TL: Moonlit
In the eyes of the Zhou brothers, getting rid of an ignorant poor person was an easy task.
Eldest Brother Zhou was busy with work and didnât have the qualifications to personally handle it as a student. Second Brother Zhou was a celebrity, with a sensitive identity, and it was inconvenient for him to get involved. In the end, the others decided to let Third Brother Zhou handle the matter.
Zhou Yushu, the third brother, was the youngest professor at B University, only twenty-three years old.
After returning to the school, he first went to see his own teacher and then, after the noon class, he calmly went to find Lin Hanchuan.
As an honored alumnus of Nanping High School, his photo had always hung on the honor list. The students who hurriedly rushed to have their lunch couldnât help but look back a few times, recognizing him.
Zhou Yushu paid no attention to it. With his handsome appearance and young genius status, he had long been accustomed to the admiring gazes of everyone.
As an elite school, the cafeteria at Nanping High School was much more luxurious than ordinary schools, and the food was specially prepared by a chef, which tasted good. Except for those who had their meals delivered by someone else, most students chose to eat in the cafeteria.
Wan Li Shuang was no exception.
After a morning of classes, Wan Li Shuang looked listless, as if his energy had been drained from his body.
Lin Hanchuan found it somewhat amusing and casually ordered a dish of chives stir-fried with eggs for him. âYouâve attended classes before, why do you look so lethargic today?â
Wan Li Shuang didnât notice Lin Hanchuanâs gesture and weakly took a sip of the soup. âWhen I used to attend classes, I just sat in the classroom daydreaming. I never felt this tired before.â
After speaking, Wan Li Shuang glared at Lin Hanchuan with a faint hint of reproach in his eyes.
Yesterday, when Lin Hanchuan said he would give him extra lessons, Wan Li Shuang thought he was just saying it casually and didnât take it too seriously. But who knew that today, Lin Hanchuan would switch to strict teacher mode.
In class, Wan Li Shuang couldnât sleep, play with his phone, or even daydream. Once Lin Hanchuan noticed any signs of Wan Li Shuang being distracted, he would kick his chair.
Even after class, there was no rest for Wan Li Shuang, as Lin Hanchuan would help him consolidate the knowledge learned in class. If he didnât understand something, Lin Hanchuan would patiently explain it again.
Even the most expensive private tutors that Wan Li Shuang had hired before couldnât match Lin Hanchuanâs dedication. In just one morning, most of his brain cells felt like they had died.
âAfter lunch, go back to the dormitory and take a nap. Weâll continue in the afternoon,â Lin Hanchuan ignored Wan Li Shuangâs complaints and said.
Wan Li Shuang sighed and focused on eating his meal.
The two sat in the noisy cafeteria, and voices of conversations reached their ears.
âJiang Tian was just lucky to latch onto a big shot. If it werenât for Young Master Wan protecting him, do you think he could still stay at Nanping High School?â
âI envy Jiang Tian. Heâs the young master of the Wan family⦠I wonder how he caught the eye of Young Master Wan.â
âHehe, do you know they share a dormitory? You get it, right?â
The person talking behind Lin Hanchuan burst into a lewd laugh, and Lin Hanchuanâs eating motion paused.
âHey, donât say that. Although Jiang Tianâs family is poor, he is tall and looks mature, not like a high school student. His nose is also quite prominent⦠Iâve heard that people with prominent noses have well-endowed private parts.â
âJiang Tian seems indifferent, but heâs actually good at pleasing men, trying to attach himself to menâs thighs. Truly knowing someoneâs face but not their heart.â
âTsk, when Young Master Wan gets tired of him, heâll throw some money at him, and maybe you could be the one being pleased.â
Lin Hanchuan dropped his chopsticks on the spot. He had no connection with this group of people, and they had never interacted before. Who would have thought that they would dare to talk behind his back like this?
Nanping High School had elite second-generation rich kids who were well-educated and outstanding in various aspects, but it also had some spoiled kids who relied on their family wealth to get in. This group of people who were talking were the latter, and they were not well-regarded by their families either. Their families only expected them to graduate and study abroad, and after that, they would be considered âsea turtles.â They didnât have any ambition and only cared about having fun. They would often find small internet celebrities or minor stars, and even the worst among them would go through several boyfriends or girlfriends within the school.
Although they were just high school students, they were much more obscene and lewd when speaking about certain private matters compared to others.
Hearing the voices from behind, those people turned around in dissatisfaction and saw Lin Hanchuanâs calm face. They were surprised, but shamelessly laughed, âOh, you heard us, huh?â
âTell us how you usually please men?â
âWhat can he say? Itâs just shameless, thatâs all.â
They had no shame when being caught speaking ill of others and didnât take Lin Hanchuan seriously at all.
With a loud thud, Wan Li Shuang slapped the table and turned around to face the grinning group of people who were suddenly taken aback, and their laughter got stuck in their throats.
Damn it! How could Young Master Wan be here? Doesnât he dislike crowds and always wait until the cafeteria is empty before having lunch?
âGo on, why arenât you continuing?â Wan Li Shuang crossed his arms in front of his chest, coldly looking at the group.
âW-Wan, Young Master Wan, we didnât know you were here, weâre really sorry,â someone stammered an apology.
Wan Li Shuangâs gaze turned icy, and he coldly snorted, âWho should you apologize to? Do I need to say it?â
The group trembled, hastily apologizing to Lin Hanchuan, âMr. Jiang, weâre sorry.â
In school, everyone knew about Wan Li Shuangâs temper when it came to his blue-eyed friend. No one wanted to become the next Li Yuan.
Wan Li Shuang narrowed his eyes and took out his phone, checking the time while the others nervously watched.
