Chapter 12

By the time Xiang Shenglong arrived at the dormitory, there was almost nothing left for him to handle. Li Rui and his gang had already admitted their wrongdoings, heads bowed, without excuses or rebuttals. They confessed to causing trouble for Chen Mo without hesitation.

As for Chen Mo, there was no denying that he had fought back.

Somehow, a busybody posted the entire incident on the school forum, exaggerating the events.

The post's title read: “The School Bully Admits Defeat Like a Dog—A Deep Dive into Who This New King Really Is!”

Chen Mo’s name had been popping up frequently on the campus forum recently, usually alongside another person with the surname Yang. Their relationship as “switched-at-birth” children, their backgrounds, personalities, and even their daily outfits had all been dragged out for comparison and speculation.

To sum it up, most people claimed that Chen Mo was imitating the other person out of pure jealousy.

But now, with this new post...

The original poster had analyzed Chen Mo from every angle, based on various rumors and hearsay, leaving no stone unturned.

The post read: “This guy isn’t just your biological father in terms of bloodline—he’s your father in every possible way. An anonymous classmate from his previous high school revealed that he’s a real academic genius, smart to the point of being unstoppable. He frequently skipped classes (rumor has it to take on jobs outside school) and dominated the streets around their school. One witness even claimed that they saw him beat up a middle-aged man like a dog and throw him into an alley (later confirmed by the police to be his foster father, though this part remains unverified).”

“Next up, he’s been at our school for about a month now. The Yang family publicly promoted him as a ‘model student.’ At first glance, this seemed true—he buried his head in his studies and didn’t bother with the outside world, even when Li Rui’s group secretly caused trouble for him. He didn’t react, appearing to be a very patient and well-mannered student. But when you factor in the fact that Yang Shule still shares the Yang family’s wealth, and that the Yang family’s business had some issues recently, this story gets more complicated.”

“Now, here’s the highlight!”

“Whether he wanted to compete with the fake young master or he was forced by the situation to conform to the model student image, this guy seems like he’s had enough. From last week, based on incomplete statistics, he’s already cracked open the school bully’s head, made a fool out of the fake young master’s friends, and today, he single-handedly fought against four attackers and came out on top. Something major must have happened last week.”

“Lastly, prepare yourselves—there’s a new king in town, and it’s time for a fresh start!”

The post quickly gained hundreds of replies, showing just how unreliable the school’s ban on mobile phones was.

“Who’s the OP talking about? If this really happened, the school would’ve stepped in by now. I didn’t hear a thing!”

“I’m in Dorm Block A, fifth floor. I can confirm this is true, but OP’s exaggeration skills are impressive. I almost believe it myself.”

“In summary: OP is crazy!”

“Hahaha! OP, where did your middle-school-level arrogance come from? ‘Prepare yourselves’? What, do you think Li Rui is some kind of wolf king who has to be defeated before someone else can take his place? Li Rui is just a second-rate rich kid, and I still don’t get why he’s targeting Chen Mo.”

“Apparently, Li Rui tried to cozy up to Yang Shule at some point. I’m starting to believe in conspiracy theories now.”

“Li Rui and Yang Shule? I can’t picture them having any connection.”

“Don’t you know? Yang Shule’s reputation for being well-liked isn’t just a rumor. From the rich kids in school to the students from the poorer districts, he treats everyone the same. So, sometimes I think he’s really fake. And looking at this situation now, wow, he’s exactly that—a fake!”

No one could have predicted that the class representative of the experimental class, Sun Xiaoya, would be scrolling through her phone, excitedly watching the drama unfold during class break.

Qi Lin sidled up to her and asked, “What are you looking at?”

“None of your business!” Sun Xiaoya snapped, still fuming. After a second, she added, “I’m watching a show.”

Qi Lin, caught off guard by her harsh tone, blinked innocently but still asked, “Watching a show? Fine. By the way, are Yan-ge and the others still in Old Xiang’s office?”

