Chapter 61: A Provocative Glance

“Let me take a look—oh my, it’s torn to shreds, must've burrowed through the grass.” The owner of the formal wear shop took the suit and inspected it in his hands.

It was a matter Chen Fan should have handled yesterday, but he’d completely forgotten. Fortunately, he hadn’t exceeded the rental period; otherwise, he’d have had to pay a late fee.

The owner flipped the suit back and forth. There were several splits, but the one beneath the crotch was the most glaring—he wondered how it had gotten ripped.

“All right, just compensate two hundred. Keep the suit for your memories.”

Prepared for a month of steamed buns and plain porridge, Chen Fan was suddenly cheered by the news. “Really? But didn’t you say this suit was worth a thousand before?”

The owner smiled knowingly. “That was just to scare you students. You’re all so rough with your hands; if I didn’t say so, how would you learn to cherish it? I’m not trying to extort you—really, it’s for your own good.”

Chen Fan didn’t argue. He wasn’t careless by nature; it was just that he’d been in a hurry and hadn’t chosen the right size, leaving him in this awkward predicament.

He paid promptly, then walked back to his dorm, thoughtful, clutching the “keepsake” he’d redeemed for two hundred yuan.

The Elder feigned urgency. “Are you not planning to act yet? It’s already noon. If you haven't attracted any hatred before sunset, you’ll be a blank slate all day.”

Chen Fan dropped his backpack, folded the damaged suit, and carefully placed it in a shopping bag before stowing it in his wardrobe.

“Hey, did you hear me? Why are you styling your bangs now?” The Elder watched Chen Fan in silence, unable to figure him out.

“A stalker ought to look the part. Should I part my hair in the middle, or go with a three-seven split? Maybe some gel for effect—it would suit the persona.” Chen Fan’s expression was serious as he examined himself in the mirror.

The Elder, legs crossed, suggested, “Just cut it all off—buzz it, no bangs. Then you won’t waste time fussing about your hair every day.”

Ignoring the Elder, Chen Fan gracefully angled the comb at forty-five degrees, sweeping his hair from left to right. “I’ll go with slanted bangs; it fits my character.”

“How did the tearful boy from last night turn into such an arrogant, clueless dandy? Can you hurry it up?” The Elder was growing impatient.

“All right, everything’s ready.” Chen Fan bent to tie his shoelaces, preparing to settle scores with his enemy. “You enjoyed kicking my door last night, didn’t you? Let me show you my demolition squad.”

Using his computer, Chen Fan checked the campus dormitory information. After learning the general layout of the Sports Academy, he pinpointed Wang Kehan’s residence. Posing as a fellow student, he asked a few people in jerseys and finally got Wang Kehan’s dorm number.

“Assassination mission, countdown begins.”

Chen Fan gazed at the building in the distant corner, took a deep breath, summoned his courage, and walked forward.

“How should I mock him? Should I flip him off? Or slap my own butt in front of him? Or maybe just slap him?” Before he even saw his target, Chen Fan was already plotting his next move.

Knock, knock, knock.

This time, it was Chen Fan knocking, but he didn’t intend to make trouble—just deliver a challenging look.

He stood a little farther back, ready to dash at the first sign of trouble.

The door opened a crack, cold air wafting out from the air conditioner. He couldn’t see who was inside, but Chen Fan held his breath, poised to flee.

“Who are you?” The crack widened; the speaker wasn’t Wang Kehan.

“Is Wang Kehan here?” Chen Fan relaxed slightly and addressed the cautious observer.

“He was taken in last night. Won’t be back for ten days or half a month. Anything else? If not, I’m closing the door.” The roommate spoke coolly, seemingly indifferent.

“Taken in? For what?” At last, a chance for revenge, but his nemesis was eating government food—Chen Fan felt a surge of frustration.

“The same stuff you see on ‘Legal Report.’ Are you done? I’m closing the door.”

Bang!

The dull slam broke Chen Fan’s train of thought. Was Wang Kehan really an addict? He’d only joked about it yesterday, never imagining he’d actually get caught.

“Well, your enemy dodged a bullet. Escaped your big move,” the Elder muttered from the depths of Chen Fan’s pocket.

Chen Fan shrugged it off. “There’s still another one. I’ll deal with him first.”

Wei Youlong’s dorm wasn’t hard to find. Bored, Chen Fan even turned it into a reasoning game, deducing the location from Wei’s online activity.

“He posts indoor selfies every day—let’s see if I can sniff him out.”

Chen Fan scrolled through the history. Each dormitory’s internal structure differed by area, and today’s photo didn’t match any previous ones. After several comparisons, he still couldn't find a matching area.

“This guy’s place is huge—doesn’t seem like a regular dorm.” After reviewing all the results, Chen Fan made his judgment.

The Elder yawned, reminding him, “There are faculty apartments and graduate dorms too. Just go ask if anyone’s moved in lately; it’ll clear things up.”

Chen Fan found this reasonable. “You do have good ideas, just a bit sharp-tongued.”

The Elder ignored him, reclining lazily in the hanging chair for a nap.

Following the clues, Chen Fan finally pinpointed Wei Youlong’s new dorm. Posing as someone delivering materials to a classmate, he got the exact room number from the security guard.

Staring at rows of Western-style apartments, Chen Fan couldn’t help but marvel, “Two thousand a month for a single room—aren’t you afraid of getting lonely?”

Knock, knock, knock.

Chen Fan stood to the side, out of view from the door’s peephole.

Wei Youlong, unsuspecting, opened the door wide. Finding no one there, he exclaimed, “Where’d they go? Wrong door? I thought my delivery had arrived…”

Chen Fan slipped out from the side, grabbing the doorknob. He couldn’t take on a specialist, but a pushover was well within his grasp.

“Was it you who did it yesterday?” Chen Fan pressed, not caring about right or wrong.

“Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? Whose girlfriend did you flirt with this time, bringing trouble to my doorstep? Still want to mess with me?” Wei Youlong sported a flashy hairstyle, looking like a local punk.

“You brought those two here, didn’t you? If you want to play, I’m game.” Chen Fan deliberately shifted the topic, dredging up unresolved grievances.

“You’re nuts. I don’t know what you’re talking about—I just moved in today and don’t want to waste words.” Wei Youlong glared at Chen Fan.

“Excellent. See you tonight.” Chen Fan, target secured, calmly patted Wei Youlong’s shoulder and flipped him off as a farewell.

Wei Youlong didn’t dare chase him—he just stood at the door, cursing, “Busybody hypocrite, let’s see how long you stay smug.”