Zu An was speechless. This fellow really knows no loyalty.

He looked over to where the voice came from, and saw the fatty recounting the earlier incident in the forest to a young man—not forgetting to exaggerate the details, of course. The young man stood in Zu An’s path and glared daggers at him. “So you’re the bastard named Zu An?”

“No, I’m your father,” Zu An replied.

You have successfully trolled Ye Chenliang for 555 Rage points!

Clearly, this unhinged young man was none other than the ‘backing’ that the darned fatty had mentioned back in the forest, Ye Chenliang.

“Very well. You have managed to provoke me too,” Ye Chenliang grated. He clenched his fists tightly, his knuckles creaking and popping. It had been long since anyone had dared to speak to him in such a tone, especially a student from the lowest Yellow class.

Zu An shrugged nonchalantly. “Looks like you’re a ‘man of words’. If you’re all that capable, why don’t you bite me then?”

You have successfully trolled Ye Chenliang for 666 Rage points!

A cold glint flashed across Ye Chenliang’s eyes. As he readied himself to make a move, a teasing voice off to the side interrupted him. “As a fellow classmate, allow me to remind you out of goodwill that the punishment for fighting on school compounds is expulsion.”

Zu An risked a quick look, and saw a couple sharing a laugh not too far away. The man was no other than Xie Xiu, whom he had met at the academy’s entrance earlier in the morning.

Ye Chenliang ground his teeth. Even though Xie Xiu was an incompetent wastrel, he was still the son of the city lord, and he dared not offend the Xie clan just yet. He suppressed his rage and spitted Zu An with a cold stare. “Very well. I want a duel with you!”

Zu An rolled his eyes. “Do I look like a servant who fights you as and when you like? How embarrassing it would be for me to accept your duel! Rejected!”

Ye Chenliang’s rage exploded from within. “You don’t even have the guts to accept my duel? And you call yourself a man?”

You have successfully trolled Ye Chenliang for 777 Rage points!

Off to the side, Xie Xiu again offered a reminder. “A duel needs consent from both sides. You aren’t allowed to pressure the other party into accepting the duel.”

Zu An knew that Xie Xiu was outlining the academy rules for his sake, although he already knew all of this thanks to his meeting with the principal. Naturally, he wouldn’t fall for such a low-level taunt.

A vicious spark flashed across Ye Chenliang’s eyes. He glared at Xie Xiu coldly. “Second Young Master Xie, I believe that this matter is none of your business.”

Xie Xiu chuckled casually in response. “It is none of my business. But as a senior, isn’t it normal for me to offer some advice to a junior who has just joined the academy?”

Ye Chenliang was seething, but there was nothing to be done about Xie Xiu, so he turned his attention back to Zu An once more. “Everyone says that the First Miss of the Chu clan was blind to have married a wastrel. I had my doubts that Miss Chu could really be such a poor judge of character, but it seems like there’s some truth to these rumors after all. It turns out that you’re a good-for-nothing that hides behind his words but doesn’t back them up with action!”

The commotion had already attracted a huge crowd. Initially, everyone thought that Ye Chenliang was at it again, bullying yet another lower grade student. Their disdain for his actions, paired with Zu An’s fairly good looks, meant almost everyone was subconsciously rooting for Zu An.

However, as soon as it was revealed that Zu An was that useless drafted son-in-law of the Chu clan, the crowd’s mentality toward him shifted. The eyes of the men reddened with jealous rage, while the gazes of the women cooled with disdain. Clearly, they all saw this fellow who possessed absolutely no capabilities as worthless. What was the use of looks if there was nothing else inside?

Zu An registered the huge stream of Rage points flowing into his system. It seems like my wife is quite popular after all. Just by learning my identity, all of these male students have contributed several thousand Rage points to me.

His mind turned subconsciously to the Ten Great Beauties of the Sweetheart Ranking that Wei Suo had described in great detail. If I were to flirt with all of them, wouldn’t all of the men in the academy contribute an endless stream of Rage points to me?

Zu An smiled smugly at Ye Chenliang. “I had no idea why you were kicking up such a huge fuss, but it turns out that you’re yet another one of Chuyan’s admirers. No wonder you carry such great enmity toward me!”

“Shut your mouth! Trash like you isn’t worthy of even mentioning Miss Chu’s name!” Ye Chenliang hollered furiously. In truth, he knew full well where he stood in the academy. Although he seemed fairly well-respected, it was only because those from the major clans mostly ignored him. Compared to those true geniuses from the Sky class, he was still sorely lacking.

As such, despite his desire for Chu Chuyan, he had never tried to make a move on her. He knew that he stood very little chance, if any at all. Yet, who would have thought his goddess would actually fall into the clutches of such a worthless man? Such an atrocity could not be tolerated!

When Man Yu reported that the culprit who stole all of the ki stones was this bastard, he seized on the opportunity to put him down before the entire academy. Through this, Miss Chu would realize that this pathetic creature could never be worthy of, and that he was the superior choice!

Zu An sighed deeply. “I, as her husband, am not worthy of speaking my wife’s name? Are you saying that a stranger like you is worthy of it then?”

Ye Chenliang took a deep breath. He observed the agitation of the crowd around him, and slowly composed himself. “I shan’t argue with you. Miss Chu is the goddess of our hearts, and you’re nothing but a coward who doesn’t even have the courage to fight me. Know your own place and get lost!”

This fired up the crowd, who joined in.

“Get lost from the Chu clan if you aren’t going to compete!”

“How can a nincompoop like you be worthy of the First Miss of the Chu clan?”

“You are no man!”

“You are no man!”

“You are no man!”

…

The crowd had started off slinging a variety of insults, but at some point in time, everyone somehow began chanting the same words.

