Chapter 45: I Tried It Myself

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### Volume One: First Steps into a New World

Zu An cursed under his breath, thinking how disloyal that guy was.

Following the sound, he saw Man Yu, that fat good-for-nothing, exaggerating the incident to a young man. The youth stood blocking the path, glaring darkly at him. "So you're Zu An, are you?"

"I'm your father," Zu An replied.

Rage points from Ye Chenliang: 555!

Clearly, this grim-faced young man was Ye Chenliang, the 'big boss' whom Man Yu had mentioned earlier in the small woods.

"Very well, you've successfully provoked my anger." Ye Chenliang clenched his fingers, his knuckles cracking. It had been a long time since anyone dared to speak to him like that, especially someone from the lowest-ranked Yellow Class.

Zu An spread his hands. "All talk, no action? If you've got the guts, bite me."

Rage points from Ye Chenliang: 666!

A cold glint flashed in Ye Chenliang's eyes as he was about to strike, when a teasing voice suddenly came from nearby: "As a kind reminder, fighting openly on campus will get you expelled."

Zu An looked back and saw a man with feminine features standing nearby, smiling faintly. It was Xie Xiu, whom he had met briefly at the school gate earlier.

Ye Chenliang's breath hitched. Although Xie Xiu was known for being idle and unaccomplished, he was still the City Lord's son, and Ye Chenliang couldn't afford to offend the Xie family. He suppressed his anger and looked coldly at Zu An. "Fine, I challenge you to a duel!"

Zu An rolled his eyes. "You say duel, and I duel? That would be too undignified for me. I refuse!"

Ye Chenliang became furious. "You don't even have the courage to accept a duel? What kind of man are you!"

Rage points from Ye Chenliang: 777!

At this moment, Xie Xiu spoke up again: "A duel requires mutual consent. No one can be forced."

Zu An knew Xie Xiu was deliberately reminding him, but he had already been warned by the beautiful headmistress, so he naturally wouldn't fall for it.

A hint of malice flashed in Ye Chenliang's eyes as he coldly stared at Xie Xiu. "Young Master Xie, this matter has nothing to do with you, does it?"

Xie Xiu smiled faintly. "Indeed, it doesn't concern me. But there's no harm in a senior student offering a reminder to a newly enrolled junior, is there?"

Ye Chenliang snorted, unable to do anything about him, and focused his attention on Zu An. "Everyone says that the eldest daughter of the Chu family was blind to marry a good-for-nothing. I originally didn't believe someone like Miss Chu would have such poor judgment, but seeing you today, you truly are just a good-for-nothing who only knows how to use his tongue."

By now, quite a few people had gathered to watch. Initially, everyone assumed Ye Chenliang was just bullying a junior student again. Because Zu An looked quite decent, people subconsciously sided with him. However, upon hearing that he was the useless son-in-law taken in by the Chu family, the expressions of the crowd immediately changed. The men's eyes filled with hostility and jealousy, while the women's eyes showed disdain. Clearly, they too looked down on a 'pretty face with no substance.' What good was being handsome if he was incompetent?

Zu An saw a long string of rage points appearing in his system. He thought, "My nominal wife is truly popular! Just by revealing my identity, these men have contributed thousands of rage points."

"I was wondering what the reason was. So you're also an admirer of Chu Chuyan, no wonder you're so hostile towards me." Zu An grinned at Ye Chenliang. He suddenly recalled the 'Ten Beauties of the Red-Faced Scroll' mentioned by Wei Suo. "If I were to woo all of them, wouldn't every man in the entire school continuously supply me with rage points?"

"Shut up! Trash like you isn't worthy of speaking Miss Chu's name!" Ye Chenliang's breath grew ragged. He actually had a sense of self-awareness; though he might seem impressive at school, it was only because the true young masters of noble families didn't bother to compete with him. Compared to the prodigies of the Heaven Class, he still fell short. Thus, despite admiring Chu Chuyan for years, he knew he couldn't compete with the other aristocratic young masters and had already given up hope. However, a few days ago, learning that his goddess had married a well-known good-for-nothing from the city drove him mad with jealousy.

Today, upon hearing from Man Yu that the person who stole his essence stones was precisely that scoundrel, he felt it was a golden opportunity. He wanted to use this chance to crush his opponent's reputation in front of the entire school, making Miss Chu realize that this good-for-nothing was utterly unworthy of her lifelong trust, and that she would be better off choosing him instead.

Zu An sighed. "She is my wife, and yet I'm deemed unworthy of mentioning her name? But you, an unrelated person, are somehow worthy?"

Ye Chenliang took a deep breath. Seeing the aroused emotions of the surrounding crowd, he gradually calmed down. "I won't waste my breath arguing with you. Miss Chu is the goddess in all our hearts, yet you don't even have the courage to duel anyone. How could you possibly be worthy of her? You'd be better off just voluntarily getting lost."

"One last question: Will you duel or not?"

People around them also started shouting: "If you're not going to fight, then get out of the Chu family!"

"How could such a good-for-nothing be worthy of the eldest Miss Chu!"

"What kind of man is that!""What kind of man is that!""What kind of man is that!"

At first, everyone was shouting their own insults, but then, no one knew who shouted it, but somehow their voices united. Zu An, however, was secretly delighted. These students were truly adorable; despite being complete strangers, they kept contributing rage points to him. He quickly glanced at his balance—several thousand more rage points had just been added.

