Chapter 51: I Have Something to Say

The classmates looked at each other, but no one stood up.

Wang Yan was too much of a troublemaker to tolerate such behavior; he immediately raised his hand: "Director, I have something to say."

"Speak."

"Director, I don't know who did it, but I just saw Chen Xun, Qiao Ran, and Zhao Ye slip out secretly."

At these words, all eyes in the class turned to Wang Yan at the back.

Director Ma scrutinized the trio with a piercing gaze.

In truth, every student knew who was responsible, but no one spoke up—because anyone who did would be ostracized from the class; even those who agreed would stand by and condemn them verbally.

Honestly, Wang Yan's actions made him unpopular among the students.

But Wang Yan didn't care what they thought, or what retaliation the trio might bring. Besides, some among them surely shared his view and supported him.

He turned to the trio and taunted: "Then stop sitting there—are you men or not? If you did it, admit it openly. Don't drag innocent classmates into this and waste everyone's time."

"If you don't want to study, don't ruin it for others."

It's just stirring up trouble—how big a deal is that?

As expected, with Wang Yan leading the charge, other high-performing students in the class began murmuring in agreement.

Pressure bore down on the trio; unlike the other two, Zhao Ye's legs started trembling—he felt the call of paternal love.

Director Ma made no move to stop them, only glared as he watched.

Chen Xun gave Zhao Ye a disgusted look, then exchanged a glance with Qiao Ran; like a warrior, he lifted his head and declared: "I did it. It has nothing to do with them."

He could deny it outright, but how would his classmates see him? How would his brothers see him?

Where would his face be? Where would his dignity be? Where would his pride be?

As Qiang Ge said: Isn't it youth if you're not bold and brash?

In Wang Yan's view, they were just spoiled. Too proud? Fine—let them have their face trampled under shoes a couple times.

Qiao Ran couldn't let Chen Xun take all the blame: "Director, I did it."

That fool Zhao Ye chimed in too: "It's got nothing to do with them—it was all me."

"You don't need to pass the blame around—I'm telling you, none of you are getting away. All of you, get out and stand outside." He pointed to the door.

Shooting a venomous glare at Wang Yan, the trio walked out, outwardly defiant but inwardly trembling.

They had no idea how to face the school's punishment—or their parents' wrath.

After they left, Director Ma said: "Alright, everyone, focus on your self-study."

Then he went out to deal with the trio.

The classmates glanced at Wang Yan—some with complex expressions, others with outright hatred.

Wang Yan ignored them, sitting calmly and flipping through his book.

Fang Fang cast a worried glance at Wang Yan, then turned away without speaking.

Lin Jiamo slammed her hand on the desk in righteous anger: "How could you do this? How could you betray them?"

"They just wanted to watch the game—petitioning, cutting the power, never caring what the rest of us thought. Do you think what they did was right?"

Lin Jiamo said nothing. Wang Yan didn't care—he looked at the other students, drawn in by the spectacle, and asked: "Do you think what they did was right?"

After a long silence, a girl with thick glasses spoke softly: "I think it's wrong."

Wang Yan knew her—she ranked among the top students and was the class study monitor, a teacher's helper.

With the study monitor speaking, others felt free to follow.

"I think it's wrong too."

"They never thought about us."

Aside from those of similar disposition, most harbored deep resentment toward them. Some with grudges even began dredging up old grievances.

Wang Yan watched Lin Jiamo, who wanted to defend her friends but couldn't find words, and shrugged.

"Enough."

He tapped the desk and said: "Everyone, quiet down. Get back to your self-study."

The moment he spoke, the students fell silent, leaving only the rustle of turning pages and the scratch of pens on paper.

Wang Yan smiled faintly—children, all of them.

Through two incidents, combined with Wang Yan's natural leadership and undeniable aura, he had gained authority and influence in the class—through the approval of some, the conformity of others, and the silent fury of the rest.

Of course, there were plenty whispering behind his back—but as long as no one openly challenged him, that was enough.

Lin Jiamo watched the scene, unsure what to do. Even those she got along with well didn't rise to support her. Knowing she was no match, she snorted, shot Wang Yan a glare, and sat back down in bitter resentment.

She silently wished Wang Yan well, yet worried about her friends' safety—this was no small matter; it could truly get them killed.

The next day, Wang Yan woke early to run and practice boxing.

After breakfast, he put on the school uniform adjusted for him by the old woman at Fuli Academy, grabbed his backpack, and strolled off to school.

It was early self-study time; Wang Yan arrived neither late nor early, slipping quietly in through the back door and taking his seat.

