NOVEL NEXT Chapter 030: Fighting
"Oh?" As soon as Mother Xiao heard that, she asked anxiously, "Auntie Zhang, you could have just given me a call, why bother to come over in person?"
"That's different!" Auntie Zhang quickly shook her head and said, "This matter, I'm representing the Residents' Committee."
"Residents' Committee?" Mother Xiao was startled and awkwardly asked, "What's going on with the Residents' Committee?"
"Isn't the community organizing a Chinese chess competition?" Auntie Zhang chuckled and said, "Our Fuxing Community needs to find several people to represent us. We've selected a few, but we're still one short. So, I came to ask for Xiao Han. I heard Xiao Han just got second place in the whole grade at Linjiang No.1 Middle School in the recent exams, and I felt so proud.
So, I came to ask Xiao Han to represent our community in the competition. What do you think?"
"Ah?" Mother Xiao was taken aback. She quickly said, "I've never seen Xiao Han playing Chinese chess; it's been a very long time since he last played."
"This..." Auntie Zhang was in a difficult position. Xiao Han was very good at Chinese chess in junior high and often played with some old men in the community, who he frequently left blowing their beards and glaring with frustration and regret. That's why Auntie Zhang took the initiative to ask Xiao Han.
She quickly said, "Xiao Han, this event is organized by the Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department, aiming to strengthen the spiritual and cultural construction of Linjiang City. If you can win first place, there is said to be a prize of one hundred thousand yuan. Are you sure you don't want to participate?"
"That much?" Upon hearing this, Xiao Han was visibly surprised.
"That's right!" Auntie Zhang nodded eagerly and said, "I'll apply for a ten-thousand-yuan bonus from the Residents' Committee. If someone from our community takes first place, we'll give an additional ten thousand, second place five thousand, and third place three thousand."
"Alright." Xiao Han nodded eagerly and said, "Then please trouble Grandma Zhang to sign me up!"
"Great, great, great!" When Auntie Zhang heard this, she nodded repeatedly and said, "That's wonderful, Xiao Han. Then I will sign you up. Next Wednesday, we'll have a preliminary selection at the Residents' Committee. Remember to participate!"
"Alright!" Xiao Han nodded eagerly.
Auntie Zhang left with a satisfied response, feeling content.
"Xiao Han, do you know how to play Chinese chess?" Mother Xiao asked anxiously.
"Yes!" Xiao Han nodded and said, "Didn't I play quite often in junior high?"
"But hasn't that been many years ago?" Mother Xiao looked at Xiao Han and said, "Besides, I think you should focus on your studies. Activities like this will hinder your academic performance. I don't want you to sacrifice your studies for something like this."
"Mom, don't worry," Xiao Han said with a grin, "I can manage. Next year's college entrance exam, I'll definitely get into a top university."
Mother Xiao looked at Xiao Han.
Suddenly, she realized that her son in front of her seemed somewhat unfamiliar. For years, he had always nodded along timidly and was weak and timid. But now, he had changed suddenly, not only improving his academics by a wide margin but also undergoing a personality change. It was hard for Mother Xiao to believe, but it had certainly happened right before her eyes.
............
The next day.
The temperature dropped sharply, and autumn, which had been warm, suddenly became much cooler. Xiao Han put on a coat and left the house.
There were quite a few people gathered at the entrance of Linjiang No.1 Middle School.
Xiao Han, carrying his backpack, walked over and glanced at the scene. He saw Liao Zhijie bullying a first-year student with a group of people. Just as Xiao Han was about to step forward to stop them, suddenly, a scolding voice came through: "Liao Zhijie, you're bullying your classmate again!"
Xiao Han turned his head to look and saw Chen Zihan staring angrily at Liao Zhijie.
"Heh, is that Chen Zihan?" Liao Zhijie smirked and then said, "How about you be my girlfriend and I promise not to bully anyone ever again? What do you say?"
"You..." Fuming with anger, Chen Zihan said, "You jerk."
Ha ha...
Liao Zhijie's cronies burst into laughter.
At this moment, Liao Zhijie slowly walked towards Chen Zihan, with a sly smile on his face, saying, "Being my girlfriend isn't so bad, is it? There's food and drink and face to be had. In school, I'll make sure no one dares to bully you. How about it?"
"Get lost!" Chen Zihan's face turned red.
Liao Zhijie grabbed Chen Zihan's arm and said, "Heh... you're telling me to get lost? Alright then, today I'll let you know what I'm capable of."
With that, he was about to harass Chen Zihan.
"Stop!" Suddenly, a thunderous shout.
Everyone uniformly turned towards the source of the sound. Liao Zhijie saw Xiao Han and couldn't help but shiver. But with so many students around and at Linjiang No.1 Middle School, which was his territory, if he were to be cowed by Xiao Han, how could he ever mix in with Linjiang No.1 Middle School again?
"Xiao Han, what do you think you're doing?" Liao Zhijie's expression clearly became more serious.
"Let go of your hand!" Xiao Han stared into Liao Zhijie's eyes and said, "Otherwise, I will make you regret it!"
