Chapter 35: A Bet—Inviting the Beauty to Climb Mount Tai
“Alright.”
Qu Peng and Li Liang nodded in unison, signaling their agreement.
“So, who’s going first?”
Wang Fan raised an eyebrow, issuing a challenge to the two of them.
“You,” they replied simultaneously.
“You two are really something…”
Wang Fan laughed in exasperation, swaggering as he hopped out of the car. “Fine, I’ll go first. I’ve got money, I’ve got looks—there’s no way I can’t win over a girl.”
“Stop boasting and get on with it,” Li Liang said, unable to stand his smug attitude, kicking him as he spoke.
“You asked me to go first,” Wang Fan dodged the kick, still bantering. “If the class rep agrees, don’t regret it later.”
“We’ll see if she agrees,” Qu Peng said, convinced Wang Fan wouldn’t succeed, grinning as he waited for the show to unfold.
“Hurry up, quit stalling.”
Li Liang shared the sentiment, waving him away.
“Just wait, I’ll show you what real charm looks like.” Wang Fan flicked his hair, full of bravado, and strode toward where Lin Xiyu was standing.
—
The alley beside the Wang Mansion’s pond was narrow, and anyone passing by could see everything clearly.
Lin Xiyu had long noticed the three whispering not far away. When Wang Fan walked toward her, she raised her brows in slight surprise.
The three were Gu Bin’s childhood friends, and she knew they were close. At school, she’d dealt with them plenty, but only as classmates—there was no real friendship.
Especially Wang Fan, who flaunted his family’s wealth, rode his motorcycle around town, challenged the authority of the dean, and was infamous for being a troublemaker in class.
If it weren’t for her role as class representative and English monitor, forcing her to interact with him when collecting homework, she would have preferred not to get involved with the silly son of the landlord at all.
“Heh, class rep, I came to warn you—someone’s up to no good, betting they can win you over…”
Wang Fan approached, his demeanor shifting instantly; the cool, cocky attitude vanished, and he pretended to be quite close to Lin Xiyu, slyly throwing his buddies under the bus.
“Who?” Lin Xiyu’s delicate brows knitted in displeasure as she glanced toward Li Liang and Qu Peng.
“Tsk, what’s he saying about us?” Li Liang’s eyes flickered, a chill running down his back.
“Probably nothing good,” Qu Peng sensed something was off, quickly averting his gaze, unable to meet her eyes.
“Heh, class rep is smart. That’s right—it’s those two,” Wang Fan thought their reactions betrayed their guilt and couldn’t help but laugh, brazenly throwing them under the bus. “Those two don’t even know who they are, daring to covet the class rep. I truly despise their sordid behavior, so I came to warn you. They made a bet: whoever can invite the class rep to climb Mount Tai wins, and you’d be his girlfriend.”
Lin Xiyu laughed in anger. “They can bet all they want, but did anyone ask my opinion?”
“Exactly!” Wang Fan shamelessly continued, “Even if the class rep is interested, the initiative should be yours. Why should they decide the winner just by betting?”
“Go back and tell them I don’t want to climb Mount Tai,” Lin Xiyu’s expression darkened further as she listened, her anger rising. “And don’t bother me again.”
“Yes, right away…” Wang Fan, having slyly uncovered the class rep’s thoughts and eliminated two rivals, felt immensely pleased.
He put on a performance, mimicking a eunuch from a palace drama, bowed theatrically, and as he turned away, adopted a dejected look, scurrying back.