“Oh, right,” Ye Zhan said to me, “Let me introduce you, this is Song An, from Dongji Village. He’s quite a figure in senior year…”

Before Ye Zhan could finish, Song An laughed, “Well, Ye Zhan, you used to call me ‘Brother An’ every time you saw me, and now you just call me Song An? Have you forgotten your own surname since you started following Wang Hao?”

Ye Zhan glanced at him and said, “Song An, if you hadn’t ambushed Haozi tonight, I’d still call you Brother An like before. But what you did tonight was too dishonorable. You don’t deserve my respect anymore.”

Then he continued introducing to me, “When Song An was in his second year, he fought with a third-year thug over a girl and got beaten up for ten days straight. It was Su Xiaobai who eventually sorted it out for him.”

Song An’s face turned red and white, “Ye Zhan, why bring that up?! What’s the point?”

“Oh, there’s a point.” Ye Zhan chuckled, “I’m just giving Haozi a rough idea of who you are.”

“Hmm,” I said, “So, who ordered you to ambush me?”

Song An half sat up and said boldly, “Who could order me around? I just don’t like the look of you. You think you’re a boss now? If someone should be boss, it should be Ye Zhan. At least he’s been around for years. And you? You’re nothing! I’m telling you, stop while you can before things get worse for you…”

“Enough of this nonsense!” Ye Zhan kicked him again, this time hitting his head. Song An clutched his head, panting heavily, “Alright, Ye Zhan, I’m helping you, and you hit me? You’ve lost your mind. Just wait and see how I deal with you…”

He was too arrogant, definitely needed to be taught a lesson.

Many senior students had gathered in the corridor to watch, but none came to stop the fight, indicating Song An’s popularity wasn’t great either.

I shook my head, bypassed Song An, and walked through the crowd, seeing Shi Dong standing at their dormitory door watching. I went over, lit a cigarette, and offered him one. “Dongzi,” I said, “Mind if I use your grip strengthener?”

“It’s inside, take it yourself,” Dongzi replied indifferently.

I grabbed the grip strengthener and felt its heavy weight in my hand, its texture solid and reassuring. This was a 50kg grade one, very thick, its black spring bar gleaming with the unique luster of metal, feeling cool even in the scorching summer.

I carried the grip strengthener back to where Song An was. The entire corridor was silent; everyone knew what I was about to do.

“What are you going to do?!” Song An looked at me in terror. How laughable, asking when he already knew...

I held the grip strengthener horizontally in the air, aiming at Song An’s face, about two meters away. My face still ached from where Song An had hit me with the stick earlier.

Since Zhou Yang, Li Jie, and Hong Li started behaving themselves around me, I knew the world still respects the strong. To become a strongman, the most crucial thing is to be ruthless when necessary.

Now, undoubtedly, was one of those times.

Many senior students were watching. I wanted them to fear me deeply from now on.

A fierce reputation grows fiercer with each retelling, with always someone to spread your notorious deeds.

Yu Chengfei rose to power in a year. I did it in less than two months, though luck and some falsehood played parts. But my starting point was already high. From now on, I would make this fierce reputation real.

No one saw me stab Maizi, but many would see me smash Song An’s head with the grip strengthener.

I still remember the moment Yuan Shao jumped down from the wall, his knife swiftly stabbing into Maizi’s abdomen, without any hesitation, without any hesitation, only grace and might.

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

The name of Red Pole was well-deserved.

And I, I didn’t just want to be a White Paper Fan; I wanted to be a Red Pole too. I wanted to prove to everyone that I could be ruthless.

Especially when facing enemies.

I looked at Song An. The corridor lights illuminated his face, and I could clearly see the sweat dripping from his forehead.

Do I look terrifying now?

The same me, bullied for three years in middle school. The me who didn’t dare to speak up while being bullied, now beating up a senior student in front of many others. Who would believe this transformation if told?

“Who ordered you to ambush me?”

Song An’s mouth moved, but he said nothing. I guessed he was still holding onto some hope.

I suddenly swung the grip strengthener. The thick black spring bar struck Song An’s cheek with a dull thud. His entire body fell sideways to the ground with a scream, clutching his head in pain.

