“Are they your friends?” Han Nanxian asked as he tapped on his brother’s shoulder when they came out of the grocery store.

Three or four boys were standing near Han Zixin’s bicycle in a gangster pose as if waiting for someone.

“Boss! That’s him, “A boy who had his hair bleached and eyebrows half trimmed pointed at Han Zixin. “He beat our man outside his school.”

The boss, who was the shortest in the group, squinted his gaze to look at a tall boy holding heavy polythene bags and said, “Attack!”

Han Nanxian was left wondering when his brother began running for his life. He felt the boy coming back only to be dragged with him.

“Aren’t you a tyrant of the school?” Han Nanxian asked his brother who he was running with. “Why are we running and why are you not beating them?”

Han Zixin gave him a look of impatience and focus on running.

“What the hell?!” Han Zixin muttered when two boys appeared before them and three behind them. They were stuck in the middle with no way to go. “What do you want?”

“Your dignity in mud, “The leader of the rival group said as he spits on the ground. “You beat our boys outside your school. We will beat you, make your video and throw your reputation on the ground.”

“Oh yeah?” Han Nanxian asked with a curious look. “If you post the video, won’t you be arrested by the police? What do you think this setting is? Fictional? Nah, dudes. The police will arrest each one of you for beating another boy.”

“He is speaking nonsense, “A boy told the leader of the group.

Han Zixin smirked as he looked at them lazily. “He is the brain of the family. While I used fists to solve the matter, he used brain. Quite a deadly combination, don’t you think so?”

Han Nanxian felt a swell of pride bursting in his chest as he heard the praise.

“Boss, don’t listen to this asshole, “The bleachy said with a dark look on his face. “You have to attack and avenge us brothers.” Before he could say anything else, the quiet boy of the group ran to kick Han Zixin but Han Nanxian appeared first and kicked the boy who fell far away.

Han Nanxian looked at Han Zixin with a grin. “What? If you can learn to read and write from me, I can pick up a punch or kick from you, right?”

This was how the fight between the teenagers began. In the beginning, it wasn’t easy to tell who was at the winning end but as Han Nanxian threw the wooden stick at the Han Zixin who caught it effortlessly, the fight ended up becoming one-sided.

Han Zixin beat every single boy with the stick and they ran for their life.

“I am telling you that I will come back to avenge us again, “The leader shouted while running. Han Zixin threw the wooden stick that was about to hit his leg but didn’t and he increased his speed so as not to get killed by the possessed boy.

Han Nanxian looked at his brother with sparkling eyes as if asking to be praised.

“Stop fooling around, “Han Zixin said as he looked at the big boy.

“Excuse me?” Han Nanxian looked at him as if he couldn’t believe that was how his heart was going to be broken today.

“Don’t go fighting with others, “Han Zixin said with a scoff.

“I just wanted you to not get beaten by them, “Han Nanxian said in a small voice.

Han Zixin bit his tongue. Why did he feel like he just scolded his dog for doing something good? Never mind, he didn’t ask for help. He could have beaten those group of delinquents before the store but it was a public place and his brother was with him. He ran just to not implicate Han Nanxian into the fight but in the end, the good child entered the fight.

Why did he have this feeling as if he had just made a good boy a bad one?

The good boy turned bad boy.

Han Zixim clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction. He didn’t like the outcome at all.

“I suddenly feel so good, “Han Nanxian said with a silly grin. “Truth be told, I never got this feeling even after scoring top marks in school. But the adrenaline this fight gave me. What do you think about taking me as your underling?”

Han Nanxian wasn’t kidding at this moment. It was the first time that he got involved in a fight and all he had to say about the fights was good things. He felt like a superhero while fighting with his brother.

Hell, even seeing fights in power rangers didn’t give him as much thrill as this one gave him.

Wouldn’t his life be filled with thrills if his younger brother took him as an underlying?

Han Zixin snorted. “There is no place for someone as noob as you in our cult.”

He couldn’t tell that the cult ceased to exist the day he chose books over the rights of forced students. Yes, there was a category of students called forced students. These students didn’t want to study and their parents forcefully sent them to school. He was the leader of the cult but then….

An Xiulan happened and to sit next to her throughout the entire session, he had to choose books.

“Noob?” Han Nanxian repeated the word. How had he never heard about this word?

“Beginner. Unskilled. You can barely protect yourself.” Han Zixin cruelly said this.

“Go back to studying and being a top student, ” Han Zixin said again. “You are not made for cool stuff like us.”

____

A/N: Thank you for waiting. I had a migraine last night and I couldn’t edit the chapters. You see, I’m pushing myself too hard. Writing three books at once. What was I thinking? I don’t know honestly.

Give love to me because I’m love-starved.