Lin Jiamo had come early and had been praying for Wang Yan's misfortune all morning—since her three friends hadn't shown up, they were clearly in dire straits. Seeing Wang Yan enter, she glared at him and turned away, ignoring him.

Wang Yan didn't care—he'd make her suffer someday.

Fang Fang up front also kept watchful eyes on Wang Yan, glancing back at him constantly.

As Fang Fang turned around to look, Wang Yan suddenly lifted his head—startling her into quickly turning back.

It was amusing—Wang Yan had once done the same thing. He'd secretly liked a girl in class and kept sneaking glances at her; when she turned to look, he'd instinctively look away.

It had nothing to do with fear—it was simply the shy awkwardness of young boys and girls.

But Fang Fang didn't have a crush on Wang Yan—she was probably just curious, wanting to understand him better.

And most often, stories begin with curiosity.

Time passed quickly, and the day's lessons began.

Open the book and study seriously—this matter requires Gao Di to make a trip to Tsinghua and Peking University.

After the second class, it was the long break.

"The first set of national middle school radio calisthenics is now starting…" (Bro didn't know which set it was—just the general idea.)

"Ready, one two three four."

"Two two three four."

After finishing the radio calisthenics, a row of school administrators stood on the podium.

Director Ma stepped forward and tested the mic: "Hello, hello."

"Classmates, everyone knows what happened during last night's self-study."

"You come to school to study, not to pull the circuit breaker and cause trouble—this behavior is extremely reprehensible."

"We hereby issue a public reprimand and record a major demerit against students Chen Xun, Qiao Ran, and Zhao Ye. They are to return home for one week of reflection and will give their self-criticism here at this same time next week. We hope all students take this as a warning."

As soon as he finished, a low murmur broke out below.

Director Ma quickly silenced them: "Quiet, everyone, be quiet."

"Now, let the principal speak—everyone, please clap."

"Clap… clap… clap."

The students began clapping; Wang Yan clapped half-heartedly along.

Then the principal began his long-winded speech, full of empty words.

Even company bosses in meetings do this—the same thing that could be said in two sentences drags on for half an hour.

They even call it "the art of speaking," claiming you must grasp its deeper meaning.

After all these years, Wang Yan finally understood what it was really about.

But honestly, he was tired.

After speaking for so long, it was finally over; each class was orderly led back.

The students' reactions varied.

Those who hated school nodded inwardly but muttered "Cool."

Those who were glad it happened thought "Deserved" inwardly but muttered "Cool."

Those with objections wisely stayed silent, because everyone around them was saying "Cool."

Wang Yan said nothing, because he too had once said "Cool."

In the afternoon PE class, Wang Yan had nothing else to do, so he went to the basketball court to play. Mostly, he was just showing off and chasing a bit of youth.

In the past, Wang Yan could play a little—but he was terrible. Now, he was different; his physique spoke for itself—he could do axe dunks, full-spin dunks, and between-the-legs dunks.

His body was agile, his reactions fast, his explosive power strong, his control excellent. His long-range shots might lack accuracy, but his two-point drives were flawless.

The school team athletes and regular players who knew him greeted him warmly when they saw him arrive.

Some unfamiliar ones asked those beside them: "Who's he? Why's he so cool?"

"He's… "

This was the deep friendship built over the past month—even though Wang Yan didn't play often, just showing two moves and guiding them was enough to win them over.

They didn't know why, but they just felt Wang Yan was great and loved talking and playing basketball with him.

"Here you go." Su Kai, the team captain, tossed the ball to Wang Yan as he approached.

Wang Yan nodded, caught the ball, walked to the three-point line, shot a three-pointer that clanged off the rim, then sprinted forward, jumped high off both feet, grabbed the rebound, and slammed it down with a power dunk. He didn't dare hang on the rim—he feared his strength might break it.

"Whoa, fucking awesome."

"Wang Yan, cool."

The students around him, though they'd seen it many times, still got wildly excited. There was nothing they could do—they were envious and jealous.

Nearby, a group of girls cooling off pointed and whispered about Wang Yan.

Honestly, Wang Yan now had a small group of female fans—all of whom had happened to see him play basketball.

Watching Wang Yan, Su Kai said: "You're really cool. So damn handsome."

"You're almost there too—I saw you were close just the other day. Just push a little harder," Wang Yan encouraged Su Kai.

But whenever he looked at Su Kai, he kept thinking of "Love Apartment"—he couldn't shake it.

"Don't comfort me—I know my level. But didn't Coach Zhang say something last time? Haven't you considered it?"

