Chapter 148: Turn Off the High Beams

Chapter 148: Turn Off Your High Beams

Three hundred thousand in just over three days—Meng Fan was quite satisfied with this rate of earnings. It was incomparable to the industry’s titans, but for most practitioners, it was more than enough.

Of course, given Meng Fan’s artistic skill, three hundred thousand wasn’t exactly a fortune, and winning by volume felt slightly shameful.

Regardless, he was certainly happy. And with that happiness came a rumble—his stomach. Checking the time, it was past six; it was indeed time for dinner.

He called Chen Daqiang and the others, intending to treat them to a good meal to celebrate, but to his surprise, they were all already out. A quick inquiry revealed it was Friday, and the three of them were off on various dates with their girlfriends.

That was enough to make a man jealous!

A sudden thought struck him… he called Wu Tong and asked if she had eaten. Her answer was crisp: she had.

But she quickly added with a smile, "Though, I could still eat a little more."

Ten minutes later, they met at the school gate, and a dozen minutes after that, they appeared at a restaurant on the fifth floor of a nearby shopping mall.

"Have you been busy lately?"

After a few bites, Wu Tong set her utensils down. She watched Meng Fan’s wolfish way of eating for a moment, then took a sip of juice and asked.

"These past few days have been hectic. I took on some hand-drawn posters and only just finished them before calling you." Meng Fan slowed his pace, his expression bright with excitement. "I made quite a bit of money."

"Aren't you serializing manga right now? Why take on hand-drawn posters too?"

Wu Tong had read all of Meng Fan’s work. Though she didn't study manga, she knew the difficulty of the craft. Even with adaptations, it required a massive investment of time. Knowing he was serializing two series with high update volumes, she couldn't help but be curious. "Two series, plus hand-drawn work? Just how fast is your hand?"

"It's alright. I can finish the updates for both series in two or three days. I have to find something to kill the remaining time with, don't I?" Meng Fan was being modest; he wasn't hiding anything, but admitting he could finish four chapters in a day sounded truly exaggerated.

"You really are busy. Do you have enough time?"

"It’s all to become a better version of myself!"

"…Should I say 'good luck' now?"

"Haha, say whatever you like!"

In the pleasant conversation, the awkwardness that had lingered since that sudden confession seemed to be slowly dissipating.

After the meal, Meng Fan suggested a movie, and Wu Tong agreed without hesitation.

If they weren't going to watch a movie, why come all the way here to eat? The food here really wasn't as tasty as the Waterside Restaurant by the school gate.

After the movie, they left the mall. Instead of hailing a cab, they walked back, letting the night breeze wash over them.

Late October in Hangzhou was still slightly chilly at night, so the jacket Meng Fan had specifically worn came in handy. Otherwise, even though his body fat had decreased recently, his physique had grown much stronger, and he wouldn't have needed a coat in this weather.

Meng Fan’s jacket was quite large for the five-foot-seven Wu Tong. It looked like an overcoat on her, making her appear slightly bulky, but in Meng Fan’s eyes, she couldn't have been cuter!

They chatted as they walked. The wind was well-behaved, carrying away only their laughter without scattering their words. All in all, the atmosphere was excellent, but as they neared the school, that atmosphere was shattered.

At a street corner, a car was waiting by the curb. It didn't have its hazard lights on; it only had its high beams glaring.

Meng Fan and Wu Tong saw two people approach the car from the opposite side. One of them walked up to the window and knocked, telling the person inside to turn off the high beams.

The window rolled down, and a rather loud voice emerged: "Does it have anything to do with you?"

"I said, turn off your high beams!"

"I said, does it have anything to do with you?"

The two exchanged shouts across the car door. Immediately after, Meng Fan and Wu Tong watched as the man outside reached into the car, hauled the driver halfway out the window, and proceeded to deliver a flurry of slaps.

"Can't you understand human speech? Turn them off!"

The guy outside, who didn't look particularly sturdy but certainly packed a punch, shouted. Seeing the driver finally obediently kill the high beams, he left with his companion.

As they passed Meng Fan and Wu Tong, the guy got a bit carried away, glaring at Meng Fan. "What are you looking at? Don't think just because you're big, I wouldn't have hit you too if you were him. Hangzhou is a civilized city; you have to be civilized, you hear?"

What could Meng Fan say? He gave a thumbs up. "You're right, brother!"

His companion quickly pulled him away. Had he not noticed that Meng Fan’s arm was thicker than his own thigh? Why was he still acting so tough?

Wu Tong stifled a laugh beside him.

After walking past the car, both of them froze. The person inside looked fine, not bruised or battered, showing the guy had held back. Thus, Meng Fan and Wu Tong recognized him instantly: it was actually Hu Tingsong!

However, Hu Tingsong was busy cursing while checking his reflection in the mirror to see if his face was ruined; he hadn't noticed Meng Fan and Wu Tong at all.

Seeing Hu Tingsong, Meng Fan and Wu Tong exchanged a glance and decided to act as if they had seen nothing.

A few steps later, they saw a girl walking briskly from the school gate. She wore exquisite makeup and elegant clothes. She bumped into Meng Fan and Wu Tong, paused for a moment, then nodded with a smile before hurrying toward Hu Tingsong’s BMW.

As if afraid Wu Tong wouldn't hear, she raised her voice and called out sweetly to Hu Tingsong through the car door: "Darling, sorry to keep you waiting."

Only then did she go to the other side to open the door and climb in.

Wu Tong didn't try to avoid it; she simply shrugged with a calm, helpless expression. She knew the girl was saying it specifically for her, and she knew many girls in school saw her as a rival because of Hu Tingsong.

Meng Fan shrugged as well. Back when he was at the micro-horse racing event, he hadn't even considered Hu Tingsong a rival of the same caliber. He just hadn't expected this "rival" to disqualify himself; it was quite a wonder.

When they reached the school gate, it wasn't quite curfew time yet. The security guard gave Meng Fan a look of "I'd love to help, but I can't," which made Meng Fan feel quite embarrassed. Old man, you really misunderstood about the freckled girl last time; this time… fine, fine, I suppose I lack a sense of time. A few more minutes and you would have had your chance to shine.

Whether the guard realized it was a different girl than last time, Meng Fan couldn't say.

He walked Wu Tong to the girls' dormitory and then returned to the boys' dorm. He wasn't planning on going to his house tonight.

Back in the room, Xing Tage was there, and Zhang Zhouwei had returned, but Chen Daqiang was still out. At this hour, it was unlikely he’d be coming back at all.

Checking the time, Xing Tage said, "Zhouwei, Daqiang really is more of a legend than you!"

Meng Fan agreed.

Zhang Zhouwei silently continued playing his game.

Soon, it was 11:55 PM. Meng Fan’s phone alarm went off. He paused, looking at the screen. It was a reminder he had set before his rebirth—Brother Ayin’s birthday.

Brother Ayin wasn't a relative, a classmate, or a childhood friend, but a person who held significant meaning for him.

"Happy birthday, Brother Ayin!"

As the clock struck midnight, Meng Fan sent him a blessing and transferred a sum of money as a birthday gift. "This is a year's worth of salary. Please create with peace of mind for the coming year. I really want to see you write that story you mentioned!"

Please vote!