“Yeah,” Sun Xiaoya glanced at the empty seats around her, then at Yang Shule, who appeared distracted, maybe having seen or heard something. With a hint of schadenfreude in her voice, she added, “Someone posted the whole thing on the forum. There’s no way to cover it up now.”

Qi Lin looked at her, speechless. “You seem a little too happy about this.”

“Well, if someone’s upset, I’m happy,” Sun Xiaoya retorted, turning her attention back to her phone.

By now, the forum post had reached nearly 300 comments.

People’s focus had returned to the incident itself.

“It’s crazy that this didn’t leak sooner. What’s the point of us gossiping here if we don’t even know the truth?”

“It’s definitely true! Everyone’s at the administrative building right now.”

“Li Rui’s family is pretty influential, right? He’s caused so much trouble in the past and always got away with it.”

“Influential? Don’t make me laugh. There’s someone from the Xie family in the admin office.”

“Uh, don’t tell me he’s the top student…”

“In conclusion:”

“Li Rui is done for.”

“Ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

“Yep, the Xie family may be low-key, but they’re not dead.”

One person, finding this all too absurd, commented sarcastically: “Some people are being ridiculous. Is this a drama? Chen Mo was the one fighting, okay? And even if Xie Siyan wanted to interfere because of his family, do you really think someone that sharp could be the top student? Wake up, people. Just because we all go to the same school doesn’t mean we’re all on the same level. Someone with Xie family’s background won’t ever be just a regular person, no matter how low-profile they try to be.”

“You’re exaggerating…”

“Exactly. Didn’t Yang Shule tell a bunch of people that his relationship with Xie Siyan stems from family ties? If they’re on good terms, and Chen Mo is the biological son of the Yang family, it wouldn’t be surprising if they helped him out.”

Soon after, the same person replied, “Let’s be real. Yang Shule, who always boasts about being childhood friends with Xie Siyan, probably never even caught his eye.”

“Got it, the commenter hates rich people.”

“More like they hate Chen Mo. They’re probably jealous that he got accepted back into the Yang family and are hoping he gets expelled.”

That person quickly became defensive: “I don’t hate the rich. My family has some money, too. I just can’t stand some of you pretending to be all about peace and equality while hiding your true nature, always sucking up to the powerful. Chen Mo’s just a neglected son of the Yang family. No one with real background would give him a second glance. The Yang family doesn’t even measure up to the Xie family, let alone someone like Chen Mo. Jealous of him? Please.”

That comment sparked outrage.

Not necessarily because of Chen Mo, but because the tone reeked of arrogance and superiority, attacking everyone indiscriminately.

With the appearance of this person, many people just wanted the whole thing to quietly blow over.

Ideally, Li Rui would get sent home, and Chen Mo would walk away unscathed.

In fact, half an hour later, the school’s public announcement system suddenly came to life.

"Here’s an important announcement: Today at noon, a serious fight occurred among the second-year students, with a profoundly negative impact. The following are the results of the disciplinary action."

"Chen Mo from Class 1, due to his relatively minor involvement and not being the instigator of the incident, will receive a public reprimand. He will deliver a 500-word oral and written reflection during next Monday’s flag-raising ceremony. Li Rui from Class 9, who repeatedly violated school rules and regulations, will receive a major demerit and a one-week suspension, during which he will be sent home for further education by his parents. Huang Sheng from Class 6, Ma Xiong from Class 7... will receive warnings and a 1,000-word written reflection. The school is not a place for lawlessness, and we will not tolerate any violations. We hope all students will take this as a lesson and focus on their studies. This concludes the announcement."

All the speculation on the forum about family backgrounds and power struggles was instantly crushed by the official announcement.

It was as if the school had just said, “What were you all thinking? We called their parents!”

Shortly after the announcement, someone noticed the forum post had already been deleted.

At the administrative office, Xiang Shenglong looked at the student standing in front of him and asked, “Do you have any objections to this outcome?”

Chen Mo nodded. “It’s fine. Fair enough.”

