What I said made sense. Su Xiaobai didn’t have any loyal brothers of his own, and as long as no one stepped in to help him, I had nothing to fear. In a one-on-one fight, he was far from being my match. Beating him up wasn’t my main goal; my aim was to crush him mentally. The "Break the Net" plan had reached a point where all the groundwork was laid. Once word spread around the school the next day, Su Xiaobai would be seething with hatred but powerless to do anything, and the thought of it made me feel like drinking three hundred cups in celebration.

In Su Xiaobai’s eyes, I used to be an ant that could be crushed easily. But now, seeing me grow into a fierce tiger, I wondered what he would think. Imagining him seeking help from those who owed him favors, only to be met with smirks and refusals of "Sorry, Xiaobai, we can't help you with this," filled me with glee.

Thus, it was enough to reach this point; there was no need to force Meng Jianmin and the others to stand with me against Su Xiaobai.

I had explained all this to Ye Zhan clearly. Ye Zhan raised his cup and said, "Haozi, if you ask, we brothers will help you. But you being so considerate of us really touches our hearts. How could we stand by and do nothing? We're brothers, no need to be so formal. We face things together. Just because someone is owed a favor, doesn’t mean they can bully us."

I insisted, "No way. You’ve known Su Xiaobai for years, and I won’t let you get into trouble over this. If you really consider me a brother, then after this is over, join me for real and let's conquer the school together!"

Ye Zhan pondered briefly, then said, "Alright, since you say so, we won’t interfere with Su Xiaobai. Once your matter with him is settled, we’ll all join forces." He turned to Meng Jianmin and the others, "What do you say? Do you agree with Haozi?"

Hearing that they didn't need to deal with Su Xiaobai and that I would handle it alone and lead them in the future, Meng Jianmin and the others were already moved. They all raised their cups and said, "Haozi, we'll follow your lead!"

I raised my cup towards the others in the room, "Brothers, let's drink!"

Everyone downed their drinks in one go, the fiery liquid heating our blood.

I asked, "Are Gong Ning and Liu Zihong back yet?" Gong Ning had prepared the drinks and food but was nowhere to be seen.

"I'll go look for them," Li Mu said, heading out the door.

We continued drinking and chatting. Despite the late hour, the camaraderie was strong. These guys were seasoned fighters, their words slick and practiced. A few drinks had already turned us into "life-and-death brothers." But for me, the ones I could truly trust for now were my four lieutenants and Ye Zhan's group. Meng Jianmin, Dai Zude, and others would need more time; trust builds slowly.

Three years in junior high had shown me the dark side of human nature, so I wasn’t quick to trust others.

As we were drinking, the door opened. Gong Ning and Li Mu walked in, followed by an adult. Everyone stood up. This man was burly with thick eyebrows and big eyes—none other than Fan Wenfeng, the dormitory supervisor. Nicknamed "Lunatic," he was notorious for not holding back when disciplining students, his slaps loud and fierce.

Ye Zhan whispered, "Why is Lunatic here?" Lin Song, one of the local gang leaders who boarded at school, had suffered under Fan Wenfeng's hand and was visibly shaking. Drinking in the dorm was a serious offense, and getting caught by Fan Wenfeng could mean being kicked all the way down the stairs.

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Fan Wenfeng’s sudden entrance brought tension into the room. I calmly said, "Everyone relax. Gong Ning brought him here, so it should be fine." As I spoke, Fan Wenfeng approached the table, his face stern, "Drinking, are we?"

The deep voice made everyone’s legs tremble. Even the top dogs among students feared a few teachers, and Fan Wenfeng was one of them, alongside others like the South Fist and the North Kick. Without tough teachers, the school would have been overrun by now. I heard the teachers at Beiqi and the Vocational College were even tougher, practically thugs themselves.

Though I was anxious, I trusted that Gong Ning wouldn’t bring Fan Wenfeng here to cause trouble. I handed him a drink, smiling, "Mr. Fan, we're just having a small gathering, not causing any trouble."

