Chapter Seventy-Three: Advancing Toward Boundless Horizons

Chapter Seventy-Three: Take One Step Further, the World Opens Wide!

The campus at night was quiet and peaceful. Occasionally, the sounds of boys howling or girls shrieking echoed through the air, but those were merely minor surprises that accented the tranquility. They weren’t noisy, only eliciting warm smiles from those who heard them.

Su Shan walked ahead, carrying her sports bag, while Lu Junzhuo accompanied her closely, always on her outer side.

She was serene and elegant; he was handsome and outstanding. Anyone who saw them would believe they were a perfect pair, gifted in both looks and talent. Passing students and young couples couldn't help but turn their gaze toward them, some even glancing back after they had walked by.

Truly, an enviable couple!

Yet only they themselves knew that the distance between them was far greater than what their positions suggested.

Since parting ways with Tang Zhong, Su Shan had remained silent.

"What are you thinking about?" Lu Junzhuo asked.

"I'm thinking about someone," Su Shan replied.

Lu Junzhuo’s heart sank sharply.

They had only just separated, and already she was missing him?

"What do you think of him?"

Su Shan hesitated, then shook her head, saying, "I can't see through him."

"Aren’t you the best at reading people?" Lu Junzhuo’s lips curved into a faint smile as he spoke.

"But he truly is a unique person," Su Shan said softly. "He stayed calm when I told him he wasn’t my type. He sat across from you at dinner and blocked the harsh light for you without a word. He fought fiercely, beating back thirty-two boys who tried to corner him, showing no mercy even when they begged for it. To make it hard for the mastermind to remain at school, he threw him into the restroom, humiliating him. He knew that Youmu was no ordinary person, yet refused to bow his head. He has so many brothers who revolve around him—Junzhuo, you have acquaintances everywhere. But do you have anyone like Qian Ming by your side?"

Lu Junzhuo sighed gently. "No matter how grand their reasons may be, in the end, it’s just a group of friends bound by interests. That answer really is discouraging."

"He’s attentive, yet rough. He compromises easily, but refuses to lower his head. He seems impulsive, but is also passionate—" Su Shan smiled lightly. "It seems I’ll need to spend more time with him to see through it."

"I’ll have someone gather information about him," Lu Junzhuo said. He thought, if he placed that guy’s profile in front of Su Shan, she wouldn’t have to investigate him herself. A woman’s curiosity about a man—that’s a dangerous sign.

Though he doubted Su Shan would choose such a man, love was a maddening hallucination by nature.

Who could predict the future?

Su Shan understood Lu Junzhuo’s thoughts but did not refuse his proposal.

"It’s good to check," Su Shan said. "If conditions allow, let him enter the Red Eagle member assessment system."

Lu Junzhuo was startled.

Su Shan was the founder of Red Eagle; he was the executor. No one understood the significance and composition of Red Eagle better than they did.

He knew that to join Red Eagle, it wasn’t just about ability—their backgrounds had to be extraordinary as well. That was the power Su Shan valued.

Could she really want a grassroots outsider to join this golden group?

"Are you sure you want to do that?" Lu Junzhuo asked.

"If he’s excellent enough," Su Shan nodded. "Why should we refuse?"

"Is this opening a loophole?" Lu Junzhuo asked.

"Do you know why I previously refused grassroots members into Red Eagle?" Su Shan countered.

"Wasn't it because they have no power to draw upon?" Lu Junzhuo replied.

"No. I was worried that even if they had ability, their vision would be lacking," Su Shan said. "What I need to do requires people of exceptional vision to follow. Since differences are inevitable in the future, why not nip them in the bud?"

"What about Tang Zhong?" Lu Junzhuo raised an eyebrow, his voice deep. "Is his vision enough?"

"His courage is more than enough," Su Shan replied.

---

---

"Second, come on, let’s go get some barbecue," Hua Ming threw his arm around Tang Zhong’s shoulder. "Eat barbecue, drink a little, shoot the breeze, and check out the girls’ legs—tsk tsk, that’s a life only gods could live. Too bad Su Shan left. Otherwise, we’d be admiring her legs—hey, Liang Tao, why are you pinching me? Su Shan is Second’s girl; if anyone should pinch me, it’s him, not you. What’s it got to do with you?"

Tang Zhong glanced at Hua Ming’s mischievous expression and smiled. "You guys go ahead. I have to see Dean Jiao."

"Old Jiao called you?" Hua Ming was stunned. It was already so late, and Dean Jiao was asking Tang Zhong to meet. He suspected that things had gotten a bit out of hand.

"Yeah. He told me to come immediately," Tang Zhong said.

