The next day, on the Yuncheng No. 1 High School school bus.
Li Hao had just stepped onto the bus when, in an instant, every eye in the vehicle locked onto him.
"Let's give a warm welcome back to our Yuncheng hero."
Zheng Yuan, the Martial Dao teacher for Class 2, took the lead in starting the applause.
"Clap, clap, clap..."
The applause was enthusiastic.
Feeling slightly awkward, Li Hao raised his right hand in a casual greeting to everyone.
"Brother Hao, you're a legend!"
"Brother Hao, you're my idol!"
"Li Hao, you're amazing!"
"Brother Hao, tell us what was going through your mind at that time!"
...
"Alright, let Li Hao sit down first, everyone!"
"Boo..."
The students immediately broke into a chorus of boos.
"Class Monitor, do you really have to make it so obvious?"
"Yeah! Yanting, you're being way too protective!"
Enjoying the teasing, Liu Yanting stood up from her seat and offered a shy, feigned explanation. "Li Hao hasn't fully recovered from his injuries yet, and he risked his life to save people in the disaster zone. Please show some consideration, everyone, and don't wear him out!"
"Boo..."
"Hao, I saved a seat for you."
"Hao... calling him so affectionately," teased Qu Xiaoli from the seat behind Liu Yanting.
At this, Liu Yanting's face flushed even redder. She looked at Li Hao with a shy, expectant gaze.
Li Hao glanced at her, sneering inwardly.
*Bitch. Slut!*
"Hey, Jiang Yu, see me here and you can't even say hello?"
Li Hao cast a slightly dissatisfied look across the aisle at his good friend.
Jiang Yu was Li Hao's ride-or-die. Low-key on the outside, passionate on the inside. Slightly handsome, and an top-tier student.
Both of Jiang Yu's parents worked in the civil service, and his father was even a High-rank official. In terms of family background, he was a match for Li Hao.
In his past life, Jiang Yu had done very well for himself, testing into a top university and entering the government bureaucracy after graduation. By the time Li Hao met his end, Jiang Yu had already risen to a provincial-ministerial post, wielding immense power and influence.
"Haozi, I thought you'd be so blinded by beauty that you'd forget your friends, but I guess you still remember me, your brother!"
"Cut the crap, scoot over and make room for your brother."
Jiang Yu slid to the inside, leaving the aisle seat next to Liu Yanting open for Li Hao.
Li Hao sat right down, completely ignoring Liu Yanting from start to finish.
Embarrassed, Liu Yanting settled back into her seat with a wronged expression, her face looking dreadful.
*Li Hao, what's so great about you! Sooner or later, I'm going to bring you down.* As Liu Yanting plotted to herself, her phone buzzed with a message.
"Yanting, stay steady! Fishing takes patience!"
"Brother Chuan, I'll listen to you! Don't worry, we'll take down that loser Li Hao sooner or later."
"Like!"
Sitting in the back corner, Meng Baichuan sent Liu Yanting an encouraging sticker.
Meng Baichuan pushed up his glasses, a cold smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth.
*Li Hao, just you wait!*
At that moment, as if sensing something, Li Hao turned his head and shot a glance at Meng Baichuan, the murderous intent in his eyes completely unchecked.
The moment their eyes locked, Meng Baichuan felt as though he had plunged into an ice cellar, chilled to the bone.
Meng Baichuan wasn't even in the same class as Li Hao. Li Hao was in Class 5, while Meng Baichuan was in Class 2.
Today happened to be the turn of the Class 2 security squad to handle the school bus escort duty, which was why he was on the bus.
"Haozi, what was that about?" Jiang Yu asked quietly, tilting his head with a subtle nod toward Liu Yanting.
"Nothing!" Li Hao said indifferently.
"Did you finally figure it out?"
Jiang Yu was a rational person and had never approved of Li Hao dating Liu Yanting.
It was just that because Liu Yanting had once saved Li Hao's life, and his stubborn brother refused to see reason, there was nothing Jiang Yu could do.
