Fighting

"Zhang Ruofeng, this fighting incident of yours is a bit serious." The counselor looked at the distracted Zhang Ruofeng with a helpless expression, while Zhang Ruofeng felt equally helpless at this moment.

"Counselor, you know the situation; those three were the ones who threw the first punch," Zhang Ruofeng replied helplessly.

"Threw the first punch?" The counselor was so angry his eyes narrowed. "The university doesn't stop you from going out to eat and drink, but do you realize that fighting will have a huge impact on your graduation? And in the worst-case scenario, you could be expelled!"

"Yes, I know, but if someone hits me, I will definitely hit back," Zhang Ruofeng said calmly.

"Is that how you hit back?" Seeing Zhang Ruofeng still talking back, the counselor became even more incensed. "You hit back by injuring people and sending them to the hospital? One of them even ended up with a concussion because of you!"

"..." Zhang Ruofeng said nothing, merely turning his head away with a flat expression, which only gave the counselor a worse headache.

"Go back, just go back. Wait for the school's disciplinary decision," the counselor waved his hand, wanting him out of sight and out of mind.

Zhang Ruofeng sighed as he walked out of the office, touching his heavily bandaged left hand; the pain from the brawl last night still lingered.

Because he was in a bad mood yesterday, Zhang Ruofeng had found a few friends to go out for barbecue. They were all people who had spent three years together in the Anime Club, so they were naturally very close. Who would have thought that halfway through their drinks, Xin Mu, a girl who had come out with them, would be approached by a junior from the same college confessing his feelings? Since it wasn't the first time they had seen such a scene, everyone was relatively relaxed.

Mu Mu, known among their friends as the "Ice Beauty," would most likely refuse. Zhang Ruofeng lit a cigarette, preparing to watch the show, when a few friends beside him tapped his shoulder: "Hey, Xin Mu is getting confessed to, you know? Zhang Ruofeng, don't you have anything to say?"

"Huh? What should I have to say?" Zhang Ruofeng asked with a blank expression.

"This... you really are a male lead from an anime." His close friends all covered their faces in exasperation.

"I'm sorry, I can't accept; I have someone I like," Xin Mu replied with a flat refusal, even pushing the flowers back. The man looked stunned, and the bouquet fell to the ground.

"Hey, hey, Senior, if you don't want them, you don't have to throw them on the ground," the boys who came with the suitor jeered. Only then did Zhang Ruofeng look at them closely and notice they had been drinking, which made him frown. Since Xin Mu had the reputation of an Ice Beauty, she was naturally firm with most people; she just frowned, said nothing, and turned back to the table.

"Senior, that attitude of yours isn't great," one of the suitor's friends said, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. He stepped forward, looking as if he were about to grab Xin Mu's shoulder. The other boys who came with him, except for the suitor, all looked like they were waiting to watch the show.

"Cut it out. If you keep going, it won't be funny, and you'll just embarrass your friend." Because he was sitting to the left of Mu Mu, Zhang Ruofeng stood up slightly to block the boy's hand.

"Get lost. I know you guys—aren't you just a bunch of losers?" The boy's temper flared because his goal was blocked. He had likely had quite a bit to drink; even Zhang Ruofeng, who had also been drinking, could smell the alcohol wafting off him.

"Stop it, let's go," the suitor said, seeing things taking a turn for the worse. Zhang Ruofeng's friends also stood up, and many people were looking in their direction. He immediately tried to persuade his friend.

"Go where?" Another one walked up. "Are you nerds scared?" Zhang Ruofeng frowned even more. These guys looked like they had drunk more than just a little, and at this moment, Xin Mu stood up as well.

"Juniors, it seems you have a bit of a misunderstanding about nerds," Xin Mu said coldly. "We are only 'nerds' because we like anime and games. You have no right to insult my friends."

