Shuangling: Braving the Rapids

Amidst a chorus of boos, the scarred man and the Jinbei van disappeared.

The crowd lingered, pointing and whispering about Kong Tao's car as if they had discovered something extraordinary.

"Look! Look! That young man's driving a luxury car, no wonder he took that guy down so easily!"

"Wow! It's a license plate from the provincial capital! And it's a high-risk, high-reward number! Having connections really makes things easier!"

"That guy was blind, too. Now he's not so cocky anymore, is he? He kicked a steel plate."

……

The crowd chattered on and on, but Erniu reacted quickly, pulling Yue Chuan and his two classmates into the store. "It's so hot, I'll get you three some popsicles to cool you down..."

After her lover backed down and ran away, Erniu changed her tune. She no longer dared to boss her cousin around and, surprisingly, even brought out cream ice cream to treat Kong Tao and Li Baihui. After all, she was in business; if she couldn't distinguish between the big and small fry at this point, she would have lived in vain.

Seeing the landlady's attentiveness, Li Baihui smiled slightly, then turned to Yue Chuan and said, "Xiao Chuan, that guy probably won't dare to come back and cause trouble. Just in case, you should pack your things and we'll take you home!"

Kong Tao chimed in, "Bai Hui is right. School starts soon, so since the boss has already paid you, you should go home as soon as possible! But then again, I really admire you. Aren't you afraid to work here all by yourself?"

Before she could finish speaking, Li Baihui rolled her eyes at Kong Tao: "Look at what you're saying! If he knew fear, would he still be called Qin Yuechuan? I told you before, my deskmate was a hero at the school gate, capable of taking on ten people at once!"

"I've always heard Bai Hui say you're good at math, but I didn't expect you to be so loyal! I admire you!" Kong Tao's eyes lit up, and he extended his right hand. "Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Kong Tao. Bai Hui and I grew up in the same compound. You can just call me Xiao Tao!"

Yue Chuan stammered and couldn't speak. He quickly wiped his hands on his trouser leg before shaking hands with the other person.

"Thank you so much, I don't even know what to say..."

"It's alright, the matter has been resolved, hasn't it?" Kong Tao smiled, but his gaze lingered on Yue Chuan's tattered collar.

"That's right! Don't be so polite with us." Li Baihui hurriedly chimed in, but when she said the word "us," her face immediately flushed.

Yue Chuan wanted to say a few more polite words, but then he heard Er Niu's playful laughter behind him. "Little Chuan, your classmate is right! By the time my husband gets back, it'll be dark. Why don't you have your classmate take you back to the village? Here, I've prepared some good food for you to eat on the way..."

In the month or so he had been working, Yue Chuan had never seen his second cousin so attentive. Now, looking at the large bag of snacks she was carrying, he seemed a little lost and at a loss, awkwardly waving his hands and saying, "Second cousin, you...you can keep the stuff..."

"Look at you, kid! The things are for your classmate. He gave you a ride, so we can't be rude, can we?" Erniu replied sternly.

Seeing the two of them endlessly refusing the snacks, Kong Tao turned around and neatly took them. He said sweetly, "Thank you, sis! I'll get my car washed here from now on. I'll ask my dad to recommend more business to you!"

Hearing this, Erniu beamed and turned to her cousin, saying, "Xiaochuan, not to criticize you, but when it comes to speaking and handling things, you really need to learn from this classmate! So young, yet so articulate and capable, and he can even drive a car… wow… truly remarkable! With such a good classmate, you should get closer to him and learn from him!"

Although the words were addressed to Xiao Chuan, it was clear to everyone that they were praising Kong Tao. Li Baihui, disapproving of this one-upmanship, interjected, "Sister, Xiao Chuan is amazing too! He's good at his studies and works part-time; all our classmates admire him!"

"Bai Hui is right! If my dad finds out that my classmate is working to pay for his tuition, he'll definitely scold me for it! Hahaha!" Kong Tao, as expected of a child raised in a wealthy family, was adept at self-deprecation, and his words were truly comforting to hear.

With everyone's help, Yue Chuan's luggage, along with his study materials, was neatly packed into the Toyota's trunk.

Before leaving, Erniu pulled Yuechuan aside and softened her tone, a rare occurrence for her: "Little Chuan, I was wrong about what happened today, and I'm sorry you had to suffer. It's not easy for us small business owners to deal with difficult customers all day long... Take this fifty yuan, consider it my apology."

Seeing the huge sum of money, Yue Chuan felt as if it were burning his hands. He quickly waved his hands and said, "Second Sister, thank you for taking care of me these past few days. When I get home, I will only speak well of you. I will not mention today's incident to anyone else..."

"Oh, what are you talking about! What outrageous thing could I possibly do..." Erniu chuckled dryly, but was interrupted by the sound of a car starting before she could finish speaking.

Yue Chuan stopped talking nonsense, waved his hand, turned around and got into the Toyota sedan.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Erniu's face gradually darkened. Clutching the banknotes she hadn't given away, she stood there for a long time before slowly stuffing the money back into her pocket.

Luxury cars are indeed luxury cars. Even with the windows closed in the middle of summer, a slight coolness was emanating from the air vents. Yue Chuan was riding in a luxury car for the first time and had no idea about car air conditioning. He was puzzled and wanted to ask something, but he swallowed the words back.

"You didn't shower or change your clothes, won't you get someone's car dirty?"

Sinking into the soft leather seat, Yue Chuan suddenly had this thought. He sat up straight, fiddling with the back of his hands, looking so restrained.

Kong Tao, calm and collected, gripped the steering wheel in the front seat, making him feel a pang of jealousy—envy and jealousy were one thing, but the most unbearable thing was the feeling of inferiority. They were the same age, so how could others live such a respectable life? If he were that successful, why would he have to endure all that humiliation?

A multitude of thoughts raced through Yue Chuan's mind, but just then, Li Baihui turned to look at him from the passenger seat and asked, "Yue Chuan, why are you looking so worried? Is there something you haven't finished taking care of?"

"No...nothing...I just feel a little tired..." Yue Chuan replied with an awkward smile.

"Just say what you need, don't be shy! Kong, who's driving, is two years older than us. He's the class monitor and chairman at a provincial key high school. What's wrong with letting him do a little extra work?" Li Baihui said, giggling at Kong Tao.

Kong Tao, one hand on the steering wheel, smirked: "Bai Hui, are you mocking me? Fine, I admit it, it was indeed me who voluntarily transferred to the provincial capital for school..."

"Who would dare to insult you, Young Master Kong! Being a cadre at a provincial key high school is so prestigious; we country bumpkins from our county's No. 1 High School are incredibly envious," Li Baihui said sourly.

The girl's sarcastic remarks had a reason. Back in junior high, the two had planned to attend Yanghe No. 1 High School together. However, just before the start of the semester, Kong Tao's father managed to get him into a provincial key high school, which made Li Baihui cry for several days. Now, a year has passed, and the girl still remembers this incident. It seems that not being able to study in the same high school as her childhood sweetheart is a regret.

The two of them chatted like they were performing a comedy routine, while Yue Chuan in the back row looked like a third wheel. He suddenly remembered the day school started, when Li Baihui was crying her heart out on her desk—now he finally understood why.

"If I were a girl, I'd be eager to be with Kong Tao too. He comes from a good family and is successful; who wouldn't like him?"

Looking at Kong Tao, and then at himself, Yue Chuan finally understood what it meant to be outmatched and to be truly extraordinary. The difference between heaven and earth was no greater than this.