My Beautiful Group of Girls and The Cool Guy.
Tianlong High School was one of Yunyang City's most renowned schools, with a vast campus featuring eight teaching buildings, three sports fields, ten convenience stores, six "lover's nooks," three campus groves, and two "conflict resolution zones."
During dismissal and class breaks, students would often gather there for one-on-one duels. They'd fight and then scatter, and school administrators rarely caught anyone. Students would keep watch before the fights, and the guards would be notified if they approached.
Su Ming had participated in several such duels himself, winning six and losing three. He was proud of his record, though one particularly brutal beating at the hands of a strong, street-smart student had left him humiliated. Outmatched and without allies, he had been forced to swallow his pride and avoid the student afterward.
Yet Su Ming never forgot. He vowed that one day, when he had the strength, he would strike back and reclaim his dignity. If he was wronged, he would trample his enemies underfoot. Otherwise, he would be a coward, unfit to call himself a man.
*Ding-dong...!*
The bell rang, signaling the end of class, just as Su Ming burst into the classroom. Math teacher Ye Siwen was walking out and saw Su Ming arrive late, panting heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat. A flicker of anger crossed his eyes. Instead of showing sympathy for Su Ming's rare effort to rush to school, he snapped, "Su Ming! You actually show up now? It's only the fifth day of the month, and you're already late for the fourth time! Do you even have an alarm clock at home? Or a brain?"
"I was wrong, Teacher. I regret it. I should have come earlier and not kept worrying you, you old bastard," Su Ming said, feigning remorse.
Ye Siwen scoffed, sneering, "Why should I care if you come or not? You might as well never show up again! Once your demerits exceed the school's limit, you'll be suspended! That way, I won't have to be ashamed of teaching a trash student like you."
"Fuck! What the hell are you saying? You can't wait to see me expelled, huh?" Su Ming was furious at the math teacher's words. Did teachers even want their students to get kicked out?
"Hmph! More than just wanting it—I'd prefer it. You haven't paid attention in a single one of my classes since you arrived at school. I've already given you enough face by not asking the administration to expel you. Come to my office." Ye Siwen, textbook in hand, strode toward the office.
"What for?" Su Ming grumbled, unable to resist squatting down slightly and patting his own rear. *That damn math teacher! Acts so gentlemanly in front of Teacher Xia Lina, but turns into a complete bastard around students. Hypocrite! And Ye Siwen—where's the "refined" part? He's worse than a beast...*
Ye Siwen glanced back and snorted. "Discipline, of course. You didn't think it would be good news, did you? Hmm, what's with the leg lift? You planning to squat down on the teacher? Heh, go ahead! Try it. One squat, and you won't be back in school tomorrow. Go home, you little brat—you don't want to be here anymore if you're going to pick fights with me."
"Yeah, I don't want to be here anymore. What of it?" Su Ming rolled his eyes.
"Then squat down already! I'll welcome you with open arms!" Ye Siwen declared boldly.
Su Ming wasn't about to fall for his tricks. Knowing this was just an opportunity for the bastard to rack up points, only a fool would take the bait.
He followed Ye Siwen to his office, where the teacher picked up a folder and began processing disciplinary actions. Su Ming had originally been too lazy to look—being disciplined for lateness wasn't new—but who knew if this bastard would abuse his power? If he assigned Su Ming a major demerit, wouldn't that be a grave injustice?
Ye Siwen drew a line through the document, and Su Ming's eyes fixed on it. When he saw the disciplinary action, he couldn't help but get angry. The teacher had marked him down for 45 major demerits—what a rip-off! Su Ming suddenly roared, "What the hell? Why are you giving me major demerits?"
"Heh! Your repeated lateness is quite serious. If I don't take a firm approach, I can't ensure you come to class on time every day! You should be grateful for my well-intentioned efforts, teacher!" Ye Siwen said with a sheepish grin.
Su Ming's face darkened, and he mentally cursed the teacher's entire female lineage. "Fine, you're ruthless. Just remember this—I'm not Su Ming if I don't settle this score."
"Take care! Don't bother seeing me out," Ye Siwen said with a smug wave, his face beaming with satisfaction. *This little punk has never shown me a shred of respect. If I don't teach him a lesson he'll never forget, he'll just keep pushing me around.* He set down his folder as his phone rang. Answering it, he said, "Hello? Oh, Principal. What? I need to get something from the department store in five minutes?"
"Is that a problem? Five minutes is plenty of time!" the Principal replied, his voice tinged with impatience.
"Right away, right away, Principal. Don't worry, I'll be there on time," Ye Siwen agreed quickly, his smile returning. *In this day and age, the Principal is basically God to us teachers.*
Su Ming, who was about to leave the office, overheard the conversation and realized Ye Siwen was in a hurry. A mischievous glint flashed in his eyes. *Revenge is best served hot, and opportunities with girls shouldn't be missed.* Turning back with a grin, he asked, "Teacher, are you in a rush?"
"Yeah, but what's it to you? Go back to your class!" Ye Siwen shot him a dismissive glance.
"Of course it's not my business. I just want to repay the favor you did for me earlier! I'm a filial person—I always repay kindness." With that, Su Ming pointed his right hand at Ye Siwen and activated his Time Slowdown superpower. *Ding! Slowdown successful.* Instantly, Ye Siwen felt his body become twice as heavy, his movements slowing to half their usual speed. He moved like a snail, taking three seconds just to lift his hand.
"Hey... what... did... you... do... to... me...?" Ye Siwen's voice stretched out into a long, drawn-out drawl, his speech slowed to a crawl by the superpower. He glared at Su Ming, his eyes burning with cold fury behind his thick glasses. He was desperate to complete the Principal's task at the department store, and being late would cost him the Principal's trust.
"Who knows? I don't have the power to do anything about a teacher who acts so arbitrarily and tyrannically," Su Ming said with a shrug, feigning nonchalance. He didn't even glance at Ye Siwen as he sauntered out of the office with an air of self-satisfaction.
Ye Siwen was furious. Though he didn't know why his body had suddenly become sluggish and heavy, he was certain Su Ming was behind it. He regretted treating Su Ming so harshly; he should have let him be late instead of docking his pay. *Why did I care so much?* he thought.
"Why isn't he here yet?" the Principal roared, his voice laced with anger.
"He... he... will... be... here... any... moment... now... There... was... a... slight... incident..." Ye Siwen strained every muscle to reach the parking lot.
No explanation was needed. Ye Siwen was ten minutes late, and the Principal berated him for a good while, nose to nose.
Ye Siwen wanted to cry. *That student is too much! He can't be playing such a cruel trick on me, can he?*
***
"Heh heh heh! You'd be better off not messing with me. Having superpowers makes all the difference," Su Ming chuckled gleefully, seated comfortably in the classroom.
Li Gao watched his smug, self-satisfied grin with growing curiosity. He was about to ask what was up when the class bell began to ring, its insistent ringing cutting him off. He swallowed his question, deciding to wait until after class to ask.
The teacher for this period was a stunning beauty, Xia Lina, the homeroom teacher for Classes 1, 2, and 9, responsible for teaching Chinese. As the ringing subsided, the sharp click-clack of high heels echoed from the hallway.