Ye Chen grabbed Ai Lang by the hair, yanking him off the ground effortlessly.
"Didn't you say you wanted to kill me? Where did all that courage go?" Ye Chen asked coldly.
Ai Lang trembled in his grip. "S-Senior, please! I was wrong! I swear I won't make the same mistake again. I won't ever trouble you again!"
Ye Chen narrowed his eyes. "Fine. I'll let it go—on one condition. Slap yourself fifty times. Do that, and I won't pursue this further."
Ai Lang's expression turned pale, but with no better option, he started slapping himself hard in front of all his subordinates.
Smack. Smack. Smack.
In this city, Ai Lang was feared as the leader of the Red Wolf Gang. People usually avoided him like the plague. Even the powerful and influential chose to stay away from him. And now here he was, humiliating himself under Ye Chen's orders.
By the time he was done, his cheeks were swollen like balloons.
"This is your final warning," Ye Chen said coldly. "Next time, there will be no chance to apologize."
He turned and walked away, leaving the gang leader stunned and broken.
Ai Lang watched Ye Chen leave, his heart still pounding. He had never been shamed like this in his life. And even though his pride was crushed, he didn't dare retaliate. After watching Ye Chen dismantle a hundred of his men in minutes, he knew better.
Who is this guy? Ai Lang wondered. A government agent? A top-ranked assassin? Either way, he's someone I can't afford to mess with.
Ai Lang turned to his men, who were groaning and struggling to stand.
"Get up, you useless pigs! We're heading back to the headquarters," he barked, kicking a few of them to get moving.
The men limped after him, battered and bruised.
—
Meanwhile, Ye Chen arrived back in his classroom. Zhao Yanyan was already there, eyes closed, sitting calmly.
Ye Chen walked over and gently kissed her cheek.
Zhao Yanyan's eyes fluttered open in surprise, but she smiled when she saw him.
"Ye Chen, you scared me! I thought someone was messing with me," she said, blushing.
"I missed you. Why didn't you come to the Fairy Gate last night?"
Zhao Yanyan sighed softly. "I stayed at my grandfather's place. If he noticed I disappeared during the night, he'd have panicked and searched everywhere. I couldn't risk worrying him."
"You really have an overprotective grandfather," Ye Chen teased gently.
"Well, it's just me, my grandma, and my grandpa now," Zhao Yanyan said with a faint smile. "So they worry. A lot."
Ye Chen fell silent. He hadn't known she lost her parents. It reminded him of his own mysterious past—he didn't even know who his parents were.
Zhao Yanyan looked up at him. "So, where did you go last night?"
Ye Chen told her about selling the Heavenly Peaches and visiting Grandma Liu Yue. Of course, he conveniently left out the part about Lin Rouxi kissing him.
Zhao Yanyan giggled. "Ye Chen, you're really quite the heartthrob. I wouldn't be surprised if you brought home a new sister soon."
Ye Chen scratched his head awkwardly. "There's nothing special going on. They're just acquaintances."
Zhao Yanyan leaned her head on his shoulder. "It's fine. I don't mind if there are other girls around—as long as you still love me."
Ye Chen didn't know what to say. He wasn't sure if she was just testing him or truly open-minded.
Just then, he felt a sharp glare aimed his way. He glanced up—and saw Sen Tu staring at him with murderous eyes.
Ye Chen smirked. Still not giving up, huh? Don't worry, you'll get what's coming.
The school bell rang, signaling the start of class. Lin Rouxi entered the classroom. She avoided Ye Chen's gaze, but her face flushed pink the moment their eyes met.
Still embarrassed about last night, huh? Ye Chen thought.
Lin Rouxi seemed flustered during the lesson and left immediately once it was over. Unlike usual, she didn't invite Ye Chen for lunch.
Zhao Yanyan had also forgotten to bring her lunch today, so the two went to the school canteen together.
On their way, Ye Chen noticed Sen Tu walking ahead.
He reached into his sleeve and discreetly activated an illusionary spell talisman, throwing it toward Sen Tu without anyone noticing.
Ye Chen grinned slyly. Time for a little entertainment.
In the canteen, Ye Chen and Zhao Yanyan sat down with their food, but Ye Chen kept his eyes on Sen Tu.
Suddenly, Sen Tu froze in place, his pupils dilating. In his illusion, a half-naked, drop-dead gorgeous woman was seductively calling him over.
Completely entranced, Sen Tu started stripping off his clothes right there in front of everyone, until he was left in just his underwear. Then he lunged forward, arms outstretched—toward what he thought was a stunning beauty.
But to everyone else, he was trying to tackle another male student.
Gasps and shocked screams echoed across the canteen.
"Is he… trying to assault someone?"
"Wait, that's Sen Tu! What the hell is he doing?!"
People jumped to their feet, trying to stop him, but Sen Tu went berserk, flinging them away with unexpected strength.
Eventually, teachers and school security stormed in and restrained him. They had to tie him up with a rope just to keep him from flailing.
As they dragged Sen Tu out of the cafeteria, students started whispering and pulling out their phones.
Within minutes, photos and videos of "Sen Tu the Mad Pervert" were flooding social media.
And just like that, Sen Tu went from feared school tyrant to the butt of every joke in town.
---