Chapter 41 I’m Poor

Chapter 41: I'm Broke

However, Zhang Yuantao didn't lose his temper. He just blanked for a second, then his entire face flushed red, stammering incoherently:

"You... what the hell are you talking about? I'm not small! I'm big! If you don't believe me, I'll show you! We can compare! I'm not small at all!"

Cheng Feng's ears turned bright red. He was screaming internally, *What's wrong with this guy? Why does he want to show me?*

Zhang Yuantao seemed really set off by the words "little guy" and actually made as if to pull down his pants.

Cheng Feng was so scared he kept backing away, feeling like he was about to see something that would scar him for life. He made a beeline for the door:

"Alright, alright, you win. You're the biggest, you're the most impressive."

He gave up.

Why would someone care so much about something like this? He had just said it without thinking.

He hadn't even made it a few steps when Zhang Yuantao grabbed his arm, fixing him with a deadly serious glare:

"Pretty impressive, huh?"

Cheng Feng died a little inside, barely holding back the urge to roll his eyes, and said dryly:

"I'm impressed. You're the most majestic man I've ever seen."

Zhang Yuantao was over the moon with the word "majestic." He let go with a smug grin, turned around, and ran over to Shang Shaohao and his group, loudly boasting about his mighty prowess, even claiming that the new guy Cheng Feng had bowed to his superiority.

The bell for class rang. This period was English class.

The English teacher was a foreigner who taught entirely in English, speaking as fast as a machine gun.

Cheng Feng felt his head buzzing.

His English was already average, and now he was completely lost. He could only glue his eyes to the blackboard, trying to parse the teacher's words sentence by sentence in his mind.

For this entire class, he couldn't understand anything, let alone keep an eye on Shang Shaohao.

Fortunately, this time he wasn't called on.

Otherwise, he would have made a fool of himself.

The moment the dismissal bell rang, lunch break began.

Cheng Feng had just stood up, ready to go to the cafeteria.

Shang Shaohao immediately slung an arm over his shoulder, pinning him with a sharp look.

"Going somewhere?"

Cheng Feng flinched, feeling a chill run down his spine:

"Hao, what's wrong?"

"Let's go, we'll eat together." Shang Shaohao said, steering him directly toward the door.

Zhang Yuantao, walking beside Shang Shaohao, did a double-take. Shang Shaohao usually disliked physical contact with others, let alone actively pushing someone along.

Why was Cheng Feng so close to Shang Shaohao? Even he, who had been Shang Shaohao's close friend for years, had never enjoyed such treatment.

Of course, Zhang Yuantao didn't know that Shang Shaohao had been taken care of by Cheng Feng in his nanny-like role every day. He was already used to Cheng Feng's proximity and naturally didn't feel any aversion to his physical presence.

The three of them made their way to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was a bustling, noisy hive of activity.

All around were students impeccably dressed in their fine uniforms, each exuding an innate sense of confidence and superiority.

Cheng Feng couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

*It really is a posh school. Every student looks posh and polished.*

While he was observing others, others were observing him too.

In this school, who wouldn't recognize Shang Shaohao?

For someone to be standing that close to him was a first. Previously, it was always Zhang Yuantao by his side, but this time there was an unfamiliar figure.

Immediately, whispers started around them:

"Who's that guy standing next to Hao?"

"Don't know, never seen him before, but he's quite good-looking."

Cheng Feng was pushed to the front of the food service window. The sight of the menu—dish names alongside their prices—stopped him cold.

*So expensive?*

A simple plate of vegetables cost over a hundred yuan. This wasn't a cafeteria; it was clearly a star-rated restaurant.

He couldn't help but grumble internally.

*Are there really no poor people in this school? Why doesn't the school have a window where ordinary people can afford to eat?*

After he got his food, he finally understood.

It wasn't that there was no "poor people's section"; it was that almost no one was willing to go there.

Because as soon as you went to that side to get food, you'd be stared at by countless eyes, as if standing under a spotlight, being watched by all the rich people.

Students nowadays all care about face. Even those from families with very average conditions would rather grit their teeth and get food in the rich section than go to the poor section and lose face.

Moreover, going to the poor section not only meant being looked down upon by the rich but also risked not making friends or being bullied by the high-and-mighty rich kids.

Cheng Feng looked at the tray in his hands, his heart bleeding. This single meal cost him over two hundred yuan, and that was after deliberately picking the cheapest dishes.

He decided he would definitely go to the poor section to get food in the future, or simply bring his own meals.