After finishing his last bite, Lin Hanchuan glanced indifferently at those who had badmouthed him, saying, âGet lost.â
Under normal circumstances, these spoiled kids would have fought back in anger, but now, it was as if they had received a pardon and hurriedly left.
âIf it werenât for Li Yuan going too far, I wouldnât have involved my family in this matter,â Wan Li Shuang sneered. At least, now, these people were scared and no one dared to bully others openly or secretly.
Wan Li Shuang had known Li Yuan for over ten years, so he naturally understood him. After the incident on the rooftop, given Li Yuanâs temperament, he would never back down. If he didnât intervene, this silent man might still face further trouble. Wan Li Shuang couldnât just stand by and watch.
It felt strange for Lin Hanchuan, as he rarely experienced being protected by someone else. Now, he seemed to have become that fox, relying on anotherâs might. It wasnât unpleasant, just somewhat novel.
A short distance away, the third brother from the Zhou family, Zhou Yushu, witnessed the entire scene. A hint of displeasure flashed in Zhou Yushuâs eyes.
Taking advantage of anotherâs power, the Zhou familyâs bloodline should never have produced such a person. Zhou Yushu furrowed his brows slightly and stopped Lan Hanchuan as they were about to leave, saying, âMr. Jiang, letâs have a talk.â
Lin Hanchuan paused and looked at this person who was clearly not a student. âWho are you?â
âIâm Zhou Yushu.â Zhou Yushu didnât explain his identity further and simply said, âIf you have time, letâs talk.â
Wan Li Shuang also recognized Zhou Yushu and curiously looked at this talented member of the Zhou family. He said to Lin Hanchuan, âHeâs Zhou Yuntangâs third brother, a professor at B University.â
After saying that, Wan Li Shuang scrunched up his nose in disdain. âNot a good person.â
Although called a bad person to his face, Zhou Yushu remained composed. He looked at Wan Li Shuang and gave him an order from a position of superiority, âYoung Master Wan, I need to speak with him. Please leave.â
Wan Li Shuangâs anger immediately flared up. He was about to refuse, but Lin Hanchuan calmly patted him on the shoulder. âGo back to the dormitory and take a nap. Pay attention in class this afternoon.â
Wan Li Shuangâs suspicious gaze kept shifting between Lin Hanchuan and Zhou Yushu. One was a young master of the Zhou family, and the other was an ordinary student from a poor area. They seemed completely unrelated. What could they have to talk about?
Full of question marks, Wan Li Shuang had no choice but to leave reluctantly, looking back three times as he walked away.
Lin Hanchuan retracted his gaze from Wan Li Shuang and, as he and Zhou Yushu walked towards the back garden of the school, neither of them spoke. Nobody could have anticipated that they would know each other.
Once they arrived, Zhou Yushu asked directly, âYouâre Jiang Tian, right? I heard your family is poor?â
Lin Hanchuan raised an eyebrow and responded, âYes.â
As expected, Zhou Yushu took out a bank card and said, âThe Zhou family wants to support you. Weâll give you two million all at once, but the condition is that you go to another city to study and never come back to Nanping City.â
Two million, not too high nor too low of a price, enough for an ordinary person.
Lin Hanchuan took the bank card, idly spinning the thin card between his fingertips, and casually asked, âOnly two million?â
Unsatisfied with the amount, he wanted more. Zhou Yushu pushed up his glasses, hiding the disgust in his eyes, and said, âIf itâs not enough, we can add another three million.â
âFive million, huhâ¦â Lin Hanchuan played with the bank card and suddenly smiled. âThe Li family also offered five million to beg for my forgiveness. It seems the value of the biological child of the Zhou family is not even worth a single apology from an outsider.â
Zhou Yushuâs pupils constricted, âYou sent that email!â
Lin Hanchuan loosened his grip, and the bank card fell lightly to the ground. He straightforwardly replied, âYes, I sent it.â
In the original story, the revelation of the truth happened later, during the second half of their third year in high school. Due to Zhou Yuntangâs injury and hospitalization, the eldest brother of the Zhou family, for some reason, decided to conduct a paternity test, revealing the truth.
Lin Hanchuan hadnât originally planned to expose the truth early, but Zhou Yuntangâs frequent appearances in front of him and his supportersâ active involvement led him to reveal it in advance.
However, he hadnât anticipated that the plot would deviate slightly from the original story. In the original, after knowing the truth, the eldest brother of the Zhou family quickly decided to bring Jiang Tian back to the Zhou family. Yet this time, they had managed to send away their biological brother with a mere two million, appearing cold and heartless.
Lin Hanchuan was mentally prepared for this outcome and wasnât particularly saddened or upset. He was just puzzled as to what made the Zhou family think that two million would be enough to dismiss someone.
Even if we disregard Lin Hanchuan himself, Jiang Tian was a top student, a genius in his studies. He could effortlessly enter any university if he wanted to, and after graduation, he could easily earn a salary of several hundred thousand or even millions per year. As the capital city, Nanping City had access to national resources, so why did they arrogantly assume that Jiang Tian would be swayed by the immediate benefits and give up his bright future?
âWhat do you want to do?â Zhou Yushuâs heart tightened, instinctively questioning, âAre you thinking of going back to the Zhou family? Thatâs impossible! Thereâs only one young master in the Zhou family, and you can never replace Tangtang!â
Lin Hanchuan then understood; it was arrogance.
A few days ago, he had sent the email to several brothers of the Zhou family. Within these days, they had time to investigate the truth, but obviously, none of them had bothered to look into Jiang Tianâs background. They arrogantly believed that a mere two million could send him away.
Although he didnât have any expectations when he sent the email to the Zhou family, now that the result was here, Lin Hanchuan felt a bit pathetic for Jiang Tian.
With a smile, Lin Hanchuan said, âInstead of going back, I want to make the person who stole my life pay the price.â