Before Qiao Jiajin could fully react, the imposing man rammed into his abdomen with the force of a mountain, driving him backward in a crushing embrace.

Regaining his balance, Qiao Jiajin instinctively kicked off the wall, steadying himself. In one fluid motion, he unleashed a flurry of punches against the man’s back, only to realize that his opponent’s muscles were like iron—clearly the product of rigorous training.

Adjusting his approach, Qiao Jiajin brought his elbow crashing down. The resounding impact rang out, yet the giant remained unmoved. Undeterred, he thrust his knee upward in a fierce strike toward the man’s face.

The man quickly raised his right foot to intercept. Surprise flickered across his features—he had expected to overpower Qiao Jiajin’s lean frame with ease, but the man’s movements betrayed a trained fighter. The ache in his back deepened; a few more blows like that and he would be injured.

“F*ck! What are you all standing there for?! Hold him down for lǎozi!” the man roared.

At once, the bystanders rushed forward.

Watching the situation escalate, Qi Xia felt a surge of urgency. His gaze swept the scene—at best, he could subdue two men, but what of the rest? And even if he somehow took them all down, how would he fare against Zhang Shan?

And why had they gone straight for Qiao Jiajin?

As more rushed toward Qiao Jiajin, Qi Xia darted toward the nearest tables and chairs, shoving them into the corridor to create a makeshift barricade. He grabbed another chair from the floor—the school furniture was mostly iron; one hit would put anyone down.

While ◆ Nоvеlіgһt ◆ (Only on Nоvеlіgһt) two attackers were momentarily blocked, others came from different directions. Qi Xia hurled the chair, halting two more.

“Motherf*cker... is this Qi Xia another problem?” one shouted.

“Forget him! Focus on the tattooed guy!”

They skirted around Qi Xia, charging toward Qiao Jiajin and Zhang Shan.

Qi Xia frowned, unease gnawing at him. Why target only Qiao Jiajin?

“Let him go!” Qi Xia lunged into the crowd, kicking one man down. But outnumbered and untrained in combat, strategy alone wasn’t enough.

“I’ll hold Qi Xia—grab him!” A man tackled Qi Xia, locking his arms around him.

Grinding his teeth, Qi Xia seized the man’s ear and twisted hard.

“ARGHH! Let go!” the man screamed.

Qi Xia wrenched free and slammed his elbow into the man’s throat. Coughing violently, the man crumpled to the floor.

“Do you really want to provoke me?” Qi Xia’s eyes blazed. “You want to kill my teammates again? This time, I’ll stop you no matter what.”

He smashed a nearby window with his elbow, snatched a long shard of glass, and turned, his fury radiating like heat.

The sudden, lethal shift in his presence made the crowd instinctively back away. Ignoring them, Qi Xia fixed his gaze on Zhang Shan.

At that moment, Zhang Shan and Qiao Jiajin were locked in a brutal struggle, neither yielding an inch.

Qi Xia stepped forward to intervene—when something hit him from the side. A stocky figure wrapped his arms around Qi Xia’s waist.

“Are you out of your motherf*cking mind with that glass? Trying to kill someone?!” the plump figure barked. “Zhang Shan! Run!”

Qi Xia’s grip on the shard tightened, ready to drive it forward—until recognition stopped him cold.

It was Ole Lu. And the spot he was about to strike... was exactly where the bald hoodlum had stabbed Ole Lu not long ago. Back then, Ole Lu had thrown himself into danger to save Qi Xia. Now, the roles were reversed—Ole Lu was the one holding him back.

The scene mirrored the hotel corridor. Only this time, the “killer” was Qi Xia.

Could he really kill Ole Lu?

Perhaps against anyone else, yes. But Ole Lu... was different. In that moment, Qi Xia understood why Specs had once defied all reason to save him from the bear.

Back then, Specs had said, “Ole Lu saved my life before. I can’t abandon him.”

It made sense now. Ole Lu wasn’t just anyone—he was the kind of man who would risk everything for a friend. Qi Xia had felt it himself when Ole Lu had pulled him back from death.

And now, he couldn’t do it.

Ole Lu clung to him, grip desperate, while Qi Xia stood frozen. The shard slipped from his fingers, falling with a faint clink.

The ambushers seized the chance, surging forward like wolves. Within moments, they had Qiao Jiajin bound with rope.

“Damn...” Qiao Jiajin spat. “What’s the point of having some brute hold me? If you’ve got guts, fight me fair!”

Zhang Shan winced, stretching his back. “Chu Tianqiu was right—if we hadn’t gone all out, eight of us couldn’t have held you.” 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“Buff lou! You’re strong, but ganging up? Tricks and ambushes—are you even a man? Let me go, fight me one-on-one! Life and death by fate!”

“I...” Zhang Shan looked embarrassed. “I’m not here to compete. Chu Tianqiu said tie you up, so I did.”

“Then let Chu Tianqiu face me!” Qiao Jiajin snapped, every line of his face radiating the sentiment: A gentleman would rather die than be humiliated.

Seeing him finally restrained, Ole Lu eased his hold, glancing uneasily at the shard on the floor. He patted Qi Xia’s shoulder.

Qi Xia looked back, confusion flickering in his eyes.

“Punk... did you just hold back?” Ole Lu asked.

“I...” Qi Xia hesitated.

“That was scary... you could’ve killed me,” Ole Lu admitted, sweat beading on his forehead.

“I was just repaying a favor,” Qi Xia said flatly. “Mister, don’t hug others like that again—you’re wide open for a strike. Use a safer move next time...”