Elegance

The next day

Chen Ming and Huo Tian headed to class. As soon as they entered the classroom, a figure with bloodshot eyes, a twisted expression, and a stench wafting from his body charged at them.

"Chen Ming!"

A shrill yell rang out, followed by Mei Qian's filthy, stain-covered figure.

Chen Ming watched the stench-ridden figure rush toward him and hurriedly summoned two walls of dirt to block the way.

Thud!

Mei Qian slammed into the dirt blocks. Chen Ming and Huo Tian covered their noses and quickly backed away.

"Holy hell, you stink! Mei Qian, did you fall into a cesspit?"

Chen Ming looked at him with disgust. Everyone in the classroom also hurried to put some distance between themselves and Mei Qian.

"Chen Ming! I know it was you! It had to be you, right? You knocked me out yesterday and threw me in a trash can, and then the garbage truck took me to the dump! I'm going to fight you!"

Mei Qian's eyes were bloodshot as he roared at the top of his lungs. He had clearly lost his mind. He summoned his Martial Soul and charged at Chen Ming, his Money Hammer swinging down hard.

Chen Ming waved, sending his Ender Pearl flying to the ceiling. He grabbed onto it with one hand and hung there, looking down at Mei Qian.

"You can't just make things up like that! I went off campus to eat yesterday. How could I have beaten you up?"

Chen Ming looked calm and elegant, the complete opposite of the disheveled, irrational Mei Qian.

"You're the only one who'd dare lay a hand on me. Isn't that proof enough?"

"You're crazy. Keep standing there, then. When the teacher gets here, you'll see you were wrong."

At that, Mei Qian calmed down. He glared viciously at Chen Ming, then hurried off to wash the filth off himself.

Chen Ming dropped down with unruffled ease. Seeing his stinky seat, he clenched his fists.

"Damn it! How did I get caught in the crossfire?"

Lan Mengqin noticed the stench clinging to her seat, along with some unknown yellow handprints. Dong Qianqiu didn't look too pleased either. Mei Qian's charge had caused widespread collateral damage.

Chen Ming's seat was connected to Lan Mengqin's and Dong Qianqiu's, so it had been caught in the crossfire too.

"Can't be helped. Every seat's taken. I'll just move one over myself."

Chen Ming shrugged and walked calmly toward the back of the classroom. Huo Tian spoke up:

"Old Chen, why not squeeze in with me?"

"No need. I have a clever plan."

Chen Ming waved, not to refuse, but to say there was no need to discuss it. Lan Mengqin and Dong Qianqiu could only follow him and see if they could squeeze in with one of the girls.

"What's wrong with that guy? He just went crazy out of nowhere."

"Chen Ming, does this have anything to do with you?"

Lan Mengqin cursed Mei Qian for being crazy, while Dong Qianqiu pressed Chen Ming to explain whether he was involved.

"Yeah. Yesterday, that guy snuck into the classroom and deliberately littered, so I beat him up."

Chen Ming took out his phone and handed it to Dong Qianqiu. She took it and watched the video with Lan Mengqin. Both of them clenched their fists.

"You two fought and got us caught in the crossfire!"

Lan Mengqin grumbled angrily. Chen Ming merely shrugged and waved a hand. A single-seat sofa appeared at the back of the classroom.

Chen Ming turned and sat down with effortless elegance, crossing his legs in a brazen pose. He rested his right elbow on the armrest and propped his head up with one hand.

"Sorry about that. But the guy had it coming, so there wasn't much I could do. How about I treat you both to a meal next time?"

"Get up and give us the seat."

Lan Mengqin's eyes lit up when she saw the sofa Chen Ming was sitting on. He was the reason she couldn't sit in her seat, so surely making it up to her with a sofa was fair.

"I only brought one sofa. You could sit on the armrests—or on my lap. I don't mind. We're all buddies."

Chen Ming patted his thigh, inviting them to sit. The other students stared in astonishment. Dude, you've got some nerve!

"Get lost, pervert! Qianqiu, help me drag him off!"

Lan Mengqin and Dong Qianqiu's faces flushed. Then they grabbed Chen Ming from either side and pulled him up, successfully claiming the seat.

Just then, the class bell rang. The teacher walked into the classroom, saw the filthy mess at the front, and frowned.

"What happened?"

"Teacher, Mei Qian rushed in and messed up our seats. We can't sit there now."

Dong Qianqiu stood and explained. The teacher covered his nose, looked at the trashed seats and the standing Chen Ming, then asked:

"Where is he? Why did he do this?"

"He ran off after causing trouble. That guy was littering in the classroom last night, so I beat him up."

Chen Ming stepped forward and showed the teacher his phone. The teacher's brow furrowed, but in the end, he could only say:

"Find somewhere to sit for now. We'll start class, and I'll deal with this later."

The teacher told Chen Ming to find a seat so class could begin. He couldn't let the students' studies suffer—but there weren't any seats left.

"Old Chen, sit with me."

Huo Tian waved Chen Ming over, offering to share his seat. Chen Ming smiled and waved back.

"It's fine. I can sit here."

As he spoke, Chen Ming walked to the window under everyone's gaze. He opened it and sat on the sill, holding a book in one hand and propping up his head with the other.

His legs were slightly bent, one foot dangling while the other rested on the window frame. Outside, petals drifted down from a pink peach tree, landing on him at just the right moment.

They made him look like a stunning peach-blossom immortal beneath the tree. For a moment, the girls in the class felt their hearts beat faster, while the boys stared in shock. You could do that?!

"Is he really showing off that much?"

Lan Mengqin's blue eyes widened slightly. She hadn't thought of that solution—and Chen Ming was showing off way too hard.

Dong Qianqiu quietly took out her phone and snapped a picture, planning to use it as her wallpaper later.

"...Be careful. All right, let's begin class."

After reminding Chen Ming to be careful, the teacher began the lesson. Chen Ming sat by the window, looking as if he belonged in a completely different scene from everyone else.

Before long, class was over. Chen Ming climbed down from the window, his butt sore from sitting there.

As soon as the teacher left, several upperclassmen blocked the classroom door and began shouting.

"Which one of you is Mei Qian? Get out here!"

"You've got some nerve, kid! You said no one in the whole school could beat you?"

"You'll pay for running your mouth!"

The three upperclassmen spoke with murderous intent. At that, Chen Ming stepped forward to face them alone.

Everyone immediately turned their attention to Chen Ming. The three upperclassmen rolled up their sleeves, ready for a fight.

"You're Mei Qian?"

"I'm not."

Chen Ming flatly denied it when they pointed at him, leaving the three of them dumbfounded. Then he continued:

"Mei Qian ran off after causing trouble. If you're looking for him, I have a picture."

Chen Ming took out his phone and showed them a picture of Mei Qian. The three looked at it, then glanced at each other.

"He's not here. Let's look somewhere else. How can a first-year be so cocky?"

"Exactly. We need to teach him a lesson."

P.S. This is the second update on March 5, bringing the total to 4,000 words.