"School's already over?"
Stepping out of Xu Qian's office, Chu Yi found the classroom eerily empty.
It quickly dawned on him—class had ended.
Strangely enough, he hadn't even managed to sit through a single full lesson today.
A flicker of bemusement crossed his face, but he soon brushed it aside.
Perfect timing—he might as well take this opportunity to visit his own company.
After all, since arriving in the North District, he hadn't set foot in it once.
At this point, Chu Yi even began to wonder—had the company gone bankrupt?
Otherwise, why hadn't a single call come through all this time?
Forget it, better to go and check things out.
Even if it was just a trial his father had thrown at him, he still ought to take it seriously.
With this thought, Chu Yi strolled down the corridor, heading toward the parking lot.
But just as he turned a corner, a few figures suddenly appeared, blocking his path.
They'd clearly been waiting for him.
He recognized them—they were students who usually sat at the back of his class.
What were they doing here?
Were they looking for trouble?
A flicker of suspicion sparked in Chu Yi's eyes.
The boys in front of him, however, were visibly tense, hands clenched in their pockets, palms slick with cold sweat.
"Xing-ge, do you think we've gone too far with this?"
One of the students, still in school uniform, trembled slightly as he spoke, the memory of Chu Yi effortlessly lifting several classmates lingering vividly in his mind.
"What's there to be afraid of? We're not here to mess with him," the leader responded, though his own voice carried a hint of apprehension.
But as Chu Yi steadily approached, he gritted his teeth and stepped forward, bowing slightly.
"Chu-ge, I want to follow you. Please let me be your right-hand man!"
"Yeah, Chu-ge, we want to follow you too!"
The other two chimed in quickly, their streetwise airs momentarily forgotten.
You want me to be your boss?
Chu Yi gazed at the bowed heads before him, interest gleaming in his eyes.
Should I take them in… or not?
His silence stretched, making the group increasingly uneasy.
Why wasn't Chu Yi saying anything?
Was he accepting them? Or rejecting them?
The thoughts swirled in their minds, yet their feet felt like they were welded to the ground—none dared move.
Sweat beaded on their foreheads.
Xing-ge clenched his jaw. With a flash of determination in his eyes, he dropped to his knees.
He refused to miss this chance.
Something deep inside told him—Chu Yi was no less formidable than the famed trio from No. 5 High School in Magic City.
He might even be stronger.
This was an opportunity. A way out of the slums.
And for that, Xing-ge was willing to kneel.
"No need for such formalities."
"I'll take you in."
Seeing the boy about to kneel, Chu Yi finally made his decision.
Why not? He didn't have any subordinates at this school yet.
They could run errands for him—serve some use.
He stepped forward and helped Xing-ge up, speaking with calm indifference.
He accepted me. He really accepted me.
Joy flashed in Zhang Xing's eyes. His face filled with reverence as he quickly called out:
"Boss!"
The other two followed immediately.
"Boss!"
"Mm. Now, tell me your names."
"And from now on, just call me Young Master Chu—'Boss' sounds a bit crude."
"Yes, Young Master Chu! I'm Zhang Xing."
"I'm Li Lei."
"I'm Wan Li."
At Chu Yi's request, the boys hurriedly introduced themselves and corrected the way they addressed him.
"Good."
"Now, let me ask you—after I left the classroom, did Ye Fan do anything unusual?"
Now that they were officially his subordinates, it was time to put them to use.
The boys paused, clearly trying to recall.
Li Lei, the sharpest of the three, was first to speak after a brief moment of thought.
"I saw it—after you left, Ye Fan comforted that chubby guy."
"He helped the fat guy up, and the two of them had a pretty intimate conversation."
"Looks like that fatty is trying to suck up to Ye Fan. Trying to ride his coattails."
As he spoke, disdain flickered in Li Lei's eyes.
What's so special about Ye Fan?
He's nothing better than any of us.
The other two quickly nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Li Lei's right. That was basically all he did."
"They even left together," Zhang Xing added.
The fat one?
Must be Li Linhai.
So he's Ye Fan's follower.
Protagonists always seem to have a fat sidekick.
A supporting male character, huh?
I wonder... does a side character like that possess any 'fate value'?
With that thought, Chu Yi posed a question to the system in his mind.
"System, if I make Li Linhai suffer, can I earn villain points?"
Ding. Yes. As Li Linhai is Ye Fan's follower, host can indeed earn villain points through him.
Ah, so that's how it works.
Chu Yi's eyes gleamed with an idea.
"All right. I've heard what I need to know."
"You may go now—I've got things to do."
Having obtained the intel he sought, Chu Yi turned to leave the campus.
"Yes, of course. Safe travels, Young Master Chu!"
The boys stepped aside in a hurry, not daring to delay him a second longer.
"Mm."
Chu Yi gave a small nod and walked away.
Zhang Xing and the others stood still, watching him go until he was out of sight.
"Xing-ge… do you think we made the wrong choice picking him as our boss?"
Li Lei's voice was tinged with uncertainty.
He could tell Chu Yi was pursuing Xia Yuehan.
And that meant he might clash with Li Ran—the very top of the Magic City's No. 5 High School hierarchy.
"If you've made your choice, don't regret it."
"Don't ever speak like that again."
Zhang Xing's face was set with determination as he cut Li Lei off.
But just then, a thunderous roar echoed from the school gate.
A Ferrari sped off in a blur, leaving a trail of dust in its wake.
The boys glanced at one another in stunned silence.
Suddenly, they realized—they may have bet on the right man after all.
Chu Yi... was a true heavyweight.
And across the road, seated inside an inconspicuous black BMW, a stunning girl couldn't help but murmur:
"That scoundrel… I waited so long for him in the classroom, and he didn't even come back—just left without a word."
This girl, of course, was Xia Yuehan.
She had felt a wave of guilt after watching Xu Qian summon Chu Yi away.
She'd been meaning to apologize.
But no matter how long she waited, he never returned.
In the end, she had no choice but to leave.
And now, she stood at the school gate, watching the road, still hoping for a glimpse of him.