Chapter 087: Going Against the Current

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“Wow, Yang Tian, one day and you end up like this? Be honest—did you get beaten up while flirting with a beauty?” The next morning, as soon as Yang Tian entered the classroom, cries of surprise rose all around. The one teasing him was Zhao Shilei. This chapter is available for online reading from the web.

“Car accident!” Huang Juan said with an apologetic look, then helped Yang Tian sit down. Yang Tian only smiled and said nothing, taking the minor injury entirely in stride.

“A car accident? Oh no, oh no—Yang Tian, we were still counting on you to shine in the calligraphy contest. Looks like first place is about to be taken by someone else!” Zhang Yunxiang also tensed up.

“Exactly, Yang Tian. It really is true that good news stays home while bad news travels a thousand miles. Today that Wu Ping from the second high school came to show off at our school, saying the citywide first place is already his. Why is he so sure? I think he must have heard you got hurt!” Zhao Shilei said indignantly, slapping the copy of The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber in his hand onto the desk.

“Who is Wu Ping?” An Qi asked, puzzled.

“He’s the one who took second place in the citywide calligraphy contest. His work was High Mountains and Flowing Water. Compared with Yang Tian’s work, it’s like comparing a shrimp to a whale!” Chen Ming said with obvious disdain.

“But if Yang Tian’s hand doesn’t hold steady at the award ceremony, then first place might really go to Wu Ping...” The other students crowded around as well, all worried for Yang Tian.

The more this happened, the more guilty Huang Juan felt. She thought that if Yang Tian had not been protecting her, he would not have been injured.

Yang Tian, however, looked calm and unconcerned. He had a way to keep himself from falling short at the ceremony.

“Oh, Yang boss, how did you end up like this? Free fall?” Cui Jiang, the physics whiz, came over and said with schadenfreude. Yang Tian was first in the class, so everyone called him Yang Boss.

“Boss Yang rescued a beauty last night. Though he took a little injury, he earned a beauty throwing herself into his arms! Now that was satisfying!” Before Yang Tian could answer, Zhao Shilei moved in front of him and said with his chin lifted toward Cui Jiang.

“Haha, throwing herself into his arms? By my reckoning, the citywide first place in the calligraphy contest is about to throw himself into someone else’s arms! He must have done a very long parabolic motion before ending up like that!” Cui Jiang laughed with unusual delight, and the classmates who were usually close to him laughed just as loudly.

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“Damn it, and you still call yourself the physics whiz? You keep saying free fall and parabolic motion—believe it or not, I can toss you out of the upstairs window right now: first a parabola, then a free fall!” Zhao Shilei rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fists. Cui Jiang was so frightened that he could not utter a word. Zhao Shilei was notoriously fierce in fights at class, and since he was an only child whose parents spoiled him, even if he fought and went home, there would be no punishment.

Seeing Cui Jiang and the others leave in embarrassment, Huang Juan and the rest felt thoroughly vindicated, praising Zhao Shilei for his boldness. It was the first time everyone had complimented Zhao Shilei, and he beamed all through class.

Yang Tian patted Zhao Shilei on the head and smiled, shaking his own head. He had no time to bother with people like Cui Jiang. He wanted to make a name for himself at the calligraphy award ceremony, but he also knew that nothing in this world ever went perfectly smoothly.

Even so, he pressed forward against the current, taking good care of himself and striving to ensure that his skill would not falter when the time came.

Between classes, he quietly exercised his wrist and elbow; sometimes even during lessons he would unconsciously move them, so that his right hand would recover its dexterity as soon as possible.

At night, when he returned to his lodgings, he gently applied medicated oil to himself. Most of the time, of course, Huang Juan did it for him.

He had not neglected the internet cafe either. The other four branches of Red Feather Internet Cafe were in tense preparation.

That day, just as Yang Tian arrived at the entrance of Red Feather Internet Cafe, he saw a foreign luxury car, an Opel Astra, parked outside. Beside the bright red car stood a bodyguard-like figure in a black suit. It was Xia Dong, still wearing that very cool pair of oversized sunglasses.

As Yang Tian walked over at an easy pace, Xia Dong mechanically opened the car door. Then Zhang XiuXiu, dressed in a fashionable spring outfit, stepped out of the car and looked Yang Tian over with a smile.

“Yang Tian, we meet again!” Zhang XiuXiu hurried forward, extending a hand as white and smooth as jade to shake his. Yang Tian had helped her younger brother, Zhang Zhi, regain his confidence and happiness, so every time she saw Yang Tian she was always excited and deeply grateful.

“Hello!” Yang Tian smiled politely.

“You’ve helped my brother so much. All this time I’ve wanted to repay you, but I could never find the chance. Still, this time I think I can help you!” Zhang XiuXiu said with confidence.

“Why do you say that, Miss Zhang?” Yang Tian frowned, not understanding what she meant.

“Your right hand is injured. You definitely won’t be able to perform well at the calligraphy award ceremony. I can call the director of the Bureau of Culture and ask him to postpone the ceremony by half a month. Then your first place will be secure!” Zhang XiuXiu smiled with great confidence. To her, this was as easy as pie. With the Zhang family’s connections in Binhai, such a small matter would be simple to handle.

What surprised Yang Tian was that news of his participation in the calligraphy contest and his injury had spread so quickly that even Zhang XiuXiu knew about it.

“No need, thank you!” After a brief pause, Yang Tian smiled. He did not want to tamper with matters like this. Even if he won first place with real ability, people might still say he had relied on improper connections.

“Just as my brother said—you really wouldn’t accept my help. You always think things through so far ahead. If I want to understand you as well as my brother does, I’ll have to work much harder!” Zhang XiuXiu smiled knowingly and went into the internet cafe with Yang Tian.

An incomparable beauty appearing in the internet cafe, and together with the well-known high school student manager, naturally drew many people to turn and stare.

“You should spend more time understanding Binhai’s economic development trends. That would help if you want to start an investment company. What use is understanding me?” Yang Tian offered a subtle hint. In truth, he knew that if Zhang XiuXiu was going to open an investment company in Binhai, her family would certainly send many investment advisers and expert teams. A young miss like her did not need to strain her brain at all.

Still, when it came to Binhai, he felt he understood it better than those advisers and experts. After all, he had been reborn, and had witnessed the sweeping changes in Binhai City over more than twenty years.

“My father once said that to truly understand Binhai, the first thing you must do is completely understand the people of Binhai. So I think if I want to see through Binhai, the first thing I need to do is see through you!” Zhang XiuXiu said with a smile.

“See through me? I can’t represent Binhai!” Yang Tian laughed as well. In that instant, he realized that the old master of the Zhang family was no simple man. Truly worthy of being a Taiwan businessman—yes, if one wanted to fully grasp the pulse of Binhai, one had to understand the pulse of its people first.

“All right, little brother, are you trying to poach Yang Tian from me again?” Zhang Zhi came over and said with a smile.

“Yang Tian is your friend, which means he’s my friend too. Can’t I chat with him?” Zhang XiuXiu pinched Zhang Zhi’s nose.

“Sure, as long as you don’t mind your future brother-in-law getting jealous!” Zhang Zhi said with a sly grin.

“Future brother-in-law? Don’t mention him. The moment you mention him, I get angry!” Zhang XiuXiu’s expression changed at once, and she said sulkily.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhi was delighted. At last he had found a way to deal with his sister. Yang Tian only smiled and shook his head.