I had merely meant that this was Lin Ke’er’s business, not mine, and that it was hardly my place to be angry. But they misunderstood, thinking I was just standing up for Lin Ke’er—so long as she wasn’t upset, I wouldn’t be either. At once, Liu Yina and Zhang Xuan erupted in exaggerated exclamations, while Lin Ke’er’s face turned scarlet in an instant.

“What a fine gentleman,” Liu Yina clicked her tongue. “You two seem quite close—when are you planning to make it official?”

“Exactly! The weather’s great today—why not settle the matter now? That way, I can snag a free meal,” Zhang Xuan chimed in mischievously.

“Enough, you two!” Lin Ke’er protested, her face growing even redder.

“Where is all this coming from? Quit your nonsense.” Though I feigned annoyance, inwardly, I was rather pleased.

“Zhang Xuan!” A voice suddenly cut through our banter.

Turning around, I saw Xing Qiu standing beneath a tree a few meters away. He, too, wasn’t attending training, dressed in casual clothes instead. His face was battered and bruised—remnants of the beating Houzi and I had given him yesterday.

Zhang Xuan’s expression darkened at once. Liu Yina instinctively pulled her behind her.

“She’s broken up with you. What do you want from her now?”

“I just need to talk to her.”

“No way.” Liu Yina stood her ground, while Zhang Xuan remained silent behind her.

“Zhang Xuan, come here. I just have a few words to say.” Xing Qiu ignored Liu Yina, fixing his gaze solely on Zhang Xuan.

“I already said no! Get lost!”

“This has nothing to do with you,” Xing Qiu snapped, his temper flaring.

“I’ll go.” Zhang Xuan tugged at Liu Yina’s sleeve hesitantly.

“You…” Liu Yina was at a loss for words.

“Zhang Xuan, don’t go,” Lin Ke’er urged.

“It’s fine. I’ll just hear him out. There are so many people around—he wouldn’t dare do anything.”

“Alright then…” With no other choice, Liu Yina relented.

Zhang Xuan walked over, standing beneath the tree with Xing Qiu. Lin Ke’er, Liu Yina, and I kept our eyes locked on them, fearing the worst. Sure enough, within moments, their conversation escalated into an argument. Their voices grew louder and louder.

“Come with me!” Xing Qiu suddenly roared, grabbing Zhang Xuan’s arm and attempting to drag her away.

The three of us immediately rushed over.

“Xing Qiu, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Liu Yina shouted, grabbing his sleeve.

“Get out of my way!” Xing Qiu shoved her violently, sending her sprawling onto the ground.

That was it. I could no longer stand by and watch. I sent a powerful kick straight into his stomach.

Xing Qiu collapsed to the ground. Lin Ke’er hurriedly pulled Zhang Xuan away while Liu Yina got up and cursed at him furiously. A crowd of students quickly gathered around. The anger I had been suppressing toward Xing Qiu surged forth—this was the perfect moment to settle old scores. I kicked him again. And again.

By now, I had a clear understanding of my own strength. In a one-on-one fight, I could hold my own. Someone like Xing Qiu was no match for me. But once I got surrounded? That was a different story. The moment three or four people ganged up on me, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

I kept Houzi’s words in mind, but at this point, there was no turning back. Taking advantage of the chaos, I kicked Xing Qiu several more times. He couldn’t even get up. Just as I was about to land another blow, I felt someone pull me back.

I turned to see Zhang Xuan looking at me pleadingly.

“Stop. That’s enough.”

My heart softened. I hesitated—and that hesitation cost me.

Xing Qiu suddenly sprang up and tackled me to the ground. Before I could react, several students emerged from the crowd, joining in to help him.

I couldn’t even get up. All I could do was curl up and protect my head.

Goddammit. The seventh beating.

It was only the third day of school, and I had already been beaten up seven times. And this time, it was in full view of the entire freshman class. The field was packed with students watching me get humiliated. Could anyone in history be unluckier than me? Could they? Could they?!

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“Stop! Stop it!” I could hear Liu Yina, Lin Ke’er, and Zhang Xuan trying to break up the fight, but there was no way three girls could stop a gang of guys.

Worse yet, the number of people hitting me was growing. It had started with four or five. Then ten. Then more. I was beginning to suspect that Jiutai’s entire crew had shown up.

More and more people crowded around. I could barely see past the mass of bodies. Amidst the chaos, I heard the girls shouting:

“Wang Yao! Wang Yao!”

Through a gap in the crowd, I saw a girl sprinting toward us.

She was holding a steel pipe in her hand, looking every bit like a war goddess descending upon the battlefield.

“Get the hell out!”

Wang Yao swung the steel pipe mercilessly, striking indiscriminately. She showed no restraint.

Most importantly, no one dared to fight back. The moment they saw it was Wang Yao, they scattered like rats. Within seconds, the entire crowd had dispersed.

“What the hell are you all staring at? Scram!” Wang Yao pointed her steel pipe at the remaining bystanders. Even those who had only been spectating quickly fled.

I lay on the ground, panting heavily. Normally, a girl swearing like that might have sounded unseemly, but coming from her, it was nothing short of exhilarating.

As the dust settled, Liu Yina, Lin Ke’er, and Zhang Xuan immediately swarmed around Wang Yao, their admiration practically radiating from them. At that moment, she was the center of their universe.

Meanwhile, I remained sprawled on the ground, utterly neglected. The sheer awkwardness of it all nearly suffocated me.

