After a sweaty workout, Fang Cheng lay on the floor, panting.
The words [Stamina +1] had just disappeared from his field of vision. That was what he'd gained today. Fang Cheng could clearly feel his body getting stronger. Two hours of intense exercise had been much easier than yesterday.
Fang Cheng had given his new number to his homeroom teacher today. It was now past nine in the evening, and the school hadn't called him.
That meant Morishita Yamato hadn't reported the beating. Most likely, he wanted to get revenge on Fang Cheng himself and didn't want word getting out and costing him face.
That was exactly what Fang Cheng had hoped for. If Morishita Yamato used his family's influence against him, things would get tricky.
The drone outside the window was still keeping watch. Fang Cheng drew the curtains, washed up in the bathroom, then returned to his bedroom and flopped onto the bed. He grabbed his phone and kept playing.
He was starting to like this mobile game. It gave him a way to vent the stress and pent-up aggression inside him.
After a few ranked matches, Fang Cheng got matched with a familiar ID: Super Cute Super Powerful God.
"You again, you bastard!"
Fang Cheng cursed in irritation, but he didn't leave the match.
He was still playing ADC, and his opponent was still playing support. The two of them headed to the bottom lane.
After repelling an enemy attack, Fang Cheng retreated beneath the tower with low health. Super Cute Super Powerful God seized the chance to last-hit the cannon minion.
God Slayer: "***, ******"
Super Cute Super Powerful God: "Fair competition."
"Fair competition my ass!"
Fang Cheng cursed furiously.
They stumbled their way to a crucial team fight.
"Fuck you, give me a shield! What kind of support hides behind me?!"
"Heal me, heal me! Give me a heal!"
As Fang Cheng roared, Super Cute Super Powerful God cast the ultimate on himself and then flashed away.
Poor ADC Fang Cheng was left exposed to the enemy team, who focused him down and killed him instantly.
"Fuck!"
Watching the base explode, Fang Cheng unleashed a string of curses and slammed his phone onto the bed.
After panting for a while, Fang Cheng finally took a few deep breaths to calm himself down and rubbed his face.
"Forget it. It's just a game. No need to take it seriously."
He settled his emotions and picked up his phone to charge it.
"Time for bed!"
He switched off the light and lay beneath the covers, falling asleep in peaceful contentment.
Half an hour later, his bloodshot eyes snapped open.
"Goddamn support! Fuck you!!"
The next day, Fang Cheng got up looking like a ghost. He picked up the phone beside his pillow to check the time: six thirty.
He yawned. He'd slept terribly last night, and he'd even dreamed that he caught that dumbass support player.
The other guy had begged for mercy nonstop, but Fang Cheng had still pinned him down and rubbed his face in the dirt with a sneer.
He'd been having a great time when he suddenly woke up.
If he got matched against that dumbass support next time, Fang Cheng would make sure he never wanted to play ranked again.
He was that bad. Why not just play against bots?
Imagining the guy crying as he quit the game, Fang Cheng finally got up to brush his teeth and wash his face. After making and eating breakfast, he grabbed his schoolbag and headed out.
The police patrol drone appeared again, haunting him as it circled overhead. It wasn't worried about being spotted; it followed him openly and brazenly.
Fang Cheng acted as if the drone didn't exist and went about his business.
He'd considered filing a complaint, but eventually gave up on the idea. It was best to avoid contact with government employees unless absolutely necessary.
Besides, in these increasingly dangerous times, privacy was worth even less than a good lunch. Nobody cared about it.
Fang Cheng made his way to Kashima Academy and got to class without a hitch. No one gave him a hard time.
In the hallway, he ran into a few basketball team members who were doing morning exercises. They acted as usual and didn't even glance at him.
It seemed Morishita Yamato had done a good job keeping things quiet. He also wasn't in a hurry to send anyone after him.
But that wasn't good news. The longer it took, the harsher the revenge would be.
Given Morishita Yamato's personality, he might secretly hire someone to wrap Fang Cheng in concrete and dump him in Tokyo Bay.
If he had the means, Fang Cheng would have preferred to take the initiative and eliminate the threat. Being stuck on the defensive like this was simply unavoidable.
