Chapter 040: Taking Action

In Yang Tian’s memory, Chen Ming had always been in poor health, and Sun Hui’s punch landed squarely on Chen Ming’s nose. Though a child’s strength was limited, Chen Ming’s frail constitution meant that he immediately gushed a torrent of blood from his nose.

Yang Xueling and Huang Juan screamed in fright, while Yang Tian grew furious. In his previous life, throughout middle and high school, Chen Ming had always suffered at Sun Hui’s hands. Yet, Chen Ming was also the classmate who cared for Yang Tian the most. Back then, Yang Tian was withdrawn and taciturn, largely ignored by the rest of the class. Only his deskmate, Chen Ming, often helped him with his studies, played with him, and chatted with him. Although Yang Tian was frequently short-tempered, kind-hearted Chen Ming never seemed to mind.

Having been reborn and meeting Chen Ming again, Yang Tian had already sworn to himself to be Chen Ming’s closest friend. Perhaps not to share every joy and sorrow, but at the very least, to be confidants who spoke freely and stood together through thick and thin.

He had wanted to rush over and teach Sun Hui a lesson, but seeing that Sun Hui was already frightened motionless by the sight of Chen Ming’s bloodied face, Yang Tian held back. Instead, he told Huang Juan to take Yang Xueling aside, then quickly pulled a pack of tissues from his pocket, intending to go over, clean Chen Ming’s nose, and take him to the small clinic outside the school.

Unexpectedly, Chen Ming, proud and unyielding, managed to recover after Sun Hui’s blow and promptly punched Sun Hui in the eye, making him wail in pain.

Sun Hui’s friends, seeing this, immediately rallied and surrounded Chen Ming, imitating street thugs beating up a stall owner, launching into a flurry of kicks and punches.

Chen Ming, already weak and now bleeding from the nose, could not possibly withstand such a beating.

But to the surprise of Sun Hui’s gang, only one of them managed to land a kick on Chen Ming; the rest missed completely.

At that very moment, the boy who did manage to strike Chen Ming was simultaneously struck by a mysterious flying side-kick and sent crashing to the ground.

By the time they realized what had happened, Chen Ming was already lying behind Yang Tian, who now stood just a step away from them.

Before they could get a good look at Yang Tian’s expression, each of them was slapped across the face. The slaps were not loud, but each one stung so much that tears sprang to their eyes.

Middle schoolers are still just children, unused to such a scene. Terrified, they scattered in all directions, leaving only Sun Hui, who crouched on the ground clutching his face and wailing. Even Zhu Xiong, one of the group, had been slapped and fled in panic, abandoning Sun Hui without a second thought.

The one who had just dragged Chen Ming out from under the group’s feet was none other than Yang Tian. It was also Yang Tian who had delivered the taekwondo side-kick. With his current skills, dealing with a few children was a trifling matter.

Both Yang Xueling and Huang Juan were dumbstruck by what they saw. They seemed to wonder if this was truly the Yang Tian they knew—usually gentle and bookish, but suddenly so formidable in a fight.

Yang Tian hadn’t beaten the boys more harshly because he considered them just mischievous students. However unruly, they would not become truly wicked. A little lesson would suffice. Had it been street thugs who’d done such harm to Chen Ming, he would have repaid them in full.

“Sun Hui, do you remember what you promised me?” Yang Tian rapped Sun Hui on the head and spoke coldly. “After our basketball match last time, you promised me you wouldn’t bully the kids from the countryside again. And now you’ve gone back on your word! Hmph! This time it’s just a warning, but if there’s a next time, I’ll throw you into the cesspit behind the school. Do you understand?”

Sun Hui could only nod in agreement, not daring to utter a word. He had just witnessed Yang Tian slap six or seven people in an instant. If that slap landed on him, he could imagine how swollen his face would be.

Having dealt with Sun Hui, Yang Tian immediately took Chen Ming to the small clinic at the school gate. By then, Chen Ming’s nosebleed had stopped, so the doctor only cleaned him up with some antiseptic. The doctor wanted to prescribe some medicine, but Chen Ming, not wanting to spend money, refused.

Seeing this, Yang Tian didn’t press the matter. Knowing how poor Chen Ming’s family was, he secretly used his own savings to buy some blood-tonic herbal medicine and nutritional supplements, presenting them to Chen Ming as a birthday gift. Since it was a birthday gift, Chen Ming did not refuse.

Still dizzy from blood loss, Chen Ming suddenly wondered about the kind of person Yang Tian truly was. At first, he’d thought Yang Tian was simply shy and introverted, and had considered trying to help him open up. He never expected that Yang Tian would end up coming to his aid again and again. To Chen Ming, Yang Tian now seemed as elusive as a flower in the mirror or the moon’s reflection in water—impossible to grasp.

On the first day of the new semester, Zhang Xinyu failed to find Yang Tian at school, leaving her in a foul mood. She was so upset that she skipped dinner that night.

“What’s wrong, Xinyu? Weren’t you all smiles when you went to register this morning? Is it that you don’t like Victory High?” Fang Li, worried, asked with concern.

“That’s easy to fix. I’ll transfer you to another school tomorrow!” Zhang Qiang, downing a glass of baijiu, slapped the table as he spoke.

“No, it’s not that. I just couldn’t find my brother today!” Zhang Xinyu burst into tears, burying herself in Fang Li’s arms.

“Alright, alright, silly girl. If you want to see your Brother Yang Tian, that’s easy enough. Tomorrow morning, I’ll have your father wait for him outside his classroom and bring him home for dinner. Happy now?” Fang Li shook her head with a smile.

“But he can’t come over for dinner every day. Mom, can’t my brother keep being my tutor? That way he’ll come to our house every day!” Zhang Xinyu pleaded through her tears.

“All right, all right, whatever you say! Qiang, honestly, that Yang Tian—on Xinyu’s first day of school, he didn’t even show up to greet her!” Fang Li, always straightforward, grew impatient seeing her daughter cry.

“Xueling needed to register too today, and since Bao and the others didn’t go, Little Tian was probably busy helping her with enrollment. He likely assumed we’d take care of Xinyu, so he didn’t come by,” Zhang Qiang, though always deferential to his wife, was a calm and rational man.

“Still, he should’ve at least met us. We didn’t see him all day, and poor Xinyu spent the whole day looking for him, only to come home in tears. I’ve decided—we don’t need Yang Tian as a godson anymore! What use is he?” Fang Li shot a look at her husband, who immediately caught her real intention.

“Right! Next time I see him, I’ll give him a beating. We don’t need a godson like that!” Zhang Qiang pretended to pound the table in anger.

“No, please, Mom, Dad, I’ll stop crying and eat my dinner, okay?” Alarmed, Zhang Xinyu hurriedly picked up her bowl and chopsticks, eating in big mouthfuls while grinning sheepishly at her parents, making them both burst out laughing.