Chapter 43: F4

Chapter 43 The F4

After dinner, Wen Haochen headed off to rehearse. He was part of a piano concerto, playing the triangle.

By his own admission, he dabbled in piano, clarinet, and could even coax a tune from a cello—though he wasn’t proficient in any of them. Logically, he shouldn’t have been on that stage at all.

But he was the younger brother of a major school shareholder; how could he not make an appearance? Plus, with his striking looks, he was undeniably the group’s pretty face. So, the teacher assigned him the triangle, positioning him conspicuously at the back, primarily as a mascot.

Yun Fan, without his security detail, wandered the campus alone. At night, Shengken Academy was noticeably quieter. In the distance, helicopters occasionally lifted off from the landing pad—likely students who didn’t board at the school flying home.

It had been years since Yun Fan left campus, and he didn’t feel particularly nostalgic. He always went with the flow, taking things as they came.

The path lights cycled through colors, red then green, like traffic signals, leaving one unsure whether to proceed or stop. Yun Fan didn’t quite grasp the aesthetic. He found a bench, sat down, and checked his phone.

Cheng Yu and Liu Erxing had both messaged him—one about the earlier reform proposal, the other seeking gossip about Wen Haochen.

Neither question was easy to answer, so Yun Fan chose to read them without replying.

In May, Hong Kong hadn’t yet reached the peak of summer heat. Today was an unusually clear day, with the moon and stars visible. Yun Fan gazed up for a while, savoring the natural breeze in the quiet night. After a moment, it occurred to him that Wen Zhaofu hadn’t messaged him.

Not that Mr. Wen was obligated to message him, but somewhere deep in his heart, he seemed to be faintly hoping for something.

Yun Fan shook his head like a rattle, trying to dislodge that peculiar thought. But he didn’t succeed—that feather was still tickling his heart, softly, fuzzily, again and again.

It was an itch, a persistent itch.

A little after eight, Wen Zhaofu called. Yun Fan was startled, then broke into a smile. When he answered, his voice carried a hint of laughter: "Sir, off work already?"

Before Wen Zhaofu could speak, his low chuckle reached Yun Fan’s ears. It was magical how Yun Fan could always dispel the slight gloom in his mood.

"Yes, just got off. I originally wanted to join you at the school, but I have an early flight to London tomorrow," Wen Zhaofu said with a tinge of regret. "This time, I’ve truly inconvenienced you."

Yun Fan replied casually, "It’s all in a day’s work; it’s what’s expected."

Wen Zhaofu chuckled softly again, his voice swirling its way into Yun Fan’s heart. Now it wasn’t just an itch—it was a tingle.

"How do you find the school?" Wen Zhaofu changed the subject.

"Well, at first glance it feels quite different, but ultimately, it’s still just a school," Yun Fan replied. "Schools are places for studying and causing a bit of mischief."

Wen Zhaofu wondered when he would ever learn that kind of ease. He’d been in meetings all day, signing countless documents, and was genuinely tired. He longed to see Yun Fan, but when he couldn’t, he could only convey his yearning through his voice.

What Yun Fan said about the school could also apply to life in these wealthy circles. Beneath the glamorous surface, everything eventually returns to the essence of life. Wen Zhaofu knew Yun Fan had seen through this long ago, which was why he could go against the grain and still handle everything with ease.

The clever Yun Fan was seen through by the clever Wen Zhaofu. But both clever men chose not to spell it out.

A bird’s call broke the silence of the night, bringing Yun Fan back to his senses. He said "goodnight" to Wen Zhaofu, leaving Wen Zhaofu’s lingering thoughts on the other side of the island.

*

Prestigious schools were rife with drama. Yun Fan thought the reason the campus was located on this remote island was not only to maintain an air of mystery but also to slow down the spread of all that drama.

Wasn’t that a clever idea? Kudos to the poor planners who slaved over it.

Yun Fan walked back to the hotel. The grand, luxurious lobby, which should have been elegant and orderly, had somehow turned into a battlefield between two opposing sides.

Wow. Yun Fan looked up and saw that the person surrounded in the middle was none other than Wen Haochen. He stopped short, his leather shoes screeching sharply against the smooth floor.

