Chapter Six: The Top Scorers Are Spared

“What’s wrong with Leopard? Why hasn’t he made a move yet?” Xia Tingting whispered to Pan Xiang. Yang Le’s words from that morning still stung her, each sentence piercing her heart.

Damn you, Yang Le—who do you think you are, daring to look down on me? Today, I’ll make sure you get a beating so bad you won’t even recognize your own mother. Xia Tingting’s mindset was clear: she could break up with Yang Le, but Yang Le had no right to despise her. In her mind, even if they parted ways, Yang Le should still come groveling to her like a dog, wagging his tail and begging for attention.

She was used to Yang Le’s obedience, accustomed to giving him instructions and watching him follow them. Who could have predicted that, right after their breakup, Yang Le would start treating her with such cold disdain?

Pan Xiang replied smugly, “Don’t worry, darling. Leopard just hasn’t put his phone away yet. Once he tucks it in his pocket, he’ll definitely get to work.”

He’d spent ten thousand yuan for this—he was certain Yang Le would get a thorough beating.

Meanwhile, Leopard tucked his phone into his pocket, picked up a steel pipe, and strode toward Pan Xiang.

“Leopard…” Pan Xiang began.

“Leopard, my ass!” Leopard swung the pipe right at Pan Xiang.

“Leopard, Leopard! You’re hitting the wrong person! I called you here to beat up Yang Le!” Pan Xiang was bewildered. Had Leopard gotten confused after that phone call? Wasn’t it agreed that Yang Le was the target?

Even Leopard’s underlings were puzzled—why was their boss suddenly attacking the benefactor? They were looking forward to Pan Xiang treating them to dinner tonight.

The onlookers were just as confused; the whole scene was a mystery.

“Leopard… please stop! My husband paid you!” Xia Tingting shamelessly brought up the money and even called Pan Xiang her husband.

If she’d kept quiet about the payment, things might have been better. But the moment she mentioned money, Leopard beat Pan Xiang all the harder.

“What are you idiots standing around for? Get in here!” Wei Dapao was still furious and called his men to join him.

For that ten thousand yuan, Wei Dapao had nearly lost his life—Sang Hu had just called him, asking him to protect a high school student who was about to get beaten up, the very target he’d been after moments before.

Yang Le.

Sang Hu had warned him: anyone who touched Yang Le today would be dragged to Tiger Power Bar for punishment. Wei Dapao knew exactly what “punishment” meant—beaten to death, stuffed in a sack, and dumped in the river.

If Sang Hu’s call had come a few seconds later, Wei Dapao might have ended up in a sack tomorrow. Pan Xiang had nearly shoved him straight into hell.

Wei Dapao was determined to teach this man, who had nearly cost him his life, a proper lesson.

“Ah… Leopard, please… spare me!” Pan Xiang pleaded, covering his head with both hands.

“Who’s bullying the students of our school?” A vigorous man in his fifties, the principal, hurried over with a team of security guards.

“Principal, save me!” Pan Xiang cried out when he saw the principal and guards arrive.

“Everyone, step in!” the principal ordered, directing the security guards.

“Hold on.” Once inside, the principal saw Yang Le standing safely and immediately called the guards off. “Yang Le, are you alright? They didn’t do anything to you, did they?” He walked over to Yang Le, full of concern, as if Pan Xiang—the one being beaten—weren’t even his student.

Liu Guoxi, the principal, had just been eating in the cafeteria when he heard that a student named Pan Xiang had hired someone to teach Yang Le a lesson outside the school.

Who was Yang Le? The director of the education bureau had called, asking Liu Guoxi to look after him. The director of the land bureau had called, asking him to protect Yang Le. If someone like Yang Le got beaten up in the school, could Liu Guoxi remain principal?

Of course not.

Without even finishing his meal, Liu Guoxi had rushed out, calling the head of security to gather all the guards and follow him outside.

“Principal, I was beaten—please save me!” Pan Xiang, limping, ran to Liu Guoxi for help as Wei Dapao’s men stopped.

“Who are you?” The principal was confused—Yang Le hadn’t been beaten. Why had he rushed over so urgently?

“I’m Pan Xiang, a student from Class Five, Senior Three.” Pan Xiang quickly introduced himself. The principal didn’t know him, but as long as he could be rescued, that was enough.

“So you’re Pan Xiang—the one who hired people to beat up Yang Le?”

“Why is everyone just standing here? Go back to school!” The principal turned to lecture the crowd. “And you, why did you attack my student?”

As the principal spoke, the crowd of students gradually dispersed.

