Chapter 15

Wearing a white floral dress, her clear face framed by a pair of limpid eyes, she exuded a spirit that was at least seven-tenths similar to the young Ye Xiaoman. The significant difference was that Zhao Yar left her hair in a bob, revealing a subtle stubbornness amidst her gentleness.

It was evident that Xu Tianyang’s sponsorship fee had greatly pleased the school authorities, as Su Yang’s seat was right next to Zhao Yar. Of course, the male classmate who originally sat next to Zhao Yar, after being replaced by the grade head, cast a very unfriendly glance at Su Yang. If looks could kill, Su Yang would have died several times over.

"Such a resemblance..."

After settling down, Su Yang did not rush to strike up a conversation with Zhao Yar. Instead, he closed his eyes and reminisced about the events of his past life with Ye Xiaoman.

After a long while, the bell signaling the end of class rang, and Su Yang felt a sudden pat on his shoulder, interrupting his pleasant memories. He saw the male classmate who had been replaced glaring at him fiercely.

"Kid, come with me to the rooftop."

"The rooftop!"

Upon hearing this, Su Yang pondered for a moment. In the evenings, he often watched various TV channels to absorb the knowledge of this era. He had also caught a few melodramatic idol dramas, where the school rooftop seemed to be a common setting, often the site of bullying incidents.

"Sure, let’s go!"

With the intention of experiencing modern life, Su Yang happily agreed and even took the lead, arriving at the rooftop first.

Following closely behind were Zhao Yar’s former classmate and two other boys. As soon as they reached the rooftop, they blocked the door and surrounded Su Yang.

The moment Zhao Yar’s former classmate made the first move, the outcome was already decided.

Su Yang had been reborn and had a good understanding of this era. These three boys, around sixteen years old, were no match for him. He gave each of them a couple of slaps, a light punishment.

"What’s going on? I didn’t even see him hit me, and I fell down. Did you see him make a move?" the thin boy asked timidly.

"Shut up, I was flying before I even had a chance to react," the former classmate wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, shocked.

"Ah, are you human or a ghost!" the fat boy, clutching his cheeks, turned pale.

Seeing the three of them so frightened, Su Yang found it quite amusing but had a thought, "Those melodramatic TV dramas always have the protagonist gathering followers in school. It seems interesting. These three boys might be worth considering."

Su Yang, always acting on his whims, decided to follow the TV drama script. He leaned against the railing, a sinister smile on his lips, and focused his gaze on the three boys. "If I wasn’t in a good mood today, you three would be half-dead by now."

As he spoke, Su Yang picked up an empty cola can from the ground, pinched it with two fingers, and effortlessly crushed it into a small iron ball the size of a fingernail.

This sight, to three teenagers with a tendency towards delinquency, was more shocking than being threatened with an AK-47.

"Do you know martial arts?" the fat boy exclaimed, his fear turning into a hint of anticipation.

"Something like that."

Su Yang, determined to maintain his cool, flicked the iron ball with his finger, and it embedded itself into the ground with a gust of wind, leaving the three boys speechless.

"So, you’ve trained. No wonder we three brothers couldn’t match you," the thin boy got up, his face swollen, but not ashamed.

The former classmate, however, frowned and said to the fat boy and the thin boy, "This guy is too strong. We should recognize him as our leader."

The thin boy shook his head, "That’s not possible. Being our leader isn’t just about being strong. Have you forgotten our rules?"

The fat boy nodded, "The rules can’t be broken, but what if he really fits?"

"Alright, you go ask him."

Su Yang, overhearing their conversation, asked curiously, "What rules are you talking about?"

"Compare dads!" the three boys almost shouted in unison.

"What does that mean?" Su Yang, having been reborn nine times, had never heard of such a concept, showing a rare look of confusion.

The thin boy explained, "Compare family backgrounds, wealth, and power. My father is the chairman of Hanlong Group, with a company valuation of three billion US dollars. Among the three of us, I rank second."

The fat boy, with a grimace, said, "My father is the factory director of Zhongxin Pharmaceutical, a deputy ministerial-level official. Among the three of us, I’m the youngest."

The former classmate, with a hint of pride, said, "My father is the deputy director of the Public Security Bureau, also a deputy ministerial-level official, and the leader of the three of us."

Su Yang, surprised that the "compare dads" rule determined their hierarchy, said thoughtfully, "My father is a farmer."

Upon hearing this, the three boys burst into laughter, their disdain evident.

