Page 15

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Though the teacher could not hear it, Liang Kui next door did, and he tilted his head to look at Su Yan.

Su Yan hid his phone behind a tall stack of books and checked the text message. It was from an online pet lover he had contacted several times recently. Su Yan had asked him about Tibetan Mastiff puppies. The man both loved and understood pets and knew many people in that field. The message said he had found a good seller of Tibetan Mastiff puppies, though the price was not low. If Su Yan truly wanted one, he should find time to go see them in person. Su Yan quickly replied that he would take leave to check them out, and the man immediately sent the address.

Su Yan had no mind for the lesson. The message filled him with delight, and he could not wait to see the Tibetan Mastiff puppies. A Tibetan Mastiff had been a dream of his for years. How many men longed for a fierce, loyal Tibetan Mastiff? If you were going to keep a pet, it had to be a Tibetan Mastiff! Unfortunately, people lived in bustling metropolises, where the conditions for raising one had been stripped away. For one thing, cities rarely offered an environment suitable for Tibetan Mastiffs. Even finding space for their kennel was difficult. They were also fierce and especially wary of strangers; keeping one in a residential complex would impact the neighbors too much, so they were unwelcome. For another, high-quality Tibetan Mastiffs were scarce and expensive. Even though pets were not yet especially popular in China, Tibetan Mastiffs would never be cheap. Ordinary families simply could not afford them. The many gentle, refined breeds of foreign dogs and cats were much more likely to enter ordinary homes.

"Hey, lend me your phone to play with. Does it have any games?" Liang Kui whispered.

Su Yan pretended not to hear him. He did not even blink and simply kept doing what he was doing.

Liang Kui's anger flared. He had taken the initiative to make friendly conversation, yet this guy had repeatedly brushed him off. Damn it, did he really think he was some cool guy? More like a pants guy.

Liang Kui silently snorted and swaggered as he pulled out his own phone to play Tetris.

His phone was also a famous brand, and the most expensive model at that—better than Su Yan's because it came with a camera function. Phones that could take pictures were still rare, especially among students.

Liang Kui was deliberately showing off, hoping to take down Su Yan's arrogance a notch. You're so proud of that lousy phone? Mine is way better than yours.

Liang Kui was so smug that he practically wanted to snort steam from his nostrils. Just as he was happily playing Tetris, a shadow fell over him. The teacher's rough hand gently grasped his phone and slowly drew it from his palm. Liang Kui choked, his eyes following his phone as it drifted away. Alas, his beloved phone was tucked into the evil force's pocket and vanished completely into darkness.

"Teacher Wang... I was wrong." Liang Kui wore a mournful expression as he voluntarily admitted his mistake. Inside, he cursed his rotten luck. Damn Su Yan—if that guy had not been so stingy, why would he have deliberately played with his phone during class?

Teacher Wang was their chemistry teacher, a very mild-mannered middle-aged man who loved to smile and carried little authority. As a result, many students were not particularly afraid of him.

But now that his phone had been confiscated, Liang Kui could only give in and apologize. He secretly rejoiced that it was not the old man from math class. That old man was the true evil force. Want to get back something he confiscated during class? Then do as he said. If he wanted you to score a hundred, you could not score ninety-nine. Miss even one point, and you could forget about getting your things back.

Teacher Wang kept smiling and chatted mildly, "That phone of yours looks pretty expensive. How much was it?"

Liang Kui said, "Over three thousand, nearly four. It's a new flip-phone model, with good music quality and a camera function."

Teacher Wang was startled. "That expensive? Even I can't afford a phone." As he spoke, he returned the phone to Liang Kui. It was so expensive that he did not dare confiscate it; anyone who did not know better might think the teacher was taking advantage of a student.

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Don't play with it in class again. Listen carefully."

"I know. There won't be a next time."

Teacher Wang nodded and continued teaching. Liang Kui flashed a brilliant smile at the girls who had been worried about him. The girls covered their mouths, and some even made faces. Liang Kui focused on Chen Wanwan's reaction. Chen Wanwan did not smile, but she seemed quite concerned as she looked at him. Liang Kui's heart surged with excitement. I've got a chance!

"Pfft."

"..." Liang Kui's face stiffened. He turned and glared at Su Yan, gritting his teeth. "Were you laughing at me?"

Su Yan looked confused. "What?"

"..." Had he heard wrong? Liang Kui stared at Su Yan in disbelief.

Su Yan shook his head and casually pulled out a tomato. Hunching over, he secretly stuffed it into his mouth, making faint puffing sounds as he ate. It meant: I'm eating a tomato, not laughing at you.

Liang Kui's eyes widened. Then he abruptly changed his tune and eagerly held out his hand. "Do you have any more? Give me one to eat! I only had porridge for breakfast, and I'm starving now."

Su Yan ignored him and kept eating.

"Hey, don't be so stingy. Give me one. I'll give you ten back next time." Liang Kui refused to give up.

Su Yan remained completely unmoved, smacking his lips as he nearly finished the large tomato.

Liang Kui flew into a rage and sprang to his feet with a slap. "Teacher! Su Yan is eating a tomato in class!"

Snap. Teacher Wang's chalk broke in two. Helplessly, he walked down from the podium. "Are you two done yet? Su Yan, stand up."

Su Yan rose with a cold expression, but he secretly put the unfinished tomato into his space. Even if the teacher had ten pairs of eyes, he would not find any evidence! Hmph. Just wait and see. Go ahead and tattle—without evidence, it's all nonsense.

Su Yan stood with his back ramrod straight. "I wasn't eating." He looked utterly righteous, leaving the teacher momentarily stunned.