“Yang Le is standing right there, safe and sound. I didn’t call anyone to beat him,” Pan Xiang tried desperately to explain.

“He told me to beat up Yang Le, but then I heard from the onlookers that Yang Le had excellent grades, so I beat him instead,” Wei Dapao lied, feeling uneasy as he looked at the school security guards.

“Yang Le, is that true?” Liu Guoxi asked Yang Le ingratiatingly.

“I suppose so,” Yang Le replied uncertainly.

He was bewildered—hadn’t Leopard turned on Pan Xiang only after receiving a call from Sang Hu? For someone like Leopard, a street tough, to stand up for a student with good grades seemed absurd.

Could it be that Leopard, lacking education, ended up in the underworld, but now believed that only those with knowledge had a future, so upon hearing that Yang Le had good grades, he decided to beat Pan Xiang instead?

It seemed plausible to Yang Le.

“You’re a real hero! Admirable, admirable!” The principal clasped his hands to Leopard in salute.

“You flatter me,” Leopard replied, feeling a bit embarrassed.

“Pan Xiang, get back to school. Wait for your punishment,” Liu Guoxi said, exchanging a polite word with Leopard before turning to discipline Pan Xiang. Then he led Yang Le back toward the school.

After a few steps, he turned to Leopard and said, “If only society had more street toughs like you!”

The remaining students and shop owners outside the school were left dumbfounded by the principal’s words.

Leopard was astonished. The principal had just been fierce, ready to have the security guards beat him up, and now he was heading back with his students, saying society needed more people like him. What kind of crazy move was this? Was it simply because he’d claimed to beat Pan Xiang for Yang Le’s sake? Was he just going to let him go?

The answer was no.

Even if Yang Le hadn’t been an outstanding student today, Liu Guoxi would have done whatever it took to protect him.

Wang Peng had originally thought he’d be the one getting beaten, but thanks to Yang Le’s good grades, he avoided a thrashing. He resolved to study hard from now on and become a model student.

Wang Peng summed up his new insight: good grades really are everything.

Back at school, Liu Guoxi gave Pan Xiang a stern talking-to. He criticized Pan Xiang for associating with shady people at such a young age, saying he would be disciplined at the assembly on Monday.

Pan Xiang was indignant. His family might not be billionaires, but surely they were better off than Yang Le, who spent every holiday working odd jobs. Even if Yang Le had good grades, was that enough for the principal to show him so much favor?

Pan Xiang, whose family was wealthy, wasn’t too bothered by the punishment. All he wanted now was to deal with Yang Le.

He gave Yang Le a venomous look and slunk away.

“Yang Le, you haven’t eaten yet, have you? Come eat with me,” the principal invited.

The school cafeteria had different meals—Yang Le had always eaten the standard fare, while teachers and wealthy students either dined outside or ordered special meals. The principal and other leaders ate exclusive dishes from the cafeteria.

“I’d rather eat outside, thank you, Principal,” Yang Le said, feeling it would be awkward to dine with the principal. Besides, he was flush with cash now and wanted to treat his good friend Wang Peng to a feast.

He also wanted to call Sang Hu and ask about Leopard—was he sent to help him?

Yang Le took Wang Qiang out of the school and found the best restaurant nearby, the one usually frequented by the rich kids from school.

Yang Le had never experienced this before; now that he was wealthy, it was only right to bring his brothers and try it out. If the food suited his taste, he planned to eat there every day.

Wang Peng stood at the restaurant entrance and whispered to Yang Le, “Brother Maitreya, maybe we shouldn’t. A meal here costs almost a month’s living expenses—if we’re not careful, we’ll end up with nothing but dry bread.”

Yang Le shrugged it off. “Eat your fill—your brother’s luck is good. I won ten thousand yuan in the lottery. Eating here for a year or more won’t be a problem.”

“Ten thousand is a lot, but you should still be careful with it. If you really eat here for a year, you’ll be back to being a broke loser,” Wang Peng cautioned.

“Let’s just eat first. With my luck, maybe I’ll win again after the meal,” Yang Le reassured him.

Wang Qiang thought to himself, Yang Le really was lucky—first winning ten thousand in the lottery, then surviving an attempt by the grade director Huang Li and Li Yifei to expel him, and now Pan Xiang had hired street thugs to beat him up, only for the thugs to hear about Yang Le’s grades and beat up Pan Xiang instead.

His luck was undeniable.

As soon as they entered the restaurant, Yang Le scanned the room and spotted Li Yi and his cronies.