Yi Zhen froze in place, and Lin Ke'er took the opportunity to wrench free from his grasp, striding out of the room without a backward glance.

I glared at Yi Zhen with barely restrained fury. He, however, merely chuckled. "Why so angry? I just wanted the three of us to have a little chat."

"Cut the act. If you’ve got something to say, say it. I have no interest in making conversation with you."

Houzi had advised me not to confront this man head-on, but watching the way his lustful gaze lingered on Lin Ke'er made my blood boil. What kind of man could remain calm in a situation like this?

At last, Yi Zhen's smirk faded, and a cold shadow crossed his face—he could no longer keep up the charade.

"Fine, I'll get straight to the point," he said icily. "I intend to pursue Lin Ke'er. Do you have any objections?"

I let out a dry laugh. "Go ahead, chase after her if you can. If she chooses you, then that’s your win. But let me warn you—if you resort to underhanded tactics, my fists won’t show you any mercy."

"The biggest obstacle in my way right now is you."

"And what exactly do you plan to do about it?"

"Call it cliché if you like, but I’ll ask anyway—how much will it take for you to back off? Name your price, and I’ll do my best to meet it." He flashed a self-assured smile, the kind only a man accustomed to wielding power and wealth could muster.

I couldn't help but laugh outright. "You seriously think money can solve everything?"

"In reality, money does solve everything," he countered, his tone unwavering.

"Then you're mistaken. You can’t buy me off—not even if you offered ten million." Truth be told, my family wasn’t extraordinarily wealthy, but I had never lacked for anything growing up. Money had never been my weakness.

Yi Zhen smirked again. "Impressive. I didn’t expect you to have such integrity. But have you ever considered that not everyone shares your indifference to wealth? You think taking down the Ninth Prince means you'll have smooth sailing at Dongcheng First High? I can easily bring in more senior thugs from the second and even third years to make your life unbearable—until you have no choice but to drop out."

"Do as you please." I knew he wasn’t bluffing, and to say I wasn’t afraid would be a lie. But if he thought that alone would make me surrender, he was sorely mistaken.

"And your friend, Houzi—he’s the leader of your little group now, isn’t he?" Yi Zhen continued. "From what I hear, he's so poor he can barely afford a meal. What do you think will happen if I offer him money?"

My mind went blank for a moment. Money might not have been my weakness, but for Houzi, it was undeniably a vulnerable spot.

Would Houzi betray me for money? I had no answer. He’d borrowed five yuan before without hesitation—if someone suddenly dangled a thousand, two thousand, or even ten thousand in front of him, would he turn against me?

"Now you understand, don't you? Fear is settling in, isn't it? Walk away from Lin Ke'er now, or you’ll be completely destroyed."

"Get out!" I roared, snatching up the bouquet on my bedside table and hurling it straight at Yi Zhen.

Of course, flowers wouldn’t hurt him, but they struck at his pride. A man like him had probably never been humiliated like this before.

In that moment, I regretted not grabbing the thermos instead—had I done so, his head might have been split open by now.

Yi Zhen’s expression grew even darker. He wasn’t the type to resort to violence, but anyone else in his position would’ve already thrown a punch.

Slowly, he stood up, his voice eerily calm. "Zuo Fei, let me tell you something—you’re finished. Even without Lin Ke'er in the picture, I will make sure you are completely ruined."

"Yi Zhen, please leave."

Lin Ke'er had returned. She must have been listening at the door the entire time.

Yi Zhen said nothing more. He walked toward the exit, but just as he passed Lin Ke'er, he muttered under his breath, "You will be mine, sooner or later."

"Keep dreaming," she replied icily.

Yi Zhen pushed the door open and left. Lin Ke'er, her face clouded with anger, walked toward me.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"Ignore him," I reassured her. "He’s just a delusional idiot. Watch how I deal with him later."

Lin Ke'er lowered her head. "It feels like... I’m always bringing you trouble."

"What nonsense. If I have a beautiful girlfriend, it’s only natural that I should be prepared for a few headaches."

I chuckled and reached out to gently touch her face, but she subtly pulled away.

"Oh, right—I forgot. You’re not officially my girlfriend yet," I said, withdrawing my hand with an exaggerated grin. "Just wait till I recover. Once I confess, we can finally be together without any more sneaking around."

"You talk too much," she murmured, her cheeks tinged pink. To hide her embarrassment, she busied herself with tidying up the room—starting with tossing Yi Zhen’s bouquet straight into the trash.

Watching her, I felt nothing but warmth in my heart.

By noon, more visitors had arrived—Houzi, Huang Jie, Zheng Wu, Liu Yina, and Wang Yao. To avoid any misunderstandings, I simply greeted Wang Yao with a casual nod, though just seeing her still made my heart race uncontrollably.

But no matter what, I would restrain myself. After all, it was humanity’s ability to exercise restraint that made us superior.

With so many people around, the mood lightened. Houzi and Huang Jie, the two class clowns, had everyone in stitches, and with Liu Yina joining in, the room was filled with laughter.

After a while, Huang Jie and Houzi stepped out for a smoke, and Liu Yina accompanied Lin Ke'er to fetch water. That left only me and Wang Yao in the room.

