“Do as I say, slap yourself, then apologize. It’s that simple,” Qin Tian said, tucking his phone back into his pocket, his tone unhurried.
Xu Ying's face was pale, and she spoke indignantly, “Qin Tian, don’t forget they also badmouthed you and Xia Nuannuan before. Are you going to protect them like this?”
Hearing this, Cui Ying and Qiu Man's faces were etched with guilt, and they lowered their heads in shame.
Xia Nuannuan reached out and took their clasped hands. The two girls looked up slightly, their eyes filled with surprise as they looked at her. “Don’t listen to her nonsense. It’s all in the past. We’re friends now,” Xia Nuannuan said with a smile.
Cui Ying and Qiu Man’s noses stung, and tears welled up in their eyes.
Qin Tian watched the scene and smiled warmly, then turned to Xu Ying and said, “What Zhang Peng said just now was right. I just find you annoying, okay?”
Xu Ying remained silent, her expression grim, her gaze filled with resentment as she stared at him.
“Hurry up. It’s almost time for class. If King Yan Li sees us missing from the classroom, he’ll start asking questions later. Then I’ll have no choice but to show him the video from just now,” Qin Tian urged impatiently, a harmless smile gracing his handsome face.
This smile, however, felt like a devil’s grin to Xu Ying.
“If I do as you say, will the video be deleted?” Xu Ying asked through gritted teeth.
“You’re overthinking it. If the video is deleted, what’s to stop you from causing trouble for Qiu Man’s brother again, or pulling another stunt like this? I hate trouble,” Qin Tian grinned.
“Then how can it be deleted?” Xu Ying asked angrily.
“As long as you behave and don’t cause any more trouble, it’ll be deleted after the college entrance examination. I have no interest in keeping it and occupying my phone’s space,” Qin Tian replied.
“Fine, you said it. Don’t go back on your word!” Xu Ying nodded, her face somber. Then, to the shock of the girls, she raised her hand and slapped herself. Perhaps it was the immense anger within her, but she was ruthless even with herself, the crisp sound of the slap ringing out loudly.
“Cui Ying, Qiu Man, I’m sorry!” Xu Ying apologized to them again, then clutched her cheek, glaring at Qin Tian.
“Is that enough?”
“The slap is fine, but the apology isn’t sincere. Speak louder and do it again,” Qin Tian said indifferently.
Xu Ying said nothing, but raised her voice and apologized to Cui Ying and Qiu Man once more.
“That’s enough. Get out!” Qin Tian dismissed them.
Xu Ying didn’t say another word and quickly headed towards the school gate.
“Xu Ying…” Jiang Hang called out.
However, Xu Ying acted as if she hadn’t heard him, brushing past Qin Tian and the others without a word.
“Damn, what the hell.” Jiang Hang remained silent, but the guy beside him, who had been kicked by Qin Tian, couldn’t help but curse. They had come specifically for Xu Ying and had suffered such a loss, and now this bitch was taking her anger out on them? If Jiang Hang wasn’t there, he was afraid he would have gone up and slapped that bitch a couple more times.
“Forget it, let’s go!” Jiang Hang said, his face darkening. The guy nodded, and the two of them made to leave.
“Wait a moment!” A calm voice called out. The two of them trembled, their faces turning grim as they glared at Qin Tian.
“What else do you want?” Jiang Hang demanded angrily.
“Even if that video gets out, it probably won’t have a huge impact on you, but I advise you, you’d better not trouble his brother,” Qin Tian said to the two, pointing at Qiu Man.
Upon hearing this, both of them wore expressions of disdain. Just as Qin Tian said, the video posed little threat to them. After all, they hadn’t laid a hand on anyone, nor were they good students at their school.
Seeing that the two clearly weren’t taking his words seriously, Qin Tian frowned and scratched his head. The two didn’t say anything further and turned to leave.
“Hey, do you guys know Zhou Biao?” Qin Tian suddenly remembered something and called out to them.
Jiang Hang and the other guy stopped in their tracks and turned around, their eyes wide with surprise as they looked at him.
“Which Zhou Biao?” Jiang Hang asked, his expression tense.
Seeing their reaction, Qin Tian immediately understood. His guess was correct. Yuchen City was small, and the social circles were limited. Many of the students at their vocational school were just messing around, so Qin Tian guessed they might know those people outside of school. And as expected!
“Who else could it be? I got into a fight with them over one of his girlfriends, what was her name…” Qin Tian couldn’t quite recall and looked at Xia Nuannuan for help.
Xia Nuannuan blinked, then replied with a beaming smile, “Jin Lili!”
“Right, that’s the name,” Qin Tian nodded.
On the other side, Jiang Hang and the guy exchanged glances, their faces revealing panic. They did indeed know Zhou Biao, not that they were friends, but Zhou Biao and his group were too famous at their school. Anyone who was messing around at school and managed to connect with someone from that circle was enough to walk around their school with their heads held high. And now, this guy was calling Zhou Biao’s name and claiming to have fought him?
Jiang Hang couldn’t help but swallow, his expression serious as he confirmed, “Do you really know Brother Biao?”
“I told you, we fought. So, I guess we don’t really know each other!” Qin Tian replied with a smile, paused, then added, “Oh, right, I won that fight, of course.”
Jiang Hang and the other guy looked at him with disbelief. After all, Zhou Biao was like a legend at their school, rumored to be able to take on ten people bare-handed. This guy in front of them might have some skills, but how could he possibly be Zhou Biao’s opponent?
“Believe it or not, that’s up to you. Anyway, I’ve said what I needed to say. Let’s go, let’s go!” Qin Tian said with disdain, waving them away. Jiang Hang and the other guy left in a daze.
“Let’s head back to the classroom too. Hopefully, the teachers haven’t gone to the classroom yet,” Qin Tian said to the group. They all nodded and quickly returned to school. Qin Tian and Zhang Peng walked ahead, with the three girls following a few steps behind.
“Brother Tian, who were those Zhou Biao guys you mentioned? When did you fight them? Why didn’t you bring me along? Those two looked pretty scared!” Zhang Peng asked curiously.
“Bring you along? To get beaten up?” Qin Tian glanced at him.
“Are you kidding me? Those two came at me together just now, and I handled them both easily!” Zhang Peng said smugly.
“Amazing, amazing.”
“So-so!”
“Did your butt get kicked? Does it hurt?”
“…”
Behind them, Qiu Man and Cui Ying thanked Xia Nuannuan profusely.
“Alright, alright, no need to be so polite. Besides, I didn’t help much. It was Zhang Peng and Qin Tian who helped,” Xia Nuannuan said with a smile. Cui Ying and Qiu Man exchanged glances, smiles appearing on their faces. They both knew that if Xia Nuannuan hadn’t been as broad-minded as her reputation suggested, they wouldn’t have been able to integrate into this circle, and Qin Tian wouldn’t have gotten involved in the matter.