Chapter 15

"Have you got a boyfriend? How is that possible? Who are you trying to fool! You said you didn’t have one a few days ago, and now suddenly you have a boyfriend. I’ve already spread the word at school that I’m going to confess today. I even bought you a new phone specially! And now you tell me you have a boyfriend?"

At this moment, he noticed Ning Lan’s companion, Zhang Qiu, a boy of average height with a somewhat otaku vibe. He immediately sneered, "So you’re Ning Lan’s shield? Do you really think you can compete with me? Do you have 99 roses? Do you have the latest iPhone? These are things girls like, and you can’t even afford them. You still think you can come and hit on girls? Get lost!"

He spoke with great ferocity, thinking himself incredibly domineering. Zhang Qiu took a deep breath, feeling quite angry. How could there be such a weirdo?

At this moment, the weirdo continued, "Ning Lan, whether you have a boyfriend or not, you have to agree today! Take my flowers and phone, and I’ll let your shield off the hook. We can still be friends, and everything will be fine. Otherwise, you’ve heard of my reputation, haven’t you?"

Zhang Qiu was amazed. Cheng Jianwu must have watched too many brain-dead dramas or read too many over-the-top CEO novels, thinking himself a charming and domineering heartthrob, but in reality, he was just a clown. He thought that when he confessed, others couldn’t refuse, or it would be a loss of face.

He tried to force girls to submit through threats, intimidation, and public pressure. Fundamentally, such a fool wasn’t confessing out of love but just to bully girls, far from the purity of adolescence.

Such self-important and uncouth people were common in old TV dramas, like the F4 from Meteor Garden. Besides, various otaku-style manga and popular female-oriented novels also had such characters—those who liked to force kisses, force themselves on girls, and threaten them.

However, in literary works, such characters always succeeded because they were the protagonists. In reality, it wasn’t always the case. Cheng Jianwu shouldn’t have met Ning Lan, nor Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Qiu thought such people were just artistic creations to add conflict to the plot, never expecting to actually encounter one today. He laughed coldly in his heart, said nothing, and took a step forward, clenching his fists. Suddenly, he punched Cheng Jianwu in the face without any warning.

By the time Cheng Jianwu realized what was happening, it was too late to dodge. He instinctively used the bouquet to block, but Zhang Qiu’s punch hit both the flowers and his face.

Blood flowed from Cheng Jianwu’s mouth and nose, staining the remaining flower stems.

"Idiot! Who do you think you are? How dare you bully Lan Lan! You’re playing games with your confession, aren’t you tired of living?" Zhang Qiu had little experience in fighting or speaking harshly, but his words, combined with his decisiveness, made him seem very intimidating, causing the onlookers to step back.

"Damn! You dare to hit me! Brothers, take him down for me, and I’ll take the blame!" Cheng Jianwu was stunned by the punch and immediately flew into a rage. His family was wealthy, and he was tall and strong, often playing basketball in a wild manner, using the ball to hit people. As a result, everyone was afraid of him during actual games, and he often scored high points.

A smooth and successful life made him invincible during his turbulent adolescence.

Now, being invincible, he was hit, and how could he not be angry?

"Brother Qiu, run!" Ning Lan shouted in shock, never expecting Cheng Jianwu to have degenerated to such a degree.

She thought that just having Zhang Qiu pretend to be her boyfriend would make Cheng Jianwu back off. But Cheng Jianwu didn’t play by the rules; a slight refusal from her led to threats.

What she didn’t expect was that Zhang Qiu would suddenly attack, leaving Cheng Jianwu with a bloody face. The usually gentle and weak Brother Qiu had become so violent?

She knew Zhang Qiu did it for her, and while she was happy, she was also worried.

The other side had five basketball team members, all over 1.8 meters tall, while Zhang Qiu was just a 1.7-meter-tall, weak otaku. The disparity in strength was so great that many people already saw the outcome.

