Do You Think You Can Afford to Cross Me?

That morning, Jian Li was woken by his phone ringing.

He swiped to answer without even opening his eyes. "Who is it?"

"This had better be important, or I'll kill you!"

The teacher in the faculty office froze at the voice coming through the speakerphone, then turned to ask, "Jian Yue... is your brother always this fierce?"

Jian Yue looked just as stunned as his homeroom teacher. After a long pause, he said, "Ma'am, my brother's always been pretty gentle."

A teacher?

A teacher!

Jian Li, who had still been half asleep, jolted awake and sprang out of bed. "Hello, ma'am! I'm Jian Yue's older brother. May I ask what you're calling about?!"

Now that was how a guardian ought to behave.

The homeroom teacher cleared her throat. "Hello, I'm Jian Yue's homeroom teacher. I'm calling because your brother got into a fight at school. His midterm grades weren't very good either, so he needs some supervision."

"Do you have time to come to the school? We can discuss it in person."

"..."

Jian Li thought back and realized that what the teacher had said didn't quite match the plot.

Wasn't the little-known celebrity's younger brother supposed to be ostracized and bullied at school because of their gambling-addict father?

He was supposed to be a coward who never fought back or talked back. How had he gotten his guardian called in for fighting?

Something was fishy here.

"Should I come over right now?" Jian Li asked after a moment's thought.

The homeroom teacher's voice grew sterner. "Preferably."

"All right."

Jian Li hung up, threw on some clothes, and headed for the door.

Then he thought better of it and stepped back inside.

His popularity had been rising lately. If he went out onto the street like this, people would swarm him for autographs.

He'd better disguise himself.

Ugh, what a pain!

Jian Li put on a baseball cap and sunglasses, took the elevator down to the underground parking garage, found his pride-of-the-domestic-auto-industry car, and pressed the button on his key fob.

Beep-beep-

After the two beeps, he climbed inside.

Half an hour later, he arrived at the city high school.

When he entered the faculty office, a thin boy was standing in the corner, too afraid to raise his head. His chin was practically buried in his chest, and he trembled like a frightened quail.

Jian Li narrowed his eyes as he glanced over, then looked away a second later.

"You're Jian Yue's older brother?" A stout, middle-aged woman beckoned to Jian Li. "I'm his homeroom teacher. My surname is Cao."

"Hello, Ms. Cao." Gone were the respect and courtesy Jian Li had shown over the phone. He drawled with an air of nonchalance, "Tell me exactly what happened."

Cao Qinghua suddenly adopted a pained expression. "I really can't control this boy of yours. Nothing I say gets through to him. He insists on bullying his classmates, and now he's injured them. Their parents are demanding compensation. What are you going to do about it?"

"Don't get worked up yet, ma'am. Let me ask him." Jian Li walked over to Jian Yue and suddenly hooked a hand beneath his chin, exposing the alarming scratches across his face.

"Hiss-"

"You beat someone up and got hurt yourself?"

"How many were you fighting at once?"

Behind him, Cao Qinghua's gaze shifted evasively. She suddenly stood up. "Never mind how many! The reckless way your brother fought scared even me. If you don't rein him in now, he could end up killing someone one day!"

Jian Yue pulled away from Jian Li's hand and lowered his head again.

He radiated a bitter resignation that said, I deserved it. I'll accept my fate.

Seeing this, Jian Li turned around with a curl of his lips. "Ma'am, since my brother has injuries on his face, doesn't that mean the other side fought back too?"

"In a situation like this, even the police would classify it as a mutual fight. Why are you only scolding my brother?"

Cao Qinghua choked on her reply.

She had assumed that the guardian of a student as spineless as Jian Yue couldn't be much better.

But Jian Li was so sharp-tongued that she found herself struggling to handle him.

And he was a celebrity. If this ended up online...

At that thought, Cao Qinghua softened her attitude considerably. "It's not that we're determined to blame your brother. It's just that the other parents have already complained to the education bureau. I'm afraid this won't be easy to resolve."

She had barely finished speaking when a crowd surged through the doorway.

"Ma'am, you have to give us an explanation today! A rotten apple like Jian Yue, a parasite on society, must be expelled!"

"If you don't expel him, I'll take this to the provincial education commission and make sure every one of you gets disciplinary action!"

"That's right! We'll go too!"

"..."

Jian Li turned at the noise. Once he saw what was happening, the corners of his mouth lifted. "Wow. Quite the turnout."

The wealthy-looking woman at the front shot him a sidelong look. "Who are you? What's your relationship with Jian Yue?!"

"I'm his older brother," Jian Li replied calmly, taking off his cap and sunglasses.

Someone recognized him. "Isn't he that celebrity from Lone Warrior?!"

"No wonder Jian Yue's so arrogant. He's got a celebrity brother backing him up!"

"So what if he's a celebrity? Does that mean he can do whatever he wants and enable school violence?!"

"Exactly! If this isn't dealt with properly, we'll expose him! Let the public judge him!"

"..."

They all talked over one another, endlessly.

Irritated by the noise, Jian Li suddenly spun into a roundhouse kick and shattered the teacup on the desk.

The room fell abruptly silent. Everyone stared, dumbstruck, at the glass fragments scattered across the floor.

"Ma'am, I'll transfer you the money later," Jian Li said casually, even glancing at the stunned Jian Yue behind him before turning to the clamoring parents. "So, I'd like to ask-where are your children? Where are they injured? Let me have a look."

"They're... they're still in their classroom." Seeing that she could no longer contain the situation, Cao Qinghua had no choice but to answer.

Jian Li nodded. "One more question. How many people did my brother fight?"

"F-five." Cao Qinghua's voice grew quieter and quieter.

Jian Li said, "So my brother fought five against one? And none of them are injured-they're all sitting perfectly fine in class-while the only injured one is standing here getting scolded?"

"It's only natural he couldn't beat them. He shouldn't have started it!" the wealthy woman said quietly.

The others were about to chime in when Jian Li asked, "My brother started it? Do you have proof?"

Of course they didn't!

They had only just received the calls and rushed to the school. They hadn't even asked what exactly had happened!

"The school has security cameras, doesn't it?" Jian Li turned toward the teacher behind him, his piercing gaze cutting like a blade. "Don't tell me they're broken."

"N-no, they're not." Cao Qinghua hurried over and lowered her voice. "Jian Yue's brother, just swallow your pride. These aren't people you can afford to cross. Apologize and let it be over."

Jian Li's lips slowly curved. Each word came out distinctly, with perfect clarity. "Do you think you can afford to cross me?"

Cao Qinghua froze, then heard him continue.

"Apologize? No problem!" Jian Li's smile grew increasingly dangerous. "But after I apologize, I'll go to their classroom and pay a visit to these victims of school bullying. I'll memorize every face and wait at the school gates."

"I'll follow them all the way, and somewhere without security cameras..."

He bared his white teeth.

"I'll make them look the way victims of school bullying should."

Everyone present sucked in a cold breath.

Why did he seem like a lunatic?!