Food...
After hearing Wang Sheng's words, Tang San rubbed his stomach.
He really was getting hungry.
Tang San's flatbread had been crushed to crumbs during the fight earlier. Even if he didn't want to owe them a favor, he had to go along.
Tang Hao hadn't given him any spending money. If he didn't go, he would go hungry.
And Ye Fan would steal Xiao Wu away!
Wait... my food only got crushed because of them in the first place. They ought to treat me to a meal.
At that thought, everything suddenly fell into place.
I have to go!
They owe me this!
Ye Fan nodded at the suggestion, though he was a little puzzled. Wasn't there supposed to be a scene where Gangzi delivered bedding?
Had Yu Xiaogang really taken that much of an emotional beating?
Could it be... I'll get to see Tang San shivering tonight?
But that was none of Ye Fan's business.
Chu Nan, after all, ran hot and could withstand the cold better.
Afterward, everyone headed to the dining hall together.
Wang Sheng was quite generous. However many dishes Xiao Wu wanted to try, he got her a serving of each.
Of course, they couldn't ask for much in terms of flavor. All they could say was that it wasn't bad.
Looking at the food before her, Xiao Wu eagerly picked up a carrot with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. Then her eyes lit up.
This is a heavenly delicacy!
"Ye Fan, try this carrot! It's really good!"
As she spoke, she held a carrot out to Ye Fan with her chopsticks, a sweet smile on her lips.
Man, how could you possibly resist this?
But Ye Fan merely glanced at it before turning back to gnaw on the chicken drumstick in his bowl.
"I don't eat carrots."
At his words, Xiao Wu's hand froze in midair.
Carrots are so delicious. What gives you the right not to eat them?
She angrily stuffed the carrot into her own mouth and chewed it viciously, imagining it was Ye Fan.
This guy is way too hard to please!
Next, she tried feeding him everything in her bowl, one item at a time. Of course... that included things from other people's bowls too.
She refused to believe there was nothing Ye Fan would eat!
Under Xiao Wu's tireless feeding efforts, Ye Fan reluctantly ate a little.
[Why is this rabbit so eager? Sure enough, even with a fresh start, this little rabbit still falls before my kingly, domineering aura.]
Hearing that, Xiao Wu rolled her eyes at him.
What a smug jerk. Why does he have so much going on in his head?
Sister Xiao Wu... Sister Xiao Wu hasn't fallen before you!
Seeing this, the others at the table felt full before they had eaten much.
Good grief.
Why was their new boss waiting on Ye Fan like a maid?
Well, Ye Fan was their second-in-command, so that was fine.
They... they wanted that too! They were so jealous!
Tang San, especially, had bitten the spoon in his mouth into a three-fold bend after witnessing the scene and hearing Ye Fan's thoughts.
"No!!!!"
This can't possibly be real!
He needed to think about how to win Xiao Wu's favor...
Just as everyone was digging into their food, a jarring voice rang out.
"Oi, you penniless work-study students down there!"
Ye Fan looked up at the voice.
Several tall-looking boys were leaning against the railing on the dining hall's second floor, looking down with mocking expressions.
More precisely, their gazes rested on Xiao Wu.
With such a cute little girl suddenly appearing among the work-study students, it was hard not to notice her.
When Xiao Wu looked up, the boy in front rubbed his chin.
Nice. Very nice indeed!
"Little girl, stop hanging around those penniless work-study students. Come up here and feed us big brothers. Keep us happy, and we'll treat you to big chicken drumsticks. Isn't that better than pressing your warm face against someone's cold backside?"
His lackeys chimed in.
"Exactly! Our boss is plenty hot-blooded! He's much better at sweet-talking than that little brat."
"Make our boss happy, and you'll even get money!"
Hearing the filthy remarks from upstairs, Ye Fan frowned.
What a pack of beasts.
Sure, people on the Douluo Continent generally mature early, but is it appropriate for you guys, who look nearly grown, to say things like that to a hundred-thousand-and-six-year-old child?
Once Tang San registered what was happening, a cold light flashed in his eyes.
They dare harass Xiao Wu in broad daylight? These people have already paved their own road to death!
Xiao Wu also set down her chopsticks. Looking displeased, she asked Wang Sheng, "Who are these guys? They sound like they're begging for a beating."
What do they mean, pressing against a cold backside? I'm just living life with all my might!
At her question, Wang Sheng shot to his feet in fury and pointed at the boys upstairs as he cursed.
"Xiao Chenyu, shut your filthy mouth! She's our boss!"
With three powerful backers now among the work-study students, he wasn't afraid of Xiao Chenyu and his gang!
"Your boss?"
The boys upstairs froze at that, then burst into laughter.
"Wang Sheng, if you penniless losers are too scared to fight anymore, just get on your knees and kowtow a few times. We might even take you in as errand boys."
"Exactly. Making a little girl your boss? What are you after? The smell of milk still on her?"
"Hahahahaha!!"
Once they finished laughing, they all swaggered over to the staircase, still looking down on the work-study students from above.
Damn them!
Tang San cursed inwardly and instantly rose to his feet. Several steel needles appeared in his hand, and the piercing purple light in his eyes locked firmly onto their throats.
Just as he was about to strike.
"Why are you making a racket instead of eating your meals in the dining hall?!"
A calm voice carrying a hint of authority rang through the dining hall.
At the dining hall entrance, Yu Xiaogang strode in with the light behind him.
An air of confidence surrounded him, as though he were making a dazzling entrance.
Looking at Tang San's back, he felt deeply gratified.
Having the courage to stand up for a classmate and not fear his opponents is a strength.
But failing to recognize the gap in their abilities shows a lack of composure.
Never mind. As his teacher, I'll handle this for him... conveniently, it'll also establish my authority as an elder in front of Tang San!
Seeing the newcomer, Xiao Chenyu and the others curled their lips.
A busybody has arrived.
Looks like there won't be a fight today.
There was an unwritten rule between them and the work-study students.
They settled things with their own abilities. Nobody was allowed to bring in a teacher!
With that in mind, Xiao Chenyu and the others prepared to return to the second floor and continue eating.
But just then... Yu Xiaogang spoke again.
"Hmph. Ignorant and uneducated, doing nothing but throwing your weight around to bully others. This academy has no need for people like you.
"It seems I'll need to speak to the dean about student discipline when I have the time," Yu Xiaogang said coldly.
He was merely the son of a small-town city lord. Yu Xiaogang thought nothing of him.
In the eyes of the children around him, Yu Xiaogang truly did possess a teacher's authority at that moment.
Hearing that, Xiao Chenyu's cheek twitched twice.
Fuck, what's gotten into Yu Xiaogang? He's the academy's biggest freeloader, yet today he actually has the nerve to stick his nose into our business.
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