The atmosphere grew awkward. I had no idea what to say, and an uncomfortable silence settled between us.

Then, out of nowhere, Wang Yao leaned in and asked, "Tell me—have you fallen for me?"

My mind went blank. I had never expected her to ask such a question. My tongue twisted in nervousness. "N-no!"

"No?" She arched an eyebrow. "Then why did you risk your life to save me?"

"You—you’ve helped me so many times before. I—I just wanted to return the favor. If I had known Houzi had already made arrangements, I wouldn’t have gone."

"Really?" Her gaze was piercing, making me uneasy. Compared to Lin Ke'er, being around Wang Yao was far more nerve-wracking.

"Really."

She sighed in relief. "Good. From now on, stay out of my business. I don’t need people gossiping. And one more thing—treat Lin Ke'er well. If you ever have any improper thoughts, I’ll castrate you." She made a slicing motion toward my lower half.

I shuddered, remembering how she had dealt with Xing Qiu last time. She wasn’t the type to make empty threats. I quickly nodded like a pecking chick. "I wouldn’t dare! I already told Lin Ke'er—we’ll officially be together once I recover."

"Good. Remember—don't you dare bully my Ke'er."

At last, Wang Yao smiled.

Still protecting her best friend…

Looking at her, so fierce yet so kind-hearted, I felt a deep sense of guilt for ever wavering.

Fortunately, I had enough self-control to keep my emotions in check.

Upon realizing that I harbored no ulterior motives, Wang Yao hummed a cheerful tune, yet a faint trace of melancholy still lingered in my heart.

After a while, Houzi and the others returned. Seizing a moment when the room quieted down, I recounted the incident with Yi Zhen. Of course, I deliberately withheld the part about him attempting to bribe Houzi.

“Oh wow, Yi Zhen wants to pay some senior students to deal with you? Maybe I should have a word with him—he might as well just hand me the money, and I'll give you a beating myself! Hahaha…”

“Exactly! Keep the wealth within the family,” Huang Jie chimed in with a grin.

I knew they were joking and played along with a laugh, but deep down, an inexplicable unease settled in. If only Houzi had said something like, ‘If he dares touch you, I’ll make sure he regrets it,’ I would have felt much more reassured. But that was never Houzi’s way—he wasn’t one to make such declarations. Instead, he kept his thoughts veiled, leaving others to guess at his true intentions.

“How can you even joke about this? How could you turn against your own brother for money?” The ever-straightforward Zheng Wu, taking their banter seriously, turned to me and said, “Don’t worry, Zuo Fei. If that guy dares make a move, I’ll be the first to take him down.”

I looked at Zheng Wu, and for the first time, a deep sense of gratitude filled my heart. “Thank you.”

“No need for that. We’re brothers, aren’t we?” Zheng Wu beamed, his face radiating warmth.

“Ah, I suddenly feel so ashamed! Compared to Zheng Wu, I must be utterly shameless.” Houzi dramatically covered his face, and the room erupted in laughter once more. Everyone knew he was joking, yet my smile never quite reached my heart.

The thought of Yi Zhen’s smug, confident expression cast a shadow over my mood.

“If you know you’re shameless, then fix it!” Zheng Wu declared loudly. Today, he was dressed in normal clothes—perhaps because there were no fights to be had, he had left behind his usual bizarre ‘battle robes.’

“Zuo Fei, here’s your five yuan.” Zheng Wu handed me the money. “I borrowed a little from Mao Mao. He said you’re an interesting guy and hopes to be friends with you someday.”

I nodded, trying to recall Mao Mao’s face, but the memory was faint. The only thing that stood out was the pair of fierce eyes, so intense that even his long bangs couldn’t fully conceal them.

After a lively afternoon, they all returned to class, leaving Lin Ke’er to stay with me for my IV drip. Unlike Houzi, who had the resilience to sneak off to an internet café the same day as his surgery, I obediently followed the doctor’s orders and remained hospitalized for observation. The doctor had advised at least seven days of rest. Since Lin Ke’er couldn’t take care of everything alone—especially at night—everyone took turns looking after me. During the day, it was Lin Ke’er, Liu Yina, and Zhang Xuan, while at night, Houzi, Huang Jie, and Zheng Wu took over.

Through this ordeal, Zhang Xuan and I reconciled, and our friendship gradually warmed. Wang Yao had been right—though Zhang Xuan could be a bit airheaded at times, she was genuinely kind at heart. Especially after parting ways with Xing Qiu, she seemed to have regained her clarity. In her own words, it was as if she had been blinded by lard before.

The days passed pleasantly—after all, with beautiful company during the day, there was never a dull moment. Nights, however, were another story. Though Houzi and Huang Jie were supposed to take care of me, they would often disappear to the internet café halfway through the night. Zheng Wu, on the other hand, was diligent—but his thunderous snoring was an ordeal in itself. His presence disrupted my sleep so much that I almost preferred him not being there at all!

And just like that, seven days flew by. At last, I was discharged. Though I wasn’t fully recovered, the doctor assured me I could recuperate at home. And with that, I figured the time had finally come to confess to Lin Ke’er. The timing, the setting, and the people—everything was in my favor, wasn’t it?