After watching the principal walk away for more than ten meters, Shen Shanwu dashed onto the playground. He found a spot under the shade of a tree close to Yao Wuque and waited until Yao Wuque’s gaze swept over. When it did, he smiled and waved.
Yao Wuque stared at him for a moment, looking like he really wanted to come over and talk. But with over thirty students under his charge, he forced himself to hold back until class ended. Only then did he walk over, take the water cup from Zhang Xiaowen’s hand, and gulp down a mouthful.
“Hey, that was meant for Jiang Tong!”
“What does he need ice water for, standing in the shade?” Yao Wuque wiped his mouth and said, “I’m starving. Let’s go eat.”
The food at the school cafeteria… was truly beyond words. Shen Shanwu poked lifelessly at the inedible vegetable stems, barely hanging on, while listening to Yao Wuque complain about how his recent injury had left him unable to take on missions, forcing him into the thankless task of babysitting kids at school.
“Jiang Tong, no being picky about food,” Zhang Xiaowen said sternly. “Wuque, you’re in charge of Jiang Tong’s class, right? This must have been intentionally arranged by the school and the squad. Make sure you pay extra attention to Jiang Tong during class.”
“Of course!” Yao Wuque grinned mischievously, with a sly, almost shameless expression. “I’ll make sure he’s taken care of so well that he feels completely refreshed, isn’t that right, Ah Tong~?”
If you help me eat the soggy vegetable leaves and fatty meat in my bowl, I’ll feel completely refreshed. Shen Shanwu sighed, bored out of his mind, nibbling on two kernels of corn. As his gaze unconsciously drifted to the left, he happened to lock eyes with a young boy who had been watching him. The moment their eyes met, the boy guiltily lowered his head and pretended to focus on his corn, acting as if nothing had happened.
Curious, Shen Shanwu extended his hearing and caught snippets of the conversation from the boy’s table, where four boys were eating together.
“Is that the new transfer student? Why is he eating with the instructor?”
“He’s the son of the captain of the Shanhai Unit. Our fitness instructor was also picked from the Shanhai Unit, so of course, they’d sit together.”
“Wow, Chen Kaijia, you sure know a lot. Did your dad tell you all this?”
The boy who had locked eyes with Shen Shanwu was none other than Chen Kaijia. He snorted and continued in a smug, bragging tone, flaunting how much he knew. “His dad, Jiang Huan, only got to his position because of connections through his grandfather. Like father, like son—first thing he does is cozy up to the principal. Didn’t you see how attentive he was to the principal this morning?”
“Exactly! And he doesn’t even have to train—just stood around in the shade all morning. Then some girl came over to hold an umbrella for him. So pampered! He’s probably a girl, huh? Bet he doesn’t even have anything down there!” someone chimed in, eagerly supporting Chen Kaijia’s words.
A tall boy who had been silently eating at the table suddenly spoke up. “Chen Kaijia, are you salty because your dad’s squad has been stuck at second place forever and can’t compete with the transfer student’s dad’s squad? Is that why you’re saying all this?”
“Me? Jealous of him? Jealous of him?!” Chen Kaijia looked as though his dignity had been gravely insulted. He stood up in a fit of rage, his voice so loud that everyone around turned to look. Realizing the commotion he was causing, he quickly sat back down and sneaked a glance at the subject of their conversation—Jiang Tong. Thankfully, Jiang Tong was still listlessly poking at his tray with chopsticks, seemingly oblivious. Relieved, Chen Kaijia puffed up his chest again and swung a fist threateningly at the tall boy. “I just can’t stand his pampered, delicate look. Just wait—if he dares to stand around watching us train this afternoon, I’ll make sure he regrets it!”
“…” Delicate skin? Am I using your family’s moisturizer or something? Shen Shanwu stabbed a piece of vegetable stem with his chopsticks, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he lowered his gaze, clearly entertained. He’d initially planned to nap in the dorm that afternoon, but after hearing Chen Kaijia’s declaration, any trace of sleepiness vanished. Now, he was quite curious to see how this little boy planned to “make him regret it.”
To make himself even more of a target and better draw the kids’ ire, Shen Shanwu acted spoiled after lunch, begging Zhang Xiaowen to get him something cold to drink. He had thought that ice-cold lemonade would already push Sister Xiaowen to her limit, but he completely underestimated what a doting “mom” would do for her child. Zhang Xiaowen actually managed to bring him a glass of freshly squeezed watermelon juice—served in a glass cup, no less. The display of favoritism was so blatant that even Yao Wuque, watching from the side, ground his teeth in frustration.
