Lan Ya hung up the phone and told me, "I originally didn't want them to get involved. Since Zhou Yingying is so eager to infiltrate my territory, we have to lay the groundwork in advance and let him walk right into our trap."
I knew who she was referring to. It seemed like the only way to proceed. If I couldn't control the situation alone from the inside, I would be in a very passive position.
Sister Zhang poured us more water. Lan Ya sat on the sofa, still frowning. I remained standing. Seeing this, Sister Zhang pushed a chair towards me, inviting me to sit.
I tugged on her hand to express my gratitude.
Sister Zhang, unable to interject, sat behind the desk and organized documents. We all remained silent, waiting for the person from the phone call to arrive.
Before long, a young man entered. He had a buzz cut, wore sunglasses, a black leather jacket, and carried a black briefcase. He walked directly to Lan Ya, who stood up and gestured for him to sit.
At this point, Sister Zhang signaled Lan Ya and left the room. Only the three of us remained.
Lan Ya introduced him, "This is Li Hua, my junior. And this is Mr. Song. Li Hua, please tell Brother Song what you told me today."
She didn't explicitly state Mr. Song's identity. I understood that in the drug trade, many identities couldn't be revealed, and even his surname might not be real.
I recounted the incident of encountering Old Mian the previous night and what Wen Siqiang had told me that afternoon.
Mr. Song said to me, "If Zhou Yingying asks you to transport goods, just agree. You need to figure out their entire supply chain and who their buyers are. If necessary, call me. My phone is on 24 hours a day. Also, the next time Old Mian appears, tell me immediately. If the conditions are right, we can make our move!"
He then turned to Lan Ya and said, "You can loosen up a bit now and let Zhou Yingying expose her channels here. That way, we can know our enemy and ourselves."
Lan Ya nodded in understanding. Mr. Song stood up and walked towards the door. He looked back at me and said, "Protect yourself. Don't reveal our intentions."
Then he left.
Lan Ya said, "You should go back to where you're staying. We'll meet again tonight. Remember, your top priority is your own safety. Everything else is secondary."
I acknowledged that I understood. I said goodbye to her and hurried away.
I needed to rush to school to wait for Little Fatty. I had asked him to help me inquire about matters at school, and also about Wang Xin. I hadn't contacted her in the past couple of days and didn't know if Big Lazi had caused trouble again.
When I arrived, students were already starting to leave. I hid behind a large tree, watching and waiting for Wang Xin or Little Fatty to come out.
As the students were almost all gone, I still hadn't seen either of them, nor any of Big Lazi's men.
I grew anxious, a sense of foreboding washing over me. Had Big Lazi bothered Wang Xin again, keeping her from leaving?
Just then, I saw Little Fatty emerge from the school gate, running. As I was about to call out to him, I saw him run to a small convenience store by the road and pull out money to make a phone call.
I knew something must have happened, and he was definitely calling me.
I quickened my pace, crossed the school gate, and reached Little Fatty. He was talking on the phone. Seeing me, he quickly hung up and grabbed me, pulling me back towards the school.
"What's wrong?" I asked.
Little Fatty, breathless, said, "Big Lazi went looking for Wang Xin. Wang Xin wouldn't come out, so he beat up the students who were protecting her in the classroom. Several students were so scared they hid in a corner, refusing to come out. Even the teachers couldn't do anything; he chased them away."
I thought to myself, this Big Lazi is getting too brazen, acting so fearlessly even inside the classroom.
I ran to the door of Class One. A few students were peeking inside. I didn't see any teachers around. I walked in and saw Big Lazi sitting on a desk. His henchmen were standing on either side, and a few girls were huddled in a corner, looking at them fearfully.
I walked over and kicked Big Lazi to the ground. His subordinates, recognizing me, stepped back a few paces, watching me cautiously.
I went over to one of them and slapped him, yelling, "Are you idiots? Do you know this is a crime? If you get three years, you'll serve at least a year and a half! Got it?"
Big Lazi, dazed by my kick, finally managed to get up. I went over and kicked him again. "Who told you to get up? Stay down!"
I stepped on him and said, "You think just because they expelled me, you can do whatever you want, right? Having your Sister Zhou backing you means you can dominate everything? I'm telling you, Big Lazi, you'll never get anywhere with me. If you have the guts, go find your Sister Zhou to back you up!"
After that, I told the girls to go home quickly. I took Wang Xin's hand, walked up to Big Lazi, and said, "Wang Xin is my woman. If you dare to have any more ideas about her, I'll chop off your hands!"
Saying that, I kicked him again and pulled Wang Xin out.
The onlookers by the door saw me emerge and gave me a thumbs-up. I ignored them, grabbed Wang Xin's hand, and left the school gate with Little Fatty.
After walking quite a distance, Wang Xin pulled her hand away and said to me, "Why did you tell our classmates that I'm your woman? It's so embarrassing!"
I replied, "What's wrong? I'm a young man of society now. What business is it of theirs? Don't you like it?"
Wang Xin: "When did you become so overbearing? You're forcing me to admit it?"
I smiled, "You don't have to admit it. I'll start pursuing you now."
Wang Xin: "You're so annoying. And Little Fatty is right here."
Little Fatty said, "I didn't see or hear anything."
I said, "I went back yesterday afternoon. My mom couldn't bear to buy anything for herself, so I bought some daily necessities and took them back."
Wang Xin said, "Auntie is too pitiful. The day I went to give her money, she was holding a big bowl of congee, not even a pickle. She was just getting by like that."
I said, "If you go to my place now, help her cook. I bought some vegetables and put them at home. You can cook them for her and place them on the cutting board, letting her cook herself."
Wang Xin nodded. I escorted her to the entrance of her apartment complex. Neither Little Fatty nor I went up. I gave Wang Xin my house key and asked her to go cook.
Little Fatty watched Wang Xin's retreating figure and said, "Big Lazi has that female demon backing him now. He dares to hit anyone, and even the teachers dare not say a word. Do you know why?"
I asked, "Why?"
Little Fatty explained, "That female demon has someone behind her, a high-level person in the school. The teachers are afraid of offending this person, so they avoid anything that concerns him."
I realized why I hadn't seen any teachers earlier.
I said, "I was looking for you about this too. Help me find out who this person is. I think it has something to do with my father's situation."
Little Fatty replied, "Okay, I got it."
I added, "It's best to do it discreetly. Don't let any information leak."
Little Fatty nodded. I said I had to go and asked him to keep an eye on Wang Xin before and after school.