Jiang Fuyue didn’t bother repeating herself.
She simply reached out, grabbed the back of Li Chen’s neck, and forced him out of the classroom.
Not fighting inside the classroom, that was her principle.
Her movements were so fast no one saw exactly what happened. One moment Li Chen was standing there, the next his upper body was bent like a shrimp, dragged outside under her control.
“Holy—”
“Sister Yue’s pissed off!”
Huo Fanjin immediately took off after them.
Cen Qiaoqiao, a beat slower to react, also hurried after her but halfway there she stopped, turned back, took out her phone, and snapped several photos of the shattered glass all over the floor.
Meanwhile, seeing Jiang Fuyue make her move, Liu Sisi’s expression darkened, and her attacks grew even fiercer; she wanted to end things quickly.
The bodyguard, already flagging, completely lost ground now. He couldn’t even defend himself before Liu Sisi’s kick landed squarely on his chest. He toppled backward with a heavy thud.
She didn’t even glance at him, just turned and bolted after Jiang Fuyue.
Passing Li Yan, whose eyes were full of fear, Liu Sisi only lifted her hand slightly. She hadn’t even touched him yet when he flinched like a startled bird, tripped over himself, and landed on his backside with a dazed look.
“Coward.”
The single word brushed past him with the girl’s passing shadow, but it struck like two hard slaps, leaving his cheeks burning.
Liang Jingzhou finally snapped out of the string of shocks before him. “Cr*p! We’d better go check on Old Li!”
With how Jiang Fuyue had just yanked him out like a butcher dragging a hog, a second too late and it might turn into a bloodbath.
Gu Huaiyu came to his senses too, teeth gritted. “Didn’t I say to stop when you’ve made your point? Stop when you’ve made your point! None of you ever listen. Happy now?”
He left the classroom in long strides.
Cheng Lian followed at an unhurried pace, that lazy smile still lingering on his lips. “Relax. He won’t die.”
At most, he’d shed a layer of skin.
Gu Huaiyu shot him a glare. “Try being human for once!”
Cheng Lian shrugged.
——
Out on the open space beside the teaching building, Li Chen was hauled out by the neck like a wrinkled bulldog, utterly stunned, having no clue what had just happened.
When his neck was finally released, he managed one breath, only to be slammed to the ground again.
His elbow scraped across the rough concrete, sharp pain tearing through him. Looking down, he saw the skin split open, red flesh visible beneath.
His scalp tingled.
“Are you insane?!”
Jiang Fuyue stood over him, looking down coldly, her gaze sharp as ice.
By now, students from inside had poured out in a rush, while those passing by stopped in their tracks.
People began whispering, pointing—
“What’s going on?”
“Isn’t that Young Master Chen?”
“Who?”
“The chairman’s son! One of the most talked-about new students! What’s happening?”
“Uh… are all these so-called heirs like this?”
The students who’d witnessed the scene from inside were calmer. At least, they didn’t act shocked by Li Chen’s identity.
“See? I told you Sister Yue was gonna blow up, but nobody believed me.”
“Chen thought calling two bodyguards to trap Liu Sisi meant he could bully Sister Yue? Ha! How naïve.”
“Sister Yue’s motto: if I don’t make a move, fine, but once I do, you’re done in minutes.”
“She dared to hit Young Master Chen, she must not want to stay at Ming University anymore!”
“Who’s this idiot? Someone escort them out, thanks!”
“Before you talk, maybe learn who Sister Yue is. Otherwise you’ll just embarrass yourself.”
“What’s a school chairman compared to her? Sister Yue shines on her own and behind her stand the Han family, the Jiang Group, a lineup of renowned professors, and a million-strong Yue fan army. Ten chairmen couldn’t make her blink.”
“Exactly! This so-called ‘heir squad’ seriously doesn’t know who they’re messing with.”
Surrounded by gawking students and hearing whispers against him, Li Chen’s face went dark.
He gritted his teeth, trying to get up but the moment he moved, Jiang Fuyue kicked him right back down.
He landed on his butt, as humiliating as it got.
“Are you f*cking crazy?!” Li Chen roared.
Jiang Fuyue ignored him.
He got up again; she kicked him again.
Up—kick.
Up—kick.
After several rounds, Li Chen was burning with fury but utterly helpless.
The sound of laughter and mockery around him was unbearable. He felt like he was about to lose it.
“Stop!” Liang Jingzhou forced his way through the crowd, helped his friend up, and immediately turned on Jiang Fuyue, yelling, “Are you out of your mind? This is a school! Who gave you the guts to hit people?!”
Jiang Fuyue said evenly, “Learned it from you guys.”
Then she pulled out her phone and played a video, footage of the two bodyguards cornering Liu Sisi and the ensuing fight.
