"Chest Hair Bro" walked onto the podium with a stern face and launched into a lengthy, droning speech filled with the usual freshman orientation platitudes. Many students in the class found it tiresome, their chests tight and eyes rolling. It took a good half hour before he finally paused.
"Qin Luoshui has transferred schools, which is a great regret," Chest Hair Bro said with a sigh that made Zhang Fan want to laugh.
"But what pains me even more are the words her mother spoke," Chest Hair Bro continued, his voice tinged with emotion. "Her mother said that one of the boys in our class had been harassing her, affecting her studies, and that it was the reason she had to transfer."
"To think that something like this would happen in my class, it breaks my heart. Now, I ask that boy to please come forward voluntarily. I believe he owes me an explanation."
Though Chest Hair Bro didn't name anyone, his sharp gaze fell directly on Zhang Fan, his meaning clear.
The entire class followed suit, their gazes all turning towards Zhang Fan. They knew Qin Luoshui and Zhang Fan were dating, but they hadn't realized Zhang Fan faced such strong opposition from Qin Luoshui's mother. They cast Zhang Fan a look of mild sympathy.
Of course, there were also those who reveled in his misfortune. After all, Qin Luoshui and Qiao Ruxin were considered the two belles of Class Two, and among the most beautiful girls in the entire Seventh Middle School. For an ordinary boy like Zhang Fan to have snatched one of them was like a flower being stuck in dung, which naturally made them unhappy.
Facing a multitude of gazes filled with various emotions, Zhang Fan remained unperturbed. A black gel pen twirled and danced in his agile fingers. He kept his head down, engrossed in his play, as if he hadn't heard Chest Hair Bro's outburst.
Beside him, Zhuo Tairan stared at Zhang Fan in astonishment. Zhang Fan had just mentioned that the homeroom teacher would come looking for trouble, and it had happened so quickly. Could the kid be a fortune teller?
"Zhang Fan, I'm talking to you! Stop pretending to be profound! Get up now," Chest Hair Bro exclaimed in anger, seeing Zhang Fan's lack of self-awareness.
Qin Luoshui's academic performance consistently placed her among the top three in the entire grade, a standing that would almost certainly secure her admission to one of the nation's top universities. Yet, she was transferring because of Zhang Fan. This was a significant loss.
More importantly, it was due to Qin Luoshui's family influence. When Qin Luoshui's mother came to handle the transfer procedures, the principal himself had personally received her. He couldn't forget how deferential and fawning the principal had been towards Qin Luoshui's mother.
Considering that the principal of Donghai Seventh Middle School was already on par with some deputy-bureau-level officials in Donghai City, not to mention his network of connections, his utter lack of disrespect towards Qin Luoshui's mother indicated the astonishing status of her background.
This made Chest Hair Bro feel an inexplicable anger whenever he saw Zhang Fan. If Qin Luoshui had continued to study at Donghai Seventh Middle School, he might have been able to forge some connections with her, which would have been beneficial for his career advancement. However, all of that had been ruined by this student with no background whatsoever.
Before leaving, Qin Luoshui's mother had specifically emphasized her strong dislike for a student named Zhang Fan, making her intentions abundantly clear.
Chest Hair Bro's sudden roar had caught everyone off guard. Although he usually enjoyed lecturing students, it was typically a tiresome, drawn-out affair. Today, however, he seemed remarkably ferocious.
Zhang Fan sneered inwardly. In his previous life, it was precisely because Qin Luoshui's mother, Li Songlan, had spoken to "Chest Hair" that Zhang Fan had endured constant harassment from him throughout his senior year. But in this life, Zhang Fan was prepared to teach "Chest Hair" a lesson on how to behave.
Under the watchful eyes of his classmates, Zhang Fan lazily stood up and met Chest Hair Bro's gaze with a languid smile. "Luo Shui and I are in love. What harassment are you talking about?"
Zhang Fan's declaration sent a ripple of shock through the class. Even "Chest Hair" seemed unable to believe that Zhang Fan had so readily admitted to dating Qin Luoshui.
Dating was prohibited for students in high school. Once discovered, parents would be summoned to discuss breaking up to avoid affecting studies, and more importantly, to prevent influencing other students.
Otherwise, if a couple was being overly affectionate on campus, other students would inevitably feel envious and long for similar relationships.
"You dare to admit it?" Chest Hair Bro glared at Zhang Fan, looking somewhat surprised.
"What is there to not dare admit? It's not something shameful. Besides, we've already broken up," Zhang Fan said indifferently. "Don't worry, Teacher Ran, it won't affect my studies anymore."
Chest Hair Bro was speechless. He had intended to use Zhang Fan's alleged harassment of Qin Luoshui to his advantage, but Zhang Fan had so readily admitted to their relationship and subsequent breakup that he had no grounds for further reprimand.
The students watched Zhang Fan, their expressions varied. Although they had guessed most of the story from Chest Hair Bro's words, hearing it from Zhang Fan himself felt different.
"Broke up? More like got dumped, right?" a mocking whisper cut through the quiet classroom, sounding particularly jarring.
Many students silently nodded in agreement, clearly sharing the same sentiment.
In the eyes of most, Zhang Fan was not a suitable match for Qin Luoshui. Their looks, academic performance, and family backgrounds were all wildly disproportionate.
Zhang Fan glanced at the boy who had spoken and a smile touched his lips. "Even if Luo Shui dumped me, it's still better than you getting dumped by Luo Shui with a face full of roses. Wouldn't you agree, Lin Zihao?"
The boy who had spoken was named Lin Zihao. He had once, relying on his family's considerable wealth, brought several lackeys and presented Qin Luoshui with nine hundred and ninety-nine roses to confess his love, attempting to poach her right in front of Zhang Fan. Unexpectedly, Qin Luoshui had taken the roses and, in front of the entire class, thrown them directly in his face, causing him immense embarrassment.
Qin Luoshui was normally a very gentle girl, but to protect Zhang Fan's dignity, she chose the most direct way to refuse.
The students glanced at Lin Zihao and couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. Clearly, no one had forgotten the incident.
Lin Zihao's face darkened. He hadn't expected Zhang Fan to bring up the past, and his face turned red with embarrassment. He glared at Zhang Fan and said, "You've got guts. Just wait."
"Enough," Chest Hair Bro snapped, seeing the students arguing in front of him and feeling completely ignored.
"I will report Zhang Fan's on-campus dating incident to the school. You can expect to be dealt with," Chest Hair Bro threatened, his anger flaring at Zhang Fan's apathetic demeanor.
Zhang Fan shrugged indifferently. He knew that, due to Qin Luoshui's mother's influence, Chest Hair Bro wouldn't dare report the incident to the school, especially since it involved Qin Luoshui. Therefore, he felt no concern.