Only then did Hongli release me, cursing under his breath. I was dizzy from the beating, but I had managed to land a few hits on him in the chaos. Hongli straightened up, and in the moonlight, I saw blood stains on his face, the result of my first punch to his nose. It turned out that Hongli wasn't as invincible as I thought. I still remembered the first time he beat me up in the classroom; I didn't even have the courage to fight back, completely intimidated by his presence. But tonight was different. Not only did I fight back, but I also made him bleed. Though I took a beating overall, I felt quite proud, even chuckled a bit. It was eerie hearing my laughter in this dark little forest.

"Why are you laughing, you little shit?" Hongli cursed, wiping the blood from his nose.

"Yeah, I'm laughing at you, you little shit," I lay on the ground, smiling at Hongli.

"Damn it, you're asking for it!" Hongli tried to come at me again, but Maize stopped him, "That's enough, isn't it embarrassing already?!"

Grumbling, Hongli retreated, panting heavily.

Maize approached, tapping my head with the stick in his hand. He had hit me on the head with it earlier, and I was still feeling the effects. "Looks like this kid isn't as cowardly as you said," Maize said casually.

"Who knows what got into him tonight, probably drank some dog piss to boost his courage, dared to even fight me," Hongli grumbled, unwillingly.

Maize continued to tap my head with the stick, saying, "Kid, I heard you're planning to transfer schools? Well, it's a good idea, leaving Chenggao is indeed your best choice. But sorry, it's too late, I came out early today."

I didn't understand much about detention, nor did I understand how Maize got out. But thinking about it now was pointless; what mattered was that Maize was indeed out, and he had successfully blocked me at the school gate. I turned my face away, not wanting to say a word.

"To be honest, I didn't want to lay a hand on you," Maize squatted down, lit a cigarette, and continued, "Too embarrassing for me."

Still, I remained silent; tonight was a lost cause. But Liu Zihong and the others were innocent; I couldn't let them get dragged into this.

"That bastard Yucheng Fei, actually dared to provoke me for you," Maize propped up my chin with the stick, "Just a guy who's been here for a year, relying on luck to get to where he is today, dares to provoke me?" As he spoke, a hint of anger crept into his tone.

"Maize, can you let my friends go first?" I spoke up.

Maize suddenly pressed the stick against my cheek, causing a fiery pain, and then he coughed violently a few times. After a long "huh," it was evident that a mouthful of phlegm had formed.

"Ah, phew!" Maize spat the phlegm onto my cheek, and the sticky liquid flowed down my face.

Damn it! I cursed inwardly; Maize was disgusting, utterly disgusting! I resisted the urge to vomit and cursed him a hundred times in my heart. Yucheng Fei said Maize was a hundred times more disgusting than Zou Yang, and today I could see that was true.

"Uh, spitting anywhere isn't a good habit," Maize stood up, bringing his shoe over.

The sole was mixed with phlegm, and he rubbed it on my face.

The small forest was eerily quiet; no one even dared to breathe loudly. Maize finished rubbing and withdrew his foot, saying, "With your capabilities, you even have the audacity to call me Maize?!" There was nothing but disdain in his tone.

"Then what should I call you?" I said coldly, "How about calling you Flour? After Maize is ground up, it becomes flour..."

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"Good, you've got balls," Maize said, "Truly worthy of being Yucheng Fei's brother; you've made me take notice."

Maize shifted the stick from his left hand to his right, saying, "I've already sent someone to inform Yucheng Fei; I hope you can hold out until he arrives."

No sooner had he spoken than I heard someone call out from nearby.

"Maize, bro!" It was Yezhan, running over, panting, "When did you come out? Why didn't you let us know so we could come pick you up?!"

"Hehe..." Maize grabbed Yezhan by the back of his neck. This man, with a face resembling a beast, had a terrifying smile in the dark night. "Tell you? Do you have the qualifications?"

"Maize bro, don't say that," Yezhan continued to smile, "You've always been the big brother in my heart."

"Well, treating me as a big brother, you still help Yucheng Fei and them deal with me?" Maize increased the pressure on Yezhan's neck, his face showing a fierce expression.

