Chapter 177: Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar
Lin Yi walked toward the community’s main gate.
From a distance, he saw several security guards lined up, holding riot shields.
It was just as Wei Nan had said; something was about to go down.
He hurried toward the gate.
"What’s going on?"
When a few of the guards turned and saw Lin Yi, they all recognized him.
The security captain said with a grim face, "Xiaoyi, you heading to school?"
"Yeah, we’re heading back to school today. Uncle Liu, what on earth happened?"
The security captain was nearly fifty, not much different in age from Old Lin.
He frowned and pointed at Wei Nan across from them. "That kid tried to force his way into the community, and our guards stopped him. But would he listen to reason? No, he just kept trying to barge in!"
"We asked who he was looking for, but he wouldn’t say..."
He was normally a pretty good-natured person.
And quite reasonable, too. Usually, when outsiders wanted to enter the community,
as long as they were announced and confirmed by phone, he wouldn’t make things difficult for them.
He’d just let them right in.
’But for Uncle Liu to get this angry today, just how dense had Wei Nan been?’
Lin Yi gave an awkward smile. "Uncle Liu, please calm down. He’s actually my friend. He’s here to see me!"
"Your friend?"
Uncle Liu glanced at Lin Yi, then back at Wei Nan.
Only then did he notice they were wearing the same school uniforms.
Then, Uncle Liu said earnestly, "Xiaoyi, don’t mind an old man’s nagging, but you need to be careful about the friends you make. It’s one thing if you find friends of good character, but if you get mixed up with the wrong crowd, you’ll be the one paying the price down the line, understand?"
"Yes, Uncle Liu. I’ll definitely be careful!"
"Don’t be angry, I’ll take him away right now!"
After saying this with a smile, Lin Yi ran out of the gate.
"There you are! I was about to throw down with them..."
Wei Nan complained upon seeing Lin Yi.
Lin Yi shot him a look. "Alright, let’s go. We’ll be late if we don’t hurry!"
With that, he grabbed Wei Nan and rushed toward the bus stop.
After they had walked a little farther,
Lin Yi finally asked what had happened.
As it turned out, Wei Nan looked aggrieved as he said, "I might be a hothead, but I’m not an unreasonable person!"
"You didn’t see it earlier. There was this young guard, maybe in his early twenties, just lounging at the gate with a cigarette dangling from his mouth!"
"I went up and asked if I could come in to find you. He looked me up and down, and you know what he said to me?"
"What did he say?"
"He said, ’Who the fuck is Lin Yi? Never heard of him. Wait outside and call him yourself!’"
Hearing Wei Nan’s side of the story,
Lin Yi quickly searched his memory for the guard he was describing.
Soon, he remembered.
There was indeed a young security guard like that.
His surname was Qian, but Lin Yi couldn’t remember his full name.
He wasn’t new, though. He had already been working there when Lin Yi moved in.
His attitude had always been like that.
He wasn’t just like that with Lin Yi; he gave the cold shoulder to the other residents as well.
People had complained to property management before, asking to have that guard replaced.
The property manager had agreed to replace him.
But they just kept dragging their feet, and he was never replaced.
Conflicts were a common occurrence.
But for things to escalate to the point of bringing out riot shields like today,
things probably weren’t so simple.
"That fucking idiot had a foul mouth. I was ignoring him and about to call you, but he just kept running his mouth.
You think I’d take that crap? Of course I was gonna clock him!"
"I’d only landed a couple of punches before all the guards from the security office rushed out and separated us with their riot shields. If they hadn’t been so quick, I would’ve beaten the hell out of him!"
"Hold on, isn’t this supposed to be a high-end residential complex? How can they have such a moronic guard?"
Still fuming, Wei Nan finished explaining what had happened.
Between Uncle Liu and Wei Nan, Lin Yi obviously trusted his brother more.
He smiled. "It’s not easy to hire people these days, is it? A guard’s salary is twelve hundred a month, and it’s dangerous!"
"Day shifts are one thing, but who would dare work the night shift?"
Hearing this, Wei Nan nodded. "That’s true. The guard at our complex has been there for over twenty years, never been replaced. I chatted with him once and asked if he really liked the job that much!"
"He told me, ’If I had any other choice, who would want to do this for twenty years...’"