"We can’t let our Second Young Master Wen’s face get bruised, or he’ll cry." Yun Fan thought, pushing through the crowd and standing in front of Wen Haochen.

"Hey, hey, hey—this is a society ruled by law! Talk trash if you want, but no touching!" Yun Fan shielded Wen Haochen and glanced back. "What’s going on here?"

Wen Haochen was still stunned by Yun Fan rushing forward to protect him, his mind in a daze: "I... I don’t know either. I came looking for you and got cornered by them."

Two burly men stood on either side, each twice as broad as Yun Fan. With this human wall blocking the way, there was no chance of making a run for it.

The Wen family’s security team also approached, creating a tense standoff that left Director Chen, who’d just arrived, drenched in sweat.

"Misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding! Consultant Yun, Mrs. Ou, let’s sit down and talk this out!"

"Talk my ass—" A shrill voice pierced through the hall.

Whoa, judging by the accent, Yun Fan thought the mother charging toward them might be from somewhere not too far from his own hometown. The sheer force of her voice made him sway slightly. Wen Haochen, standing behind him, exclaimed excitedly, "That’s him! The one who tricked me about the caviar!"

Caviar, huh? Yun Fan unfastened his cufflinks and rolled up his sleeves. Looks like it was time to settle old and new scores together.

The boy dragged over by Mrs. Ou had a red slap mark on his right cheek—the person who hit him had clearly put some force into it. Yun Fan thought for a moment, then turned to Wen Haochen. "Did you hit him?"

"Oh! Yeah, I did!" Wen Haochen finally remembered. "I hit him yesterday afternoon."

Yun Fan narrowed his eyes. So our second young master had it in him, huh.

"Come, come, everyone passing by, take a look! My child and his three classmates saw injustice and stepped in to do the right thing, only to be violently assaulted by this Wen Haochen! Look what he’s done to them!"

"Does having money mean you can do whatever you want?! Is this how the Wen family raises their children?"

"Mrs. Ou, you can’t just say things carelessly," Yun Fan said sternly. "Did you see it with your own eyes, or did the victim say it himself?"

"Until the facts are clear, I won’t allow you to wrongfully accuse Wen Haochen!"

Encouraged by Yun Fan’s support, Wen Haochen stepped forward. "Nonsense! I saw them bullying Zhuo Ning and stepped in to help. How did it turn into me bullying them?"

"Yeah, right—you’re the one who hit us."

"Exactly, it was you."

The other three involved parties stumbled forward, forming a second human wall in front of Yun Fan and Wen Haochen.

Yun Fan glanced at the four of them, then at Wen Haochen, and after recalling Zhuo Ning’s name, his eyes lit up as he pieced the whole story together.

Zhuo Ning was the younger brother of Zhuo Yan, the story's protagonist, and also studied at this school. Usually well-behaved, not causing trouble, and studious. Compared to other ultra-wealthy heirs, his family background was relatively modest, but his exceptional piano skills had made him memorable.

The other four boys were this year’s "F4" of Shengken Academy—each tall and burly, even more imposing than the Wen family’s security team.

"Director Chen, I demand to check the surveillance footage," Yun Fan said calmly. "I don’t believe Wen Haochen would bully others."

At the mention of checking the footage, "Caviar" stiffened. The other three poked each other’s arms, seemingly trying to come up with a plan.

"Don’t worry, that spot is a blind zone—the cameras can’t capture anything," said the boy in the middle, who seemed to be their strategist. He wore a Patek Philippe watch.

"What’s his name?" Yun Fan whispered to Wen Haochen.

"Patek," Wen Haochen answered decisively.

Yun Fan almost laughed, biting his lip to hold it in. "Patek, you know what? There’s no such thing as a true blind spot in this world. Director Chen, please retrieve the footage from the higher floors of the nearby buildings. There’s bound to be an angle that captured what happened."

"Alright, alright," Director Chen replied, unable to afford offending anyone, and complied.

By now, "Caviar’s" mother was starting to look doubtful. She glanced at her son, then at Wen Haochen.

"Hey, Cheng Jingbo, are you sure you haven’t been lying to your mom?" Mrs. Ou raised her hand and smacked her son.

