Early the next morning, as the sun's first rays appeared, Gu Chen got up and set out for Xinghua University.
The moment he stepped through the school gates, he sensed something unusual. Countless pairs of eyes turned inexplicably toward him, making him the focus of attention on campus that day. But Gu Chen's state of mind had long since been tempered as firm as a rock. To him, those gazes were nothing more than a breeze brushing his face, unable to stir the slightest ripple.
He entered the classroom early. His classmates sat in twos and threes, chatting or reading. The class monitor, Su Qingqing, was already sitting upright in her seat. When she saw Gu Chen enter, she sprang to her feet, a sly smile sparkling in her eyes like a little fox.
"Gu Chen, you're famous!"
Her sudden words caught Gu Chen off guard. "What?"
"Yesterday, you went to the office and made a bet with Teacher Song, didn't you?" Su Qingqing continued with the air of someone who knew everything. "Even though you didn't come to the study session afterward, the whole grade has heard about it."
"Oh," Gu Chen replied indifferently.
"Oh?!" Su Qingqing raised her voice, exasperated. "How can you be so calm about it? Yesterday, you beat up Jiang Yu, offended Zhou Xue'er, and then you even dared to make a bet with Teacher Song! Do you really not want to stay in school anymore?"
Gu Chen nodded, his expression resolute. "I made the bet precisely because I don't want to stay."
"You idiot!" Su Qingqing gnashed her teeth. "Even if Zhou Xue'er provoked you, you didn't have to go this far! Even I rarely make it into the top ten in the grade, and you actually agreed to it!"
"So what?" Gu Chen shrugged. "It's not like I'll lose a piece of flesh if I lose."
"Losing isn't the main problem. It's that what you did yesterday has already stirred up public anger!" Su Qingqing said anxiously. "Zhou Xue'er is a goddess at our school, and she has tons of admirers! You slapped her in the face like that yesterday, and all those admirers have their eyes on you, waiting to laugh at you! And then there are Xu Mo's and Jiang Yu's people. If you lose and keep going to school here afterward, do you know how serious the consequences will be?"
"How do you know I'll definitely lose?" Gu Chen asked.
"There are over fifty people in our class, and you've never even made the top twenty. Top ten in the grade? You're dreaming! Even thinking with my toes, I know you're bound to lose!" Su Qingqing said, at a loss for words.
Gu Chen smiled at Su Qingqing. "Are you worried about me?"
Su Qingqing froze. She hadn't expected Gu Chen to say that, and for a moment she was at a loss for words. With his bright eyes fixed on her, a blush instantly spread across her cheeks.
"Are you blushing?" Gu Chen teased.
"You! You!" Su Qingqing stamped her foot, both embarrassed and angry. "I'm not talking to you anymore!"
With that, she returned to her seat in a huff and pretended to read. Gu Chen watched her back, a smile curling at the corners of his mouth. She really was a cute girl.
Gu Chen then put his backpack on his desk. A few minutes later, Song Qianhan walked in carrying a stack of exam papers. His gaze lingered on Gu Chen for a few seconds before he cleared his throat and said, "The Chinese exam is starting soon. Everyone, change seats according to your exam numbers. If you need the restroom, go now."
Exams were of vital importance to the students at Xinghua University. One after another, they got up and headed for the restroom, and Gu Chen was no exception. After entering the men's room, he had just unfastened his pants when several slouching students came through the door. One look was enough to tell they were bad news.
One of them, who looked like a lackey, kicked open a stall door and shouted, "Clear out, clear out! Everyone who has nothing to do with this, get lost!"
The students using the restroom, whether they had finished peeing or not, were so frightened that they pulled up their pants and scattered. Gu Chen didn't recognize the burly man in the lead, but he spotted Li Nan beside him, staring at him with a venomous gaze.
Just as Gu Chen was about to leave too, the burly man clapped a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Kid, I'm afraid you can't leave yet."
"Oh? Why?" Gu Chen finished peeing and gave the burly man an indifferent glance. His calm attitude made the man somewhat angry.