"My uncle is Xu Tianyang..."

As he said this, Su Yang thought to himself, "Tianyang, I’m making you my uncle for this life. I hope you won’t be too shocked."

In China, and even in the international financial circle, the name Xu Tianyang was well-known. The three boys, with their respectable family backgrounds, had a much higher awareness of influential figures than ordinary children.

Upon hearing Su Yang mention "Xu Tianyang," the three boys felt a significant drop in their status.

Who was Xu Tianyang? A philanthropist who had been personally received by vice-national-level leaders, a tycoon in the Asian financial circle with billions in assets, and a man with numerous accolades.

"How do you prove it?" the boys, being children, were still skeptical.

"The school has my personal information. You can check it," Su Yang shrugged.

At this moment, the three boys were thoroughly convinced. The fat boy called out, "Boss!" and the other two followed suit.

With Su Yang’s methods, it took only a few minutes for the three boys to fully accept him as their leader, ready to lay down their lives for him.

The fat boy was named Gao Ming, the thin boy was Cao Kai, and the other was Ling Jianghai. They were all new students this year, but had been close friends since junior high school.

Su Yang, in his ninth rebirth, had never expected his first followers to be three high school freshmen who "compared dads"!

Reflecting on this, Su Yang learned some information about Zhao Yar from the three boys.

Zhao Yar rarely spoke to others, seeming like a wooden person. Surprisingly, the seemingly gentle Zhao Yar was a student at the school’s taekwondo club and had achieved the rank of first-degree black belt.

Additionally, Su Yang learned that Zhao Yar did not live on campus but rented a house nearby.

"Boss, I know my limits. I have no chance with Zhao Yar," Ling Jianghai sighed. "But I believe you can win her over."

"Win her over? Nonsense," Su Yang thought, "If I followed your advice, it would be incest."

The fat boy, understanding the situation, seeing Ling Jianghai’s flattery backfire, chuckled, "Boss, after school today, we’ll treat you to a VIP room at First Fragrance."

"Where’s the food?" Su Yang rubbed his stomach.

"It’s a top-notch restaurant, and we couldn’t have booked it a year in advance without the help of the second-in-command’s father."

Ling Jianghai added, "Boss, I was just talking nonsense. If you’re not interested, just ignore it. I’ll make sure the dinner is to your satisfaction, and I’ll ask you to teach us a few moves later."

"Alright, let’s go together tonight," Su Yang never refused a good meal.

As Ling Jianghai had said, the food at First Fragrance was indeed exceptional. Even with Su Yang’s palate, which had tasted a thousand years of delicacies, he still gave it a "not bad" rating after a satisfying meal.

After the meal, Su Yang left first. He had learned from Ling Jianghai where Zhao Yar lived and decided to go see this granddaughter who resembled Xiaoman by seven-tenths. Of course, with Su Yang’s abilities, he wouldn’t be detected, avoiding any unnecessary awkwardness.

Unexpectedly, as Su Yang approached the neighborhood where Zhao Yar lived, she passed by him.

Su Yang didn’t greet her but followed her from a distance, using his qi to sense her presence.

However, he soon noticed something odd. Within his qi’s range, there was another presence that remained about a hundred meters behind Zhao Yar.

There were only two possibilities: a fellow pedestrian or someone following his granddaughter.

Su Yang didn’t consider the first possibility. Using his powerful qi, he locked onto the other presence and discovered that the person was a martial artist, skilled in internal martial arts.

This confirmed the second possibility for Su Yang.

Threats must be eliminated at their inception. Without hesitation, Su Yang swiftly caught up to the "fellow pedestrian," knocked him out, and carried him to a dark, deserted alley.

When he woke the person up, the man, who had some skills, immediately struck at Su Yang’s temple.

"Don’t force me to break both your arms," Su Yang grabbed the man’s collar, and his true qi instantly neutralized all his resistance.

"Speak. Why were you following Zhao Yar? You have only one chance to answer without harm."

Su Yang’s overwhelming strength left the man speechless, but his response surprised Su Yang.

"Hmph, if I had known the Zhao family had hired such a powerful protector for Miss Zhao, I wouldn’t have taken this job."

"You mean you were protecting Zhao Yar?"

The man, feeling frustrated, was a former elite special forces soldier with considerable internal martial arts skills. Being captured so easily left him angry. "I have a work ID from my company, which proves I’m a professional bodyguard."

"You’re a bodyguard, and you were secretly protecting Zhao Yar. Is she in trouble?" Su