After all, besides his immortality, he was a complete weakling. And Kanzaki Rin, that woman who wouldn't leave him alone, was still keeping an eye on him.
Just as he sat down, Asaka Akie came over with a smile. "Good morning, Fang-kun."
Fang Cheng's gaze was drawn to her ample chest first, then lifted to her face. "Good morning."
Being an annoyingly nice guy was bound to make people dislike you, but Fang Cheng simply couldn't bring himself to hate this girl who came by every morning to give him a treat for the eyes.
Asaka Akie understood people! (Thumbs-up)
"Fang-kun, have you eaten breakfast? I know a place that has really good bread. You should try it sometime."
Asaka Akie chatted about this and that, then suddenly said, "Oh, right. If there's anything you don't understand in class, I can lend you my notes."
Yesterday, she'd noticed that Fang Cheng, unusually, hadn't slept in class. Instead, he'd been paying attention to his book. It made her feel like a long-troubled little brother had finally turned over a new leaf.
"Thanks. If there's anything I don't understand, I'll be sure to ask you nicely."
Fang Cheng smiled. His gaze suddenly fell on a red mark on Asaka Akie's wrist. "What happened to your hand?"
Asaka Akie raised her wrist to look at it, then hurriedly covered it with her sleeve. She held up a finger to Fang Cheng and winked. "Shh, don't tell anyone. I accidentally cut it last night. It looks awful."
She seemed perfectly calm, so Fang Cheng didn't press her. "I heard spit can disinfect wounds. Want me to lick it for you?"
Asaka Akie covered her mouth and giggled. "Ew, no thanks."
After Asaka Akie left, Fang Cheng unsurprisingly noticed the discreet, envious look from his desk neighbor, Sato.
"Sato, you're making it way too obvious. If you tried stalking someone, you'd get caught immediately."
"Who'd ever be a stalker?"
Sato Hayato retorted instinctively.
Fang Cheng chuckled. "Looks like you're jealous of how close Asaka and I are."
Sato Hayato hurriedly denied it. "I'm not. Don't make things up."
"Really? What a shame."
Fang Cheng put on a regretful expression. "I was going to tell you how to get along with Asaka."
Sato Hayato opened his mouth, then hesitated, looking like he really wanted to know but was afraid of getting tricked.
In the end, he couldn't help asking in a low voice, "I... have a friend who really wants to know."
Fang Cheng didn't tease him. Instead, he asked, "What kind of person do you think Asaka likes?"
Sato Hayato thought for a moment before answering uncertainly, "She likes... nice guys?"
Fang Cheng: "..."
Was being a nice guy really the only option in Area 11?
"Ridiculous. Have you watched so much anime that you think being nice is enough to win a girl's heart? How naive."
Fang Cheng wagged a finger. "From what I've observed, Asaka likes brave people who aren't afraid to express themselves. You can't keep hesitating and holding back like this. If you like her, confess. If confessing doesn't work, stalk her. If you don't have the guts to get hauled down to the police station, how are you ever going to win a girl over?"
Sato Hayato looked exasperated. "That's not going to work, is it?"
"You haven't even tried. How do you know it won't work? You don't have Asaka's LINE ID?"
"N-no, I don't."
"Exactly. Asaka's LINE status says, 'Are there really heroes in this world?' She wants someone with a masculine spirit. If you want to win her over, you have to do something a real man would do."
Fang Cheng spouted a bunch of toxic love advice, shoving it right into Sato Hayato's mouth and forcing it down.
The young guy listened intently, his eyes gradually brightening. "A masculine spirit? I get it. I'll become a man with the heart of a hero."
"If you're going to be that quiet, how do you expect to get a girl? Again!"
"I'll become a man with the heart of a hero!"
Sato Hayato suddenly raised his voice.
"Good. That's the spirit."
Fang Cheng patted him on the shoulder. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you do."
Sato Hayato was fired up like he'd just had an energy shot. He even pulled out his workbook and started scribbling away.
Fang Cheng sighed, "Youth really is wonderful," then took out his books and started reviewing, too.
Thanks to Pei Zhongfan for the tip!
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