Chapter 014: Zhong Yun, You Are Too Despicable (Third Update)

When everyone had finished registering, Tianhai got up to approach the homeroom teacher for his own registration, only to be pulled aside by Chenwen, who whispered a few words to him. Tianhai nodded, glanced at Zhong Yun, and a strange smile spread across his face before he dashed forward.

After the homeroom teacher finished tallying the groups, he repeated each pairing aloud. When he called out Chenwen and Tianhai’s names, Zhong Yun opened his eyes, puzzled—why hadn’t he heard his own name?

The teacher continued, “There are only two students in the class without partners: Zhong Yun and Liu Yunqi.” He paused briefly. “How about the two of you form a team?”

Silence.

The cabin was so quiet one could hear a pin drop. Everyone seemed frozen, their dazed stares fixed on Zhong Yun, as if unable to believe their ears. Zhong Yun? Paired with Liu Yunqi? Was this some sort of cosmic joke?

The hush lingered for more than ten seconds.

“Wow—” A student suddenly let out a wretched scream. “How did I not think of that…”

A number of boys simultaneously realized what had happened, pounding their fists and groaning in regret. The chance to spend time alone with the school beauty had slipped through their fingers, and the thought gnawed at them with unbearable frustration.

Zhong Yun, you’re shameless.

Zhong Yun was utterly stunned, happiness arriving so abruptly.

No, he snapped back to his senses. This wasn’t his happiness—this was the happiness of the previous Zhong Yun.

He shot a glare at his two mischievous friends, who were smirking like foxes that had stolen a hen. Chenwen, basking in his own cleverness, brushed his bangs aside. “No need to thank me.”

“You just wait,” Zhong Yun replied, his expression betraying a hint of smug satisfaction.

Because of this twist, every boy in the class looked at Zhong Yun with hostility. Damn it. Who did Zhong Yun think he was, to be alone with the school’s dream girl for six whole days?

The resentment simmered. Each of them considered themselves far superior to this perennial underachiever. How had he lucked into such an opportunity?

Though no one believed anything would happen between the two, the mere thought of Zhong Yun standing beside her felt like swallowing a fly—disgusting. It was as if a flawless work of art were placed next to a pile of dung.

As they disembarked from the plane, someone couldn’t resist stirring up trouble.

Since Zhong Yun and his friends had been seated at the back, they were among the last to leave. As they walked, a tall figure suddenly collided into Zhong Yun.

Caught off guard, Zhong Yun stumbled, grabbing a nearby seat to avoid falling. The one who hit him let out a pained cry, tumbling backward and hitting the back of his head hard on the seat armrest, sprawling on the floor and groaning, unable to get up for a moment.

The incident happened quickly; Chenwen, though farther away, reacted the fastest. As Zhong Yun stepped back, hand on the seat, Chenwen reached out to steady him.

Tianhai scoffed, “Zhang Yong, what’s wrong with your walking?”

Chenwen hurriedly pulled him back; Zhong Yun hadn’t suffered much, but Zhang Yong had taken a hard blow. To scold him for that seemed rather unkind.

Zhong Yun, half-smiling, went over to help Zhang Yong up. “Classmate, you should be more careful. Are you hurt?”

Zhang Yong angrily shook him off, too embarrassed to stay, clutching the back of his head as he left. He had intended to make Zhong Yun look foolish, but ended up making a fool of himself. Luckily, there weren’t many people in the cabin, so few witnessed it.

He couldn’t help but wonder—how could that skinny kid have such hard bones, like a pillar? With that thought, Zhang Yong walked away, defeated.

As they stepped out of the cabin, Chenwen suddenly asked, “Your stance is pretty solid. Have you trained?”

Zhong Yun raised his brows. “Farm work, just fooling around,” he replied, though everyone could tell he wasn’t being honest; he seemed quite confident in his skills.

For accommodations, the school had booked a large hotel, just big enough for the entire grade. Normally, double rooms now housed six students, all sleeping on the floor.

That night, trouble came knocking again.

Zhong Yun and his two friends shared a room with three others. A clash erupted over bathroom use.

Standing before the bathroom door with a burly student blocking his way, Zhong Yun asked, “Niu Ben, what exactly do you want?”

“What do I want?” Niu Ben sneered. “I don’t want much. Just promise me you won’t team up with Liu Yunqi, and I won’t bother you.”

Niu Ben was the biggest, tallest boy in the class, known for his brute strength and bullying those smaller than him.

“Niu Ben, you’ve gotten bold, picking on my friend. Come on, let’s see what you’ve got,” Tianhai’s fiery temper flared, and he rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight.

Zhong Yun pulled him back, fixing Niu Ben with a cold stare. “And then?”

“Then, the farther you stay away, the better. Liu Yunqi is mine,” Niu Ben boasted, jabbing his thumb at his nose. “If I took your place, it wouldn’t even take six days—I’d have her in bed in one. Heh.”

At these words, Zhong Yun’s face grew icy, as if a layer of frost could be scraped off. “You? Who are you to give me orders? You’re not my son.”

Niu Ben, unused to such humiliation, exploded in rage. “You’re asking for it!” He swung his massive hand toward Zhong Yun’s face.

The two classmates watching from the side were gleeful; Zhong Yun, now the class pariah, getting beaten by Niu Ben would be a satisfying sight.

But as Niu Ben’s hand neared Zhong Yun’s face, it suddenly froze. Zhong Yun had caught his wrist, his voice cold. “You started this. Don’t blame me for not being friendly.”

Niu Ben was shocked—his hand felt clamped in an iron grip, unable to move an inch. He raised his foot to kick Zhong Yun, but midway through, his body suddenly felt weightless, and he was sent flying.

Bang!

In the stunned gaze of the two classmates, Zhong Yun threw Niu Ben over his shoulder with effortless strength, slamming the much larger boy to the floor like a rag doll.

A dull thud echoed as Niu Ben hit the ground, the floor seeming to tremble. The two classmates felt their backs twitch, drawing in a sharp breath.

Their view of Zhong Yun changed instantly.

Niu Ben lay on the floor, gasping for air.

Tianhai stared in disbelief. Was this really his old friend, the one who always failed PE?

“He… did you kill him?” Chenwen whispered.

“He’ll live. I was careful. He’s just shaken up, no broken bones. He’ll be fine after lying down for a bit,” Zhong Yun replied.

Chenwen glanced pitifully at Niu Ben, sprawled on the floor like a dead dog. To dare fantasize about Liu Yunqi—he must have a death wish. Even Chenwen couldn’t gauge Zhong Yun’s limits.

Zhong Yun glanced at the two classmates by the bathroom. “I’m going in now. Any objections?”

They retreated a step, shaking their heads like rattles. No way—Niu Ben was the school’s top fighter, and he’d been handled in one move. If they tried, they’d just get served up.

One of them quickly distanced himself. “Actually, we’re not really friends with him.”

Though Zhong Yun found their lack of loyalty contemptible, he didn’t bother with them and went into the bathroom.

Niu Ben lay on the floor for ten minutes before he finally recovered. He struggled to stand, feeling as if his waist had snapped, pain nearly bringing tears to his eyes.

With a twisted expression, he gritted his teeth. “Zhong Yun, just you wait. If I don’t destroy you, I’m not Niu Ben.” He barked at the two students hovering nearby, “Why are you just standing there? Come help me up!”

Intimidated by his usual bullying, the two nervously assisted him out of the room.

ps: Another chapter coming tonight.