Who made the move?

"You tell me—come on, say it…" Zhou Zeye’s voice was tinged with madness.

As the most prominent boy in school, he was among the top students in his grade, a dazzling star on the basketball court, and possessed a sunny, handsome appearance. All this made him the most sought-after boy among the girls. He had long since noticed the charming beauty from the neighboring class, but with so many girls inviting him out, his schedule was packed, and he couldn’t find the time to win her over.

Who could have guessed that during the school trip, this lovely girl would take the initiative to invite him? He was overjoyed, even turning down several other invitations for her. He thought the trip would be a romantic adventure, but on the very first day, he waited at the gate for ages only to receive a call from her—she wasn’t feeling well and would stay in her dorm to rest.

He was already fuming at being stood up, but he held back, telling himself to be gracious. Not feeling well? Then rest up. Yet for the next five days, she gave the same excuse every day, driving him to the brink of frustration. Damn it, was she just playing with him? Once or twice was forgivable, but every single time? It was obviously deliberate.

Never before had a girl treated Zhou Zeye this way; his vexation was beyond words. He had never met a woman who would push him this far. On the final night, he decided to give her one last chance and called her again—still, she claimed she was unwell. His temper flared, and all pretense of grace vanished.

Then, a male voice came on the line, claiming to be Xiao Ruo’s boyfriend.

It was as if lightning had struck him out of a clear sky, leaving him utterly stunned.

Xiao Ruo… had a boyfriend?

Listening to the monotonous beeps after the call ended, Zhou Zeye was left dazed and distraught.

Back at school, he sought out Xiao Fen, who was always by Xiao Ruo’s side, and learned from her that Xiao Ruo had fallen for someone else.

He could not accept it. Wasn’t it always other boys’ girlfriends who fell for him? When had he ever been rejected by a woman?

What stung even more was learning that the boy Xiao Ruo liked was named Zhong Yun, a perennial bottom-of-the-class good-for-nothing.

He’d lost to a loser?

Every time he thought about this, shame and rage made him nearly lose his mind.

And so, after school, he had someone distract Xiao Fen and cornered Xiao Ruo here, determined to get to the bottom of things.

"Why won’t you answer?" Zhou Zeye’s eyes were bloodshot, his expression bordering on insanity. "Are you going to talk or not?"

"Let me go… my hand hurts…" Xiao Ruo was growing frightened, but no matter how she struggled, she couldn’t break free from his grip.

Suddenly, her wrist was released, and she heard a familiar voice. Looking up, she saw Zhong Yun’s solid back before her.

He’s come to save me. An inexplicable sense of sorrow welled up in Xiao Ruo’s heart, and the tears she’d been holding back finally spilled over.

"I’m better than you in every way," Zhong Yun said, each word cold as ice.

"It hurts…" Zhou Zeye’s wrist was clamped tight, waves of searing pain shooting through him. He couldn’t help but cry out.

Zhong Yun, furious at Zhou Zeye’s roughness toward Xiao Ruo, showed no mercy; his grip made the bones in Zhou Zeye’s wrist crack audibly. The pain was so excruciating that Zhou Zeye’s face contorted and broke out in a cold sweat, all traces of previous handsomeness gone.

"Now you know pain? You should’ve thought of that sooner," Zhong Yun said without a hint of restraint. With a final twist, a sharp crack sounded, and he released Zhou Zeye’s now-broken wrist.

"Ah—!" Zhou Zeye screamed, collapsing to the ground and writhing in agony.

Tian Hai glanced disdainfully at the moaning figure on the ground. Just a fracture—was it really worth howling like that? You’ve brought shame to men everywhere.

Chen Wen, meanwhile, noticed Zhong Yun had used a special technique to stimulate the nerves in Zhou Zeye’s wrist, intensifying the pain. It was clear Zhong Yun was truly angry.

He looked at the blubbering Zhou Zeye with a trace of pity. Of all people to provoke, why choose someone like Zhong Yun?

Not far away, a group was playing basketball. Hearing Zhou Zeye’s scream, they abandoned the game and surged over, faces fierce with anger.

With a shout, over a dozen people surrounded Zhong Yun and his friends.

"A-Ye, what happened?" At the front stood a giant nearly two heads taller than Zhong Yun—the school’s star, captain of the basketball team, Li Qiang.

Seeing Zhou Zeye’s miserable state, Li Qiang was shocked and hurried over to help him up. A glance at the unnaturally twisted wrist was all it took. "Quick, get him to the school nurse!"

Two people hurried off with Zhou Zeye.

Li Qiang straightened, looking down at Zhong Yun and his group. His voice was grave: "Who did this?"

Zhong Yun knew this giant—Li Qiang, a prominent figure at school and captain of the team.

But Zhong Yun ignored the hostile crowd, gently massaging Xiao Ruo’s bruised wrist, softly comforting her and wiping away her tears.

"Why is it that every time I see you, you’re crying? Are you made of water?"

Xiao Ruo half-closed her eyes, silent, letting his hands move gently across her face.

Tian Hai fiddled with his index finger, casting sidelong glances at the encircling crowd, a cold smirk flickering on his lips.

Chen Wen lounged against the wall, tossing his phone idly in one hand, not sparing the intruders even a glance, as if they were air.

No one paid Li Qiang any mind.

A flash of displeasure crossed Li Qiang’s eyes, but he held his composure, saying nothing.

He might have patience, but others didn’t. Someone behind him leapt out, pointing and shouting, "The captain asked you a question—don’t you dare ignore him!"

"What’s all the noise—are you wailing for the dead?" Zhong Yun snapped, turning his head.

The man who’d shouted felt a sudden ringing in his ears. The words "wailing for the dead" echoed in his mind, darkness clouded his vision, and he fell backward with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.

Li Qiang was shocked, hurrying to help him up. "Hey, what’s wrong? Hey…" He pried open the man’s eyelids—both eyes rolled back, clearly unconscious.

"What did you do to him?" Li Qiang demanded, equal parts alarmed and furious.

Tian Hai burst out laughing. "Well, that’s a first—scared unconscious by a single phrase! That’s a classic."

At his words, the surrounding faces turned black with embarrassment, but there was nothing to say. They could only blame their comrade’s disgraceful display.

Li Qiang glanced at Zhong Yun’s impassive face, a flicker of unease in his eyes. His lips moved, but it was a long moment before he managed, "We’re leaving."

"Captain!" the others cried, unable to believe their usually unyielding leader was backing down so easily.

Though reluctant, they departed—Li Qiang’s authority was not to be questioned.

Watching them slink away, Tian Hai gave them a rude middle finger.