Journey

Chapter 26: The Journey

"Rich second generation" is just a label.

It doesn't carry any inherent positive or negative connotations. Just like people can be good or bad, there are certainly those with high and low moral character within the "rich second generation" group. To be fair, compared to ordinary people, this group has access to better educational resources, so the proportion of people with high moral character might even be higher.

But why does the "rich second generation" have such a bad reputation in society?

The reason is simple: when ordinary people do evil, the impact is relatively small, perhaps only affecting a few people around them. However, because "rich second generation" individuals possess more resources, their evil deeds often have more severe consequences, and some can even trigger a series of social problems.

Take Cheng Cheng, for example. Although he hasn't reached such a serious stage, there are already many people at school who have negative opinions about him. After joining the student union in his freshman year, he quickly turned it into his personal domain. Within a few months, he controlled all elections, forcing several senior ministers who disagreed with him to resign. By his sophomore year, he became president, and the new ministers he promoted were all his people, essentially giving him absolute power within the student union. Furthermore, birds of a feather flock together; during recruitment, these individuals would target attractive girls.

After they joined, they would often have their subordinates find excuses to make things difficult for them, and then use their positions in the student union to help them resolve these issues. Through this process, many naive girls who had just enrolled would fall for it.

The result was that conversations would somehow lead to the bedroom.

Rumor had it that by his sophomore year, Cheng Cheng had caused more than ten girls to have abortions, and one girl who attempted suicide was settled privately with money. Of course, that number was definitely exaggerated, as many people disliked Cheng Cheng.

Chen Huadong, who had initially intended to step forward, hesitated after hearing this. He didn't work at Cheng Cheng's family hotel, so he wasn't particularly concerned about whether the other person was a "rich second generation." However, hearing that Cheng Cheng controlled the student union, he had to weigh his options. Their school didn't have a Student Union Federation; the activity funds for each club were approved by the student union before being reported to the teachers. Moreover, the student union was also responsible for the regular assessment of each club.

In their freshman year, Chen Huadong and a few other male students founded an anime club called Tiger Shark. It was developing quite well now. Although not many girls joined, a group of guys often gathered to exchange mysterious small code snippets and various uncensored resources, and they were quite happy. Chen Huadong had to consider the continued existence of Tiger Shark if he offended Cheng Cheng.

Additionally, the school had a morning exercise requirement, mandating that each student must clock in a certain number of times per semester. The student union was responsible for keeping track of this.

In short, the student union was the kind of organization you wouldn't notice normally, but it could be quite troublesome if you offended them. And there were quite a few people following Cheng Cheng. Chen Huadong was planning to fall in love with Xu Jing and didn't want to be constantly on guard against surprise attacks.

Shen Xixi also looked a bit helpless. She had said everything she could. An ordinary person would have given up long ago, but Cheng Cheng showed no signs of backing down. The girl named Wang Huan next to him also seemed to realize she had made a mistake, lowering her head and remaining silent.

Just then, Zhang Heng spoke, "Classmate, your zipper is down."

"..."

Cheng Cheng looked down and indeed saw a gap near his private parts. Although his underwear wasn't visible, it was still very unsightly.

And it would have been better if Zhang Heng hadn't said anything. He could have pretended not to notice. Now that it was pointed out in front of everyone, he was in an awkward position, unable to zip it up or leave it down.

Cheng Cheng gave Zhang Heng a deep look, then said to Shen Xixi, "Xixi, one day I will make you understand my feelings."

With that, he quickly returned to his BMW. A closer look revealed that his gait was a bit unnatural, as if he was hesitant to take large steps.

"Hurry, hurry!" Xiaoxiao urged, seeing this. "Once he zips it up, he'll start bothering us again."

Hearing this, everyone quickly got into the minivan, closing the doors and urging the driver to speed away.

Xu Jing, however, couldn't help but burst out laughing in the car. "Hahahaha, did you see his face just now? It was hilarious!"

She then mimicked Cheng Cheng's tone, "Xixi, one day I will make you understand my feelings..."

The "legal loli" said this while gazing affectionately at Shen Xixi.

Everyone in the car was amused by her.

Xiaoxiao pouted, "Stop talking, it's disgusting. He's a scoundrel who only tricks new schoolgirls, and he's trying to act pure."

Shen Xixi looked at Zhang Heng with a hint of apology. "I'm sorry, I got you involved because of my situation."

Zhang Heng shook his head. "It's fine, I'm not involved in clubs."

Among the girls, Xiaoxiao was the closest to Zhang Heng's dorm mates because of her boyfriend. Last semester, they had even gone out for skewers several times. However, perhaps it was contagious from Wei Jiangyang, but she was also very concerned about her roommates' romantic lives. With a glint in her eye, she said to Shen Xixi, "Xixi, aren't you planning to form a band? Consider Zhang Heng. He plays the piano incredibly well. Do you know Paganini's "La Campanella"? He can play it effortlessly."

Zhang Heng was also helpless about these rumors. If they continued to spread, even Lang Lang might become his defeated opponent.

However, before he could deny it, he heard Wei Jiangyang, echoing his wife, add, "Exactly, exactly! And Zhang Heng also loves sports. He runs ten kilometers every morning, joined the rock climbing association, and aims to climb K2. He also started practicing archery at the age of five, with his bow always by his side, and his archery skills are superb. He's even nicknamed 'White Stripe on the Waves' Zhang Shun."

"Cough, cough, it's 'Little Li Guang' Hua Rong," Xiaoxiao covered her face.

The "legal loli" was also one who loved to stir up trouble and chimed in, "I knew it. The first time I saw this classmate Zhang Heng, I felt he was both brave and resourceful, much better than Cheng Cheng, who can't even zip up his pants."

Chen Huadong was a step behind. All the good points had been taken. After a long while, he managed to blurt out, "Zhang Heng also loves small animals. Every time he finishes eating fish in the cafeteria, he carefully collects the bones and buries them respectfully in a proper place."

"..."

"Hey, that's enough. At least put some effort into making up stories."

Everyone burst into laughter. The somber atmosphere caused by Cheng Cheng's unexpected appearance became lively again.

At this age, boys and girls together are all about teasing and joking with each other, openly displaying their youthful selves without too many ulterior motives. Shen Xixi became more curious about Zhang Heng after hearing the introductions, but that was all. She nodded friendly at him and then turned to chat with Wang Huan, who had been left out.

Zhang Heng also had no particular feelings for Shen Xixi. She was a nice girl to be around, but he didn't feel any romantic attraction.

Zhang Heng looked out the window, the reflections of the street flashing by.

Sometimes, he himself was very curious about what kind of girl he liked. Chen Huadong was a "legal loli" enthusiast, while Wei Jiangyang liked girls like Xiaoxiao, who were strong on the outside but gentle on the inside. Everyone else seemed to know, but he couldn't quite articulate what type he liked.

However, Zhang Heng had always believed, for some reason, that when he met the right person, he would recognize her at first sight.