Chapter 91: Yang Xueling's Troubles [Third Burst Update]

One autumn Sunday, Yang Tian rode his motorcycle to Luohe Town and waited at the gate of Victory Middle School, where Yang Xueling stood as she always had, gazing down the road in expectation. The moment she spotted Yang Tian, the little girl broke into radiant smiles.

It is often said that busyness lends a person an air of maturity, and that saying fit Yang Xueling perfectly. In the latter half of her final year of middle school, she looked much more haggard, but also a little more grown up.

Her soft hair fell over a white blouse, and her pale blue embroidered jeans and black-and-white athletic shoes made her look nothing like the lively little wildcat from the village.

Yet in Yang Tian’s eyes, she still seemed forever bright and adorable.

“Brother, you’re late again by five minutes!” Yang Xueling held up the digital watch in her hand and called out loudly.

“All right, get on. I’ll make it up to you by treating you to hand-pulled noodles on East Street again,” Yang Tian said with a laugh. On the ride over, he had been thinking about the King of Fighters '98 tournament, so he had gone much slower than usual and arrived a few minutes late.

“Hand-pulled noodles again?” Yang Xueling said happily as she quickly climbed onto his motorcycle. She loved hand-pulled noodles. To be exact, she loved many of the city’s new treats, such as popsicle ice bars, crunchy instant noodles, Xinjiang fried noodles, and Lanzhou beef noodles.

At the little noodle shop they often visited on the east side of town, Yang Tian ordered two bowls, and the two of them sat down to eat.

But to Yang Tian’s surprise, Yang Xueling was not as delighted as she used to be. Instead, she kept drifting off, as though troubled by something.

“Xueling, what is it? Is school getting too stressful?” Yang Tian sat beside her and asked with a soft smile.

Yang Xueling did not answer. She pouted and shook her head, her expression helpless.

“Then you want something, right? Tell me, what have you taken a liking to? Brother will buy it for you.” Yang Tian teased her with a smile. In truth, he knew very well that Yang Xueling was at the age of awakening, and that a young girl’s heart, still innocent and confused, would naturally be burdened with little worries.

“No, Brother. There’s a boy named Wang Jun who keeps writing me these kinds of letters. I’m almost sick of it! After the classmates found out, they all thought there was something between us. Even the homeroom teacher came to talk to me. Brother, I hate that guy so much. He pesters me every day that I can’t concentrate on studying at all.” As she spoke, Yang Xueling puffed up her cheeks, looking aggrieved.

Yang Tian did not open the white envelope Yang Xueling handed him. He knew what was inside: the childish love letters written by a middle school student.

Yang Xueling studied well, looked pretty, and had a lively personality. It was only normal that many boys liked her.

As for this Wang Jun, Yang Tian had some impression of him. Before his rebirth, Yang Xueling had mentioned him to him. Wang Jun was the grandson of Li Gang, the discipline director of Victory Middle School, and his father, Wang Xianwen, was a businessman, so the family could be considered wealthy and powerful.

Before his rebirth, when Yang Xueling told him about this, he had found it annoying and paid it no mind, because he knew Wang Jun was not someone to be trifled with. Just that build alone was beyond Yang Tian’s reach.

After his rebirth, Yang Tian merely smiled. He very much wanted to rush into Victory Middle School right then and there, throw Wang Jun out of an upstairs window, and teach him a lesson. But he felt that would not be appropriate. It was not that he was afraid of trouble, but Wang Jun was Li Gang’s grandson.

Before his rebirth, he had no feelings toward Li Gang. But after rebirth, during those three years at Victory Middle School, Li Gang, as the discipline director, had treated him quite well.

If he dealt with Wang Jun, how would he face Li Gang afterward?

Still, Wang Jun seemed terribly immature. It would not do to let him off without a warning, and Yang Xueling would not feel at ease either.

By evening, Yang Tian had already taken Yang Xueling all around town, so he sent her to the school gate, where he happened to run into Wang Jun.

