First Experience as a Human Shield

The afternoon sun streamed through the cafeteria's tall glass windows, casting lazy splotches of light onto the greasy floor.

The air was a mixture of various food smells and the din of human voices. Lin Xiao, holding his tray, slowly ambled over to a relatively quiet table in the corner and sat down.

Fatty Wang, like a loyal guard, followed closely behind with a mountain of food on his tray. A hint of nervousness flickered across his round face, and his small eyes warily scanned their surroundings.

Lin Xiao's right arm was still bandaged and hidden beneath his oversized jacket. His complexion had improved since the morning, but the lingering fatigue deep in his eyes and the weakness from overexertion were still clearly visible.

He had little appetite, mechanically picking at the bland food on his tray with his left hand, his mind still preoccupied with Source Energy Points.

-1.3 points! The number felt like a heavy stone pressing down on his heart.

Fatty Wang was keeping an eye out for any new messages from Su Qingxue; finding fragments of low-grade energy stones was like searching for a needle in a haystack.

He subconsciously felt in his pocket for the few remnants that had completely turned into ordinary stones, the rough, cold texture meeting his fingertips.

Just then, a flow of air with obvious malice stirred the calm in the cafeteria corner.

"Yo! Isn't this 'good friend' of our great martial artist Su, Lin Xiao?"

A sarcastic voice, dripping with mockery, rang out.

Lin Xiao didn't even lift his eyelids, continuing to pick at his food.

Fatty Wang, however, jumped like a startled rabbit, looking up abruptly, his round face instantly draining of color.

Three students in martial arts class training uniforms, carrying their trays, swaggered over.

The one in the lead was tall and muscular, his face displaying undisguised contempt and provocation. It was Zhang Kun, another one of Zhao Hu's more capable lackeys.

The two followers behind him also had their arms crossed, wearing expressions that suggested they were enjoying the show.

Zhang Kun slammed his tray down on the table in front of Lin Xiao with a loud "Clang!" A little soup splashed out, landing on the edge of Lin Xiao's tray.

"What's up? Big 'friend' Lin, you've climbed the social ladder, but your dining standards haven't improved? Is this pig slop still the best fit for you?"

Zhang Kun leaned down, his sweat-scented breath almost spraying onto Lin Xiao's face, his eyes filled with malice. "Heard Brother Hu almost beat you to death yesterday? Tsk tsk, you've got a tough life, huh? Did you have to grovel at the leg of the great campus beauty Su to beg her to save you?"

The surrounding noise instantly died down considerably.

Countless eyes focused on them, some curious, some excited, but most were gloating.

Everyone knew Zhang Kun was one of Zhao Hu's men; he was here to get back at Lin Xiao for his boss!

Fatty Wang trembled with anger, suddenly standing up. "Zhang Kun! Watch your mouth! Brother Xiao he..."

"Fatty, sit down."

Lin Xiao's voice wasn't loud, carrying a strange calmness that instantly suppressed Fatty Wang's anger.

He finally looked up, his face devoid of anger, replaced by his signature lazy, roguish smile. His eyes calmly met Zhang Kun's provocative face, which was inches away.

"Zhang Kun, is it?"

Lin Xiao tapped the soup that had splashed onto his tray with his chopsticks, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "Your hand slipped? Or you didn't eat enough this morning and can't hold a tray steady?"

"You damn well better stop playing dumb with me!"

Zhang Kun was enraged by Lin Xiao's nonchalant attitude. He slammed his hand on the table, making several plates jump. "Lin Xiao! Don't think you're untouchable just because you've got Su Qingxue wrapped around your finger! Brother Hu's debt, I'll settle with you sooner or later! Today, I'm just collecting some interest!"

He grinned menacingly, his large, fan-like hand reaching out to grab Lin Xiao's collar!

The grab was accompanied by a whistling sound, clearly executed with considerable force!

The target was Lin Xiao's immobilized right arm!

If he was grabbed firmly, the consequences would be unimaginable!

Gasps of surprise erupted from the surroundings!

Fatty Wang's eyes bulged with rage; he wanted to rush forward to stop it but it was too late!

Just as Zhang Kun's hand was about to touch Lin Xiao's collar—

A bone-chilling coldness, without any warning, swept through the entire cafeteria corner like an arctic storm!

The temperature seemed to drop by ten degrees!

Students nearby couldn't help but shiver!

Time itself seemed to freeze at that moment.

Zhang Kun's hand, reaching for Lin Xiao's collar, stiffened in mid-air, less than an inch away!

The sinister grin on his face froze instantly, replaced by extreme shock and a trace of bone-deep fear!

He felt as if his blood was about to freeze solid!

A powerful, cold aura, filled with the pressure of a superior being, descended like an invisible iceberg, pressing down on him mercilessly!

Making it incredibly difficult for him to even breathe!

Dead silence.

Absolute silence enveloped that area.

All eyes, filled with extreme shock, turned in unison towards the source of the coldness.

The cafeteria entrance.

Su Qingxue stood there quietly.

Still in that pristine white martial arts uniform, her posture was as upright as a lone peak in the snow.

The afternoon sun cast a cool halo behind her.

Her face was expressionless, her gaze calm and undisturbed, like eternal, unmelting ice, merely looking over here faintly.

But it was precisely this extreme calmness and coldness that exuded a suffocating pressure!

A martial artist's aura! The real deal!

She was just standing there, doing nothing, not even releasing her true energy. Merely the pressure from her breakthrough in life level and the natural chill of her ice-attribute true energy were enough to awe the entire crowd!

Zhang Kun froze in place, his face deathly pale, a fine sheen of cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.

The hand he had stopped mid-air trembled uncontrollably.

