Today was the first day of school, and Meng Ran was about to start his sophomore year. He sat at the breakfast table as usual, eating his breakfast.
Meng Ran hummed "Chrysanthemum Terrace" off-key, taking a bite of fried dough sticks, a sip of soy milk, then another bite of "Powdered Bone Little Green Dragon," thoroughly enjoying his meal.
Meng Huo and his wife looked at their son's happy expression and couldn't help but smile at each other.
In their eyes, he was happy because he was going back to school and making new friends.
But Meng Ran's happiness was actually due to his gains over the past few days.
In the past few days, he had possessed several "muscle men," not only improving his physical fitness but also gaining two centimeters in height.
However, his strength increased the most; his speed didn't improve much, only a little bit from before.
Meng Ran's strength had already surpassed the limits of ordinary people, reaching 220-250kg. He could be considered a tiny, tiny Superman.
He was still a long way from being a real Superman, even further from Captain America's level.
Zhao Li took a sip of soy milk, looked at Meng Ran, and smiled gently. "Mom took the morning off today; your dad and I will take you to school later."
Meng Ran nodded at his mother's words. "I can go myself, Mom. Don't worry about it."
Meng Huo heard Meng Ran and said, "Your mom just wants to see you more."
Meng Ran heard this and laughed. "Then Dad, don't you want to see me more?"
Meng Huo glanced at him and said, "We see each other every day. What's a little while?"
"Besides, wouldn't I rather spend that time looking at your mom? What's so interesting about you, you brat."
Zhao Li heard Meng Huo's words and gave him a reproachful look, saying, "What are you saying in front of the child? You never act properly."
Meng Huo just chuckled sheepishly at his wife's words.
Meng Ran watched his parents flaunt their affection in front of him again, wanting to say something but holding back, as if a fish bone was stuck in his throat. He only felt cold dog food slapping haphazardly across his face.
After eating, Meng Huo drove his wife and son to Midtown High School.
Based on Meng Ran's vague memories of the Marvel movies, he seemed to vaguely recall that this high school was also where Spider-Man, Peter Parker, went.
He had only watched some of the Marvel movies, and because it had been a long time, his memory was a bit hazy.
Thinking about this, his heart was completely unmoved. He even wanted to say, "Fate is a wondrous thing."
From his still somewhat blurred memories of the movies from his previous life, Spider-Man's school didn't seem to be a dangerous place.
The villain was just "Vulture," a weirdo with self-made mechanical wings.
Meng Ran and his family were touring the school under the guidance of a school leader. The leader introduced Midtown High School's history, achievements, and facilities.
Zhao Li's smile showed her satisfaction. She had done a lot of research before choosing a school for Meng Ran, and she had selected Midtown High School from various high schools.
Because the school was excellent and didn't have the quirks of those aristocratic schools, she found it lived up to its reputation after the on-site visit.
After the tour, a satisfied Zhao Li left with her "Meng Huo-brand handbag."
Before leaving, she also told Meng Ran to get along well with his classmates and make some friends.
After saying goodbye to his parents, Meng Ran had some time before class, so he began wandering around the campus.
Many people noticed him along the way. After all, Asians were a minority on campus, and he was a new face.
Of course, the most important reason was that Meng Ran was handsome. He had neat, short black hair, refined and three-dimensional features, and deep black eyes that made people want to explore them.
182cm tall with well-defined muscles gave him a strong, masculine appearance.
He wore a white T-shirt and jacket, paired with jeans and clean white shoes, making him look both heroic and handsome.
Meng Ran, unfazed by the gazes directed at him, hadn't yet seen anyone who caught his eye.
A pretty girl nearby stared at Meng Ran for a moment, then gathered her courage and walked over, asking, "Hello, are you new here?"
Meng Ran looked at the girl, a bit puzzled. Aren't they saying that European and American girls develop early? How come this young girl already has her own... airport?
He looked at the girl, who wasn't his type, and politely smiled and nodded before walking away with an air of aloofness, leaving the "female tycoon" behind, bewildered in the wind.
Meng Ran continued to wander the campus with a blank expression, figuring it was almost time for class, and headed towards the classroom he had just located.
As he approached the classroom, he suddenly heard a group of people shouting and yelling not far away.
With the intention of simply getting to know his new classmates, Meng Ran walked over. Of course, he definitely wasn't there to join the commotion.
"Hurry up, Gordon!" A tall, white youth was holding a rather thin boy's legs, forcing him to stand upside down on the table and eat the food on his plate.
The onlookers nearby were also shouting in excitement, "Eat it! Eat it!"
The tall, white youth then shouted at a young man who had just squeezed into the crowd, "Parker, quickly take a picture with your camera!"
Parker shook his head and said, "No, Flash, I won't take pictures for you. Put him down."
Flash saw that Parker not only ignored him but also told him to put the boy down, so he was clearly angry.
He threw the skinny Gordon to the ground and then walked in front of Parker, snatching his camera.
"Great photographer, since you won't take pictures for me, you don't get your camera back!"
Flash was about to smash Parker's camera.