Lin Yi couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
As the two talked, they arrived at the bus stop.
Before a few minutes had passed, a bus arrived.
...
「Xinghai City.」
「Third Middle School.」
When Lin Yi and Wei Nan’s bus arrived at the school,
even before they got off, they saw a large crowd gathered outside the main gate.
Just like the last time they returned to school, the principal, the dean, and the teachers were all there.
There was even a cheerleading squad organized by the students.
The scene was quite a spectacle.
"What’s going on? Don’t tell me another badass transfer student is coming, right?"
After the last incident, Wei Nan had developed a conditioned reflex.
Lin Yi also frowned as he got off the bus.
The two of them walked toward the school gate.
As they did, Lin Yi noticed several news vans parked nearby.
There were even some photographers and reporters there, talking amongst themselves.
Just as the two were about to continue toward the gate,
suddenly, someone shouted out of nowhere.
"Lin Yi is here! The Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar is here..."
The moment that shout ended,
both Lin Yi and Wei Nan froze in place.
All the surrounding students and reporters locked their gazes on Lin Yi.
The next moment,
dozens of students swarmed forward, completely surrounding Lin Yi.
Wei Nan, on the other hand, was forcefully shoved out of the circle.
"What the fuck? Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar?"
Shoved out of the crowd, Wei Nan scratched his head, staring at the terrifying scene before him.
Then, he saw the principal, the dean, and the teachers all heading their way.
The reporters in the distance were even more dramatic, sprinting over...
"Make way, make way! The principal is coming, move aside..."
Suddenly, someone shouted a few times.
The students surrounding Lin Yi all scattered to the sides.
Lin Yi looked like he had been nearly crushed flat as a pancake.
The principal walked through the crowd and grabbed Lin Yi’s hand.
"Ah, you must be Lin Yi! Wonderful, just wonderful! Truly, heroes are born young!"
"Lin Yi, you don’t know yet, do you?"
"You took first place in the entire city—no, the entire Old District! You’re the Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar! What an incredible achievement!"
"On behalf of our Third Middle School, I congratulate you!"
After the principal finished speaking, a female student walked over, holding a bouquet of flowers.
The principal took the flowers and presented them to Lin Yi.
Lin Yi gave an awkward smile. "Thank you, Principal Qu!"
"Ah, no need for thanks! You are the pride of our Third Middle School. I noticed you from the very first day you came to our school, and you certainly haven’t disappointed me..."
Principal Qu added a few more pleasantries.
Just then, the reporters all swarmed in as well.
They were all eager to interview this year’s Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar.
But Wei Nan forced his way back into the crowd.
"Hold on, Principal Qu. The district’s Martial Arts Examination Champion Scholar only gets a bouquet of flowers? Where’s the prize money? The cultivation resources? You could at least give him a few bottles and jars!"
Wei Nan’s words made Principal Qu’s expression darken.
In front of so many reporters and students, he’d been put in a very awkward position.
Principal Qu immediately put on a smile again. "And this student is?"
"Me? I’m one of Lin Yi’s best buddies. My name is Wei Nan!"
"Who? Wei Nan?"
When they heard the name, realization dawned on them.
"The guy who placed third in our school? No wonder you two did so well on the martial arts exam. So you’re friends!"
After someone said that, Lin Yi and Wei Nan understood everything.
One was first in the district, the other third in the school.
How could Principal Qu possibly pass up such a golden opportunity for fame?
He quickly squeezed himself between Lin Yi and Wei Nan.
He struck various poses, smiling for every camera.
Seeing they wouldn’t be able to escape anytime soon,
Wei Nan leaned close to Lin Yi’s ear and whispered, "When things get chaotic in a bit, you get out of here immediately!"
Lin Yi glanced at him. "How will you get away?"
"Don’t worry, I have a plan!" Wei Nan gave him a confident look.
Then, Wei Nan took a few steps back.
He suddenly kicked Principal Qu right in the ass.
Caught completely off guard, Principal Qu lost his balance and pitched forward.
The deans and teachers, of course, wouldn’t just stand by and watch the principal fall.
They rushed forward to help, and the surrounding students also instinctively reached out to lend a hand.
Instantly, the scene descended into chaos.
Seeing the opportune moment, Wei Nan said, "Go, now..."