Chapter 17

Chen Dulan walked into class, looked at Yao Fang and a small nod of acknowledgement was exchanged. He sighed before getting seated and placed his things for the day. He found a foul smell under his desk and bending down to check, it was a smelly rag. Probably kept there to bother him. Had they really stooped so low? What was the meaning to this? A declaration of war like this? He controlled his anger when the actual cause of the problem approached him.

"Chen Dulan, the exams are approaching soon. Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"I'll manage. Please don't worry for me." Su Yun had been insisting to tutor him for days now, and it was getting obvious to everyone that she was interested in him. In such a situation, not catching the attention of all students was getting only more difficult. Chen Dulan had looked far too suspicious in the first few weeks to be ignored. "Thank you for the offer though." He had added and Su Yun's smile made him regret it instantly. He wished she could take a hint.

By a slip of tongue, he had mentioned Su Yun to Feng Huali, and the woman wouldn't stop teasing him about it. Even Yao Fang called him stupid because he was dragging the thing unnecessarily. Feng Huali interjected that the Su Yun needed to take a hint.

"That girl has some nerve to follow you around... or I guess you don't have the balls to show her her place, huh. Chen Dulan you're pathetic." Yao Fang commented.

"I don't like unnecessary trouble."

"And you're fine with her stupid followers beating you up?" Yao Fang asked.

"Young Master, that can't be counted as a beating. You know what kind of beating bothers me, and that didn't even brush my limit. They didn't actually want to hurt me, only tried to scare me into giving in." Chen Dulan spoke in his monotone and Yao Fang looked annoyed at the reminder. "I didn't even defy them, it's so stupid." His eyebrows knitted together and they were silent for a moment.

Feng Huali thought of adding in. "Clingy women aren't attractive, Yao Fang would know⁓" Chen Dulan immediately rushed away from their shameless 'PDA' as she would call it.

Chen Dulan thought it wasn't Su Yun's fault, per say, as any teenage girl was expected to act this way around her crush. The thought didn't make it any less annoying though.

One of the three who had attacked him earlier,because of Su Yun, of course, was glaring at him from the other corner of the class. Chen Dulan ignored it and thought of the 'Azure' case at hand.

To list his findings on the matter, firstly, the dealer indeed had to be one man. He hadn't begun intel gathering on a serious note yet, but from what little sources the drug could be found at, or bought at, the information was spread with reluctance. The biggest hindrance to him was his serious expression and new face. He was new in the town, and thus didn't have enough connections to be trusted immediately.

Second, any other smaller activity wouldn't be taken so cautiously, if more police officers were not coming to S town for the drug itself. A normal dealer would have run away after knowing police activity in the area, but this guy still was running business, indicating that their intention was not making money.

And about money, the third point to note, was that money could buy him almost any information, but Chen Dulan did not have money. He never had money. He missed having Yao Jianguo to reaffirm him with his 'Don't worry about money.'

His thoughts dragged on through class when the teacher had asked him a question. "Chen Dulan, stop looking so dazed all the time. Examinations are soon, and yet you haven't prepared anything, how do you plan to write tests when you can't answer such simple questions? I know you transferred mid-semester..." And she went on.

"Sorry." He had said softly and gone back to his seat.

Su Yun gave him a hopeful side-glance and he avoided it as much as he could. The glares from her followers continued, and so did the Young Master's staring.