Xiao Wu was already red in the face with anger. If Ao Tian hadn't been pressing on her shoulder, she would have jumped up by now.
"You want me to keep you company? No way!" Xiao Wu shouted angrily.
"Ah, I just love spicy little peppers like you. Since you won't accompany me, then pay up." Boss Xiao teased.
The little brothers behind him all looked at Wang Sheng and the others with naked contempt, their faces filled with arrogant smiles.
"Pay you? Dream on!" Xiao Wu was so furious her nostrils were practically flaring smoke.
"Heh heh... So you're choosing the third option then?" Boss Xiao cracked his fists loudly, his eyes gleaming with a cruel light. "Perfect. I haven't had meat shields to beat on for two whole months over the summer. My body's getting rusty."
Ao Tian let go of Xiao Wu, and she immediately stood up, shouting, "If it's a fight you want, I'll see it through to the end!"
"Clap, clap, clap..." Boss Xiao applauded, then looked at Wang Sheng, saying, "You've really become useless. Letting a little girl take the lead."
"I'm the boss of Dorm Seven now!" Xiao Wu declared.
Xiao Chenyu looked at Xiao Wu in surprise. He was well aware of the rules in the working students' dorms.
If this little girl had become the boss of Dorm Seven, that meant she was even stronger than Wang Sheng.
Boss Xiao's interest in Xiao Wu deepened. He clapped his hands and laughed. "It's settled then. Behind the academy, at the small hill. None of you better try to run."
Wang Sheng had been seething with rage, but suddenly remembered the strength of Xiao Wu and Ao Tian—especially Ao Tian, whose strength had clearly surpassed Xiao Chenyu's when he sparred with Tang San.
With that thought, his anger faded, replaced by overwhelming hatred—and a bit of anticipation.
Soon, they'd get their revenge.
Ao Tian stood up and tossed a handful of gold spirit coins to Wang Sheng, saying, "Go pay the bill."
Wang Sheng coldly glanced at Boss Xiao and his group, then confidently forced a path through them and walked out.
"Courting death." one of Boss Xiao's underlings sneered.
"No rush. They'll get theirs soon." Boss Xiao said.
His eyes settled on Ao Tian, and he was visibly surprised.
Because he was a working student, Ao Tian's originally luxurious clothes had become plain.
Boss Xiao had thought he was just a pretty-faced pauper. Who knew he could casually pull out a gold spirit coin?
"Heh heh… Kid, you've got money, huh?"
"Yup, I'm loaded." Ao Tian replied with a smile.
He waved his hand over the table, and a pile of glittering gold spirit coins appeared—at least several hundred.
Everyone in the room went wide-eyed, staring in disbelief at the little mountain of gold.
Boss Xiao and his gang practically drooled on the spot.
They were rich, sure, but not that rich. Several hundred gold spirit coins was a massive amount of pocket money for anyone.
Ao Tian smiled faintly and with another wave, swept the coins back into his ring.
Boss Xiao was practically drooling with greed. He scrutinized Ao Tian's face but couldn't think of any noble families in Notting City with such a good-looking heir.
"Do any of you know him?" he asked, turning around.
All the little brothers shook their heads.
Boss Xiao sneered and relaxed.
In Notting City, he was the crown prince. No one had a more prestigious identity than his.
If Ao Tian were from a bigger city, what would he be doing here, attending this podunk academy as a working student?
Boss Xiao was already certain—Ao Tian was easy prey.
Soon after, Wang Sheng returned, clutching a handful of silver spirit coins, which he handed to Ao Tian.
Ao Tian waved his hand, saying, "Since you guys took over my chores, consider this your reward."
Wang Sheng glanced at Boss Xiao and his cronies and figured it wasn't the time to argue, so he accepted the money.
"Let's go, gentlemen." Boss Xiao sneered and turned to leave.
Wang Sheng and the others followed behind Ao Tian and Xiao Wu, now completely relying on the two of them.
