"Oh, it’s definitely true, I swear to God! Boss, please let me be your little brother," Jack said, dancing with excitement.
Feeling that this African American student was rather endearing, Leng Xuan laughed and said, "Well, alright then, I agree."
"Is it really? That’s great..." Jack, overwhelmed with excitement, couldn’t help but cup Leng Xuan’s forehead and plant a big kiss on it, causing a few classmates who were watching them to burst out laughing, including Li Mengjie, who covered her mouth and nearly cried with laughter.
Leng Xuan’s face turned red with a touch of embarrassment. Fortunately, his first kiss had been taken by Ling Xuejiu the night before, or else he might have been spitting blood from mortification. For some reason, just thinking about Ling Xuejiu made him glance over at her, and he caught her struggling to suppress a laugh.
Caught by Leng Xuan’s glance, Ling Xuejiu immediately stopped laughing. Probably reminded of the previous night’s events, she suddenly blushed and shot a resentful glare at Leng Xuan before quickly turning away, ignoring him from then on.
Wiping the kissed spot with his hand, Leng Xuan said irritably, "Alright, Jack, since you’re following me now, you’ll have to listen to me. Remember, you’re here to study, not to fight. If it’s not necessary, just focus on your own studies. Go sit at your seat!"
"Yes, Boss!" Jack ran excitedly to his seat, which was close to Zhou Qiang. Seeing him approach, Zhou Qiang glared, causing Jack to reflexively fear him. But remembering he had just sworn loyalty to a boss with impressive Chinese martial arts skills, Jack’s courage soared. He glared back and said, "Shorty, I’m not afraid of you anymore. Are you trying to start something with me?"
Upon hearing those words, Zhou Qiang was internally fuming, yelling, "Damn it, Jack, you son of a bitch, thinking you’re tough now, huh? Believe it or not, Laozi will kill you!"
Zhou Qiang’s threat deflated Jack’s newfound confidence, revealing a toothy grin and waving his hands dismissively, he said, "I’m here to study, I don’t want to fight," and he started reading from a book.
Zhou Qiang, although acting tough, knew deep down that if it really came to a fight, with his small frame, he wouldn’t stand a chance against Jack, even if there were ten of him. He cursed a couple more times but mostly to save face.
Leng Xuan had been paying attention to their interaction and shook his head slightly, thinking ’This Jack, his courage really is too small. I need to find an opportunity to embolden him, otherwise he won’t be of any help to me in the future.’
Suddenly, Zhao Xiaotian turned his head as if he was hesitating about something.
"What’s up, Xiaotian?" Leng Xuan asked.
"Hehe!" Zhao Xiaotian chuckled sheepishly, scratching his head awkwardly, and said, "Brother Xuan, now that you’ve taken Jack as your little brother, why not take me as well?"
Leng Xuan was taken aback. Although it had only been a few days at the school, he had gotten a sense of Zhao Xiaotian’s character, knowing that despite his loyalty, Zhao Xiaotian was the timid studious type who not only would not be able to handle trouble for him but would actually require his protection. Taking him on as a little brother would be nothing but a burden, so he said with a wry smile, "You know what, forget about it. Just focus on your studies. There’s no real benefit to following me!"
Leng Xuan’s refusal to take Zhao Xiaotian was actually for the youth’s own good as he was a well-behaved student who should prioritize his studies.