Chapter 142: Flew Away

Guo Huai, Hao Cheng, and others were enthusiastically discussing the future development of the Bull Tribe. Tang Yao kept exaggerating, talking about things like stepping on sacred flames, defeating the Triumph Empire, and dominating the world. Guo Huai and others could only roll their eyes, as they hadn’t even started yet, while Tang Yao was already dreaming of world domination.

Nie Yan smiled slightly. Tang Yao had always been like this, but his optimistic personality was actually quite endearing.

As they were chatting happily, a tall, slender beauty with charming eyes and eyebrows walked toward them. Her skin was fair and smooth like jade, and the cheongsam she wore fully accentuated her captivating charm.

She was their junior high class monitor, Shen Yue, the undisputed prettiest girl in the class back then. At least ten classmates had secretly been in love with her during junior high, including Guo Huai among the five of them.

“Oh wow, Class Monitor Shen, how come you’re here?” Zhao Li looked up at Shen Yue approaching and smiled.

Guo Huai had been fine just a moment ago, but as soon as Shen Yue arrived, his face turned red and his movements became stiff. Nie Yan and the others exchanged knowing smiles. Nie Yan understood that the feeling of first love during junior high was the most unforgettable.

“You five hiding in this corner chatting made us search hard. There are at least thirty classmates over there waiting, and you didn’t even go over to talk. Our girls were getting anxious. Nie Yan, you’ve grown quite tall, and Guo Huai, why is your face so red? Are you running a fever?” Shen Yue asked with concern.

“They’re just happy to attend the gathering and meet beautiful Shen, so they had a little drink,” Nie Yan and others answered in unison. At times like this, how could they let their best friend lose face?

Guo Huai looked gratefully at Nie Yan and the others. This was what best friends were like. In private, they might tease and mock you, but when things happened, they would definitely cover for you and support you. If there were enemies, they would even grab bricks and fight alongside you.

Their friendship was basically forged through fighting.

“Guo Huai, drink less alcohol,” Shen Yue said with a slight frown.

“Okay, I’ll be careful,” Guo Huai felt flustered but answered readily.

“You all should come quickly; the gathering is about to start. Everyone should get together while they can, as many people have to work in the afternoon.” Although they were still high school sophomores, they already had part-time jobs or work, so their free time was limited.

Nie Yan stood up and said, “Let’s go over.”

“Okay.”

Guo Huai and others also stood up.

“Nie Yan, if those girls start pestering me later, you’ve got to help me out,” Zhao Li said with a bitter smile.

“I can’t do that. You should handle it yourself. Who asked you to be so popular?” Nie Yan chuckled. Back in junior high, there were plenty of bold girls whose audacity even Zhao Li couldn’t handle.

“Nie Yan, you can’t abandon me!”

“Don’t take your blessings for granted. The rest of us would love to have such good fortune.” Nie Yan laughed.

As they chatted, they walked toward the gathering spot. Back then, their little group of five had only been close friends. Now, however, Nie Yan had somehow become the center of the group.

They were surprised to find that unlike in junior high, Nie Yan’s aura had completely changed. He could easily influence those around him, and they began to pay attention to Nie Yan’s opinions and decisions. Back in junior high, although Nie Yan had always been opinionated, he often kept his thoughts to himself.

After more than ten years, Nie Yan’s memories of his junior high classmates had faded, and he could only recall some of them upon introduction. However, having mastered the art of social drinking, he remained calm and composed.

These junior high classmates were also surprised to find that Nie Yan was completely different from before. Previously, he had been thin, academically excellent, and somewhat outgoing, though often immersed in his own world and rarely interacting with classmates. Now, Nie Yan had become much stronger, even showing hints of muscle, which caused some bold female classmates to be smitten. Moreover, his eloquence and demeanor were entirely different.

The stark contrast caused Guo Huai and others to regard Nie Yan with newfound respect, thinking that Nie Yan was indeed different from before. Considering the matter of establishing a guild, there was a real chance of success.

“Hey, Guo Huai, long time no see.” A male classmate wearing a white sweatshirt, with a muscular build and somewhat handsome facial features, approached Nie Yan and the group holding a glass of orange juice.

Seeing this person, Guo Huai’s eyes briefly darkened.

Nie Yan recognized the person vaguely but couldn’t recall his name.

“Who is he?” Nie Yan quietly asked Tang Yao.

“You don’t remember him anymore? He’s from Class 11, his name is Chu Zhenfei. He was on the basketball team and rumored to have trained in Muay Thai. He’s one of Shen Class Monitor’s admirers. Upon hearing news of our class reunion, he came along for the fun,” Tang Yao whispered into Nie Yan’s ear.

Nie Yan suddenly remembered. In his previous life, when he attended the class reunion, there had indeed been such an incident. Chu Zhenfei’s family apparently owned a car dealership. Although he was rich, he was still far behind Guo Huai in terms of wealth, though Guo Huai usually kept a low profile.

Chu Zhenfei had somehow found out that Guo Huai liked Shen Yue and had also learned that Guo Huai had been allergic to orange juice since childhood. Thus, at the class reunion, he tried to embarrass Guo Huai by offering him a glass of orange juice.

