Chapter 27

“Look, this is a piano. One day I’ll play you a piece.”

“Big cousin, you can play the piano too?”

“Of course I can. When I was little, I used to argue with your aunt every day over piano lessons. These books on the shelves? Many people come to read them at noon—you can too. Over there are the soccer club and the dance club…”

Fang Yifan was showing his cousin from out of town, Lin Leier, around the teaching building.

At a private elite high school where tuition cost 150,000 yuan per year, the facilities left Lin Leier, who came from a truly ordinary family with poor conditions, utterly awestruck.

Not to mention anything else.

The piano sitting in the lobby of the teaching building was something he’d never dared imagine.

What normal school even has one of these?

When they reached the upper floors, Fang Yifan suddenly claimed he needed to use the restroom—and refused to take his new cousin along, telling him to head to the classroom first.

Lin Leier had no choice but to go alone.

Just as he reached the door, he saw a girl standing at the back of the classroom writing a difficult math problem on the small blackboard. Lin Leier’s eyes locked onto it instantly; he walked over and stared without blinking.

Qiao Yingzi, who was copying the problem, looked up and asked quickly: “Classmate, who are you looking for?”

Lin Leier said nothing. He picked up a piece of chalk and began solving the problem right below the box. This stunned Qiao Yingzi, and soon the entire class gathered behind him, watching him write.

“389! All correct!” Qiao Yingzi checked the answer first, then exclaimed to the students: “Teacher Chen said only he could solve this problem—no one else could!”

“That’s just because Chen Qi is too weak!” Fang Yifan, back from the restroom, immediately puffed up, slinging an arm around his cousin’s shoulders and boasting to everyone: “I couldn’t solve it? So what? Someone else could!”

“Do you know who he is?”

“My cousin, Lin Leier—a genius panda.”

“I’m not talented myself, but I’m the brother of the genius panda—the genius giant panda!”

As he spoke, amid the laughter of the crowd, he spotted He Chen walking past the door and called out loudly: “Ruan Liuzheng, you saw how powerful we brothers are! If you ever have any questions, just come ask us!”

“You’re insane!” Qiao Yingzi instantly understood Fang Yifan was deliberately provoking again; she muttered under her breath.

Fang Yifan didn’t see it that way. Without waiting for Ruan Liuzheng’s reply, he loudly continued extolling his genius panda cousin’s brilliance, his eyes flicking toward He Chen standing outside the window, his face lighting up with delight.

He might not match He Chen, but his cousin was a real genius scholar—more impressive than even Qiao Yingzi. In this situation, if he didn’t jab at He Chen, was he still the young, competitive Fang Yifan?

And dragging Ruan Liuzheng into it? That gave him a strange kind of pleasure.

He Chen, you bastard, you used my goddess to annoy me? Fine—I’ll use your girl to annoy you!

Who’s afraid of whom?

“Ruan Liuzheng, work hard, do your best. Next year, big brother’ll find you a girlfriend!” He Chen, having heard the whole story from Fang Yifan’s boasting, called out through the window to Ruan Liuzheng, then turned to look at Lin Leier, who stood frozen beside Fang Yifan.

“You, little brother of the genius giant panda, you need to work hard too. Your effort isn’t just to help your brother get into Qinghua or Beida next year—it’s for your own safety.”

“After all, pandas are protected national animals. If you don’t make your brother happy, he might just sell you off—or hand you over!”

The crowd erupted in gasps and laughter.

Everyone understood He Chen’s implication and mockery.

Phrases like “work hard, big brother’ll find you a girlfriend next year” or “work hard, aim to get your boss a new car by year-end”—weren’t these the most popular “positive energy” clichés in society, laughable yet painfully unavoidable?

Because you know they’re wrong, but you’re powerless to change them.

And Fang Yifan’s earlier bragging? Pure “real big brother” and boss material.

A mediocre student with a genius cousin? Still a mediocre student.

What does your cousin’s brilliance have to do with you? Will it get you into a top university? Will it make your goddess look at you differently?

This was He Chen—the same guy who’d stood up to Li Tie and made him crack!

In just a few sentences, he’d dissected Fang Yifan’s arrogance with brutal clarity and delivered deep mockery—making everyone laugh, yet leaving them thoughtful, offering a fresh perspective. You learned something!

And the claim that pandas and giant pandas are protected national animals? Everyone realized He Chen was a master of the comeback.

Who didn’t know He Chen had sent Fang Yifan’s father to jail for a month for buying a Class II protected animal—the golden turtle?

Slap!

A blatant slap!

While everyone admired He Chen, Qiao Yingzi, Huang Zhitao, and Ruan Liuzheng knew more—they understood the damage He Chen’s words inflicted on Fang Yifan far exceeded what the crowd imagined.

That line to Ruan Liuzheng—“work hard, big brother’ll find you a girlfriend next year”—wasn’t just a social cliché joke. It had real power.

Didn’t Fang Yifan lose control the night before precisely because He Chen deliberately used Ruan Liuzheng to get close to Huang Zhitao and provoke him?

Now He Chen said this? Perfect timing. To those in the know, it was a direct challenge to Fang Yifan’s goddess: “Let’s go.”

Three layers of mockery, each more biting than the last—could Fang Yifan take it?

At least one party involved, Huang Zhitao, blushed slightly.

Even though she had no real feelings for He Chen, and didn’t want to further provoke Fang Yifan,

Some emotions simply couldn’t be controlled.

Just like in school: many boys and girls started with no interest, but after friends and others kept talking about them, they gradually paid more attention—until something more developed.

Fang Yifan’s face turned green and black. His earlier swagger vanished. Especially when he saw his goddess blush—he clenched his fists, desperate to rush over and fight He Chen.

He’d once charged straight at Ji Da Shao just to defend his goddess.

But meeting He Chen’s smiling, encouraging gaze, his rage cooled like ice water dumped over his head.

Fighting wouldn’t vent his anger or impress anyone—it’d just get him beaten and humiliated. He wasn’t stupid.

Seeing Fang Yifan didn’t charge right away, Qiao Yingzi and the others sighed in relief, silently cursing him.

Why the hell did you go out of your way to provoke He Chen, the master of comebacks?

Looking for trouble!

“What are you all doing? Why are you loitering here instead of studying?” A teacher’s voice rang out, and the crowd scattered. Soon after, Li Tie’s stern voice followed.

He Chen and Li Tie exchanged a glance, then walked toward their own classroom.

Even though Li Tie already knew what kind of person He Chen was, he was still infuriated by He Chen’s attitude.

This was lawless!

He had no respect as a student at all!