It’s when, before I can kiss you, even the air feels like a rival!"

Jiang Ruotang's heart skipped a beat, and he almost spilled the Coke in his hand.