Half an hour earlier.
On the rooftop of a teaching building several dozen meters from the cafeteria, Zhou Yi and Wu Xiaoyan stood side by side.
"How is it? Have everything been arranged?" Zhou Yi asked.
Wu Xiaoyan nodded.
"You're pretty clever, coming up with an idea like this. Heh heh, Bai Xiaowen's little sister is only thirteen or fourteen and has always been a good student. Once Hu Die and those delinquent girls scare her, won't she spill everything?" Zhou Yi looked at Wu Xiaoyan approvingly. "That short-lived Bai Xiaowen won't be able to hide any secrets he has this way."
Biting her lip, Wu Xiaoyan said, "I didn't want to use this kind of method either. After all, Xiao Jun and I used to be close. But Xiao Jun has become wary of me. I tried asking indirectly several times where the money for the Enhancement Recipe came from, but she refused to say a word."
Zhou Yi snorted. "Bai Xiaowen's family is anything but ordinary. His father and sister were both Awakened, though each died younger than the last. I used to suspect that his family had some treasure hidden away, which was why their Awakened had such high odds of succeeding in their Class Change! During that last outdoor combat training, Bai Xiaowen's strength suddenly rose by quite a bit. That made me even more certain his family had a secret."
At that moment, they could see the rooftop door open. Three delinquent girls were holding Bai Xiaojun hostage and forcing her into a corner.
"The show is starting." Zhou Yi sounded excited.
Wu Xiaoyan sighed reluctantly. "No matter what, Bai Xiaowen did save us once. Don't go too far. Once we take the White Family's spiritual energy treasure this time, leave his sister some money at least. Help her finish high school, then get her a job."
A lecherous smile appeared in Zhou Yi's eyes. "No need to tell me. I'll take good 'care' of Bai Xiaowen's little sister."
Seeing the lustful look on Zhou Yi's face, Wu Xiaoyan grew irritated. "Hey, you promised that once this was done, you'd take me to meet your parents and settle our relationship soon. Don't forget."
Zhou Yi waved a hand, looking impatient. "Isn't it not done yet? What's the rush? I'm still young. We've got plenty of time."
Wu Xiaoyan was about to say more when Zhou Yi suddenly frowned. "Not good, they've pulled a knife over there. Those delinquent girls these days are really bold. Bai Xiaowen's sister is so pretty. It would be such a pity if they cut up her face."
"Hu Die is only trying to scare her. Don't worry," Wu Xiaoyan said gloomily.
Zhou Yi turned to Wu Xiaoyan. "Looks like Bai Xiaowen's sister has a tough mouth. What if this doesn't work either? Hu Die can't actually stab her."
Wu Xiaoyan shook her head. "Do you think I hadn't considered that? Even if Hu Die can't pry her mouth open, Bai Xiaojun will definitely be badly frightened. Then I'll go over, chase Hu Die's group away, and comfort Bai Xiaojun a little. Her image of Wu Xiaoyan as a good older sister will return. Once our relationship recovers, how could she refuse to tell me anything I ask?"
Zhou Yi raised a thumbs-up. "Who would've thought you were such a brilliant strategist? But we need to hurry. In less than a year or two, my total attributes will reach twenty points, and I'll enter the Spirit Realm to undergo the trial. Getting the White Family's secret early will help me greatly... Huh, is someone going out there to play the Hero?"
Suddenly, Wu Xiaoyan jolted, and her expression changed drastically. "No, that's not right. Look at that person... He, he..."
"Why are you making such a fuss?" Zhou Yi took a closer look, and his face changed too.
"Bai... Bai Xiaowen! He isn't dead? How is that possible?" Zhou Yi muttered.
The three delinquent girls were being beaten badly, sending chills down Zhou Yi and Wu Xiaoyan's spines.
Wu Xiaoyan steadied herself and hurriedly pulled out the large-screen smartphone Zhou Yi had given her. She snapped several pictures in rapid succession, then began recording video, capturing Bai Xiaowen grabbing the Miniskirt delinquent girl by the collar and interrogating her on the cafeteria rooftop opposite them.
"What are you doing?" Zhou Yi asked, utterly confused.
Wu Xiaoyan stopped recording. After opening the video and replaying it once, she let out a breath. "Bai Xiaowen clearly means trouble. He was obviously forcing her to reveal who ordered this... I know that girl in the miniskirt. She's the most timid one. She definitely won't be able to keep it in. She'll tell him everything."
"And then?" Zhou Yi still did not understand.
"Then Bai Xiaowen will come looking for me!" Wu Xiaoyan's face was pale, but her thoughts remained clear as she spoke rapidly. "He's the Hero Tier in the class now. He even saved the homeroom teacher's life. If he spreads this around the class, not only will your reputation and mine be ruined, we'll be punished too."
"What should we do?" Zhou Yi's face had gone pale as well. With the National College Entrance Examination approaching, he did not want a disciplinary record.
"Strike first!" Wu Xiaoyan gritted her teeth. "If we want to go head-to-head with Bai Xiaowen, we have to ruin his reputation first. Look at these photos and this video. They're irrefutable evidence!"
Zhou Yi looked them over. "But this only shows Bai Xiaowen beating up three delinquent girls."
"Nonsense! Bai Xiaowen was clearly bullying younger female students and demanding money from them!" Wu Xiaoyan drew a breath. "These girls come from poor families, so there wasn't much money to squeeze out of them. That's why Bai Xiaowen beat them so badly. This so-called hero is nothing more than a schoolyard thug. Hurry and Photoshop these photos and video. Cover up the three delinquent girls' miniskirts and tattoos with school uniforms, then upload them online!"
Zhou Yi finally calmed down and nodded heavily. "We'll do as you say."
"I'm not finished!" Wu Xiaoyan continued. "You need to tell your father to have some celebrity influencers repost it on Weibo. Make the video go viral as quickly as possible and build up its impact! Isn't your father close to Vice Principal Pang? Once the negative impact of the assault creates enough pressure, have Principal Pang step in!"
Wu Xiaoyan thought for a moment, then added, "Oh, right. We can also make an issue out of the Enhancement Recipe Bai Xiaojun has been eating these past few days. Is the source of that money legitimate? How much is there? Did Bai Xiaowen rob it from younger students?"
Wu Xiaoyan spoke so quickly that Zhou Yi was stunned. "But... a B-Rank Enhancement Recipe costs several thousand per meal. Robbing younger students alone probably wouldn't be enough, would it?"
"That's Bai Xiaowen's problem to explain, not yours!" Wu Xiaoyan said. "Ninety percent of people online don't use their brains when they insult someone. As long as everyone starts condemning him, Bai Xiaowen won't be able to explain himself at all!"
The cafeteria rooftop.
After hearing Wu Xiaoyan's name from the Miniskirt delinquent girl, Bai Xiaojun froze.
"Brother, could she be lying?" Xiao Jun could hardly believe it. Jiang Wen beside her had widened her eyes as well.
Bai Xiaowen's expression did not change at all as he casually tossed aside the Miniskirt delinquent girl. "Xiao Jun, has Wu Xiaoyan been coming to see you often these past few days? What did she ask you?"
Xiao Jun shook her head. "I don't even know how I got through these past few days. I barely answered her questions... She seemed to ask about my plans for the future, whether I wanted to consider joining Botong Pharmaceuticals or something. Oh, right, she also advised me to temporarily cancel the Enhancement Recipe subscription, so I wouldn't eat away all our savings..."
Hearing this, Bai Xiaowen sneered inwardly.
"It was her, all right." Bai Xiaowen patted Xiao Jun's shoulder. "Let's go."
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