Bucktooth was an impatient guy. He said that since it was after school now, Zheng Zhantao was probably in his dorm, and we could go find him right away.
So I went with Bucktooth to Zheng Zhantao's dorm room. A group of second-year boys were gathered around, playing cards and smoking. The whole room was thick with smoke.
One of them was a chubby guy with slicked-back hair, black-framed glasses perched on his nose, and a half-smile on his face. But his smile felt insincere—fake, almost sinister. The first word that came to mind when I saw him was "smiling tiger."
Bucktooth respectfully greeted him, "Brother Tao."
Zheng Zhantao glanced at us, then kept playing cards, casually asking, "What's up?"
Bucktooth pulled out a pack of *Wuye Shen* cigarettes, handed one to each of the guys in the room, then explained our reason for coming.
Zheng Zhantao looked a little surprised after hearing the story. He glanced at me and asked, "So you're Andrew? I heard someone beat the crap out of John earlier today. Turns out that was you?"
I nodded. "Yeah. He's been picking on me since day one. I was pushed too far today and finally hit back."
Zheng Zhantao was surprisingly easy to talk to. He said that John had been acting arrogant lately, and he'd been fed up with him for a while. He agreed to help me. He said he'd arrange to meet with John over the weekend—whether it turned into a fight or a negotiation would depend on how it went.
I was thrilled that Tao was willing to stand up for me and thanked him repeatedly. Zheng Zhantao looked at me with a smile and said, "No need to thank me. I like you, kid—you've got guts, even dared to hit John. From now on, you should stick with me."
That's when I realized why Zheng Zhantao was so agreeable. It wasn't just out of kindness—he saw potential in me. Since I dared to beat up John, he wanted to recruit me as one of his boys.
I hesitated, then politely declined, "Brother Tao, my biggest wish is just to study hard and get into a good university."
The truth was, I didn't want to get involved with Zheng Zhantao. Sure, part of me wanted to focus on my studies, but the other part of me felt uneasy about him. Though he seemed friendly on the surface, there was something calculating in his eyes. A "smiling tiger" like him was dangerous to follow—too scheming to trust.
When I declined to join him, his smile didn't change, but his eyes grew noticeably colder. Still, he remained polite and said, "That's fine. Think it over."
Bucktooth and I thanked him again and left together.
Back in the dorm, Bucktooth scolded me for being thickheaded, saying I shouldn't have refused Tao. He warned me that Tao might not help anymore after being turned down.
I repeated what I'd said earlier—I just wanted to focus on school and not get involved in shady stuff. Deep down, I had a dream: to get into a top university and use that path to change my fate as a nobody. Maybe, just maybe, I could rise up enough to be worthy of someone like Linda someday. That dream was also why I was determined to stay on the right track.
The next day was Friday. John finally showed up in class, with two large adhesive bandages on his forehead. Seemed my soda bottle attack looked scary but hadn't done much actual damage.
He was laughing and chatting with some classmates, but the moment he saw Bucktooth and me enter, his face instantly darkened.
That's how it goes in a fight—the side that gains the upper hand always lives in fear of revenge. That's how I felt. My heart raced as I worried John would suddenly jump me with his gang, right there in the classroom.
But to my surprise, John, who was usually hot-tempered, didn't attack. Instead, he walked over with his crew, sneering, "Heard you went running to Zheng Zhantao for backup?"
I was caught off guard. Zheng Zhantao had only agreed last night to help me, but he'd already contacted John?
John sneered, "Zhantao asked me to meet at Yiyuan Restaurant after school. Fine. We'll be there. I want to see just how you plan to 'negotiate.'"
With that, he strutted off with his gang, clearly skipping class again.
I was left confused and asked Bucktooth, "Mia, what's this about Yiyuan Restaurant?"
Bucktooth whispered, "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you. Here's the deal: when two gangs get into a conflict, instead of fighting every day, they usually agree on a time and place to sit down and talk—see if they can settle things. Brother Tao already agreed to stand up for you and invited John and his crew to meet at Yiyuan after school today. He told me to let you know this morning... I kinda forgot."
I was familiar with "reconciliation dinners" meant to resolve disputes. But my worry now was—who's going to pay for this dinner?
When I voiced my concern, Bucktooth immediately snapped, "Andrew, you're the one who got into trouble, and Brother Tao is helping you out. You seriously think he should pay too?"
I knew he had a point, but I still felt bitter. I had fought back because I refused to let John extort me. Yet now, to resolve the situation, I had to spend even more money.
Seeing my troubled expression, Bucktooth guessed my issue and said, "If you don't have enough, I still have five or six hundred yuan in my card. I'll lend it to you."
I thought it over and agreed. If I backed out now, not only would the issue with John stay unresolved, but I'd also offend Zheng Zhantao. He'd already agreed to help. If I chickened out, it'd make him lose face, and then I'd have both John and Tao on my back.
Finally, school ended in the afternoon. It was Friday, the start of the first weekend of the school year. Everyone was in a great mood, happily packing up to head home.
Just then, one of Zheng Zhantao's guys came to get me, saying their group was already waiting at the school gate.
Bucktooth and I followed him out. Sure enough, at the roadside by the gate, an old van was parked. Seven or eight tough-looking high schoolers were squatting there smoking, whistling at every pretty girl who passed by—scaring the girls off.
The guy leading the group was Zheng Zhantao. He wore an open-collar shirt, revealing a faint tattoo on his chest—definitely looked like someone with authority. No wonder he was so influential among the second-years.
As Bucktooth and I approached and greeted him, Zheng Zhantao narrowed his eyes and smiled, wrapping his arm around my shoulder in a friendly manner. "Little bro, I've already arranged to meet that brat John for you. Don't worry, I'll take care of your little problem."
Naturally, I thanked him profusely. Zhantao told everyone to get in the van, and somehow we managed to cram over ten people into that beat-up vehicle. He even let me sit in the front passenger seat—made me feel honored.
While driving, cigarette in mouth, he casually asked, "So, bro, have you thought about my offer from the other day?"
I glanced at him. He was still trying to recruit me as his underling. I politely declined again, "Brother Tao, my family isn't well-off. I came to this school to study hard and get into college. I hope you can understand."
Zhantao's smile remained, but I could clearly see a flash of displeasure in his eyes. He didn't say anything, but one of his guys in the back—a buzz-cut guy—immediately lashed out at me: "You ungrateful bastard! Don't know what's good for you!"
"Turkey!" Zheng Zhantao snapped, glaring at the buzz-cut guy. "Shut the hell up unless someone asks you to speak."
Turkey snorted and gave me a hateful glare but said nothing more.
Zhantao side-eyed me while driving. "Andrew, think about it. Give me your answer later."
Even the way he addressed me had changed. I could clearly feel the irritation in his tone. Bucktooth, sitting behind me, rolled his eyes repeatedly—obviously thinking I was being too stubborn. But he didn't understand: I really didn't want to get involved in that world. I just wanted to focus on school.