Liang Jingzhou froze. “…You really came prepared, didn’t you? A normal person wouldn’t just start recording out of nowhere!”
Jiang Fuyue smiled faintly. “Funny, you don’t question the fact that you attacked people, but you question me for recording it? Huh.”
His confidence faltered.
He hadn’t expected Jiang Fuyue to be this sharp, completely immune to both threats and sweet talk.
“Anyway, you can’t keep hitting him. Otherwise—”
Jiang Fuyue’s eyes narrowed. “Otherwise what?”
Liang Jingzhou seized on it, regaining some backbone. “Ming University’s rules aren’t decoration.”
“Using school rules to pressure me? Fine. Whatever punishment you get, I’ll take the same. No one’s getting off free. Fair, right?”
“You—!” He nearly popped a vein.
Since Li Chen had made the first move, they were already on the back foot. That’s why Jiang Fuyue could be so unflappable.
Just then, Liu Sisi arrived, free from the bodyguards, and took her place protectively behind Jiang Fuyue. They now faced Li Chen and Liang Jingzhou head-on.
The air was tense, ready to ignite.
“What the h*ll do you two want?” Liang Jingzhou snapped through clenched teeth.
Jiang Fuyue’s cold gaze swept over Li Chen. “Apologize.”
At that, Li Chen’s face twisted with humiliation, followed by a sharp, derisive laugh.
Apologize? Impossible.
Especially in front of everyone, he’d rather die than lose face like that.
Liang Jingzhou knew him too well. Getting Li Chen to bow his head was harder than scaling heaven itself. “Can we change the condition? We’ll pay compensation.”
Jiang Fuyue: “I don’t need money.”
He choked.
“…So there’s no room for negotiation?”
She said nothing, silent agreement.
“Jiang Fuyue, don’t push it too far!” Liang Jingzhou finally lost patience after his failed diplomacy.
But she only needed one sentence to shut him down completely—
“Weren’t you the ones who started this?”
Whoever picks the fight first loses their right to complain.
“Besides,” her eyes went cold, “he broke my cup.”
“We can just buy you another one.” He said it casually, with a dismissive tone.
To him, it was simple, how expensive could a cup be? Surely she was dragging this out for money.
“If that’s not enough, name your price. As long as it’s reasonable, we’ll pay.”
He even made it sound like he was doing her a favor.
Jiang Fuyue’s lips curled. “Sorry, that cup was priceless.”
“You’re just being difficult now.” His fake smile faded, replaced by a chill.
“Same deal,” she said coldly. “Apologize.”
“And if we refuse?”
Jiang Fuyue didn’t even blink. Her tone stayed calm, almost elegant, even as the threat in her words cut sharp and clean—
“Then you’re not leaving.”
Liang Jingzhou gave a cold laugh, he didn’t believe her for a second. Supporting Li Chen, he turned to go.
Jiang Fuyue smiled faintly, that look of unfathomable poise still on her face.
Then Liu Sisi stepped forward, blocking their path. “Going somewhere?”
“Get out of the way!” Liang Jingzhou barked, shoving at her shoulder.
Liu Sisi’s fist drove into his stomach.
He staggered back two steps, doubled over from the pain.
His face turned ghostly pale, his expression dazed.
He hadn’t expected her to actually hit him in front of everyone.
He’d forgotten how, moments earlier in the classroom, her fists had floored two trained bodyguards.
Some people think they can set fires but forbid others to light a match.
Too bad, Jiang Fuyue and Liu Sisi never planned to “light a match.”
They’d come to burn the mountain down.
Now that realization came too late.
“You.. you two have gone too far—” Liang Jingzhou clutched his stomach with one hand, pointing at them with the other, voice shaking.
Then he bellowed, “Gu Huaiyu! Cheng Lian! Are you two dead?!”
“Ahem…” Gu Huaiyu stepped forward, bypassing Liu Sisi, intending to reason with Jiang Fuyue.
But a hand shot out, stopping him.
He followed it up to Liu Sisi’s cold, expressionless face, her voice mechanical in its precision: “Apologize first. Otherwise, no talk.”
Gu Huaiyu glanced at Jiang Fuyue, who said nothing to contradict her. Deflated, he turned to Liang Jingzhou with a helpless look.
Liang Jingzhou: “…Useless!”
Gu Huaiyu stepped back. “Old Cheng, maybe… you try?”
Cheng Lian stood there with his hands in his pockets, the picture of a spectator.
He raised an eyebrow. “Try what?”
Jiang Fuyue clearly wanted Li Chen to yield but with his dogged temper, that was an impossible problem to solve.
“You can’t just let this stalemate drag on forever, right? Or maybe…” Gu Huaiyu’s eyes turned. “Should we call our families? Get the school involved? No matter how arrogant Jiang Fuyue is, she wouldn’t dare go against the administration unless she doesn’t want to graduate!”
