And here we were, on the verge of bursting into laughter. Not to mention the mediocre acting skills of Student One and Student Two, their expressions were so exaggerated. They flirted with Zhang Ling while nervously glancing at Maizi, afraid of overdoing their act. Maizi, on the other hand, played his part quite well, albeit naturally, displaying his ferocity to the fullest. But unfortunately, there was not a hint of heroic righteousness about him. Instead, he seemed like a thug scolding two other thugs for harassing a girl and wondering why they didn't call him.

Setting aside all this, even if I hadn't known beforehand that this was a setup, I would still find it strange. Among the students at Chenggao High School, who didn't know Maizi? Who would dare to challenge Maizi? Okay, even if they were freshmen who didn't know Maizi yet, were they blind? Couldn't they see the three burly, menacing students standing behind Maizi?

Overall, this performance was absolutely terrible, reeking of amateurism and clumsiness from head to toe. I felt that Zhang Ling, being such a smart girl, must have sensed something fishy about it. I looked at Zhang Ling, who was calmly eating as if everything around her had nothing to do with her. Sure enough, she had figured it out, and her face showed a mix of amusement and helplessness.

Maizi, however, seemed to be reveling in it, continuing to showcase his unique acting skills.

"Do you not know who I am? Dare to pluck feathers from the tiger's butt?" Maizi glared menacingly at them.

Student One and Student Two trembled slightly, nervously asking, "Who are you?" I then realized their acting wasn't bad. They managed to convey their nervousness quite well. Then it dawned on me, this wasn't acting; it was genuine fear. They were probably afraid that Maizi would lose his temper and beat them up on the spot.

"You don't even know who I am?!" Maizi's face twisted even more ferociously.

Behind him, Hong Li immediately said, "Are you blind?! This is Maizi, the big brother of Chenggao High School!"

Student One and Student Two suddenly looked as if they had an epiphany, with a terrified expression, simultaneously exclaiming, "So, you're the mighty Maizi who is invincible and just! It was our oversight, we didn't recognize the mountain, please forgive us, Brother Maizi!"

Only then did Maizi release Student Two's hand and leisurely said, "Talking to me is useless. Talk to my girlfriend."

Student One and Student Two immediately turned to Zhang Ling, respectfully saying, "Sis-in-law, please forgive us, we were wrong, we didn't recognize the great Mount Tai. Please forgive us, or else Brother Maizi will really kill us!"

I couldn't hold back any longer. I sprayed the mouthful of rice out with a "pfft" and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Maizi and his group all turned to look at me, even Zhang Ling couldn't help but raise her head to look at me.

"Wang Hao, what's so funny?" Maizi's gaze was dark.

"Nothing, nothing..." I waved my hand. "You guys continue, continue, don't mind me, I'm just a bystander."

Maizi glared at me fiercely, as if venting his dissatisfaction, and said, "Since Zhang Ling won't forgive them, Hong Li, you take care of them for me." His tone was casual, but his eyes revealed a hint of menace!

Student One and Student Two immediately trembled all over, looking at Hong Li in terror. Without a word, Hong Li grabbed Student One's head and slammed it hard on the table. With Student One's cries, Student Two tried to run, but Hong Li grabbed him by the back collar and dragged him back like an eagle catching a chick. "Trying to run?" Hong Li snorted coldly. "Offend my sis-in-law and still want to run?"

Student One was holding his forehead, whimpering. Student Two looked at Maizi in horror. "Maizi, spare me!"

I couldn't laugh anymore. These two were considered Maizi's brothers, accompanying him to act in this hero-rescues-beauty play. But in the end, they were publicly beaten up in front of everyone? Maizi's situation drew attention from many in the cafeteria.

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"Enough!" Maizi grabbed Student Two's head, intending to knock it against the table like before.

Thud.

Suddenly, Zhang Ling put down her chopsticks, looking displeased. "Have you had enough?"

Maizi smiled at Zhang Ling. "When you say it's enough, then it's enough." Hong Li released Student Two's head and added, "If Sister-in-law says forgive them, then I'll forgive them. This shows how much Maizi values you. He's sincere about you."

"First," Zhang Ling said, "I'm not your sister-in-law, nor am I Maizi's girlfriend."

Maizi's expression soured a bit, clearly embarrassed by the public attention.

