The Nanluo School forum has completely exploded.
Although Chen Jingmo had previously sealed off several surrounding rooftops to ensure no one could witness the fight, he couldn’t stop the aftermath from being exceptionally gruesome. Furthermore, teenagers at this age are naturally curious, have far too much free time, and love to gossip.
Through the tireless efforts of the students and faculty, their hard work finally paid off. A thread appeared with a clickbait title starting with “SHOCKING!”:
[SHOCKING! The truth behind the rooftop duel that the whole school is watching is actually…]
The Original Poster (OP) of this thread reportedly gathered information from his primary school classmate’s junior high desk mate’s high school neighbor. As it turned out, this “neighbor” was one of Chen Jingmo’s lackeys and had the misfortune of participating in the fight. He was currently lying in the orthopedic ward of the hospital.
Between the title and the teaser info, a massive crowd of “melon-eaters” (gossippers) was instantly attracted. Within minutes, the thread reached over a hundred replies.
.: “OP, you know that stopping halfway through a story is a good way to get struck by lightning, right?”
Percentage: “I bet OP knows absolutely nothing. He’s just fishing for replies.”
QNDY: “Any hackers here? Please do us a favor and doxx the OP. I want him to feel the ‘friendly’ greetings of Nanluo!”
Master Jiang is the Prettiest: “+1 to the person above. Seeking doxxing! I want to send the OP some ‘warmth’!”
Amidst the chaotic replies, the OP finally caved and posted again.
Happy Superman (OP): “Settle down, grandpas! I was just eating. Is all this necessary? Fine, I’ll keep going. Word is the scene was incredibly brutal, but that wasn’t the most shocking part. The most shocking thing was that Young Master Bai’s side actually…”
And then he stopped. The “friendly and enthusiastic” students proceeded to curse him out for another three hundred replies.
Seeing the thread become a “Hot Post” and flip to a new page within ten minutes, the scoundrel OP finally showed his face again.
Happy Superman (OP): “Sorry, sorry! The teacher just called on me. So, they say that when Boss Chen Jingmo fired a signal, ‘a thousand troops and ten thousand horses’ met. He gathered dozens of prominent figures from Nanluo and the Nanluo Affiliated School on that rooftop. Under the scorching sun, their morale was high, and the steel pipes in their hands glinted with a terrifying light!”
Grumpy Bro: “To hell with you! With your trash writing skills, why are you out here making a fool of yourself? Consider this a warning: I’ve already doxxed you. I’m currently on my way to your classroom. Grade 12, International Class C. I’ve said my piece. If you don’t finish the story right now, you can weigh the consequences yourself.”
This time, the OP knelt (apologized) very quickly.
Happy Superman (OP): “I was wrong, Dad!”
Happy Superman (OP): “So, during the rooftop fight today, Boss Chen Jingmo brought a huge crowd of lackeys, but Young Master Bai went alone. It was one against the crowd. Chen’s people were sent to the hospital en masse. The school infirmary is now overflowing. Even Boss Chen was seriously injured. I heard the Principal had to handle the cleanup. The entire rooftop was covered in blood—it was terrifying. The most seriously injured one is currently in the ICU. If you don’t believe me, go look at the infirmary yourselves. Anyone who participated knows. If I’m lying, may I be struck by lightning!”
Happy Superman (OP): “That’s all I know. Dads, I was wrong! Please let me off!”
The OP’s final plea was ignored as the crowd fell into a “honeyed silence” while processing the information.
When Will the School Explode: “Am I blind, or is my phone broken?”
Pacific Ocean: “Mine might be broken too.”
Best at Math: “Don’t doubt yourselves. I suspect the OP is a paid shill hired by the Bai family. That guy surnamed Bai definitely got taught a lesson by Boss Chen, and now he’s too embarrassed, so he hired people to spread lies!”
35565: “Is the person above out of their mind? If the OP were truly spreading rumors, how could he still survive at Nanluo? Besides, any of Boss Chen’s lackeys could come out and clarify, right? Why hasn’t a single one spoken up yet?”
The Flower of Nanluo: “Holy crap, you’re right. Could it be real? Oh my god. Tagging @BossChen manually. We want the truth!”
Li Zhongke: “I still think it’s impossible. I’ve seen Young Master Bai; he looks like a sickly weakling. Everyone knows he lives on medication year-round. He’s the type Boss Chen could kill in a minute. Now you’re saying he took on dozens of people including Chen? What a joke.”
Various “Analysis Emperors” stepped up, and the thread quickly became the hottest topic of the day. The two sides argued incessantly. One side claimed the OP was a paid shill, the other claimed Young Master Bai used bodyguards. Occasionally, someone would suggest the OP was telling the truth, only to be drowned out a second later.
It wasn’t until an hour later that a student, daring to explore and risking being beaten by teachers or having their allowance cut by parents, made a trip to the infirmary.
The Brave One: “The OP is telling the truth. I just went to the infirmary—it’s packed, and they’re all Boss Chen’s people. I asked how many people were on Young Master Bai’s side, and I was chased out by a barrage of IV bottles. The Band-Aid on my forehead right now is proof. The infirmary is right there; go ask yourselves if you don’t believe me. Friendly tip: if you’re a slow runner, don’t go. I’m afraid you’ll be beaten to death.”
Wishing You Happiness: “I can confirm the above is true. I was there too, but I was a step slower. When I arrived, I saw a person buried under IV bottles. The guy above is indeed a warrior!”