Cheng Lian: “You think she didn’t know who we were before she started throwing punches?”
“That’s impossible. Our photos are all over the forum, and people have been gossiping nonstop.”
Unless she was blind and deaf, there’s no way she didn’t know.
Cheng Lian said slowly, “Since she knows and still dared to do it, what makes you think she’d be afraid of pressure from the school?”
Jiang Fuyue was far too calm, too fearless.
To hit someone in public like that, without the slightest hesitation, either she’s out of her mind, or she’s holding some huge trump card.
Gu Huaiyu frowned. “You think it’s because she’s got the Han family behind her?”
Cheng Lian shook his head. “The Han family’s got status in business, sure, but they’ve got zero footing in education. Money can open doors, yes, but only through bribery, not by directly interfering.”
“If Jiang Fuyue really does have a card up her sleeve, it’s one that can directly sway the administration’s decisions or even…”
“Even what?” Gu Huaiyu pressed. “Finish your sentence!”
A shadow flickered in Cheng Lian’s eyes. “Even bypass the board of directors altogether.”
“Hiss… Are you kidding me? Unless she’s the university president herself with absolute authority, how could she possibly bypass the board?! Aren’t you giving her too much credit?”
Cheng Lian shrugged. “Then how else do you explain her total disregard for our identities?”
After all, the four of them represented four board seats, nearly half of the decision-making power.
“Maybe… maybe she’s just a reckless girl? Hot-headed, acts on impulse, no real strategy and we’re just overthinking it?”
Cheng Lian gave a short laugh, lifting his eyelids lazily to glance at him. “If you want to lie to yourself, be my guest. Just don’t drag me into it. My IQ won’t allow it.”
Gu Huaiyu: “…” D*mn it!
Meanwhile, the standoff continued.
Huo Fanjin stood among the crowd, listening to the buzz of gossip, anxiety creeping in. “What if he refuses to apologize? Are they just going to stay locked like this forever?”
Beside her, Cen Qiaoqiao wasn’t thinking that far ahead. She was all sparkles. “Ohhh! Sister Yue’s so cool!”
Huo Fanjin: “…”
At that moment, Lin Shumo walked over. “I saw someone calling the academic office and the president’s office earlier.”
“Who? Li Chen’s people?”
“No. Some of the students watching.”
Huo Fanjin frowned. “Sister Yue won’t get disciplined, will she?”
Lin Shumo shook his head. “Shouldn’t.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“The call was made fifteen minutes ago. If the school really planned to intervene, they would’ve sent someone by now. Don’t you find that strange?”
In a case like this, students fighting, both sides involved, the administration should have stepped in immediately to mediate.
But now? Nothing. Just a mass of onlookers. Not a single teacher, not a single representative of the school.
It didn’t look like negligence, it looked like quiet indulgence.
“Yeah…” Huo Fanjin murmured. “But why?”
Lin Shumo glanced toward Jiang Fuyue. What kind of background did she have? And what was her real reason for coming to Ming University?
——
Elsewhere, Liang Jingzhou, trying to force his way out, got kicked again.
This time, Liu Sisi didn’t aim for his stomach but for his butt.
Thud!
Liang Jingzhou’s cheeks flushed bright red.
“You…” He glared at Liu Sisi, eyes sharp, lips trembling. “Don’t you go too far!”
But Liu Sisi only stared at him, face cold and unreadable.
Rant all you want, bark all you like; she just looked at him, indifferent, silent.
Liang Jingzhou was about to lose it. The humiliation burned, swelling into grievance.
D*mn it all… how unlucky could he be?
He hadn’t even been involved at first, but somehow he got dragged in, couldn’t get out, and ended up kicked, what, did he step in dog sh*t before leaving the house today?!
And then—
“Enough!”
The one who’d been silent all along, Li Chen, finally spoke.
Jiang Fuyue turned to look at him.
He lifted his eyes coldly, meeting her frosty gaze. “You want an apology? Fine. I’ll say it.”
“Old Li!”
Not far away, Gu Huaiyu and Cheng Lian were both stunned.
“He’s… giving in?!”
“This can’t be the Li Chen I know. Incredible.”
The two exchanged looks, both with a flicker of wariness.
To force Li Chen to bow his head, Jiang Fuyue was the first to ever do it.
Li Chen patted Liang Jingzhou’s shoulder, signaling him to let go. Then he drew a slow breath and straightened.
Two steps forward, standing before Jiang Fuyue, he said word by word: “I’m. So. Rry.”
Jiang Fuyue’s eyes softened into a faint smile. “See? Wouldn’t it have been easier if you’d done that earlier? No need to waste everyone’s time.”
“…” Li Chen felt as if a mouthful of blood was stuck in his throat, neither swallowable nor spit-out-able.
