They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

"None of your business." Passerby A glared at me. "Or are you and this guy in cahoots?"

"In the same group?"

"Never mind. What about those two women? Didn't anyone teach you that leaving halfway through the meal is impolite?"

"Ning Ruoyu! Ignore them, they're a scam!"

Ah, although I had expected it, it turned out just as I thought.

The event that exposed this secret happened in the most inappropriate place, at the most inappropriate time, and by the person who should never have been there.

Xu Xingxin's roar earned him a slap from another male student without hesitation. Calling him "the other male student" feels impolite; from now on, I'll just call him Passerby B.

"You're the perverted stalker, aren't you? Is this the kind of mouth you use to slander others?"

Passerby B grabbed Xu Xingxin by the collar and half-lifted him off the floor.

"You bastards..."

"Is this really a good thing to do? It would be troublesome if the waiter saw you doing this, wouldn't it?"

I made sarcastic remarks in a nonchalant manner. To me, Xu Xingxin was just a classmate. Although I felt bad for their act of fierceness, I wasn't really bothered at all.

"It's just young friends playing around. I've already sent the waiter back."

The gold-toothed man's voice came from behind.

"As for your female classmates, we asked a friend who happened to be hanging out nearby to look for them, so don't worry."

These words made Xu Xingxin's face turn pale instantly. He was about to lash out when a passerby forcefully pressed him back into his seat.

"Boss, why did you come in person?"

Anan, who had been silent all along, stammered as he asked the man with the gold teeth.

"If I hadn't come, you bunch of good-for-nothings would have messed everything up!"

"Yes, I'm sorry, boss, we didn't expect someone to suddenly show up like this..."

"That kind of childish play is unimportant! Don't you even have basic awareness?"

The man with the gold teeth stared at me.

"...If you don't want to die, take my things back."

"What are you talking about? I don't understand what you're saying."

Xu Xingxin's unauthorized involvement in this matter is something that neither these scumbags nor I are happy to see.

For example, the theft of a phone, which was intended to be discovered by the other party, was brought forward far too much.

But by this analogy... does that mean I'm actually a scumbag in some way?

I sighed inwardly and made a gesture.

He patted the back of his hand twice, then tapped the ground with his finger.

The gold-toothed man's pupils contracted slightly, and his gaze towards me began to show wariness.

"What are you trying to pull, brat? Are you planning to be tortured or given a softer punishment? Aren't you afraid of causing a scene and angering the authorities?"

"Shouldn't you be the one worried? It would be troublesome if the flour couldn't be brought to a boil (due to a lack of official evidence and an inability to explain it). You're just in a retail business (not involving long-term criminal offenses), there's a limit to how much you can bluff, isn't there?"

"..."

"B-Big brother, what is the boss saying?"

"Do you think I understand? It's strange, I can understand every single word and phrase, but when put together it sounds like a chefs' exchange meeting?"

"Shut up, you bunch of idiots!"

The whispers between passersby A and B caused the gold-toothed uncle's veins to bulge.

Although I think what the other person said is not wrong.

Those veterans who operate in the gray area are too worried about their business and operations being known, so every time they speak these slang terms, they pretend to be street vendors—turning the atmosphere into that of a vegetable market.

This is why, apart from newcomers, some experienced colleagues are unwilling to say such things except when testing strangers.

It's safe and reliable, and you don't have to worry about recording, but it's really embarrassing.

Anyone with a certain status will find it hard not to care about their pomp and circumstance.

"...Damn it, are all high school kids this idiotic these days? What the hell are your high school admission standards?"

"Who knows?" I shrugged.

Amidst the astonished gazes of those around him, including Xu Xingxin, the man with the gold teeth slumped onto the sofa like a deflated balloon.

It seems my guess was correct.

When I saw those two newbies chatting using the same code words as me, I was thinking about something.

Although they are different worlds, things like historical context and physical rules still largely apply. So, the same probably applies to code words and basic rules.

This gesture is indeed the starting point for high-level figures in the gray industry to confirm each other's identities.

"Since we're all in the same industry, even though I haven't figured things out yet, I can't work for free according to the rules, right?"

"Stop bluffing. By the rules, the fact that I'm still standing here talking to you means I don't want to break off relations—or are you still trying to scam me? If so, then it'll be a different story."

"Who are you messing with, you brat?!" Passerby A grinned at me.

"Shut up! When did it become your place to speak!"

The passerby who tried to speak up for the uncle was severely reprimanded, and the uncle narrowed his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I'm new and inexperienced, please excuse my behavior. You guys, please let my friend go."

The two passersby looked at each other, and finally reluctantly let go of each other's hands.

I smiled as if it were perfectly natural.

This gesture is used by industry veterans to confirm each other's identities; it's more symbolic. Unlike the loud, boastful jargon of newcomers, it fully deserves this respect.

