No sooner had Wang Zhuo returned to school than he heard some news. He was actually being impeached by several classmates, the grounds being that he occupied the position of class monitor while being completely absent from duty—never seen, never present—and thus was unfit for the role.

“I never intended to be the class monitor in the first place,” Wang Zhuo said with a dismissive smile. The person who specifically came to bring him the news was Geng Bin, but he didn't see it that way: “Wang Zhuo, whether you want the job or not is your business, but those guys are teaming up to stir trouble behind your back; you can’t just let this go, or they’ll think you’re a pushover they can squeeze whenever they want.” Wang Zhuo smiled and nodded; when it came to political maneuvering, he was certainly not lacking in experience.

It was just that the current situation was child’s play. He considered himself someone earning thousands per minute; such petty matters weren't worth his attention.

“What about Old Liu? What did he say about this?” Wang Zhuo inquired.

Old Liu was their class advisor, Liu Cheng, an uncle nearing fifty-five who would retire before their class graduated. He usually ignored minor issues, referring major ones to the department head, essentially minding his own business.

“Old Liu said he was busy and told them to take it up with the department head, Wang Taiping,” Geng Bin chortled with schadenfreude. Wang Zhuo also thought Old Liu’s handling of the matter was rather unreliable.

He asked with a smile, “So, did they go see him?” Geng Bin shook his head. “Not yet, but I suspect they will soon.

Christmas and New Year’s are coming up, plus finals. The school is swamped.

A class genuinely needs a monitor.” Wang Zhuo nodded thoughtfully. Why was university so appealing?

Wasn't it precisely because of these colorful activities? Since enrolling, he had only participated in the military training and attended only a few classes.

It seemed he should squeeze some time out recently to enjoy life in this ivory tower. “Oh, right.

I brought back some small trinkets on my trip; here, take this one.” Wang Zhuo reached into his pocket, pulled out the small jade Buddha pendant given to him by Lao Mian, held up the string, and handed it to Geng Bin. This little Buddha would sell for a thousand or eight hundred in Ruili; Wang Zhuo’s casual gift was quite valuable.

“It’s jade, right?” Geng Bin took it casually, examining it closely before smiling. “It’s quite nice.

Thanks, Monitor.” He took it as a cheap trinket from a street stall and casually hung it around his neck, leaving happily. Wang Zhuo was somewhat at a loss for words, truly a case of pearls before swine, but he didn't dwell on it.

He was always generous with his friends; even Fatty Long received a Dragon-Etching Pendant worth several thousand. Since Geng Bin considered him a friend, giving him a small item was merely lifting a finger.

He turned away and forgot about the matter, never expecting a small incident to erupt so quickly. Geng Bin was also a fatty, but life in the medical school was truly conducive to weight loss.

He had been appointed the sports committee member again, and this time he was truly determined to shed weight. So, every time he entered the cafeteria, he started meditating on things like anatomical dissections or the morgue.

Consequently, his appetite decreased, and he insisted on playing basketball twice a day. Remarkably, the results were swift.

In the three months since school started, besides losing ten pounds during military training, he had lost another twenty-plus pounds, transforming from a true fat man into a muscular build. After receiving Wang Zhuo’s gift, he went to the basketball court that afternoon for his usual game as center.

Because the little Buddha pendant wasn't large and he thought it was a cheap stall item, he didn't take it off, playing with it hanging around his neck. This impromptu match was a clash between the Stomatology and Clinical Medicine majors.

Initially, both sides were relatively restrained, but by halftime, some heat had gradually built up—a common occurrence that hadn’t yet escalated to verbal abuse or conflict. A handsome student from the Stomatology major was the star of the day, having sunk two consecutive three-pointers, eliciting a few shrieks of excitement from the pretty nurses watching from the stands.

His head got hot, and while defending, he delivered a "rear-cap" block on Geng Bin, who was driving in for a layup. This move, which easily invites injury, was a clear foul.

Geng Bin fell heavily onto his backside, and the referee blew the whistle for free throws. “Hey, hey, hold on, something fell off the fatty!” Li Jiuning, the political representative, trotted over and squatted down to pick things up.

As mentioned before, under the wise leadership of Class Advisor Liu Cheng, every student in Wang Zhuo’s class held some post; the least busy were the representatives, and Li Jiuning was one of them. Once the item was retrieved, everyone took a look, and it was a disaster: on the small red string hung the head of the Buddha statue, but the large belly below the earlobes was missing.

The handsome Stomatology student immediately stared, stammering, “Fatty, why were you wearing a jade Buddha while playing ball? I… I can’t afford to compensate you for that, damn it!” Geng Bin didn't know what jade was, but the university was full of talent.

Those who recognized the item weren't just the handsome Stomatology major; even the temporary referee wearing small glasses was knowledgeable. “Damn, this is messed up,” he said, taking the Buddha belly one player had retrieved.

He spread it on his palm and looked at it, saying with a wry smile, “This is an A-grade, icy-blue glutinous variety. Geng Bin, how much did you pay for this?

Must be a few thousand, right?” “Jade?” Geng Bin was utterly bewildered. Wang Zhuo had given this to him casually that morning and hadn't mentioned any jade.

Wasn’t it just stone? Hearing it might be worth a few thousand, the handsome Stomatology student’s face contorted with distress.

