Chapter 206 - 174: A Righteous and Courageous Act

Chapter 206: Chapter 174: A Righteous and Courageous Act

They picked a random local KTV in the small town. In Lin Zhengran’s experience, entertainment venues like karaoke bars were usually dead by now, but the one they came to today seemed quite lively.

The moment they stepped inside, they were met with a constant cacophony of wailing as all sorts of "pro singers" in the private rooms gave it their all.

Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng picked a room and ordered a full half-case of beer.

Lin Zhengran asked, "You think you can finish all that?"

Fang Meng sat on the sofa in their private KTV room for two, gazing at the beers. "I’ll drink what I can. Anyway, I just need a little courage."

With that, before any songs had even started, Fang Meng clinked bottles with Lin Zhengran and, GLUG GLUG GLUG, chugged more than half of hers.

You could tell she was really nervous about her meeting with Jiang Qian next week.

She queued up a few love songs, then held the microphone, a faint scent of alcohol on her breath.

Her voice was clear and strong. While not as melodious as Jiang Xueli’s, Fang Meng’s singing was actually not bad.

She was quite the performer when she sang.

"I’ll keep my sorrow to myself, and let you take your beauty with you~"

Lin Zhengran figured it was good as long as she was relaxing. ’This song is a little old, though.’

After more than half an hour of singing, Fang Meng had downed three or four bottles of beer by herself. Unable to hold her liquor, she sat on the sofa, her voice a bit hoarse and her face flushed red.

Slightly drunk, she asked Lin Zhengran, "Is that all you’ve had?"

Lin Zhengran glanced at the few empty bottles in front of him. "Didn’t I drink just as much as you?"

Fang Meng held the microphone, puzzled. "But you don’t look drunk at all."

Lin Zhengran replied, "That just means you can’t hold your liquor as well as I can."

Fang Meng blinked, leaned back against the sofa in acceptance, and listened to the still-blaring instrumental track from the screen. "Can I ask you a question, Classmate Lin Zhengran?"

"Mm," Lin Zhengran replied, opening another beer and taking a sip.

Fang Meng stared at him. "If you were Qianqian, and the people you helped when you were little never came back to help you, what would you do?"

Lin Zhengran was sitting next to Fang Meng. "Nothing. I’d just keep on doing whatever I was doing."

"What do you mean?"

"It’s exactly what it sounds like. First of all, I’m selective about who I help. I won’t just go out of my way for anybody; I don’t have that much free time. Generally, there has to be some kind of reward involved. Second, besides my childhood friends,

the help I give others is mostly small favors. And with small favors, I’m not expecting repayment to begin with. Of course, it’s better if they do repay me, but if they don’t, I don’t really care. It doesn’t affect me."

Lin Zhengran looked at Fang Meng.

"Jiang Qian’s childhood experience boils down to her not knowing how to judge people. You have to understand, not everyone in this world is worth helping, but that doesn’t mean everyone is unworthy of help, either. It depends on the person. Of course, it’s normal for a kid not to know how to judge character. It’s all part of growing up."

Fang Meng stared into Lin Zhengran’s eyes, which held none of the confusion about life so common in people their age.

She said admiringly, "Classmate Lin Zhengran, sometimes you really are like a big brother. You’re right. It really is that simple."

She handed the microphone to Lin Zhengran. "I’ve been singing this whole time. Can you sing?"

Lin Zhengran took the microphone. "A little."

The song Fang Meng had picked was still on the screen, and Lin Zhengran couldn’t be bothered to change it.

He watched the lyrics and began to sing.

"I’ll keep my sorrow to myself..."

Fang Meng’s eyelids fluttered. In her tipsy haze, her heart began to race. She never expected Lin Zhengran’s voice to be so good.

Gazing at Lin Zhengran’s handsome side profile, Fang Meng slowly pressed her lips together.

She picked up the second microphone to join him.

Just then, at the KTV’s front desk, a group of four students—two guys and two girls—were laughing and chatting as they went to get a room.

Just as they were about to get their room, about ten police officers walked in and said to the staff at the desk, "We have reason to believe someone is doing dru... Secure the front and back exits for me."

The staff member, not expecting anything like this, nodded respectfully. "Yes, officer! We’ll cooperate fully."

