Chapter 136 — The Young Couple

"Yes... yes, sir!" Zou Ruoming scrambled away. Wang Zhifeng was not a man he dared provoke.

Once Zou Ruoming had fled, Tang Yun remained where she stood, unsure whether she ought to leave as well. But Director Wang had not dismissed her, and she did not dare go on her own; she stood there, wary and small.

"Heh. Tang Yun, is it..." Wang Zhifeng's face changed in an instant from its earlier grim severity into a wide, beaming smile. "You weren't put out too badly, I hope?"

"No... thank you, Director!" Tang Yun shook her head.

"Good, that's good. If that Zou Ruoming brat gives you any more trouble, come and tell me, and I'll sort him out!" Wang Zhifeng said. "Come along, I'll walk you to your class. You're already late—if you go in like this, your teacher will most likely scold you."

"Ah?" Never in her wildest dreams had Tang Yun imagined Wang Zhifeng could be so kind and amiable to her. Was this really the same Director Wang who had thundered at her that day and sent her to the broadcasting room to deliver a self-criticism?

Today he was actually afraid she would be scolded by her teacher for walking into class late, and was volunteering to escort her himself!

Tang Yun was a top student—even if she was late, her teacher was unlikely to scold her much. But with Wang Zhifeng personally escorting her, the whole matter took on a different color; no teacher would dare say a word, assuming only that the director had summoned the student for some business, and that this was why she was late.

"Come along, heh." Wang Zhifeng nodded at Tang Yun with a smile. This was Wei Zhao's little girlfriend, and he had best be civil—otherwise, if that brat aired his sordid business, he would be in for no end of trouble.

"Oh..." Tang Yun was rather overwhelmed by the unexpected favor. Barely a day had passed, and the treatment could not have been more different... Could it be because of Wei Zhao? Was that why Director Wang was so kind to her? The thought brought back the scene from yesterday, Wei Zhao and Wang Zhifeng chatting away like old friends... It really was possible...

Tang Yun felt a stir of anger... Why was it that the moment her life brushed against his, everything turned smooth? Was all her own hard work worth less than a rich young master's connections?

Here Tang Yun had it wrong. Had Wei Zhao not held a hold over Wang Zhifeng, then even if he had been introduced by Uncle Qing, Wang Zhifeng would never have been so careful, much less troubled himself over Tang Yun's affairs.

But now he did not dare not to. Earlier he had taken Wei Zhao's call requesting leave, saying he was going to Captain Yang's office to give a statement; Yang Huaijun had sent word the day before, so Wang Zhifeng naturally asked no questions. But the crux of the matter was this: with Wei Zhao away from school, if his little girlfriend were harassed, and that brat, frantic and cornered, decided to spill what he had seen... would he not be finished?

"I'll give you my number. If anyone bothers you again, call me!" The more Wang Zhifeng thought, the more uneasy he became, and so he gave his number to Tang Yun. What if, the moment he left, Zou Ruoming came back?

"Ah..." Tang Yun was truly at a loss... This was too good a treatment, was it not? She had been at this school three years and had never once heard of Wang Zhifeng offering his number to a student, telling them to call him if they had a problem! Again because of Wei Zhao?

Anger rose in Tang Yun's heart, and an unreasonable remark slipped out: "And what if Wei Zhao bothers me?"

"Uh..." Wang Zhifeng was briefly stunned, then smiled bitterly. "You two lovebirds quarrelling—no need to drag me into it..."

Before Tang Yun he had no need to put on the solemn airs of a director of academic affairs. Wei Zhao knew his business inside out; what was the point of pretending?

"Lovebirds?" Tang Yun nearly missed her footing and went down on the floor. She and Wei Zhao... were lovebirds? The crux of it was that this had come out of Wang Zhifeng's mouth.

"All right, I'll take you in!" Wang Zhifeng said no more, for they had reached the door of Senior Class 9, and he knocked.

Tang Yun was speechless. The stern impression the director of academic affairs had left on her before, and the man of today—they were simply not the same... not the same at all... Was this the same Director Wang who flew into a fury whenever he caught a boy and girl being the slightest bit intimate on the school field? When the homeroom teacher of Senior Class 9 saw that it was the director himself knocking, she hurried over to open the door. "Director Wang, is something the matter?"

"Oh, nothing at all. I escorted Tang Yun here," Wang Zhifeng said, indicating Tang Yun. "She's a fine student, very good! Mm... where good students are concerned, we teachers ought to be a little more lenient, give them some space of their own, and not interfere too much in her private affairs!"

Wang Zhifeng dropped a hint for Tang Yun's homeroom teacher. He had to; if she discovered the business between Tang Yun and Wei Zhao and stuck her oar in, that brat would panic and use him as a talking point... And so Wang Zhifeng made himself perfectly clear.

"Ah? All right..." Tang Yun's homeroom teacher was slightly taken aback at his words. What was the relationship between Tang Yun and Director Wang, that he should speak up for her like this? Because Tang Yun's marks were good, the homeroom teacher had always treated her well—but a special word from the director of academic affairs was quite another matter...

"Mm, it's nothing. I'll be going." Wang Zhifeng nodded, and at the last added to Tang Yun, "If anything comes up, call me directly!"

"Oh... goodbye, Director Wang..." Tang Yun's mind was a whirl, filled entirely with those words of Wang Zhifeng's—"lovebirds"...

Damn it. Wei Zhao had not said something to Director Wang, had he? And so Director Wang had got the wrong idea? But then, just what was Wei Zhao's background, that Director Wang should side with him like this?

What had happened this morning made Tang Yun think of a question of the utmost importance. Zou Ruoming and Zhong Yongliang were hardly without backing either, yet she had never seen Wang Zhifeng treat them with a kindly face. When they saw Wang Zhifeng, were they not like mice before a cat?

But Wei Zhao was different... At this moment Tang Yun began to doubt her earlier guess. Was it merely because Wei Zhao had connections? That did not seem to be it either... Could it be that Wei Zhao had another side, one unknown to others?

Back at her seat, Tang Yun took out her textbook, yet could not read a word of it. In her heart, in her mind, over and over, played the scene of Wei Zhao shielding her on the bus that morning, and those strange words of Wang Zhifeng...

How was she so unlucky... Just as graduation drew near, she had run into such a creature... Was she never to escape the palm of his hand?

Tang Yun felt rather dejected and gave a faint sigh... The most exasperating part was that even her mother had been bewitched by this person... Ah! Something of great importance suddenly came back to Tang Yun!

Her mother had told her to get the formula out of Wei Zhao today! That morning, flustered and alarmed, she had actually forgotten all about it! And when she got off the bus, Wei Zhao's words had muddled her further still, so that she had not asked him for the formula along the way!

What a tragedy. Did it mean she would have to go to his classroom and look for him once more?

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