The Honest Man’s Counterattack 2003

Jin Fugui asked curiously, "Wait, when did you learn to smoke? How come I didn't know?"

Zhao Feng put away the cigarette box, speaking dramatically, "It's a sad story. That winter was so cold, even chickens stopped laying eggs, dogs were shivering, the fat guy next door was crawling all over the ground..."

"Shut up," Jin Fugui interrupted, unhappy. "When did I get lumped in with chickens and dogs? You're not being honest."

"I'm praising you. Pigs, dogs, and chickens are all poultry," Zhao Feng threw out the line and quickly ran downstairs.

"Bastard, stop right there. Come back if you dare!"

Jin Fugui reacted, smoke coming out of his seven orifices, his fat body trembling, chasing after Zhao Feng towards the toilet.

In 2003, the school toilets were very primitive. There were no bathrooms in the teaching building, just an outdoor public toilet made of brick and stone behind the teaching building.

The toilet smelled strongly. Pale white lime was sprinkled in the corners. There were nine squatting positions made of large rectangular bluestone, with a 30-centimeter gap in the middle, below which were maggot-filled cesspits.

The toilet was a blind spot in the school, often a sacred smoking spot for bad students, perfectly escaping teacher supervision.

Zhao Feng rushed into the toilet, happily relieved himself, took out two Jinsan cigarettes, put one in his mouth, struck a match to light it, and exhaled a smoke ring, taking a deep breath.

Jin Fugui came panting in, shouting, "Tell me clearly, who's in the poultry series?"

Zhao Feng handed him a cigarette, putting it in Jin Fugui's mouth, striking a match to light it, teasing, "Calm down, fatty. I'm in the poultry series. I'm a gigolo, okay?"

Jin Fugui laughed, "With your small build, you want to be a gigolo? I'm more suitable."

While chatting and joking, male students started walking in, seeing the fat and thin guys smoking. No one paid attention to the chubby boy, but they all disdainfully looked at Zhao Feng.

Zhao Feng was a celebrity in senior three, known as the number one honest person. Most senior three boys knew him, saying he was stubborn, never having lied or fought in three years of high school, absolutely impossible to fight - a real-life bookworm.

"Feng Ge, give me a cigarette."

A deep voice rang out. Zhao Feng turned to see Li Qilin from his class, the top rich second-generation student. His family was in real estate development. Nobody dared to provoke him. Even Huang Dabiao would avoid him.

"Young Master Li, don't call me brother. I'm just a little brother."

Zhao Feng took out the Jinsan cigarette box, took out a cigarette, and lit it for Li Qilin with a match.

"Interesting. Jinsan. Feng Ge is hiding some skills."

Li Qilin held the cigarette, looking Zhao Feng up and down. Zhao Feng had changed a lot, but the green rubber shoes ruined his cool image, looking like a country bumpkin.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm not a chain smoker. The Jinsan was from the big monkey."

Zhao Feng blew out a series of smoke rings, looking melancholic, his temperament seemingly out of place in the toilet environment.

"Stop fooling me. You can blow smoke rings. Not very honest."

Li Qilin's eyes widened, discovering the five smoke rings formed the Olympic rings. He exclaimed, "Damn, is this the five rings?"

Jin Fugui teased, "Feng Ge is truly low-key. Awesome."

Li Qilin said, "Feng Ge, teach me how to blow the five rings, okay?"

Zhao Feng laughed, "Simple. First smoke a thousand boxes, then self-castrate. You'll master the ultimate skill."

Li Qilin was frustrated. "You're too much."

More senior three boys came, asking Zhao Feng for cigarettes. He generously gave them out to everyone.

"Zhao the honest, you ambushed me again. I'll fight you!"

A desperate roar came from outside the toilet. Hou San rushed in furiously, with Huang Dabiao swaggering behind, and Li You following timidly.

Hou San glared, his nose swollen like a pomegranate, stuffed with tissue, standing aggressively in front of Zhao Feng, looking comically like a clown.

"Zhao the honest, see Bro Biao and kneel!"

"Bro... Biao? Who's that?"

Zhao Feng smiled ambiguously, his speech slightly slurred, ignoring Hou San's provocation, his gaze sweeping over Huang Dabiao and Li You, finally settling on Huang Dabiao.

Huang Dabiao had a leopard-like head and tiger eyes, his face full of flesh, with an explosive dyed yellow hairstyle that looked like a pile of cow dung on his head. Tall and muscular, about 1.85 meters tall, he wore a basketball jersey and shoes, revealing muscular biceps, looking fierce and imposing - clearly not an ordinary troublemaker.

Huang Dabiao looked down on Zhao Feng, observing his student uniform, jeans, and green rubber shoes. His entire outfit couldn't have cost more than 100 yuan, indicating his family's poor conditions. Huang Dabiao loved bullying good students who were poor but academically excellent.

"Well, well, you're Zhao Feng? I heard you're quite arrogant!"

Huang Dabiao was furious. Zhao Feng's handsome, cool face with a Hong Kong-style haircut, cigarette tilted in his mouth, and his provocative smile deeply irritated him.

A good student who's also handsome, with a cooler haircut and more swagger than him - if he could look like this, he'd have girls chasing him long ago.

