030 Intensifying Conflicts

As the central figures, Lu Qiang and Xu Xinqi were naturally drawn into the fray. Qu Zhanyi watched the aggressive crowd, pondering how she might fan the flames.

The cold wind whipped through the small town square at night, blowing in both factions that were the bane of Queluo Town. They were evenly matched, each with about a hundred people. Yet, there was no need for a fight; the outcome was already clear. The villagers from the Zhai were a solid block, pushing forward in unison. In contrast, Zhang Ren’s group was the complete opposite—while they were loud, half of them were shrinking back. The skirmish was entirely one-sided; in less than ten minutes, the only ones left standing in the square were the Zhai villagers. Most of the thugs lay on the ground wailing, while those who could run had already fled.

This "battle" gave Xu Xinqi a new perspective on Lu Qiang. This friend, who was roughly his own size, turned out to be a completely different person than he had imagined. Before, he only knew Lu Qiang got good grades; tonight, he learned how fierce the guy could be in a fight, charging in with a reckless, life-or-death intensity. Even after a winter break of training, Xu feared he would need another winter break before he could even hope to measure up to him.

Such a massive brawl could not be hidden from the school and the teachers. However, no one intervened. In Queluo Town and at Queluo Middle School, such incidents happened once or twice every semester, and "local wars" were a common occurrence. But this time was clearly different. The fight was only the beginning.

In the morning, the school corridors were filled with Zhai villagers moving between classrooms and floors, connecting with one another to recount their experiences. After checking, it was confirmed that everyone from the Zhai who had participated in the fight the night before had been targeted for retaliation. Some had their textbooks torn and stationery thrown away, while others had been ambushed and were now lying in the hospital. Lu Qiang and Xu Xinqi had suffered the worst: all their books and supplies were destroyed, their clothes were tossed into the toilets, and their beds were covered in filth. While there had been similar incidents after past clashes, such thorough, malicious retaliation was a first.

The Zhai villagers could not tolerate this. Before classes even ended, they gathered together and marched in a menacing, sweeping wave toward the classroom where Zhang Ren was. But by then, that guy had already vanished upon hearing the news. The Zhai villagers left a harsh ultimatum: "Unless that bastard never shows his face in Queluo Town again!"

Zhang Ren felt utterly wronged. On the surface, he was the leader of the thugs, but he knew nothing about the retaliation! He had questioned his underlings; they admitted to ruining Lu Qiang and Xu Xinqi’s clothes, but as for the filth on the beds and the destroyed textbooks, they had no idea who was responsible.

The gloom hanging over Queluo Middle School did not dissipate even on the day the inspection team arrived. Because the perpetrators were minors, the local authorities had merely issued verbal warnings through the teachers. This negligence provided the perfect opportunity for Qu Zhanyi. Back during the winter break, she had already hooked two thugs who were close to Zhang Ren. Just as school was letting out and the inspection team was expected, she manipulated the two into ambushing Lu Qiang and Xu Xinqi, who were alone on the street, then fleeing into Zhang Ren’s family department store.

The two thugs weren't very bright to begin with, and having been chased "all over the world" by the Zhai villagers for the past two days, they took Qu Zhanyi’s suggestion as a golden opportunity for revenge, thinking Zhang Ren’s store was a safe hideout. After all, even though the Zhai villagers threatened to "hunt Zhang Ren to the ends of the earth," they had never actually stormed his family’s store to drag him out. But the thugs failed to realize that the villagers weren't lacking the courage; they had simply been exercising restraint, not wanting to escalate the conflict.

This act, however, completely ignited the fury of the Zhai villagers. Before the two thugs could even be taken to the hospital, the store was surrounded. Zhang Ren’s parents didn't even understand what was happening before the cash register was smashed to pieces and the display shelves outside were overturned. The entire store was left in ruins.

The situation was no longer a simple brawl. The arriving police immediately halted the vandalism and isolated the students who had come to watch the spectacle. The ringleaders were hauled off to the school security office.

...

The inspection "team leader," basking in the fawning flattery of the township leaders, demanded to see the town’s only middle school the moment he stepped out of his car. "Talent is the scarcest resource in the 21st century. As part of the nation’s vital reserve of talent, we should visit these children first."

The mayor wiped the cold sweat from his brow, his heart in a state of panic. Although the students involved in the riot were detained in the security office, the store at the school gate was still a mess. Such an "inharmonious" scene was something the township leaders dared not let the inspection team see, yet they could not openly stop them. The mayor chuckled nervously and said, "It’s already past lunchtime, why don't we go get something to eat..."

As he spoke, he hurried to usher the inspection team toward a restaurant. Qu Zhanyi watched from afar. The east wind had arrived, and she would not let him have his way. She sent a few children to run through the streets, spreading the news of the "students smashing the store" to the ears of the inspection team.

"Let’s go take a look."

Once the leader gave the order, the Queluo Town officials dared not stop him. They could only follow behind, trembling with fear, praying that the school had already handled the matter.

Just as the inspection team arrived at the school, they happened upon an escalation. Because the Zhai students were being "violently disciplined" in the security office, the school had spiraled out of control, and half the student body had gathered. The security guards had locked the school gates.

The township leader rushed forward, feigning ignorance: "What is everyone doing? What happened?"

Upon seeing his uniform, a small group of students was frightened away, but the rest remained steadfast and determined. Four or five boys from the Zhai stepped forward, their voices burning with anger: "Why don't you go to the hospital and see for yourself?"

A girl pushed through the crowd, her voice neither humble nor arrogant: "Mayor, since you’re here, give us a straight answer. Do the people from our Zhai deserve to study here or not?" She stared directly at the mayor, not forgetting to glance at the members of the inspection team.

"What on earth is going on?" The mayor didn't answer her directly; he desperately wanted to know why things had devolved to this point.

The Zhai students didn't fall into his trap; instead, they echoed the girl’s words. "That’s right, Mayor, give us a straight answer. If people from the Zhai don't deserve to attend school, we’ll go back right now. It just so happens to be market day, and our families are all in the street."

"Nonsense! Who said that?" The mayor was on the verge of tears, his official cap wobbling precariously—he just needed these living ancestors not to add fuel to the fire.

In normal times, he had plenty of ways to quell conflicts between the Zhai villagers and the townspeople. But today was special; if he handled this poorly in front of the inspection team, it would be a clear-cut case of sabotaging social unity.