Guo Huai didn’t react at the time, not wanting to lose face in front of Shen Yue, so he drank it. That night, he fell seriously ill and had to stay in the hospital for two days. However, Guo Huai wasn’t the kind of person to endure humiliation silently. He didn’t let Chu Zhenfei off easily either. After Guo Huai left the hospital, Chu Zhenfei was cornered by him and his friends and ended up hospitalized for two months. Afterwards, Chu Zhenfei’s family didn’t dare to utter a word. From then on, Chu Zhenfei was thoroughly scared and would go out of his way to avoid Guo Huai. The saying goes, “Barking dogs don’t bite,” but Guo Huai, who usually appeared quiet and honest, wasn’t someone to be pushed around. When he got serious, everyone feared him.

Nie Yan actually admired Guo Huai’s character. Back then, Nie Yan had been driven to ruin by Cao Xu, and his parents’ deaths had dealt him a heavy blow. Logically, under those circumstances, Cao Xu wouldn’t have let Nie Yan off. Nie Yan endured it at the time, started lying low, pretended to be unmotivated, drank every day, and frequented bars to lower Cao Xu’s guard, finally turning the tables and killing Cao Xu with a single gunshot.

Being able to endure at critical moments, accurately seize opportunities for a counterattack, and strike decisively—that was what it meant to be a true hero!

Nie Yan, Hao Cheng, and others didn’t know about Guo Huai’s orange juice allergy; they only knew he usually didn’t drink it. If they had known about Guo Huai’s allergy and that Chu Zhenfei was here to embarrass Guo Huai, Nie Yan and Hao Cheng wouldn’t have stood idly by.

Seeing Chu Zhenfei approach, Hao Cheng and others wore unfriendly expressions, ready to intervene when the time was right.

“Guo Huai, we had some conflicts before, but now that we’ve graduated, let’s forget the past grievances. Today, I’m here to apologize. I’ll toast you, but since drinking can harm your health, let’s use orange juice instead,” Chu Zhenfei said, feigning sincerity.

“That’s right, drink less alcohol. Just have some beverages like orange juice,” Shen Yue chimed in. Knowing that Chu Zhenfei had feelings for her and so did Guo Huai, she worried about a conflict arising. She was somewhat surprised that Chu Zhenfei had apologized to Guo Huai, which slightly improved her impression of him.

“Chu Zhenfei, are you sure you want me to drink this glass of orange juice?” Guo Huai stared fixedly at Chu Zhenfei, his expression dark.

Looking into Guo Huai’s eyes, Chu Zhenfei suddenly felt a chill but still refused to back down, saying, “I’m sincerely apologizing. I don’t want us to keep thinking about those unpleasant things from the past after graduation.”

“Guo Huai, since Chu Zhenfei has apologized, let’s forget about the past,” Shen Yue said to Guo Huai. In her heart, she still had a bit of affection for Guo Huai. In her mind, Guo Huai had always been a very gentle person.

Nie Yan observed everything. Guo Huai was still a high school student, and when it came to matters of the heart, he was still too naive. To avoid ruining his good impression in Shen Yue’s eyes, he wouldn’t refuse.

“Okay, I’ll drink it,” Guo Huai reached out to take the glass of orange juice from Chu Zhenfei.

Nie Yan stepped forward, blocked Guo Huai’s hand, took the orange juice from Chu Zhenfei, and smiled lightly, saying, “I’ll drink this orange juice for Guo Huai. You know perfectly well that Guo Huai is allergic to orange juice, yet you still offer him some. That’s not very decent of you, is it?”

“What the hell? None of your business!” Chu Zhenfei hadn’t expected an unexpected intervention and cursed angrily.

“Guo Huai, is that true?” Shen Yue looked at Guo Huai, puzzled.

“Of course. Guo Huai has been allergic to orange juice since childhood,” Nie Yan replied.

Shen Yue wasn’t stupid. After a moment’s thought, she stamped her foot and said, “Guo Huai, how could you be so silly? If you can’t drink orange juice, why not just refuse?” Then she turned to Chu Zhenfei and coldly said, “Chu Zhenfei, you’re not welcome here. Please leave.”

“F*** you!” Chu Zhenfei had intended to play a prank on Guo Huai but ended up backfiring, making him furious. He blamed Nie Yan for everything and kicked at him. With his large build, the force behind that kick was terrifying.

Seeing Chu Zhenfei attack, Hao Cheng and others stood up, ready to beat him up. However, something unexpected happened.

Nie Yan sidestepped to avoid Chu Zhenfei’s kick, then countered with a spinning kick, landing a powerful blow to Chu Zhenfei’s chest. Chu Zhenfei flew backward from the impact, crashing onto a nearby table with a loud thud. The table split into two halves, scattering glasses and dishes everywhere.

Everyone was momentarily stunned.

“Holy sh*t!” Hao Cheng was shocked by Nie Yan’s display. With Chu Zhenfei’s weight, being kicked backward like that required incredible leg strength. As someone trained in Sanda, he understood this all too well!