Campus Belle Su Nianhe

Lin Yun opened the "Warrior Rush Hire" app on his phone. It was an officially certified warrior part-time job platform in Dragon Nation.

His finger swiftly swiped across the screen. Most of the listings were marked with the requirement [Martial Apprentice and above], far beyond what he could take on at present.

Just as he was about to give up, a recruitment listing posted two seconds ago popped up:

[Urgent Hire: 4 heavy equipment movers. Location: No. 56 Martial Arts Street, District 5, Azure City. Advanced Trainee Warrior and above only. 100 machines total, each weighing 700–1,000 kilograms. 1,000 Dragon Nation credits per machine, paid the same day. Note: Any scratches or damage must be compensated at original price.]

Lin Yun's eyes lit up, and he accepted the job without hesitation.

One thousand per machine. If he moved forty of them, he could make up the forty-thousand-credit shortfall for the Astral Body-Tempering Grass.

Forty minutes later, the taxi stopped outside No. 56 Martial Arts Street.

Before the mottled iron gates, three burly men in faded work uniforms stood in a row with their heads lowered. A young man dressed in globally limited-edition sportswear, his hair combed impeccably into place, stood with his hands behind his back and lectured them. His chin was raised high, every word dripping with lofty arrogance.

"Let me make this ugly truth clear first!" Zhao Ritian jabbed a finger at the three laborers' chests. "This batch of equipment belongs to Miss Su Nianhe. She trusts me, which is why she specifically entrusted such an important job to me. I absolutely cannot let down that trust!"

He puffed out his chest, looking immensely pleased with himself. "So if any of you dare make a mistake—even if you chip off a bit of paint—not only will you get none of today's wages, I, Zhao Ritian, guarantee that you'll never be able to make a living in Azure City again. Understand?"

The three laborers nodded repeatedly, scarcely daring to breathe.

The gray-clad man at the front had hands covered in calluses. With a fawning smile, he said, "Rest assured, Young Master Zhao. We've been in this line of work for more than ten years. We'll handle everything with care and make sure it's done properly."

"It had better be."

Zhao Ritian snorted coldly. Just as he turned to open the door, he caught sight of Lin Yun approaching from the corner of his eye.

He froze for a moment, then seemed to have found some amusement. A deeply mocking smile curled across his lips.

"Well, if it isn't Lin Yun, the famous top scorer of Qingcheng Academy's written exams?" Zhao Ritian deliberately raised his voice so the three laborers could hear every word. "What's this? Your brother hasn't even been dead for two days, and you've already squandered those two hundred thousand credits in compensation? Fallen so low that you have to haul bricks for a living?"

Lin Yun's gaze turned cold, but he said nothing.

He knew Zhao Ritian.

The eldest young master of Azure City's Zhao Family, and the rabid pursuer of campus belle Su Nianhe. Backed by his family's wealth and influence, he had run rampant through the school for three years.

But based on what Lin Yun knew of Su Nianhe, she found Zhao Ritian bad luck just to look at and avoided him whenever she could. How could she possibly have invited him to supervise the work?

Most likely, Zhao Ritian had heard the news from somewhere and shamelessly forced his way in. Su Nianhe probably could not bring herself to refuse him, so she had no choice but to let him tag along.

It was better that Su Nianhe was not here. For certain troublesome reasons, Lin Yun did not want to run into her.

Though Lin Yun said nothing, Zhao Ritian only grew more animated. He pointed at Lin Yun and glanced at the three laborers.

"Let me properly introduce him to you. This man is quite the figure at Qingcheng Academy. His brother was a martyr of the Vanguard Army, who died for his country. What a pity, though—he left behind such a useless younger brother. He's practiced martial arts for ten years, yet his vitality score is a pitiful two points. He can't even touch the passing line for the martial arts exam. For the rest of his life, he can only live off the money his brother earned by throwing away his life, eating and waiting to die."

The gray-clad man frowned and could not help speaking up. "Young Master Zhao, this young man is the family of a martyr. What you said was too much."

"Yeah, and you're classmates from the same school. Why do you have to mock him like this?"

"It is a little inappropriate..."

The other two spoke quietly as well.

Though they were all laborers at the bottom rung of society, they could still tell right from wrong.

Seeing that the three laborers had not joined him in humiliating Lin Yun and had instead defied him, Zhao Ritian's face instantly darkened.

Zhao Ritian pointed at their noses and cursed, "What the hell do you think you are? Three stinking brick-haulers! It's already generous of me to give you a bite to eat, and you still dare wag your tongues? Believe it or not, I can make you scram right now and ensure you can never survive in Azure City again!?"

The three laborers' faces flushed red, their fists clenching with audible cracks.

But when they thought of the children at home waiting for tuition money and the elderly lying sick in bed, they ultimately gritted their teeth and lowered their heads, not daring to speak again.

Zhao Ritian smiled smugly, then turned back to Lin Yun, his eyes becoming even more gloomy.

"Lin Yun, you really came here to move things? With that scrawny body of yours, forget seven hundred kilograms. I'd say even seventy kilograms could flatten you."

With that thought, Zhao Ritian continued humiliating Lin Yun. He deliberately pointed at the cardboard boxes piled on the ground nearby.

"How about this? Why don't you take those cardboard boxes away and sell them? That should be enough for one meal, right?"

