"Am I seriously just going to stand here and take that?" Watching the group of punks scamper off, Sett couldn't resist showing off.
"Ugh—ow, they landed a few wild punches on me. That really hurt." But his cool moment lasted less than three seconds.
"Zhang Haobai really couldn't keep his cool. He already had people lying in wait for me tonight. Good thing I was one step ahead. I almost got taught a lesson by a bunch of punks."
"That rich kid is still such a nuisance. Whatever, he won't be for much longer. The college entrance exams are coming up, and once they're over, I'll take the Martial Artist assessment. I wonder if Luo Feng can pass out and gain strength. If I'm a little short on strength by then, it could be a pain."
On the weekend, Sett slept in. When he got up, he saw his dad already watching a soap opera. Curious, Sett decided to see what soap operas looked like thirty years in the future.
The TV from thirty years in the future was as beautiful as a pane of glass, and the picture on it was incredibly clear. He wondered what resolution it was.
"What's this? I thought you didn't like watching TV. Why are you so engrossed today?"
"It's nothing. I just happened to watch a little, and it turns out it's pretty good. Heh." Sett was really just watching out of curiosity. The plot was still as melodramatic as ever, but since it was a show from decades in the future, he'd watched all morning without realizing it.
"You two do nothing but watch TV! The house is a mess, and you haven't even started cooking. Do you really think I'm your maid?" Jin Wenying had groceries in her hands. Seeing the two men watching TV made her furious.
"Mom, it's fine. Just hang in there for two more months. I'll be a Martial Artist soon. Then we'll live in Mingyue Residential Quarter and hire ten maids to clean the house." Sett kept his eyes on the TV as he answered.
"Are you serious?" his parents asked at the same time.
"Of course. When I went for the test yesterday, my punching force had already reached 900 kilograms. My speed was a little low, though—just 24 meters per second. By the time the college entrance exams are over, I should be close to 25 meters per second. It won't be a problem." Sett was too embarrassed to say that he'd already surpassed the Martial Artist threshold by quite a bit. After all, improving too much all at once would be pretty shocking.
"You know my good friend and classmate Luo Feng, right? He's almost there too. We'll take the Martial Artist assessment together. We'll probably even end up as neighbors," Sett added. "Then you can visit each other. That'll be nice."
"Ah, that kid Luo Feng. His grades are good, he's great at training, and he still makes time to work a part-time job every day. Then there's you—you're good at nothing except being strong," Xiahai grumbled.
Well, he was the protagonist. Wasn't it only natural that he'd be good at everything? Sett said, "Hey, I just don't have that kind of talent. Besides, Luo Feng's doing it for his family. His younger brother Luo Hua is in a wheelchair, so of course he's worried."
"What's wrong with my Sett? He's almost a Martial Artist too. A seventeen-year-old Martial Artist is nothing to scoff at. You're always comparing him to other people, but why don't you compare how much money they make? I'd like to live in a big villa too, but in the end, we can only count on our son." After saying that, Jin Wenying carried the groceries into the kitchen, where she began clattering around.
"It's fine. I didn't mean anything by it. My son Sett is definitely the best. There's no way you'll do well on the college entrance exams, so just focus on preparing for the Martial Artist assessment. I hear it can be a little dangerous. We have some money saved up. Should we hire a Martial Artist to train you?" Xiahai hurriedly said.
"It's okay, Dad. Just don't put pressure on me. I'll definitely pass the Martial Artist assessment when the time comes."
"Enough, dinner's ready. Stop watching. It's the same old thing every time."
"I can watch if I want. I like it." Xiahai turned off the TV as he spoke.
"Son, come eat. Have plenty of vegetables and build up your strength." Jin Wenying piled a heaping bowl of food for Sett.
"I want some too, honey. Put some in my bowl."
"I don't think you're fully awake yet."
The meal passed amid his parents' bickering. They argued fiercely, but they were very much in love. Sometimes Xiahai even prepared little romantic surprises.
After dinner, Sett rested for a while, then headed to the martial arts school to train.
"Luo Feng, you're here too!" As soon as Sett entered the martial arts school, he saw Luo Feng training. "Hey, Brother Yang."
"Mm, you're here, Sett," Yang Wu replied.
Then Yang Wu repeatedly punched the testing machine.
920 kg
912 kg
935 kg
910 kg
"Impressive, Brother Yang! You can easily break the 900-kilogram mark even with rapid punches," Luo Feng exclaimed, surprised by Yang Wu's strength.
"Heh, I'm just okay."
