Chapter 9

Eight thugs quickly started fighting with Wang Bai. They were experienced, aiming their sticks at his legs, knowing that this kid was agile and would be easier to handle once he was knocked down.

However, Wang Bai's movements were nimble, and he dodged in time. He ran and fought to avoid being surrounded, striking the nearest person whenever he had the chance. His punches were fast and powerful, and the thugs couldn't dodge them. After a few rounds, he had already knocked down two of them.

But as the saying goes, "Two fists can't fight four hands." Wang Bai took several hits on his back and a chain left a bloody mark on his arm. For every person he knocked down, he had to pay a price.

Seeing that they couldn't hold him down, the tattooed man suddenly turned around and went to bother Lu Lu, cursing as he did so. Wang Bai, seeing this, became enraged and charged back into the crowd, shouting, "If you have the guts, come at me! Bullying a girl is no skill!" The sticks rained down on him, and he grunted in pain. He forcefully grabbed a stick and struck it with pinpoint accuracy at someone's forehead, instantly knocking down two people. Then he broke through the encirclement and pursued the tattooed man with a reckless determination.

The tattooed man, seeing him coming, panicked and stumbled, looking for a place to hide. This turned into a chaotic situation where he was running in front, Wang Bai was chasing him, and three other thugs were chasing Wang Bai. The tattooed man occasionally got hit by a stick and, while running, shouted in pain, "Damn, this kid is crazy!"

After a while, Lu Lu's earlier shout had an effect, and a group of adult men started appearing downstairs, some with brooms, some with rolling pins, and some even with kitchen knives, joining the chase of the thugs. The three thugs, seeing the situation, ran even faster than their leader, dragging the injured and fleeing out of the neighborhood.

After driving them away, Wang Bai, panting heavily, gathered with Lu Lu. His tense nerves finally relaxed, and he suddenly felt the pain all over his body, wincing. But he still held onto the stick he had taken.

At this moment, his arm was bruised and had a shocking blood mark, and his eyebrow was cut, with sweat and blood streaming down his face, leaving a few light red marks. He looked quite disheveled.

Seeing him in this state, the previously stubborn Lu Lu's tears fell uncontrollably, and she sniffed, sobbing, "You're so stupid, don't you care about your life?"

"I'm fine," Wang Bai wiped the blood from the corner of his eye, "You're the one who's stupid. If you had just said it, it wouldn't have been your problem. You're a girl, why do you have to argue with them?"

The tattooed man's loud questioning made Wang Bai know that Lu Lu hadn't betrayed him, and she had been slapped twice because of it, making him feel extremely guilty, as if the slaps had hit him directly. If he had hidden today, he would never have been able to hold his head up again, so he had rushed out to fight for his life.

Lu Lu had been stubborn and hadn't said anything to avoid involving him. Being scolded by him, she felt extremely wronged and almost fainted in anger.

The surrounding righteous uncles now stood up for her: "You kid, you don't know good from bad!" "The girl was protecting you, willing to suffer herself rather than involve you." "Yes, how can you be so heartless?"

With these words, Wang Bai's face turned red. He realized he had said the wrong thing and hurriedly apologized, "I'm sorry, it's my fault. Don't cry, I'll apologize to you."

Lu Lu sniffed loudly, trying to hold back her tears, and said stubbornly, "Who's crying! What did you do wrong, what are you apologizing for? You saved me, what's wrong with that!" Then she shouted at the surrounding uncles, "What right do you have to say anything about him! This is our business, who asked you to interfere! Who came down first? Who rushed ahead of him! You just beat the fallen, taking advantage of the situation, and you still have the nerve to criticize him? If it weren't for him, I might have been beaten to death, and you wouldn't have dared to intervene!"

Her words were sharp, making the uncles feel ashamed. To be honest, if it weren't for Wang Bai's brave actions, no one would have dared to come down and intervene in this matter.

"Alright, the girl is on the kid's side, it's a couple's business, we can't interfere. Everyone, let's go," someone shouted, easing the awkward atmosphere, and everyone laughed and dispersed.

Lu Lu spat, "Pah!" She glared at Wang Bai, as if trying to see if he had any ulterior motives. Wang Bai felt very uncomfortable under her gaze and smiled awkwardly, saying, "Let's go, don't stay here and let others gawk."

Lu Lu wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes and asked, "Where to? Can I still go to tutoring with this look?" Indeed, she had a handprint on her face, red eyes, and was covered in dust, with a small scrape on her leg, making her unsuitable for the tutoring class.

Wang Bai wiped his nose and said, "Why don't you come to my place to clean up? It's best to apply some medicine to the scrape on your leg." Lu Lu was silent for a moment, then limped toward the building where Wang Bai lived. Wang Bai followed behind, looking at her slender back, feeling a sense of respect in his heart, thinking that a girl with such pride wasn't entirely without merit.