Lin Yun raised his head, his eyes icy as he looked at him. "Zhao Ritian, you'd better keep your mouth clean."

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Zhao Ritian sneered. "Aren't you trash? Can you move the equipment inside? Let me tell you, even the lightest thing here weighs seven hundred kilograms. It takes an Advanced Trainee Warrior to move it. Garbage with a vitality score of two like you isn't even qualified to touch it."

He folded his arms, his face full of contempt.

"If I were you, I'd have found a crack in the ground and crawled into it long ago. And you still have the nerve to come out and make a spectacle of yourself? Hurry up and get lost. Don't stand here getting in the way and delaying our work."

"Since you're so certain I can't move it," Lin Yun said without the slightest ripple in his voice, "how about we make a bet?"

"A bet?" Zhao Ritian acted as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. Pointing at his own nose, he burst into laughter. "Lin Yun, do you have a fever? You want to bet with me?"

"Sure. What do you want to bet on?"

"If I can move the equipment here, you have to apologize to the three of them." Lin Yun looked straight into his eyes and spoke each word distinctly. "If I can't, I'll call you Grandpa, then get lost on my own."

Zhao Ritian's eyes instantly lit up.

He had been looking for a chance to humiliate Lin Yun. He had not expected Lin Yun to deliver himself right to his doorstep.

"Fine! I'll take that bet!" He immediately agreed, afraid Lin Yun might regret it. "The heaviest thing here is that nine-hundred-kilogram virtual combat pod. If you can move it intact to the second floor, not only will I apologize to the three of them, I'll pay double wages for all of them today—including you!"

He sneered inwardly. Moving nine hundred kilograms required at least nine points of vitality.

Trash like Lin Yun, with a vitality score of two, could not even lift it, much less move it.

Today, he would make Lin Yun lose all face—and perhaps even end up permanently crippled!

The gray-clad man's expression changed. He hurriedly grabbed Lin Yun's arm and anxiously lowered his voice. "Young man, don't be impulsive! Don't you know what kind of person Young Master Zhao is? He's deliberately provoking you! Nine hundred kilograms—that's no joke. If it falls and injures you, your whole life will be ruined!"

"That's right, Student Lin," the bald man urged as well, his face full of worry. "A few insults don't matter to us. We can endure them, and they'll pass. You're still young. Your future matters. There's no need to get angry with trash like him."

"Listen to your uncle and leave quickly." The bearded man sighed. "The three of us old bones are used to being cursed at. We don't care about one or two more insults. But you're different. You're a martyr's younger brother. Nothing can happen to you."

Lin Yun gently pushed the gray-clad man's hand away and looked at him firmly. "Uncles, thank you for speaking up for me just now."

"You stood up for me. If I just leave like this and watch him humiliate you, what kind of man would that make me?"

"My brother taught me from childhood that a real man must repay kindness and stand tall beneath the sky and upon the earth. If I can't even protect those who helped me, what face will I have to see him in the future?"

The three laborers trembled all over, and the way they looked at Lin Yun instantly changed.

Before, they had only thought this youth was frail and pitiful. But now, they saw in him a backbone and sense of responsibility far beyond his years.

The gray-clad man's eyes reddened. He forcefully patted Lin Yun's shoulder. "Good lad! What a good lad! We underestimated you!"

Zhao Ritian snorted, his face full of disdain. "Are you done acting? If you are, get started. I'd like to see how you, a piece of trash with two points of vitality, plan to move a nine-hundred-kilogram virtual combat pod to the second floor."

"If you can't move it, hurry up and kneel before me, kowtow three times, call me Grandpa, and get the hell out of here!"

Just as Lin Yun lifted his foot to walk toward the virtual combat pod, the heavy iron gates were pushed open from outside with a clang.

A crisp voice, clear as silver bells and tinged with confusion, drifted in:

"Zhao Ritian? Why are you here? Didn't I say I didn't need your help?"

Everyone turned toward the voice.

Beside the iron gates stood a girl with a high ponytail, bright eyes, and pearly teeth. She wore a loose white T-shirt that emphasized her full chest and slender waist. Her fitted athletic shorts ended midway down her thighs, hugging her round, pert buttocks. Beneath them stretched a pair of firm, smooth, wheat-toned long legs, and trendy sneakers adorned her feet. Her entire body radiated a youthful vitality that struck one head-on.

She was Su Nianhe, the campus belle of Qingcheng First Advanced Academy and Azure City's number-one prodigy.

Hearing that voice, Zhao Ritian seemed as though a bucket of cold water had been poured over him. He shuddered violently.

He hurriedly straightened his hair and clothes. The arrogance and malice on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by a fawning smile uglier than tears. Then he scampered over to her.

"Nianhe, why did you come early? I was worried you wouldn't have time to deal with these trivial matters, so I came specially to help! Look, I found all the workers for you. They're all experienced hands with more than ten years in the trade. They definitely won't damage your equipment."

Su Nianhe was about to tell Zhao Ritian to leave when she suddenly spotted Lin Yun among the crowd.

Her expression changed at once. Even her furrowed brows instantly relaxed.

"Lin Yun, what are you doing here!?"

Surprise and delight blossomed across Su Nianhe's face. She ignored Zhao Ritian completely and ran straight toward Lin Yun.

It was as though, from the moment she saw Lin Yun, he was the only person left in this campus belle's world.