The burly man instructed Li Nan and the others, "You two, guard the door outside. No matter what you hear, don't open it!"
"Okay, Brother Bao!"
Once the door was shut, the burly man flexed his fingers and grinned viciously. "Kid, you're pretty cocky, huh? You're not afraid of me?"
Gu Chen put his hands in his pockets and looked at the burly man with disdain. "If anyone should be afraid, it's you," he said with a smile. "You're a thug who doesn't even go here, barging into a university as you please. Aren't you afraid they'll throw you straight out?"
"Listen up, Gu Chen. This is Brother Bao, a big name in the underworld! The whole street is Brother Bao's turf. He has hordes of lackeys, he's incredibly fierce, and no one can beat him!" Li Nan gave Gu Chen a sidelong glance, his tone full of arrogance and disdain. "Ever since he came out of his mother's womb, Brother Bao has never known what the word 'fear' looks like!"
Li Nan's flattery pleased Brother Bao immensely. He looked coldly at Gu Chen, expecting to catch a trace of fear on his face, but he was soon disappointed. Gu Chen was as calm as ever, not even bothering to give him a glance. He merely stared coldly at Li Nan, a disdainful smile curling his lips. "Did Xu Mo send you? Or is Jiang Yu pulling strings behind the scenes?"
"Gu Chen, just wait for death!"
After Gu Chen had beaten him up at the hotel yesterday, Li Nan was now a little scared at the sight of him. But thinking of Brother Bao at his side, he found his courage again. "Never mind who it was, you're dead today! I hear you're even planning to make the top ten in the grade? What a joke! Don't bother taking the exam later. You'll be lying in a hospital bed!"
"Hahaha!"
The lackeys all burst out laughing.
Gu Chen paid them no mind and said indifferently, "You really are useless. You can't beat me yourselves, so you brought in a thug from outside school to deal with me. But a guy like this, all brawn and no brains, is only fit to eat shit."
Brother Bao's expression changed when he heard that. He grabbed Gu Chen by the collar and snarled, "What did you say?"
"I said you need to eat shit," Gu Chen repeated.
"Fuck, I'll kill you!" Brother Bao punched at Gu Chen's face, and Li Nan and the others beside him rushed forward too!
Gu Chen caught Brother Bao's fist with ease, then thrust his head forward and slammed it into the bridge of Brother Bao's nose. Brother Bao let out a string of screams. Before he could cover his face and recover, Gu Chen drove a vicious kick into his chest, sending him sprawling on his back, arms and legs in the air, a sorry sight.
Then Gu Chen planted a foot on Brother Bao's face and looked at Li Nan and the others.
None of them had expected Gu Chen to take Brother Bao down so quickly. They froze, sucking in sharp breaths!
"With your pathetic three-legged-cat kung fu, you dare challenge me?"
Gu Chen looked at Li Nan with utter disdain and said, "That punk Xu Mo definitely doesn't have the guts to make a move against me. Go back and tell Jiang Yu to lie there and nurse his injuries. Once he's healed, I'll settle accounts with him myself!"
Arrogant! He was simply too arrogant!
Sweat poured off Li Nan like rain. Looking at Gu Chen with his foot on Brother Bao's face, he was intimidated despite their superior numbers and didn't dare move.
Gu Chen then lifted his foot, grabbed Brother Bao by the hair, and dragged him toward the toilet. The bridge of Brother Bao's nose was broken, and now he howled in pain, feeling as though Gu Chen was about to tear his hair out by the roots.
Before long, Gu Chen had dragged Brother Bao to the toilet. Looking at the filth inside, Brother Bao wore an expression of disbelief. His face turned ashen, and he asked in a trembling voice, "Y-you, what are you going to do?"
Gu Chen patted Brother Bao's cheek contemptuously, a cold smile curling his lips. "Heh, didn't I say I'd make you eat shit? How did that saying by Lu Xun go again? A true warrior dares to face a bleak life and look squarely at dripping blood. And of course, he also dares to eat shit and drink piss! Brother Bao, you're unparalleled in courage, so why don't you take the first mouthful?"