"I insulted them, so what?" Zhang Ruofeng felt an even worse headache. The boy not only shook off his hand but even raised his fist to strike, only to have his wrist caught by Zhang Ruofeng once again. "The school's punishments are very strict. Sober up and leave. We can still pretend this never happened."

This time, not only was the boy who had been caught surprised, but even Zhang Ruofeng's friends were taken aback. Zhang Ruofeng had actually intercepted an attack while having consumed a lot of alcohol? Was this the same Zhang Ruofeng they knew, the one with the lacking emotional intelligence who didn't even realize Xin Mu had feelings for him? The Zhang Ruofeng who usually didn't talk much and was friendly to everyone?

Zhang Ruofeng was feeling very irritable at the moment. He had worked so hard to act as an inarticulate, calm person in front of these friends; was it all going to be ruined today? "I'll say it one more time: take your friend and leave. If you keep making a scene, it won't be good for anyone. You..." Zhang Ruofeng said.

"!" Before Zhang Ruofeng could finish, the troublemaker, frustrated at being blocked in front of everyone, kicked out in a fit of rage. The surrounding crowd let out a gasp.

"Ruofeng!" Xin Mu cried out in surprise, but upon seeing the scene before her, she covered her mouth in shock. Zhang Ruofeng had raised his knee just in time to catch the sole of the troublemaker's foot, causing the man to lose his balance and sit on the ground. When his friends saw him fall, they rushed forward in a fury.

"Don't get involved," Zhang Ruofeng said to his friends before turning around, only to be punched in the face, blood instantly flowing from the corner of his mouth. "Tch, it's been a while..." Zhang Ruofeng had taken a heavy blow to the face, and his entire right cheek was swelling up, but he didn't retreat a single step. This made everyone preparing to fight, whether on his side or the troublemakers', pause. "It's been a long time since someone made me this pissed off!!!!"

Zhang Ruofeng couldn't actually remember much of the memory that followed, but the counselor's notification today made him realize he had lost his composure again last night. It did, however, remind him that from a young age, he had always been the one being bullied. As a skinny child, Zhang Ruofeng could be considered the biggest loser in games with his peers; any game without girls participating usually ended in his defeat.

"Thinking back, I was pretty miserable back then," Zhang Ruofeng touched his chin. When did he become strong? Zhang Ruofeng silently recalled, and then several fragmented scenes flashed through his mind, causing him to squat on the ground with a headache.

"It seems it started around that time." Zhang Ruofeng lit a cigarette. Although he couldn't remember why, he had been doing various exercises since middle school. He had learned various grappling techniques from his uncle who served in the military, and he had also studied boxing moves and Wing Chun Jeet Kune Do online. The cause was actually because he had been bullied quite badly by the school thugs. "Come to think of it, they stopped coming to school after the second year of middle school." Zhang Ruofeng suddenly remembered these old events; although he felt a bit strange about it, too much time had passed for him to make sense of it.

"I thought that after getting into college and joining the nerdiest Anime Club, I had hidden my past well enough." Zhang Ruofeng puffed on his cigarette and shook his head.

"Zhang Ruofeng!!" Just as Zhang Ruofeng was immersed in his fantasies, a sharp female voice from behind shattered his wandering thoughts. Zhang Ruofeng knew it was Xin Mu calling him without even turning around, but the moment he regained his focus, he realized he was standing in the middle of the road, and a speeding car was less than five meters away.

"Looks like it can't stop." Zhang Ruofeng felt no panic at this moment. The world before his eyes seemed to slow down in an instant. In his peripheral vision, he could see Xin Mu rushing over like a madwoman, her long hair flying in the wind, her large eyes filled with tears and panic. Used to her usual cold expression, Zhang Ruofeng actually felt like laughing.

"Xin Mu, I'm sorry. Although I know you like me, is it because of my parents' divorce? I find myself unable to like anyone." Just as a bitter smile welled up in Zhang Ruofeng's heart, the screech of emergency brakes cut off all his thoughts.