"Fuck, you think I'm someone who would be scared?" Liao Zhijie naturally refused to back down, he could not show weakness, or people would look down on him. Saying so, Liao Zhijie embraced Chen Zihan tightly on the spot.
"You bastard, let go of me!" Chen Zihan struggled fiercely.
Unfortunately, she was nowhere near as strong as Liao Zhijie. No matter how much she struggled, she simply couldn't break free from his grasp.
At that moment, Xiao Han immediately walked towards Liao Zhijie.
"Don't come any closer!" Liao Zhijie, holding Chen Zihan's arm, acted as if he had a hostage.
```
Clearly, he had miscalculated.
Xiao Han grasped Liao Zhijie's arm with the speed of lightning. Startled, Liao Zhijie quickly released his left hand and was about to wind up a punch when suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his right wrist.
Crack...
Xiao Han was tall and muscular, his muscles solid. He clutched the other's wrist firmly. Biology textbooks mentioned that the wrist is one of the body's weakest joints. TV dramas often show that in a showdown between experts, they would frequently seize the other's wrist.
Xiao Han was very strong, and he instantly dislocated Liao Zhijie's arm.
"Ah!" Liao Zhijie screamed in pain, pleading continuously, "Xiao Han, let go, it hurts, it's killing me."
"Will you dare to bully others again?" Xiao Han asked in a cold voice.
"No... I won't dare anymore!" Liao Zhijie quickly shook his head.
Seeing Liao Zhijie begging for mercy, Xiao Han finally released his grip.
"Good!" The spectators unexpectedly burst into loud cheers uncontrollably.
"If you dare to do this again, I won't go easy on you!" Xiao Han dropped a harsh line, then walked towards the school campus.
"Xiao Han, wait for me," Chen Zihan said hastily.
Behind him, Liao Zhijie's eyes were cold, and he watched Xiao Han's departing figure with gritted teeth.
"Big bro, are we going to let this kid off so easily?" A few underlings asked hastily by his side.
"Nonsense!" Liao Zhijie chuckled coldly, "The old man will never let him off easily. Follow me."
After speaking, Liao Zhijie led his group away.
Inside the school.
Chen Zihan followed Xiao Han's pace, and as she looked at his figure from behind, she suddenly felt he was imposing and majestic.
"Xiao Han, weren't you scared just now at all?" Chen Zihan asked curiously.
"Not scared!" Xiao Han laughed and said, "How could I be scared when I saw you being bullied?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Zihan's face immediately turned red. She pouted her red lips and let out a light hum: "Bad guy."
"Haha..." Xiao Han laughed heartily at her response.
The two of them chatted and laughed all the way into the classroom. Just as they entered the classroom, everyone was astonished—when had Chen Zihan and Xiao Han gotten so close? They were people from two different worlds... Could it be... could it be that just because Xiao Han aced a test, Chen Zihan let go of her pride?
"Damn, it's infuriating," Jiang Xiaoliang watched Chen Zihan and Xiao Han enter the classroom, laughing and talking. Sitting next to the lectern, he saw the scene clearly and felt a blaze of anger. His eyes nearly spat out a murderous light.
Xiao Han caught Jiang Xiaoliang's malevolent gaze in an instant. His lips curled up slightly, and he reached out to hold Chen Zihan's hand.
Sss...
Jiang Xiaoliang immediately gasped in shock, his hair standing on end like steel needles. It wasn't just him; other classmates also witnessed the scene.
Chen Zihan was dumbfounded, not having expected Xiao Han to make such a bold move. She was completely at a loss and let Xiao Han hold her hand without any resistance. She was like a puppet, being led to their seats by Xiao Han.
"Madness, madness!"
"My God, has Xiao Han actually won over Chen Zihan?!"
"It's over, my goddess..."
The classroom immediately erupted into chaos.
Li Dapang at the back row revealed a smug smile, grinning and saying, "This kid is getting more and more unpredictable."
The change in Xiao Han was indeed tremendous, a complete turnaround. Previously, Xiao Han was timid and feared problems, but now, he dared to hold Chen Zihan's hand in front of all the boys in the class. This was unimaginable in the past. How many boys dreamt of touching Chen Zihan's delicate hands, ready to pay any price just for a chance to hold it.
Back at her seat, Chen Zihan was as still as a statue.
"What's wrong?" Xiao Han moved closer.
"You... you're terrible," Chen Zihan said quickly, hanging her head low with her cheeks brightly flushed as if they could drip water.
"How am I terrible?" Xiao Han's heart burst into laughter, finding Chen Zihan's angry expression to be utterly adorable. He liked her deeply, this liking was a profound dependency. Xiao Han had no idea he had already fallen for Chen Zihan.
"You're terrible in every way!" Chen Zihan bit her red lip, saying, "Who allowed you to hold my hand? How am I supposed to face people now?"
"Haha..." Xiao Han laughed even more, saying, "If anyone dares to bully you in the future, just tell me!"
```