Don't Pester Her

School let out in the afternoon.

Xia Chuanliu left the classroom, only to find the surrounding students pointing and whispering at him as if he were some rare giant panda. Before he knew it, he had become a celebrity.

"Look, that's the legendary Xia Ping."

"He doesn't look like much. How did he manage to get the school beauty pregnant?"

"You can't judge a book by its cover, and you can't measure the sea with a bucket. Maybe he drugged her."

"Very likely. Just looking at him, you can tell he's a criminal."

"He'll be dragged off by the police sooner or later. I heard two guys from his class were already arrested for streaking on campus and got seven days of detention."

"Birds of a feather flock together. This guy definitely isn't a good egg."

The surrounding students whispered among themselves, all sizing Xia Ping up.

So that's it. Is it because of that scandal? Xia Ping hadn't expected the rumor to spread so quickly. In just one day, it seemed like everyone in the school knew about it.

Ding! The system chimed: "Congratulations, Host. You have obtained a total of 736 Hatred Points so far."

"What? 736 Hatred Points?!"

Xia Ping was speechless. A few days ago, he had mocked countless people with a blanket statement and even climbed the Flying Dragon Platform, yet he had only gained two or three hundred Hatred Points.

But now, just from a single scandal, he had gained so many? Is it really that infuriating for him to be dating the school beauty? That's ridiculous.

Then again, it made sense. An ordinary guy hooking up with the school beauty—a girl with immense popularity—was something that would naturally invite envy, jealousy, and hatred.

Does this mean I don't actually need to mock people to get Hatred Points? I just need to chase girls? Xia Ping seriously considered the feasibility of this strategy.

"You must be Xia Ping."

Suddenly, a dignified voice came from the side. Xia Ping turned his head and immediately saw a student standing 1.8 meters tall with a perfect physique, handsome features, and an imposing aura.

He walked over from a distance, followed by five or six lackeys. Each of them was tall and radiated a fierce martial aura. The surrounding students didn't dare to block their path, quickly clearing a way.

"Isn't that Zhou Tai'an from Class 1, Grade 12? They say he's already reached the sixth heaven of the Martial Disciple realm. He's in the top three of the school and has mastered the intermediate martial art Five Peaks Fist. He's even stronger than Xiong Batian."

"Not only is his talent amazing, but his family is also very wealthy. They own a five-star hotel in Tianshui City with assets over a hundred million. He even drives a luxury car worth hundreds of thousands to school. He's incredibly impressive."

"He's handsome, too—the school heartthrob of 95th Middle School. Countless girls like him, but it's a pity he only has eyes for Jiang Yaru. He's been pursuing her and has rejected countless confessions."

"This is getting interesting. Isn't that kid Xia Ping the one rumored to be Jiang Yaru's boyfriend? It looks like a fight is about to break out."

The students chattered, their eyes filled with gossip. It was obvious that Zhou Tai'an, looking so furious, had come to cause trouble for Xia Ping.

"What do you want with me?" Xia Ping looked at the approaching Zhou Tai'an.

Zhou Tai'an stared at Xia Ping. "You should know why I'm looking for you. It's about Jiang Yaru." His eyes flashed with a sharp light, as if he wanted to see through all of Xia Ping's secrets, emitting a powerful pressure.

"I've heard the rumors in school, but I don't believe them. Jiang Yaru isn't that kind of girl. But I'm here to tell you one thing: stop pestering her."

His tone was extremely overbearing.

"You came all this way just to warn me?" Xia Ping frowned.

Zhou Tai'an sneered. "That's right, I am warning you. Don't think you're something special just because you beat Xiong Batian. In this school, he's just a clown who can't even stand on the stage; to put it bluntly, he's just a thug. I didn't deal with him before because he didn't offend my dignity, not because I couldn't afford to provoke him."

"I've also investigated you. Your father, Xia Chuanliu, is just a city administrator, and your mother, Huang Lanxin, just runs a street stall. Your family's monthly income is at most seven or eight thousand Federal Coins, and you're even carrying hundreds of thousands in debt."

"Jiang Yaru is different. She is a true genius, a daughter of heaven. Her future stage isn't in this tiny Tianshui City, but at Yanhuang University and in the Cloud Sky Realm. You and she are from two different worlds."

"Your family background is mediocre, and your grades are average—at best, you'll get into a second-rate university. With someone like you, how could you ever give Jiang Yaru happiness? You need to know your place. Do you understand?"

His expression was incredibly arrogant, as if he were standing on a high mountain looking down at Xia Ping, radiating an insurmountable sense of superiority.

Hearing Zhou Tai'an's self-righteous tone, Xia Ping laughed—a cold, mocking laugh. "Zhou Tai'an, do you think that just because people call you the school heartthrob, the strongest in school, or because your family has power and money, you can act like a cop and interfere in my business? People flatter you and suck up to you, but that's their business. In my eyes, you aren't even worth a fart."

"Let's not even talk about whether Jiang Yaru and I are actually involved, but even if we were, so what?"

"What I, Xia Ping, want to do and who I like—when have I ever needed to explain that to you?"

He looked at Zhou Tai'an, his eyes cold and indifferent.

"You!"

Zhou Tai'an's pupils contracted. He hadn't expected this kid to be so bold as to not only ignore him but also talk back to his face, causing him to lose face.

He ran rampant in the school, had many lackeys, and even the teachers gave him face and were respectful to him. Yet this kid dared to say he wasn't even worth a fart.

This made him incredibly furious.

"Xia Ping, you're too arrogant!"

"Who does Zhou Boss think he is, and who are you? How dare you talk to Zhou Boss like that!"

"You dare say Zhou Boss isn't worth a fart? Then what kind of thing are you?"

"You beat a thug like Xiong Batian and think you're invincible?"

"There are plenty of capable people in this world. You're the one who's not worth a fart!"

The group of lackeys cursed and glared at Xia Ping. Zhou Tai'an was a top-tier student, ranked in the top three of the school, while Xia Ping was nothing. The idea that he wanted to be mentioned in the same breath as Zhou Tai'an was laughable.

"Xia Ping!"

A coldness appeared on Zhou Tai'an's face. "I've seen plenty of people who can talk a big game. You're no different. Some people are invincible when they talk, but when it comes to doing things, they lack the strength to back it up."

"I hear you'll also be representing your class in this school fighting tournament. You had better pray you don't run into me, otherwise I'll show you the gap between a genius and a mortal. I am someone you will never be able to compare to, got it?"

He clenched his fists, causing them to crackle and pop as bursts of energy radiated outward, his entire body exuding a terrifying aura like a wild beast, forcing the surrounding students to instinctively retreat several steps.

Xia Ping, however, said nothing, simply watching him without being affected in the slightest.

"Let's go!"

After saying this, Zhou Tai'an shot Xia Ping a dark, gloomy glare, then waved his hand and left with his few lackeys in tow.