Chapter 207 - 175: Unexpected

Chapter 207: Chapter 175: Unexpected

Amidst the Dean’s encouraging words and a round of applause from the class, Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng stood up and walked out of the classroom together.

A certain second young miss widened her cold, elegant eyes in sheer disbelief. She had never imagined that Fang Meng and Lin Zhengran would have this kind of relationship. She had always thought they weren’t even close.

Outside the classroom, Fang Meng and Lin Zhengran exchanged glances with the Dean and their homeroom teacher. The Dean was quite enthusiastic. Although most students disliked his position, ever since Lin Zhengran entered high school, the Dean seemed to always speak to him with a beaming smile. This was the undeniable prestige of consistently being ranked first in the entire grade.

"Lin Zhengran, I didn’t expect you to not only excel in your studies but also possess such capability and courage. The school is truly proud of you! The college entrance examination is just around the corner. For the upcoming pre-exam mobilization assembly, the teachers unanimously agree that having you give a speech on stage will yield the best results. You can properly boost everyone’s morale!"

Lin Zhengran was already accustomed to this kind of treatment. After praising him a bit more, the Dean excused himself to attend to other matters. He mentioned that Lin Zhengran would be formally commended during the assembly. Of course, before leaving, he also turned to Fang Meng and added, "Fang Meng, your grades are also excellent, and you have great taste in people."

Fang Meng blinked. "Hmm?"

After the Dean left, the homeroom teacher waited until he was completely out of sight before letting out a long breath and suddenly laughing. "Did you two catch the hidden meaning behind those last two sentences?"

Fang Meng stared at her.

The homeroom teacher smiled. "It’s a good thing the ones making the news this time are Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng, and that it’s a positive story about acting courageously. Otherwise, the school has always been very strict about catching early romances. This time, the school will let it slide and won’t openly criticize you two.

"The college entrance exam is fast approaching. Just be a bit mindful in your daily interactions and don’t let it affect your grades. However, during the commendation speech at the assembly, the wording will be changed to say that Lin Zhengran was out hanging out with a friend when he bravely apprehended the criminal. It won’t mention anything else."

Seeing that the two students wanted to say something, the homeroom teacher preemptively added with a hint of curiosity, "Of course, maybe you two aren’t actually dating? I can’t figure it out myself, but it doesn’t matter now. We’ll consider the matter closed. Just don’t let outside distractions affect your exams!"

Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng exchanged a glance and nodded.

"Alright, you two can go back inside," the homeroom teacher said.

Just as the two were about to return to the classroom, the homeroom teacher called out to Lin Zhengran.

"Is there something else?" Lin Zhengran asked.

The homeroom teacher chuckled, her demeanor incredibly warm. "Nothing major. I just wanted to ask if you’re planning to change your university application preferences?"

Lin Zhengran shook his head. "I’m not changing them. I’ll stick with what I told you before."

"Alright, I understand," the homeroom teacher nodded.

As Lin Zhengran and Fang Meng headed back, the homeroom teacher stood in the hallway, watching his retreating back. Having taught these kids for over three years, she had witnessed firsthand just how popular Lin Zhengran was. If her status as a teacher didn’t prevent her from gossiping, she would genuinely be curious about what exactly Lin Zhengran had experienced with all these girls.

Upon returning to the classroom, Lin Zhengran took his seat. Fang Meng noticed the curious gazes of her classmates and saw Jiang Qian scrutinizing her with surprise.

The former best friends locked eyes. They remained entirely speechless, neither knowing what was going through the other’s mind.

Meanwhile, in Class 3 next door, the classroom was buzzing with lively discussions during the break.

Jiang Xueli was agonizing over her remedial studies, while Han Wenwen and He Qing were planning to head to the restroom together.

Just then, they overheard their classmates talking.

"Did you guys hear? Last week, Lin Zhengran from the next class performed a heroic deed! He helped the police subdue a thug!"

Student A spoke animatedly, using exaggerated hand gestures to illustrate the story. "I heard, I heard! Word is the thug was a meter-seventy tall with a half-meter-long scar across his face. Lin Zhengran pinned him down all by himself through sheer force!"

