Richie was like a spring: the harder you pushed, the harder he pushed back

Richie's little head was filled with huge question marks. What? A lackey? He instinctively protested:

"I won't-"

The boy opposite him frowned even more deeply, his tone displeased. "You won't? Do you want a beating?

"Let me give you a friendly warning. My father holds enormous power. He's someone the son of a psychiatrist like you could never afford to offend.

"If you won't be my lackey, I'll make your life miserable from now on. I'll make sure you come out of it battered and bruised."

The boy standing before Richie, who had the same blond hair and blue eyes as him, had a look of cruelty that seemed capable of tearing everything apart. A single glance was enough to make Richie tremble.

But was Richie the sort of person who could be scared off by words?

The harder someone pushed Richie, the harder he pushed back.

That was why Richie was like a spring: the harder you pushed, the harder he pushed back; if you eased off, so did he.

Richie never backed down in the face of power. Under the boy's threats, he immediately toughened up:

"Really? Then I'll be waiting. I'd like to see just how you plan to make my life miserable."

Richie had no intention of staying there any longer and turned to leave.

Partly because the boy's demand was utterly unreasonable, and partly because his presence really was rather intimidating.

If Richie didn't leave now, he was afraid he really would be scared into submission.

After Richie walked away without looking back, the boy could no longer keep his composure. Clenching his fist, he furiously pointed at Richie's back and shouted, "Just you wait-"

Richie casually waved at the boy behind him. "I'll be waiting~~"

The boy was practically ready to explode. He had lowered himself to speak to this commoner first, yet the commoner had refused to appreciate it. It infuriated him.

Richie left without hesitation, leaving Sian Evan alone, utterly flustered.

Sian Evan decided he needed to think of a way to make this kid his lackey.

Richie's resistance had stirred Si Ang's desire to conquer him.

The moment Richie rejected him, Sian lost his composure, and his aloof, haughty image crumbled.

Si Ang was only a six-year-old child, after all, and was even less mature than Richie.

But even at six, he already displayed the commanding presence expected of the eldest son of the chairman of the People's Parliament.

Richie hurried away, leaving Si Ang no chance to get a hold over him.

After his hurried escape, Richie stood in an open area, panting for breath.

That boy had been far too frightening and overbearing. He had even kept Richie from going to watch the drama unfold.

Richie had missed the juicy drama between the second son and Anya because of this incident.

Still, there should be another round at noon: Anya's grand apology and the second son talking himself into falling for her. That ought to be pretty entertaining too.

He happened to have brought sunflower seeds today. After lunch, he would be sure to enjoy the show.

Richie arrived late at classroom 1028. Hurrying inside, he found that most of the others were already seated.

Anya and Becky were in the front row in the middle, the prime spot. The second son and his lackeys sat in the front right corner, while Sian Evan monopolized three seats in the front left corner, with no one daring to approach.

Richie looked around, then finally tiptoed past Anya and sat alone in a seat somewhere in the middle.

Anya blinked her big eyes. She looked calm on the outside, but inwardly, she was a little lost.

Becky frowned, looking displeased and rather unhappy. "This... how... um..."

Becky looked around and discovered that no one dared to come near the seats she and Anya occupied, or Richie's seat.

A few gossipmongers whispered among themselves, keeping their voices low, yet still loud enough for the entire classroom to hear:

"He's the one who hit someone, right?"

"That girl is the sister of the boy who hit someone!"

"How scary. He's so violent. No one will dare play with his sister now, right? What if they get into an argument and he hits them-"

"Is the one beside her part of their gang too?" The group of little girls grew more and more outrageous as they talked.

Some boys broke into a cold sweat, discussing it in voices that were neither loud nor soft. "He just went up and hit someone without saying a word, right? That's scary!"

"We actually have to be in the same class as someone like that? Give me a break!"

"What if he hits me next time?"

"I can't believe those two still have the nerve to come to school."

"What a pain-"

Richie noticed a golden glow shimmering above Anya's head and knew she was reading minds.

Richie automatically blocked out everyone else's thoughts in the classroom and sent his mental power straight into Anya's mind.

Anya looked a little exhausted and utterly exasperated, her mind filled with a jumble of voices. School is so scary. Anya...

Richie frowned and got up to sit beside Anya and comfort her.

But just as his bottom lifted a micrometer off the chair, a hand suddenly pressed down on his shoulder.

Richie wasn't very strong, and the rather sturdy boy immediately pinned him firmly in place.

He looked up. It was the boy he had bumped into earlier.

The boy loomed over him, his expression unreadable and his gaze sharp as he stared at Richie.

Richie tipped his little face up, and their two pairs of clear blue eyes met.

Richie instinctively wanted to flee, uttering a catchphrase in his mind that he hadn't used in ages: Spicy Cat Egg.

Hadn't he only bumped into him? It wasn't even that serious. Why did he keep chasing after him?