Shen Shanwu sipped his watermelon juice happily, sitting right in the front row of the gymnasium bleachers, watching the Class 3 kids sweat buckets as they struggled through grueling weighted shuttle runs.
About an hour later, the principal strolled into the gym with a warm smile. Following behind him was Zhang Xiaowen and a refined-looking man. The principal waved at Yao Wuque to come over—and gestured for Shen Shanwu to join them as well.
Yao Wuque gave the Class 3 students a ten-minute rest order and quickly walked over to the principal with Shen Shanwu. The principal first introduced Yao Wuque to the refined-looking man and then turned to introduce Shen Shanwu.
“This is Jiang Tong, who will soon be joining your class. His foundation is a bit weak, but he’s very clever. Jiang Tong, this is your homeroom teacher, Mr. Tao.”
“Hello, Mr. Tao!”
“Ah, hello, Jiang Tong.” The homeroom teacher smiled warmly, his demeanor kind and approachable. “I heard you haven’t attended school before. Don’t worry—just treat the school as your home. Your teachers and classmates are like your family, your friends…”
Shen Shanwu maintained a polite smile throughout, occasionally nodding and responding with an “mm-hmm” to play along. Meanwhile, Yao Wuque quietly rolled his eyes, undoubtedly mocking the situation in his head.
After a few more polite exchanges, the principal and Mr. Tao excused themselves, leaving for other matters. Yao Wuque returned to continue his class, while Zhang Xiaowen, ever the worrier, bombarded Shen Shanwu with a string of reminders: “Don’t be picky with your food. Don’t kick off your blanket. Pay attention in class. During breaks, make sure to play with the other kids. And if anyone bullies you, call the Shanhai Unit immediately. I’ll grab Xu Ye, Zhong Yin, and Wu Fengge, and we’ll take a cab over to teach them a lesson!”
Shen Shanwu responded to everything with a string of noncommittal “Oh, oh, oh,” and “Okay, okay, okay.” Even as she was about to leave, Zhang Xiaowen lingered, reluctant to part. “I’ll visit you often and bring you good food. Don’t be scared staying in the dorm by yourself, okay?”
“Just go already…”
“You heartless brat!”
After finally managing to send Sister Xiaowen on her way, Shen Shanwu returned to his spot in the bleachers. Glancing down at his half-finished glass of watermelon juice, he noticed that its position seemed slightly different from where he had left it.
When Shen Shanwu lifted his head, he noticed that three out of the four boys who had been eating together at lunch were now sneaking glances at him. Their eyes were filled with gleeful mischief and Schadenfreude, impossible to hide.
Shen Shanwu instantly understood what had happened. He smiled faintly, picked up his cup, and slowly stood up, walking over to Yao Wuque’s side. He waved his hand, signaling for Yao Wuque to lean in and listen.
Yao Wuque had been recording the number of sit-ups and push-ups the kids were doing when he heard someone had dared to mess with Jiang Tong. That was something he couldn’t let slide. He blew a sharp whistle to gather the students, and once they were all standing at attention, he sternly asked, “The student standing next to me is Jiang Tong, who will be transferring into our Grade 3, Class 3 tomorrow. During the break, who moved his cup of juice?”
The room was filled with silence. Most of the students were genuinely confused, while a few who knew what had happened kept glancing at the real culprit. As for the actual “offender,” their expression was as obvious as it could get.
Yao Wuque had already figured it out. He cleared his throat and said, “How dare you bully a classmate right under my nose. If you’re going to act out, you’d better take responsibility for it. I give you three seconds to step forward.” He paused, then added, “If no one owns up, the entire class will suffer the consequences!”
His use of collective punishment was truly effective. By the count of three, none of Chen Kaijia’s group dared to step forward. But then, a girl with a high ponytail raised her hand first. “Teacher Yao, I’m reporting!”
Yao Wuque almost couldn’t suppress his laughter, but he managed to keep a serious expression. “Go ahead,” he said.
“It was Chen Kaijia and the two boys standing to his left and right,” the girl with the ponytail reported.
Chen Kaijia, furious, shouted, “Zhao Yanan, you—! You… you shameless woman!”
The girl who had been called a “shameless woman” trembled with anger. “It was them, I saw it with Pingping!”
