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"What? Wei Zhao? He's here? Where?" Zhong Yongliang was startled too. He quickly lifted his head and looked in the direction Zhang Naipao was pointing. Sure enough, Wei Zhao, in his school uniform with his book bag slung across his shoulder, was strolling casually in through the school gate.

"Damn, the kid's sure taking it easy," Zhang Naipao said. Watching Wei Zhao's carefree manner put him in a foul mood. Yesterday he had nearly been beaten to a concussion by the fellow, and even now there was still a lump on his head, plus several bandages stuck to his face. The very thought of it made his blood boil.

"Brother Liang, should we go over?" Gao Xiaofu asked instinctively.

"Go over? Go over and do what? You think you can take him?" Zhong Yongliang shot Gao Xiaofu an annoyed glance. You think you're such a fighter? Weren't you taken out in a single move yesterday?

Gao Xiaofu caught on at once. Yesterday the three of them had been utterly routed by Wei Zhao; going over now would be purely asking for trouble. He shrank back his neck and could only watch Wei Zhao and fume.

The three of them were still stewing when they suddenly saw Zou Ruoming call Wei Zhao over to fetch the ball for him, and at once they put on the look of spectators settling in for a good show, staring fixedly at Wei Zhao's side.

"Ha, now we're in luck. Someone else is going to take care of Wei Zhao for us," Gao Xiaofu said, venting some of his pent-up anger as he watched how things would unfold.

This Zou Ruoming was a ruthless one, especially with an older brother who ran with the underworld. If Wei Zhao clashed with him, why, they would not even need to trouble him themselves — Zou Ruoming would do him in.

"Knowing Wei Zhao's temper, there's no way he'll fetch the ball for him," Zhang Naipao said smugly. "Zou Ruoming is a real fighter. Now we're in for a show."

Zhong Yongliang watched the clash between Wei Zhao and Zou Ruoming with keen interest as well. If it really went as Zhang Naipao said, having Zou Ruoming give Wei Zhao a beating first would not be bad at all.

"Huh? No way! Since when did Wei Zhao become so weak?" Gao Xiaofu's jaw dropped when he saw Wei Zhao go over to fetch the ball. Was this still the same Wei Zhao as yesterday? The Wei Zhao of yesterday was not like this. Could today's one be his twin brother?

"That Wei Zhao, he makes me sick," Zhong Yongliang said, clenching his fist. "So he knows how to play favorites too — so meek and obedient in front of Zou Ruoming. What, does he look down on me, Zhong Yongliang? I swear I'll be at odds with him forever."

Zhang Naipao and Gao Xiaofu were furious as well. This was a provocation, a barefaced provocation. Did he think they were inferior to Zou Ruoming and his lot?

The three of them were still seething when a dramatic scene unfolded. Wei Zhao tossed the basketball, and the ball smashed into Zou Ruoming's hands, passed straight through them, and slammed into his face. Then Zou Ruoming's nose spurted blood, and he toppled to the ground…

"Holy shit, no way?" Zhang Naipao's mouth hung wide open.

"I knew Wei Zhao was no good. How could he ever be so obedient?" As he said this, Zhong Yongliang also felt a breath of relief. To be honest, Wei Zhao bowing his head to Zou Ruoming a moment ago had infuriated him; now, seeing Zou Ruoming end up just like the three of them yesterday, flattened by Wei Zhao, he felt a sudden release of his pent-up anger — and this Zou Ruoming had fared even worse than they had yesterday.

"Zou Ruoming is out of luck this time. Damn, who told him to provoke Wei Zhao? That kid is a madman, plain and simple." Recalling Wei Zhao's behavior on the rooftop yesterday, Gao Xiaofu could not help but gloat a little.

"It seems only Brother Black Panther can handle this guy. We're no match for him at all." Yesterday Zhong Yongliang had still been somewhat resentful, believing that Wei Zhao's victory over the three of them owed at least something to catching them off guard. But today they learned the truth: Wei Zhao was terrifying, his strength top-notch. From that far away, he had actually used a basketball to knock Zou Ruoming unconscious.

"That's right." Zhang Naipao nodded in deep agreement. "It looks like we'd better not provoke this one. The guy's a violence freak."

Wei Zhao naturally had no idea that the person he had just struck down was Zou Ruoming, ranked number two among the school's Four Great Villains. Even if he had known, he would not have gone any easier. The Four Great Villains? He would turn them into the Four Dead Villains.

Wei Zhao arrived at the door of the senior year, Class Five classroom, then knocked on the door.

"Come in," came the voice of the homeroom teacher, Teacher Liu, from inside. This period was Teacher Liu's math class.

"Teacher Liu, something came up at home, so I'm late." Wei Zhao pushed open the classroom door and said politely. He had already informed the dean of students, but he did not want to use that connection to throw his weight around with Teacher Liu. After all, a county official is no match for the one who governs on the spot, and he would still have to get along under Teacher Liu in the future.

Teacher Liu had already been briefed by Director Wang that morning, so he said nothing more at the moment, only nodding. "All right, come in."

Wei Zhao walked into the classroom in a most proper and orderly fashion, then returned to his own seat.

Shen Yushu stared in some astonishment at Wei Zhao striding along as briskly as if on wings, and said to Gu Mengyao beside her, "Sister Yaoyao, how come I feel like he isn't hurt at all? He took a bullet in the leg, didn't he? And yet he walks so fast?"

"Who knows with him," Gu Mengyao said, slanting a glance at Wei Zhao and curling her lip. "Probably love is in the air." Somehow, without meaning to, Gu Mengyao's thoughts had drifted to that scene yesterday in the hospital between Wei Zhao and Qiu Lingshan.

"That little vixen Qiu Lingshan — and to think she puts on such an air of lofty purity," Shen Yushu said, the same scene from yesterday having likewise come to her mind, her tone distinctly aggrieved. What aggrieved her even more was that her own brother should have fallen for a woman like that.

To be sure, in Shen Yushu's eyes Wei Zhao was at least passable — strip away the prejudice and he counted as a rather handsome man, and a rather capable one too — but he still did not compare with her own brother. And so she took it very much to heart that Qiu Lingshan should have set her affections on Wei Zhao.

Wei Zhao, naturally, had no idea that the two young ladies up in front were discussing him. He took out his mathematics textbook, flipped to the page Teacher Liu was currently reviewing, and quietly began to listen to the lesson.

All the courses had already been completed; the daily lessons now consisted of reviewing previously learned material. But although Wei Zhao had never attended school, he had, under Old Man Wei's prodding, taught himself the high school and university curricula, so listening to Teacher Liu lecture posed him not the slightest difficulty.

Wei Zhao was no child prodigy; he merely had a somewhat better memory than most people, and with the internet now so developed — any material or tutorial downloadable at will — self-study was no great hardship.

Looking toward the seats up front belonging to Zhong Yongliang, Gao Xiaofu, and Zhang Naipao, Wei Zhao discovered that the three of them were not in the classroom. Could it be that the three had been hurt too badly yesterday and had not come? Their fate, however, was a matter of complete indifference to Wei Zhao. Let them be. Come or don't come — better if they didn't, and spare him the irritation of the sight of them.

What Wei Zhao did not expect, however, was that Zhong Yongliang, Gao Xiaofu, Zhang Naipao, and the rest had already begun to plot in secret how they might deal with him...