"I figured it out. You were right all along."
"Good."
In his past life, this good friend of his had repeatedly warned him to stay away from Liu Yanting. Yet he had completely tuned it out, failing his friend's good intentions.
Now looking back, Jiang Yu's ability to reach high positions made sense—his read on people was truly spot-on.
Along the way.
The students on the bus wouldn't leave Li Hao alone.
Like a pack of starstruck fans, they peppered him with questions.
Seeing his old classmates, Li Hao was genuinely happy and answered pretty much every question they threw at him.
"Haozi, you've changed."
After getting off the bus, Jiang Yu walked side by side with Li Hao.
"Have I?"
"Yeah!"
"Seems like you've matured!"
"Damn it!"
Li Hao muttered to himself, *Don't go getting so perceptive on me, kid!*
"After living through an attack and a disaster, how could I not grow up?" Li Hao sighed.
"Fair enough!"
"You managed to survive two brushes with death, kid. You really do have a cat's life!"
"Get lost, are you cursing me?"
"Hehe!"
Passing by the Class 1 classroom, Li Hao paused and looked in to see the campus belle, Gu Qianxue, hard at work, burying herself in her books at her desk.
Gu Qianxue sat right in the middle of the front row in Class 2-1, close to the podium.
That spot was the exclusive territory of top students.
Seeming to feel someone watching her, Gu Qianxue raised her head.
In an instant, she froze.
"Li Hao!" Gu Qianxue blurted out.
Li Hao walked right into the classroom.
"Woah! Isn't that Li Hao?"
Quite a few students in Class 1 already recognized Li Hao, the heroic young man of Yuncheng.
They whispered among themselves, eager to see what Li Hao wanted in Class 1.
Acting as if no one else was there, Li Hao walked straight up to Gu Qianxue.
"Qianxue, have you had breakfast?"
"I've eaten..."
"Well, that's a shame."
"Why is that a shame?"
"Xiaoyao made such a good breakfast, it'd be a waste not to eat it!"
With that, Li Hao pulled a breakfast from his Storage Ring and placed it on Gu Qianxue's desk.
A rich aroma filled the air.
"Look, how good does this smell?"
"Yeah."
"Woah, Li Hao actually has a Storage Ring!"
"His dad is Li Chengqian."
"Who's Li Chengqian?"
"The richest man in Yuncheng!"
"Woah! Handsome and loaded! I'm totally crushing on him."
"Looks like you missed your chance, though!"
Li Hao's obvious pursuit of the icy campus belle immediately caused many budding young girls with romantic notions to quiet down.
Joking aside, trying to compete with the icy campus belle meant they had to know their own limits.
"You look so skinny, you should eat a bit more."
"I don't want any..." Gu Qianxue shook her head.
Seeing this, Li Hao draped his left arm over Gu Qianxue's shoulder, leaned down close to her ear, and whispered, "Qianxue, you wouldn't want everyone to know you're tutoring at my place, would you?"
"And..."
"I'll eat it!"
Li Hao gave a faint smile, thoroughly satisfied.
Then, he waved at the rest of the Class 1 students.
Amidst the squeals of several lovestruck girls, he turned and strolled out with an air of effortless cool.
"Woah! So handsome!"
"Qianxue, what's going on between you two?" Gu Qianxue's deskmate, Dong Qing, asked with a mischievous grin.
"We're just normal friends!"
"Normal friends bringing breakfast? Who's gonna buy that?"
"It's true!"
"Alright, alright! I won't tease you anymore. Hurry up and eat, it'll get cold!"
Dong Qing looked at Li Hao's breakfast with envy and swallowed hard.
Head down, Gu Qianxue quickly devoured the delicious breakfast.
A blush crept across her icy cheeks.
When Li Hao returned to Class 5, he found another breakfast waiting on his desk.
A sticky note was attached to the top.
*A breakfast made with love! — Yanting.*
Li Hao thought, *Is this bitch some kind of clinging barnacle?*