"Nonsense! He's more of a man than any of you!"

Just then, a slender figure in red suddenly ran over and stood in front of him.

Zu An was stunned. The young girl in front of him was actually Chu Hanzhao. He hadn't expected her to come out and defend him. It seemed that beating she received that night wasn't in vain.

Others clearly recognized Chu Hanzhao. This girl was also a celebrity at school; not only was she Chu Chuyan's younger sister, but she herself was ranked ninth on the Red-Faced Scroll. Combined with her constant wielding of the 'Wailing Whip,' it was hard not to know her.

Ye Chenliang frowned when he saw her jump out to block Zu An. "How do you know if he's a man?"

Chu Hanzhao lifted her chin and replied matter-of-factly, "Of course I know. I've personally tested it."

Her words caused an uproar among the crowd. Wei Suo's eyes widened, and he quietly gave Zu An a thumbs-up, thinking, "I've found my big brother for life. I must ask him to teach me his ways with women." Even Xie Xiu, who was calmly cracking melon seeds and watching the show nearby, got a shell caught in his windpipe. He coughed violently, his handsome face turning bright red.

All the men's eyes turned red with envy:

"That beast!""He didn't even spare such a young girl!""He's even taken both sisters!""Oh, right, I remember now! I heard my family mention that the Chu family's son-in-law climbed into his sister-in-law's bed on his wedding night.""But Miss Chu Hanzhao doesn't seem angry at all.""Damn it, he must have 'convinced' her in bed.""Damn, I want that kind of luck with women too!"

Zu An almost burst out laughing. The rage points he received in his system instantly surged. This was going to break the ten-thousand mark!

Unlike the men's anger and jealousy, the women observing the scene widened their eyes, their attitudes unconsciously shifting:

"For this guy to win the hearts of both the eldest and second Miss Chu simultaneously, he must have something extraordinary about him, right?""Maybe it's because he's handsome.""But his actions are still a bit 'scummy.'""But he's so handsome even when he's scummy, oh!"

Hearing the widespread discussion among the crowd, Chu Hanzhao finally realized her previous words were ambiguous. She quickly explained, "That's not what I meant! I meant that back then, he took seven strikes from my 'Wailing Whip' and didn't utter a single sound from beginning to end. That's why I said he's the bravest man I've ever seen!"

After saying this, she couldn't help but turn back, her face flushed, and glare at Zu An. "It's all your fault!"

Rage points from Chu Hanzhao: 33!

Zu An smiled even more broadly.

Ye Chenliang, opposite him, sneered. "That's impossible! If you want to cover for him, at least come up with another excuse. Everyone knows your Wailing Whip amplifies pain tenfold. How could he possibly endure that!"

"Are you saying I'm lying to you?" Chu Hanzhao glared angrily at him.

Ye Chenliang snorted. "Whether you're lying or not, you know best. Otherwise, ask them: Do any of you believe he could take seven strikes from the Wailing Whip without making a sound?"

"No!"

This time, everyone in the surrounding crowd, both men and women, spoke in unison. Even Wei Suo joined in the shouts. Clearly, many among them had suffered from the Wailing Whip before, and even those who hadn't personally experienced it knew its properties, so they naturally didn't believe anyone could take seven lashes without making a sound.

Chu Hanzhao grew anxious. "I am the dignified second Miss of the Chu family! When have I ever spoken a falsehood in all these years?"

Zu An couldn't help but roll his eyes. This little madam certainly had a fiery temper, but her brain wasn't as sharp as her sister's. Did she think her persistent assurances would convince outsiders?

"Who knows if you're just saying that deliberately to protect him? Unless..." Ye Chenliang's eyes darted around. "Unless you try whipping him a few times right now, in front of all of us, and let us see for ourselves."

"Alright!" Chu Hanzhao said, reaching for the whip at her waist and walking towards Zu An.

Zu An was startled. People always said 'big breasts, no brains,' but this girl was clearly flat-chested, so why was she also brainless? He knew that after that night's life-or-death struggle with Pei Mianman, he truly understood how powerful the 'Rich Woman's Joy Orb' could be when used effectively. In a way, it was like gaining an extra life. At the time, he had somewhat regretted using it during his previous bet with Chu Hanzhao. Now, was he going to let her do it again? He'd be crazy to!

"Don't be impulsive," Zu An quickly said, trying to hold her hand.

"It's all your fault for making me lose face! Hurry up, let me give you one lash to show them." Chu Hanzhao's small chest heaved, clearly very agitated at that moment.

Zu An quickly told her, "He tells you to hit me, and you hit me? How undignified would that be if it got out?"

"That's true," Chu Hanzhao blinked. "So what do you suggest we do?"

Zu An said, "Why bother with them? He can't force me to duel anyway. There's no point in arguing with an idiot."

"Who are you calling an idiot?" Ye Chenliang's face turned unusually dark. Although the word didn't exist in this world, its meaning was universally understood.

"Whoever responds," Zu An shrugged, feigning sympathy.

Rage points from Ye Chenliang: 99!

"No wonder everyone says a sister-in-law is like a brother-in-law's warm, comforting jacket," Ye Chenliang began to retaliate. "In the future, when I marry, I'll definitely marry someone with a younger sister. I just wonder if their family will be as generous as the Chu family, tacitly allowing both sisters to serve one husband."

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