Through various “scientific” methods—proposing theories, debating, seeking evidence, and reverse-deduction—the crowd finally had to accept this fairy-tale-like truth.
Bai Xi, however, knew nothing of this. By the time she returned to school, the second period had already begun. Her arm was in a sling, a Band-Aid was plastered across the bridge of her nose, and her face was marred by bruises on her cheek and the corner of her mouth.
Glancing at the young math teacher who stood stunned at the podium, Bai Xi swaggered through the back door to her seat. She then looked up at Chen Jingmo, who was sitting to her front-left and looking equally battered.
The two made eye contact for a moment before calmly looking away.
Yu Mo stared at Bai Xi’s bandaged arm. “I called the school and told them to get there immediately. How did you still get hurt?”
Bai Xi looked at Yu Mo with surprise. She finally understood why the school authorities—who usually turned a blind eye to the rooftop—had actually intervened. It was because Yu Mo had called. The Yu family’s influence was no less than the Bai family’s, so Yu Mo’s word carried weight. Furthermore, the school wouldn’t want anything fatal to happen when two “Crown Princes” were fighting.
As for why they were thirty minutes late, Bai Xi recalled Old Master Bai’s words. It seemed the old man had interfered. He was certainly ruthless enough toward his own grandchild.
“It’s fine, just a minor injury,” Bai Xi said, waving it off dismissively. She let out a yawn and leaned over the desk to sleep. However, with one arm injured, resting on just the other felt uncomfortable. She shifted her head around, unable to find a good position.
Just as she was about to grab some books to use as a pillow, an arm suddenly appeared in front of her. She turned to see the expressionless Yu Mo extending his right arm flat on her desk. “Rest on mine.”
Bai Xi stared at the hand, her chin buried in the crook of her elbow. She froze for a moment, then shook her head and sat up. She looked at 002 (the cat), who was sleeping like a “dead pig” in Yu Mo’s arms, and pulled it into her own. “No need. I’ll just use this.”
“Meow!” 002 let out a low protest. It was just a weak, pitiful, soft little kitten—it couldn’t support Bai Xi’s “dog head”!
[Bai Xi]: “Do you really want me to sleep on the Male Lead’s arm? That’s a spot reserved exclusively for the Female Lead!”
[002]: “Then don’t sleep at all!”
[Bai Xi]: “You can turn into a cat-shaped pillow; it’s not that hard. If you don’t agree, I’m putting my head on the Male Lead’s arm. One, two…”
[002]: “Shut up! Fine, Bai Xi, you’re cruel!”
Their exchange lasted only an instant. 002 grumbled as it lay in the crook of Bai Xi’s arm, transforming into a cat-shaped pillow that looked no different from its normal form to an outsider.
In a great mood, Bai Xi slept through the entire class on the “002-Special Edition” pillow. During that time, Yu Mo was practically dying of anxiety. He cautiously checked on 002 under Bai Xi’s head several times, his beautiful phoenix-eyes filled with confusion. Is that really not going to crush the cat to death?
As the math class neared its end and the teacher was packing up, the homeroom teacher, Liu Xin, rushed to the classroom door. A stiff, forced smile was squeezed onto his furious face as he nodded to the math teacher.
Before the math teacher could respond, Liu Xin turned to International Class 2. He slammed his hand onto Qian Ying’s desk with a loud BANG, nearly scaring the life out of Qian Ying, who was ducked under the desk picking up a pen. Qian Ying popped his head up, hitting the back of his skull on the desk. He was ready to kill whoever slammed his table, but when he saw the homeroom teacher’s face, his stomach full of curses stayed there. He shrunk into the corner without a word.
“Chen Jingmo! Bai Xi! You two really did me proud!” Just as the bell rang, Liu Xin’s voice nearly drowned out the sound. He kept slapping Qian Ying’s desk, performing a “Sealing-style” explosion of rage.
Even though the 002-pillow was comfortable, Bai Xi was startled awake by the commotion. She looked up with bleary eyes only to see Chen Jingmo, who had also just woken up, looking back at her with a look of pure confusion.
Then, both of them turned their bewildered faces toward Liu Xin.
“Usually when you fight, it’s with other schools or other classes—small brawls. I can’t control you, and I don’t care to. Who hasn’t been hot-headed in their youth? But this time! You two were ‘high-jumping in a toilet’—you’ve gone too far! (Note: a pun meaning ‘over the top’ or ‘seeking death’).”
He pushed the math teacher, who was trying to mediate, out of the room and slammed the door. Liu Xin propped one foot on the podium chair and shifted his hand from Qian Ying’s desk to the podium, slapping it repeatedly. “Did I or did I not say that once you enter International Class 2, we are a family? If there’s a problem, come to me. Small scuffles are one thing, but now?! Look at you! You two had a fight that didn’t just alarm the Principal, it alarmed the whole school!”
“What kind of blood feud do you have with a classmate?! Forty-seven people involved in a gang fight! Concussions, fractures—the ‘lightest’ injuries are external bleeding! One person is still in the ICU! What are you trying to do? Even underworld thugs don’t fight this ruthlessly! And look at the two of you—do you think looking all black and blue like this is attractive?!”
“Whoa!” Small gasps of shock erupted in the classroom. Incredulous gazes turned toward the two in the back row. Words were unnecessary; they were simply “badass.”