Huang Dabiao was jealous and determined to teach Zhao Feng a lesson. Not to avenge Hou San, but because Zhao Feng was too handsome. He had to rough him up to justify his newly dyed yellow explosive hairstyle.

"Bro Biao is mighty and heroic. Have a cigarette to calm down."

Zhao Feng took out the Jinsan cigarette box, offering two cigarettes to Huang Dabiao and Li You, completely ignoring Hou San, and lit them both.

You don't hit a smiling person, especially when the smile is as genuine and cool as Zhao Feng's.

"Bro Biao, these cigarettes were mine, just stolen by Zhao Feng," Hou San said resentfully, grabbing the cigarette box from Zhao Feng's hand. Finding it almost empty with just one cigarette left, he reluctantly put it in his pocket.

"Useless monkey, can't even keep your cigarettes," Li You scorned.

Huang Dabiao, cigarette in mouth, decided to finish smoking before dealing with Zhao Feng. He unexpectedly noticed Li Qilin standing next to Zhao Feng and greeted him with a smile, "Young Master Li is here too."

Li Qilin nodded, "Biao Zi, take it easy. Zhao Feng is my friend." He patted Zhao Feng's shoulder, threw his cigarette butt into the pit, and walked out of the toilet.

Huang Dabiao smiled ambiguously, looking at Zhao Feng with ill intent. "Interesting. Knowing I'm looking for trouble, you got Li Shao to help. Kneel down and kowtow, and I'll let the monkey's matter slide."

Zhao Feng's eyes were cold, staring at Huang Dabiao. He flicked the cigarette butt, scanning Hou San, Li You, and himself with little fatty. They could handle this, but Huang Dabiao looked tough, clearly experienced in street fighting.

Jin Fugui spat out his cigarette butt, eyeing the big monkey unfriendly. He could easily handle Huang Dabiao and Li You, especially the skinny big monkey.

Zhao Feng coldly said, "A man's knees are made of gold. I've only knelt to the dead, never to the living."

Huang Dabiao glared with tiger eyes, threatening, "You're so damn cocky! Thinking of making me kneel? Everyone knows the number one badass in first high school is me. Nobody's more swagger than me!"

Zhao Feng teased, "I thought the principal was the biggest. Are you bigger than the principal?"

The two faced off, their gazes clashing mid-air, sparks flying, a big fight about to erupt.

"Huang Dabiao, you're quite arrogant,"

A stern, aged voice came from behind. Huang Dabiao didn't even turn around, retorting, "What's the principal got? I'll sleep wherever I want, beat up whoever I want.

Principals see me and have to call me 'Bro'. Tell me, am I not swagger? Not domineering? Not intimidating?"

Slap!

A crisp slap rang out. Huang Dabiao got a neck chop that made him jump, turning around angrily, "Who dares sneak attack Bro Biao? Want to die?"

In his vision appeared Wang Youdao with a balding head, which made his body tremble. The half-cigarette fell from his mouth, his voice shaking, "P-p-principal... I wasn't smoking... wasn't fighting... wasn't bullying students... definitely no disrespect to the principal. It's all a misunderstanding."

Zhao Feng muttered, "He's already confessed, yet still claims it's a misunderstanding."

Huang Dabiao glared, loudly threatening, "Shut up!"

Wang Youdao's face turned dark, glaring fiercely at Huang Dabiao, coldly saying, "Bro Biao, right? I've heard how arrogant you are. Principals should bow to you? Want to sit in the principal's chair?"

Huang Dabiao broke out in cold sweat, forcing a laugh, "Principal, I was just joking. Just bragging."

Wang Youdao gave another neck chop, shouting, "I'm upright and proper. Never slept anywhere in the school. You say I sleep wherever I want? Take a look!"

Huang Dabiao's expression was complicated, weakly saying, "Didn't see... I just heard..."

Zhao Feng raised his hand, adding, "Report, Principal. Huang Dabiao often follows you, afraid of not getting his graduation certificate, trying to find dirt on you, looking for opportunities to secretly photograph you."

Huang Dabiao broke into a cold sweat, crying out, "Nonsense! I've never followed the principal!"

Zhao Feng said, "Then how do you know the principal wants to sleep wherever he wants?"

Huang Dabiao looked like he'd been struck by lightning, his tiger eyes about to shoot fire. Staring at the completely serious Zhao Feng who was talking nonsense, he was so angry he nearly spat blood. "Daring to frame Bro Biao, you're seeking death!"

Wang Youdao turned to Zhao Feng, reached out and patted his head, showing a kind smile. "This kid is quite spirited. You're Zhao Feng from class three, right? I've long heard you have excellent character, honest and steady. Never lied, never used bad language, never boasted. The model student everyone recognizes."

Zhao Feng touched his nose, embarrassed. "Principal praises me too much. I'm just telling the truth, not that excellent."

Wang Youdao praised, "Keep it up. Don't worry about college entrance exam pressure. Don't suddenly explode. You've already made Xiao Gui teacher cry. Just persist for another month, get into your ideal university, and then relax after the exam."

Zhao Feng nodded, "Thank you for your concern, Principal. I understand."

Huang Dabiao was on the verge of tears, realizing Zhao Feng's reputation was too good. The "number one honest person" wasn't just a title - he was the moral exemplar recognized by teachers and students. This guy was actually a despicable person, hiding so deeply.

[--------------------------------------------]

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