“Chen Kaijia,” Yao Wuque said sternly, “You cannot insult female classmates. For that, you’ll do thirty squats.”
“Teacher!”
“Also, why did you bully a new student?”
“I didn’t bully him!”
Zhao Yanan quickly added, “They spit in the new student’s cup!”
“Oh?” Yao Wuque raised an eyebrow. “Is that true, Chen Kaijia?”
“…” Chen Kaijia, unable to deny it any longer, seethed. “Why should he just sit there resting? The school year has already started! He came back to school with nothing to do, so he should be in class with us!”
To Yao Wuque’s surprise, Chen Kaijia’s complaints were met with several nods of agreement from the other students. It seemed that Shen Shanwu sipping his juice while the others struggled had truly struck a nerve, earning him the collective ire of the class.
Just as Yao Wuque was about to reprimand him, Shen Shanwu preemptively cut in. “It’s because I’m awesome,” he said with a smug grin. “Teacher Yao said that the most impressive student in class doesn’t have to train and can rest on the sidelines. If you’re better than me, you can sit in the bleachers too, and I’ll take your spot in training.”
Hey, when did I ever say that? Yao Wuque couldn’t help but mutter inwardly, but seeing Jiang Tong’s arrogant expression, it was clear he intended to show up the other boys on his first day. Given the situation, Yao Wuque—being the mischievous young man he was—shamefully decided to keep quiet and let the drama unfold.
“Just you?” Chen Kaijia snorted dismissively. “I don’t think you’re any better than me.”
“Then let’s have a competition,” Shen Shanwu said with a smile.
“A competition? What are we competing in?”
“Whatever you’re best at,” Shen Shanwu replied casually.
“Don’t regret it!” Chen Kaijia’s eyes lit up. “I want to arm wrestle you!”
“Sure,” Shen Shanwu answered without hesitation.
To everyone’s surprise, it was Zhao Yanan, the little girl, who panicked first. She shouted, “Chen Kaijia is cheating! He’s really strong! Last time, during arm wrestling in our class, he came in second!”
“He’s the one who challenged me first!” Chen Kaijia quickly countered, desperate to defend himself. “No backing out!”
“No backing out,” Shen Shanwu replied with a smile. Even if the champion arm wrestler from the whole base came to challenge him, he wouldn’t be afraid. Playing around with a bunch of kids in their teens? The one cheating here was him.
Yao Wuque happily brought over chairs and tables, giving the rest of the students a ten-minute break. Chen Kaijia’s two lackeys were constantly cheering him on, while the tall boy who had been playing along with them shot a stern look at Shen Shanwu, clearly unhappy with the situation.
Shen Shanwu, however, was indifferent. He casually plopped down on a chair, and almost immediately, a group of girls gathered around him. There was nothing he could do about it—at that age, the kids already knew about beauty, handsomeness, and coolness. A handsome and exceptional new transfer student was every girl’s first crush and prince charming.
Chen Kaijia was sweating nervously, but Shen Shanwu couldn’t be bothered with his anxiety. The countdown barely finished before Shen Shanwu slammed his opponent’s arm down on the table, so quickly that Chen Kaijia didn’t even have time to react.
The girls instantly erupted into collective cheers.
“You—you—I haven’t…” Chen Kaijia’s face turned red with embarrassment.
Shen Shanwu chuckled and placed his hand back on the table. “I knew you’d be unsatisfied. Let’s go again.”
“You’re such a cheater!” Zhao Yanan stuck out her tongue and made a face at him. Chen Kaijia shot her a glare, fuming, but he gritted his teeth and grabbed Shen Shanwu’s hand again. This time, after the countdown, Shen Shanwu didn’t immediately end the match. Instead, he smiled as he watched Chen Kaijia put all his strength into the effort. Chen Kaijia even stood up from his chair, his face turning bright red. Only then did Shen Shanwu slowly, inch by inch, press his arm down on the table, enjoying the struggle.
This time, it wasn’t just the girls cheering; many of the boys had their hands over their eyes, too embarrassed to watch.
“If you’re weak, just admit it,” Shen Shanwu said after winning, not letting go of Chen Kaijia’s hand immediately. Instead, he leaned in close and whispered in his ear, “By the way, pass this message on to your good father as well—‘Being inferior is just being inferior. All he does is hide in the shadows, slandering and defaming others. No wonder he’ll always be beneath others.’”
