Lin Qing suddenly spoke up, taking everyone by surprise.

Especially when Li Weiqiang turned to look at Lin Qing and saw that this scrawny little runt actually dared to stop him.

His expression darkened even further. He stared straight at Lin Qing, the corners of his mouth curling upward in a smile that held no warmth.

Damn it.

He’d backed down during his confrontation with Zhou Lin just now, and that was why everyone looked down on him.

It was all because of this little runt that he’d ended up in a conflict with Zhou Lin in the first place.

And now the runt had gone and stepped forward of his own accord.

Judging by how nervous Zhou Lin had been, he and this little runt seemed to get along pretty well.

That meant he’d have to teach the runt a good lesson to vent his anger.

As Li Weiqiang thought about giving Lin Qing a beating, Zhou Lin watched Lin Qing step in and take responsibility. He couldn’t help shaking his head, thinking that if someone was determined to get himself killed, no one could stop him.

Zhou Lin wasn’t planning to get involved in what happened between Lin Qing and Li Weiqiang. This time, he’d just watch from the sidelines.

With a scrawny body like Lin Qing’s, he still wanted to stand up for someone else? He really had no idea what he was getting himself into!

The school’s troublemakers weren’t all kind like him. Some of them were downright vicious.

Besides the students watching the show, there were a few others on the field with their own agendas.

Wang Fanran had quickly changed into his gym clothes and hidden himself in a corner. Once he was sure he wouldn’t get beaten again, he stopped being as scared as he’d been before.

Just like now, when he heard Lin Qing yell for them to stop, Wang Fanran’s heart started pounding wildly too.

It wasn’t worry.

It was excitement.

Compared to Zhou Lin and Wang Jian, Wang Fanran hated his deskmate, Lin Qing, even more.

Lin Qing had never actually hit him. Maybe that was exactly why.

He picked on the weak and feared the strong.

Zhou Lin was the class’s resident tough guy, so Wang Fanran didn’t dare fight back. But Lin Qing was just an antisocial transfer student.

Like a rootless duckweed, drifting wherever the wind took it, with nothing to anchor it.

Someone like that should’ve been at the very bottom of the class, an easy target for anyone to bully.

Wang Fanran thought he was better than Lin Qing, higher up the food chain, and that filled him with a sense of superiority.

But now he was the one suffering, while Lin Qing stood by and watched.

How infuriating!

So hurry up and fight already!

Go, Li Weiqiang!

Beat Lin Qing half to death!

Only then would Wang Fanran feel better, seeing Lin Qing in a miserable state.

He couldn’t be the only one getting beaten up!

Wang Fanran watched Li Weiqiang with eager anticipation, barely stopping himself from clenching his fists and cheering him on.

He couldn’t wait to fast-forward to Lin Qing getting beaten.

“Who do you think you are, telling me to stop? I won’t—and what are you gonna do about it?”

While everyone had their own thoughts, Li Weiqiang sneered. Then he deliberately raised his foot again.

He wanted to keep beating Li Dong right in front of Lin Qing.

He wanted to see just how this little runt planned to stop him!

Did he think a few weak, powerless words would make him some great hero who rescued people from danger?

Ha! Keep dreaming.

A loser like you doesn’t get to dream!

With that thought, Li Weiqiang gave a scornful sneer. Since he was deliberately trying to provoke Lin Qing, his foot seemed to move in slow motion as he kicked at Li Dong.

The whole thing was pure mockery.

Even so, Li Dong didn’t dodge as he lay on the ground.

He was like a puppet whose soul had left its body.

Letting anyone do whatever they wanted with him.

“Oh, kid, you’ve got some nerve!”

But Li Weiqiang’s foot never came down. Someone intercepted him halfway.

The person grabbed him by the ankle, throwing him off balance and nearly making him fall.

Luckily, years of sports training helped him find his balance. He quickly steadied himself, then immediately kicked out hard.

What was with today?

Why were so many people suddenly sticking their noses in other people’s business?

If you’ve got that much free time, why don’t you just drop dead!

“Heh. You even kick up your heels. What are you, a donkey?”

But the foot Li Weiqiang had tried to kick with was still firmly held in place.

He couldn’t move it at all.

The other person’s grip was incredibly strong. Just having his ankle squeezed was enough to make Li Weiqiang wince in pain.

They’d grabbed him right where the tendon was, so of course it hurt like hell.

“You son of a—”

Li Weiqiang cursed as he looked up, but the rest of his words suddenly died in his throat.

The other person’s cheerful smile left Li Weiqiang dumbfounded.

“Teacher Wu, you can’t treat a student like this. I’ll report you to the principal!”

When Li Weiqiang saw the new PE teacher, Wu Gang, all his arrogance vanished.

The new teacher’s punishments were harsher than the old PE teacher’s.

Nobody wanted to find out what they were like firsthand.

Once Li Weiqiang had calmed down, Wu Gang let go of his foot.

He quickly released him, then held his hand up to his nose and sniffed it. His face immediately twisted with disgust, as if the smell were unbearable.

Li Weiqiang’s expression changed too. He felt humiliated in front of everyone, and clenched his fists so tightly he wanted to punch that bastard teacher in the face.

But then he remembered that Wu Gang had suddenly landed a job at the school and pushed the previous teacher out.

Even the principal treated him with the utmost respect and wouldn’t dare throw his weight around.

They said Wu Gang had powerful people backing him.

He wasn’t an ordinary guy.

He couldn’t afford to act rashly.

If he made Wu Gang angry, he’d be in for a world of trouble.

“Go ahead and report me. I’m not afraid. In fact, I’m looking forward to it!”

Wu Gang didn’t take Li Weiqiang’s feeble threat seriously at all. He picked at his ear with his pinky, then turned to look at the student still lying on the ground, his nose streaming blood after getting beaten.

Wu Gang couldn’t help sighing to himself. It seemed like there was no way to stamp out bullying at school completely.

There’d been bullying back when he was a student, too.

But as times changed, bullying had only gotten worse.

“Are you okay? Someone help me get him to the nurse’s office.”

Then Wu Gang didn’t leave Li Dong lying on the ground. He casually waved someone over, wanting them to get Li Dong checked out as soon as possible.

But just as Wu Gang beckoned, before the student he’d picked could even take a step, someone suddenly shoved past them.

A fat butt bumped the student aside, leaving them staring in confusion at the guy who’d rushed forward first.

Someone was actually competing for a chore like this?

And wasn’t that guy Wang Fanran?

Since when had he become so eager to help?

Seeing that a student was willing to help, Wu Gang didn’t make a big deal of it. He turned his attention back to Li Weiqiang.

“All right. What just happened wasn’t an accidental kick from a soccer ball, was it? Li Weiqiang, school is a place for learning. It’s not somewhere you can beat people up whenever you feel like it… And you, are you okay? That must’ve scared you.”

As Wu Gang spoke, he changed tack and immediately looked toward Lin Qing.

There was a hint of mischief in his eyes, but his expression was completely serious.

Lin Qing stared at him, a little stunned, unsure why his roommate from the hospital was here.

And why was he Lin Qing’s PE teacher now?!

Could it be…

Su Yao!

As soon as Lin Qing put the pieces together, he immediately started looking for Su Yao.

“Teacher, Li Dong was trying to hit me just now. I was only acting in self-defense! You can ask Li Dong if you don’t believe me.”

But while Lin Qing searched for Su Yao, Li Weiqiang started making excuses.

He delivered his blatant lies as casually as could be.

His eyes were full of smug confidence, as if he were certain he’d get away with it.