When Lin Ran reached the field, he immediately spotted a group of people standing beneath the trees. The broad-shouldered figure beside them was probably the instructor in charge of Class A. From a distance, it looked like the instructor was scolding Lin Ruixue, who had her head down and was holding Si Qing by the arm. Facing them was a girl who looked arrogant to her core.

This was the first time Lin Ran had been able to tell how arrogant someone was just by looking at them. So this was the foulmouth who’d been badmouthing Lin Ruixue.

Lin Ran walked straight over. Only when he got closer did he hear what they were saying.

“If you don’t have proof, don’t go around slandering your classmates,” the instructor said.

“Then tell me, what counts as proof? Since when do you have to find proof before you can fight back after someone’s bullied you? I already told you—she said all kinds of nasty things about Xiaoxue in class last week, and she’s still doing it during military training today. Do I need to have a recording or something?” Si Qing stared the instructor down without the slightest fear, keeping Lin Ruixue behind her.

“And what makes you so sure she was the one badmouthing you? If another classmate can back you up, that’ll do. But if you have no proof, I won’t allow this kind of behavior,” the instructor said sternly.

Si Qing was furious, but with all the smiling faces around her, there was nothing she could do. She had no idea what Yuchi Yanran had told them. All she knew was that no one would confirm Yuchi Yanran had said it. Ask them, and they’d say they didn’t know—they’d only heard about it.

Lin Ran did notice the Zhao brothers, Zhao Xingwen and Zhao Xingwu, seemed like they wanted to step forward. For some reason, though, neither of them did.

Lin Ran smiled and walked over.

“Instructor, let me ask you something. If I beat her up somewhere with no outsiders or cameras around, and she said I’d hit her, would you believe her?” Lin Ran walked up, pointing at Yuchi Yanran with a smile as he asked the instructor.

Lin Ran’s appearance caught the students’ attention, and his words shocked them even more.

“That’s a pretty extreme thing to say. And you’re a second-year student, right? This has nothing to do with you, so don’t get involved,” the instructor said, at a loss.

Lin Ran shook his head. “It actually does have something to do with me. The girl you’re accusing is my younger sister. What, she’s not allowed to fight back when she’s bullied? Her family isn’t even allowed to say a few words?”

Lin Ran’s smile was full of scorn.

“I’d already heard Xiaoxue say someone in her class was badmouthing her. If you were only saying a few nasty things, well, stooping to your level wouldn’t be worth it. But there are some things you can’t just say, right? Calling someone a slut, saying she sells herself—is that what your parents taught you about manners and decency?” Lin Ran’s voice grew colder. His eyes stayed fixed on Yuchi Yanran.

Yuchi Yanran looked a little scared under Lin Ran’s stare, but she still spoke up. “I-I didn’t say that. I never said anything like that.”

“I don’t care whether you said it or not. As far as I’m concerned, you did. I’ll give you one chance: apologize to her right now, and admit that what you said was slander. Otherwise, I won’t go easy on you. If everything needs proof, then no proof means it never happened. It’s not hard to leave no proof.” Lin Ran smiled faintly. Hurting someone was nothing compared to killing them.

“You can’t talk like that in front of me, young man. I understand how you feel about your sister being bullied, but you can’t just point at someone and say she did it. You need proof, or someone who can confirm she said it. If we establish that she did, I’ll discipline her.” The instructor was at a loss. It was obvious Lin Ran hadn’t come to settle things peacefully. One wrong word and it looked like he’d start a fight.

“Brother Ran, forget it. We don’t have any proof,” Lin Ruixue said quietly, tugging at Lin Ran’s arm.

“So what if we don’t have proof? I know she was the one saying it behind your back. Even if I said I heard her, you wouldn’t believe me.” Si Qing was furious.

“Apologize. Right now!” Lin Ran lost his patience and shouted at Yuchi Yanran.

All the students nearby jumped at Lin Ran’s sudden shout. Yuchi Yanran flinched even harder, and her eyes immediately turned red.

“I didn’t say it!” Yuchi Yanran still stubbornly denied it.

Lin Ran nodded and started forward, ready to strike, but Su Shijie immediately stopped him. The instructor then stepped in front of Yuchi Yanran and yelled at Lin Ran, “What do you think you’re doing? Hitting someone right in front of me?”

“I’m not going to hit her. I just want to rip her mouth off,” Lin Ran said with a smile.

“Hey, it’s not very nice for a grown man to treat a girl like that,” a giggling female voice chimed in from beside them.

At the sound of that voice, Su Shijie shuddered. A thought immediately popped into his head: ‘What’s this Dead Bun doing here?’

Lin Ran looked at Bao Xinrou. “What’s it to you?”

Bao Xinrou grinned. “Well, it’s not my business, but I do like sticking my nose in where it doesn’t belong. I can’t stand grown men picking on little girls. How about you and me have a go?”

“That’s enough. All of you, stop. After lunch, you’re all coming to my office,” the instructor said, figuring that if they didn’t step in now, a fight would break out.

Bao Xinrou nodded, bit through the lollipop in her mouth, and looked at Lin Ran. “If you’ve got guts, don’t pick on little girls. Want to spar? Come find me. I’ll take you on anytime.”

And that wasn’t all—even Ye Qingqian showed up!

“I heard someone wanted to start a fight. What, are you already looking for trouble at the start of the school year?” Ye Qingqian said with a smile.

When Bao Xinrou saw Ye Qingqian, she clicked her tongue and said nothing. But her expression made it clear she didn’t like Ye Qingqian.

