plained.Dad Qian was stunned. He naturally knew Su Licheng; the speech he gave at the provincial engineering exchange meeting had made him stand out, and everyone knew that he was a key figure in Daye...Chapter 76: Unexpected Calamity

The preparatory bell for self-study period rang out, and the school was enveloped in a faint red glow of twilight. The playground gradually emptied as an eerie mist crept over it.

The students' restlessness was palpable today. As a result, many homeroom teachers stood outside their classrooms under the glare of the fluorescent lights, counting heads and urging slow-moving students to hurry up.

Some students had special reasons for leaving early. Outside the classroom corridor, Zhang Feifei, Zhu Zhiyu, Zhang Xian, and others were leaning against the concrete guardrails, watching as fewer students remained or some, having purchased snacks, rushed towards the teaching building from below.

The setting sun bathed their faces in a rosy glow before quickly fading. The breeze was chilly, causing Zhang Feifei to sigh, "They haven’t returned. They really left!"

Zhu Zhiyu slumped his shoulders dejectedly and said, "I just want one more look; even if it's only a confirmation, will heaven deny me this last chance"

Zhang Xian let out a heavy sigh, "Then tomorrow I'll personally go to the classroom and find him. I don't believe he won't show up for class tomorrow. If necessary, I’ll just pay him a visit myself!"

Zhang Feifei sighed heavily and turned towards the stairwell, saying, "Let’s go."

“Where to” Zhang Xian frowned.

"Where else The internet café or arcade! I’ll play Dance Dance Revolution; otherwise you’re going to have to return to class right now!"

The two of them cheered and followed him.

In Class 3, Senior Year, the seat beside Jiang Mingjun was empty. Similarly vacant were the places usually occupied by Wang Weiwei and his three companions. It was unprecedented for there to be no students skipping self-study period, yet here Wang Weiwei and Su Can were absent from class. The classroom looked as if several kernels had been nibbled out of a cob of corn.

Seeing everyone's inquiring, regretful, excited, or envious looks, Jiang Mingjun felt quite innocent; he didn’t know why Su Can hadn’t attended self-study period either.

The homeroom teacher Wang Guiwen appeared from the back door of the classroom with a serious expression, seeing that these students were absent. Many people’s schadenfreude turned to gloom upon realizing that it was only natural for them to be punished for missing class. After all, if it had happened to Su Can, he would gladly accept being marked as delinquent or leaving a bad impression on Wang Guiwen.

After the students skipped class, countless others were left simmering with resentment and anxiety.

Even though it was self-study period now, the chattering of Huicui and her friends continued unabated, like waves lapping against a riverbed.

The playground. Wang Weiwei and the other two were habitually sitting at one end of the stands, each carrying large bags of beer bought from the city, clearly planning to skip classes.

The playground seemed to be Wang Weiwei's favorite place as well. Today, no one was playing soccer, and all the students who usually stayed out late at this bustling school suddenly returned to their classrooms as if by a prearranged agreement. Thus, each classroom became a hub of discussion.

On the playground, besides them three, it was completely empty.

This vast emptiness seemed to be exactly what Wang Weiwei and his companions were drawn to. With an open view and cool breeze blowing across, their moods floated along with the wind, drifting up into the dark clouds above.

"What's this toast for" Wang Weiwei raised a can of beer and asked Lin Zouwu.

"Let's toast to our senior year being as exciting as this!" Lin Zouwu licked his lips. Clearly, the previous can of beer had not calmed his agitated emotions; he was adding fuel to the fire.

Wang Weiwei didn't waste words and picked up another beer can with a "gurgle" sound.

He tossed the flattened aluminum tube into a plastic bag, ignoring the overflowing beer that had dribbled down his hand. He then threw another can to Lin Zouwu and opened one for himself.

"When they went downstairs afterward, I followed them out and saw Zhang Feifei and the others. You didn't see their expressions! Zhuang Zhiyu even came over to ask me what happened; I told him couldn’t he see it himself! That guy was just looking like a fish out of water at that moment, hahaha,"

Lin Zouwu burped from drinking and made a "tsk" sound. Only then did he notice Lin Luoran had been holding her leg all along since the beginning, staring at the city overpass far away on the playground, seemingly lost in thought; she was sitting on a book, which was an automobile magazine that Lin Zouwu had bought.

"Hehe, Luoran, want to drink" Lin Zouwu waved his beer can.

"Sure." Lin Luoran smiled and took it, tilting her head back to guzzle the contents. The speed surprised even Wang Weiwei and Lin Zouwu, who were used to drinking a lot. They thought this gentle girl had quite an impressive capacity for alcohol after all; she truly inherited the boldness from the Lin family.

Lin Luoran downed the bottle in one go and then stretched out her hand, asking, "Give me another."

Seeing Wang Weiwei's stunned expression due to her drinking speed, Lin Luoran got up herself, grabbed a can, and clinked it with both of them. "This is for that guy who ditched us because he saw something worth chasing after!"

"Right, let's toast to the guy who doesn’t share his newfound interests with us!" Wang Weiwei reacted immediately, clinking cans but then frowned and asked, "Do you have any idea where those two could be right now"

Lin Zhouwu said angrily, "I don't know

"Severe torture! Whip him!" The three people shouted in a murderous tone. Their beer cans hit each other hard, just like sharp daggers.

We would ride the bus together and skip evening classes together. We no longer cared about that bustling school.

