Should I ask that old fool Ossosa?
Legend had it that idiots were a type of psionic being, capable of mind-to-mind communication across vast distances like the Star Sea. Just as Chen Gu was thinking of Ossosa, he received a call from him.
"Are you free tonight? I want to take my wife and kids out for dinner with you."
Chen Gu agreed, feeling a bit of warmth in his heart.
After hanging up, his car arrived at the school gates. Chen Gu got out and entered Lubei Middle School. He had thought he would face some punishment from the school for injuring Zhao Junzhi, but to his surprise, everything was calm. Classes were proceeding as usual, and Mr. Dai, his homeroom teacher, hadn’t come looking for him.
Even when he encountered the head of discipline, the man just pretended not to see him and walked away, head held high.
The last class of the morning was physics. After class, Mr. Dai called Chen Gu over. "Work hard; your future is in your own hands!"
Mr. Dai walked away enigmatically. With his hands behind his back and his head tilted slightly upwards at a forty-five-degree angle, he gazed at the sky, feeling increasingly like a distinguished teacher.
Chen Gu was utterly confused, but his stomach was loudly protesting, so he dashed to the cafeteria with lightning speed. This was already the fourth time in just over a week that Chen Gu had transferred money into his "meal card." While others topped it up once for three months’ worth of meals, Chen Gu... couldn’t make it last three days.
Chen Zili tiptoed around Chen Gu, the epitome of "as well-behaved as a grandson," which perfectly described him at that moment.
Fortunately, he noticed that his grandfather didn’t seem to have the mind to bother with him. However, his observation led to a startling realization: Good heavens, Grandpa, you eat way too much!
Chen Gu understood the principle of keeping a low profile. Each time he went to a food stall, he only took about half more food than an average person, appearing merely as a young man with a large appetite.
However, Chen Zili noticed that he polished off his plate in nearly five minutes and then went back for another serving. By the time the other students were nearly finished eating and the cafeteria was about to stop serving, he went and polished off a full ten servings in one go!
This guy... he definitely can’t be an ordinary person, Chen Zili muttered to himself.
Throughout the afternoon, Chen Zili was conflicted. It looked like his own grandfather might be a powerful backer, but he was the one who had ruined his father’s future. If I rush to cling to this ’thigh’ now, will Father break my legs?
He spent the whole afternoon preoccupied with "legs," his mind elsewhere. As a result, one of his lackeys quietly told him, "Brother Li, Liu Shichan is looking for you..."
Chen Zili blurted out, "Great legs..."
Liu Shichan and her group of close girlfriends’ expressions all changed. Today, Liu Shichan was wearing her school uniform skirt, which showcased her impressively long, straight, and pale legs, with white knee-high socks adorning her calves.
She knew plenty of boys and girls were sneaking glances at her legs along the way, but Chen Zili was the first one bold enough to make such a lewd comment out loud.
Heh, we people of the martial world certainly admire someone as gutsy as you!
With a fake smile masking her displeasure, Liu Shichan said, "Classmate Chen Zili, I’m really looking forward to our next competitive exchange!"
Then she spun around forcefully and stormed off, so angry she forgot her original reason for finding Chen Zili.
Chen Zili stood there, stunned. After a moment, he let out a wail: Grandpa, you’ve doomed me!
His lackeys looked at him with genuine admiration. "Brother Li is a real man! He even dares to tease Big Sis Liu!"
Dull thudding sounds came from the side. Looking closely, Chen Zili was banging his head against a concrete pillar.
During the afternoon physical arts class, after Teacher Zhou led everyone on a warm-up run, she assigned individual training tasks. Then, she abruptly pulled Chen Gu aside just as he was about to join the main group to exercise.
"Don’t go," Teacher Zhou said, a kind, aunt-like smile on her face. "From now on, you’ll train with me individually."
Teacher Zhou pointed to a corner of the training field known as the "Military Corner."
At that moment, four students were training intensely there; all of them were military arts students from Lubei Middle School.
In this era, the status of soldiers had greatly increased, and the entrance scores for military academies were very high. Correspondingly, the former "sports-track students" had become "military arts students."
However, because their academic scores weren’t high, their physical fitness had to be far superior to that of ordinary students to qualify for a military academy based on physical arts alone.
These students were the future "brave generals."
The school had purchased more formidable and expensive training equipment for them. Military arts students also had their own circle, and ordinary students always kept a respectful distance from these muscular fellows. Even the previous Zhao Junzhi wouldn’t dare enter the Military Corner without good reason.
Stepping in and training with them was seen as a challenge to all military arts students.
Think about it. Their only path to higher education is through their physical arts scores. You’re an ordinary student, with much better academic scores than them, yet you want to train alongside them. What is that, if not a provocation?
"Teacher Zhou..." Chen Gu’s micro-expressions were perfectly controlled as he displayed a complex look of alarm, apprehension, and resistance. "Perhaps it’s better not to."
Undoubtedly, he was putting on an act again, signaling to those military arts students: It’s not that I want to go over; I’m being forced.
Sure enough, the four military arts students, while flexing their well-developed biceps to push up heavy barbells, shot them unfriendly glares.
Teacher Zhou chuckled and shook her head. "You, young man, don’t act like an old man afraid to stick your neck out.
This is a school, so don’t worry so much. The teachers are here; you have nothing to fear."
Chen Gu was very reluctant but was pulled over by Teacher Zhou nonetheless.
The students of Class Nine were initially stunned, then they quickly understood. After yesterday’s incident, everyone had been secretly speculating: This transfer student must be naturally super-strong.
Some children from "exceptionally privileged" backgrounds were injected with expensive drugs from a young age, making their physical constitution far superior to that of ordinary people, but Chen Gu was clearly not one of them.
It was precisely because there were many "monsters" in this era that Chen Gu, despite keeping a low profile, wasn’t actually worried about so-called exposure. At my current level, I don’t stand out at all, which is good.
"Senior Ouyang," Teacher Zhou called out to a physical arts teacher who was supervising the military arts students’ training. "This is Chen Gu."
Teacher Zhou and he were graduates from the same university; Teacher Ouyang was two years her senior.
Her senior, arms folded, turned around. Only then did Chen Gu see he was wearing a loose, sleeveless shirt, revealing that both his arms were entirely mechanical prosthetics—the components were thick and heavy, roughly polished, with a distinctly utilitarian style.
There was a scar as wide as a finger on his face, the metallic filling within it visible, making his whole appearance seem fierce and intimidating.
Yet such a person, when smiling, had a kind and warm demeanor.
"Chen Gu, is it? The principal has told me about you. You’re a promising seedling. Don’t worry, leave him to me; I’ll be sure to train him well."
Teacher Ouyang had a whistle hanging around his neck. He blew it once, gathering the military arts students. "Come and meet someone. From now on, you’ll be training together. His name is..."