Chapter Fourteen: Who Is the Real Failure?

“Lu Ling! Die for me!”
A furious voice thundered through the hall as Nan Gong Yuchen, radiating determination, sprang from the ground like a taut bow, his right arm bent, throwing a punch straight at Lu Ling.

Lu Ling, who had just stepped down from the platform, was startled by the commotion at the doorway. He spun around in alarm, only to be met by Nan Gong Yuchen's angry shout and a fist enlarging rapidly in his pupils.

In that instant, his face darkened, incredulous that a useless wretch he’d bullied daily dared to insult him so openly. He couldn’t tolerate it. He spat back in rage, “You worthless trash, are you seeking death?”

As he shouted, he raised his hand and met Nan Gong Yuchen’s punch head-on.

The students in the hall felt their minds short-circuit. Nan Gong Yuchen not only cursed Lu Ling first—he actually took the initiative to attack? Was he courting death?

They could already guess the outcome—save for Angel in the group.

As the homeroom teacher, Shangguan Luohua could not stand idly by and watch her students fight. She urgently shouted, “Nan Gong, stop this instant!”

Unfortunately, her intervention came too late.

“Bang!”

Before everyone’s astonished eyes, the two fists collided. In the very next moment, all pupils contracted in shock as the so-called useless, bottom-ranked Nan Gong Yuchen, with overwhelming force, sent Lu Ling flying with a single punch!

Lu Ling’s body shot across the hall like a cannonball, smashing against the wall of the testing chamber.

“What!”

“This must be a trick—Nan Gong actually…”

“It was a sneak attack. Lu Ling was caught off guard. Otherwise, how could that waste ever shake him?”

Hearing this, the other students quickly agreed. Shangguan Luohua, who had just stepped forward, was stunned by the scene before her. Was this really Nan Gong Yuchen?

While everyone was still murmuring, Nan Gong Yuchen moved again.

“Lu Ling!”

His face flushed red, he roared hysterically, charging at the corner where Lu Ling lay slumped against the wall.

“Nan Gong!” Lu Ling gritted his teeth, enduring the searing pain that felt as if his bones had shattered. He forced himself upright, channeling all his strength into his right fist. He couldn’t believe this wretch, who’d been beneath his feet, could send him flying overnight.

It must have been his own carelessness—not fighting with full force! As this thought flashed through Lu Ling’s mind—

“Bang!”
They collided once more. This time, Lu Ling clearly felt the terrifying power in his opponent’s fist. With no time to react, his entire right arm snapped with a sickening crunch—dislocated and fractured—before Nan Gong Yuchen’s fist struck his chest.

“Ugh!”

Lu Ling was sent flying again, even more miserable than before. Blood sprayed from his mouth, his right arm now broken.

But Nan Gong, in his fury, would not let him go. The image of Le Han’s injuries, the humiliation he’d suffered these past three months, and the Lu family behind Lu Ling all fueled his rage. Nan Gong Yuchen rushed forward, grabbed Lu Ling’s throat, and howled, “This punch is for Le Han!”

“Bang!”
Lu Ling screamed, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, a wretched shadow of the arrogant figure he’d been a minute ago.

“This punch is for me!”

…

Below, the students watching Lu Ling’s pitiful cries in Nan Gong Yuchen’s grasp began to despise him. They hadn’t expected such shamelessness—taking advantage of a wounded opponent to strike mercilessly.

Yet a few rational students were shaken. “Is this really the Nan Gong Yuchen from yesterday?”

They knew that, regardless of sneak attacks, anyone who could pummel Lu Ling into such a sorry state at this moment was far from simple.

“This punch is for—” At that moment, Shangguan Luohua rushed up, grabbing Nan Gong Yuchen’s raised fist and shouting, “Nan Gong, stop this instant!”

Nan Gong Yuchen was consumed by rage, ignoring the teacher’s intervention, struggling with his right hand to strike the half-dead Lu Ling.

But Shangguan Luohua’s delicate hand held firm. He roared, “Let go!”

At his shout, silence fell. The dozens of students were astounded. Overnight, the youth before them had grown frighteningly bold—not only dealing Lu Ling a heavy blow, but now daring to defy the teacher!

Their gazes shifted to Shangguan Luohua, whose lovely face had darkened. They all shrank their necks.

The tigress was about to explode.

Sure enough, in the next moment, Shangguan Luohua’s fair face flushed crimson, her ample chest heaving with anger. The morning’s incident with Lu Ling and Le Han had already delayed the class’s physical test. The other eleven classes had finished and gone home, while the leadership waited for her students’ results, subjecting her to endless criticism. Worse, her class’s ranking was always last, putting her in a difficult position. Now, Nan Gong Yuchen was openly beating a classmate in front of everyone and her. How could she endure it?

Furious, she snapped, “I told you to stop!”

Her narrow, beautiful eyes glinted coldly as she grabbed Nan Gong Yuchen and flung him aside, sending Lu Ling flying as well.

“Bang!” Nan Gong Yuchen landed hard on the ground.

Liu Wen hurried over, catching the bloodied, unconscious Lu Ling. He angrily rebuked, “Nan Gong Yuchen, not only do you drag the class’s physical scores down every time, you sneak attack your classmates too. Looks like you really want to be expelled!”

“Sneak attack?” Nan Gong Yuchen’s expression darkened. He stared coldly at Liu Wen, whose righteous indignation was met with endless contempt. He retorted, “Mr. Liu, where were you when Lu Ling injured Le Han? Why didn’t you stand up for him then?”

At that, Liu Wen’s face turned livid, his body trembling in rage and humiliation. He glared at Shangguan Luohua on the platform and said, “Luohua, I say we expel this waste right now, so he doesn’t drag our class down further…”

The students below, seeing Nan Gong Yuchen offend Liu Wen, felt their hearts skip a beat. Liu Wen wasn’t just their history teacher; he also oversaw the physical tests for Class One (12). Besides Shangguan Luohua, he was the most feared.

“Enough!” Shangguan Luohua interrupted coldly, stepping down to confront Nan Gong Yuchen. Her gaze was icy as she gritted her teeth: “Late! Injuring a classmate! Disrespecting teachers! Nan Gong, you’re really something. Are you planning to hit me next?”

The more she thought, the angrier she became. This boy had never given her a moment’s peace since joining the class—and now dared to assault a classmate in front of her and the entire class.

“I only know he injured Le Han first!” Nan Gong Yuchen showed no sign of admitting fault.

“You…” Shangguan Luohua, furious, seized his ear and roared, “Then tell me, why were you late today? Do you realize your lateness delayed the class’s test by three hours? Do you know that for three months, you’ve dragged down the class’s scores every time?”

Her anger mounting, she shouted, “In the Star Academy, everyone cares only about physical scores. Tell me, what was your last test result? If you want the academy and teachers to value you, prove it with your talent, your physical ability, your results! Wastes are never respected! Right now, in my eyes, you are nothing but a waste!”

The students below, seeing Shangguan Luohua in full fury, quickly lowered their heads, terrified they might attract her wrath.

“Waste?” Nan Gong Yuchen, ear twisted and insulted, felt his own anger rise. He struggled free, retorting coldly, “Chief Shangguan, is the test finished?”

He strode to the strength-testing machine, launching three powerful punches in succession.

Since they demanded proof, he would show them—who was the real waste?

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

“279 kilograms!”

“284 kilograms!”

“280 kilograms!”

Three bright red numbers appeared, plunging the hall into silence once more.

If his earlier beating of Lu Ling could be blamed on a sneak attack, these three figures spoke for themselves.

He was no longer the waste he once was.