Classmate B slammed a hand on his desk in rebuttal. "That’s not right. How come I heard the criminal was a towering meter-eighty tall? The guy was a massive wall of muscle holding a knife. The police were too afraid to make a rash move, but Lin Zhengran took him down in one swift strike!"

Extra C sprayed saliva as he spoke. "Where are you guys getting these versions? That’s total bullshit! The thug was only about a meter-sixty and wasn’t even that buff, but he was definitely armed. I heard he was wielding a Gatling gun and a cannon. Good lord, Lin Zhengran forcibly disarmed him!"

The crowd chattered endlessly. "Are you serious? He’s that amazing? I heard armed helicopters were deployed, along with tanks and stuff. Someone even saw Lin Zhengran piloting a Transformer!"

Onlooker D rolled his eyes. "These rumors are getting completely out of hand. Didn’t the school’s official account post the video? He simply pinned the thug against the wall. I did watch it though, and it really was impressive. Lin Zhengran held down such a massive guy with just one hand."

The ongoing discussion made He Qing and Han Wenwen stop in their tracks and exchange a glance. Even Jiang Xueli, who had been focused on her practice problems, lifted her head at the commotion and leaned over curiously.

"What are you guys talking about?" Xiao Heqing asked softly. "What Transformer?"

Seeing it was He Qing and her friends, a female classmate replied, "You guys don’t know? Aren’t you three hanging out with Lin Zhengran all the time? He performed a heroic deed last week. While out on a date with his girlfriend, he helped the police subdue a thug. The video is on the school’s official account right now. He looked drop-dead gorgeous doing it!"

Upon hearing others sing Lin Zhengran’s praises, Xiao Heqing, Han Wenwen, and Jiang Xueli were all thrilled.

Xiao Heqing widened her innocent eyes. "Lin Zhengran is that amazing?! Did this happen last week?"

"Zhengran subdued a thug?" Jiang Xueli exclaimed in awe.

"Yeah, it was last weekend, and then—" the female classmate began to say.

Han Wenwen had also been smiling, but she suddenly caught a crucial detail that had been casually glossed over. "Wait... what did you just say?"

"I said he subdued a thug. I’ve already said it several times," the female classmate replied.

"Not that part," Han Wenwen clarified, waving her hand dismissively. "The part before that. You said Lin Zhengran was on a date with his girlfriend? And *then* he subdued the thug?"

"Yeah, there’s a video and everything."

Han Wenwen’s question caused the smiles to instantly freeze on Xiao Heqing and Jiang Xueli’s faces.

The two girls looked at each other, then both shook their heads and spoke in unison. "It wasn’t with me."

Han Wenwen’s sharp sixth sense tingled. The Little Fox fished her phone out of her pocket, scrolled through the school’s official account, and sure enough, found the video of the heroic act.

"I found the video! Let’s watch it together," Han Wenwen said.

The Three Royal Families huddled around the screen to see exactly what was going on.

The video was recorded from the police’s perspective, and the faces of the people involved were heavily pixelated. However, Lin Zhengran’s distinct aura and build were impossible to hide. The three girls, who were incredibly familiar with him, recognized him instantly and exclaimed at the same time:

"That’s Lin Zhengran!"

"That’s Zhengran!"

"That’s Lin Zhengran! And this location... a KTV? Did Lin Zhengran go karaoke singing last week?"

As the Lin Zhengran in the video effortlessly pinned the thug against the wall with just one hand, the three girls gasped in awe. Immediately afterward, a heavily pixelated girl wearing a light jacket over a pure white long-sleeved pleated dress walked into the frame.

The three girls instantly went on high alert.

The girl in the video walked up to Lin Zhengran, grabbed his sleeve, and asked with deep concern, "Are you okay? What happened?"

The footage ended right there, cutting to a text-based news report.

The mysterious girl had only appeared on screen for a fleeting moment, and the pixelation was so heavy that it was impossible to make out her facial features.

But... that outfit, that voice.

The trio exchanged a glance. After a brief moment of silent calculation, they blurted out simultaneously, "Is that Fang Meng?"

Having reached a unanimous conclusion, the three girls snapped their gazes back to the screen. Each of them was flustered, annoyed, and seething with jealousy.

They all desperately wanted to know exactly what the hell was going on!