At this moment, F3 of the F4 also became visibly flustered, scratching his head and fidgeting while his eyes darted around nervously. Wen Haochen let out a light chuckle and relaxed his shoulders.

Yun Fan turned his head to look at Young Master Wen, thinking to himself that this kid actually has a strong sense of justice.

Soon, the truth of the story came to light. It was Wen Haochen who had stepped in when he saw injustice—the F4 were bullying Zhuo Ning in the gymnasium. He intervened to stop them, and after taking a kick from one of the bullies, he got angry and slapped "Caviar" boy.

The injuries on the other two (F2) were actually inflicted by an enraged Zhuo Ning.

It was precisely because Wen Haochen's sudden appearance and Zhuo Ning's unexpected outburst of anger shocked them that the bullying came to an abrupt end.

The anger was redirected as Mrs. Ou took off her high heels and started poking her own son with the thin heel.

"Mommy, Mommy, it hurts, it hurts, it hurts!"

It came to blows. The parents of the other three boys also arrived, and instantly the conflict escalated to a whole new level.

The F4 had originally thought that since the Wen family didn’t have any proper adult representative present, they could shift the blame on the usually dazed Wen Haochen.

Who would have thought that even a butler from the Wen family would defend Wen Haochen like this.

Miscalculation, miscalculation—Wen Haochen was no longer the same Wen Haochen who had been tricked into buying caviar before.

Now, he had someone backing him up!

*

After this incident, Wen Haochen was very excited, pulling Yun Fan along and gesticulating animatedly as he described how he had saved Zhuo Ning.

As if on cue, just as he was talking about it, Zhuo Ning actually showed up. His right arm was in a cast, and he seemed somewhat fragile overall.

Along with him came Zhuo Ning's brother, Zhuo Yan, and the Zhu Zhiqian whom Yun Fan had almost forgotten.

"Master Hao Chen, thank you so much. Without you, I really don’t know what would have happened to my brother..." Zhuo Yan said with a concerned expression, looking gratefully at Wen Haochen.

Wen Haochen straightened his back, shot a glance at Yun Fan, and said magnanimously, "No need for thanks. Stopping violence is something every citizen should do."

Zhu Zhiqian smiled at Yun Fan: "Butler Yun, if the Wen family were to find out about what just happened, they would surely thank you for standing up for Master Hao Chen."

"No need. Don’t stir up trouble," Yun Fan grumbled twice.

Wen Haochen looked confused: "Why not let them know? I’ll tell them right now how much Butler Yun cares about me."

"Absolutely not!" Yun Fan’s mind was racing, thoughts racing wildly that warned him it must not happen under any circumstances.

Zhuo Yan’s eyes drifted between the two of them. He pinched Zhuo Ning’s left arm, and the pale-skinned boy frowned in pain.

"Hurry up," Zhuo Yan urged quietly.

Zhuo Ning looked at Wen Haochen, just as he smiled—bright and pure, without a hint of impurity.

"Hao Chen," Zhuo Ning called out softly, his pale face giving off a fragile appearance.

Wen Haochen and Yun Fan both turned to look. Zhuo Ning mustered his courage and nodded: "I want to say, I want to say... the way you saved people was so cool!"

After saying this, Zhuo Ning ran off with a flushed face. Zhuo Yan and Zhu Zhiqian hurriedly bid farewell to the two and turned to chase after Zhuo Ning.

"Well, well, well, Master Hao Chen is quite charming," Yun Fan teased, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Wen Haochen.

Wen Haochen, having been praised—especially in front of Yun Fan—his tail was already up in the air.

Seeing his smug look, Yun Fan couldn’t help but laugh and said playfully, "Don’t hit the face when you fight. Next time, aim for somewhere else."

"Oh, okay," Wen Haochen said, swept the hair from his forehead with flair.

"Hiss..." Yun Fan suddenly remembered something and changed direction. "Come on, let’s go find that Caviar."

"No need, right? My brother has already let the matter drop," Wen Haochen hesitated.

"No!" Yun Fan said, exasperated. "That’s money your brother worked hard for. We can’t just let it go."

"Caviar, just you wait!"

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Author’s note: A callback [covering face and peeking].