Chapter 23: The Threat

Compared to the others, Zhang Xiaofan actually wanted Hu Xiaotian to win.

But Zhang Xiaofan knew that Hu Xiaotian was too sentimental. When he played rock-paper-scissors with Liu Saijian, if he said “scissors,” he would definitely throw scissors, because he wanted Liu Saijian to win.

And once Liu Saijian lost, he would immediately adjust his strategy and choose to trust Hu Xiaotian. In this way, Hu Xiaotian would really lose.

Thinking of this, as he saw the two about to start, Zhang Xiaofan hurried forward and whispered something into Hu Xiaotian’s ear. Once he finished, Zhang Xiaofan shot a smile at Liu Saijian.

Hu Xiaotian listened and nodded emphatically, saying, “Don’t worry.”

Liu Saijian’s face changed drastically. He shouted, “Are you two plotting something against me? Trying to set me up on purpose?”

Hu Xiaotian cursed, “Set you up? Nonsense! I said I’d throw scissors, and I’ll throw scissors.”

Zhang Xiaofan continued to smirk coldly at Liu Saijian.

Liu Saijian gritted his teeth, cursing inwardly, “This Zhang Xiaofan is too cunning. He’s definitely teaching Hu Xiaotian how to make me lose, hmph!”

Then the two threw down their hands—Hu Xiaotian went with scissors, and Liu Saijian, to everyone’s shock, threw paper!

Everyone was dumbfounded again!

“Haha, this is killing me! Liu Saijian, you’re really an idiot. He said he’d throw scissors, and you still went with paper? Hahaha…” Song Feng and Chen Jing doubled over with laughter.

The rest of the classmates looked at Liu Saijian as if he were a lost cause.

Hu Xiaotian rushed over and yelled, “Liu Saijian, you really are an idiot. You can’t trust me at all, can you?”

Liu Saijian stammered, “No, no, I trust you. But Zhang Xiaofan—he just whispered to you. Wasn’t he telling you to mess with me?”

Hu Xiaotian cursed, “Zhang Xiaofan just told me to throw scissors, to throw scissors!”

“Bang!”

Liu Saijian slumped onto the seat behind him, muttering as he looked at Zhang Xiaofan, “Then why were you smiling at me like that?”

Zhang Xiaofan sighed inwardly. He had done that precisely to make Liu Saijian lose trust in Hu Xiaotian once more. Only then, given Liu Saijian’s suspicious nature, would he choose not to believe Hu Xiaotian—thus letting Hu Xiaotian win.

But on the surface, he said, “Liu Saijian, I was just worried you wouldn’t trust us, so I smiled to encourage you. I didn’t expect you still wouldn’t believe me.”

Liu Saijian shook his head, saying, “No, no, why? This could get me killed.” Suddenly he turned to face me, dropped to his knees, and pleaded, “Xiaofan, save me. You can afford to lose ten times anyway. Save me, I’ll be your servant if you want.”

Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes flashed, and he nodded, “Alright.”

Jiang Jiehui, Hu Xiaotian, and the others all sighed.

Liu Saijian immediately kowtowed, saying, “Thank you, thank you.”

“I’ll throw scissors, you throw rock,” Zhang Xiaofan said.

They went for it—Zhang Xiaofan threw paper, Liu Saijian threw rock.

Liu Saijian was stunned. Everyone was stunned.

“You set me up!” Liu Saijian yelled.

He lunged at Zhang Xiaofan, but at that moment blood began to pour from his neck. He gasped, “Why… why…”

“When you first asked me to lose for you, you were no longer my brother. When you bullied Lin Rou on purpose, you became my enemy. When you lost trust in Xiaotian, you dug your own grave!”

Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes burned as he spoke.

“Why… why is it me who dies…” Liu Saijian knelt on the ground, unwilling to accept his fate. Even at his last breath, he didn’t understand.

Hu Xiaotian looked at the corpse and said, “Xiaofan, why?” He finally realized—Zhang Xiaofan had whispered to him earlier, not to help him, but to provoke Liu Saijian into losing trust.

“I had no other choice. Would you really have lost to Liu Saijian? You lose this time, what about next time? You have to understand—he never saw you as a brother,” Zhang Xiaofan replied heavily.

Now, the way the classmates in the classroom looked at Zhang Xiaofan had completely changed.

If Murong Feng and the others already knew he was cunning, and weren’t surprised when he beat them with strategy, Zhang Xiaofan had always kept a low profile before. Now, having orchestrated Liu Saijian’s death through strategy, he shocked everyone.

“Hmph, ruthless indeed. You even killed your own roommate,” Song Feng sneered.

Jiang Jiehui and Gu Seling’s expressions also darkened, though they didn’t dare say anything. Zhang Xiaofan glanced at them—he knew that this time, their little group had fractured.

“It seems the best way is to rely on myself,” Zhang Xiaofan sighed.

Now, both Lin Rou and Hu Xiaotian only needed one more win to claim victory. Zhang Xiaofan needed two more wins. Only Chen Siyu and Wang Jiansi had not yet competed.

Chen Siyu was still crying, clearly in no condition to compete. Wang Jiansi kept eating, his eyes darting constantly toward Zhang Xiaofan.

This round of the game would last two days, and Wang Jiansi didn’t seem in any hurry.

But at this moment, Zhang Xiaofan made his move. He walked up to Wang Jiansi and said, “Fatty, let’s compete.”

Wang Jiansi shook his head, “There’s still time, I’ll think about it.”

Zhang Xiaofan looked over at Chen Siyu, who was still crying and obviously in no state to play.

Helpless, Zhang Xiaofan returned to his seat. Soon after, police officers and doctors came to clear the corpse. No one said a word—even the slowest student realized these police and doctors weren’t normal.

The entire day passed without another match. After school, back in the dormitory, Zhang Xiaofan looked at Liu Saijian’s empty bed and sighed.

Gu Seling and Jiang Jiehui came in, pausing when they saw Zhang Xiaofan. Jiang Jiehui said, “Xiaofan, don’t be upset about what happened.”

Zhang Xiaofan asked, “You don’t blame me for Liu Saijian’s death?”

Gu Seling shook his head, “We’ve thought it over. Liu Saijian brought this on himself. He never saw us as brothers, and he even bullied Lin Rou.”

Zhang Xiaofan nodded and said no more. At that moment, his phone suddenly rang. When he looked at the message, his expression changed drastically.

The message was from Lin Rou: “Zhang Xiaofan, I’ve captured Lin Rou. Come to the small woods behind the school within an hour, or you can collect her body. And don’t bring anyone with you, or I’ll kill her on the spot.”

“Damn it!”

Zhang Xiaofan’s eyes reddened with rage, startling Jiang Jiehui and Gu Seling. They quickly asked what was wrong.

Zhang Xiaofan said nothing. He took a folding knife from his box and left, ignoring their shocked expressions.

“Wang Jiansi, Chen