“We’ll coordinate with the school to get you settled into Li Rui’s dorm room. Don’t worry.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“If something like this happens again... make sure to pick your battles wisely. Do you really think you can fight that well?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And what’s the most important thing in the experimental class? It’s serious study, it’s—”

“Mm-hmm.”@@novelbin@@

“What are you looking at?”

Chen Mo was leaning lazily against the corridor, basking in the afternoon sunlight.

Just then, someone downstairs, hands in pockets, looked up at him.

Following his gaze, Xiang Shenglong peered down too. He squinted slightly behind his glasses and asked, “Before I arrived, did the guy named Xie really not do anything?”

Chen Mo looked back. “What would he do?”

“Let’s hope nothing,” Xiang Shenglong said cryptically. “Li Rui almost ended up on a stretcher. Don’t think I’m blind.”

Chen Mo acted like he hadn’t heard a thing.

As he made his way downstairs, Xiang Shenglong called out loudly, “Don’t get into any more fights, you hear me?!”

Chen Mo turned around at the staircase, his expression one of helplessness. “I’m really not a fan of fighting, to be honest.”

Unfortunately, he just wasn’t as skilled as someone like Xie Siyan, who could handle situations without lifting a finger, leaving people speechless.

When Chen Mo reached the experimental class group, they immediately gathered around him.

“You alright?”

“Did Old Xiang scold you?”

“You should’ve given Li Rui an even harder beating!”

Gou Yiyang, draping an arm over his shoulder, casually changed the subject. After this incident, Chen Mo seemed to have genuinely integrated with the class. Each person’s face became distinct and clear, full of energy and sincerity.

Chen Mo exchanged a few words with them, his eyes drifting to someone standing slightly behind the group.

“Thanks,” Chen Mo called out. “Class rep.”

Xie Siyan’s gaze met his through the crowd. His tone calm, he said, “You should thank Director Lai. He was the one who advocated for you.”

Chen Mo shrugged. “I know, but this is for stepping in when things got rough.”

Xie Siyan, catching sight of his busted lip, smirked. “You’ve got a split lip, but you’re still running your mouth, huh?”

Chen Mo instinctively poked his lip with his tongue.

Instantly, a sharp pain made him wince.

Later that night, the atmosphere in Room 613 was tense.

The dorm’s two good students were so scared of their newly crowned “school tyrant” that they barely dared to breathe. Even their nightly routines were carried out as quietly as possible.

Before Chen Mo moved in, only three people lived in the dorm, including Li Rui.

The other two were Sun Qi, who seemed timid by nature, and Tang Suishan, a student from the liberal arts class who wore glasses with an eight-hundred-degree prescription and was a bit slow to react.

That night, Chen Mo sat at his desk, scrolling through his phone.

Yang Zhi somehow heard about the incident at school and messaged him, asking if he had gotten into trouble.

Chen Mo didn’t reply. When he tossed the phone onto his desk, the loud thud startled Sun Qi, who had been sitting on his bed.

“M-Mo-ge,” Sun Qi stammered nervously. “Should I, um, get you some foot wash?”

Chen Mo blinked, genuinely stunned for a few seconds. “Did Li Rui make you wash his feet before?”

Sun Qi nodded timidly. “Yes.”

“Tell him to get lost.”

“Huh?”

“From now on, if anyone asks you to wash their feet, tell them to get lost.”

Ten minutes later, Sun Qi found himself staring at the yellowish-black basin of foot wash water Chen Mo had soaked his feet in. He then glanced at Chen Mo, who was leaning against the desk, eyes closed, his face slightly flushed from the steam.

Gathering his courage, Sun Qi asked, “Mo-ge, what did you soak your feet in?”

“Hm?” Chen Mo lazily opened his eyes, still looking a little drowsy, before responding, “Oh, herbal medicine.”

Sun Qi silently turned his gaze back.

Hmm... this new “school tyrant” isn’t quite what the rumors made him out to be.