However, just as Ning Lan was worried and wanted to pull Zhang Qiu to run, Zhang Qiu pushed her behind him.

"Lan Lan, don’t be afraid, I’m here!" He said, then looked at the people rushing to hit him and smiled mockingly.

Everyone thought Zhang Qiu had been scared out of his wits and had gone mad.

The five people were already close, within striking distance. If this were a typical plot, Zhang Qiu would have been forced to crouch and cover his head, waiting for the police or teachers to arrive...

But the next moment, everyone’s eyes nearly popped out.

Zhang Qiu kicked out swiftly, hitting the stomach of the person in front, sending him flying into Cheng Jianwu, and both fell to the ground, losing their fighting ability.

Before they hit the ground, Zhang Qiu’s leg swept again, the hard sole hitting another person’s face. There was a crack, as if his neck had broken, sending shivers down everyone’s spines.

A series of kicks! In a flash, both legs kicked out, instantly taking down three people. This scene made the remaining two stop, looking at Zhang Qiu in shock, as if they had seen a ghost. Their legs began to tremble.

Is this guy trained in martial arts?

Unlike the shocked parties, the onlookers, though still in awe, were more impressed and admiring.

Too awesome! They never thought they would witness such a scene, usually only seen in movies, in a high school fight.

It felt unreal yet incredibly real, completely igniting the audience’s inner shock.

"Remember this, if you dare to harass Lan Lan again, the outcome won’t be as simple as today! I’m Lan Lan’s boyfriend, studying at No. 1 High School. If you want revenge, come find me! Be a man and don’t bully women! Playing games will never end well!" Zhang Qiu’s words, though not as vicious as Cheng Jianwu’s, were intimidating when combined with his actions.

In fact, the onlookers were already fired up, thinking this guy was truly amazing!

"Let’s go!" Zhang Qiu pulled Ning Lan, still in shock, into a small alley, out of sight, and ignored the people lying on the ground.

Walking out of the alley onto the main road leading to the school gate, Ning Lan slowly recovered from her shock.

"Brother Qiu, wasn’t that too much? If they tell the teacher or call the police, you’ll be in trouble... It’s all my fault!" Ning Lan, thinking Zhang Qiu might be detained by the police, felt very guilty and suddenly burst into tears.

Zhang Qiu wiped away Ning Lan’s tears and said, "Don’t cry, there are so many people here! Don’t worry, nothing will happen. They deserved it for bullying my Lan Lan!"

"But your school is really chaotic. How can there be such scum?" Zhang Qiu asked. Ning Lan’s school was no worse than No. 1 High School, and logically, it shouldn’t have such management issues or students with such thug-like behavior.

"Cheng Jianwu transferred in the second semester of his sophomore year. It’s said he has connections and was originally in a private school, but he had to transfer because he got a girl pregnant." Ning Lan stopped crying and, with a trembling voice, shared the information she had heard about Cheng Jianwu.

"No wonder..." At this moment, looking at Ning Lan, Zhang Qiu felt an overwhelming sense of pity. He never thought Ning Lan would be so unlucky to encounter such a despicable thug.

"He must have been harassing you for a long time. Why didn’t you...?" Zhang Qiu originally wanted to say, "Why didn’t you tell me earlier?" but then realized that even if she had told him earlier, he wouldn’t have been able to help.

It’s not too late to know now, and it might even be more advantageous. Only now does he have the ability to protect Ning Lan.

"Too bad we’re not in the same school, otherwise, those thugs wouldn’t have a chance to bully you." Zhang Qiu said, "There are only a few months left until the college entrance exam. Take care of yourself, and if anything happens, call me immediately."

"Okay." Ning Lan stopped crying and nodded.

"He shouldn’t dare to do anything at school. When the monthly break comes, call me, and I’ll escort you home."

At this moment, the system notification sounded again: "Task: Troubles of Youth (Completed). Reward: Proficiency in High School Exams (City Level)."

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