"Nah, I still have to study."

Saying that, Wang Yan called out to the other students: "Come on, let's play full court."

In no time, teams were arranged.

A group of guys enthusiastically started playing.

Wang Yan didn't hog the ball—he passed more often. Besides, they were all grown men; showing off a couple moves for the thrill was enough—the rest was just for fun. Basketball was about teamwork—if he just charged in for dunks every time, what was the point? He could just grab a ball and dunk alone somewhere else.

They played hard for a whole class, yet Wang Yan didn't even break a sweat.

What Wang Yan didn't see was Fang Chen quietly watching him from the left side of the court, and Lin Jiamo secretly watching him from behind a tree on the right.

Lin Jiamo had stumbled upon it by accident; over the past month, Wang Yan had played so rarely that she'd never crossed paths with Chen Xun and the others.

Once, while passing by, she'd seen Wang Yan execute a flying dunk—she'd been stunned.

"Who knew this suck-up and annoying jerk could play basketball? And he's so handsome when he plays?" Her heart thumped wildly, almost leaping out to cheer.

But then she remembered how annoying Wang Yan was, and felt conflicted—so she hesitated, sneaking glances from behind the tree.

Wang Yan didn't know—and if he did, he wouldn't care.

Although he started school later than them, overall, their mindsets hadn't differed much.

All he could say was that his child back then was... really pure?

In the evening, after school, Wang Yan packed his things and walked out slowly.

Outside, he happened to see Fang Yin's back as she rode her bicycle, with several boys trailing behind her.

Wang Yan frowned and called out: "Fang Yin."

Hearing someone call, Fang Yin stopped her bike and turned around—just as she was about to speak, she saw the boys following her and lowered her head, frozen in fear.

Wang Yan walked over and, before either of them could speak, asked: "What are you following her for?"

"Kid, I advise you to mind your own business."

Ignoring the two delinquents, Wang Yan said to Fang Yin: "Go ahead, leave."

"You dare?" one of the thin boys threatened harshly.

Wang Yan had no patience for such nonsense—he tripped one with his foot, pulled back his hand, and the thin boy went flying through the air with a "Cao!" Wang Yan silently cushioned his fall with the sole of his foot to avoid smashing his head.

The other boy, seeing his buddy go down, yelled "I fucking—!" without thinking, swung his fist toward Wang Yan.

Wang Yan caught the incoming fist with one hand, grabbed the collar with the other, and kicked the boy's shin—then, as the thin boy cried out "Ow!", slammed him into his own body.

Before Fang Yin could react, both of them were already on the ground.

"I suggest you two shut your mouths," Wang Yan said, standing on top of them. "Those gap teeth look awful."

Hearing this, the two lying on the ground, groaning in pain and threatening loudly, wisely clamped their mouths shut.

"Alright, go home."

"But you..."

"It's fine. Go home," Wang Yan said firmly.

Fang Yin, hearing Wang Yan's decisive tone, walked away, glancing back every few steps.

The commotion had drawn a crowd—everyone nearby had gathered, eager for spectacle.

Wang Yan looked around, said nothing, and tapped his foot against the two: "Get up."

The two obeyed and rose, then turned to run.

Wang Yan grabbed both their shoulders: "Run again, and I'll get serious."

They felt their asses and shins, and wisely chuckled: "Big Brother, what do you want us to do? Just say it."

Wang Yan nodded: "Who sent you? Take me to him."

The two opened their mouths hesitantly—they believed in that code.

Wang Yan made an "Hmm?" sound, and squeezed their shoulders harder.

"Ow... Big Brother, Big Brother, it hurts, hurts, ease up—we'll take you, we'll take you!"

"Lead the way," Wang Yan released them.

"Got it, Big Brother, this way!" One rubbed his shoulder, the other his butt, leading the way.

The crowd, seeing the show was over, reluctantly dispersed—but everyone was asking who that guy was who took down two in one go.

Among them were students from Wang Yan's class; hearing someone ask, they bragged smugly: "That's from Class One, Grade Two. His name's Wang Yan."

They couldn't help adding proudly: "He's my classmate."

No one could believe it—this snitch, the teacher's pet, had been seen pinning Zhao Ye and Qiao Ran to the ground before, but no one expected him to go this hard. Those two obvious thugs, taken down in seconds?

Tomorrow, this would spread across all three grades—everyone in this age group loved this kind of thing.

Even those who spent all day studying, lost in the sea of books, would pretend indifference while straining to listen.

Youth is passionate, after all. Everyone's like that.