Chapter 54: Resolute Measures

At night, after evening study hours, the students returned to their dormitories one by one. Once the lights were out, Yang Fan took his flashlight and headed toward the boys' dormitory.

The boys' dormitory at this elite high school was a single building with seven stories. Even after lights-out, voices could still be heard from the upper floors, with some students playing on their phones.

Standing beneath the building, Yang Fan shouted up at the students who were still chatting and playing with their phones in the corridor, “Everyone, get back to your rooms and sleep!”

Yet no one paid him any heed; instead, they pretended not to hear, and a few even continued laughing and joking. Clearly, they all treated Yang Fan as if he were invisible.

Seeing this, Yang Fan was somewhat surprised. It seemed these students were indeed as unruly as the rumors claimed.

“Didn’t you hear me? Go to bed now, or don’t blame me for being harsh,” Yang Fan barked sternly.

If these students didn’t know what was good for them, he didn’t mind using forceful measures. If anything, Yang Fan was not one to shy away from trouble.

“Idiot,” someone cursed from above.

Yang Fan looked up and spotted three students leaning against the railing, one with a cigarette between his fingers.

“Heh, Fatty, you dare curse him. Aren’t you afraid he’ll come beat you up?” one of the students laughed.

Fatty curled his lip smugly, “Please, he’s just a security guard—a broke loser. What’s he going to do?”

“Fatty, that guy’s looking over here, and he doesn’t look happy,” another student commented, sneaking a glance at Yang Fan’s cold expression below.

Fatty turned to look, then flicked his unfinished cigarette down toward Yang Fan, an open act of provocation.

Yang Fan fixed his gaze on the overweight student without a word and began climbing the stairs.

“Fatty, the guy’s coming up. Looks like you’re in for it,” one of the boys beside Fatty snickered.

“Pfft, as if he’d dare lay a hand on me,” Fatty scoffed.

With a shrug, he sauntered back into the dorm and flopped onto his bed.

Yang Fan ascended to the third floor and stopped at Fatty’s dorm room.

“Open the door,” Yang Fan knocked and called out.

But no one inside made a move to open the door; instead, they lay on their beds pretending to sleep. Everyone knew Fatty was not to be messed with, so no one wanted to cross him, not even to open the door.

“If you don’t open up, I’ll kick the door down. Then every one of you can get down to the field and run thirty laps,” Yang Fan threatened coolly.

The students inside hadn’t expected him to be so audacious.

Running thirty laps each would be pure torture. One of the students finally got up and opened the door.

Fatty’s face darkened when he saw who opened it—they had a personal grudge and didn’t get along at all.

Yang Fan stepped in, switched on his flashlight, and scanned the room. His gaze finally settled on the overweight student. He strode right over.

Seeing Yang Fan approach, Fatty showed no sign of fear, his expression nonchalant.

“Was it you cursing at me just now?” Yang Fan asked coldly.

Fatty looked up at him, arrogant. “Yeah, so what?”

“Get down to the field and run thirty laps, or don’t blame me for getting physical,” Yang Fan replied, calm but unmistakably firm.

“Please, you’re just a lowly security guard. Who do you think you are? Just a broke loser. My family’s rich—if you touch me, I’ll bury you in money,” Fatty sneered.

His words drew laughter from the others. Everyone knew Fatty’s father was a wealthy coal mine owner. Backed by money, Fatty had befriended several notorious students and acted with impunity. Few dared cross him, not even the dorm guards.

So he didn’t take Yang Fan seriously in the least.

Yang Fan seized Fatty by the throat with one hand and yanked him off the bed. Fatty dangled in the air, his face turning beet red.

The other students were stunned by the sight.

Fatty stood at five-seven and weighed at least one hundred fifty pounds, yet Yang Fan lifted him single-handedly, seemingly without effort.

How much strength did he possess?

“I could crush you with my fists,” Yang Fan said icily.

“Damn you, if you lay a finger on me I’ll have people make you pay,” Fatty blustered, still acting tough.

Before he could finish, Yang Fan’s fist smashed into his plump cheek. The blow was so heavy that one side of Fatty’s face swelled up, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth—he could even feel some loose teeth.

He hadn’t expected Yang Fan would actually hit him.

“You dare hit me?” Fatty roared in rage.

His answer was another punch, this time to the other cheek.

Now, Fatty was utterly stunned, fear finally welling up inside him. Meeting Yang Fan’s terrifying gaze, he felt a chill run down his spine.

“Go down to the field and run thirty laps,” Yang Fan commanded, his eyes cold.

“I’ll go, I’ll go now!” Fatty replied, terrified and nodding frantically. He had no desire to take another punch—one more and he might not get up.

Yang Fan had lifted his hefty body with one hand as if it were nothing; if he really fought, Fatty knew he’d be flattened instantly.

Yang Fan released him. Fatty, clutching his bruised face, hurried off toward the sports field.

“Anyone else not interested in running, better get to sleep,” Yang Fan barked at the other boys.

They rushed to their beds, eyes squeezed shut, not daring to disobey after witnessing Fatty’s fate.

Yang Fan left the dorm, shone his flashlight across the field, and saw Fatty trudging slowly around the track, clearly struggling.

Thirty laps was pure torment—Fatty felt tears prick his eyes.

As Yang Fan walked away, the boys left in the dorm whispered among themselves.

“Damn, this new security guard is tough. Fatty finally met his match this time.”

“Man, just thinking about how he lifted Fatty with one hand blows my mind. This guy’s strong!”

“Yeah, but what good is strength? If he runs into the guys on the fifth floor, you know what’ll happen.”

“No kidding, those guys are trouble. I bet the new guard’s going to get a beating.”

“Just look at what happened to the last security guard—he ended up in the hospital, I heard his ribs were broken.”

Even though Yang Fan was strong, he was still just one man. The students all thought of the boys on the fifth floor and figured Yang Fan was in for a thrashing.

The incident of a security guard being beaten up had happened on the fifth floor of the boys’ dorm that very day. The students involved hadn’t even received any serious punishment.

Everyone knew the student behind it had a powerful background.