Reborn with an Old Enemy on the Day of our Marriage

"I don't know if I can let Huo PingChuan go down this easily." At the mention of this person, Zheng PingQing's voice became a little chilly.

In their last life, Huo PingChuan's punishment had affected Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing's lives for more than ten years. And not only that, the lives of both their friends and families had also been affected. This made Zheng PingQing and Lin Qian feel a lot of guilt and self-blame that no amount of assurance could ease.

It wasn't until they were reborn that the two men realized this punishment that destroyed the futures of so many innocent teenagers was only done to satisfy the selfish desires of the Huo father-son pair. What's worse, after Huo PingChuan came into power, he and Ke CaiZhu joined hands and made a lot of money together at the expense of the school. How many more students had their futures destroyed because of this?

Lin Qian thought for a moment, but he eventually said: "It won't be easy. Huo PingChuan wouldn't dare be so reckless now. And there must be someone behind him. In order to not get implicated along with Huo PingChuan, this person will surely protect him."

Zheng PingQing had been exposed to society for years now and knew its intricacies. Therefore, Zheng PingQing understood that they wouldn't be able to expose this hidden person just by seizing an easily toppled grunt like Huo PingChuan.

"However…" Lin Qian used a finger to draw circles on Zheng PingQing's abdomen. "It ultimately doesn't matter that Huo PingChuan is being protected."

"Let's take stock of the situation first." Zheng PingQing said to Lin Qian, his mood calm. He nonchalantly grasped the hand on his abdomen and said: "Anyway, I have a lot of money. If we need it, I can just throw some money around to keep the news in the trending pages."

Lin Qian: "…Money can really let a person do whatever they want."

The reason why this piece of news was able to ferment on the internet was largely thanks to Zheng PingQing's strong financial support. He had bought out dozens of advertising spaces with a flick of the hand and managed to make it one of the top searches practically overnight. Zheng PingQing had also hired several people to post about it on several large forums continually, all to keep the momentum alive.

It was a good thing that the idea of buying out a website's topmost searched page wasn't a thing most websites did yet; otherwise, Lin Qian suspected that Zheng PingQing would've bought the top page of every single website he could think of.

"It's not bad." Zheng PingQing modestly said. "Advertising spaces are still very cheap at this point in time. I think the most expensive one I've bought was only 20,000 yuan."

Although Lin Qian had mostly accepted the fact that Zheng PingQing was a second-generation rich boy, and that he was the boyfriend of said rich boy, Lin Qian still gets put off whenever he hears these special phrases that only rich people can say. He moved his head away from Zheng PingQing's hand and said: "Can you please speak a little more simply, you senior high school student."

"Alright." Zheng PingQing immediately acquiesces, obedient to his boyfriend's every command. But after just two minutes, he couldn't help but ask for his boyfriend's opinion: "But can you let me show off my wealth for another minute? Just for another minute!"

Lin Qian looked at Zheng PingQing's aggrieved expression and sighed. He raised his wrist and pointed at his watch. "Just one minute. Starting now."

Zheng PingQing immediately replied: "I took the opportunity to buy two 'V' accounts with a lot of fans already. In the future, we can use them together."

Lin Qian: "…." He didn't expect that the couples set reward Zheng PingQing had prepared for him included a set of couples Weibo accounts.

Zheng PingQing took out his phone and showed Lin Qian the screen. "This is one of the accounts."

Lin Qian didn't want to participate in Zheng PingQing's play named 'the greatest high school romance ever,' but he glanced at the phone screen anyway. "What ID is this?"

Zheng PingQing proudly replied: "Oh, this account was initially called 'Oblique Shadows on Shallow Waters.' I thought it was quite good, so I only changed a few words."

Lin Qian looked at the ID of the Weibo account and saw that it was renamed to 'Oblique Shadows Sending Me to a Light Sleep.' Lin Qian calmly told him: "Send me the other ID account and password. I need to rename that too."

Zheng PingQing was delighted. "You want to change the ID to match mine?"

Lin Qian pinched Zheng PingQing's chin and indulged his boyfriend: "Of course."

Just then, Gou XinDou opened the office door and stepped out into the hallway, intending on answering a phone call. He came out just in time to see the exciting scene that was Lin Qian holding Zheng PingQing by his chin.

Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing both calmly turned their gaze towards Gou XinDou. They both had faint smiles on their faces as they looked at him.

Gou XinDou: "….."

Gou XinDou decided to be a blind man. One that couldn't see anything, even when it was right in front of him. So he squeezed the phone that was against his ear and practically yelled: "What did you say? Speak up. The wind is too strong for me to hear——"

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A week later, the results of the investigation came out. As Lin Qian had expected, Huo PingChuan was saved. But what he and Zheng PingQing didn't expect was that it was Ke CaiZhu that ended up becoming the scapegoat.