His two followers behind him were so terrified they turned ashen, stumbling back several steps.

Su Qingxue's gaze, like two ice picks, slowly swept across Zhang Kun's face, contorted in fear, and finally landed on Lin Xiao, who remained seated with a playful, roguish smile.

Her eyes lingered for a moment on that face that made her feel incredibly complicated and annoyed.

In her eyes, there was no concern, no anger, only a cold helplessness, as if she were looking at a troublesome matter that had to be dealt with.

Then, she spoke.

Her voice was clear and cold, like a frigid mountain spring. It wasn't loud, but it clearly pierced the dead silence, reaching the ears of everyone present:

"He is my friend."

A simple five words.

No threat, no warning.

But the weight contained within them was heavier than a thousand pounds!

Zhang Kun shuddered violently, as if doused with a basin of ice water from head to toe!

He felt the icy pressure instantly multiply several times, almost crushing his bones!

He could no longer hold himself up. The hand frozen in mid-air retracted as if scalded, and he stumbled back a step, his face filled with disbelief, horror, and extreme humiliation!

A friend! Su Qingxue had admitted it personally!

And in this setting, with such an irrefutable stance!

This wasn't just an acknowledgment of their relationship!

It was a naked declaration and protection!

"Su... Classmate Su, I... I..."

Zhang Kun's lips trembled, wanting to argue, but unable to utter a single word.

Under Su Qingxue's icy gaze, he felt as insignificant as dust.

Su Qingxue didn't look at him again, as if he were just a stone by the roadside.

Her gaze swept over Lin Xiao again, the helplessness in her eyes seeming to deepen, mixed with a trace of imperceptible humiliation from being forcibly bound.

She didn't seem to want to stay even a second longer, as if standing there was an ordeal. She turned, took a step, and walked directly towards the food counter, leaving behind a cool, solitary figure.

As she left, the bone-chilling cold that had enveloped the entire venue slowly receded like the tide.

In the cafeteria, the dead silence was replaced by a more surging wave of discussion!

"Holy crap! It's true! Su Qingxue admitted it herself!"

"She stood up for Lin Xiao! One sentence scared Zhang Kun away!"

"What kind of love potion did this Lin Xiao feed the Goddess Su?"

"A martial artist! One sentence can make someone unable to lift their head..."

Countless gazes once again focused on Lin Xiao, filled with extreme envy, jealousy, and disbelief!

Zhang Kun and his two followers, like defeated roosters, had faces that flushed and paled. Under the mocking or pitying gazes of the crowd, they could no longer stand it. Without even bothering to pick up their trays, they squeezed out of the crowd and fled in embarrassment.

"Bro... Brother Xiao! Did you see that? That was... that was amazing!"

Fatty Wang was so excited he couldn't form coherent sentences, his chubby face flushed crimson. "One sentence from the campus belle Su! Just one sentence! That bastard Zhang Kun was scared shitless! Hahaha!"

The playful, roguish smile on Lin Xiao's face became even brighter and more triumphant after Su Qingxue's figure disappeared.

Riding on someone else's coattails?

No, this was leveraging power! It was control!

He slowly put down his chopsticks, picked up a napkin, and leisurely wiped the soup stains splashed on the edge of his tray by Zhang Kun.

His movements were unhurried, exuding a relaxed air of having everything under control.

"See?"

He glanced at the excited Fatty Wang, his voice carrying a hint of lazy amusement. "This is the power of 'friends.' Learn from it in the future."

He leaned back in his chair, basking in the surrounding gazes filled with envy, jealousy, and hatred, as if bathed in warm sunlight.

The pain in his right arm seemed to have lessened considerably.

Although the weakness from overexertion still lingered, and his Source Energy Points were still in the negative, at this moment, an unprecedented feeling of rising power surged through his chest.

This feeling was fucking great!

However, as his gaze swept towards the direction where Zhang Kun and the others had fled in disarray, a cold glint flashed deep within his eyes.

The lackeys were scared off, but the main culprit was still lying in the hospital.

And that Scarface Qiang, the real trouble had only just begun.

His left hand, tucked into his pocket, clenched the few cold energy stone fragments again.

Power, in the end, had to be held in one's own hands.

Not far away, in a secluded corner on the second floor of the cafeteria, near the railing.

Su Qingxue sat alone at a small table, a delicate meal placed before her, untouched.

She lowered her head slightly, her long eyelashes casting a small shadow beneath her eyelids, obscuring the complex emotions churning in her clear, cold eyes.

Humiliation! It gnawed at her pride like a venomous snake.

A martial artist of the Su family, to have to stand up for a punk in front of everyone, to use her status to intimidate those low-class thugs!

This was simply the greatest humiliation for her!

Helplessness! That damned "deal" was like an invisible shackle, binding her tightly.

She needed Lin Xiao's strength (or rather, his secret). At least until the family assessment was truly settled, she had to fulfill this "friendship" obligation that made her feel utterly disgusted.

And then there was that sliver of powerlessness that she herself refused to admit.

Facing Lin Xiao's unfathomable and strange methods, and his dangerous, wolf-like gaze, she found she had no other choice but to use her status to suppress him.

She picked up her chopsticks, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force, but she hesitated, unable to pick up any food.

The noise and discussions from the first floor of the cafeteria drifted over like a tide. Every word of the gossip about her and Lin Xiao pierced her heart like a needle.

She took a deep breath, the cold air filling her lungs, but it couldn't calm the turmoil within her.

She raised her eyes, her gaze passing through the gaps in the railing, and landed on the guy still lounging lazily in the corner on the first floor, a smug, roguish smile on his face.

Her eyes were as cold as knives.