Half an hour later, they came out of Wang Bai's house, their wounds had been treated, and their faces looked a bit better. Wang Bai pushed his electric scooter out of the garage and took Lu Lu to the bus stop. Her face was still swollen, and she didn't want to go to the tutoring class, only wanting to get home as soon as possible. The electric scooter wasn't fast, and she held onto Wang Bai's waist, looking at his not-so-broad back, a faint blush appearing on her face.

Wang Bai felt the small hands holding his waist and recalled the scene of her applying red flower oil to his back at home. At the time, he had only felt pain, but now, thinking about the cool touch of those small hands, his heart started to beat wildly. This was the first time he had been shirtless in front of a girl and had such close physical contact. As a healthy boy, it was inevitable to have some wild thoughts. If it weren't for the pain, he might have lost control.

The two were lost in their own thoughts, and the journey to the bus stop was silent. Lu Lu's home was in Jinqiao Town, and it took a half-hour bus ride from Guanglin. After Wang Bai saw her to the bus stop, he waited with her until the bus was almost there. She said, "Wang Bai, listen, I'm very grateful for what happened today, but don't tell anyone else about it. I don't want to be talked about at school. So it's best if you forget about it, as if it never happened."

Her tone was indifferent, and she had returned to her usual aloof demeanor at school, which made the good feelings Wang Bai had for her quickly dissipate. However, he didn't want to become the subject of gossip at school, so he agreed to her request.

After Lu Lu got on the bus, Wang Bai immediately turned his scooter and headed home. The girl on the bus watched him until he was out of sight, then turned her head and muttered, "Stupid..."

The injuries on his body were manageable, but the marks on his face couldn't be hidden, especially since the incident happened in the neighborhood and many people had seen it. So when his parents came home, Wang Bai honestly told them what had happened. They were not opposed to his act of bravery, especially since he had saved a classmate. However, they were a bit worried about him getting involved with delinquents and advised him to be careful when going out. They also discussed finding someone to mediate.

Wang Bai remembered that there was a big thug from Baihe in Guanglin who seemed to have a distant relative relationship with his mother, though he had never met this person. He guessed that they would find this person to mediate. He didn't understand the underworld, so he left it to his parents to handle.

Today had taken up a lot of time, and he had fallen behind on his homework. Wang Bai worked hard until 11 PM, taking a break to check the group messages. Fortunately, the group hadn't discussed him today, proving that rumors without basis would eventually dissipate.

Before going to bed, he received a text from Jin Xiaoli, reminding him not to forget the dinner tomorrow, which was related to his first task. How could he forget? He replied decisively, "Don't worry, I'll be there on time."

Closing his eyes, he entered the dream again. Wang Bai found that even in the dream, the injuries he had sustained during the day still affected him, and he still felt sore all over. He checked the exchange system and saw that he had 10 points, confirming that the 10 points he had earned on the stairs yesterday were valid.

But what could he exchange for 10 points? Wang Bai set the search mode, and the exchange area displayed items worth 10 points or less. There were only two items, both worth 10 points.

One was an entry-level driver, which would allow him to learn proficient motor vehicle driving skills, equivalent to a driver with five years of experience. This skill wasn't necessary for him now, so he skipped it.

The other was an entry-level teacher, which required choosing a subject. After the exchange, he would master the knowledge of a single subject, equivalent to a five-year experienced elite high school teacher.

Seeing this exchange skill, Wang Bai felt a surge of joy, as he suddenly saw hope for completing his third task. Mastering the knowledge of a single subject at the level of an elite high school teacher, even in a regular high school, would be much better than his current level as an ordinary student in a key high school. With his grades, he might be able to rank in the top in a regular high school, but it would be impossible to surpass the teacher's level. If he exchanged this skill, his knowledge in all subjects would reach the teacher's level, and making significant progress in the midterm exams wouldn't be difficult.

With this idea, he immediately took action. English was his weakest subject among the main subjects, so he chose English without hesitation. After confirming the exchange, a strong light descended from the sky, and Wang Bai again experienced the warm, enveloping feeling. This time, the strong light lasted only a few seconds, and when it disappeared, he felt that his mind was suddenly filled with many things, including English words and grammar he had never known before. He also gained a deeper understanding of some grammar he had learned before. His English speaking ability also improved significantly, and he could form sentences smoothly in his mind. In short, the exchange effect was very significant!

Excited, Wang Bai's desire for points grew even stronger. The tasks were currently at a standstill, so he could only gain points through another method: the endless staircase behind the door.

Although he was injured and uncomfortable, his legs were still flexible, and his stamina wasn't greatly affected. So today, he decided to climb the staircase again, hoping to get points like he did yesterday, even if it was just 10 points.