Chapter 4 – So You're the One Who Led Chen Xing Astray?
"What's going on here? Mr. Wang, are you trying to hit someone?"
Wang Zeming turned around and was surprised to see Zhou Peng.
Zhou Peng was known as a troublemaker in class, hot-tempered, explosive, and completely lacking the respect most students showed toward teachers. No one knew what he'd been through in the past, but every teacher hated dealing with him and generally avoided getting involved.
"Zhou Peng? Didn't you already leave?" Wang Zeming asked, then looked at Chen Xing and nodded as if something had suddenly become clear.
"Oh, I get it now. So you're the one who led Chen Xing astray? I was wondering, he used to be such a well-behaved kid."
Zhou Peng almost burst out laughing.
Chen Xing had toned down a bit since starting vocational school, but "well-behaved" was hardly the word anyone would use to describe him.
Back in junior high, he had once chased down a group of seven or eight bullies by himself just to stand up for a classmate. That kind of boldness made him a legend. If Chen Xing had stayed in their town for high school, plenty of kids would've followed him without question.
Well-behaved?
Please.
Zhou Xiaoqing tried to de-escalate. "Since you haven't left yet, that's good. Take a couple of days to rest. I'll talk to the factory and see if we can get you reassigned to a better position."
"Reassigned? Again with this reassignment nonsense?" Zhou Peng raised his voice. "Do you think we came here for a real job? You want to change our position? Do you even know what our majors are? I'm in Tourism Management. Chen Xing is studying Hotel Management. Management! Yet here we are in Guangzhou tightening screws!"
"This is an internship," Zhou Xiaoqing said weakly. "It's to help build your real-world experience." She noticed a crowd beginning to gather around them and quickly added, "Let's talk somewhere else, alright? Maybe the cafeteria? The food there is pretty good."
Zhou Peng had originally come just to pick up Chen Xing, but the more he talked, the angrier he got.
"You've got the nerve to praise the cafeteria? We've been standing from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. The food is always cold and bland. Do you even realize how many girls have been crying in private these past few days? And you have the nerve to say the food's good? Enjoying your hot meals while we suffer?"
By now, the crowd had grown larger. Zhou Xiaoqing didn't want to speak anymore, and for once, even Wang Zeming was silent.
Zhou Peng, emboldened, continued without mercy.
"Me, Quan Jing, and Chen Xing, we're all leaving today. And we won't be returning to the school next year either. If you try to withhold our graduation certificates, I swear I'll go public. I'll expose how you recruit students just to work in factories. Don't think I won't contact the media."
Chen Xing was stunned.
He was brave, sure, but it had never crossed his mind to openly defy his teachers like this.
And not returning next year?
Would they get expelled?
Even though he wasn't afraid of other students, he'd always feared teachers. From kindergarten onward, it had been drilled into him that teachers held authority. It was a deeply ingrained instinct, passed down through centuries of Confucian culture.
Which made Zhou Peng's boldness all the more impressive.
They walked about ten meters before Chen Xing finally recovered and said, "Damn! I never realized how badass you are."
Zhou Peng grinned smugly. "I'm not even enrolled in that school anymore, what's there to be afraid of? They should be afraid of me, afraid I'll really expose them."
"I've heard this kind of thing happens in vocational schools all over the country. Even if you go public, will it really change anything?"
"Maybe not, but they don't want to take that risk."
When they reached the main gate, they saw Quan Jing waiting with both her and Zhou Peng's luggage.
Quan Jing was in the same class as them, very pretty, with features that resembled a social media influencer's, though hers were completely natural. She wore a pair of pink-rimmed glasses that gave her a mature, classy vibe. She looked like a refined young teacher, and her appearance hadn't changed a bit in all these years.
It had been nearly four years now.
Chen Xing felt a wave of nostalgia.
He still remembered when Zhou Peng had been the most handsome boy in class, now he was just ordinary. And Chen Xing, who had once been a rebellious but cute troublemaker, had somehow become the kind of guy who got dozens of comments from girls whenever he posted on social media.
Life was wild.
Studying away from home had its perks, no one knew anything about your past.
Chen Xing remembered what Zhou Peng said yesterday and turned to Quan Jing. "I heard you weren't feeling well and took the day off. Are you feeling better now?"
Quan Jing gave a startled "ah" and her face turned red.
Zhou Peng quickly jumped in, trying to change the subject. "Alright, alright. What do you guys want to eat?"
It was a clear attempt to steer the conversation away, but Chen Xing had actually been thinking about food.
"I've been in Guangzhou this long and still haven't tried clay pot rice or char siu buns. I have no idea what they taste like. Let's go find a place to try them."
"No problem. Let's find a proper Cantonese restaurant and splurge a little."
The three of them stood by the roadside, trying to flag down a cab. They waved at several empty ones, but none of the drivers wanted to stop once they saw all the luggage.
After ten minutes, they finally got one to pull over.
Chen Xing climbed into the front passenger seat. The driver asked, "Where to, handsome?"
"We want to grab something to eat first. Do you know any good places you can recommend?"
"There are plenty."
From the back seat, Quan Jing had just settled in when she heard Chen Xing speak. Surprised, she said, "Chen Xing, when did you get so good at Mandarin? You scared me, I thought someone else got in the car."
Chen Xing chuckled. "Just practiced recently."
The driver said, "You're from Sichuan, right? Brother, so am I. I'm from Mianyang."
Zhou Peng overheard this as he got in and laughed. "We're all from Tiancheng! That's not far from Mianyang. We almost went to school there too, but in the end, we chose Tiancheng. Wrong call, honestly."
As the driver pulled onto the road, he chatted casually. "Vocational school students, right? Can't stand the factory and want to head back?"
"You've got a sharp eye, sir."
"Of course. Every April, May, September, and October, I see loads of students just like you, groups of you everywhere. Take a look."
He gestured toward the window.
Along the road, factories lined both sides, and outside stood clusters of young people with suitcases in hand.
Chen Xing hadn't realized there were so many "deserters" like them.
Zhou Peng said, "Well, Guangzhou's full of factories. No matter how many people show up, they can all be absorbed. Other provinces don't have it this easy. But seriously, Chen Xing, what's up with your accent? Have you been secretly practicing? You sound totally different from before."
"Gone is the Sichuan drawl, right? I've been working on it for a while."
Chen Xing was proud.
Even though the skill came from the system, he had genuinely practiced for a long time.
To lose his Sichuan accent, he watched the news every day and mimicked the anchors.
Not that it helped much.
For people from the southwest, unless they receive professional training, it's extremely difficult to speak flawless Mandarin. Sometimes, the more they try, the worse it gets.
"You still haven't said where you want to go."
The three looked at each other, speechless. In the end, they let the driver decide.
"Planning to leave today, right? Why don't I take you to Tianhe Food Street? Lots of good restaurants there, and it's close to the train station. After you eat, you can walk to the station in just a few minutes."
"What about the airport?" Zhou Peng quickly asked.
"It's close too. After your meal, it'll be just a 30-minute cab ride. Honestly, there's nothing to eat near the airport, so you're better off enjoying a good meal before heading over. Sound good?"
"Sounds perfect. Let's go where you suggested."
(End of Chapter)