Chapter 7, Section 007: This person is under my protection. ...
As expected, Chenzhoudu became famous in the light water experiment.
A top student from Shanghai, with a cool and handsome appearance, and treated like a national treasure by school leaders... all these factors contributed to his rapid rise to fame on the experimental campus.
After the first class that day, almost everyone on the floor where Class 1 of the senior year was located had already heard that the handsome guy from that morning was in Class 1.
After the two morning classes and the morning exercise break, the name "Chenzhou Ferry" had spread throughout the entire Qingshui campus.
Many people would deliberately walk past the window of Class 1, Grade 12 after class, and the class would always attract a lot of onlookers during their morning exercises.
Even Fang Jiayuan jokingly said that since the start of the new semester, their class seemed to have become a tiger on display in a shop window, and he repeatedly reminded everyone to concentrate on fighting against the senior year of high school and not to be distracted by other things.
The attention he received at school didn't significantly affect Chen Zhoudu's daily life, but he could clearly sense that Xia Chan seemed to genuinely treat him as if he had never known her since he enrolled.
On the first day of school, after school, Shen Zhoudu wanted to ask Xia Chan if she wanted to leave, but Xia Chan had already stepped out of the school gate, gotten on Huang Mao's motorcycle, and sped away.
The next morning, Chen Zhoudu intended to wait for Xia Chan to ask her if she wanted to go to school together.
She had already left much earlier.
Chen Zhoudu wanted to ask her why countless times, but her early departures and late returns meant that Chen Zhoudu almost never had a chance to talk to her alone.
Gradually, he gave up. She had always been a very strong-willed person; even if he had gotten the information, so what?
These days, more and more people are secretly following the sunken boat home.
Chen Zhoudu could sense that the number of people on the bus he was on was gradually increasing. Many girls would get on and off the bus at the stop before or after his stop, secretly watching to see where he lived.
Someone discovered that he lived in "Du" in Shanfeng Lane and was curious about his relationship with Xia Chan. Not daring to ask Xia Chan, they asked Lala and Pang Hu instead.
Lala and Fatty Tiger didn't dare to say much, so they just said he was a tenant.
The news quickly spread privately, attracting many people to "visit" Shanfeng Lane and "Du" every day.
On several occasions, Grandma saw people in school uniforms peeking around and loitering near the entrance of the "Ferry".
She initially thought something had happened to her classmates at school, but when she went out to ask, they hurriedly ran away with furrowed brows. After several such incidents, Grandma was completely baffled.
"Stop turning the 'ferry' into a tourist attraction."
One evening after dinner, Chen Zhoudu helped his grandmother pick up the bowls and sat in the yard to cool off. Xia Chan opened a can of cola and leaned against it not far away, watching him mischievously.
Chenzhou Ferry was naturally aware of the subtle changes in Shanfeng Lane and "Ferry" recently, and couldn't help but lower his eyes apologetically, saying, "I'm sorry for causing you trouble."
Xia Chan chuckled, "What am I worried about! Grandma's rice wine and milk tea have sold out these past two days, she's so happy! You're our family's cash cow now!"
Grandma Xia would sometimes make rice wine and milk tea for the hotel guests. Any leftovers would be sold at the entrance of the "ferry".
They set up a small table and wrote the price on cardboard, which was much cheaper than the market price, but they usually couldn't sell out.
These drinks have been selling out very quickly these past few days, almost selling out shortly after being put out. There have even been girls in school uniforms who came in specifically to ask about them.
But there was a hint of mockery in her words, so Chen Zhoudu pursed his lips even tighter and remained silent.
"...Oh, if you want to give it to him, give it to him yourself! I'm not a delivery station!"
A faint sound came from the Chao family's courtyard next door. Xia Chan smiled upon hearing it, "It seems that someone else is in trouble."
She then lazily got up and walked out of the courtyard. Chen Zhoudu sighed and followed her. They saw a girl talking to Lala at the entrance of the Chao family courtyard.
Spicy's hair had turned into ordinary straight black hair, and her face was full of reluctance.
The girl, wearing a school uniform, was holding a box that looked like a chocolate box with a pink bow, and she was pleading with her.
"La La," Xia Chan called out.
Seeing the two of them come out, the girl paused slightly, then her face flushed red. She glanced at Chen Zhoudu, turned around, and hurriedly ran away. Before leaving, she shoved the box into Lala's arms.
