Having witnessed it firsthand, Yang Haoran’s expression calmed instead. Anyone who knew him could tell at a glance that this was the calm before true fury.
Without a word, he picked up his tray and strode toward the sleazy pair.
Behind him, Wei Ming and Zhou Shiwen tried to stop him, but it was too late. They could only watch helplessly as he approached.
Still, the two were loyal bros. Their eyes stayed glued to the scene; if things escalated into a fight, they sure as hell wouldn’t stand by and watch.
As Yang Haoran drew near, Han Hongfei had just cracked a joke that set Xiao Shaowan giggling. To anyone watching, she looked utterly delighted.
Bang!
Yang Haoran plopped down right next to Han Hongfei, slamming his tray onto the table with a bit of force. A brilliant smile spread across his face.
“Yo… isn’t this the campus beauty from my class, Xiao Shaowan?”
“Hey, buddy, who the hell are you? How’d you sit here?” After the greeting, Yang Haoran feigned sudden awareness of Han Hongfei beside him, staring in exaggerated surprise.
Han Hongfei eyed the brazen newcomer, dark lines practically forming on his forehead. “You blind or what? Can’t you see I’ve been sitting here the whole time?”
“And who the hell gave you permission to sit?”
Han Hongfei scowled, radiating irritation.
Across the table, Xiao Shaowan finally recognized the intruder as Yang Haoran. A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes.
“Do I need your permission to sit here?” Yang Haoran crossed one leg over the other, shooting the other man a sideways glance while drawling in a cocky tone.
“You little punk, cockier than me?” Han Hongfei actually chuckled at Yang Haoran’s gall. Who was this clueless hothead? Didn’t he know who he was dealing with?
But they were in the school cafeteria, and things were heating up with Xiao Shaowan right now. He didn’t want to throw down.
More importantly, his crew wasn’t around.
He’d long heard about Xiao Shaowan, the school flower, including the rumors that she was some rich guy’s kept woman. But with his experience, he’d sized her up the first time they met—from her walk alone, he could tell she was still a virgin, untouched.
Pretty face, killer figure, full chest, perky ass—a blooming flower at its most tantalizing. A guy like him? No way he could resist.
Plus, she outclassed every girlfriend he’d ever had.
That very night, he’d gotten someone to track her down and offered thirty grand for her first time. He was dead certain it’d work—money solved everything.
For a high school girl, thirty grand was a fortune.
When she turned him down, he didn’t sweat it. In his book, no woman was unbribable; you just hadn’t offered enough.
He kept at it through intermediaries, jacking up the price from thirty to fifty, sixty, eighty grand, finally hitting a hundred for one night. No way she’d say no to that.
But the messenger girl came back beaten black and blue, passing along that Xiao Shaowan was already taken, had an owner, and didn’t need the cash.
He trusted his instincts—she was definitely a virgin. But his exes had all fallen to cash, and this one wasn’t biting. His looks weren’t winning her over either, so he dropped it.
That was last semester. Then yesterday, she suddenly sent word via someone else, asking him to take a stroll on the sports field. He figured she’d come around, and he jumped at it.
But the damn girl just walked one lap with him, wouldn’t even let him touch her hand, and headed back to the dorm.
Good thing, as they parted last night, she’d invited him to lunch in the cafeteria today. He was all in, which led to this moment.
“Wan’er, one of your admirers?” Han Hongfei asked Xiao Shaowan, using the intimate nickname.
Xiao Shaowan showed no sign of rejecting the overly familiar address. She smiled, shot Yang Haoran a glance, and murmured a faint “Mm.”
The sight made Yang Haoran’s brows knit tightly, his face darkening.
“Get the picture, kid? Go crawl back under your rock. A toad like you dreaming of swan meat?” Han Hongfei sneered, ripping into him without mercy.
Who was he? Han the man. Some punk kid didn’t scare him.
“Xiao Shaowan, is this the sugar daddy from those rumors—the one keeping you?” Ignoring the taunt, Yang Haoran turned to her. His face was calm now, but his dark eyes bored into her like black holes.
Her reaction to his words seemed to confirm something. The corners of Xiao Shaowan’s mouth curved up, amusement sparkling in her eyes. She looked almost pleased.
She flicked a indifferent glance at Han Hongfei, met Yang Haoran’s stare, and shook her head. “He’s not. And I don’t have a boyfriend right now. He’s chasing me, and I’m thinking it over.”
Han Hongfei lit up with joy. “Wan’er, don’t worry. Say yes to being my girl, and I’ll buy you anything you want.”
Xiao Shaowan kept her smile plastered on, but disgust flashed in her eyes. What a fat slob—even sweet-talking a girl came down to throwing money at her.
The scene played out like a perfect match of mutual affection, leaving Yang Haoran speechless. To the classmates gawking nearby, he looked like a total clown.
He couldn’t put a name to the tangle of emotions churning inside him. Finally, he voiced the excuse she’d thrown at him when he’d pursued her.
“Xiao Shaowan, didn’t you always say you had a boyfriend?”
It was the last knot in his heart.
Faced with his question, Xiao Shaowan pursed her lips, pausing as if in thought. Then she spoke. “I didn’t lie. I do have a boyfriend. But he’s never shown up. After all this time, can’t I move on to someone else?”
As she spoke, she gave Yang Haoran a loaded look, full of complex emotions. But now that he’d gotten his answer and given up completely, he neither saw it nor understood.
“Mm.” Yang Haoran fell silent, nodding. He’d been the fool, deluding himself. He grabbed his tray and walked off without another word.
As he turned away, a self-mocking smile tugged at his lips, though a flicker of anger simmered in his eyes.
He didn’t see Xiao Shaowan’s gaze lingering on his retreating back.
“What’s wrong, Wan’er?” Han Hongfei asked, puzzled by her fixation on the presumptuous fool.
Once Yang Haoran was gone, the smile she wore for Han Hongfei vanished. She glanced at him coolly and said offhandedly, “Nothing. I’m full.”
With that, she dabbed at her rosy lips with a napkin, picked up her tray, and sauntered off, her long legs swaying with graceful allure.
“Hey, wait…” Han Hongfei sat there baffled. What the hell? She’d just gotten her food and taken two bites—full already?
But as he watched her go, that perky rear swaying hypnotically, her lithe figure twisting just so, his eyes burned with lust. He had to have her. For now, though, chow time.
As a big guy, he had a healthy appetite—and he’d barely started.