Huo YeRui had surrendered himself and explained that he stole the test paper from Ke CaiZhu's desk. The investigation team subsequently found the test paper in Ke CaiZhu's computer. After checking the file, it was determined that the file didn't have the error that the original test paper had.

Huo YeRui stood before the investigators full of snot and tears and confessed that he stole the test paper because he couldn't withstand the pressure of being a senior high school student. He also showed them a mental diagnosis from a hospital, which proved that he really had been under too much stress. Truthfully, this was somewhat believable because being a senior high school student really was a unique and important stage in one's learning career. Under Huo PingChuan's guidance, Huo YeRui formally stopped vying for the school recommendation and was ordered to stay home for a month.

After that, Huo PingChuan also came out to say that this 'competition for the school recommendation' was actually arranged by Ke CaiZhu. Huo PingChuan said that Ke CaiZhu did this because she wanted to improve her own political connections. She had wanted to get into his good graces before No.12 changed leaders. Huo PingChuan claimed that the only mistake he did in this entire fiasco was letting his love for his son influence him, causing the review process of the school recommendation to fail. He lamented that his lack of strict control caused the process to become unfair.

Huo PingChuan was eventually charged with negligence and would not be able to participate in any evaluations or reviews related to No.12 for the entire year. He would have to wait until next year to get back to some of his regular duties.

In contrast, Ke CaiZhu didn't do well. Although she insisted that she didn't leak the test questions, the evidence in her computer was too conclusive. Also, the investigation team managed to verify that the so-called 'competition for the school recommendation' was indeed planned and arranged by her. Coupled with her poor reputation, Ke CaiZhu was eventually thrown under the bus and fired.

All this was released to the public by the Municipal Department of Education. Naturally, the netizens were dissatisfied with the outcome. The doubters continued to ask questions, but the Municipal Department of Education firmly insisted that the incident was investigated thoroughly and that all the relevant personnel had been punished accordingly. After this last statement, they no longer responded to any queries regarding this matter.

In the end, the netizens weren’t personally involved with No. 12 High School. They didn’t know the full story, and they had never really been a part of it. Soon, other events started trending and overshadowed this incident. In the end, things were left in an ambiguous state.

……

……

“Boss&#k2014; Boss&#k2014;” Li Gao stood outside the top class, his head poking through the window.

It was a pity that Lin Qian's desk was too far away, on the other end of the classroom. Lin Qian was also listening to music with his MP3 player, so he didn't notice the shouting. In the end, it was Xu Yao who heard the shouts and looked towards the source.

Li Gao was shouting for Lin Qian for a while now, but Lin Qian wasn't responding, making Li Gao worry. Then suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he saw Xu Yao looking at him. Pleased, Li Gao started to frantically wave at him, yelling: "Uncle— Uncle—"

Xu Yao: "…."

The fuck?! We're in class!

Sure enough, Xu Yao's classmates were taken aback by Li Gao's shouts. The looked at Li Gao outside the window, then at Xu Yao. They couldn't help but joke:

"Ah Yao, I didn't know you have relatives in the same year."

Someone nearby laughed. "What a surprise! He doesn't look like an Uncle. Xu Yao's face is so tender, yet his seniority is quite high, haha."

"It's no wonder that when I previously asked to borrow money from Ah Yao, he shouted at me like how a father would. It turns out he was originally an elder, ah."

Xu Yao waved them away like he was warding off flies. "Go, go, go, get lost."

Xu Yao could only take off one of Lin Qian's earphones and say: "One of your sons is looking for you."

However, Li Gao continued to wave at Xu Yao: "Uncle, you come too."

Xu Yao: "….."

Li Gao continued to shout: "And your friends too."

Xu Yao replied: "What do you want to do? Is this some family gathering?" His expression strongly suggested that he didn't want to participate.

But Li Gao refused to answer Xu Yao's question and silently led them towards the old abandoned teaching building, the excitement in his face obvious despite his attempts to hide it.

Near the abandoned building was an open space with a cracked cement floor. As Lin Qian and friends approached, they saw a group of people standing nearby. Zheng PingQing and Dong MingEn from Class 8, the students from Class 7, Yang ZongJie and Zhang QianJian of Class 4….they were all familiar faces.

Seeing Lin Qian walk towards them, Zheng PingQing immediately dashed towards him. Zheng PingQing then looked at the people on either side of Lin Qian, a profound expression on his face.

