A challenge?

In Class One of Grade One at Tiantou Technology Academy, everyone welcomed the new semester, chatting amongst themselves.

Soon, as the class bell rang, the new homeroom teacher walked into the classroom, and the students immediately quieted down.

"I am your homeroom teacher for this semester. Let me introduce myself; my surname is Jie, and you can all call me Brother Jie."

The first class was nothing special; it was just for establishing the positions of class monitor and vice monitor.

"Let's set up the positions for class monitor and vice monitor first. One boy and one girl. Are there any students who would like to volunteer?"

As the homeroom teacher asked if anyone wanted to volunteer, Chen Ming whispered:

"I remember that being a class committee member gives extra credit, right? Qianqiu, why don't you be the class monitor?"

"Me, be the monitor? What about you?"

"I'm not doing it, I'm lazy."

Chen Ming and Dong Qianqiu were whispering to each other with Lan Mengqin sitting between them. Watching the two of them talk as if she were a bridge, a vein popped on her forehead.

"Lazybones, do you want me to swap seats with you? So it's easier for you to get cozy with Qianqiu?"

Lan Mengqin was still very annoyed. After the vacation ended, Dong Qianqiu, who used to be inseparable from her, had now been snatched away by Chen Ming.

Dong Qianqiu's interactions with Chen Ming had clearly increased, which made Lan Mengqin feel as if she were being cuckolded right in front of her face.

"What? Did that hurt your little heart?"

Chen Ming propped his head up with one hand and said with a smile. Lan Mengqin immediately clenched her fists, her cheeks flushing red instantly, feeling as if a mistress were acting brazenly in front of her.

"Look, Qianqiu, I don't mind that you have a friend like Mengqin, but your sister Mengqin seems to care a lot that you have a friend like me. Isn't it obvious who is more tolerant of you?"

Chen Ming said, enjoying the drama. Dong Qianqiu, suddenly put on the spot, wanted to speak but hesitated, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Lan Mengqin gritted her teeth, then delivered a rocket-like headbutt that knocked Chen Ming over, sending him crashing to the floor.

The homeroom teacher looked at the three of them causing trouble in the front row and had no choice but to let it slide.

Because Chen Ming's core ranking was first in the grade, Lan Mengqin's was second, and Dong Qianqiu's was third. These three little ancestors were vital to his performance metrics.

"Ahem, student Chen Ming, were you trying to volunteer as class monitor?"

However, the commotion here was simply too loud. To cover up his awkwardness, the homeroom teacher looked at Chen Ming as he climbed back up and asked.

Hearing this, Chen Ming stood up silently, glanced at Lan Mengqin, who was looking on with a satisfied expression, and then withdrew his gaze.

"Teacher, I'm not going to be the monitor, but I nominate Dong Qianqiu for the position."

"I agree!"

Lan Mengqin also expressed her agreement. Dong Qianqiu paused for a moment, but did not choose to refuse; this would indeed be helpful to her.

"What do you think, student Dong Qianqiu?"

"I am willing to be the class monitor."

The choice for class monitor was thus decided, and the vice monitor was another boy. After class ended, the three of them stood up one after another, and Dong Qianqiu prepared to handle class affairs.

For example, organizing the student list and assigning classroom cleaning duties. However, the vice monitor, Mei Qian, said with a fawning expression:

"Monitor, leave the cleaning arrangements to me."

"Hmm? Okay."

Dong Qianqiu looked at the encroaching Mei Qian and subconsciously took a step away from him. Seeing this, a flash of jealousy crossed Mei Qian's eyes.

One had to know that when Chen Ming and Dong Qianqiu arrived at the classroom door, they were together, even holding hands...

Damn it! This bastard was actually hitting on two such beautiful girls at once. Plus, with Chen Ming showing off earlier and becoming the idol of many female students, even the girls in their own class worshipped him.

He was green with envy. Looking at Chen Ming and Lan Mengqin, who were clearly waiting for Dong Qianqiu at the classroom door, he immediately spoke up:

"Chen Ming, you are number one. You are responsible for the class cleaning today."

"Me?"

Chen Ming was stunned for a moment, not expecting to be assigned cleaning duty right off the bat. Mei Qian immediately nodded and said righteously:

"That's right, we're going in order. Don't tell me you want to slack off and not contribute to the class?"

"Whatever, got it."

Hearing this, Chen Ming stretched and sat back down in his seat. Lan Mengqin and Dong Qianqiu didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

Cleaning in order was very reasonable. After Dong Qianqiu finished organizing the class schedule and sent it to the class group, she walked to the door.

"Sister Mengqin."

"Qianqiu, let's go. We aren't waiting for this guy."

"Eh?"

"Let's go, don't worry about him."

