Chapter 0004 Please Take Me With You When You Fight

The second period was math, taught by a short, bespectacled old man in his fifties, utterly lacking in energy. The third period was chemistry, with an elderly woman at the helm, equally uninspiring. Zhang Xiaofan passed the time by comparing which female students had the largest chests, finding this far from boring.

But the afternoon brought more math and chemistry. Zhang Xiaofan was speechless—why couldn't they have a language class with their homeroom teacher, Ouyang Xue?

He decided to sleep.

“You there, how do you solve this problem?”

The old chemistry teacher, formidable in her own right, hurled a chalkboard eraser at Zhang Xiaofan. How dare a student sleep in her class!

They didn’t call her the “Iron Nun” for nothing.

“Teacher, you weren’t quick enough,” Zhang Xiaofan drawled, lazily lifting his head, one hand already catching the white, dust-laden eraser midair.

At that moment, all the students turned to stare at Zhang Xiaofan. How brazen could he be, challenging the Iron Nun? Was he tired of living?

“Boy, if you can’t solve this problem, be ready to call your parents,” the Iron Nun said sternly.

“Teacher, if I solve it, will you leave me alone from now on?” Zhang Xiaofan stretched, completely unfazed. He’d mastered these problems when he was six.

“Fine. If you solve it, you can sleep however you like.”

“Alright, watch closely,” Zhang Xiaofan replied. Under the gaze of the entire class, he strolled to the blackboard, picked up a piece of chalk, and his writing danced across the surface, his thinking fluid and his solution impeccable.

The problem was well beyond the syllabus, meant to prepare them for the college entrance exam. She hadn’t even started to explain it, yet Zhang Xiaofan solved it with ease, his logic crystal clear.

“What? Did that country bumpkin really solve it?”

Watching the Iron Nun nod repeatedly, her face full of astonishment, the students were equally shocked. No one in the class could answer that question, yet this transfer student from the mountains did it so effortlessly? Was the teaching standard in the mountains really that high?

Wang Yuqing had been hoping to see Zhang Xiaofan make a fool of himself, but was sorely disappointed to find he had some real skill.

“Alright, I’m done. I’ll be going back to sleep now,” Zhang Xiaofan said with a slight smile, heading to the back of the class and laying his head down.

The Iron Nun was left speechless. She had said herself that if Zhang Xiaofan could solve the problem, he could sleep as he pleased. No matter how displeased she was, she couldn’t go back on her word.

Impressive!

The students of Class 2, Grade 12, couldn’t help but admire Zhang Xiaofan. Since time immemorial—or at least since they’d joined Class 2—this was the first time the Iron Nun had been left at a loss.

However, many students seemed preoccupied, especially a tall, burly boy sitting not far from Zhang Xiaofan, who had worn a troubled expression all day.

Soon, the end-of-day bell rang.

A sea of students cheered, some walking, some running. At last, a day of tedious learning was over.

Zhang Xiaofan seemed not quite awake—he was dreaming, of Ouyang Xue…

Meanwhile, in the classroom of Class 2, Grade 12, some students had left, but a good number remained, their faces shrouded in worry, fingers twisting anxiously.

They gathered together, with the class monitor, Yin Rou Rou, sitting at the center—a true beauty, her long black hair draped over a delicate, oval face, large, clear eyes shining with light, white, slender legs exposed beneath her short school skirt, and a well-developed figure that seemed to be the very size Wang Yuqing aspired to.

Zhang Xiaofan had taken particular notice of her before; she was, without a doubt, the class flower.

“Rou Rou, Song Jun said he had family matters and left early…”

“Rou Rou, Zhao Kai said his father was hospitalized and he hurried to the hospital…”

“Rou Rou, Yue Daming didn’t say anything, just slipped away quietly…”

The few remaining boys in the classroom looked indignant, but there was a deep sense of helplessness beneath it all.

“It’s hard to blame them. This time, Zhu Jianlong has offended Lü Zhaotang—none of them dare cross Lü Zhaotang,” Yin Rou Rou sighed.

Lü Zhaotang was infamous at Jinghai No. 1 High School. With a powerful, wealthy father, even the teachers were wary of him. Once, a teacher scolded him and was fired the next day—on the way home, he even had his leg broken.