I suddenly felt sorry for Yezhan, this small-time thug. Though he was a prominent figure in the higher grade, he had no status in front of Maize, completely at his beck and call like a dog.

"Cough, how can that be," Yezhan, still smiling, seemed to have practiced, "I'm a student of Chenggao after all, how could I help outsiders? Initially, I thought it was just a personal feud between Wang Hao and Zou Yang, so I thought I'd help settle it. Who knew that halfway through, Ligeo popped up, saying Zou Yang was his brother; look at the mess this has caused..."

Yezhan chuckled, "Maize bro, it's my fault for not handling it well. Honestly, there's no need to get worked up over Wang Hao, such a minor character, let alone ruin the relationship with Yucheng Fei and them over this? If both sides really start fighting, the consequences would be unimaginable..."

I knew Ye Zhan came for me, so I wasn't bothered by him calling me a minor character. After all, I was indeed a minor character.

"Hehehehe..." Maize actually laughed, though his laughter was so unpleasant it made you want to bang your head against a wall.

Ye Zhan also laughed along, and I really admired this guy. Maize put his hand on Ye Zhan's face, patting it with some force. "You're always so smooth-tongued, pretending to look out for me, but every word is advising me to back down. Let me ask you, why didn't Yucheng Fei think about not ruining our relationship, and why did he still beat up my brother?"

"Well... well..." Ye Zhan was at a loss for words, then said, "Maize bro, Heizi is not bad, spare him this time."

"Hehe, you finally spoke your true intentions," Maize said word by word, "I'll tell you, there's no mercy."

Before he finished speaking, Maize suddenly punched Ye Zhan hard in the abdomen. Ye Zhan's face turned ugly, and he took two steps back, clutching his stomach.

"You shameless bastard," Maize cursed, "You're so willing to be Yucheng Fei's dog, then go ahead! From now on, in Chengnan High School, you and Wang Hao will be treated the same, one punch every time I see you."

My heart clenched, not because I was about to get beaten, but because I felt sorry for Ye Zhan's predicament. He didn't have to do this; he could have easily stayed out of it. This guy, that night in the dorm, told me he would stand by my side unwaveringly, but I never thought he would actually do it... bastard, am I worth so much to make you sacrifice like this?

"Ye Zhan, you go first," I said lying on the ground, "You don't have to worry about this matter; Yucheng Fei will come to save me."

"Haozi, can you stop with the formalities?" Ye Zhan gritted his teeth, "I promised Brother Liang to help you with this matter. Once I promise something, I won't back out until it's resolved."

Maize slapped his head, saying, "Oh right, you didn't remind me, I almost forgot. Yucheng Fei should be here soon. Hongli, take a few men to the entrance of the small forest, and if you see Yucheng Fei coming, bring him here directly."

"Okay." Hongli led two men out of the small forest; their figures were faintly visible.

"Oh, one more thing," Maize touched his hair, smirking triumphantly, "I've had someone inform Yucheng Fei that he must come alone tonight. Otherwise, his good brother Wang Hao will be crippled here..."

My heart sank.

Maize continued smugly, "But if Yucheng Fei really comes alone, both of you will be crippled here. I guarantee you'll regret being born into this world, regret coming to study in Beiyuan. Whether Yucheng Fei wants to cripple you alone or accompany you in being crippled, it's up to him..."

Despicable, truly despicable! I gritted my teeth, glaring angrily at Maize. I felt no fear towards him, only anger.

It's strange, ever since witnessing Zou Yang's arrogance in front of me, then cowering, I began to realize that people always bully the weak and fear the strong. The weaker you appear, the more they encroach; the stronger you appear, the more they back off. So, whether it was Hongli or Maize, even though they were among the top thugs at Chenggao, I could now talk to them fearlessly, even... fight back.

If given the chance, I dare challenge Maize alone; even if I can't beat him, I'll make him regret it!

Unfortunately, I had no strength to fight back now. After the brawl with Hongli just now, I was almost completely drained of energy. Speaking of which, I should start exercising... I really admire myself for being able to come up with so many thoughts in such a dangerous situation.