Lan Mengqin pulled Dong Qianqiu away. Chen Ming stayed behind, scrolling through his phone. Seeing that most people had left, he went to the utility room to get a broom and a mop.

As he walked over and looked inside, he found only one broom and one mop. Chen Ming was immediately puzzled.

"Strange, did I come too late? Were the broom and mop already taken?"

He reached out to grab a broom, only to find it broken. Chen Ming frowned immediately; no wonder no one had taken it, it was busted.

However, it didn't matter. Since he had mastered multiple elements, he didn't need a broom or a mop to clean the classroom.

Thinking this, Chen Ming turned back toward the classroom, only to find the floor covered in trash, as if someone had deliberately dumped it there. He immediately frowned and began to curse.

"Which son of a bitch with no asshole dumped this trash? Acting like their parents died, damn it!"

Chen Ming grumbled, hurling the most vicious curses at whoever had littered in the classroom. After all, he was already resentful about having to clean the room, and having someone provoke him made him even more annoyed.

The person who had done it on purpose was so angry they turned beet red. They pulled their hat down, shut the door, and opened the windows.

After confirming that no one around could see him, Chen Ming's figure suddenly became slender. With a light lift of his delicate hand, a fierce wind and water current swept in, transforming into a water tornado that scoured the entire classroom.

Immediately after, Chen Ming splashed all the dust and water out through the window, right onto the greenery below the teaching building.

Next, Chen Ming used fire and wind elements to create a blast of hot air, drying the entire classroom in an instant.

The classroom became spotless and clean in a flash. Chen Ming clapped his hands, signaling that such a task was truly a piece of cake for him.

After finishing all this, Chen Ming's figure shifted once more, returning to his black-haired, black-eyed state.

He then walked out of the classroom and headed toward the cafeteria. After finishing his lunch, Chen Ming returned to his dormitory and shouted.

"My dear sons! Did you miss me?"

"Damn it! Don't mess around, son."

"The son has returned!"

His roommates retorted immediately. Chen Ming smiled, not minding at all; after all, this kind of banter was just child's play.

"Hehe, how was everyone's vacation?"

Chen Ming sat on his chair, slouching as he spoke. His roommates immediately began to brag.

"It's all the same. We aren't the same people we used to be."

"That's right, Old Chen, I feel like even you aren't my match anymore."

"Is that so? Want to spar?"

"Let's skip that. I'm afraid of hurting you, which wouldn't be good for our friendship."

The atmosphere in the dormitory was quite lively. In the afternoon, as everyone sat in the classroom, Chen Ming noticed something in his desk drawer the moment he sat down.

Chen Ming curiously reached out and pulled out something that looked like a letter. Lan Mengqin's eyes turned cold, and she stared fixedly at the letter in his hand.

"Chen Ming, what is this...?"

Dong Qianqiu looked at the letter in Chen Ming's hand with confusion. It was white and sealed with a small pink heart.

"I don't know, let me see."

Chen Ming opened it out of curiosity. Lan Mengqin watched him coldly, saying nothing.

"Classmate Chen Ming, don't leave after school this afternoon. Can you meet me on the west side of the small woods? I have something to tell you."

He read the contents of the letter aloud involuntarily. Lan Mengqin clenched her fists, not knowing why she didn't want him to go.

Chen Ming was full of question marks. Who the hell was this? But soon, the bell for class rang again.

Class ended quickly. Chen Ming stood up, straightened his clothes, and turned to say:

"Mengqin, Qianqiu, I have something to take care of, so I'm heading out."

"What are you going to do? Going to a rendezvous? You really are a busy man."

Lan Mengqin said with a sour tone. Chen Ming nodded slightly and replied.

"A hero can't run away from a challenge."

Just as Chen Ming was about to leave, he was blocked by Mei Qian, who pointed at the classroom and said:

"You're the one cleaning all day today."

"Tch, get going, don't get in the way of my cleaning."

Chen Ming sat back down. Lan Mengqin and Dong Qianqiu left. After going downstairs, the two didn't go to the cafeteria but headed toward the small woods instead.

"Sister Mengqin, this doesn't seem to be the way to the cafeteria, right?"

"What cafeteria? Your home is about to be stolen, and you're still thinking about the cafeteria? Men really are all pigs! I'm going to show you his true colors today."

Lan Mengqin said indignantly, then pulled Dong Qianqiu into the small woods to lie in ambush.

A moment later, they saw a young girl walk over. The girl had yellow hair and was quite pretty. Her cheeks were flushed, and she looked a bit nervous, looking around as if she were waiting for something.

"Is she the one who wants to confess to that heartbreaker? She must be blind to have taken a liking to such a scumbag. Her taste is terrible."

The sourness in Lan Mengqin's tone was fully apparent. Hearing her words, Dong Qianqiu widened her eyes.

