Zhang Danlin looked at Hao Jian nervously and asked, "Are you okay?"

Hao Jian shook his head and said, "Do I look like something's wrong?"

Zhang Danlin saw everything clearly from a distance earlier. When those people approached Hao Jian, she was very nervous, worried that something might happen to him. But after witnessing Hao Jian effortlessly deal with the ones trying to attack him, she was astonished as they ended up lying on the ground.

Even though she saw Hao Jian take them down effortlessly, it's inevitable for one person to get hurt when facing so many at once. In a moment of panic, she walked over and asked Hao Jian like that. But after hearing Hao Jian's reply, she was momentarily stunned.

Then, she thought about what Hao Jian said to Gu Peng earlier, because she had already walked over and heard everything clearly. So now she looked at Hao Jian with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why did you agree to fight Gu Peng again next Friday behind the hill? Isn't it better not to fight?"

It indeed seemed a bit abrupt for Zhang Danlin to ask like that, as if questioning Hao Jian, but Hao Jian understood that Zhang Danlin was concerned about him, so he wasn't angry. Instead, he smiled and said, "No, some things must be faced. Since that's the case, why not make it a big event?"

Zhang Danlin frowned and said, "But..."

However, before she could finish her sentence, Lin Dongyang interrupted her. Lin Dongyang stepped forward and said, "Brother Hao has his reasons for doing things. Just wait and see."

Today, Hao Jian showed him what it feels like to stand up and be a real person again, to live life anew. Hearing Zhang Danlin question Hao Jian, he felt a bit displeased and replied to Zhang Danlin. In his eyes, without realizing it, he had started to actively defend Hao Jian.

He had always respected Hao Jian, but since earlier, from the moment Hao Jian beat up the person who bullied him, he began to sincerely respect and admire Hao Jian. So, seeing someone question Hao Jian, he would be the first to stand up and rebut.

Hao Jian signaled to him with his eyes, and he immediately stepped back. A trace of displeasure flashed across Zhang Danlin's face as Lin Dongyang spoke to her like that, but when she looked at Hao Jian, her expression changed. She suddenly realized she had been a bit out of line and shouldn't have spoken to Hao Jian in that tone.

But it was only because she was overly concerned about Hao Jian that she lost her composure and spoke to him like that. Hearing Hao Jian say he planned to have a gang fight with Gu Peng next Friday behind the hill, she couldn't help but worry. After all, it's a group fight where numbers matter, and hearing about their bet, she instantly started worrying about Hao Jian.

Gu Peng already had a solid foundation at Yawen. If he wanted a gang fight, he could easily call in countless people. As for Hao Jian, he didn't know many people but had offended not a few, so if he went to a gang fight against Gu Peng, the outcome seemed obvious.

She was genuinely concerned for Hao Jian, which is why she spoke to him like that; otherwise, she wouldn't have reacted that way.

Hao Jian knew what she was thinking, so he said, "Don't worry. Since I've already announced it, I'm confident I can handle it. Don't worry too much."

"Okay!" Zhang Danlin nodded.

Hu Lai and Fatty initially wanted to say something, but since Zhang Danlin had already spoken, they didn't have much else to add. However, they were quite worried for Hao Jian in their hearts because this move signified a real challenge to Gu Peng, and a conflict was inevitable between the two.

However, who is Hao Jian and who is Gu Peng? They had been hanging out with Hao Jian and knew about his capabilities. His skills were impressive, and he could handle fights against multiple opponents easily. But when it came to gang fights, they believed Hao Jian had no chance of winning.

They were perfectly aware that while in solo fights, probably no one they knew could beat Hao Jian, gang fights presented many different factors, with numbers being a key one.

Unfortunately, Hao Jian clearly didn't have an advantage in that regard. So when he goes up against Gu Peng in a gang fight next Friday behind the hill, the odds are overwhelmingly against him.

