Chapter 9

Hearing Lev's words, Ye Wei and Bade turned their gaze and saw a group of five or six students holding fried chicken, sandwiches, and other foods.

The leader of the group was a white student with a noticeable outfit, his head of golden hair slicked back with gel, wearing an iPod, dark blue jeans, and a striking top.

It was a red and black Armani sports jacket, with the name of Harvard-Westlake and the football emblem on the back, and a lowercase 'S' and the owner's name on the front. This was a special type of clothing in American schools, only available for purchase by the school's varsity and junior varsity sports teams.

Ye Wei also had one, for the junior varsity soccer team, but the weather was still warm, and a T-shirt was enough. Wearing such clothing now was merely for show, which was exactly Williams' intention.

Many people said he was one of those spoiled kids from Harvard-Westlake, and Ye Wei didn't deny it. He himself used to be like that, but even among spoiled kids, there were good and bad ones. He was a good one, while Williams and his gang were the bad ones.

The group also noticed them. Regardless of past grievances, he knew Williams had a narrow mind, and the events of Monday must have made him envious.

Sure enough, Williams, with a frivolous smile, led the way, intending to cause trouble.

"Oh, I sense a group of freaks nearby."

"My favorite Disney characters are Pumbaa, Timon, and Mulan."

They walked past the table, talking about something, their voices not loud but audible enough for those around to hear. It was clearly a way to mock Ye Wei and his friends, and the students around them began to look over.

Just as they were about to pass, Williams, who had been silent, stopped and turned to look at Ye Wei with a puzzled expression. "You're on the soccer team, right? I didn't expect you to have some guts."

The others around him burst into laughter, and the students who were just there to watch the show also smiled.

American sports culture is unique. Soccer is called 'Soccer,' a game for girls, while American football is called 'Football,' a game for men. When Williams said Ye Wei had some 'guts' (Balls), it was a double entendre.

Lev and Bade were furious but didn't say anything, knowing that Ye Wei would retaliate.

Ye Wei always did. Some said Ye Wei was a school bully, but in their hearts, he was a superhero! Because of him, real bullies like Williams couldn't be as arrogant, and it was hard to imagine what their lives would be like without him...

Not just them, but also the minority students, the shy ones, the cowards, the freaks, the nerds... everyone needed VIY.

Everyone was waiting to see how Ye Wei would respond.

Ye Wei continued eating his char siu rice, not even looking at them, and said calmly, "Yes, not much, just enough to turn you from a Football player to a Feetball player."

The crowd was initially stunned, but those who understood burst into laughter. Lev laughed the loudest, his mustache falling off as he shouted, "Note, it's capital, it's capital!"

OO became EE, vulgar! Classic!

"Ha ha ha!" Everyone got the joke, and the laughter was loud. VIY was VIY! His sharp tongue over the past few days was even better than before!

The noise caught the attention of the staff in the cafeteria, who looked over in confusion.

John Williams, who was used to being the top dog, couldn't keep his cool after being so crudely countered. His face turned a liver-like color, and he demanded, "You have the nerve to say that again!?"

"FUCK-YOU!" No one expected Ye Wei to use the F-word, and to say it with a deliberate pause! Many people's mouths dropped open in surprise!

He finally glanced at Williams. "I said it, what are you going to do? Are you going to cry to the teacher like a kid? Go ahead, don't make a fool of yourself here."

"You!" Williams was so angry that his whole body was trembling, while Lev and Bade were laughing and pounding the table, and the surrounding laughter grew even more intense, with cheers and whistles breaking out.

"I'm giving you one chance, apologize to me!" Williams' voice was trembling.

"Apologize? Are you my girlfriend or something?" Ye Wei said, picking up a piece of char siu and putting it in his mouth, chewing slowly. "Okay, sorry, for eating your relatives."

The crowd burst into laughter again, but he didn't stop there. "Teaching time! Why can we call a football 'Pigskin'? Because the early footballs were made of pigskin, so when we say 'Pig,' it doesn't just mean pig, it also means 'football' or 'related to football,' for example, we can use it to call..."

"John Williams!" Lev shouted, and the crowd laughed even harder. Poor Williams, he was so embarrassed that his mother wouldn't recognize him.

"Don't get too cocky!" Williams and his friends suddenly surrounded the table, their faces full of anger, ready to start a fight. Most of them were football players, and the word 'Pig' had insulted them all.

The atmosphere became tense, and the laughter in the cafeteria stopped...

Many people felt something was wrong, and the girls frowned...

"Guys." At this moment, Ye Wei suddenly tapped his bowl with his chopsticks, making a series of clear clinks. Immediately, many Asian students moved their chairs and stood up, their eyes fixed on this side.

They were Ye Wei's people, classmates, students in the same courses, members of the Asian Cultural Club, and those he had met at various activities...

Some students of other ethnicities also stood up, though some of their faces showed fear, they still stood up. They were also VIY's people, all of whom had been protected by him.

This caused a stir in the entire cafeteria, and many people whispered, "Oh my God," while the staff, both surprised and angry, could no longer let it go, shouting as they approached, "Stop it, whatever you're planning, stop it! Who wants to be expelled!?"

Damn, damn! Williams' face turned red with anger, but his clenched fists slowly relaxed.

The other bullies also backed off a few steps, raising their hands to show they meant no harm.