*Every little bit of saving helps.*

Although he was also thin-skinned and cared about face, at this moment, he understood more clearly: *If I have no money left, what's the use of face? Face can't be eaten.*

After getting his food, he followed Shang Shaohao and Zhang Yuantao to find a seat.

Zhang Yuantao glanced at his tray and said in surprise, "Why did you get so little meat? Do you like vegetarian food?"

In his understanding, anyone who could get into this school wouldn't come from a family with poor conditions. It never even crossed his mind that it could be about "not having money."

Cheng Feng smiled awkwardly and told the truth:

"I'm poor," Cheng Feng said.

Zhang Yuantao didn't take it seriously—who in this school could be poor? He assumed Cheng Feng had deliberately ordered a plate of vegetarian dishes just to lose weight.

The school's food was actually decent, though compared to the meticulously prepared dishes by the Shang family's chef, it seemed a bit rough.

Shang Shaohao ate a few bites casually before putting down his chopsticks; he had little appetite.

Cheng Feng glanced at the almost untouched meat on his plate and couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

What a waste.

In the afternoon, sunlight streamed through the window onto the desks, and Shang Shaohao was once again slumped over his desk, sound asleep.

Cheng Feng was perplexed.

The young master had already taken a nap at noon, so why was he still struggling to keep his eyes open?

He remembered that Shang Shaohao had gone to bed at his usual time last night and shouldn't have sneaked out, yet now he appeared as exhausted as if he'd pulled several all-nighters.

The methods Cheng Feng had tried before were completely ineffective on Shang Shaohao.

This young master was a tough nut to crack—unyielding and impervious to persuasion, refusing to listen in class. Earlier, he had even come close to hitting Cheng Feng.

If Cheng Feng hadn't name-dropped the elder brother to pressure him, Shang Shaohao might have really dared to throw punches in the classroom.

This time, Cheng Feng simply gave up on urging him to pay attention. He himself had a mountain of material he couldn't understand, so he could only focus even harder on keeping up with the teacher.

For him, not a single minute could be wasted.

After the first class of the afternoon ended, the classroom became a bit more lively.

A really cute girl walked over, sat in the empty seat in front of Cheng Feng, greeted him, and started chatting. Suddenly, she asked about his family situation.

Cheng Feng was taken aback, thinking everyone already knew, but it turned out some people were still unaware.

He opened his mouth, about to answer truthfully, when a cold voice suddenly came from behind.

"Are you that bored? Asking this and that—are you a cop?"

Shang Shaohao had woken up at some point and was now looking up, glaring at the girl with an intimidatingly cold gaze.

Under his stare, the girl froze, the color instantly draining from her face.

She hadn't meant any harm, just curiosity, but under those unfriendly eyes, she felt a chill down her spine. She quickly stood up and almost scurried away from the seat.

Cheng Feng turned around, looking at him with confusion:

"Young... Brother Hao, why did you..."

"Are you an idiot?" Shang Shaohao cut him off bluntly. "This is a prestigious school. Do you understand the rules? You fool, if you dare say one more word, you won't even know how you'll crawl back tomorrow."

Cheng Feng was stunned.

"Why... why? What rules?" he instinctively lowered his voice. "Does this school have a rule against revealing your identity?"

He leaned in a little closer and whispered:

"Young master, I really don't understand. Can you explain it to me?"

Shang Shaohao met his beautiful phoenix eyes, which held a hint of pleading, and his gaze faltered slightly. He coughed lightly and pushed Cheng Feng's head away.

"Stay away from me. If you want to know, go find out yourself. Don't bother me. Didn't my brother tell you? Why don't you ask him?"

Cheng Feng pursed his lips, feeling somewhat wronged.

"How would your brother know the rules of your school... I'm just asking you. Can't you tell me?"

His tone was earnest, his eyes sincere, with no intention of opposing him at all.

Shang Shaohao felt a bit uncomfortable under his gaze and shifted his eyes slightly before lowering his voice:

"Anyway, remember this: never expose your identity. Otherwise, you'll be bullied badly. Don't think I'll protect you—I have no obligation to do that."

He paused. "This is the world of the wealthy. As soon as a soft target that looks easy to bully appears, the cat-and-mouse game starts immediately. Understand?"

His tone was casual, yet carried a sense of familiarity, as if he had personally participated in such "games" before and knew the rules inside out.

Cheng Feng was stunned.

He didn't really grasp the intricacies.

Before this, he had always been a genuine country boy, attending the most ordinary schools in town, with no real wealthy people around him.

He didn't know what the world of the rich was like, nor did he understand their invisible rules.

But from Shang Shaohao's words, he vaguely gathered one thing: he must never expose his identity, and he must never let them know that he was weak.