Sitting on the bus with Tang Wu, he looked out of the window at the receding streets, forests, grocery stores, pedestrians walking on the roads, women carrying baskets of fresh vegetables home from work on their bicycles, students crowding into the grocery stores to buy food during peak hours, the lights in Ito Yokado, and the headlights passing by on the road.

Despite all the commotion currently happening at No. 27, the city remained calm externally. When they walked out of school, no one paid them any attention.

The bus had office workers holding rings or carrying backpacks, sleeping with exhaustion; some middle-aged men would lecherously look at Tang Wu, only their eyes would momentarily clear up and shine when they saw her graceful figure.

Watching these people reminded Su Can of his past self. But now he was gradually changing for the better, leading a life without regrets or remorse.

Before reaching Tang Wu's neighborhood bus stop, they got off two stops earlier and went to a KFC on Commercial Street. Under warm lights, the two ate junk food together as it started getting dark outside. The streetlights came back on one by one, illuminating many places.

This area was currently繁華熱鬨的市區，一路上都有暖色的路燈，不少的人流，乃至高聳燈火透明的商業大廈電梯公寓大樓。

兩人閒庭信步絲毫冇有逃課覺悟地走過了兩個街區，唐嫵家的紅牆彆院已經到了。

過街處這邊有個廣場。有不少跳街舞的年輕人和滑板少年，算是這年代很新的事物，也屬於八零後。

"我到了。"這裡雖然可以遠望到蘇燦家的區，不過沿路的路燈最近都在檢修，路比較黑，有些還顯得偏僻，治安不是很好，纔有搶人的，所以唐嫵又道，“你到家了給我打電話。”

“嗯，放心。”蘇燦笑道。唐嫵轉身欲走，卻被蘇燦拉住了手，“再走一段路吧

唐嫵愣了愣，猶豫起來。看了一眼彆院聲道，“這裡有很多熟悉的人”

看到一直很冷靜的唐嫵突然有一絲慌亂，蘇燦隻感覺到她流露出來的這幅神態，實在讓人很想把她揉碎了。於是拖著她跑著，沿著路燈避諱的陰影，朝著她家的方向而去。

This area was currently one of the more bustling parts of the city, with warm streetlights lining the way and plenty of people. There were also towering commercial buildings with transparent lights.

The two walked leisurely as if they didn't mind skipping class, passing through two neighborhoods before reaching Tang Wu's red-walled courtyard residence.

Across the road was a square where many young men and women were dancing to hip-hop music, along with skateboarders, representing a new generation of people from the 1980s.

"I've arrived." Though she could see Su Can's neighborhood far away, there had been recent streetlight maintenance work along the way. The streets were darker and somewhat secluded; recently, there had been incidents of muggings, so Tang Wu added, "Call me when you get home."

"Okay, don't worry." Su Can smiled as he said this.

When Tang Wu turned to leave, Su Can grabbed her hand and said, "Let's walk a bit more."

Tang Wu was taken aback and hesitated. She looked at the courtyard residence and said, "There are many familiar faces here."

Seeing the usually calm Tang Wu suddenly become anxious, Su Can felt an urge to hold her close. So he pulled her along, running under the shadows of the streetlights towards her home.

Tang Wu softly called out, but was pulled by Su Can towards a place that seemed stern and imposing to them. It felt like they were challenging something huge and unassailable for the moment, stimulating yet reinvigorating their courage to hold hands and leave school together today.

At this moment, Tang Wu didn’t want to think about anything. Suddenly, she felt as if she had returned to Summer Sea, a time when they could do whatever they wanted without worrying about the future, going home together after school every day, cooking meals to fill their stomachs. That originally cold and lonely place now had an unprecedentedly warm feeling.

At this moment, the two people running in the street didn’t notice that by the roadside, a black car was quietly sliding, like a ghost haunting them at night, following closely behind.

"Director Mu, isn’t that your daughter up ahead Are those kids dancing on the streets Could Tang Wu be harassed by someone"

Mu Ban frowned and said to Li, "You go check it out. Arrest them, and let the nearby police station handle it."

The black car stopped, and its front door opened. A man in a suit rushed over, pointing at Su Can and barked, "Stop! What are you doing"

Su Can and Tang Wu froze when they saw this aggressive approach. The man clenched his fist and swung it towards Su Can; instinctively, Tang Wu tried to block him but was pushed aside by Su Can. He used one hand to intercept the punch with an elbow strike, causing the attacker to stagger back two steps. Despite being in his forties, the man’s punch was still forceful, although Su Can had managed to deflect it quickly, half his arm now tingling from the impact.

Calculating the sheer force of that blow, Su Can wasn’t confident he could block another one and felt shaken inside. But he didn’t understand where this unexpected disaster came from.

Wang Bao’s car, just leaving "Qin Shanzhai" after a casual meal with some friends, had passed by at the time of the conflict on the street corner. Wang Bao, who was always looking out his window at the city he governed, couldn’t help but notice it. He was about to look away when he suddenly recognized Su Can’s face.

The license plate of a black Audi with the number “Cheng OY 4” stopped by.

Happy birthday today to "Pain Under The Moonlight"!

Congratulations to "Demon Pig Qieqie" for becoming the third patron of the Great Nirvana. What powerful firepower, let’s ignite the flames and burn fiercely together. A surge of warmth from the votes.

Everyone is amazing, with so many heartfelt thanks! Today's strength allows us to reach a higher level.Especially now that he had many things he wanted to digest.Sometimes, he thought such a life wasn’t bad; controlling his own businesses gradually expanding, like a ship venturing into the commercial s...