Seeing this, Ye Wei continued eating with his chopsticks, calm and composed, and the Asian students sat back down.

Everything happened so quickly that by the time the staff reached the table, the situation had already calmed down.

"This time, I won't hold it against you," Williams said with a cold laugh. "I heard you're also participating in the film festival? I hope you don't lose too badly."

Ye Wei ignored him, but Lev gave him the middle finger and shouted, "You'll be done for, baby, done for!" Suddenly, Bade slammed the table, like a rampaging Godzilla, going crazy, "Get lost, get lost, don't bother us while we're eating! I want to eat!"

"Stop it, either you all go to the principal's office, or you disperse immediately."

A staff member shouted, trying to pull them apart. John Williams and his friends walked away with cold smiles, as if nothing had happened, chatting and laughing, and someone even sang "Hakuna Matata."

Seeing the staff looking over, Ye Wei shrugged, "This isn't my fault."

The staff members looked at each other, shaking their heads and sighing, "Teenagers!"

The people in the cafeteria witnessed this small storm. Whether staff or students, they all noticed a significant change: VIY had become... even stronger! Before, he was only considered the third or fourth school bully in the middle school, but now he was heading straight for the top, far ahead of the others.

The champion among the Cool-Kids! More girls wanted to date him.

Of course, some people still had doubts. Was Ye Wei really a Cool-Kid? He was tall and handsome, he didn't like studying, he dared to flirt with the prom queen, he spent money generously, and he dared to mock the principal in public... all of these were very cool, but he also had many uncool traits!

He was an Asian boy, and Asian boys are usually not cool, preferring things like Sudoku and chess; he played soccer, which is still considered a girly sport; worst of all, he hung out with a bunch of freaks and nerds; and his father was a dentist, a dentist!

When have you ever seen a TV show called "The Dentist's Life"? Seriously, are dentists even real doctors?

So, he was in ninth grade and still didn't have a girlfriend!

He seemed like a cool kid, but also like a freak, maybe just a freak trying to act cool?

Ye Wei didn't care what others thought, enjoying his lunch. Each familiar friend came over to bump fists before leaving, a sense of youthful camaraderie flowing through his heart.

"BOSS, if there's anything else, count me in."

"If that pig comes to bother you again, we'll take care of it."

"Bro, your jokes are so sick, I promise to spread them throughout the middle school by the end of the day."

"Cool, man, you're really cool!"

Lev and Bade gave everyone a thumbs up, their faces full of pride. With Ye Wei leading the charge and everyone supporting each other, the school bullies had become a joke.

After lunch, Ye Wei and his friends wandered to the school's soccer field.

Harvard-Westlake offered 92 teams in 27 sports across the fall, winter, and spring seasons, in addition to the regular physical education classes. Sixty-six percent of the students were members of a sports team, while the remaining 34% participated in activities like dance, art, and performance, ensuring everyone had something to do.

Lev was on the ninth/ tenth-grade swimming team, Bade was on the golf team, and Ye Wei was on the junior varsity soccer team.

In fact, he was a very good soccer player, the main attacking midfielder and the core of the team, a source of praise from the older generation. If he were a bit older, he could have joined the varsity team. The coaches had promised to move him up to the varsity team when he reached tenth grade.

However, Harvard-Westlake's men's soccer team was not a strong point, and no player had ever gone on to play professionally. He definitely wouldn't be the first.

No matter how well he played, it wasn't his dream. Now, movies were his passion, and soccer was just a hobby.

After juggling the ball for a while, Ye Wei felt refreshed. After that dream, it felt like a long time since he had felt this way. The youthful days of swinging and playing, how wonderful.

As the three afternoon periods passed, it was 15:15, and the school took on a different look. Various sports and activities were just beginning, with people coming and going, a lively scene.

The soccer team didn't have a practice today, and there were no other activities, but Ye Wei had a task: he had to clean!

He wouldn't see Corwin and Chen Nuo today; those two had already run off, as if the devil was chasing them. Ye Wei, accompanied by Lev, went to the meeting point for today's "Squid Team," the entrance of the Academic Center.

From a distance, he saw a group of six or seven people standing there, some holding mops, some brooms, and some garbage bins, apparently still assigning tasks.

Some of them were still children, while others were teenagers, no older than fifteen or sixteen, including Ye Wei himself.

"Ooh ooh ooh!" Lev's eyes suddenly lit up, his "beauty radar" went off!

"Look, look, there's a hot girl in there! I know her, I know her, she's the daughter of some superstar... she's looking over! Jesus, she's hot... Bro, as a playboy, my intuition tells me she likes you!"

"Who?" Ye Wei looked closely and was immediately struck by the charm and beauty of one of the girls.

"Want to fall in love? I'll give you a task: get her phone number today, then first base, second base, third base... take her down!"

Lev waved his fist, his mustache standing up, looking serious. "If you don't act, I will. She's like Microsoft stock that just went public!"

"Do you want to go up and ask for her number? I don't mind." Ye Wei said, knowing Lev had no real dating experience, only virtual ones in "The Sims."

"You know, if it weren't for my big nose..." Lev sighed, suddenly deflated. "The swim team has practice, I'll go first, bro, good luck."

Sure enough, "Cyrano" slipped away again, though the swim team did have practice.

"I'll try my best." Ye Wei shrugged and smiled, continuing toward the group, a sense of familiarity growing in his mind about the beautiful girl.

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