Another affected, coquettish voice reached Zhou Heng’s ears.

“Some people spend all day fighting, never use their brains when they do anything. I said ages ago that something was bound to happen sooner or later. And look, karma finally caught up with you. Zhou Heng, Zhou Heng… You’re so tough, aren’t you? Why don’t you go show off those fists to the school administrators?”

The speaker this time was Yu Pan, a two-faced flirt who liked getting involved with multiple guys. Within a month of starting school, she’d already hooked three or four different students into acting as her personal ATMs. One of them would even skip meals just to buy her an iPhone. Zhou Heng couldn’t stand watching it, so he warned the guy about her. Just as you’d expect, the guy’s relationship with Yu Pan fell apart.

After that, Yu Pan began to resent Zhou Heng. She’d mocked him to his face and behind his back, calling him stupid and slow, all brawn and no brains—a gorilla with nothing but muscle in his head. She said he’d never amount to much and would have to scrape by selling his brute strength.

Yu Pan was a girl, so Zhou Heng couldn’t teach her a lesson with his fists. His strategy was simply to ignore her.

But now…

Zhou Heng turned a corner and walked over to Yu Pan.

He didn’t say a word. He just stared straight at her face.

Yu Pan was clearly panicking. Her voice trembled as she cried out.

“Y-you, what are you going to do? I’m warning you, all these people are watching. If you…”

Zhou Heng gave a scoff.

“So you’re saying I can do whatever I want when nobody’s watching?”

Yu Pan stared at him in shock.

Zhou Heng lightly tapped her desk, then leaned in and murmured.

“Keep pushing me, and I’ll drag you into an alley. Then you’ll see what I do to you.”

Yu Pan’s face turned deathly pale. Zhou Heng gave a couple of snorts and went back to his seat.

But that wasn’t the end of it. Zhou Heng had just half-threatened and half-intimidated Tang De and Yu Pan. Under normal circumstances, that would’ve been the end of the matter.

But after Zhou Heng sat down, the students around the classroom kept glancing over at him. There was something off about it.

Their curious, confused, matter-of-fact, gleeful, and spiteful looks didn’t fade in the slightest. If anything, they only grew more intense.

Whispers began to take over the room.

Now this was getting interesting.

Zhou Heng searched through his recent memories.

Had he gotten into a fight? No.

Had he ever extorted or blackmailed anyone? Never.

Broken any school rules? That was even less likely.

He ran through it all in his head, but Zhou Heng couldn’t think of a single time he’d broken the law or school regulations.

Then what was with all the students around him?

The click-clack of high heels drew closer.

The moment the heels began clicking, the whispers throughout the classroom fell silent. As soon as their owner stepped inside, every student—including Zhou Heng—sat as still as a meditating monk, staring at their textbooks without saying a word.

The homeroom teacher adjusted her glasses, gave a satisfied hum, and slowly walked to the front of the classroom.

“Zhou Heng…”

Zhou Heng, seated in the second-to-last row, looked up.

“Here.”

The homeroom teacher gave Zhou Heng a strange once-over. She seemed to have plenty of questions, but in the end, she let them go and simply said,

“Come outside with me for a moment.”

Those words set off an explosion among the students. The frigid silence of their monk-like stillness turned into the scorching heat of summer.

Tang De, certain that Zhou Heng wouldn’t dare lay a hand on him with the homeroom teacher there, gave Zhou Heng a thumbs-down. The smirk on his face couldn’t have been more punchable.

Confused, Zhou Heng followed the homeroom teacher out of the classroom.

As soon as they reached the hallway, Zhou Heng couldn’t help asking,

“Did something happen to me?”

The homeroom teacher gave a quiet “Mm.”

“We can’t talk here. Come with me to the principal’s office first. You’ll understand when we get there.”

Zhou Heng stiffened.

“The principal’s office? It can’t be that serious, can it?”

The homeroom teacher didn’t want to say any more. She set off toward the principal’s office, and Zhou Heng had no choice but to follow.

As they walked, Zhou Heng grew more and more anxious, cold sweat running down his back.

The principal’s office. What kind of place was that?

It was where students who’d let their passions get the better of them and caused an unwanted pregnancy went for their final expulsion meeting. It was where students who got into fights received their last warning.

Only students who’d caused a certain level of trouble ever got sent to that place, practically a death row.

Why was he the one being marched to the gallows today?

The thing was, if he really had done something wrong and been summoned to the principal’s office, then fine. At least he’d have some idea why.

But Zhou Heng searched through his memories and genuinely couldn’t figure out what he’d done wrong.

The homeroom teacher stopped in front of a large redwood door.

“We’re here.”

Her voice sounded like a death sentence, and Zhou Heng shuddered.

Trembling, Zhou Heng looked up and saw a white plastic sign hanging high beside the redwood door.

Three characters were written on it.

“Principal’s Office.”