He could only choke on it.
“Let’s go.” Jiang Fuyue called to Liu Sisi and walked away.
Huo Fanjin and Cen Qiaoqiao hurried to follow.
“Sister Yue! You were so cool just now~”
“Sisi, can I learn boxing from you? I’ll pay by the hour!”
“You two were so awesome. Lucky I recorded everything!”
“…”
Their voices faded as the four of them left, Cen Qiaoqiao’s endless praise trailing behind.
The crowd scattered, but the gossip didn’t stop, it spread fast, one mouth to another, until even people who hadn’t seen it knew all about it.
——
Li Chen and Liang Jingzhou were taken to a nearby hotel, where Gu Huaiyu had a family doctor come examine them.
“I’m fine. No need for that,” Li Chen said, avoiding the stethoscope, walking to the window with a cold expression.
Liang Jingzhou, however, was lying obediently on the bed. “Then check me first.”
The doctor nodded. “Alright. Where’s the pain?”
“My stomach.”
“Please lift your shirt, Young Master Liang.”
He did and everyone gasped.
A dark bruise sprawled across his abdomen, faintly showing the shape of a footprint.
“Hiss—” Liang Jingzhou looked down and went wide-eyed, face red with fury. “That chick’s brutal!”
Cheng Lian walked over, took one look, and said firmly, “She’s trained.”
“No sh*t! You think someone untrained could kick me like that?!”
After examining him, the doctor said, “…Other than the bruising, there’s nothing serious for now. But to be safe, you should get an abdominal CT to rule out internal bleeding.”
Gu Huaiyu went to the window. “Old Li, your turn.”
“I said I’m fine.”
“I get you’re pissed, but your health comes first. You can get revenge after we make sure nothing’s broken.”
Li Chen stayed silent and still.
Cheng Lian stepped forward. “I get it, you’re angry. But if you want to deal with Jiang Fuyue properly, you need to think long-term. What good’s revenge if your body collapses first?”
Li Chen’s eyes flickered.
Cheng Lian gestured for the doctor to come over. “Check him too.”
This time, Li Chen didn’t refuse.
When he took off his shirt, the room fell silent.
His back was covered in bloody scr*pes and purple welts. His neck where Jiang Fuyue had grabbed him was swollen and bruised, like a hornet sting the size of a fist.
His elbows, spine, forearms—all bore abrasions.
“Holy sh*t! What was Jiang Fuyue thinking?!”
Li Chen turned slightly to let the doctor apply medicine, speaking through clenched teeth. “She’s strong. Really strong.”
The moment her hand clamped down on his neck, all his strength had drained away. He couldn’t fight back, just got dragged like dead weight.
“What the h*ll is she?”
She looked slim, delicate, harmless but her hits were heavier than Liu Sisi’s.
Liu Sisi was a trained fighter… but Jiang Fuyue, was she trained too?
Cheng Lian pulled out his phone and dialed. “Help me look into someone named Jiang Fuyue… yeah. As soon as possible.”
“This can’t just slide. I refuse to swallow this humiliation.” Liang Jingzhou sat up, only to wince as his stomach seized in pain.
“My parents have never laid a finger on me, and she—she just, why the h*ll does she get to?!”
Gu Huaiyu frowned. “But clearly, Jiang Fuyue isn’t easy to mess with.”
“What’s so hard about it?! We just got caught off guard this time. There won’t be a next one!”
Cheng Lian stayed quiet. Too many words only led to face-slaps later.
But Liang Jingzhou wasn’t done—
“Next time she crosses me, I’ll make her bawl her eyes out and beg for mercy!”
“…”
No one replied.
The doctor finally said, “Alright, that’s it. Apply the medicine three times a day, don’t skip. If things get worse, dizziness, fever, anything, go to the hospital.”
Li Chen pulled his shirt back on, the pain reminding him sharply of today’s humiliation.
“Old Li, what’s your plan?”
Li Chen’s jaw tightened, every word ground out between his teeth: “I’m going to make her get out of Ming University.”
“You mean through the board?”
“I already called my father. By the day after tomorrow, Jiang Fuyue will be gone for good.”
“But what about the Han family behind her—”
Li Chen sneered. “So what? Even they can’t reach into Ming University.”
Liang Jingzhou’s eyes brightened. “Yeah! Chairman Li’s got the largest share besides the president. If he says the word, Jiang Fuyue’s finished. I’ll have my dad back him up and Cheng, Gu, you two call your families too!”
“Hmph! I don’t believe four board seats can’t kick out one Jiang Fuyue!”
Gu Huaiyu and Cheng Lian exchanged a look, neither as confident as the other two.
But none of them expected that the slap to the face would come so quickly, so ruthlessly, that it would leave them speechless….
