Chapter 48: I See—Chen Luo Is Testing My Abilities!

"The fundamental concepts of finance are..."
In the vast lecture hall, the middle-aged professor's voice was like a lullaby, blending with the cool air conditioning to lull everyone into drowsiness.

Many students had their heads down on their desks, fast asleep, and quite a few seats were empty—clearly, those students had skipped class.
As class president, Chen Luo was sitting upright, unable to absorb a single word; he was overwhelmed with work.
Wen Wan was on a business trip and had left him in charge of all class affairs.
Appointing committee members, filling out countless forms, collecting personal information, organizing group documents—the list went on.
Chen Luo felt like the class's nanny and a miserable secretary rolled into one.
He couldn’t use his own laptop during class, so he borrowed a small office notebook from Hongye, working beneath the desk as unobtrusively as possible.
"Ugh, how did things get so annoying? If Wen Wan hadn’t made me do this, I’d never have become this damned class president!"
He tugged furiously at his hair but had no choice except to keep slogging on.
Beside him, Liu Hao was typing frantically on his phone, helping Chen Luo enter data into the forms.
"Luo, being on the class committee is pure misery! If I’d known, I would've just refused outright!"
Chen Luo had just taken office and knew very few people in the class. To ease his workload, he had his dorm mates step up as committee members.
"Alright, enough complaining. Once we finish tonight, dinner’s on me—barbecue skewers."
"Now that’s motivation! Godfather! I’ll grind away for you!"
Chen Luo thought for a moment and sent a message to the committee group.
[Everyone, thanks for your hard work today. Tonight, I’m treating you all to Brother Zhang’s barbecue on Commercial Street. Eat till you can’t move!]
[Class president is generous!]
[Class president, you’re awesome. I’ll definitely toast you a few more times tonight.]
[Finish up today’s tasks, and tonight the skewers are unlimited!]
After sending the message, Chen Luo remembered that Zhou Zheng was overseeing the shop renovations today, and Liuhua probably hadn’t finished class yet. He wasn’t sure how things were going, so he thought he’d better send a message to check in.

Just as he was about to type, a notification popped up from QQ. It was Wen Wan, sending him another photo.
"Seriously, she’s getting better at this..."
Today she was dressed in professional office attire—black stockings, the works. The close-up was quite alluring.
The camera focused right on her chest, the shirt buttons undone and slightly parted, revealing a striking cleavage. Her lips curled up, her eyes showing a hint of disdain.
An enchanting, mischievous expression—a femme fatale in office wear. The elements were almost too much.
But, it really hit my XP spot. Wait, how many XP spots do I even have? The more I discover, the more I seem to develop!
Chen Luo quickly shook his head and sent a random message to Zhou Zheng.

After sending it, Chen Luo couldn’t resist opening Wen Wan’s chat again, looked at the photo, and sent another message.
[Darling, you look amazing—send more, please.]
[Hmph! I knew you liked this, you little rascal. I had Mo Lan help me take them. Want to see hers? She took some too.]
[Uh, no need to be so generous.]
...

"Buzz, buzz!"
Zhou Zheng was carrying a stack of chilled drinks back to the shop when his phone vibrated. He checked—it was a message from Chen Luo.
[How’s progress? If you encounter any difficulties or emergencies, be sure to keep me informed.]
So, does this genius distrust me, or does he just look down on my abilities? How hard could shop renovations be?
Or perhaps, there’s a deeper meaning behind his words?
"Bang!" A dull sound echoed from afar.
Zhou Zheng stopped in his tracks and looked toward the shop entrance nearby.
There were a dozen thugs groaning on the ground, and Yu Dongshan stood at the door, exuding menace.
Well, well! A real emergency? How did Chen Luo know before I did? Does he have informants nearby?
If that’s the case, his message wasn’t just a reminder.
He wants to see how I handle the crisis—a test of my problem-solving skills.
No wonder he’s Wen’s chosen man; his methods are truly unconventional. You can never judge him by ordinary standards.
Looks like working under this genius means never letting your guard down for a moment.
Zhou Zheng strode purposefully toward the shop. Meanwhile, Tang Xiwei was busy instructing Liu Feng.
"Liu Feng! Call the police and have your friends at the station charge them with gang fighting! That way, Chen Luo’s shop will have a bad reputation before it even opens. Let’s see how he manages to launch!"
"But... but if you do that, Wang Hu and his crew will get arrested too!"
Liu Feng hesitated. These were his father’s loyal followers—if they all got taken down, how could he explain it at home?
"Fool! Call your friend, and when the time comes, let them off lightly—don’t label it as a gang organization. Detain them for a couple of weeks, that’s all."
"Just compensate them with some money afterward. They won’t really turn against your family."
"Oh, right, that makes sense."
Seeing Tang Xiwei’s furious expression, Liu Feng hurried to a corner of the tea house to call his friend, Wu Shengshui, the deputy chief at the University Town precinct.
"Chief Wu, it’s Liu Feng."
"Oh? Young Liu, what brings you to call me today?"

"Chief Wu, I’m reporting an incident. There’s a group fight on Commercial Street at the university gate. My friend Wang Hu was beaten up—please come quickly."
Wang Hu? Wang Hu of the Tiger Gang?
Everyone knows Wang Hu is your family’s dog. Now he’s been beaten and you want my help?
Though the Liu family hasn’t dealt much with me over the years, they’re influential in Hangzhou—I can’t afford to offend them.
"Alright, we’ll dispatch immediately. Please stay safe!"
Wu Shengshui grabbed three or four officers and jumped into a patrol car, ready to head out. At that moment, the young station chief Zhou Nianhua walked over.
"Old Wu, where are you off to?"
Wu Shengshui got out and saluted respectfully. "Received a report—a group fight on Commercial Street at the university gate. I’m heading there now. Any instructions, Chief Zhou?"
Wu Shengshui dared not slack with Zhou Nianhua—not only was he his superior, having become chief in his early thirties, but also because Zhou was a member of Hangzhou's prominent Zhou family.
The Zhou family was one of the city’s top clans; compared to them, the Liu family was nothing.
"Since there’s a report, go quickly. Make sure no innocent civilians are harmed!"
"Yes, sir! We’ll accomplish the mission. Let’s go!"

...

Zhou Zheng arrived at the shop as Tang Xiwei noticed his arrival, feeling disappointed.
It wasn’t Chen Luo? Was this one of Chen Luo’s employees? She’d hoped Chen Luo would be hauled off with the others! Why didn’t he show up?
"Dongshan! Everyone, retreat into the shop and shut the door!"
"Yes!"
The entire construction crew, at Zhou Zheng's command, retreated inside.
Zhou Zheng glanced back and saw Tang Xiwei watching from upstairs, her eyes venomous. He responded with a cold smile.
Is this the test Chen Luo gave me? Using a femme fatale as a whetstone—this genius really has style.
Watch me—I’ll resolve this crisis perfectly.
He stepped inside the shop and gently closed the door.
Just then, the shrill sound of police sirens rang out on Commercial Street.