Chapter 28: He Was Proud and Unrestrained

After ending the conversation, Lu Mingfei’s gaze drifted toward Zhao Menghua, who was approaching with a plate of leftovers. He thought to himself: This guy really isn’t subtle at all—he doesn’t even bother to hide his intentions. I thought he’d try to keep a low profile for a while longer. Guess I was overthinking it.

Still, Lu Mingfei could understand Zhao Menghua’s mindset. After all, at Shilan High, he was just a nobody without any power or status. Even if the rumors about him and the young goddess were true, it wasn’t something they could talk about openly. If he was bullied, it was unlikely she’d make a scene at home on his behalf.

As for Lu Mingfei’s own family, everyone knew they were soft as dough—no one cared what happened to him.

In other words, Lu Mingfei had no one to back him up. Zhao Menghua had zero concerns, so of course he dared to act so brazenly. He had nothing to fear.

Not only was he fearless, but he was also flanked by his buddies—a whole gang of close friends.

What was he guarding against?

He was guarding against Lu Mingfei, desperate and cornered, lashing out in a final act of self-destruction. Zhao Menghua had friends, money, family clout—everything. If Lu Mingfei were still his old self, he couldn’t imagine how hopeless he would feel right now.

Fight back? What good would that do? The other side had numbers.

Call for help? What use? His aunt wouldn’t care.

Endure it? What for? They were just toying with him.

Despair? Would that help? Zhao Menghua would only be glad to see it.

At that moment, Lu Mingfei was perfectly clear: whatever suffering Zhao Menghua endured, he deserved. People like him warranted no sympathy.

“Hmph.”

The young man snorted softly, his expression utterly relaxed as he continued eating. He had things to do, but lunch was still lunch—he wasn’t about to let someone like Zhao Menghua ruin the important business of a meal.

“Tsk…”

Watching Lu Mingfei eat so indifferently, Zhao Menghua, striding over with his gang, felt a surge of humiliation. He subconsciously sped up, and together they closed in around Lu Mingfei in a tight circle.

Lu Mingfei slowly raised his head to look at them.

“Heh.”

Zhao Menghua suddenly smirked. He glanced aside as if his hand had lost all strength, tipping the plate so the food scraps slid right onto Lu Mingfei’s meal.

“Oh dear, my bad. Slipped right out of my hand. You don’t mind, do you?” He threw an arm around Lu Mingfei’s shoulders like an old pal, his face twisted in the most insincere grin. The rest of his crew chuckled along, watching Lu Mingfei like a flock of wolves eyeing a helpless lamb.

A sharp smack rang out in the cafeteria, echoing like a gunshot. Zhao Menghua’s head snapped to the side from the slap, his mind blank with shock. He slowly turned back to face Lu Mingfei, staring at this proud youth in utter disbelief, as if seeing a stranger.

How dare he? How dare he hit me?

Another slap resounded. Lu Mingfei casually pulled a tissue from his pocket, wiping the food stains from his clothes. He fixed Zhao Menghua with a contemptuous look and murmured quietly, “Filthy.”

“Get him, boys!”

Zhao Menghua screamed, and his cronies lunged at Lu Mingfei from every direction.

Even as he was surrounded, Lu Mingfei continued dabbing at his clothes, only tilting his head now and then to dodge a fist aimed at him from behind, or bending at the waist just in time to evade a sweeping arm.

He rose gracefully from his seat, stuffing the dirty tissue into someone’s mouth as he did, dodging every attack with effortless poise. His face was filled with impatience and annoyance, as if a grown man were being forced to play with kindergarteners.

Gradually, he grew bored.

Slap! Slap! Slap!—crisp blows rang out in rapid succession. Sometimes he would trip someone with a flick of his foot, sometimes deliver a slap outright, handling the crowd alone with ease. Around them, other students stopped eating and gathered around, unable to tear their eyes from Lu Mingfei’s elegant display of one-against-many.

Before long, the noise and cries from the fight drew teachers and staff from all over the school, even the young goddess herself. They arrived to find bodies sprawled all over the floor, while Lu Mingfei, stretching and yawning, looked as if he was about to head home for a nap. They were all at a loss for words.

“What happened here?” The young goddess hurried over to Lu Mingfei, glancing at the groaning figures on the ground.

“No idea. Maybe they had a falling out? They were brawling just now—dangerous stuff,” Lu Mingfei shrugged, feigning nonchalance.

“Is that so? Sounds dangerous indeed.”

Su Xiaoqiang nodded in agreement, not yet realizing what had really happened. She truly thought they’d just gotten into a fight amongst themselves. But then, catching sight of Zhao Menghua on the ground, clutching his face and moaning, she sensed something was off. “Wait, why is Zhao Menghua in there too? Was he fighting as well?”

“How else could there be so many people?” Lu Mingfei replied as if it were obvious.

“Oh, you’re right.”

Su Xiaoqiang felt reassured. Not many students in the school had that kind of pull, and it made sense that Zhao Menghua would be involved. She pondered for a moment and then asked, “But why were they fighting? I just don’t get it.”

“Maybe their faces got itchy? Looking for a thrill?”

“Huh?”

Lu Mingfei had expected to feel furious, to dominate these people and teach them a harsh lesson, but before he could even work up any anger, they were all already sprawled on the ground. He’d even had to hold back—if he’d used his full strength, someone could have ended up crippled or worse, and that would have caused a real uproar.

...

Afterward, Lu Mingfei and Zhao Menghua’s group were all hauled off for a stern talking-to by the teachers. But most of the scolding fell on Zhao Menghua and his cronies. After all, over twenty people had cornered one student in the cafeteria and still managed to lose—an embarrassment for the ages.

Even the teachers didn’t dare yell too loudly, for fear of pushing them into depression.

Lu Mingfei, on the other hand, had it easy. He’d been cornered by more than twenty people, had food dumped on his plate, and fought back in self-defense—it was only right. The teachers couldn’t find fault with him, and at most gave a few perfunctory words of advice.

“Sir, could I get a copy of the security footage?”

“No, no, that’s school property, you can’t—”

“A thousand yuan.”

“...We must learn to be flexible.”

And so, the video of Lu Mingfei’s one-against-twenty-six spread across the internet. Zhao Menghua and his gang lost all standing at school; it became a mark of shame just to be seen.

Over twenty people ganged up on one, only to be completely overpowered, and the full video was everywhere. Now the whole internet knew Zhao Menghua had lost—such a legendary defeat was bound to haunt him for the rest of his life.

Hey, Zhao Menghua?

Aren’t you the guy who got wiped out in that twenty-six-on-one?

Ah, what a coincidence! I’ve heard all about you!