Chapter 123: Requesting Leave

"What are you doing?"

Fan Dongcheng wore a look of utter insolence. "What, are you going to lay a hand on me?" He stood up as he spoke.

Just then, someone else walked through the door. Seeing Xu Fei and Fan Dongcheng in a standoff, several male students rushed over. "What's going on?" they demanded.

They were Fan Dongcheng’s classmates, and naturally, they sided with him. A few of them rolled up their sleeves, looking ready for a fight. Xu Fei swept a glance over them. Their faces still held the softness of youth. Just a bunch of kids.

Xu Fei thought for a moment, then smiled. "You're right. I truly don't deserve it."

Xu Fei didn't want to stir up trouble. After all, this was the provincial capital. Moreover, the incident with Zhang Ze still filled him with deep regret. If he hadn't gotten into a fight with those people back then, perhaps Zhang Ze wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed right now.

He gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

"Stop right there!"

Seeing Xu Fei's reaction, Fan Dongcheng assumed he was afraid. Having just been scolded by Lin Fang, he was looking for a target to vent his anger. He stepped forward and grabbed Xu Fei by the collar. "Apologize to me, you bastard."

Xu Fei looked at Fan Dongcheng, nodded, and said, "I'm sorry."

"That's not good enough!" Fan Dongcheng pretended not to hear him. "Speak louder."

Xu Fei frowned.

"I said, I'm sorry!" His voice echoed through the art studio.

"Why are you yelling so loud? Trying to deafen me?" Fan Dongcheng poked his finger into Xu Fei’s chest. "Apologize again."

Xu Fei shook his head. "Classmate, don't push your luck."

"Push my luck? So what if I am? What the hell are you going to do about it?"

Before the words had even left his mouth, Xu Fei grabbed him by the throat, tripped him, and with a quick surge of strength, sent him flying.

"Ah!"

With a cry of alarm, Fan Dongcheng was thrown several meters away. He hit the floor hard. As he scrambled to his feet, pointing at Xu Fei, he shouted, "Screw you, you—"

Before he could steady himself, Xu Fei stepped forward and delivered a kick straight to Fan Dongcheng's chest. This time, he collapsed to the floor and didn't get back up, curling into a ball while groaning in pain.

The other male students watched in stunned silence.

"What is your problem?" Xu Fei glanced at them coldly. They looked at each other, but no one dared to step forward.

"What is going on here?" Qi Baiyan walked in with several other students.

"Teacher Qi, this man hit Fan Dongcheng!" the students shouted, pointing at Xu Fei.

Qi Baiyan glanced at Fan Dongcheng, his brow furrowed. "Fan Dongcheng, are you alright?"

"T-teacher, my... my chest hurts so much," Fan Dongcheng gasped, his face twisted in agony.

Qi Baiyan turned toward Xu Fei. "Xu Fei, what is the meaning of this?"

"Teacher Qi, he was the one who insulted me first, and I..."

"He insulted you, so you just start hitting people?" Qi Baiyan walked up to Xu Fei with a dark expression. "This is an art studio. He is a student, and you? You are just a model. Do you have any idea what kind of behavior this is?"

Xu Fei was stunned. He hadn't expected Qi Baiyan to jump to conclusions without asking for the truth. He remained silent.

"That's enough. I don't want to make a big deal out of this. If this gets reported to the campus security office, you’ll be in serious trouble, you understand?" Qi Baiyan pointed toward the door. "Leave."

Seeing no other choice, Xu Fei nodded and walked toward the exit.

"T-teacher Qi..." Lin Fang stood up. "It wasn't his fault."

Qi Baiyan paused. "Lin Fang, what are you talking about?"

Lin Fang looked at Xu Fei, who had already reached the door. "Brother Xu, wait a moment!"

Xu Fei stopped and turned back to look at her.

"Teacher Qi, it was Fan Dongcheng who insulted Brother Xu first, and he was the one who threw the first punch."

"Lin Fang!" Fan Dongcheng pointed at her, furious. "What the hell is your problem?"

Lin Fang glared at him. "Isn't it the truth?"

Fan Dongcheng, stung by embarrassment and anger, stepped forward and grabbed Lin Fang’s arm. "I did all of this for you, and you’re going to throw me under the bus like this?"

Clearly frightened by his aggressive behavior, Lin Fang recoiled. Seeing this, Xu Fei moved with lightning speed, reaching Fan Dongcheng’s side in a few strides and clamping his hand around Fan Dongcheng’s wrist.

With a slight twist, Fan Dongcheng’s face distorted in pain. "Ah, ah, ah! Let go of me! Ah!"

He shrieked as Xu Fei applied pressure, forcing him to release Lin Fang’s arm. With another sharp twist, Xu Fei brought Fan Dongcheng down to his knees.

"Xu Fei!" Qi Baiyan stepped forward to intervene. "Let him go!"

Xu Fei shot Qi Baiyan a sharp look. "Teacher Qi, does a person like this deserve to be a student?"

"Let him go first, then we can talk."

Xu Fei gritted his teeth and shoved Fan Dongcheng to the floor. Fan Dongcheng sat on the ground, clutching his wrist, glaring at Xu Fei with a savage expression. "Teacher Qi, I need to go to the hospital! My wrist, he broke my wrist!" He began to wail loudly.

"Enough!" Seeing the display, Qi Baiyan knew he was acting.

Fan Dongcheng quieted down, though he muttered, "I’m going to report this to the security office. How could someone like this even be allowed on campus?"

Qi Baiyan shot him a stern look before turning to Xu Fei. "Regardless of who is right or wrong, you hit him. I have no choice but to ask you to leave."

Xu Fei nodded, then looked at Lin Fang. "Thank you." He walked over to Fan Dongcheng. "Listen well: don't let me find out you're bullying Lin Fang again, or I won't let it go so easily next time."

He turned and strode out of the room.

"Don't you walk away! Damn it, if you’ve got guts, don't run!" Fan Dongcheng shouted after him.

"Shut up!" Qi Baiyan barked at him. He watched Xu Fei’s retreating figure, feeling a sense of unease.

Just as Xu Fei stepped out of the art school gates, a voice called out. "Brother Xu!"

Lin Fang had chased after him.

"Lin Fang? Why did you come out?"

"Brother Xu, I took the day off. Honestly, today is all my fault. Because of me, you lost your job and your place to stay."

"It's alright," Xu Fei said with a smile, shaking his head.

"Why don't you come to my place? My home isn't far from here."

"Your home?" Xu Fei was surprised by the sudden invitation.

Sensing that her request might have been too forward, Lin Fang blushed slightly. "It’s like this—we have plenty of spare rooms, and I live with my parents, so it wouldn't be inconvenient at all."

"This..."

Seeing his hesitation, Lin Fang took his hand. "Brother Xu, don't overthink it. Come, let me take you to see my place. If you go there and still feel it's inconvenient, you can turn me down then."

Lin Fang's genuine kindness made it difficult for Xu Fei to refuse. He allowed her to lead the way toward her home.