This cunning old fox's actions were both compliant with the rules and a test. He probably still doesn't believe I have in-depth knowledge of the gray market.

"Well, they're not really my friends... Oh well, thanks anyway."

"Would anyone still emphasize this kind of thing at a time like this?!"

Xu Xingxin straightened up while complaining.

You're so long-winded. Why don't you just let me put you back?

"Um, Ning, Ning Ruoyu, it seems they also sent people to look for Ge Lanlan."

Xu Xingxin seemed uneasy, probably because he wasn't used to asking me for help.

"Haha, since we're here to sit down and talk, there's no need for this kind of thing..."

"There's really no need to worry. We've made preparations on our side."

Interrupting the gold-toothed uncle's attempt to be friendly, I glanced at my phone and smiled.

At the same time, there was a knock on the door, and when they came in, it was the reliable class president of Class F, my troublesome employer, and two high school girls.

"I printed two copies, and I also saved the file you just sent to my local machine."

My best teammate, Chen Di, handed me some documents. "But since you've already sent the president to chase after her, isn't it a bit redundant to have me wait at the door?"

"Meeting the president was just a coincidence; you must believe in your crucial role."

Is it really that important to call out to your classmates at the door?

It seems that the plan to use Chen Di as a backup, just in case, has been exposed.

I guiltily looked away from the boy's ambiguous smile.

Looking at us in astonishment and the wary "fat sheep" behind us, Uncle Gold Tooth finally let out a soft sigh.

"Alright, you've done a good job as a student. Making such a fuss and ending up embarrassing yourself, I admit defeat. Let's settle this according to the standard procedure."

"ordinary?"

Behind me, An Yu finally couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"...This is a compromise that benefits both sides. They will provide some compensation later and guarantee that no one related to us will be implicated."

"Oh, that's how it is!"

"Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that everyone else looked like complete inexperienced students, I would have really suspected that this whole thing was a setup you deliberately set up for us."

The man with the gold teeth clicked his tongue, looking like he was holding back a lot of anger.

"Ordinary is reasonable, but after all, they are students. I think you should at least..."

I've done this kind of negotiation many times before. Just as I was about to end this farce in a way that was acceptable to both sides, I was suddenly interrupted by someone speaking behind me.

"Wait a moment!"

"If there's nothing else..."

"I told you to wait a moment, didn't I?"

Are you a spiky-haired lawyer in some court? Why are you stopping at a time like this?!

I turned to look at the black-haired girl behind me, while the gold-toothed uncle also stopped smiling, his eyes turning cold again.

"Although I don't know what your relationship is with this uncle, junior, but! Based on what An Yu and I just learned from Ge Lanlan, isn't this an extremely egregious scam?!"

"How can we simply pretend that this kind of crime, which is malicious and targets our students, didn't happen?!"

Oh shit, it's over.

A serious, upright, and strong student council president, in everyday life... does that mean low emotional intelligence?

No wonder the girls in those stories, with their upright personalities, all turned from being so righteous to being so rigidly honest. They have absolutely no sense of propriety!

Team battles, team battles, until in the end all that's left is the team.

Seeing this courageous young woman who stood up for me, I seriously considered whether I could distance myself from them if I went out now.

[Next chapter preview: I've never been this serious in my life!]

"sorry!"

After the hero defeats the Demon King and returns to the kingdom, even if he can't marry the long-lived elf and watch the meteor shower, he should at least have a victory celebration banquet with free drinks, right?

I touched my throbbing cheek. The heat made me feel like the swelling would last for a long time.

What goes around comes around. This time, it's my turn to slump onto the sofa.

Chapter Twelve: I told you people shouldn't meddle in other people's business, didn't I?

Ta-da! This is Ning Ruoyu's Daily Classroom! I'm the Ning you all hate... Sorry, partly because I'm too disgusting, and partly because I'm not in the mood for this kind of enjoyable science popularization right now.

Let's summarize the situation.

...We encountered a pig while playing a raid, and it's on our side.

Perhaps in the eyes of this beloved student council president, this negotiation was just like her election for president, mainly based on which side had more people and which side she would listen to.

So when our mob surrounded the four of them, she generously delivered a proclamation denouncing the traitors, which deeply moved me and caused me to slightly move away from her.

"It can't be that simple. So how are you planning to 'punish' us?"

"An apology and compensation are only a matter of course! You should also confess your actions and be punished by law!"

"Oh, legal sanctions, huh? That's an interesting way to put it."

The man with the gold teeth looked at me coldly.

I shrugged.

"I'm not familiar with her."

"Junior Ning Ruoyu, now is not the time for jokes like this!"

I've never been this serious in my life!

"It seems she doesn't think so."

The man with the gold teeth took a drag of his cigarette and squinted his eyes in enjoyment.

"Please spare me. In this situation, it's hardly someone I brought along. Aren't you and I the only ones with any say in this negotiation?"