Chapter 2644 — The Bracelet Is Gone

"Brother Liang, what are we going to do about this? Should we get revenge?" Gao Xiaofu asked cautiously.

"Revenge? Of course we're getting revenge!" Zhong Yongliang was so furious his teeth ached. "In a few days, once this whole thing blows over, I'll send a Hundred-Drunk Centipede to bite her. Knock her out cold and give Wei Zhao and the rest a good scare!"

"Why wait a few days? Why not right now? And a single bite—is that really just a scare? Shouldn't we take the chance to beat her up too?" Gao Xiaofu didn't think that would be satisfying enough.

"Idiot, if we march over and beat her up, and Wei Zhao finds out about it, do you think he'll still accept my challenge?" Zhong Yongliang waved a hand dismissively. "Besides, if we give her a beating and she wakes up, what if she comes after me for revenge? In a straight fight I'm not afraid of her, but I'm afraid of her playing dirty and setting traps for me. Then even if I end up with Gu Mengyao, I'd be walking into schemes every day of my life. So a simple scare is enough."

"I see." Gao Xiaofu nodded.

"Come on, let's go settle up the money from the auction..." There was no wriggling out of that payment for Zhong Yongliang—not unless he wanted to give up his place at this school entirely and leave on the spot. But that was impossible. He still needed to find a chance to announce his challenge to Wei Zhao. If he left, who would he even challenge?

And besides, if he won the challenge and stayed on as Gu Mengyao's personal bodyguard, he'd still have to keep studying at this school.

Wei Zhao, Shen Yushu, Gu Mengyao, and Wang Xinyan had just finished the auction paperwork and were emerging from the makeshift office the student council had set up. Buyers and sellers alike—anyone who had completed a transaction—had to come here after the auction to process the formalities and collect their tickets for tomorrow night's masquerade ball.

The four of them had barely stepped out when Kang Zhaolong, his own paperwork done, followed and blocked Wang Xinyan's path just as she was about to leave.

"Xinyan!" Kang Zhaolong hurried over and called out to her.

"Kang Zhaolong? Is something the matter?" Wang Xinyan had a rough idea of what this was about. She guessed that Kang Zhaolong had won her bracelet at auction and was coming to show it off.

"Xinyan, I won that bracelet at auction. I'm returning it to its rightful owner now." Kang Zhaolong said with a smile.

"Oh... the bracelet. There's no need. Since I put it up for auction, I shouldn't be taking it back. You bought it to raise money for those children—you've earned the right to keep it..." Wang Xinyan didn't really want to accept anything from Kang Zhaolong, especially not in front of Wei Zhao. She didn't know whether such a thought was childish, but she simply didn't want it. She wanted to draw a clean line between herself and Kang Zhaolong.

"Ha, you're right about that. But since you're my fiancée, what's mine is yours. So you'd better take it back!" In front of Wei Zhao, Kang Zhaolong made sure to stake his claim on Wang Xinyan.

His words, spelling out that Wang Xinyan was his fiancée, made her heart tighten. She wanted to refuse, but she feared Kang Zhaolong would use his status as her fiancé to make an issue of it. With no way out, she nodded and said, "All right then..."

"That's more like it!" Kang Zhaolong chuckled and reached into his coat pocket. But the moment his hand went in, his expression changed. Then he began frantically patting himself down, and before long cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Because the bracelet was gone!

Wei Zhao, Wang Xinyan, Gu Mengyao, and Shen Yushu simply stood there before Kang Zhaolong, watching him rummage over and over through the pockets of his clothing.

"Kang Zhaolong, what are you doing? Where's the bracelet?" Shen Yushu was losing patience. "If you're going to give it, give it. If not, forget it. We still need to go eat—why are you wasting our time?"

"I... the bracelet's gone... I distinctly put it in my pocket, how could it be gone?" Kang Zhaolong was getting anxious, patting left and right, searching front and back, but he simply couldn't find the bracelet. "That's impossible. Such a short distance—how could I have lost it?"

"If you don't want to give it, just say so. How could it possibly get lost?" Shen Yushu curled her lip. "Lost over such a short distance? Who's going to believe that! Chewing Gum Bro, do you believe it?"

"Hard to say." Wei Zhao shook his head, though his face plainly showed disbelief.

"It's not that I don't want to give it—I really did lose it! If you don't believe me, you can search me!" Kang Zhaolong hastily explained. "I really lost it!"

"Lost it? But that bracelet belongs to Sister Xinyan. How could you just lose it! Seems you don't value it in the slightest—otherwise, how could it be lost?" Shen Yushu said, eyeing Kang Zhaolong with a tart, sardonic smile.

"I... I..." Kang Zhaolong was about to explode with rage. He had heard from You Panhu and Kang Zhaoming before just how terrifying Shen Yushu could be, and he hadn't taken it seriously. But now, experiencing it firsthand, he finally understood just how frightening she was!

"Forget it, Sister Xinyan. With people like this, half a sentence is too many—we're not on the same wavelength. Let's go eat." Shen Yushu took Wang Xinyan by the hand, ready to leave.

Kang Zhaolong wanted to explain, but he was afraid that the more he explained, the more Shen Yushu would twist his words against him. Helpless, he could only stamp his foot and turn back to search for the bracelet.

But no matter how he searched, he would never find it.

"Hand it over." After Kang Zhaolong had gone, Wang Xinyan held out her hand before Wei Zhao, looking at him with a smile.

"What?" Wei Zhao was slightly taken aback, though he still feigned ignorance.

"The bracelet, of course. It must have been you who took it back." Wang Xinyan said with certainty.

"Heh..." Wei Zhao nodded with a smile, took the bracelet from his pocket, and handed it to Wang Xinyan. "You really are clever—guessed it in one try."

"Naturally. It only took a moment's thought." Wang Xinyan took the bracelet and slipped it straight onto her wrist.

Wei Zhao realized that Wang Xinyan could be quite adorable at times. She seemed quiet and refined, but once you got to know her, she would crack the occasional joke. Wei Zhao liked that about her.

"Sister Xinyan, you understand Chewing Gum Bro so well—you've already surpassed the rest of us!" Shen Yushu said with a laugh.

"I... I only understand this one little thing..." Wang Xinyan was suddenly embarrassed, and her face flushed red.

As the four of them were talking, Bai Weituo and He Meiyue walked over as well—though two little tails followed behind them: one was Zhang Duopan, and the other Fan Ganhe.

"Bai Weituo, you can't even afford to buy back the gold jewelry He Meiyue donated. How pathetic!" Zhang Duopan curled his lip. "I tell you, Bai Weituo, if I were you, I'd be too ashamed to show my face. How do you even have the nerve to be with He Meiyue?"