The boy wore a side-parted haircut, his hair gleaming with grease, and his mature suit looked strikingly out of place on his childish face.

He was holding a small bunch of red flowers. Yang Tian recognized them at once: dogflowers growing wild in the fields behind Victory Middle School, blooming in various colors. Their scent was somewhat like orchids, but their flower stalks bent crookedly, so people here called them dogflowers.

Wang Jun had clearly picked them to give to Yang Xueling. Yang Tian smiled and shook his head. Giving a girl dogflowers—this little brat certainly had an imagination.

“Yang Xueling, these are for you. Let’s go see a movie together later. They’re showing Titanic tonight, and it’s supposed to be really touching!” The moment Yang Tian’s motorcycle shut off, Wang Jun rushed over eagerly. He was big and looked far more imposing than Yang Tian.

Yang Xueling did not answer. She simply slipped quietly behind Yang Tian, while Yang Tian, after switching off the engine, walked straight up to Wang Jun with a brilliant smile.

“Oh, I know you. You’re Yang Tian, right? I’ve heard you’re a legend at Victory Middle School: top student, and holder of the highest record in the calligraphy competition. But at first glance, you don’t seem like much. No extra arm, no extra leg, just like everyone else!” Wang Jun looked Yang Tian up and down, then laughed. It was obvious he looked down on him.

“Middle school students should focus on their studies. Don’t use these wild flowers to trick girls everywhere. You’ll only harm others and yourself.” Yang Tian spoke with a light smile. If not for Li Gang’s sake, Wang Jun would already have been lying on the ground.

“My flowers... how did they end up in your hands?” Wang Jun first sneered, but when he realized the flowers in his hands had somehow vanished into Yang Tian’s, he was stunned.

Meanwhile, Yang Xueling was smiling sweetly. Leaning against Yang Tian’s side, she felt immensely pleased to see him make Wang Jun look foolish.

She had seen it clearly just now: Yang Tian’s right hand had moved in and out so fast and so smoothly that, without a sound, he had taken the flowers from Wang Jun and placed them in his own hand. Though the movement was quick, she could tell it was no trick; her brother was simply that fast.

“Don’t try any more of your tricks in front of my little sister. Otherwise, next time it won’t be flowers in my hand, but your arm,” Yang Tian said with a grin, baring his teeth as he gently returned the flowers to Wang Jun.

“Don’t try to scare me. Who’s afraid of you? With your little frame, I could flatten you with one punch!” Wang Jun was startled at first, then stepped back several paces and still said stubbornly, unwilling to back down.

At that moment, thick black smoke suddenly rose from the girls’ dormitory building next door. Yang Tian and the others were all startled and turned to look. The smoke was billowing from a room on the fourth floor, as if a fire had broken out there.

The blaze grew fiercer by the second, and the campus erupted at once. Cries, screams, and shouts filled the air. School leaders and teachers rushed over in waves. Some called the police, while others gathered together to quickly discuss what to do. They seemed very clear that by the time the fire brigade arrived, the entire fourth floor would likely already be burned down, and a great many students could be harmed. It was evening, and all the students were still in their dormitories, where anguished cries were already rising from inside the building.

“Ah, Brother, that’s Xin Yu’s dormitory!” After a moment, Yang Xueling suddenly screamed.

Yang Tian was shocked. Zhang Xin Yu’s dormitory? Then she must be inside right now. Without another thought, he kicked off, vaulted over the railing, and dashed straight toward the girls’ building opposite.

In the blink of an eye, Yang Tian had already climbed to the fourth floor and entered the smoke-filled girls’ dormitory room.

Seeing this, both Yang Xueling and Wang Jun were dumbfounded. Yang Xueling had never imagined Yang Tian’s skill was already so extraordinary, while Wang Jun was drenched in cold sweat. If someone with that kind of ability had just acted against him, would he still be standing here unharmed? At the thought, Wang Jun hurriedly clutched the dogflowers in his hand and slunk away toward the teaching building in the distance, not even daring to look back at Yang Xueling.