Hearing that familiar voice, Su Tian froze and subconsciously turned his head.
And then—
"Idiot!!"
A fist filled his vision, rushing straight at him.
"Puff!!"
The punch landed squarely on his face. His cheekbone sank inward, and his entire body was sent flying.
But that wasn't the end.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!
"Idiot! Idiot!! What else can you do besides causing trouble?!"
"You're nothing but useless trash who ruins everything you touch!"
The figure that had rushed in showed no mercy, kicking Su Tian in the chest, abdomen, and face again and again.
Gu Yan's heart nearly stopped—just one second later, and the consequences would have been irreversible.
This damn plot… it almost developed into something far worse than the original!
Once Yan Ling'er died , Yan Qingqiu's personality would have undergone a drastic change, turning far more cold and ruthless.
All of Gu Yan's efforts these past few days would have been wasted.
Furious, he gave another savage kick to Su Tian—the useless heap of flesh lying on the ground. This idiot… if Gu Yan had arrived even a moment later, the outcome would have been a complete disaster.
"Help… Help… Stop… Stop kicking…"
Su Tian curled up, blood pouring from his head as he begged pitifully for mercy.
His friends, however, were too stunned to react. Their bodies trembled, and fear filled their eyes.
Wait a minute… wasn't this Mr. Gu?
Why was he here?
Didn't he just teach us a lesson this morning?!
"Hurry… run!!"
Someone shouted.
As if receiving a divine command, the others instantly let go of Yan Ling'er and the girls. Without daring to look back, they bolted out of the room as though their lives depended on it.
Xiaowei felt her entire body go cold. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the ground with a thud, muttering blankly:
"Gu… Gu…"
"Brother-in-law!!"
Yan Ling'er staggered up, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he looked at Gu Yan. God only knew how ecstatic he felt seeing him here—so much so that he shouted brother-in-law without hesitation.
??
The moment those words left his mouth, the girls also looked at Gu Yan.
Their eyes instantly lit up.
"Ling'er's brother-in-law!!"
Oh my god! Ling'er's brother-in-law beat up the bad guys and saved us!
This… this… this is just too cool!!
Xiaowei was completely dumbfounded.
Brother-in-law? What??
.....
Gu Yan was tired of kicking. He took a deep breath and turned to look at Yan Ling'er who was looking at him with an incredible look.
After making sure the boy was safe, Gu Yan let out a long sigh of relief. He retracted his foot and walked over, extending his hand.
Seeing this, Yan Ling'er panicked. He thought Gu Yan was about to hit him, so he closed his eyes tightly and lowered his head in guilt.
But instead of pain, he felt a warm palm gently pat his head.
Startled, he opened his eyes.
Gu Yan looked at him helplessly and spoke in a soft, coaxing tone:
"What are you doing? Do you really think I'd hit you?"
"You little troublemaker…."
Buzz—
Yan Ling'er froze on the spot.
A strange, uncontrollable impulse surged in his chest.
What… what was this feeling?
Why did his heart feel like this?
He stood there blankly, unable to recover, even after Gu Yan had withdrawn his hand and turned to face the others.
"Wow, brother-in-law, you're so handsome! A hero saving the damsel in distress~"
"I have nothing to repay you with… unless…"
"Hehe, brother-in-law, look at me—I'm still in my prime…"
"Uh, haha… you're all too enthusiastic. But I'm already a family man—I have a wife."
The girls crowded around Gu Yan, clinging to his strong arms with flushed faces as they joked shamelessly.
Suddenly—
Yan Ling'er rushed forward and flicked their forehead.
"Ouch! Ling'er, what are you doing? That hurts!"
"Yeah, Brother Ling'er! How can you stop us from pursuing love?"
The girls covered their heads pitifully, glancing at Yan Ling'er, whose face was tinged red.
"Love, my ass! This is my brother-in-law!"
Yan Ling'er grabbed Gu Yan's hand tightly, glaring at them as if declaring sovereignty.
"This is my sister's man! None of you are allowed to have any ideas about him!"
Even though he tried to act serious, his flushed cheeks only made him look… cute in Gu Yan's eyes.
"Alright, alright. You little brats skipped class just to come sing karaoke…"
Gu Yan's tone turned stern as his gaze swept toward Su Tian's broken figure lying on the ground.
"And then something like today happens. If I hadn't made it here in time, do you realize how terrible the consequences would've been?"
"Each of you thinks you're strong, but what happened today proved the truth—you're nothing more than rookies in the hands of real thugs."
"Remember this lesson. From now on, your only task is to study hard and secure a future for yourselves."
His words made everyone lower their heads in shame.
If anyone else had lectured them, they would've rolled their eyes and ignored it.
But coming from Gu Yan—the man who had just saved them—they could only feel deep embarrassment.
Some even pulled at their clothes, suddenly feeling it inappropriate to appear this way in front of him.
Seeing that they were genuinely repentant, Gu Yan's stern expression softened.
He let out a deep breath and said gently:
"You little brats may not be very capable yet, but you do have courage. At the most critical moment, you didn't abandon your companions. That alone proves…"
He nodded approvingly.
"You are all good children."