Zhao Lili only now realized just how formidable Ning Fan, the "Brother Ning" that Liu Dashun acknowledged, was.
Zhu Ba was a figure everyone in the village knew well, especially him, living in the town.
But even this character, with a bunch of fierce and evil henchmen at his disposal, was completely useless in front of Ning Fan, who could casually spend a million yuan with a flick of his hand.
This was not some bumpkin from the backwoods; he was clearly a badass big shot. Zhao Lili now felt so regretful she could vomit blood.
"Get the hell away from me and don't let me see you again!"
Over by the jeep, Liu Dashun tossed the steel pipe in his hand and roared at Zhu Ba.
Zhu Ba scurried away like he'd been granted amnesty, and at the same time, his lackeys clambered to their feet. Having witnessed everything, they were utterly terrified of Ning Fan and Liu Dashun.
"Yes, yes, yes, I'm getting the hell out of here!" Zhu Ba didn't dare linger a moment longer. Without even mentioning Ning Fan, the current Liu Dashun alone could completely subdue him.
"A bunch of trash, get lost quicker!"
Zhu Ba yelled at his subordinates, picking up the steel pipe that Liu Dashun had used to beat him and hurling it at them. Unable to confront Ning Fan, he could only take his anger out on his henchmen.
The lackeys, all with dejected expressions, crawled up and ran to Zhu Ba's side to help him into the jeep, and then all fled without a trace.
After Zhu Ba left, the school erupted in cheers once again.
Just as Liu Dashun turned to thank Ning Fan, Zhao Lili ran out at this moment and approached him.
Liu Dashun looked at her expressionlessly, ready to see what trick she was about to play.
Zhao Lili saw the silent Liu Dashun and felt nervous. She managed a stiff smile on her face, obsequiously looking at Liu Dashun and said imploringly, "Dashun, it was all a misunderstanding just now. Please forgive me!"
The moment these words came out, Liu Dashun immediately understood what she was there for upon seeing Zhao Lili's current fawning behavior.
Seeing Ning Fan's extraordinary capabilities and his generous spending, did the regretful Zhao Lili want to reconcile with Liu Dashun?
Liu Dashun snorted coldly. He remembered all too clearly Zhao Lili's previous actions. If it weren't for her throwing herself at Zhu Ba, he might have forgiven her after an apology to Ning Fan.
But now, after Zhu Ba's scene, Liu Dashun had completely seen through Zhao Lili. He definitely did not want to take back a tainted hat.
"'You weren't there to accompany me at the sunset, so who are you at the dawn?' From now on, Zhao Lili doesn't exist in Liu Dashun's world!"
Reconciliation was just wishful thinking to Liu Dashun, and he rejected Zhao Lili outright.
The Ning Brother she once looked down upon had caused their breakup, and now, seeing Ning Fan's prowess, she wanted to come back. But there was no such thing as a regret medicine in this world.
Liu Dashun looked at Zhao Lili mercilessly as she became more and more gloomy, her face stiff and rigid.
"Zhao Lili, go back, you're not welcome here." Liu Dashun watched her coldly, leaving those words behind as he walked toward Ning Fan by the school gate.
Now desperate, Zhao Lili ran up to Ning Fan, pleadingly looking at him, "Brother Ning, you're Dashun's brother. Please, do me a favor and persuade Dashun for me!"
However, Ning Fan's gaze was elsewhere, as if he had not seen Zhao Lili or heard her plea at all.
"As the saying goes, 'better to demolish ten temples than destroy a single marriage'. Dashun and I were actually about to get married. I really love him!"
"I was wrong before, but I did it all for Dashun's sake!"
Zhao Lili shamelessly whispered into Ning Fan's ear, and Ning Fan just felt this person was as annoying as a fly.
Zhao Lili talked on and on, sharing her inner journey with Ning Fan, but Ning Fan simply didn't take any of it in.
In the end, Ning Fan glanced at her and said indifferently, "Sorry, but we're not exactly familiar with each other."
Zhao Lili, who had hoped that Ning Fan would plead for her, was frozen in place at that moment. Compared to Liu Dashun, Ning Fan's tone was the truly cold one.
Ning Fan and Liu Dashun ignored Zhao Lili and went into the school together to help the old headmaster and the others clean up.
Zhao Lili stood at the school gate, clenching her fists so tightly that her long nails dug into her flesh without her realizing it.
Thinking of how Ning Fan, the brother Liu Dashun acknowledged, would definitely rise to the top with Ning Fan's support, Zhao Lili felt regret for she knew she had missed out on the happy life she longed for due to a moment of folly.
How much Zhao Lili regretted now was known to no one but herself; however, no one else, including Ning Fan and Liu Dashun, was interested in finding out.
"Brother Ning, thank you!"
Liu Dashun walked behind Ning Fan, looking at him with immense gratitude.
Ning Fan smiled slightly, indicating it was nothing.
Being weak wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but a person couldn't remain weak forever. Ning Fan wanted Liu Dashun to understand this.
What comforted him was that Liu Dashun did not disappoint him and had managed to stand up for his own dignity.
The old headmaster came over at this moment, accompanied by the school's beautiful teacher Zhang Shiya. He enthusiastically walked up to Ning Fan, grabbing his hands with gratitude, "Xiaofan, I really can't thank you enough for today!"
Without Ning Fan's intervention today, they surely couldn't have dealt with Zhu Ba and his gang. The worst-case scenario might have been losing the school.
Now with Ning Fan's help, the old headmaster suddenly saw hope. Their school could continue operating, and the children from the small village would still have a place to learn.
"It's fine. I'm part of this community; when something happens, how could I possibly run away?"
After all, having lived here for so long, Ning Fan had grown fond of the place. With Zhu Ba coming to wreak havoc, Ning Fan had to step up for the sake of the children.
The old headmaster looked at Ning Fan with admiration, and Zhang Shiya, standing beside him, also stepped forward at that time with a somewhat apologetic look towards him.
Noticing Zhang Shiya come forward, Ning Fan felt puzzled, as her expression seemed unnatural, and he couldn't see any sign of apology on her face.
"Don't worry about what happened before..."
As she spoke, Zhang Shiya's face blushed, and she subconsciously hid her hands behind her back, her gaze turning languishing as she looked at Ning Fan.
She hadn't forgotten the incident in the grove, and Ning Fan, scratching his cheek, didn't mind it either.
"Xiaofan, you must be exhausted. Come to your auntie's place, and I'll make you something delicious!"
At that moment, the charming Aunt Yun came over.