"Hey—" Lala held up the box and tried to chase after her, but she had already disappeared in a hurry. Helpless, she had no choice but to turn back and hand the box to Chen Zhoudu. "Here, this is for you."
Chen Zhoudu glanced down at it but didn't take it, saying, "I don't want it."
"..." Lala paused, holding the box, now looking genuinely annoyed. She frowned and shoved it into his arms without a word, "Oh, if you don't want it, go give it back to her yourself! So annoying!" She turned and left.
Chen Zhoudu held the box, unsure of what to do with it.
Xia Chan stared at his expression for a while, then smiled teasingly, "Why don't you want it? It was given to you so thoughtfully, and it even has a ribbon tied on it."
Chen Zhoudu glanced at her and inexplicably felt that the box had suddenly become hot to the touch. He asked, "...Do you know her? I'll return it to her tomorrow."
Xia Chan paused for a moment, then smiled and shook her head before turning back to the courtyard. After taking a few steps, she stopped and looked back, "Oh, right."
She pointed to the chocolate in his hand, "If you give it to her like this tomorrow, she'll really become a laughing stock."
The next day, after much deliberation, Chen Zhoudu decided not to return the chocolate to the girl, only to learn that she was from another class.
When class ended, she and another friend deliberately walked past the door of Class 1, only to run into Chen Zhoudu, who had just returned from washing his hands in the restroom. She blushed and ran away shyly in an instant.
Xia Chan acted as if she didn't know him, and even when she saw the girl bumping into him through the window, she acted as if nothing had happened.
She gave a barely perceptible smirk, then lazily lay down to sleep again.
That day after school, while Shen Zhoudu was waiting for the bus as usual, a young man with hair even more yellow than Huang Mao's came up to him with two other people and asked in a somewhat unfriendly tone, "Are you Shen Zhoudu?"
Chenzhoudu didn't understand, but he still nodded.
The blond-haired guy grabbed his neck and led him to the other side, saying, "Come with us."
Shen Zhoudu disliked being touched by strangers, so he indifferently opened his hand and told him to put it down.
Jiao Huangmao laughed "Yoho!" and rubbed his hands together as he stepped forward, seemingly about to force himself on him.
Just then, a bus pulled into the station, and the group of them blocked the entrance. Several students who were also waiting for the bus complained rather rudely.
"Hold your tongues, all of you! If this kid doesn't come with us today, nobody's leaving! Hold your tongues!"
Jiao Huangmao pointed a finger at them and roared. The students from Experimental Middle School dared not speak out. Chen Zhoudu frowned and said in a cold voice, "Let them in the station, I'll go with you."
"The sunken boat crosses the river..."
He was about to leave with them. Several girls who had been following him around these past few days couldn't help but worry and whispered.
Jiao Huangmao and the others tried to stop them, but Chen Zhoudu turned around, shook his head at them, and quietly gave them a look towards the school before walking away with them.
They stopped at a secluded corner not far from the school, and Chen Zhoudu noticed that there were still a few people standing there.
His hair was a riot of red, yellow, green, and gray, like a rainbow of flamboyant, outlandish styles. The one who looked most like the leader had a red rooster-like comb, wore a T-shirt covered in skulls, and didn't look very old, maybe seventeen or eighteen at most. He had a faded gold chain around his neck, a cigarette dangling from his lips, and squinted at him, saying, "You're Chen Zhoudu?"
Chen Zhoudu frowned slightly, taking a step back as he was overwhelmed by the smell of smoke. The gang leader assumed he was afraid and sneered, "So it's you? The one who seduced Nana and made her fall for someone else!"
Chen Zhoudu was genuinely taken aback and frowned slightly, having no idea who Nana was...
"Damn it! I've been chasing Nana for so long, and she was about to agree, and then you bastard ditched me! You're pretty good at ruining other people's relationships, huh?! I'll see what you're capable of today! I'll fuck you..."
Amidst his grumbling and swearing, Chen Zhoudu roughly understood that he had a girl he liked named Nana, who attended the Experimental Middle School.
As a result, during the time he transferred to the lab, Nana seemed to become his little fangirl, and resolutely rejected her older brother's pursuit, claiming that she would follow Chenzhoudu forever.