Zu An was overjoyed as he basked in their fury. These students sure are adorable. Despite not knowing one another, they are providing me with so many Rage points. That’s another several thousand into my account!

“Rubbish! He’s more of a man than the rest of you are!”

A figure clothed in all red dashed in to stand in front of him.

Zu An almost fell over in surprise. It was actually Chu Huanzhao! He hadn’t expected her to stand up for him. It looked like the beating he’d suffered the other day hadn’t been in vain.

The crowd recognized Chu Huanzhao as well. She was a celebrity in this academy, after all. Besides being Chu Chuyan’s younger sister, she was ranked ninth in the Sweetheart Ranking, and she took her Wailing Whip along with her everywhere. It would be difficult not to recognize her.

Seeing Chu Huanzhao stepping out to defend Zu An, Ye Chenliang frowned. “How do you know whether he’s a man or not?”

Chu Huanzhao tilted his chin upward and stated matter-of-factly, “Of course I know! I tried it myself!”

The crowd exploded in a huge uproar. Wei Suo’ eyes bulged out of their sockets, and he shot Zu An an enthusiastic thumbs up. Big bro, I shall follow you from now on. You must impart to me the tricks you use to pick up girls!

Even Xie Xiu, who was enjoying the show from the sidelines, choked on his melon seeds and ended up coughing violently. His handsome face turned beet red. So did the eyes of every single man present in the crowd.

“You beast!”

“You actually laid your hands on such a young girl!”

“They are sisters! Sisters!!!”

“Now that I think of it, I’ve heard rumors that the son-in-law of the Chu clan climbed into his sister-in-law’s bed on his wedding night!”

“Oh? But the Second Miss of the Chu clan doesn’t seem to be angry about it?”

“Goddamnit, she must have been won over by his skills in bed!”

“I also want such luck with women too!”

…

Zu An nearly cackled out loud. The rate at which Rage points were coming in was increasing exponentially!

Instead of joining their male counterparts in their envious fury, the women exchanged wide-eyed looks, and their attitude toward Zu An began to change.

“A man who can win over the First Miss and Second Miss of the Chu clan surely has his own strengths too, right?”

“It could be due to his good looks.”

“Don’t you think that his actions are that of a run-of-the-mill scumbag?”

“But he’s so handsome~”

…

The angry shouts and excited whispers made Chu Huanzhao realize how badly she’d been misunderstood, and she hurriedly tried to clarify herself. “That’s not what I meant! He took seven strikes from my Wailing Whip without even a whimper, that’s why I said he’s more of a man than any one of you!”

She turned to Zu An and glared at him, her cheeks flushed bright red. “It’s all your fault!”

You have successfully trolled Chu Huanzhao for 33 Rage points!

The smile on Zu An’s face grew even brighter.

Opposite them, Ye Chenliang sneered. “That’s impossible. Even if you wish to cover for him, you should come up with a more plausible excuse. Everyone knows that your Wailing Whip amplifies pain tenfold. There’s no way he could have been able to withstand that!”

Chu Huanzhao glared at Ye Chenliang. “You think that I’m lying to you all?”

Ye Chenliang sniffed coldly. “You know best whether you’re lying or not. Try asking the crowd then. See if anyone believes that he could take seven strikes from the Wailing Whip without letting out a cry.”

“That’s impossible!”

The onlookers responded as one, Wei Suo included. Clearly, many of them had suffered the agony of being struck by the Wailing Whip before. Even those who had yet to experience it firsthand knew of the Wailing Whip’s effects. None of them believed it possible for anyone to take seven lashes without letting out a cry.

Chu Huanzhao lost her patience. “I’m the Second Miss of the Chu clan! When have I ever lied before?”

Zu An rolled his eyes. This lass does have a fiery temper, but she doesn’t possess her older sister’s smarts. What’s the point of you trying so hard to vouch for your own words?

“Who knows whether you’re fabricating lies in order to protect him? There’s no way we will believe your words, unless…” Yu Chenliang smirked at Zu An. “Unless you prove it to us right now. Whip him before our eyes and let us witness it personally!”

“Fine!” Chu Huanzhao reached for her whip as she stalked toward Zu An.

Zu An stumbled backwards in shock. It was a common saying that those with large breasts had small brains. This lass was as flat as an airplane runway, so how could she still be such a blockhead?

He had finally realized just how powerful the Heiress Ball of Delights was after his fight with Pei Mianman. It was almost like having an additional life.

He dearly regretted wasting it once on a bet with Chu Huanzhao, and he would have to be insane to do it once more!

“Calm down!” Zu An quickly grabbed her hand.

“It’s all because of you that I ended up being embarrassed here. Let me strike you with my whip once so as to show all of them that I’m not lying!” Chu Huanzhao hissed in agitation.

Zu An thought quickly. “Don’t you find it embarrassing that you’re doing exactly what he’s asking you to? It’s almost as if he’s treating you like a servant!”

“Oh, you’re right too.” Chu Huanzhao nodded, frowning. “What should I do then?”

“Why bother with them? It’s not as if he can force me to duel with him. Haven’t you heard of the saying, ‘Never let a retard pull you down to his level’?”

“Who are you calling a retard?” Ye Chenliang’s face blackened.

“Whoever’s replying to me, of course!” Zu An shrugged, sparing a sympathetic look for his adversary.

You have successfully trolled Ye Chenliang for 99 Rage points!

“It’s no wonder why everyone says that the sister-in-law is the true sweetheart. I’ll have to make sure to marry a wife who has a younger sister in the future too. I just wonder if her family will be as generous as the Chu clan’s as to offer both of their daughters to me!” Ye Chenliang began his counterattack.