Put a little chrysanthemum over the bloody bits

"Are you threatening us?!" The wealthy woman planted her hands on her hips. "Aren't you afraid we'll expose you?"

"You're a celebrity now. Everything you say and do is subject to public scrutiny!"

Jian Li curled his lip. "I don't give a damn. Worst case, I get blacklisted and leave showbiz. But you all teaming up to frame my little brother? I'm not letting that slide."

"You've got money and power, while the two of us have nothing. We've got nothing to lose, so let's take this all the way."

He sounded utterly nonchalant, but he failed to notice the unusual emotion flickering in Jian Yue's eyes as his brother looked up at him, still silently leaning against the wall a short distance behind him...

That reckless, nothing-to-lose attitude visibly deflated the wealthy woman. While she hesitated over whether to keep arguing, someone beside her murmured,

"Did you watch Jian Li's livestream at the Lu Family's place? He even dared to offend Lu Siqi..."

Lu Siqi?

Who didn't know about that rising business star's ruthless methods?

By comparison,

the wealthy woman's business couldn't even measure up to one of his subsidiaries.

Could it be...

that Jian Yue's brother had powerful backing too? Was that why he dared to act so unhinged and arrogant?!

At that thought, the wealthy woman began to back down. She cleared her throat and redirected her fire. "Ms. Cao, they're classmates, after all. We don't want things to get too ugly either. We'll let it go today, but if anything like this happens again..."

"I understand, I understand." Cao Qinghua gave them an appeasing smile. "Rest assured, parents. I'll do everything I can to resolve the conflicts between the students."

"Hmph." The wealthy woman gave a disdainful snort and turned toward the office door.

The other parents followed close behind, their retreating figures looking rather sheepish as they hurried away.

The tense atmosphere abruptly dissipated. Cao Qinghua secretly breathed a sigh of relief and raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from her forehead.

Then, remembering something, she abruptly turned and saw Jian Li's expression, which looked like a smile but was actually chilling.

"Ahem." Cao Qinghua coughed awkwardly twice. "It's wonderful that we could resolve this. Jian Yue's brother, you must have work to get back to, so I won't keep you. I have a class soon myself."

With that, she picked up her lesson plans and practically bolted for the door.

Jian Li didn't stop her. After all, a bootlicking homeroom teacher wouldn't be much help in dealing with the bullies once and for all.

And so, only the two brothers remained in the office.

Jian Li hooked a stool over with his foot, sat down without ceremony, then crossed his legs. "Tell me. What exactly happened?"

Jian Yue pressed his lips together. "What's the point of telling you? You'll just tell me to put up with it."

Jian Li narrowed his eyes.

Right. With the way the male lead of a suffering-filled novel meekly accepted everything, he really would pass on that kind of misguided belief.

Just endure it, and it'll pass...

But reality had proven otherwise.

Endure it, my ass.

Those vicious bastards would only keep shitting on your head!

"Forget whatever I said before. Starting today..." Jian Li's lips spread into a crazed grin. "If anyone dares tell you to back down again, go right up and slap them across the damn face!"

Jian Yue had never seen his brother like this. Looking utterly stunned, he finally voiced his doubts. "Are you really my brother?!"

"Did someone replace you?!"

He'd felt something was off from the moment his brother walked in.

Although his brother was busy with work and rarely came to school, in Jian Yue's memory, he'd been skin and bones for ten straight years. That had never changed.

The last time he'd shown up, his face had still been as pale as paper.

But today, not only did his complexion look healthy and radiant,

there were even faint signs that he'd been working out...

What could this be if not a replacement?!

Jian Li didn't deny it. He smiled faintly. "Just think of it as your brother being reborn."

Who could clearly explain such a drastic change in personality?

Trying would only make him look more suspicious.

He stood as he spoke. "Do you leave school to eat when classes let out at noon?"

"Yeah." Jian Yue nodded glumly.

Just thinking about the miserable mess at school left him utterly dejected.

He even felt the urge to drop out.

"Those five probably hang around together a lot, right?" A sharp glint flashed through Jian Li's eyes. "Go back and focus on class. I'll wait for you at the school gate at noon."

With that, he walked out of the office with one hand in his pocket.

Before Jian Yue could even think through what Jian Li meant, his brother had already disappeared down the corridor.

He looked around, his heart suddenly leaping into his throat.

"...Is he really going to ambush them?!"

Jian Li left the school and climbed into his pride-of-the-nation car. His phone suddenly rang.

He swiped to answer, and Li Lu immediately roared, "Bro, did you forget about today's booking?!"

"What booking?" Jian Li really had forgotten.

"The season-one finale reunion for Lone Warrior!" Li Lu was worked up. "Every fucking person is here except you!"

"Oh..." Jian Li felt a little awkward. "What do we do? I can't make it."

Li Lu clawed at his hair in agitation, taking another step toward baldness. "You're asking me what to do? I was about to ask you! Why can't you come?! You fucking..."

"My little brother's being bullied at school. I've gotta sort it out for him."

"Sort it out, my ass! Get your ass over here right this instant..." Before Li Lu could finish, someone beside him snatched the phone away.

"Jian Li, this is the director. Could you film some of that school-bullying material for me?" the director asked eagerly. "We're showing edited highlights anyway. Inserting a live segment should work pretty well."

That segment at the Lu Family's place two days ago had gone viral.

It had even dragged the survival show straight to the top of the trending topics.

They'd saved on marketing expenses and attracted quite a few investors too.

If they could pull it off again, the director wouldn't mind smiling himself into a face full of wrinkles!

"I mean, sure," Jian Li said hesitantly. "But what if it gets really brutal?"

"Oh, come on! They're bullying someone at school. Why hold back on them?" The director thought for a moment. "Worst case, I'll edit it afterward and mosaic their faces."

"And put a little chrysanthemum over the bloody bits."

Jian Li fell silent. ...Why a chrysanthemum?!

Not long after he hung up, the lunch-break bell rang.

Jian Li didn't show himself right away. He simply watched from inside the car.

Only when the students began filing out did he spot Jian Yue at the back of the crowd.

Since they'd agreed to meet at noon, Jian Yue looked back and forth outside the school gate.

But before he could spot his brother, a group surrounded him from behind...

Perfect timing!

Jian Li entered the livestream and adjusted the camera angle, then put on a baseball cap and sunglasses and got out of the car.

"Yo, Jian Yue, where's that celebrity brother of yours? Didn't he bring you any diapers?" The fat boy at the front slung an arm around Jian Yue's neck and hauled him toward a side path. "Come on, come on. Let's go have some fun with the boys."

"I'm not going with you. I still have to wait for my brother!"

Jian Yue tried to break free, but he couldn't overcome the boy's strength at all. He could only stumble along bent over, trapped under his arm.

Quite a few fans had already poured into the livestream. At the sight, they began flooding the screen with comments.

[Are you sure this is what a top city school looks like? Why do they look like a bunch of thugs?]

[That's normal. There are bad apples everywhere. Let's watch first!]