Even though they were Hao Jian's friends, they were thinking objectively and didn't blindly believe that Hao Jian would win just because he was their friend. Objectively, they didn't think Hao Jian had any chance of winning, certainly not, so they didn't know what to say.

If there's nothing to be said, it's better left unsaid.

With the commotion settled, there wasn't much time left in the afternoon. After all the delays, the time was limited, so the group went out to eat, and then it was time for evening self-study when they returned. After they got back, everyone already knew about Hao Jian and Gu Peng's arrangement to have a gang fight next Friday behind the hill.

The incident in the afternoon happened at the school gate, witnessed by many, so it quickly spread without needing any promotion. Everyone was aware not to let it reach the teachers' ears. If the teachers got hold of it, the whole thing would likely be nipped in the bud. 𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

If it did reach a teacher, they'd surely cause trouble for Hao Jian and Gu Peng, who would then track down whoever let it slip to the teachers. So, everyone was self-aware, spreading it among students only and making sure it didn't reach any teacher.

From the school gate to the teaching building, then to the classroom, Hao Jian was under the gaze of many. Most of those looks were disdainful and mocking. Their thoughts were like those of Hu Lai and Fatty; since Hao Jian had agreed to a fight with Gu Peng, the outcome seemed obvious to them. No chance of victory, not even a one percent probability.

Upon returning to the classroom, Lin Dongyang went back to his class. Hao Jian, Zhang Danlin, Hu Lai, Fatty, and Liang Xiaohan returned to their own class, Class 3 in Grade 1.

It wasn't long until most of the class was there, and the bell for class rang after a minute or two, while everyone except Liu Jie's seats was filled. Many had heard about the afternoon incident and knew why Liu Jie wasn't there.

Liu Jie wasn't here because he had been beaten up and was in the hospital again. Even though his injuries were minor, his face was too swollen for him to show up in class without losing face, with all those red handprints on his face. It'd be too embarrassing to be seen like that by everyone.

For some reason, seeing the empty seat in the corner where Liu Jie usually sat, Hao Jian couldn't help but smile, then shifted his attention elsewhere. The class sat quietly as they attended to the lesson, while only Hao Jian's thoughts wandered far away.

However, while his mind was elsewhere, some people were chatting in class, suddenly stopping for some reason. He was puzzled until he looked up to see Li Weiwei standing in front of him. He was taken aback since he hadn't seen her all day, but here she was now.

"Come outside with me!" Li Weiwei said sternly.

There was no way out now. Curiosity had piqued him about where she had been all day without showing up, and now she was here—it was unavoidable. Hao Jian knew well why Li Weiwei called him out; it had to be about her visiting his home for a family visit over the weekend, only to find no one there.

Li Weiwei had informed him beforehand about the home visit, and yet, nobody was home when she went. So it was natural that she was upset, looking for trouble with him.

Right enough, once Li Weiwei had him outside, standing in the hallway with him, she glared at him, filled with dissatisfaction, and asked, "Do you know why I'm looking for you?"

Hao Jian nodded and said, "I know."

But Li Weiwei was angry: "You know and you're not afraid? You made me make a wasted trip. Do you know how demanding my daily schedule is? You wasted my time, and the worst is you knew I was coming, yet you weren't home."

"Tell me, are you scared of me meeting your parents and reporting to them about you, deliberately avoiding being home, or hiding inside and not opening the door?" Li Weiwei questioned Hao Jian.

Upon hearing this, Hao Jian couldn't help thinking how strange teachers can be: if you don't talk, they'll get angry; if you don't tell the truth, they'll get angry; and telling the truth would make them furious as well.

So... should he talk or not?

Very conflicted.

He looked at Li Weiwei and suddenly didn't know what to say.

Seeing he didn't respond, Li Weiwei immediately scolded him: "Now you know you're wrong? Knowing and improving is great, but why can't you avoid making that mistake in the first place? People need to learn to think about what they should and shouldn't do, what they can and can't do. Do you understand?"