I sat up, wincing as pain shot through my body. As I dusted off my clothes, Wang Yao walked toward me, followed closely by a group of girls.

“You alright?” she asked.

“I’m fine.” I quickly got to my feet. Getting saved by a girl was humiliating enough—I couldn’t afford to look any weaker.

“Good. Don’t bother with them anymore. If anything happens, come find me.” Wang Yao lit a cigarette, her demeanor exuding the aura of a seasoned delinquent. In contrast, the other girls surrounding her looked pure and harmless—nothing like the infamous "Thirteen Roses" I had heard so much about.

Her words made it clear—she was offering to protect me. But how could I possibly accept that? A man needing a girl to look out for him? That was beyond embarrassing.

“No need, no need. I can handle myself,” I said hurriedly.

Wang Yao chuckled knowingly but didn’t press the issue. Instead, she asked about Houzi. I told her the truth—he was at an internet café.

She clicked her tongue in frustration, muttered a curse, then turned and walked away.

Seven beatings in three days. My body was battered, my clothes filthy beyond recognition. Lin Ke’er suggested I go back to the dorm to change, offering to wash my dirty clothes for me.

I agreed and went to ask the drill instructor for leave. He barely looked at me before waving me off, probably thinking I was pitiful enough as it was.

When I returned to my dorm, I was greeted by an infuriating sight—my bedding had been thrown onto the floor, covered in footprints from being trampled.

I nearly blacked out from rage.

I hadn’t been back for two days, but I knew exactly who had done this. It wasn’t Jiutai—he wouldn’t bother with petty tricks like this. If he wanted to deal with me, he’d do it directly.

No, this was undoubtedly the handiwork of Ma Jie.

I didn't touch my belongings. After changing my clothes, I went downstairs and returned to the squad without saying much, simply sitting beneath the tree and playing on my phone. However, my eyes remained fixed on Ma Jie—the only person in the dormitory with whom I'd formed a grudge over the past few days.

At that moment, a thought crossed my mind: If I couldn't even deal with a mere Ma Jie, how could I ever take on the Ninth Prince? It was the same principle as "If one cannot sweep a single room, how can he sweep the world?"

Since my confrontation with the Ninth Prince was still more than ten days away, I might as well start by using Ma Jie for practice.

He was still in training, occasionally locking eyes with me before quickly looking away in a panic. During the next break, Ma Jie sat on the ground, chatting with classmates. I walked over and crouched in front of him, prompting the other students to sensibly disperse. Despite having suffered seven beatings in three days, I was still someone they didn’t dare to provoke.

The moment Ma Jie saw me, he grew visibly uneasy. Without wasting words, I asked him directly about the bedding. He feigned ignorance, insisting he knew nothing about it. But his trembling hands betrayed his lie. I merely chuckled and said, “We’ll talk about this in the dorm tonight,” before standing up to leave.

Behind me, Ma Jie called out, “You dare lay a hand on me? Don’t you know I belong to the Ninth Prince?”

I turned back and coolly replied, “Do you think that scares me?”

Ma Jie fell silent. Everyone had seen me get beaten by the Ninth Prince’s people, but they also knew—I wasn’t afraid of them.

Just then, Liu Yina happened to run over and announced loudly, “Zuo Fei, Wang Yao asked me to tell you—she’s already spoken to Da Mao. From now on, the Ninth Prince’s people won’t trouble you anymore.”

She deliberately raised her voice so that everyone in our class could hear.

Being under a girl's protection was embarrassing, but it was also a perfect opportunity to flaunt. I shot Ma Jie a smirk. His expression was worse than if he had swallowed dung.

The afternoon passed quickly, and in the evening, I went to the cafeteria with Lin Ke’er and Liu Yina. After finishing our meal, I thought of Houzi and Huang Jie and called to ask if they wanted me to bring them food. To my surprise, they declined, saying they'd already eaten at the internet café. Curious, I asked how, and they replied that someone had treated them, telling me not to worry about it.

That night, during self-study, the classrooms remained chaotic, with students loitering around both inside and outside. Lin Ke’er and Liu Yina came to find me, and as we stood in the corridor chatting, more and more of the Thirteen Roses gathered around us. Eventually, even Wang Yao showed up. Surrounded by a group of chattering girls, I suddenly felt like one of them.

They kept teasing Lin Ke’er and me, asking when we’d make our relationship official and joking about waiting to receive our wedding candies.

I understood Wang Yao’s intentions—she wanted the entire grade to see that I, Zuo Fei, was under the protection of the Thirteen Roses, and no one should dare trouble me again. She never stated it outright, considering my pride, which showed her thoughtfulness.

Later that night, when I returned to the dormitory, Ma Jie was sitting by his bed washing his feet, while the others busied themselves with their own tasks. My bedding was still sprawled messily on the floor.

I scoffed at his lack of tact—if he had even a shred of awareness, he would have replaced my bedding before I returned. If he had done that, I might have let him off the hook.

Closing the door behind me, I latched the bolt. A sudden silence filled the room, and everyone sensed the shift in atmosphere. I strode over to Ma Jie, raised my hand, and slapped him across the face. Just as I was about to curse at him, I was taken aback—tears were already streaming down his cheeks.

I had never expected a single slap to reduce him to tears. Judging by his arrogance before, I had assumed he was a seasoned troublemaker. His sudden sobbing caught me off guard.

Annoyed, I snapped, “The hell are you crying for? Wasn’t it you who messed with my bedding?”