Chapter 29

On the way back, the boys were extremely excited.

Tao Dang, acting like a big monkey, darted around Fang Xinghe.

"Boss, why do I feel you're even better at pretending than before?"

"Damn!" Yu Xiaoduo kicked out, "Big Brother that's called handsome!"

"Right, right, right! Handsomer than Chen Haonan, paired with Little Brother Ma as the Twin Heroes!"

"My god, I could never have dreamed this up..."

This top-tier big brother demeanor of handling tricky problems with such nonchalance gave them an indescribable admiration and longing.

Da Diao sighed with full regret: "Aiyo, damn, I reacted too slowly; next time something like this happens, make sure I go!"

"You can't."

Fang Xinghe glanced at him.

The boy was very unconvinced: "Why can't I? I'd beat him to death!"

Fang Xinghe slowly shook his head: "That's exactly why you can't. You're truly reckless, but Heizi knows what he's doing."

"Oh! So that's how it is..."

The brats finally realized that Big Brother only wanted to scare that reporter, not actually do anything.

They were completely convinced; the eyes of several girls looking at Fang Xinghe were practically dripping with water.

Brother, we're old enough, do you really not want to date?

As soon as they reached a fork in the road, Fang Xinghe immediately urged them to go home.

A bunch of bean sprouts, always dreaming big, worrying about them day in and day out isn't enough.

"Hurry home and do your homework, or I'll slap you!"

"Then I won't do it, just slap me!"

"..."

Fang Xinghe realized he truly couldn't handle them; with no other choice, he had to play his trump card.

"Tao Dang, go!"

When Tao Dong lunged forward with a weird chuckle, the little female eagles screamed and scattered in all directions: "Mom!"

Good, the world was finally quiet.

Just as Fang Xinghe predicted, this small incident ultimately caused no bad consequences, because Heizi was smart, and also because the Beijing Youth Daily reporter was thoroughly cowardly.

Before arriving home, Fang Xinghe specifically called Wang Yali to tell her about the matter.

"Stay put, wait for me to ask Chunhua, then I'll get back to you."

Wang Yali was extremely nervous and immediately communicated with her friends.

Not long after, she called Fang Xinghe back, her tone becoming relaxed.

"Don't pay attention to him. He's just a fool who, relying on having some background, is impatiently trying to climb up; leave the rest to us, Chunhua can handle him."

"Mm." Fang Xinghe replied indifferently, "Then I'll go back and prepare for the exam."

"Wait!"

Wang Yali was very surprised: "So many people are criticizing you, and you're not even a bit anxious? If you want to respond, Chunhua can go over anytime."

Fang Xinghe curled his lips: "I'm only afraid they aren't cursing hard enough. As for responding... what's the point of a verbal battle now?"

"Then wait for what? Wait for the results?"

"Mm."

Wang Yali was even more surprised: "You seem very confident about the exam scores?"

"A little."

"What's the total score for the high school entrance exam on your side? How many points can you score now?"

Fang Xinghe thought about the last test and replied somewhat uncertainly: "The total is 615; last time, excluding PE, I scored 584. With over 20 days left, I should be able to improve a bit more."

Unlike his peers, his study methods were mature and efficient, and he was focused, so his strength improved every single day.

"Wow..."

Wang Yali sighed deeply, feeling that Fang Xinghe was simply miraculous.

"Geniuses really are different; you've only been studying seriously for half a year, right? Is middle school knowledge really that simple?"

"It's quite simple, but the most important thing is willpower."

Wang Yali, disregarding everything, continued to praise: "Everyone knows the principle; the difference lies in whether one can do it."

Fang Xinghe felt somewhat ashamed and couldn't help but smile at himself.

Actually, in his past life, he was also very restless during high school, unable to endure his temper; later, when struggling to survive, he actually forged strong willpower—enduring excruciating pain, keeping a straight face while trolling people online; who wouldn't praise him as awesome upon seeing that?

After rebirth, that nightmare actually turned into various gifts, showing how wonderful the world can be.

"To achieve anything, a person must pay a price."

The boy's sigh once again stirred Wang Yali's sympathy, so she found it hard to comfort him further.

Fang Xinghe didn't need it anyway.

"You're busy, don't worry about me, that's all."

Ending the conversation, the boy strolled home.