The four students hadn’t expected this either. Wanting to see the action, they tried to follow the police from a distance, only to be scolded and told not to tag along.

The officers and a few staff members began checking the suspicious rooms until they patrolled to the door of a large party room and saw someone standing outside, smoking and acting as a lookout.

When the man saw the police, he panicked and tried to run back to warn the others, but they rushed forward and pinned him down.

"Don’t move!" they warned.

The group inside the room heard the struggle and came out to see what was happening.

They panicked at the sight of the police. Some surrendered, but more tried to flee. The officers at the door caught most of them, but one got away, and the police immediately gave chase.

As the criminal ran past the men’s restroom, Lin Zhengran happened to be inside, washing his hands.

An officer shouted from behind, "Stop running! You really think you can get away?!"

Lin Zhengran walked out the door and saw the criminal, his face a sickly yellow, charging toward him. The man roared:

"Get out of the way, you little brat! Get lost!"

Lin Zhengran took a step back, and as the man passed, he casually grabbed the back of his shirt and, with surprising ease, slammed him against the wall with a THUD.

But that seemingly light press made the criminal feel as if a giant boulder was crushing him from behind.

He couldn’t even breathe, his face turning ashen.

The police ran up and secured the criminal. "Still trying to run, huh? We have people at the front and back doors. Where did you think you were going?"

Although Lin Zhengran’s move was simple, the fact that he’d so easily pinned a grown man to the wall pleasantly surprised the officer. "Thanks, kid. You’re pretty strong."

Lin Zhengran just chuckled. "Don’t mention it. Happy to help."

Fang Meng, who was still in the private room, heard the commotion in the hallway. She opened the door, saw Lin Zhengran with a group of police officers, and hurried over.

She asked nervously, "What’s going on? What happened?"

Lin Zhengran explained, "It’s nothing. The police were chasing someone, and he just happened to run past me, so I grabbed him."

"Grabbed him?" Fang Meng looked at the subdued man, who looked to be in his thirties. Although he seemed dazed, he clearly wasn’t someone an ordinary person could just grab and stop...

However, the memory of Lin Zhengran pinning her to the bed that morning was still fresh in her mind, so she believed him.

"Huh? Isn’t that the Class President and Fang Meng?! I thought I was seeing things just now. Did the Class President really take down that criminal?!" The four students who had come to sing walked over to get a better look.

Surprised, Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng turned to look at the four, thinking what a small world it was. Two of the boys in the group were in the same class as them.

A still-tipsy Fang Meng asked in confusion, "You two... what are you doing here?"

The two boys walked over, delighted. "We’re from this town, too! What a coincidence! Class President, are you on a date with Fang Meng? I just saw your heroic takedown, man. That was awesome."

One of the police officers spoke up. "Young man, you said your name is Lin Zhengran? What school do you go to?"

The two boys answered for him: "He’s our class president. We’re from No. 1 High."

The officer smiled. "A student from No. 1 High? A good student, then. Alright, I got it."

He patted Lin Zhengran on the shoulder. After that, the officers received the order to wrap things up.

And then... 「During study hall on Monday.」

The homeroom teacher of Class One and the Dean of Students suddenly walked into the classroom, beaming. The dean announced:

"Alright, everyone, quiet down. Please, let’s have a round of applause for our classmate and class president, Lin Zhengran! The police informed us that during an arrest last week, a male student helped them capture a criminal. Word is he was at karaoke with his girlfriend when he witnessed the event and righteously stepped up to help!

The security footage of the arrest is now on the school’s official public account for everyone to see. And although their faces are pixelated, you can still recognize our very own Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng. The school will be formally commending this act at the next assembly with a school-wide announcement."

The students in the class were shocked by the news. First, they were shocked that Lin Zhengran had subdued a criminal. Second, they were shocked that... Fang Meng was the class president’s girlfriend?!

Lin Zhengran, Fang Meng, and Jiang Qian all stared, their mouths slightly agape and their eyes wide.

The homeroom teacher standing to the side gave a slight smile. ’You let it slip, Dean,’ she thought. ’We specifically agreed to change the wording and not mention the boyfriend-girlfriend part.’ She then said aloud, "Lin Zhengran, Fang Meng, could you two step outside for a moment?"