"Second, I’m not jealous at all now that you’ve been taken on as the dean’s student," Liang Tao sighed. Being the dean’s student had many perks, but also many restrictions.

"This old man, honestly," Hua Ming grumbled. "He doesn’t even have a granddaughter to introduce to you, yet he calls you over in the middle of the night? Go on, we’ll wait for you to come back and drink."

"Alright. Save me a couple of chicken wings," Tang Zhong said with a smile.

When Tang Zhong reached the office building, most rooms inside had their lights off. Only a few lights burned, indicating that some teachers were still working late.

He went directly up to the sixth floor; the corridor was empty. The secretary outside the dean’s office was gone, so he knocked on the door himself.

"Come in," Dean Jiao Yuheng’s voice came from inside.

Tang Zhong pushed open the door, and the room was filled with the scent of tea.

"Come over for tea," Jiao Yuheng sat on the small sofa in the reception area, beckoning Tang Zhong.

"Teacher," Tang Zhong walked over and greeted Jiao Yuheng respectfully. "I’ve caused you trouble again."

"You’ve caused trouble for yourself," Jiao Yuheng pointed at the sofa, signaling Tang Zhong to sit. "Fighting twice in one night—I really admire you young people’s energy."

"Just fooling around," Tang Zhong said humbly.

Smack.

Jiao Yuheng slapped the tea table, anger in his voice. "Of course you’re just fooling around. Not only that, you’re reckless—do you find fighting so amusing? Is it something you can’t get enough of? Why can’t you put your wit and energy into your studies?"

"Teacher, as I told you before, when I need to resist, I will never be cowardly," Tang Zhong said apologetically.

He could see that Dean Jiao genuinely cared for him, and his anger stemmed from disappointment.

But Tang Zhong also had his own reasons to stand his ground.

He and Su Shan were quietly eating dumplings when Qiao Lei gathered dozens of people to block them.

Moreover, Qiao Lei refused to show himself at the time. He wanted those people to give Tang Zhong a beating, without even the chance for negotiation or apology.

Fight or not? He had to fight.

He escorted Su Shan back, and a cripple he’d never seen before appeared. The man swaggered up and said, "This is the woman I like; if you’re smart, stay away from her."

Could he agree? No.

After Tang Zhong refused, the cripple decisively ordered someone to break his own leg.

Could Tang Zhong agree to that? Absolutely not.

Yes, he knew that cripple had powerful backing. But that wasn't reason enough to back down.

He fought back, showing only that he was impulsive and resolute.

If he retreated just because the other guy was impressive and his own family was only prison wardens, if he abandoned the woman or let someone break his leg—only the congenitally brainless would do such a thing.

The boss once said, the reason bad people grow more rampant is because most good people choose silence. They even take pride in it, thinking it’s self-preservation.

"Nonsense self-preservation," the boss scoffed at such behavior. "Bad people do bad things because they’ve lost their humanity and become wolves. When wolves come, if you feed them meat, they only grow greedier. If you hit them hard, they’ll never dare provoke you again."

Tang Zhong learned calligraphy from the boss.

The boss’s favorite phrase to write was: Take one step further, the world opens wide.

Take one step further. Then another.

That was Tang Zhong’s principle.

"Did you know Principal Li was alarmed by your actions?" Jiao Yuheng said, frowning. "He called me, asking about your character—what do you think he meant by that?"

Tang Zhong laughed.

Not just Principal Li—he imagined Hua Ming’s father and uncle wouldn’t be quiet, either.

The principal’s call inquiring about his character was because he knew the identity of the man named You, and there was an implicit threat—make trouble again, and you’ll be expelled.

Sure enough, the rise of the underdog comes at a price.

Every punch thrown would bring backlash tenfold, a hundredfold, even more than the force of the punch itself.

That’s reality.

"You can still laugh?" Jiao Yuheng was utterly defeated by his student.

"Teacher, do you remember I said my dream after graduation was to become a prison warden?" Tang Zhong asked.

"I remember," Jiao Yuheng replied, then mercilessly dashed Tang Zhong’s wish. "If you get expelled now, you won’t even be able to be a warden. Do you think it’s so easy?"

"I can also not be a warden," Tang Zhong said. "I may not be someone useful to society, but I will not be someone harmful to myself. For me, the greatest harm is bowing to what’s wrong."

"Sigh," Jiao Yuheng sighed deeply. "Tang Zhong, it’s exactly because I know you’re this kind of person that I’ve fought to protect you. I can’t say what you did was right, but I won’t say it was wrong either. I didn’t call you here to blame you, just to advise you—can you accumulate strength first? When your power is strong enough, won’t your punch be even more forceful?"