"Brother Yang's definitely impressive," Sett said with a laugh.
At dusk, Sett and Luo Feng walked out of the martial arts school together. "How'd your date go yesterday?" Sett asked curiously.
"It was all right. I think she likes me," Luo Feng said.
"Then you'd better keep it up, Madman."
"Yeah! I don't care if she's from the Xu Family or the Li Family. Even if Xu Xin were Hong's daughter, I wouldn't be afraid."
"Dream on. Hong's daughter, huh? Want me to arrange a marriage with the Emperor of the Milky Way's daughter too?" Sett laughed.
"You punk, asking for a beating? Let's see you run!"
"Catch me first!"
"Ugh, why don't I want to go to school all of a sudden?" Sett rubbed his eyes as his alarm woke him.
After getting ready, Sett grabbed some buns and bolted out the door. "Mom, I'm off!"
"Well, look at that, Zhang Haobai. Do you like sneaking glances at people that much?" As luck would have it, Sett ran into Zhang Haobai at the school gate, and he was staring at Xu Xin up ahead.
"Mind your own business!" Seeing Sett looking so smug made Zhang Haobai furious. He'd planned to pay some people to beat Sett up, but they'd told him Sett was too strong and demanded more money.
Zhang Haobai had quite a bit of pocket money, but he didn't have much saved. Once he heard they wanted a hundred thousand, he decided against it.
"Zhang Haobai, I'm actually doing this for your own good. If you'd tried to force yourself on Xu Xin the other day, you'd probably have ended up as fish food."
"Yeah, right. You think you could feed me to the fish? My uncle's a Martial Artist. Who'd dare?" The thought of his uncle made Zhang Haobai feel invincible.
"Come over here. I'll tell you a secret. Don't worry, I won't hit you." Sett led Zhang Haobai to an empty spot.
"Spit it out. What do you want?"
"You know the Xu Family, right?" Sett said.
"Which Xu Family?"
"The Xu Family. The one in the HR Alliance."
"Yeah, I know. So what?" Zhang Haobai rolled his eyes. How could he not know about the Xu Family?
"Xu Xin is the Xu Family's daughter. Think about that." Sett patted Zhang Haobai on the shoulder, then headed to class.
I'm going to be late, Sett thought.
"How... how could that be?" Zhang Haobai was left standing there in a daze.
During the break the next day, Zhang Haobai found Sett. "Bro, you're my real big brother. From now on, I'm buying out the title of your underling. There's fifty thousand yuan on this card. You can use it, bro."
"Oh? What happened? Weren't you going to have people beat me up before?" Sett took the bank card and asked.
"She really is from the Xu Family. I almost made a huge mistake. Thank goodness you set me straight in time, bro. Otherwise, I'd have been done for," Zhang Haobai said hurriedly.
"I was wrong about what happened before. I was blind and didn't recognize a great man when I saw one. You're a bigger man than me, bro. Please forgive me and let it all go," Zhang Haobai said hurriedly.
"Now that you mention it, I suppose I am sort of your lifesaver. Fine, I'll take the card and appreciate the gesture. But you know we're both students. You can forget about being my underling." Sett tucked the bank card into his pocket, waved him off, and told him to go.
"Hey, wait," Sett called after Zhang Haobai.
"Bro, what is it?"
"What's the PIN?"
"It's on the back of the card. If there's nothing else, I'll be going, bro."
"Go on."
"Sett's really something. You call him fat, and he starts panting! And Xu Xin, too. Her family's so rich, yet she comes to school here. Just my luck."
"Whatever. I'm a bigger man than him, so I won't hold it against him. I'll deal with Sett once I become a Martial Artist. As long as I have power, the Xu Family and the HR Alliance are nothing."
"That kid's been training so diligently lately. That's a real surprise." Zhang Haobai's father was astonished by the change in him.
Normally, Zhang Haobai trained in fits and starts. If his uncle hadn't pushed him, he probably wouldn't even have made it to the advanced student level by now.
Time flew by, and before long, the college entrance exams arrived.
The college entrance exams thirty years in the future seemed much the same as before. On the students' last day at school, they tore their books into scraps and sent them fluttering in the wind, just like the three years of their youth.
Sett had already taken the college entrance exams once, but this time felt completely different.
He felt no pressure at all. Those days at school had been especially memorable.
In his previous life, he'd often dreamed of waking up back in his student days and getting a fresh start.
He hadn't returned to his own student days, but this was nice too. Sett leaned on the railing, then tore a book into scraps and tossed them into the air.
To be continued. Thanks for all the recommendation tickets.
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