Xu Yao was standing on Lin Qian's left, and Jiang TingJun was on Lin Qian's right.

The ignorant Jiang TingJin looked at the people around him and curiously asked: "Why are you all here? What's going on?"

Xu Yao, this person who knew too much, was left to bear the weight of Zheng PingQing's gaze alone. "…."

Although he was very unwilling, Jiang TingJun was completely oblivious to the situation. In the end, Xu Yao could only bear the humiliation himself and reluctantly move away, leaving an empty space next to Lin Qian.

Zheng PingQing gave Xu Yao a satisfied smile and was just about to move when Li Gao suddenly leaped over like a mouse, instantly filling the gap Xu Yao had made. He turned to Lin Qian and, in a polite tone, said: "Boss, we left you the best position. If you would please come with me…"

Zheng PingQing: "…."

Xu Yao: "…."

Xu Yao looked at Li Gao like he was a dead man walking. Meanwhile, Zheng PingQing gave Li Gao a haughty look and coldly said to him: "Do you know that place your standing on has a surname?"

Li Gao had no idea what Zheng PingQing was talking about. But he could feel the intense pressure directed at him, so he carefully asked: "What surname?"

Zheng PingQing calmly grabbed Li Gao's collar and lifted him away. Then he stepped forward, attached himself firmly to Lin Qian's side, and glared at Li Gao. He answered: "First name Li Qian's left side, surname Zheng."

Shocked, Li Gao couldn't help but blurt out: "Then how about his right side?"

Xu Yao: "…."

Ah, Li Gao is so dead.

However, Zheng PingQing's face was thicker than Xu Yao had ever expected it to be. As if bestowing a treasure, Zheng PingQing replied: "His right side is also surnamed Zheng, but since I'm feeling generous, I'll let you occupy it for a while so you can experience it."

Jiang TingJun couldn't stand this unfair conversation anymore. "What am I, a ghost? And how can the position next to Ah Qian be named Zheng? Even if we disregard first-come-first-served, shouldn't it be surnamed Xu…."

All of a sudden, Xu Yao was being dragged into the conversation. Shocked by the utterance of his name, he immediately yelled in a high-pitched scream: "I don't want to, I don't want to! What nonsense are you saying, bite your tongue! I've long abdicated from my position…or more like, I've never had it in the first place!"

Jiang TingJun didn't expect Xu Yao, who had always attached great importance to the position of 'Lin Qian's best friend,' to admit defeat so easily. Jiang TingJun felt sad. "Ah Yao, you're willing to let Ah Qian get taken away like this?"

Xu Yao didn't even hesitate to reply: "I'm willing."

Xu Yao's heart added: Even if I'm not willing, I have to be willing.

Jiang TingJun: "….." He had the strongest urge to violently swat his thighs.

With the marginalized Li Gao suddenly receiving the apparently great honor of occupying Lin Qian's right side, Li Gao suddenly felt a great deal of happiness. "Our Boss' status sure is extraordinary!"

Then he immediately thought: Our Second Boss is so overbearing though!

Lin Qian looked at Zheng PingQing, unable to utter a word. This man, who was in his thirties, was seriously fighting high school students for a spot next to him. He couldn't help grabbing at Zheng PingQing's hair. "This young man is so childish."

Zheng PingQing smiled at Lin Qian like a well-behaved child and said: "No, I'm just a high school senior student, ah."

Lin Qian: "….."

Li Gao's heart: Our Boss is so majestic! In just one sentence, he managed to stop the Second Boss!

Then, Guo DangLi's voice sounded from the edge of the crowd. "Everything's done, come on."

Guo DangLi and several other students from Class 7 squeezed out from the crowd and stepped forward with two thick paper boxes. "Damn, it wasn't easy buying all this. Good thing the snack street nearby hadn't come together to do a mutiny yet…"

Lin Qian finally remembered to ask Li Gao: "So what's happening exactly?"

"Boss, do you remember what day it is?" Li Gao asked.

Lin Qian thought for a moment, but ultimately shook his head.

Guo DangLi put the box he was holding down on the ground with a grunt. He quietly muttered: "Damn it, so heavy…but hopefully the Boss will be happy…"

Li Gao happily announced: "Today is Teacher Ke's last day of work. Brother Li said we should set off firecrackers to celebrate."

Lin Qian: "….?"

Zheng PingQing and the others: "….."

Li Gao joyfully continued: "These firecrackers are quite expensive, you know. And my mother stopped giving me pocket money now. I had to scrounge and scrape together what little money I had left…"

Guo DangLi's younger brothers began to hang firecrackers along some bamboo poles. Guo Lin ran to Lin Qian and said: "Boss, Boss, let's do 500 bangs…no Huo PingChuan that dog also got hit, let's make it 1000 bangs. What do you think?"