Before Chen Zhoudu could even remain silent in the face of this undeserved calamity, the gangster had already forced him to say, "If you don't kneel down and admit your mistake today, I'll let you know who's in charge of Qingshui!"
He frowned, about to speak, when suddenly a stone flew out of nowhere from a short distance away.
It flew with great accuracy, hitting the older brother squarely on the rooster's comb. The older brother, clutching his head in a fit of rage, was about to yell, "Who the hell is this—" but the words caught in his throat.
About ten meters away from the corner, Xia Chan leaned against Huang Mao's motorcycle, tossing another stone around in her hand, her gaze cold and indifferent.
Chen Zhoudu was slightly taken aback, but she didn't even glance at him. She just kept playing with the stone and gave the man with the rooster-comb haircut a smile that wasn't really a smile, calling out to him, "Sun Qiang."
She asked, "What are you doing?"
Sun Qiang narrowed his eyes, the ruthlessness in them suddenly disappearing, replaced by a surprised and playful look. "Xia Chan?"
Then he scratched his head and walked up to me meaningfully, "I asked you to date me before, but you refused. Now you've come to me in person. What's the meaning of this...?"
He casually tried to put his arm around her shoulder, but the blond-haired man grabbed his wrist and twisted it backward.
Sun Qiang immediately started howling in pain, and his henchmen rushed forward, but Xia Chan gave them a cold look and they all stopped and dared not move.
Chen Zhoudu's heart skipped a second. Worried that she might really start a fight, he quickly stepped forward as well. He wanted to say something, but he held back and pursed his lips.
Xia Chan met his gaze silently for a moment before looking away, then glanced coolly at Sun Qiang and asked, "Can you speak properly now?"
"Yes! Yes... yes..."
Sun Qiang couldn't take it anymore and quickly begged for mercy in a trembling voice.
After being shoved away by the blond-haired man, she clutched her arm and lingered for a while before saying, "Xia Chan... didn't we already agree? I won't cause trouble in your territory, and you won't interfere in my affairs. We'll keep to ourselves, right?"
“Yes,” Xia Chan said calmly, “but this person is under my protection.”
Sun Qiang was taken aback. "Isn't he staying at your shop?"
"yes."
"How can that be considered true!"
"It's because he gave too much."
Sunken Boat Crossing: "..."
Sun Qiang couldn't swallow this insult, yet he was also afraid of Xia Chan and Huang Mao's presence. He was determined to get an explanation from Chen Zhoudu about Nana today, or else he would teach him a lesson, even if it meant destroying their so-called "peace agreement."
Xia Chan couldn't help but laugh after hearing the reason, and she put on that playful laugh again, "Don't worry."
She glanced at Chenzhoudu with a half-smile, "Apart from going to and from school, he spends almost 20 hours a day with me, eating, sleeping, and attending classes. He really doesn't have time to mess around with your Nana."
These words sounded somewhat ambiguous, and Chen Zhoudu froze for a moment, pursing his lips, coughing lightly, and lowering his head. The henchmen behind Sun Qiang also exchanged deep glances, revealing unusual expressions.
Sun Qiang's eyebrows were practically knitted together as he looked them up and down several times, finally letting out a disdainful sneer, "What a pretty boy!" and then left.
Huang Mao still disliked Shen Zhoudu intensely, and gave him a disdainful sneer before turning to start his motorcycle.
After the scene had calmed down, Xia Chan looked him up and down to make sure he wasn't hurt, and said, "Sun Qiang and his gang are from the vocational school. Although they're not exactly local bullies, they can be ruthless when they really want to. Try not to provoke them. If you can't beat them, at least avoid them. Be careful in the future."
After she finished speaking, she turned to follow the blond-haired man. Chen Zhoudu quickly caught up, calling out, "Wait..."
However, before he could speak, another group of people rushed towards them from the school gate in a great show; it was the dean of students leading a line of security guards.
The head of student affairs pointed at the blond-haired boy and yelled, "You little brat! I knew it was you who bullied our students! I've seen you at the school gate several times! You stop right there! Stop right there! Your parents are over there, have them come and tell you we've already called the police!"
Huang Mao Xia Chan Chen Zhou Du: "..."
A note from the author:
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Thank you "Hoshino" for the nutrient solution [rose], goodnight everyone [blue heart]
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