Xiao Wu, worried, said, "Wang Sheng, will we get punished for fighting?"
Wang Sheng shook his head and said, "No, as long as the teachers don't catch us."
Then he asked, "Should we go inform Tang San? With him, our chances of winning are much better."
As he spoke, he looked toward Ao Tian.
He knew Ao Tian and Tang San didn't exactly get along.
Ao Tian shook his head and smiled, "No need."
Just as he finished speaking, a loud "Ow!" came from ahead, followed by crashing and screams.
Boss Xiao and his gang had all tumbled down the stairs.
Xiao Wu, Wang Sheng, and the rest stared in stunned silence, their brains barely keeping up.
"Why're you standing there? Let's go enjoy the show." Ao Tian grinned.
Xiao Wu and the others snapped out of it and quickly followed Ao Tian to the stairway.
At the bottom, the eight thugs were piled on top of each other, with Boss Xiao crushed at the very bottom.
Cries of pain and gasps filled the air. All the students eating in the cafeteria looked over in shock.
"Damn it, get off me!" Boss Xiao shouted from beneath the pile.
His underlings scrambled up and pulled him out.
Wails of pain and sharp gasps echoed. The eight of them were bruised, swollen, and sporting cartoonishly large lumps on their heads, like eggs glued to their foreheads.
Xiao Chenyu, who'd once looked dashing and somewhat handsome, now resembled a grotesque clown.
He kept sucking in cold air, the pain on his face making him question his existence. His whole body trembled from the agony.
Laughter erupted in the cafeteria. Everyone who saw this scene couldn't help bursting into laughter.
Boss Xiao and his group looked at each other's battered faces and instantly understood—they were mortified.
"Let's go." he growled and stormed out of the cafeteria.
His group of thugs followed closely behind.
All they wanted now was to get to the infirmary. Ao Tian and company? Completely forgotten.
"Let's go. I'm stuffed. Time for a delicious afternoon nap." Ao Tian said as he walked downstairs with a smile.
"Look! That kid is so handsome—so cute!"
A girl screamed from somewhere, and suddenly every eye turned toward the staircase.
Ao Tian descended gracefully, smiling gently.
Despite his plain clothes, his face and natural aura captivated everyone instantly.
The boys glared with jealousy. The girls screamed nonstop.
"So shallow," Ao Tian sighed and shook his head.
Wang Sheng and the others followed him with bitter smiles. Only now did they realize how magnetic Ao Tian truly was.
Even after leaving the cafeteria, several bold girls continued to tail him.
"Seeing Boss Xiao get wrecked like that was so satisfying," a working student sighed.
"Totally karma." Wang Sheng beamed.
Thinking of Boss Xiao and his gang's miserable state made him want to laugh out loud.
Then his face grew serious again. "There are healing spirit masters at the infirmary. They'll recover quickly. We can't let our guard down. A fight is probably unavoidable."
He looked toward Ao Tian and Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu clenched her fist. "Don't worry. When the time comes, I'll beat them so bad even their own mothers won't recognize them."
Ao Tian just smiled and said nothing.
He wouldn't waste his time on such trivial matters. That Boss Xiao guy? He wouldn't be able to recover in a few days.
Even bringing in the best healing spirit master on the entire Douluo Continent wouldn't help.
Back at the dorm, they discovered that Tang San wasn't there.
Wang Sheng put the packed meal for Tang San on his bed and said, "He probably went to find the Grandmaster. He mentioned it before."
Ao Tian lay down on his bed, closed his eyes, and began to rest. Xiao Wu thought for a moment, then lay down on another bed.
Wang Sheng shook his head, returned to his own bed, and sat down to meditate and cultivate.
The others did the same.
They were all just average in talent, and only through diligent cultivation did they have any hope of rising above the rest.
It wasn't until evening, when the sun was setting, that Tang San finally returned.
....