“Everyone, be fair. He played with such an expensive item on the court; the responsibility isn't entirely mine.

I’ll pay the compensation, but paying the full price is just too unfair!” That statement was actually quite decent; if he had stubbornly insisted that Geng Bin was wrong to wear it and refused to pay anything, others couldn't have forced him. Everyone sympathized with and understood the handsome student’s plight, but Geng Bin’s loss couldn't just be ignored.

Everyone stopped playing ball and gathered around to see what he intended to do. With people crowding around, it was Geng Bin’s turn to manage a wry smile.

“Everyone, I honestly don’t know what this thing is worth. Wang Zhuo just gave it to me this morning; I thought it was just some cheap stone.

Are you guys mistaken?” Hearing this, the direction of the discussion immediately shifted. “Ma Youcai, did you misidentify it?

If this is truly an A-grade piece, even if Wang Zhuo gave it to Geng Bin, he wouldn’t have omitted mentioning it, right?” “I knew it! Who would wear a porcelain piece worth thousands to play ball?

Turns out it was just unnecessary worry.” “Haha, look how scared Wang Gui’er is! He was worried about covering half a year’s worth of meal expenses!” Only the bespectacled guy nicknamed Ma Youcai held his ground, sticking firmly to his assertion that it was an A-grade piece, and even if not worth a few thousand, it wasn't something you could get for two or three hundred.

Under his insistence, Geng Bin finally called Wang Zhuo. “It shattered?” Wang Zhuo was sipping rabbit soup stewed with Li Guang Ran when he heard the news and nearly spat it out.

“Geng Bin, you only wore it for half a day? You broke it before it was even warmed up?” “Boss,” Geng Bin also felt awkward, saying with a bitter smile, “The moon has its cloudy and clear days, and people have sudden misfortunes.

Accidents are everywhere. Everyone is waiting for news—tell us, is this Maitreya Buddha jade, and how much is it worth?” “It’s not worth much,” Wang Zhuo admitted.

Encountering this situation was unexpected, and he certainly wouldn't quibble. He comforted him casually, “It is A-grade, yes, but over in Yunnan, it’s only worth a few hundred yuan.

If it broke, it broke. Bring back the belly of the Buddha, and I’ll find a craftsman to make you a phone charm out of it.” In reality, the Buddha belly piece wasn’t worth much to modify, but Wang Zhuo said this primarily to soothe the honest kid named Wang Gui’er.

The small disturbance subsided temporarily. The handsome Stomatology major, nicknamed Wang Gui’er, understood the situation and his favorable impression of Wang Zhuo soared.

Geng Bin finally learned what kind of gift Wang Zhuo had given him, and Wang Zhuo’s standing in his heart immediately rose to that of an iron brother. Others were still gossiping—Wang Zhuo really was a big shot, casually gifting classmates something worth hundreds, and more importantly, he didn't even bother explaining the item’s value.

This was treating money like dirt. The news spread in a small circle on the basketball court.

The next day, when Wang Zhuo and Geng Bin went to play ball together, everyone had uncovered an even bigger piece of gossip. They looked at Wang Zhuo with strangely different expressions because he hadn't stayed in the dorm the previous night; someone had seen him arrive at school that morning driving a Range Rover.

The school parking lot was quite large, and there were many nice cars inside, but Wang Zhuo was absolutely the only one driving such a large SUV to school. After forming an impromptu team, a guy from the Pharmacy major specifically ran up and took Wang Zhuo’s hands to examine them, which made Wang Zhuo quite bewildered.

The guy looked up after his inspection, his face appearing pitiful, and said, “Brother, you’re not wearing a ring or bracelet or anything, are you? If it shatters, we can’t afford the compensation…” After the well-intentioned jokes and teasing ended, the referee blew the whistle, and the match began.

Wang Zhuo quickly noticed something unusual. It seemed both teams were playing exceptionally hard today.

Was it because there were more girls in the stands than usual? Wait a minute—what day was it today?

Why were so many young women here watching basketball, and why were they even bringing small cushions? Distracted by this thought, he almost got hit in the face by a pass from a teammate.

The Pharmacy major seized the chance for a fast break and scored two points. The captain on the court saw Wang Zhuo distracted and jogged over to whisper an explanation: “It’s all the girls from the Nursing College.

They usually come to watch sometimes, but today, for some reason, there are exceptionally many of them.” Wang Zhuo grunted an acknowledgment and shifted his focus back to the game. A moment later, he caught a pass for an offensive rebound and casually leaped from beyond the three-point line, releasing a high arc shot.

The ball swished cleanly through the net. Suddenly, a wave of cheers and screams erupted from the stands, followed by a synchronized burst of encouragement that nearly made Wang Zhuo twist his ankle as he turned to retreat back down the court.

“Coach Wang, mighty! Go, Coach Wang!” The ten big guys playing on the court exchanged bewildered glances.

Turns out, this was Wang Zhuo’s cheering squad. Wang Zhuo’s brain briefly short-circuited.

After being away for half a month, he had completely forgotten his celebrity status upon returning. Even if these girls came to cheer him on mainly as a prank, or perhaps purely to mess with him, it was enough trouble for him.

He didn't need to wait until tomorrow; the school BBS would be buzzing tonight.