"Second," Zhang Ling continued, "next time you find temporary actors, can you find two strangers? These two were following you around last time, calling you 'Brother Maizi,' how come today they turned into harassing thugs bothering me?"

Many around chuckled, but out of fear of Maizi, they kept their laughter subdued. But I couldn't care less. I admired Zhang Ling's courage and burst into laughter again, watching Maizi eat humble pie. Gong Ning and the others joined me in laughter, and even Liu Zihong started banging the table.

Perhaps because we took the lead, showing that even if you get beaten, someone will stand up for you, many others started laughing too. The cafeteria was filled with a lively atmosphere. Maizi seemed even more embarrassed, probably never having been in such an awkward situation before. His face turned red rapidly, his angry expression becoming more pronounced. Suddenly, I felt worried for Zhang Ling.

"That's enough from you." After Zhang Ling finished speaking, she tried to get up and leave.

Maizi grabbed her arm abruptly, his other hand gripping her chin. "You bitch, giving you face, huh? Dare to criticize me in front of so many people. Flatter you a bit, and you think you're a princess?"

"Let me go!" Zhang Ling struggled, but obviously, she didn't have Maizi's strength. She could only threaten with words, "Ugly freak!"

Maizi was truly furious now. He raised his other hand, about to slap Zhang Ling's face. It couldn't wait any longer. I quickly walked over and grabbed Maizi's arm. "Maizi, calm down, you're losing control."

"Get lost!" Maizi glared at me fiercely. "You're here to watch me make a fool of myself too?" He looked like he wanted to eat me alive.

"Wang Hao, this is none of your business..." Hong Li cursed, "Get the hell out of here, I'll deal with your stupid ass later."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ye Zhan and his gang quietly moving closer from both sides. Now's the time! I glanced at the plate of braised tofu on the table, just as I was about to pick it up and slam it on Maizi, someone tapped my shoulder.

Maizi suddenly laughed, "Wang Hao, I didn't know you were this bold, calling for Brickhead too."

I turned around and indeed saw Brickhead standing behind me, still wearing that silly grin, holding the infamous brick. My heart skipped a beat at the sight of him.

"Wang Hao, I need to talk to you!" Brickhead said directly.

I immediately understood it must be about yesterday's incident. Peach must have told Brickhead about me hugging Ye Qianqian. Memories of my miserable experience in the rental house made me shudder. Hastily, I said, "Brickhead, I'm busy right now. Can we talk about it later?" Though I didn't hold much hope. Brickhead was straightforward, famously single-minded. If he said he wanted to talk now, he probably meant now.

"What are you busy with?" Brickhead glanced at me, then at Maizi. "Are you going to fight him? Do you need my help?"

"I am going to fight him." I was speechless. I didn't want to involve Brickhead any further and added, "Brickhead, you don't need to help. I can handle it myself. Just stay out of it for now, we can talk about our matter later, okay?"

Unexpectedly, Brickhead nodded. "Okay, you go ahead and fight, we'll talk about our matter later." With that, he turned and left.

I breathed a sigh of relief, watching Brickhead disappear into the crowd, then turned to look at Ye Zhan and his group already in position, before turning back to Maizi.

Maizi laughed, "Wang Hao, do you really want to fight me? Without Brickhead's help? Just relying on those four losers behind you? How about I break one of your arms? Hahaha..." He laughed, and Hong Li and the others laughed along.

They truly didn't regard me and Gong Ning's group. In fact, I intentionally brought Gong Ning and the others out, while Ye Zhan's group remained hidden temporarily, to deceive Maizi, to make him feel like he didn't need to call for backup.

As the laughter continued, Hong Li and the others began to flex their muscles, preparing to come around the table to teach us a lesson.

I grabbed the plate of braised tofu on the table and flung it towards Maizi. Maizi was caught off guard, never expecting me to suddenly attack. The tofu landed squarely on his head, tofu pieces cascading down his eyebrows.

"I'm going to grind you into flour today!"

With my roar, Gong Ning and the four others charged forward, as planned, attacking Hong Li. Liu Zihong and Li Mu grabbed Hong Li's arms, Gong Ning kicked him hard in the chest, causing him to lose balance, and Ou Jiahao swiftly tackled Hong Li to the ground. The four of them immediately started punching and kicking him!