Seeing this, Parker panicked and rushed forward to wrestle for it, but how could his relatively thin frame compete with Flash's strength?
Annoyed by Parker's persistence, Flash shoved him away and threw a punch.
Just then, Meng Ran, who had just squeezed through the crowd, immediately grabbed Flash's wrist, stopping his fist mid-air.
Then, he flicked his wrist, sending Flash's fist back.
Flash stumbled back, not knowing who this stranger was, nor expecting him to be so strong that he almost fell.
Meng Ran ignored Flash and turned to Parker, asking, "Are you okay?"
Parker snapped out of his daze and replied, "I'm fine, thank you."
He was already prepared to be punched.
The surrounding audience was whispering, looking at Meng Ran and occasionally glancing at Flash.
Flash also felt the gazes of those around him, which made him lose face.
So, to save face, he raised the camera in his hand at Meng Ran and said provocatively, "I don't know who you are, but you've pissed me off."
"If you don't apologize to me, I'll smash this camera."
Meng Ran listened to Flash's words and thought he was an idiot. Is this camera even mine? He was using it to threaten him.
This kid probably had some issues upstairs.
Thinking of this, Meng Ran also snorted coldly and said, "Your name is Flash, right? If I'm not mistaken, your grades must be terrible."
The surrounding onlookers didn't understand what he meant by that.
Meng Ran continued, "Because your brain isn't working right, you're trying to threaten me with something that doesn't belong to me?"
"Go ahead and throw it if you want. What does it have to do with me?"
Peter Parker had initially been grateful to Meng Ran, especially after hearing Flash was using his own camera to threaten Meng Ran into apologizing. He felt even more apologetic towards Meng Ran.
But now, hearing what Meng Ran said, Parker's little brain froze up a bit, his head buzzing.
Flash, hearing Meng Ran insult him, instantly lost his temper and hurled the camera down with force.
However, the expected sound of shattering didn't come. Flash looked down and saw that Meng Ran had somehow walked over and caught the camera.
Meng Ran caught the camera and returned to Parker's side, handing it to him.
Peter Parker, seeing this, accepted the camera with a complicated expression and thanked him.
His feelings were indeed complex; in just those two or three minutes, his emotions had been like a rollercoaster.
One moment grateful, the next bewildered. His spellcasting had been interrupted, leaving him unsure if he should even be grateful anymore.
Not being grateful didn't seem right, but as for gratitude, the emotion seemed to have passed.
"I told you, didn't I? You're really not very smart," Meng Ran said to Flash after handing the camera to Peter.
After being toyed with repeatedly, Flash was now furious. He strode towards Meng Ran, ready to teach the Asian kid a lesson.
Meng Ran saw Flash's move and stepped forward as well. He didn't want to cause trouble, but that didn't mean he would back down.
Just then, a clear and forceful voice came from the side: "Stop it! Do you two want to be expelled?!"
A beautiful girl with long golden hair quickly walked between the two of them, and Meng Ran turned to look, his gaze instantly captivated.
Beneath the shoulder-length golden hair was a delicate and lovely face, and her bright blue eyes were like the sea. A black dress outlined her figure.
Although she was only 17, she was already radiant and charming. One could imagine what a captivating beauty she would be in a few years. She walked over like a princess from an animation, if you ignored the angry expression on her face.
Gwen looked up at Meng Ran, then at Flash, and said sternly, "Class is about to start. If you two are still here, glaring at each other like a couple of bulls, I'll go get the teacher. You should both know the consequences."
Meng Ran looked at the girl's pretty face and listened to her harsh words, and immediately felt a strong sense of fan service.
Flash shrank his head when he heard Gwen's words, apparently having some unpleasant memories.
But he looked at Meng Ran's smirk, and a surge of anger rose within him.
Flash looked at Meng Ran and said, "Kid, don't leave after school. Meet me at the basketball court, and we'll settle this."
"Oh, if you think you're trash, or don't even dare to come, just admit defeat in advance. I won't laugh at you. After all, it's normal for a yellow-skinned monkey not to know how to play basketball," Flash continued to provoke.
"Flash!" Gwen was even angrier after hearing Flash's arrogant words. She was about to say something, but Meng Ran's hand gesture interrupted her.
Meng Ran narrowed his eyes, his gaze gradually growing cold. He hadn't wanted to do anything, but he didn't expect this person to completely fail to reflect on his mistakes, and even say such insulting words.
"Flash, right? Looks like you're very confident," Meng Ran said coldly. "But it doesn't matter. I'll let you know what it means to respect others. If you can't learn it, I don't mind teaching you a few more times. Wait for death after school."
After speaking, Meng Ran ignored the jumping-around Flash and turned to walk toward the classroom.
Gwen watched Meng Ran leave, raising her eyebrows. She hadn't expected things to develop like this, but at least a fight hadn't broken out.
She pulled her best friend, a beautiful red-haired girl, and also walked towards the classroom.
The bell rang, and the bewildered Peter Parker also came back to his senses and hurried towards the classroom.
The others gradually dispersed, each going their separate ways.