Then, without even letting him rest for another day, the Nandu Daily published the latest report, with a particularly shocking title—

"Fang Xinghe: How a True School Bully is Forged"

Old Fang, his face dark, finished class, called him to the office, threw out the newspaper, and then slammed the table fiercely with a bang bang.

"Unbelievable! These reporters today are truly unbelievable!"

Fang Xinghe casually flipped through the manuscript while teasing him: "It's a real manuscript, right? I reckon he hasn't left yet. Should I drag him out and beat him up to vent your anger?"

"No need for that." Old Fang immediately changed his tune, "Actually, I'm not that angry..."

Though he claimed not to be angry, his face was full of frustration at his stubbornness: "When will you change your donkey temper? Why did you scare them for no reason? Look at the mess now?"

"It's pretty good."

Fang Xinghe grabbed the newspaper, turned, and walked out the door: "I'm taking this. Let everyone celebrate."

When he returned to the classroom, many had already received the news and were scrambling to see the newspaper, wanting to know how the "bad guys outside" were insulting the handsome Fang again.

Actually, there was nothing new; everyone already knew the content written.

However, for those outside who could only learn about Fang Xinghe through fragments of words, it was truly too fresh.

Fresh enough to cause an uproar.

Just look at that golden 300-word opening—

"Originally, I thought Fang Xinghe boasting about being the campus big brother in his essay was a humorous writing technique, but when I came to Nong'an No. 3 Middle School with strong curiosity, what I unlocked was a real 'campus underworld'..."

Didn't the anticipation immediately skyrocket?

Next, the interviewees' answers did not disappoint them.

"Fang Xinghe is the most powerful in our school."

"He fights incredibly fiercely!"

"He's not alone; he has many underlings, nicknamed the Thirteen Eagles, and he is the boss."

"I'm not familiar with him; I usually go around them when I see them."

"Right, bad temper, often fights with people, and it seems he even dared to fight seventh-graders back in first year."

"Everyone in the school knows him; he's handsome and fierce in fights. Many girls in our class like him... What's the feeling? Envy!"

"Scared? Not really. Fang Xinghe never bullies good students; when we get bullied, he always steps up to help."

"Yes, yes! It's always the seniors bullying us first!"

"The essay is amazing; the whole class treats it as a model essay. I feel it's written incredibly excitingly; he's really super awesome!"

"Don't like him; he's too barbaric."

"Like him very much; capable in both literature and martial arts."

"Averse, I guess; that group of bad students always makes the campus messy."

"Admiration! When he stands there, everyone looks at him first!"

"Rather sympathetic, I guess? In elementary school, he wasn't like this; since his family suddenly became like that, he definitely had to change."

"I don't know; we live in two different worlds."

The reporter concluded: "In total, six interviewees, each with a different feeling toward Fang Xinghe; some admire, some envy, some fear, some defend.

In their words, Fang Xinghe is a special existence possessing both the image of a protector and the face of a tyrant; he is the most prominent and popular star on campus, and also a fierce flame difficult to approach.

And in my personal opinion, his image is even more complex; the Beijing Youth Daily reporter Xiao Li, who arrived at the same time as me, almost suffered a huge disaster due to recklessness..."

A simple conflict lasting less than a minute, rendered by his brilliant pen, became as thrilling as a Hollywood blockbuster.

And his conclusion was even more interesting—

"What we see in Fang Xinghe is a microcosm of an unconventional era; his unfortunate life is like that apple with a bite taken out of it, rotting and decaying too early and too fast, no child can easily digest it.

Unlike most people, he chose a stress-induced anger, transforming all external harm into an extremely aggressive response.

Toward anyone, toward anything.

This is not his fault, but he is indeed radiating those extreme and harmful things, using his naturally handsome appearance, using his highly inflammatory words, causing strong infection to the youth of this era.

Fang Xinghe is not the 'civilized' observer under his pen; he is already deeply trapped within it, and I feel sorrow for him.

Perhaps, we are witnessing the final brilliant flame of a genius teenager."

The article was written beautifully.

On one hand, profiting from the misfortune of Fang Xinghe's orphan identity; on the other, seemingly neutrally and objectively nailing Fang Xinghe to the cross of "Middle School Order Disruptor."

As for the judgment... that is the readers' business.