Chapter Thirty-Six: Only He Who Can Save the Beauty Is a True Hero

Zhao Fei, holding onto the hope of avoiding a fight if possible, replied, "Tu Hai, these guys from Third High come to Second High looking for money—how does that add up? Besides, both of them are my friends."

"Zhao Fei, why bother talking to them?" Ning Yan retorted coldly, barely finishing her words before she sprang forward, delivering a swift kick straight to Tu Hai's abdomen.

"Damn, this girl’s got fire..." Tu Hai, caught off guard and underestimating her, was still mouthing off when Ning Yan’s kick landed. He barely managed to let out half of the word "fire" before he doubled over, clutching his stomach and crouching down with a muffled groan.

Ning Yan stood about a meter sixty, not tall but with a well-proportioned figure, nearly golden in ratio—if not compared to others, she could easily be mistaken for a model from afar.

Seeing their leader struck down, the rest didn't hesitate; they rushed forward, most of them targeting Jiang Xiwen. They weren’t fools—Zhao Fei’s reputation preceded him, and they knew he hit hard.

Originally, the unfamiliar long-legged girl was the object of half their lustful aggression, but seeing her floor Tu Hai with a single kick, they realized she was no pushover and switched their focus to Jiang Xiwen.

"Jiang Xiwen, watch out!" Ning Yan moved like a butterfly, darting to his side, throwing punches and kicks, and soon several thugs crashed to the ground.

Zhao Fei, seeing Ning Yan so anxious to protect Jiang Xiwen, felt a pang of jealousy. He wanted to stay out of it, but fearing Ning Yan might get hurt, he rushed in to help.

Tu Hai, a seasoned street fighter, was no stranger to pain. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself up, found an opening in Zhao Fei’s defense, and quietly moved in for a low kick.

Protected by two people, Jiang Xiwen was quite at ease, observing Ning Yan’s moves and comparing them to what he’d learned. Tu Hai’s low sweep passed right in front of him; Jiang Xiwen chuckled, raised his leg, and brought it down hard, intercepting Tu Hai’s shin.

It was a heavy blow. Tu Hai, having just endured pain in his stomach, was now struck in the leg. He fell to the ground, sitting upright, but held back any cry of pain—his reputation depended on being tough and ruthless. If he screamed like a student after being hit, he might as well give up his street cred.

Zhao Fei glanced over, saw Tu Hai sitting on the ground, then looked at Jiang Xiwen and immediately understood. His expression darkened. Raised in a single-parent home, his father too busy to care for him and teachers always harsh, Zhao Fei had developed a rebellious nature and a narrow mind.

He should have thanked Jiang Xiwen, but he didn’t. Instead, he worried Ning Yan might look down on him, feeling upstaged by this seemingly frail guy.

Earlier, Ning Yan had pressed Jiang Xiwen about English, and then jumped to his defense when danger appeared, making Zhao Fei jealous; now, his envy was even more intense. He glared fiercely at Jiang Xiwen, rushed to Ning Yan’s side, and threw himself into the fight, helping her against the surrounding thugs.

Jiang Xiwen was content to watch—someone else was taking the hits, freeing him to study Ning Yan’s techniques.

Ning Yan hadn’t seen Jiang Xiwen’s earlier kick. She shouted, "Zhao Fei, are you crazy? Who asked you to help me? Go protect Jiang Xiwen!"

Her words fueled Zhao Fei’s jealousy further. He said nothing, his punches growing fiercer, but more fists landed on him in return.

Come on, you think you're so rebellious, but at heart you’re just a kid—getting jealous at a time like this. Jiang Xiwen shook his head at Zhao Fei, worried Ning Yan couldn’t handle it alone, so he joined the fray.

His first move was to kick down a hulking attacker nearly 1.8 meters tall who was threatening Ning Yan from behind, striking the vulnerable spot at the side of the lower back.

Outnumbered, the only way was to make sure every blow brought someone down—otherwise, you’d tire yourself out just trading punches. This time, Ning Yan saw Jiang Xiwen’s move and was amazed. She asked, "Jiang Xiwen, where did you learn that?"

As she spoke, she narrowly avoided another thug’s attack.

Once again, Jiang Xiwen stepped in, this time punching an opponent in the nose. The guy felt a sharp sting, crouched down clutching his face, tears and blood streaming together.

After that, the sound of blows resounded continuously. Of the three, Zhao Fei was the weakest, less skilled in fighting. All ten thugs were soon sprawled on the ground.

"Get lost already!" Ning Yan barked. The dozen or so attackers, supporting each other, hurried away.

"Hey, brother, you forgot something—wait for us, next time you’ll see what we’ve got!" Jiang Xiwen shouted loudly.

Just then, one of the thugs turned back, and he and Jiang Xiwen shouted the same words at once. Ning Yan couldn’t help but burst into laughter, taking a while to look at Jiang Xiwen. She was about to speak when he cut her off: "Hey, no need to ask—you want to know where I learned those moves? Only if you tell me where you learned yours. That’s fair."

"Hmph!" Ning Yan huffed, "Forget it, then. About that English passage..."

Before she could finish, Jiang Xiwen interrupted again, quickly reciting the English.

Jiang Xiwen felt his second chance at life was meant for big things—he had no time to get tangled up in the petty emotional drama of these kids. He hurried to wrap up Ning Yan’s questions, so she wouldn’t pester him later, nor Zhao Fei come back to nag him. Too much trouble!

Ning Yan carefully memorized each word.

Meanwhile, Zhao Fei, battered and bruised, grew gloomier. He’d never seen Ning Yan smile so brightly, nor seen her so playfully annoyed, nor so focused in listening. Yet all of this happened when she was facing Jiang Xiwen.

"Jiang Xiwen, remember this! I, Zhao Fei, won’t let this go!" As Ning Yan recorded the last word, Zhao Fei finally lost control, shouted loudly, and turned to run.

"What’s with him? Zhao Fei?!" Ning Yan hadn’t noticed anything amiss; she was simply puzzled by his sudden mood swing.

When Ning Yan turned back, she saw Jiang Xiwen tossing out a parting remark: "Hey, I’m heading out—Zhang Ya is here, and I happen to need her."

With that, he strode up to the approaching girl, greeting her with a cheerful smile, "Hey, beautiful class rep! I was just looking for you."