Hao Jian had been watching and listening from the side. The reason he didn't step in when Lin Dongyang was being attacked by a group was that he wanted Lin Dongyang to handle some things on his own, to face some situations alone. After all, Hao Jian would eventually leave and couldn't be by his side all the time.

Moreover, he wanted to develop his skills and then help Liang Xiaohan by resolving troubles for her. So, not everything could be solved by Hao Jian; Lin Dongyang had to rely on himself. Even when just now Lin Dongyang was attacked by five or six people at once, Hao Jian still stood aside and watched silently.

A person must go through certain things to grow, and this was true for Lin Dongyang as well as for anyone else. Therefore, this was a small matter, and it wouldn't be good for Hao Jian to interfere too much, as it might be detrimental to Lin Dongyang.

However, when he saw those people were about to leave and Lin Dongyang still showed signs of letting them go, he couldn't stand it anymore. He knew from Lin Dongyang's expression that he would let these people leave.

Ultimately, it was because he was inexperienced with the world; otherwise, he wouldn't easily let them go and even let them make some threatening remarks. In Hao Jian's understanding, this group had suffered a setback this time, but the matter would not end there; they would definitely come back for more. By then, their group would give Lin Dongyang a harsh lesson and recover their lost face.

If it were Hao Jian, he definitely wouldn't let them leave just like that, even if it meant making them suffer and afraid.

But it's not Lin Dongyang's fault; he used to be an extremely introverted and timid person, and it was already quite a transformation this time. If he were trained and practiced for a bit longer, he might understand the underlying logic.

So when Hao Jian saw Lin Dongyang was about to let those people go, he instinctively shouted to stop them. His voice was loud, and despite the noisy crowd, everyone heard it clearly and fell silent.

At that moment, most of the eyes were on him. The crowd made way, and he walked towards them.

Since Lin Dongyang wouldn't take action, Hao Jian would teach him this time, to show him what should be done at such a moment.

Lin Dongyang recognized the voice as Hao Jian's immediately. Following the sound, he saw Hao Jian stepping out from the crowd.

"Brother Hao!" he exclaimed in surprise, not expecting Hao Jian to suddenly show up and say that, meaning he had been there all along and had witnessed the entire event. Somehow, Lin Dongyang suddenly felt a bit guilty. He felt his inadequacy forced Hao Jian to appear, making Hao Jian disappointed; otherwise, Hao Jian wouldn't have stepped in—the fact that he did meant something was amiss from the start.

After speaking, he shamefully dropped his head slightly. Everyone was staring dumbfounded at Hao Jian, unsure who this abrupt newcomer was.

However, someone suddenly recognized Hao Jian. Because of the high-profile incident between Hao Jian and Gu Peng at the school gate, many onlookers had been present, even though normally sophomore students wouldn't interact much with freshmen. But that day, many had seen Hao Jian, so they recognized him immediately.

Additionally, some identified him through Lin Dongyang calling him Brother Hao. They were clear about who Lin Dongyang had been hanging out with recently. Given that he called him Brother Hao and Hao Jian's surname was Hao, it must undoubtedly be him. Therefore, some recognized Hao Jian through this mere utterance by Lin Dongyang.

Hao Jian stepped forward, remained silent, and just glanced at Lin Dongyang. It seemed as though he was saying, "You can't handle things this way; watch me and learn."

However, when Hao Jian's words rang out, the five or six individuals who were about to walk away turned back immediately. If someone calls you to stop, but you continue walking without hesitation, it would only indicate fear, a runaway.

Though they intended to leave because they hadn't gained anything from Lin Dongyang earlier, they also knew clearly that if they continued walking in this situation, it would surely make others think they were scared—running away due to fear of a beating.

This mustn't happen; otherwise, how could they continue in the school scene? So, when they heard Hao Jian's shout, they instinctively turned around in unison, looking with surprise at Hao Jian emerging from the crowd.

They wondered who this person was, daring to act so domineering, and dared voice to stop them during such a moment. If they left, wouldn't it show they were afraid? But if they didn't go, Hao Jian would pay the price for stopping them and learn about the consequences of his words.

All eyes were focused on Hao Jian. Some originally didn't know who he was, but after being informed by friends beside them, they realized, and one by one, looked at Hao Jian with astonishment.

Some couldn't help but think, this guy truly loves being in the limelight. He hasn't been at Yawen for long, yet has stirred quite the storm amongst freshmen, even making a name known throughout the school, and now he's creating a scene with sophomores as well.

Though only a year older than freshmen, some sophomores entered school early and were younger than some freshmen, the fact that they were a year ahead gave an elder brother/sister feeling—a sense that freshmen were younger. So when they saw Hao Jian, a freshman, making a fuss in sophomore year, they naturally found it amusing, perceiving him as overly fond of attention.

Little did they know, if truly compared, Hao Jian was many years their senior in terms of maturity.

Then, as the group turned back, the boy who had attempted to forcefully kiss Li Yaqin trembled in front of Hao Jian, appearing arrogant and impatiently asked, "What do you want? Stopping us, do you think you can beat us, or is there something to discuss?"

As "discussion" was mentioned, they subconsciously rubbed their fists, indicating what "some discussion" might mean.

Hao Jian smiled, strolling calmly toward them amidst the crowd's gaze. Upon reaching the boy who spoke, the boy watched in disdain, apparently unfazed by Hao Jian alone.

Hao Jian smiled at him, and he returned the smile.

Suddenly, Hao Jian stretched out his hand—"Slap!"—landing a sharp slap on the boy's face. He had been laughing, and then got slapped by Hao Jian before the entire crowd.

Shocked and overwhelmed, he couldn't believe Hao Jian would slap him like that, especially in front of so many people.

He hadn't even seen Hao Jian's hand move. All he heard was a "slap," followed by an intense burning sensation on his face, prompting him to instinctively cover his face with a hand.

Everyone on the scene stood stunned, watching the occurrence.

The boy held his face; his companions, witnessing the scene, also appeared startled, then quickly angered. The boy glared at Hao Jian, shouting, "How dare you hit me?!"

He appeared both shocked and furious.

"Slap!"—another crisp sound echoed throughout the scene, everyone heard this clear slap.

"You..." the boy fumed.

"Slap!"—yet another firm slap landed on his face; instinctively, he clutched it again.

"Slap," "Slap," "Slap," "..." In an instant, it was uncertain how many slaps struck his face; initially, he could defend with a hand, but eventually, Hao Jian slapped faster and more enthusiastically, leaving him without time to react, only capable of feeling hits followed by a burning pain.

"My hand really hurts!" Hao Jian paused, silently looking at his raised palm as if his hand truly ached, though the boy's face suffered most, covered in red, fiery handprints from countless slaps.

The boy's face turned red from the smacks, yet anger was apparent beneath.

"Caonima!" he shouted, enraged.

"Damn!"

Angered, he suddenly raised a fist at Hao Jian. Being repeatedly slapped so many times in front of such a crowd without having a chance to fight back demanded revenge and a retrieval of face; otherwise, he'd become a laughingstock among many.

Only he knew how furious he was at this moment; likely, every watcher felt the same.

His four or five comrades standing nearby observed this and immediately clenched their fists, ready to hit Hao Jian together.

"Brother Hao, be careful." Lin Dongyang, noticing so many people targeting Hao Jian, instinctively warned.

Li Yaqin, being aware of Hao Jian and Lin Dongyang's relationship, looked worried too upon seeing this scene.

Only Hao Jian wore a smile on his face.