At that moment, my heart trembled, and I really wanted to throw the grip strengthener away to check on Song An's condition. But I knew I couldn't. There were too many people watching, and I couldn't let them see my weakness. I had to leave them with the image of a ruthless and merciless leader, as ruthless and merciless as Lao Gou himself.

"Pull him up," I said coldly.

Just as Li Mu and Ou Jiahao were about to run over, I said, "Let Hu Jianmin and Dai Zude go."

There was a reason for them to go. Hu Jianmin and Dai Zude quickly went over and helped Song An up.

With his arms being held, Song An couldn't cover his head anymore. I could see clearly that half of Song An's cheek was already bruised blue from the last hit; it had been quite powerful. Song An's whole body was trembling, and he looked at me with fear.

The other three students who had participated in ambushing me were also trembling, bowing their heads in submission.

Suddenly, I felt sorry for them...

I gritted my teeth and told myself I couldn't be soft! Since I had embarked on this path, I had to learn to be ruthless!

This time, I was much calmer than when I hit Hong Li on the head with a brick. It was a significant improvement.

The corridor remained silent, and I could feel the fearful gazes of the senior students on me.

I wasn't tall or imposing among this crowd, but the moment I swung the black grip strengthener, the image of "ruthlessness" had already been fixed in their minds.

"I have always been someone who repays kindness." I said to Song An, "If someone treats me well, I'll treat them well; if someone treats me badly, I'll do the same to them. Tonight, you hit me twice, so I plan to return the favor. However..." my tone suddenly lowered, "if you confess who ordered you to do this, I might spare you the second hit."

After saying that, I raised the grip strengthener again, aiming at Song An's cheek, just two or three meters away.

My heart was trembling. The last hit had scared not only others but also myself. Although I kept telling myself to be tougher, even tougher, my body's natural reaction couldn't be ignored. The sweat in my palms was about to flow down my wrists, and it took great effort to stop my hands from shaking.

How many people were standing in the corridor? There must have been at least forty or fifty. Each one of them had their eyes fixed on me.

From the first time I cried after hitting Zou Yang with a flowerpot to now hitting someone without trembling, I knew I was slowly changing. From the weak and helpless Wang Hao of the past to the current "attempting" to be ruthless Wang Hao. At the very least, I had to hide my weakness and show them my cold-blooded side.

I knew that only this way could I avoid being bullied.

But why was it so hard... so hard...

"I'll count to three." I looked at Song An and said slowly, "After three, if you don't speak, the second hit will come."

In reality, I didn't even know if I had the courage to swing the second hit after counting to three.

What would be the consequences? I didn't know. The first hit had already turned half of Song An's face blue; would the second hit knock out half of his teeth? It seemed quite likely. Or even worse...

I couldn't wait any longer.

"One..." I uttered the first count.

The corridor was deathly silent. I felt like everyone was holding their breath, afraid of provoking the "volatile" me.

"Two..." I said the second count.

I waved the grip strengthener, feeling a breeze brushing Song An's cheek, just like hitting a baseball. Although I had never played baseball, I imagined it would feel something like this. Song An's head was much larger than a baseball.

I rubbed the grip strengthener against Song An's cheek, causing him great pain.

Song An continued to tremble, his eyes pleading, as if hoping I would show mercy.

"You're quite stubborn," I chuckled. My mind went blank. After counting to "three," the grip strengthener would swing.

What would happen next? I didn't know. The first hit had already turned half of Song An's face blue; would the second hit knock out half of his teeth? It seemed quite likely. Or even worse...

I couldn't bear to think about it. I was afraid I would become weak again.

"Three!" I shouted loudly, and the grip strengthener swung towards Song An's cheek!

"I'll talk, I'll talk!" Song An suddenly cried out, sobbing loudly. At the same time, the floor beneath him was wet, and a foul smell filled the air.

My grip strengthener stopped just an inch away from his cheek.

Being a Red Pole... was really hard. It seemed much harder than being a White Paper Fan, in my opinion. I breathed a sigh of relief. I didn't have to hit Song An again; only I knew how relieved I felt.