While Han Lie was pondering those messy martial arts, Chen Yanfei finally finished eating.
She simply wiped her mouth and turned back to look at Pan Shaohang.
"I was afraid you'd spoil my appetite just now, but now we need to have a clear talk."
"Ah?!"
Pan Shaohang was a bit flabbergasted.
The goddess's first sentence already hinted strongly at bad news.
Chen Yanfei didn't care about his reaction and unloaded all the words she had organized in one breath.
"Including elementary school, we've been classmates for a total of five years, and then we moved to the same residential complex in high school. Actually, that's about all the contact we have. I don't remember much from elementary school, and in the year and a half we've been high school classmates, have we even exchanged a hundred sentences? When you've asked me out alone, have I ever agreed? Don't you get what I mean? It's your freedom to apply to the same school and major as me. But I'm quite put off by it. To put it plainly, our relationship is just so-so. By what right do you keep bossing me around? Childhood sweethearts? Did I ever acknowledge that? Since you're playing dumb no matter how I hint, I'll make it clear to you today—Pan Shaohang, we're not a good match. Don't waste your effort. If you keep pestering me at school like this, I'll have my father speak to Uncle Pan about it. Alright, that's all. Excuse me, I need to throw away the trash."
Holy crap! This girl is ruthless...
Han Lie was utterly shocked.
Chen Yanfei, you usually seem so soft and cute, but deep down, do you harbor a tyrannical CEO? This contrast is just incredible...
While Han Lie was reflecting on this, he suddenly heard rough panting sounds coming from across the table.
Looking up, he saw Pan Shaohang's face flushed red, his fists tightly clenched, like a wounded wolf cub.
Han Lie had no intention of further provoking Little Pan. There was no need; Chen Yanfei had done a thorough enough job.
Han Lie calmly retracted his gaze and reopened his book, ready to continue whiling away the time.
His thinking was sound, mature, and rational.
But Han Lie had utterly underestimated one thing: to an angry little fighting cock, his calm, detached demeanor was incredibly provocative.
In Pan Shaohang's eyes, Han Lie had caused all this trouble. If he hadn't sat opposite, if he hadn't eaten instant noodles, if he hadn't given Chen Yanfei a chicken leg... then we would still be the childhood sweethearts we were. It's all this damn four-eyed loser's fault! You ruined things with my girlfriend, and you're still putting on that 'none-of-your-business' calm act? What the hell are you playing at?!
Pan Shaohang was furious, and the angrier he got, the more he stared at Han Lie's face.
Actually, he hadn't even figured out the root of the problem himself—it wasn't Han Lie's face that angered him, but the calmness on Han Lie's face, a calmness identical to Chen Yanfei's.
Whenever he saw that expression, it reminded him of Chen Yanfei's own calm and decisiveness. This, in turn, triggered his fear of completely losing her, along with the shame and indignation of her harsh rejection.
The deeper the fear, the stronger the shame and anger grew.
Rage surged like a tidal wave, quickly shattering Pan Shaohang's rationality.
He suddenly pointed at Han Lie's nose and bellowed, "Stand up!"
Han Lie looked up, completely baffled.
Pan Shaohang became even more irate. "I told you to fucking stand up!"
A flicker of movement caught Han Lie's eye, followed instantly by a sharp pain in his ribs.
What the hell! Has he gone mad?!
Han Lie was completely stunned, having been suddenly kicked in the side by Pan Shaohang.
His mind was still operating on the level of an adult from ten years in the future, a world where all conflicts were hidden, and no one resorted to physical fights. But now it was 2013, and opposite him was a rich kid from a small city, a high school tyrant. This guy didn't play by adult rules; he followed the code of teenagers.
It took Han Lie several seconds to snap out of it and finally, correctly, realize—Oh, I've been hit.
His temper flared instantly.
Han Lie's personality was never one to back down. Now that he was reborn, he certainly wasn't going to be intimidated by a mere weakling like Little Pan.
But it was clear he couldn't win in a direct fight.
Pan Shaohang was around 1.82 meters tall and weighed at least 75 kilograms (around 165 pounds), putting him two entire weight classes above Han Lie.