“Hello, Instructor. I’m the Student Council president. Could you tell me what happened? Someone just told me there was trouble on the field, so I came to take a look and see if I could help sort things out,” Ye Qingqian said with a smile.

Before the instructor could say a word, a crowd of students eagerly started telling their side of the story. In their version, Lin Ran was the one who’d come to bully someone. In the end, the instructor had to explain the whole situation himself.

What made the whole thing even more ridiculous was that, while everyone else was seriously discussing the situation, Bao Xinrou secretly flirted with Lin Ruixue and pulled a lollipop from her pocket to offer her.

“Before this, I’d also heard that someone in Class A, first year, had been badmouthing Lin Ruixue behind her back. I’d like to ask you: was it you?” Ye Qingqian asked, smiling at Yuchi Yanran.

Yuchi Yanran froze for a moment, then immediately shook her head.

“If it wasn’t you, then it must’ve been someone else. But let me remind you all: badmouthing someone behind their back isn’t something to be proud of, especially when the things you say are this awful. Whoever it is can own up to it now. But if you don’t, I won’t go easy on you when I catch you.” Ye Qingqian smiled. It sounded like she was talking to everyone, but it also seemed meant for one person in particular.

Then things got interesting. A lot of the students from Class A, first year, started looking at Yuchi Yanran for no apparent reason...

Plenty of people noticed. Even the instructor looked troubled. Was there any point in dragging this out? It was already obvious. It really had been her. What a headache.

Then Zhao Xingwen stepped forward.

“Um, senior, Instructor, and Xiaoxue’s brother, I can confirm it. Yuchi Yanran really was the one badmouthing her behind her back in class,” Zhao Xingwen said with an embarrassed smile.

Zhao Xingwu, standing beside him, shook his head helplessly, then stepped forward too and said he could confirm it.

After that, quite a few more students looked around at one another before speaking up.

Lin Ran gave a cold laugh. “What, playing the good guy now? You’re such a fence-sitter.”

Zhao Xingwen looked awkward after Lin Ran called him out. The others looked uncomfortable too—some ashamed, some angry.

Zhao Xingwen felt awful. He liked Lin Ruixue, but he’d been upset when he heard she had a boyfriend. He’d known Yuchi Yanran was badmouthing her and had been furious about it, but stepping in would’ve meant sticking his nose into someone else’s business. He’d been torn over what to do. Then just now, he’d heard that Lin Ran wasn’t Lin Ruixue’s boyfriend—he was her brother. Zhao Xingwen was startled, so he stepped forward to testify. It really did make him look like a fence-sitter, but... well.

“Hey, Baozi, still feel like sticking your nose in other people’s business?” Su Shijie said smugly, looking at Bao Xinrou.

“Are you asking for a beating?” Bao Xinrou glared at Su Shijie.

Su Shijie immediately shrank back. The pain in his face hadn’t even gone away yet.

“Uh, sorry. I really did stick my nose where it didn’t belong.” Bao Xinrou apologized to Lin Ran, looking thoroughly unhappy.

Lin Ran gave a dismissive snort and ignored her. Bao Xinrou was furious.

“Since that’s the case, do you have anything else to say?” Ye Qingqian asked, smiling at Yuchi Yanran.

This time, she said nothing.

“With this many people backing it up, just apologize to Lin Ruixue and admit that what you said was slander, not the truth. Also, you two need to apologize to her as well, since you laid hands on her just now,” Ye Qingqian said.

“I’ll apologize. Xiaoxue didn’t lay a hand on anyone, so why should she apologize?” Si Qing said indignantly.

Once the apologies were made, the matter was considered settled.

“Don’t let me hear that foul mouth of yours again,” Lin Ran warned Yuchi Yanran before leaving.

Then he took Lin Ruixue and Si Qing straight to the cafeteria.

On the way, Si Qing practically jumped with excitement. “Brother Ran, you were so cool just now! I never thought that even with your awful temper and twisted personality, you could look so cool when you got serious! That woman deserved a beating. She has no manners.”

Lin Ran didn’t say anything.

“Brother Ran, thank you,” Lin Ruixue said.

Lin Ran nodded. “If she runs her mouth again, tell me.”

Su Shijie clicked his tongue. Hopefully, that girl wouldn’t say anything stupid again. Next time, Lin Ran really would hit someone.

Ye Qingqian caught up with them too. She chatted with Lin Ruixue and Si Qing first, then looked at Lin Ran. “Lin Ran, now that I’ve invited you to join the Student Council, you won’t turn me down, will you?”

“Not interested.” Lin Ran gave the same answer as before.

“But I helped you! You owe me one!” Ye Qingqian reminded Lin Ran indignantly.

“You weren’t needed. I could’ve handled it,” Lin Ran said.

Ye Qingqian was speechless. Su Shijie glanced at him and chuckled. “Little Ran, you really do owe the senior one. If she hadn’t shown up, you’d have ended up fighting Bao Xinrou or getting into it with the instructor.”

“Since when did you start taking other people’s side?” Lin Ran said helplessly. It was true, though. If Ye Qingqian hadn’t stepped in, he would’ve at least gotten into an argument with the instructor—and might even have provoked Bao Xinrou, that violent girl.

“Stop pretending and just join the Student Council. The senior won’t treat you badly,” Su Shijie said with a grin. Then he glanced at Ye Qingqian. “Right, senior?”

“Maybe!” Ye Qingqian replied with a smile.

“You’re all seriously messed up,” Lin Ran muttered, then quickened his pace.