Those things that happened in those years

Chapter 59 Inquiring into the Truth and Falsehood

Ding Fushan originally wanted to stop Zhang Qiaoyun and gain some advantage, but he didn't expect to suffer a great loss instead of gaining any advantage.

Ding Fushan suffered a great loss, and when he got home, he didn't dare tell his family. When they asked how he got injured, he said he had accidentally fallen off his bike. Of course, his family didn't believe him, but they knew he was always a troublemaker, either bullying others or being bullied—it was commonplace for him. So they didn't bother with him, just telling him to avoid trouble in the future, and that was the end of it.

Ding Fushan was seething with resentment and unwilling to let go. Once his injuries had healed a bit, he contacted those who had been on good terms with him, intending to lead them to settle scores with the Nine Dragons and One Phoenix.

When these "good friends" heard that they were going to deal with "Nine Dragons and One Phoenix," they all shook their heads, their faces showing fear, and they dared not go no matter what.

One villager from the same village as the He brothers said, "Back then, the He brothers from our village led the Dragon and Tiger gang... They were so powerful in our township school. They all lost to the Nine Dragons and One Phoenix. With just a few of us, we couldn't even beat Tong Laogeda. You want us to deal with the Nine Dragons and One Phoenix? Aren't you forcing us down the road? We're not going." His voice was full of helplessness and fear.

Upon hearing this, Ding Fushan flew into a rage, cursing them as cowards, weaklings, and wimps. His eyes were filled with disdain and anger, and he wished he could beat these "good friends" to a pulp.

Someone was unconvinced and muttered under their breath, "If you're not a coward, incompetent, weakling, or a wimp, why are you kneeling down to him? You even said you'd be his dog, biting whoever he told you to." His voice was very soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the silent air.

Enraged, Ding Fushan kicked the boy away. The boy rolled several times on the ground like a ball before finally stopping, still groaning.

The other "good friends" were even more indignant when they saw Ding Fushan's behavior. They felt that Ding Fushan had gone too far, and without saying a word, they all turned around and went their separate ways, leaving him there alone to sulk.

Ding Fushan watched his "good friends" walk away, feeling both angry and anxious, yet helpless.

Ding Fushan couldn't swallow this insult, so he went to Tong Laogeda's thirteen henchmen and, with exaggerated accusations, tried to sow discord and use them to avenge himself. He described his beating as incredibly tragic and fabricated some bad things about the "Nine Dragons and One Phoenix" to provoke their anger.

Tong Laogeda was no ordinary man. He had already heard about Ding Fushan's beating for harassing Zhang Qiaoyun, one of the "Nine Dragons and One Phoenix" members. He despised such scum to the core and ignored Ding Fushan. He would never risk offending the "Nine Dragons and One Phoenix" by standing up for such a scoundrel.

With no one to turn to for help, Ding Fushan could only silently accept his fate.

In that fight that day, no one expected Wu Jie to be so brave.

Ding Fushan was no pushover; he was tall and had a significant physical advantage. However, he was defeated by Tong Laogeda at the village middle school. Since he didn't want to serve under Tong Laogeda, he went his own way.

Despite facing such an opponent, Wu Jie showed no fear. Instead, with an indomitable spirit and extraordinary courage, he defeated Ding Fushan. At that moment, Hong Liguo, as an observer, could truly feel the immense power of love.

The next day, warm sunshine bathed the entire campus, and a few gentle breezes blew by, carrying the scent of grass, making people feel exceptionally relaxed.

As soon as the bell rang for the break, Zhang Qiaoyun walked alone to Wu Jie's classroom door, gently waved in his direction, and said in a soft but clear voice, "Wu Jie, Wu Jie, come out for a moment."

Wu Jie looked up and saw Zhang Qiaoyun calling him. His heart skipped a beat, and he instantly tensed up. He clenched the hem of his clothes and followed her out of the classroom, feeling uneasy.

Throughout the journey, Wu Jie avoided looking directly at Zhang Qiaoyun, his mind replaying their intimate encounter the previous day. Although it wasn't intentional, he had still touched her sensitive areas, and his heart pounded with anxiety, fearing that Zhang Qiaoyun would blame him for it.

Zhang Qiaoyun led Wu Jie to a secluded corner deep within the campus, far from the classrooms, where there were no other students around, only the two of them.

Wu Jie's heart was beating faster and faster, so fast that he could almost hear it himself. He really couldn't figure out Zhang Qiaoyun's purpose in bringing him here.

After Zhang Qiaoyun stopped, she turned to look at Wu Jie, her eyes filled with gratitude, and said softly, "Thanks to your timely appearance yesterday, otherwise I would have really been taken advantage of by that bad guy. I am so grateful to you, Wu Jie, you were so brave and manly yesterday. I never thought you would dare to confront that big guy to save me."

Zhang Qiaoyun's voice was soft and gentle, like a docile kitten, with a faint blush on her cheeks, completely different from the arrogant Zhang Qiaoyun who used to roam the martial arts world.

Hearing Zhang Qiaoyun's words, Wu Jie became even more flustered. He stammered, "No, it's nothing, just a small favor. You were very brave yesterday too. If you hadn't ambushed him from behind, I wouldn't have been able to beat him so easily."

Zhang Qiaoyun chuckled at his words and waved her hand, "Alright, let's not be so modest. Wu Jie, I have a question for you." She paused after speaking, her gaze fixed on Wu Jie, her expression slightly unnatural.

Wu Jie panicked and stammered, "Wh-what did you say? I, I..." He was filled with fear, afraid that Zhang Qiaoyun would bring up the unintentional touch from yesterday and blame him.

Zhang Qiaoyun smiled again, but her eyes remained serious: "I just want to ask you, were the things you said to Ding Fushan yesterday the truth?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jie froze for a moment, and the image of him shouting yesterday, "Although she is not my woman, she is the woman I, Wu Jie, like the most," instantly flashed through his mind. His face turned purplish-red in an instant, his heart pounded as if it were about to jump out of his chest, and his ears burned as if they were on fire.

"Sister, yesterday, I... I was in a moment of panic... I didn't... I..."

He couldn't figure out Zhang Qiaoyun's intention in asking that question, and his heart was in turmoil; he had no idea how to answer.

Seeing that Wu Jie was rambling incoherently, Zhang Qiaoyun pressed him further, "Look at you, what are you afraid of? I didn't say I was going to blame you. Just tell me, were you telling the truth yesterday? Is that so hard? What are you afraid of? I'm not going to eat you."

Wu Jie knew he couldn't avoid it any longer. He took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and mustered his courage to speak: "Sister Qiaoyun, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have talked nonsense yesterday. I, I actually... Please, please don't blame me."

Zhang Qiaoyun's face darkened slightly, her tone tinged with displeasure: "I just want to know if that statement is true. Is it so hard to answer that question? What are you afraid of?"

Wu Jie clenched his fists, steeled his resolve, and mustered his courage to speak his mind: "Sister Qiaoyun, everything I said yesterday was from the bottom of my heart, it's true. I've liked you for a very long time. If I didn't like you, I wouldn't have left my group of buddies to join Nine Dragons and One Phoenix. I know I'm not good enough for you, I'm just a toad trying to eat swan meat. But I really like you. I know there's too much of a gap between us, and you could never like someone like me. Please, if you're angry, just pretend I was talking nonsense yesterday. If you're angry, you can hit me or yell at me, just please don't tell anyone what I said today. Otherwise, I'll be too ashamed to face anyone."

Wu Jie clearly remembered that Zhang Qiaoyun had publicly read his love letter, and he was terrified that Zhang Qiaoyun would also make his words public and let the whole school know.