So, it was either de-escalate and settle the score later, or...
"Get up, you idiot! Get the hell away from me!"
Pan Shaohang roared again, his finger practically jabbing Han Lie's nose.
He had plenty of experience intimidating frail-looking peers like this, who were clearly wimps.
Normally, a swift kick followed by a couple of fierce shouts would absolutely scare the crap out of them.
It was a way to vent his anger and successfully display his courage and dominance.
However, this time, he had miscalculated.
Just then, Han Lie saw Chen Yanfei walking back from the vestibule between carriages and made up his mind completely.
So you want to play rough, huh? Alright then, let this old man show you what real ruthlessness is!
Han Lie tilted his head up, calmly met Pan Shaohang's gaze, and softly uttered two words.
"Useless."
Pan Shaohang was stunned, his pupils involuntarily dilating.
A deeply scornful, mocking smile touched Han Lie's lips as he spoke again, each word piercing.
"Without your unwitting help, I really wouldn't have known how to get close to Chen Yanfei. Thanks a lot, loser!"
"FUCK YOU!"
Pan Shaohang instantly exploded. Towering over Han Lie, he swung a fist straight down.
But Han Lie didn't even try to dodge; he just closed his eyes.
BANG!
A fist smashed into his cheek; the pain was incredibly sharp and clear.
His glasses went flying, followed by another kick to his side.
Then, Pan Shaohang lunged, grabbed Han Lie's hair, and slammed him down into the seat for a merciless beating.
Heh. That idiot Pan actually has some rhythm to his beatings... Han Lie mused, trying to find some dark humor in the situation.
Throughout the scuffle, Han Lie merely kept his arms up defensively, taking the blows to his face without retaliating even once.
Damn... This is so damn painful...
Amidst the chaos, Han Lie finally heard Chen Yanfei's voice—an incredulous scream.
"Pan Shaohang! What are you doing?!"
By the time she rushed over, some passengers had finally mustered the courage to intervene. After a period of chaos, the train police arrived and restrained Pan Shaohang.
"Classmate, are you okay? Classmate?!" Chen Yanfei cried, leaning anxiously over Han Lie. She seemed to want to help him up but was afraid to make any sudden moves.
Han Lie lay on the seat, eyes closed, motionless.
Chen Yanfei was terrified.
"Is there a doctor? Is there a doctor on the train?!"
The train police and attendants were also panicking. They quickly dispersed the crowd, searching for a doctor while carefully moving Han Lie to a soft sleeper car.
No matter who called out, Han Lie didn't make a sound.
He quietly opened his system panel, navigated to the Health submenu, and checked his injuries.
Whoa! These injuries are no joke, huh?
Ribs, left arm, thigh—extensive contusions.
Nasal cartilage fracture, one tooth knocked out, three or four loosened.
Oral bleeding, nasal bleeding, multiple facial wounds...
An ordinary fight wouldn't have been this severe. But Han Lie truly hadn't defended himself at all, shamelessly offering his face to be pummeled.
He had even proactively moved into the punches.
This is just freaking insane.
Relying on his ability to add points to [Health], he was truly courting devastating harm.
I've wanted to get rid of these teeth for a long time anyway, Han Lie thought. Before I get them replaced, I might as well put them to good use. Perfect!
...
Truthfully, if he'd had a choice, Han Lie wouldn't have wanted to take this beating.
Doesn't a guy like me have any pride?
But there was no helping it. Pan Shaohang's sudden explosion was something no one could have predicted.
He'd already taken the first kick, lost all face, and couldn't win a fight anyway. So, what was he supposed to do? Cave in?! What would Chen Yanfei think? How smug would Pan Shaohang be? No matter how he retaliated later, could it ever make up for today's humiliation?
Han Lie refused to swallow his pride. Therefore, he had to make the most of the current conditions, in the most brutal and resolute manner possible, to teach Pan Shaohang an unforgettable lesson.
I'll take a hit of eight hundred to inflict eight thousand, or even eighty thousand, in return! Let's see who ends up hurting more!
The lesson, of course, wouldn't just be about monetary compensation. The next steps were crucial.