Chapter 142 – Sent Flying (1/2)

Chapter 142 – Sent Flying

Guo Huai, Hao Cheng, and Zhao Li were in high spirits as they discussed the future of Asskickers United. In the meantime, Tang Yao became increasingly full of hot air, proclaiming, “What’s Radiant Sacred Flame? I’ve never heard of them before! Victorious Return? We’ll wipe their assess off the floor and become the top guild in the empire!” Listening to his rampant boasting, the others couldn’t help but roll their eyes. They hadn’t even enacted any of their plans, yet he was already acting like they had accomplished everything.

Nie Yan chuckled. This was just part of who Tang Yao was. His carefree and happy-go-lucky personality would always liven the mood wherever he went.

While they happily chatted, a tall and slender woman with an enchanting appearance walked over. With skin as fair as jade, she wore a beautiful qipao that did well to accentuate her elegant figure. Her name was Shen Yue, their class president back in middle school. She was also fully deserving of being called the prettiest girl in their class, having no less than ten secret admirers. Among the five in their group, Guo Huai also happened to be one of them.

“Oh? Class Pres, you came to this gathering too?” Zhao Li smiled at Shen Yue after noticing her coming over.

Just a moment ago, Guo Huai was perfectly fine, but as soon as he raised his head and saw her walking over, his face blushed red all over and he grew timid and reserved. Noticing his reaction, the rest of the guys laughed and smiled. Nie Yan was also sympathetic. The feelings a person had for their first love were usually the hardest to forget.

“Haven’t you five been hiding in this corner for long enough? We have at least thirty classmates gathered here, yet none of you are going over to talk them. Look over there. You can’t keep our young ladies waiting forever, can you? They’re starting to get impatient. Nie Yan, you’ve sure grown tall and—Oh? Guo Huai, what’s wrong? Your face is all red. Do you have a fever coming on?” Shen Yue asked in a concerned manner.

“Ah, don’t worry. He was just happy to see everyone again after such a long time, including you, Class Pres, so he drank a bit of alcohol.” Nie Yan and the guys replied in his place. How could they abandon him in this kind of situation?

Guo Huai shot over a grateful glance at his four brothers. This was what being true friends was all about. Even though they constantly poked fun at one another in private, if trouble ever arose, they would have each other’s backs. If one of them encountered a powerful foe, then they would all band together to fight that foe.

Their strong bond was formed by persevering through many hardships together.

“Guo Huai, don’t drink so much,” Shen Yue scolded half-heatedly.

“Yeah, I’ll keep that in mind.” Guo Huai was flustered but still managed to somehow get his words out smoothly.

“Anyway, you guys should get off that couch and talk with everyone else. The gathering is about to start. It’s better if we don’t dally any longer since many people here still have to work in the afternoon,” Shen Yue said. Although they were still high schoolers, many of them worked part time or even held multiple jobs to earn money, so their free time was quite limited.

Nie Yan was the first to stand up and said, “Come on, let’s go over right now.”

“Sure.”

The other four also stood up.

“Hey, Nie Yan. If those girls over there surround me, you’ll help pull me out, right?” Zhao Li asked with a wry smile.

“Eh, now how could I do that? There’s no way I can deprive those young ladies of your presence. You can handle this one by yourself. Who told you to be so popular?” Nie Yan chuckled. Back in middle school, there was no shortage of assertive and lively girls. Even Zhao Li’s social prowess couldn’t save him from being overwhelmed by all these girls.

“Nie Yan, please don’t hang me out to dry like this!”

“Hey, you don’t know how well you have it. Some of us can’t ever be this popular with the ladies even if we want to. Just take a look at Tang Yao.” Nie Yan replied.

Their small group chatted while they walked toward the others. In the past, their group of five only hung out together because they seemed to get along well. However, now, a subtle change had occurred. Nie Yan seemed to have become the core of the group.

Guo Huai, Zhao Li, and Hao Cheng were amazed to discover that their group dynamic had changed. The atmosphere surrounding Nie Yan had completely changed. He was now able to easily influence those around him, and they were starting to take note of his suggestions and opinions. Although he had also been a person with strong viewpoints back in middle school, he never really conveyed them and rather kept to himself instead.

Having not seen them in over ten years, Nie Yan only had vague impressions of his classmates from middle school, so he could only recall them by going off of brief interactions. Nevertheless, being as well-versed as he was, he was able to converse with them with ease.

His classmates were amazed by his transformation. In the past, he was scrawny, an excellent student, and had a personality that could be regarded as good-natured, but he was often lost in his own world and rarely interacted with others. However, now, he was much more robust. They could even faintly discern the outlines of his muscles underneath his shirt. This led to many of his female classmates, who were normally quite bold and daring, being struck in a daze. Moreover, he was chatting with others in a carefree manner, and his temperament appeared to have completely changed.

Such a stark contrast caused even Guo Huai, Hao Cheng, and Zhao Li to view Nie Yan in a new light. With this change, they began believing that their plan of establishing a guild might actually succeed.

“Hey, Guo Huai! Long time no see.” A muscular youth in a white jersey with somewhat handsome features walked over to Nie Yan and his group while carrying two glasses of orange juice.

Upon seeing the person that called out to him, Guo Huai’s expression immediately darkened.