"Sister Mengqin, what are you talking about? What confession?"

"Are you really that clueless or just pretending? The letter Chen Ming had earlier was a love letter from this girl."

Lan Mengqin looked at the bewildered Dong Qianqiu, wanting to say more but stopping herself. How could this sister be so dense? By the time her home was stolen and the other woman was already carrying his kids, she still wouldn't know.

"A... a love letter!"

Dong Qianqiu felt as if she had been struck by lightning; Chen Ming had actually intended to keep the appointment! A wave of bitterness washed over her, and she felt as if something precious was about to slip away from her grasp.

Scenes of her time with Chen Ming and Di Qiu'er flashed through her mind. She had long since lost her family, and during the month-long break, she had lived and eaten alongside Chen Ming and Di Qiu'er.

In her heart, she had seemingly come to view the two of them as her inseparable family. Dong Qianqiu whispered to herself.

"It can't be... Chen Ming isn't that kind of person..."

"Qianqiu, are you still deceiving yourself? Just watch, I'll expose his true colors in a moment, and then I'll get justice for you."

Lan Mengqin's eyes were sharp. She was determined to bring the scumbag Chen Ming to justice and then punish this playboy severely—she had to stomp on his "radish" with all her might! It had to be crushed!

Soon, under the tense anticipation of the three, the rustling of bushes came from afar. The three of them looked over immediately, and sure enough, they saw the figure of Chen Ming.

"As expected of this playboy... Qianqiu, let's go beat him up in a moment, let's stomp his radish together!"

Lan Mengqin was furious, her eyes spitting fire as if she wanted to tear him to pieces. Dong Qianqiu clenched her small fists, but she froze when she saw Chen Ming carrying a heavy hammer.

Why did he look so full of fighting spirit? Perhaps there was still a turning point! A glimmer of hope flashed in Dong Qianqiu's eyes; things didn't seem to be as she had imagined.

Chen Ming looked suspiciously at Lan Mengqin and Dong Qianqiu, who were lying in ambush nearby. Why were they hiding over there? Could it be that they were afraid he couldn't win and had come to support him?

They were truly his good brothers! He had to give them a thumbs-up for this; he really had to praise his good brothers.

Finally, the girl looked at Chen Ming's approaching figure, her heart pounding wildly. She hadn't expected her crush to actually show up—did she have a chance after all?!

The girl looked excited, and just as she was about to say something, she saw Chen Ming point his heavy hammer at her and say:

"So you're the one who told me not to leave after school? You're looking for trouble, right?"

This murderous, preemptive strike completely stunned the three girls. Before their brains could process it, Chen Ming continued:

"I have to say, you actually dared to challenge me to a duel. I admire your guts, but if you're the one who initiated this fight, I won't go easy on you."

As Chen Ming spoke, he hoisted his heavy hammer and smashed a large tree with a single blow. The tree crashed down with a thunderous boom. The girl turned pale with fright, and seeing Chen Ming charging toward her, she immediately called for a halt.

"Wait! I came here to confess my feelings, not to challenge you to a duel!"

Hearing this, Chen Ming slammed his heavy hammer into the ground, creating a roar. A crater two meters in diameter and twenty centimeters deep appeared in the surrounding ground, and the girl was scared to tears on the spot.

"Confess?"

Question marks appeared over Chen Ming's head. Looking at the girl who had been scared to tears, he said with disdain:

"Heh, so that's it. If you can beat me, it's a duel, and if you can't, it's a confession? How calculating. But unfortunately, I've already seen through your little trick."

Chen Ming looked at her with a smug expression, as if possessed by Conan. The girl hurriedly explained:

"I didn't! I really do have a crush on you and wanted to confess!"

"Then why are you crying? You're clearly just scared to tears by my strength, and you're still pretending? Accept your judgment!"

"No, don't!!!"

The girl cried and ran out of the small woods. Seeing her flee, Chen Ming said with contempt:

"You actually lost your nerve before the fight even began and ran away! I despise you!"

Hearing Chen Ming's words, the girl cried even more bitterly and ran even faster.

Lan Mengqin stared blankly at Chen Ming's actions, her brain completely fried. Dong Qianqiu watched this dramatic scene, and for some reason, she felt like laughing. She could only say that he was truly Chen Ming, a sigma male.

Chen Ming put away his heavy hammer and turned to look at the two hiding in the bushes:

"You two can stop hiding now, the opponent has already run away."

"Uh... you..."

After Lan Mengqin came back to her senses, her expression turned strange. She looked at him with a bizarre gaze; the scene that had just unfolded was truly rare—it was absolutely abstract.

PS: The first update for March 4th, a 4,000-word chapter.

PS: Brothers, I thought of a way: I will merge the content of two chapters together so that you can read the content of two chapters for the price of one.