“Ahhh!!!”
“Nana, why are you suddenly taking a leave of absence?!”
“Nana, how am I supposed to live without you!”
Gu Chen was merely sighing, but Guo Ming was letting out a scream like a slaughtered pig, looking as if he wanted to dive into the screen to stop her.
However, the guy couldn’t be blamed.
Two consecutive blows were indeed heavy.
First, Su Yuqing announced that her novel was being dropped and deleted, cutting off the spiritual food for countless people.
Now, Nana also announced a temporary hiatus, and half the fun in life vanished instantly.
“Why are you yelling? Is someone slaughtering a pig?! If you make that sound again, I won’t hesitate to kick you out of this dorm.”
Gu Chen scolded him irritably.
Guo Ming finally shut up, though he could only hide under his blankets and weep in secret.
Thursday morning, just after morning self-study, an uninvited guest arrived in the classroom.
A student with a somewhat burly build swaggered in, frightening the people in the room into making way.
“Huh? Zhou Hongtao?”
Gu Chen was just about to lie on his desk to rest when he heard the commotion.
Turning his head, he recognized the visitor at a glance.
“Damn, why is South Idiot in our class?”
Guo Ming, sitting nearby, also looked surprised and blurted it out.
This person was one of Li Fugui’s roommates and lackeys.
Li Fugui’s dorm had five people.
Besides himself, there were four followers who called themselves the Four Great Vajras, and they were considered notable figures in the school.
Because they were such eyesores, they were mockingly nicknamed East Dwarf, West Ugly, South Idiot, and North Madman.
Their traits were obvious at a glance.
Zhou Hongtao was the famous South Idiot, a man who lived up to his name.
He was a bit brainless, or rather, too literal-minded, which was why he could get along with Li Fugui.
Zhou Hongtao scanned the room and immediately locked onto their position.
He walked over slowly, lifting his chin.
Before he could speak, Guo Ming blocked him, creating a tense atmosphere.
The others in the class showed expressions of watching a good show, wondering if a fight was about to break out.
“South Idiot, what do you want?”
Guo Ming questioned loudly.
“I have business with Gu Chen. Move!”
Zhou Hongtao warned.
“Hmph, is my big brother someone you can just see whenever you want? Tomorrow is the day of the decisive battle between him and Li Fugui. If you want to pull any tricks, you’ll have to step over me!”
Guo Ming took a protective stance, refusing to yield an inch!
The onlookers took out their phones, preparing to film the drama.
“Oh, okay.”
The other boy thought for a moment and nodded.
[Five seconds later]
“Argh!!!”
Zhou Hongtao stepped directly onto Guo Ming and climbed over him to reach Gu Chen.
“This is so embarrassing!”
Gu Chen held his forehead, acting as if he didn’t know the guy.
‘Why act tough for no reason? Don’t you know that guy is famously literal? He actually stepped on him!!’
“Gu Chen, tomorrow is the day of your duel with the boss. So, today the boss sent me to personally deliver the challenge letter. The time and location are inside. I hope you show up as scheduled and don’t run away.”
Zhou Hongtao pulled an envelope from his person and placed it on the desk.
To make it feel more ceremonial, he announced the duel publicly, fearing someone might not know about it.
“Oh, I see.”
Gu Chen didn’t even look at it, waving his hand dismissively.
“Hey, according to the rules of the streets, you have to open the challenge letter and sign your name to complete the ritual,” Zhou Hongtao shouted, clearly dissatisfied.
“I’m not interested in doing something so boring. Tell Li Fugui to wash his neck and wait.”
Gu Chen was speechless.
‘What era is this? Rules of the streets? Has he watched too many martial arts shows?’
Zhou Hongtao was annoyed, but he restrained himself.
Although he was brainless, he wasn’t completely stupid.
Setting aside whether he was a match for Gu Chen, if he rashly used force now, it would prevent a fair duel tomorrow, and the boss would blame him.
With no other choice, he could only leave resentfully.
After taking two steps, he suddenly thought of something and turned back.
“Argh!!”
Then… he stepped over Guo Ming again.
“Big brother, are you just going to watch?”
Guo Ming lay pitifully on the floor, pleading for help.
“I wasn’t watching. I had my eyes closed just now.”
Gu Chen didn’t bother with him and rubbed his temples.
He had agreed very readily just now, but his heart was inevitably racing.
In the past, he certainly wouldn’t have feared Li Fugui; he had confidence in his own strength.
But now, he felt his physical stamina becoming weaker and weaker.
He didn’t know how much of a chance he had in a fight.
‘Damn it, if I had known, I wouldn’t have agreed to a fight. Now I’m stuck.’
Everyone was paying attention.
If he didn’t go, he would surely be laughed at until graduation!
The reason it received so much attention was that everyone hoped the two of them would both end up injured.
That way, two of the Three School Pests would be removed, which would be a joyous occasion for everyone.
As for the last pest, as long as no one provoked her, they generally didn’t have to worry.
The final pest was a girl from Class Three of the second year named Xia Qingyue, and she was the most terrifying of the three.
She didn’t have Gu Chen’s formidable combat power, nor did she have Li Fugui’s knack for doing bad things without leaving evidence.
However, she had earned the title of Witch, not because of her personality, but because she really was a damn witch!
Her defining trait was her high level of beauty—she never dropped below the top five on the school beauty rankings—but she had a gloomy personality.
When she had nothing to do, she liked to play with strange things, like ritual items…
He remembered when she first arrived last year; her looks attracted many lecherous students who thought she would be an easy target.
Who knew that every person who offended her would meet with misfortune?
Either they broke a leg or chipped a tooth; it was incredibly miserable.
Combined with the rumors being artistically embellished time and again, Xia Qingyue became the legendary witch who could place curses on people!
The most famous incident was when Li Fugui boasted that he would steal her underwear.
As a result, that night, a vicious dog appeared from nowhere under the girls’ dormitory and chased Li Fugui, biting him for half an hour.
It was said that his buttocks were bitten several times, and from then on, even he didn’t dare to provoke her…
‘Maybe I should ask Xia Qingyue for help? Have her place a curse on Li Fugui so I don’t have to fight?’
Thinking of this, Gu Chen stroked his chin.
This was the safest method currently, and it concerned his honor.
But on second thought, it seemed unlikely.
Although the Three Pests were famous, they had no interaction with each other, so he naturally had no relationship with her.
Why would she help him?
It wasn’t realistic.
“Sigh, what should I do?”
Gu Chen grabbed his hair, his head hurting the more he thought about it.
*Beep beep*—
Just then, a message notification sounded from his phone.
He clicked it and saw it was from his homeroom teacher, asking him to meet on the rooftop.
“No way, has my secret base become a tourist attraction?”
Gu Chen’s lips twitched.
However, since Li Yanqiu had spoken, he had no choice but to go see her.
When he arrived at the rooftop, she was indeed waiting there.
“Teacher Li, why did you suddenly look for me?”
Gu Chen asked listlessly.
“Gu Chen, are you really going to duel Li Fugui?”
“Didn’t you already know that?”
Gu Chen looked puzzled.
“If I asked you to give up this duel, would you agree?”
Li Yanqiu inadvertently stepped closer, her eyes flickering.