C50 That's Right It's Me!

"Why should it matter to you whether I go or not?" Kai Erduo retorted without even glancing back.

"Kai Erduo, you've got the nerve to talk back? Do you start itching for a beating if you go a few days without one?" The voice behind them intensified, clearly belonging to someone who had a habit of roughing up Kai Erduo.

"Go ahead, hit me. But remember this, Teddy, unless you take me down for good, I'll come after you when I'm older!" Kai Erduo declared as they both turned to face the challenge. He quickly ducked behind Zhang Xing, his bravado tinged with fear.

A smirk played on Zhang Xing's lips. This scene took him back to his own childhood squabbles with older kids, where he'd talk big whenever he was out of reach. He was reliving those moments, but this time, he wasn't the one on the receiving end of the blows.

Three boys loomed behind them: one tall, one short, one skinny—all unmistakably from the advanced class. Teddy, the tall one, seemed about sixteen or seventeen and stood at least 1.75 meters. Zhang Xing barely came up to his waist.

"We should give him a good thrashing, see if he still dares to scorn us," the short boy said with a menacing glare.

Teddy, the tall one, didn't even spare Zhang Xing a glance as he reached out to shove him aside. But Zhang Xing caught his hand.

"Don't try to interfere. Remove your hand now!" Teddy commanded, looking down on Zhang Xing, clearly not taking him seriously.

"Your name's Teddy, right? Kai Erduo is my friend, so lay off him from now on," Zhang Xing stood his ground. "And what's the point of you advanced class guys picking on someone from the primary class? Doesn't it embarrass you?"

Teddy and his cronies were taken aback by Zhang Xing's boldness.

"Let go of my hand. I'll count to three, and if you don't, I'll beat you along with him!"

"One, two, three!"

Zhang Xing showed no signs of backing down, grinning at the fierce-looking Teddy.

"Looks like there's a fight brewing over there. Let's check it out!"

In no time, a crowd of dozens had gathered at the restaurant's entrance.

"Isn't that the kid, Zhang Xing?"

"Absolutely, that's him. I spotted him from a distance."

"And who's the tall guy?"

"That's Teddy, from the high-level class!"

"Really? Him?"

Hearing Teddy's name, many students gasped in surprise.

"Teddy, the one ranked eighth in the Skysplit Tower!"

"Why is he clashing with Zhang Xing?"

"This is going to be quite the spectacle."

Teddy's pupils narrowed when he realized the kid before him was Zhang Xing.

"You're Zhang Xing?"

"Yes, that's me," Zhang Xing replied, still smiling.

The two beside him, one short and the other skinny, tensed up immediately.

Rumors had spread throughout the upper grades that Zhang Xing was nothing short of a deity.

Some students even vividly imagined every detail of Zhang Xing's fight with Glen.

Teddy, skeptical at first, couldn't dismiss the stories so easily since Glen was a close friend.

One the Second Young Master from West City, the other a Young Master from East City—both seventeen and friends since childhood.

After visiting Glen in West City, Teddy started to take Zhang Xing seriously.

Glen had warned him that Zhang Xing was an enigma and advised against confronting him without knowing more.

Moreover, Your Honor held Zhang Xing in high regard, having summoned him to the Office for an extensive two-hour talk. Many believed the President had offered him guidance in magic.

"So it's the recently acclaimed Junior Zhang who's so full of confidence!"

"Today, I'll extend you the courtesy and spare Kai Erduo. But don't you think you owe me the same respect?"

After speaking, Teddy felt a wave of discomfort wash over him.

Negotiating with a kid in front of such a crowd!

No matter how he spun it, it seemed like a blow to his pride.