He was also the head of the school’s martial arts club and known for his iron fists.

Just yesterday, one of Lü Zhaotang’s lackeys harassed Cao Xuefei from Class 2, and Zhu Jianlong had beaten up the lackey to protect her.

Zhu Jianlong, an athlete with brute strength, had given Lü’s lackey quite a beating.

Today, Lü Zhaotang had put out word that he’d be waiting for Zhu Jianlong at the school gate after classes.

How many students in Class 2 dared to stand against Lü Zhaotang?

“Class monitor, you all go. I’ll go alone,” Zhu Jianlong said after a long silence, sighing softly, though his eyes shone with stubborn resolve.

“No. You got into this mess protecting Xuefei. As class monitor, I can’t just stand by,” Yin Rou Rou insisted.

“Maybe we should call the police?”

“The police? Even if we get through today, what about the days to come?”

“That’s right, what are we afraid of? It’s just Lü Zhaotang. I don’t believe he could actually kill someone,” someone immediately replied.

“Yeah, let’s fight back.”

“Fight? With the few boys we have, are we supposed to let the girls fight too?” Yin Rou Rou frowned. She’d heard that Lü Zhaotang had called dozens of people. With their numbers, they wouldn’t even fill the gap between his teeth.

Most of the students came from ordinary families. If a fight broke out, not only would they be beaten, but they might also be expelled.

Yin Rou Rou herself wasn’t afraid, but what about the others?

Yet she couldn’t let Zhu Jianlong face this alone.

What should they do? What could they do?

At that moment, Zhang Xiaofan stretched lazily, waking from his nap.

“Are you all planning to fight? Count me in,” he said calmly.

His words made everyone, especially Yin Rou Rou and the others, look up at him.

He wore a coarse robe, looking like a monk fresh from the mountain, appearing weak and unremarkable. Was he really going to fight? Wasn’t he bound to be knocked out with a single punch?

Still, every extra person was an extra bit of strength, Yin Rou Rou thought.

“Rou Rou, he’s from the mountains—they say he’s good at kung fu,” Wang Yuqing chimed in. She was on good terms with Yin Rou Rou and had stayed behind after class. Of course, she had no idea if Zhang Xiaofan could really fight; her plan was to use this chance to get him into trouble, maybe even expelled, and out of her house.

It was a perfect plan.

“That’s right, I know kung fu. I can help you fight. Beautiful class monitor, you all just watch,” Zhang Xiaofan said, completely unaware of Wang Yuqing’s scheming.

He’d overheard their conversation. He wasn’t one for heroic deeds, but his only goal was to offer a helping hand in Yin Rou Rou’s moment of helplessness, to get closer to the beauty… and as for what came after, he hadn’t decided yet.

“Pfft, you say you know kung fu? How many could you take on?” a boy scoffed, thinking Zhang Xiaofan was just boasting to impress the class monitor.

“Yeah, stop bragging if you can’t back it up. Don’t drag us all down with you. We should think of another way.”

“How about we pay some people from outside?” someone suggested.

“That’s a good idea. I’ve got two hundred.”

“I’ve got fifty…”

“Chen Bing, how much would it cost to hire some outside help?” Yin Rou Rou asked, thinking this might be best—money was no object for her.

“To get a few dozen people, maybe ten thousand or so,” Chen Bing replied. He didn’t have great grades but was gutsy and loyal, with connections outside of school.

“Alright, I’ll cover it. Call them now,” Yin Rou Rou decided, dismissing Zhang Xiaofan as merely boasting.

Zhang Xiaofan was helpless. Why wouldn’t they believe him…

Wang Yuqing was disappointed too; she’d lost her chance to get him in trouble.

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhang Xiaofan strode out, not bothering to explain.

If they didn’t believe him, so be it. He’d rather spend his time admiring beauties.

“See? That transfer student is all talk…”

“Right, ran away as soon as it got real. What else is he but a poser?”

The group discussed among themselves, not sparing Zhang Xiaofan another glance. Only Yin Rou Rou watched his departing figure, deep in thought.

Soon, Chen Bing finished his call—he’d hired thirty local thugs, putting everyone’s minds at ease.