Lin Qian: "…."

After a moment of silence, Zheng PingQing said: "Make it 2000. I'll sponsor it."

Guo DangLi pumped a fist. "The Second Boss is so righteous!"

The Class 4 Propaganda Ambassador Yang ZongJie and his friend Zhang QianJian who were surrounded by Li Gao and friends: "…."

Zhang QianJian almost choked. Trembling, he asked his friend: "Are these people really the hoodlums who used to bully you?" They were readily shouting 'Boss, Boss' to the top bookworm in this entire school.

Yang ZongJie replied, expressionless: "This world is a fickle place."

Lin Qian swept his gaze around the crowd and slowly said: "Have you cleared the place?"

Guo DangLi gave him a meaningful look. "We have. We also have people around to keep watch so that we won't get found out by the teachers."

Lin Qian. "Then that's fine. When we're done, have someone clean it."

"Yes." Guo DangLi replied respectfully. Their new boss really isn't ordinary, ah. He isn't unflexible like most top students, and he only tells us to clean up after doing bad things.

Guo DangLi, who had been worried that their boss wouldn't let them set off firecrackers, was finally converted. He took out a lighter and handed it to Lin Qian: "Boss, will you light the first one?"

Lin Qian took a step back. "No, you do it."

Then he reminded them: "Be careful."

Guo DangLi accepted this sacred task. "Yes."

Guo DangLi's little brothers hung the bamboo rod through a tall tree, letting the firecrackers attached dangle. At Lin Qian's command, everyone backed away and formed a loose semicircle.

Of course, their Boss had to have the best view.

Guo DangLi, who had played with firecrackers since he was a young boy, expertly started lighting them up. Then, he ran to the crowd before the firecrackers could begin popping.

After a soft 'hiss——,' the firecrackers burst out, and with the joyful 'crackle—— crackle——,' the red firecrackers jumped towards the sky.

"Congratulations! We won't ever need to see Teacher Ke from now on!"

"I never thought I'd experience this momentous moment!"

"Congratulations!"

The jubilant students congratulated each other amidst the sound of the firecrackers. The scene was comparable to the Spring Festival.

Lin Qian was the only one who remained stiff and still. Zheng PingQing, who was standing next to him, calmly lifted his hands and covered Lin Qian's ears.

Xu Yao: "……"

We're in the middle of a huge open space! Can't you tone your flirting down a bit!

Jiang TingJun and Dong MingEn also witnessed this scene. "….."

Although Lin Qian's expression was cold, and Zheng PingQing looked calm, why do they feel something like there was something subtle happening here?

Guo DangLi was proud of coming up with the idea of lighting firecrackers. Therefore, he had his chest out and chin lifted as he covered his ears and watched the firecrackers dance. But when he snuck a glance towards Lin Qian, he found the Second Boss covering the Boss' ears!

Guo DangLi: !!!!

He had been a small boss for so long, but how had he not thought of such a thing! He was a failure as a Boss!

Guo DangLi put down his hands and angrily pulled at Li Gao. "Cover my ears."

Li Gao: "????"

Li Gao followed Gou DangLi's line of sight and immediately understood. "Ok, Brother Li."

And so, Li Gao copied Zheng PingQing's posture and covered Gou DangLi's ears.

Meanwhile, Jiang TingJun and Dong MingEn were still trying to figure out the meaning behind the weird atmosphere between Zheng PingQing and Lin Qian. But then they turned and saw Li Gao and Gou DangLi copying this strange scene?

Jiang TingJun and Dong MingEn: "??????"

Wait…could this be some sort of privilege reserved only for big shots?

Xu Yao: "….."

Gou XinDou: "…."

For these two boys who knew too much, they could only remove their hands from their ears and silently cover their eyes.

Sorry guys I slightly messed up the timeline! I was in a rush to post the last chapter that I practically just winged the author's notes…

Anyway for clarification:

LQ and ZPQ were in their thirties when they got sent back, so I assumed that they were 30. The novel started in 2019, so I figured that's when they were 30.

Meaning, LQ and ZPQ were born during the 1990s, and the novel therefore takes place at around 2008-2009 (High school senior = 18?).

Nokia phones I'm pretty sure were around, but starting to lose ground. Dial-up internet was pretty much gone too, but they still existed in rural places.

So I changed the previous author note with Nokia = Motorola and Dial-up = broadband. I'm not sure what the situation was like in China, so I based it off trends I remember.

Thank you all for being so patient with me.