At just ten years old, Chen Kaijia couldn’t possibly understand much of the behind-the-scenes matters in the team. He did everything he was told, his words and actions were entirely shaped by the influence of his parents. The arrogant remarks he made in the cafeteria today were no doubt the same kinds of things he heard at home every day.
Those in high positions are inevitably burdened by rumors, and human nature is all too quick to enjoy the scandals of those who appear to be shining and flawless. Jiang Huan had probably grown used to being slandered and didn’t care about the rumors that painted him as a figurehead or claimed he rose to power through connections.
But Shen Shanwu had heard it, and once he did, he couldn’t just ignore it.
Chen Kaijia was furious, about to unleash a string of insults and curses, when suddenly Shen Shanwu squeezed his hand hard. The pain made him turn red, his neck bulging with anger, but all he could do was tremble, unable to do anything in retaliation.
At that moment, the tall boy, who had been inexplicably angry the whole time, suddenly jumped up. He plopped down into a chair and raised his right hand. “I want to challenge you too!”
Shen Shanwu had always been good at teasing younger kids, and he raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips as he spoke, his words almost designed to infuriate: “Oh… looks like Zhao Yanan has been speaking up for me. Are you jealous? Do you like her? How long have you been secretly in love with her?”
The tall boy froze for a moment, then his face turned bright red with fury. “Who said I like that tomboy?!”
Zhao Yanan’s face turned bright crimson as well, and she was so mad she could barely contain herself. “Li Yao! I hate you the most! Even if all the boys in the world were gone, I still wouldn’t like you!!!”
Yao Wuqie finally couldn’t help but cover his face, laughing uncontrollably at the back of the crowd, losing all his composure and teacherly dignity.
Li Yao, the tall boy, couldn’t believe he had lost his chance with the girl, and of course, he wasn’t about to lose face as well. Determined, he insisted on having an arm-wrestling match with Shen Shanwu, thinking back to his win as the first place in 3rd grade’s arm-wrestling competition.
However, it was clear from the start that he was going to be disappointed. This boy, who stood at nearly 1.7 meters, was easily pinned by a 1.4-meter Shen Shanwu, who smoothly brushed him aside with ease. Shen Shanwu was more than happy to go again. If Li Yao wasn’t satisfied, they could try as many times as needed. After three rounds, Li Yao was left thoroughly defeated.
Li Yao, unlike Chen Kaijia, was more straightforward. After catching his breath, he lowered his head and admitted, “You won, you’re much stronger than me… I didn’t spit in your drink, but I didn’t stop them either. I’m sorry.”
Shen Shanwu casually waved his hand. “It’s fine.”
“Ah!” As soon as the match ended, Zhao Yanan quickly seized the opportunity to ask, “New student, do you want to have lunch with us?” Her friend Pingping immediately chimed in, “Yeah, come eat with us!”
Li Yao frowned and said, “There’s no way boys and girls should eat together! I’ll take him to the cafeteria.”
Yao Wuqie, overhearing this, gave each of them a knock on the head. “Classes aren’t even halfway through and you’re already thinking about lunch. Break time’s over—get back to training!”
The students of Class 3 immediately scattered, leaving Shen Shanwu sitting there with a mischievous grin, watching them. Yao Wuqie gave him a huge eye roll. “You little troublemaker, already causing a stir before class even officially starts… What are you still sitting there for? Waiting for me to make you stand?”
Shen Shanwu quickly scrambled back to the bleachers.
The matter of who the new student would have lunch with sparked a lively debate among the Class 3 students. In the end, they collectively decided that the whole class should sit together and, as a bonus, throw Shen Shanwu a welcome party.
Shen Shanwu was deeply moved when he heard about the welcome party, but he immediately rejected the idea. He had no intention of eating that tasteless food from the cafeteria—definitely not something a person of his caliber, much less a mutated being, should be eating!
However, the enthusiasm of the Class 3 students was overwhelming, and they practically dragged him toward the cafeteria. But just as they reached the doorway, two mercenaries in military-green uniforms and a car with the license plate Yan A01001 blocked their way.
“Mr. Jiang Tong,” one of the mercenaries said. “Your great-grandfather, Marshal Jiang, has sent us to escort you home.”
The author has something to say:
Huan Cub: “Look at you, picking on little kids.”
35: “I can still bully you.”
Huan Cub: “…”
![The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/image_2021-09-11_143139.png "The Rebirth of the Last Days and Return to [Fang] Hao")