Fan Wenfeng didn’t take the drink but looked me up and down, "You’re Wang Hao?"

Seeing Gong Ning smiling behind Fan Wenfeng, I knew it was okay and nodded, "Yes, that’s me."

Fan Wenfeng scrutinized me a bit more, then said, "Impressive. Leading a bunch of freshmen to stir up the sophomores and juniors. Even I have trouble with those brats sometimes, but you got them under control."

I laughed, "We didn’t cause any trouble, just visiting a few people. The upperclassmen were just being courteous."

"Don’t be modest," Fan Wenfeng chuckled, "You surprised me. I thought I’d have to come to your rescue, but not only did you come down safely, you also managed to intimidate them. Maybe I should call you for help next time there's trouble upstairs. They don’t respect me, but they might respect you."

With that, Fan Wenfeng took the drink and downed it.

"Happy to help," I said, "If you ever need me, I’ll be there without hesitation."

Fan Wenfeng laughed, "Gong Ning says you’re loyal, and today I see it's true. From now on, don't call me 'Mr. Fan,' just call me Brother Feng."

"Brother Feng!" I exclaimed, pouring him another drink. Fan Wenfeng took it and said, "Don’t drink too much, or you'll be drunk for classes tomorrow. I’ll be going now."

I escorted Fan Wenfeng out, and when I came back, Gong Ning was grinning. I punched him lightly, "Nice job, how did you bring him here?" There were several dorm supervisors, and Fan Wenfeng was the most senior. Having him on our side would make things much easier in the dorms.

"Fan Wenfeng was interested in you," Gong Ning said, "He said he hadn’t seen a student as bold as you and wanted to see if you could get through tonight unscathed. When you came down, he couldn’t wait to meet you and wanted to make friends."

"So that's how it is," I laughed, feeling a bit flattered. Liu Zihong said, "Fan Wenfeng likes you because Gong Ning praised your deeds, making you seem extraordinary." Gong Ning retorted, "How is it praise? Everything I said, Haozi did. No need for exaggeration." Liu Zihong blushed, "I mean Gong Ning has a way with words, which helped Haozi make a good impression on Fan Wenfeng."

Ye Zhan laughed, "Looks like we’ve got an ally in the boys' dorm."

Lin Song sighed, "If only I had joined Haozi earlier, I wouldn’t have gotten beaten so much by Lunatic!" When Fan Wenfeng walked in, his legs were shaking. Being a boarding student thug, he had real fear of Fan Wenfeng.

I said, "We can't think that way. Brother Feng respects us and wants to be friends. We must respect him too. Don’t think we can do whatever we want in the dorms now. If we embarrass him, that’s no good. So everyone, let’s follow the dorm rules and only ask for help if absolutely necessary."

Everyone agreed, nodding. After drinking a bit more, we called it a night. It was too late for Ye Zhan and the others to go home, so they found places to sleep, squeezing in with other boarders. Ye Zhan naturally shared a bed with me. We were both slim, so it wasn’t too cramped. We talked in bed, he about Su Wan, and I about Xia Xue and Taozi. He spoke with happiness, while I was filled with worries. Before we knew it, we fell asleep.

As for waking up in an awkward position the next day, I’ll spare the details...

We drank a lot last night and naturally missed morning self-study. Ge Chen owed me a big favor, so he wouldn’t trouble me. We skipped breakfast and only got up at 7:50 to wash up and headed to class, dragging our feet.

Many people looked at us on the way, whispering and pointing. I knew the previous night’s events had spread. Such stories spread fast: Wang Hao, a freshman, led a group of freshmen to kick open the dorm doors of sophomores and juniors, beat several people, and caused a ruckus until 1 a.m. This was sensational and juicy gossip, putting me in the spotlight again.

In the classroom, Liu Zihong, the good student, was already seated. Despite the late night, he didn’t miss morning study, making me feel ashamed of how far I was from being a good student. Just as I sat down, Xia Xue rushed over, looking at me in shock, "You’re going to war with Su Xiaobai?"