A group of young men and women emerged, sharing the same arrogance and demeanor as Chase Wei.
A girl with painted nails giggled, "I never expected this outcome. Chase Wei got beaten into a pig and passed out. Hahaha..." She held her stomach, trying to stifle her laughter.
"Hey..." the tall, skinny young man cautioned kindly.
The girl's eyes sparkled with surprise and incredulity as she looked at Leon. "It seems Chase Wei had bad luck, running into someone with nothing to lose. But Leon, you've chosen the hardest path."
"What are you trying to say?" Leon asked, clearly annoyed.
"Face is a double-edged sword," the girl said with a blink. "Someone already called the police, and they should be here soon." She pointed to a direction where a young man had just hung up his phone.
"You're betraying your schoolmates, you traitor!" someone shouted.
The young man smirked sinisterly. "I'm just a law-abiding citizen. When I see a fight, I call the police. Oh, and Leon, you should know that the police chief has to play the lapdog for Chase Wei." His look seemed to say: "Let's see if you can handle the police now."
The crowd cursed at him for being a turncoat. Even Emma Shen was displeased; this was an internal H University matter, and involving the police would be a disgrace. However, she recognized the young man as Ryan Qin, someone with a bit of influence in West Capital, likely trying to cozy up to Chase Wei.
Within three minutes, several police cars arrived at H University with remarkable speed, even before Chase Wei could be sent to the hospital.
A group of police officers stepped out, led by Director Qin of the West Capital Public Security Bureau. Despite his stern expression, he was inwardly shocked.
He had received a call from his nephew saying that Chase Wei had been badly beaten at H University. He immediately dispatched a squad in a hurry, thinking it was a joke. But seeing the commotion at Hua University, he realized the young master had indeed met his match.
This excited him, as he saw an opportunity to ingratiate himself with the Wei family.
"Who caused this disturbance?" Director Qin demanded, his gaze sweeping the student council hall and pausing briefly on Leon and Serena. Then he saw the unconscious Chase Wei and his two downed bodyguards, his expression becoming exaggeratedly stunned.
Honestly, he thought this was a usual tactic by these spoiled brats to cause trouble. No one knew better than him how these arrogant youths liked to use excuses to throw their weight around. He never believed Chase Wei could actually get beaten up, given his status as the top young master of West Capital. Even central leaders would think twice before crossing him.
Seeing Chase Wei looking like a beaten pig, Director Qin's carefully rehearsed righteous and sycophantic speech died in his throat. He was speechless for a long moment.
Not just him; the other police officers were also dumbstruck, unable to believe their eyes.
"This is an internal H University matter, not requiring police intervention," Emma Shen stepped forward, stating her position.
Director Qin hesitated, feeling a bit foolish.
Such a scene was beyond his wildest imagination.
"Secretary, what do you mean? Should we ignore violent acts?" Ryan Qin proclaimed righteously, stepping forward. "Uncle, you're just in time. These people nearly killed Chase Wei and his bodyguards."
Ryan pointed at Leon, smirking.
"Huh?"
Director Qin was taken aback. Could this innocent-looking student have beaten up young master Wei?
"Hmph, this man was harassing his girlfriend. He brought it on himself," Serena stepped forward, fearless.
Ryan's opportunistic behavior drew scorn from the crowd. Even the young men and women who had come out earlier stood aside, not wanting to get involved.
Leon frowned, stepping in front of Serena. Her actions surprised him, but he didn't want her to get implicated. If it was just about himself, Leon was confident he could handle a hundred Chase Weis.
"I did it. She had nothing to do with it," Leon stated.
Ryan grinned, as if saying, "You're done for."
"Did you really do it?" Director Qin, seeing Leon's calm demeanor, suddenly wondered if he had made a foolish mistake. He shouldn't have come in person. Someone who could calmly beat up young master Wei and remain unfazed afterward—could he be a high-ranking official's son? Director Qin broke into a cold sweat, growing cautious.
Ryan frowned. "Uncle, arrest him. Leon has no background, just a hot-blooded student."
The entire school was watching. Director Qin nodded, his tone growing stern. "Arrest these suspects! And call an ambulance for young master Wei."
Several officers stepped forward.
Emma Shen interjected coldly, "Is that necessary?"
"Hmph, this is a serious violent crime. Of course it's necessary," Director Qin replied sternly.
As the officers moved to handcuff Leon, Lily clung to his arm, "No! This is all my fault. Take me instead."
"Hmm?" Director Qin looked at his nephew.
Ryan nodded.
"Take her too. Everyone involved will be questioned," Director Qin ordered. "This is a major violent crime in West Capital and can't be taken lightly!"
"What is this? Our schoolmate gets harassed, and the one who stands up for her gets treated as a criminal? Are we just going to watch them collude and harm our fellow students?" A booming voice echoed through the student council, startling the police.
A tall student shouted passionately, "Do we want people to hear H University's name and think we're a school that lets our own be bullied? I don't want to carry the shame of being from a school that does nothing. Today, if anyone dares take our students, they'll face us!"
Leon was speechless. The speaker was John Wu, usually the quiet and honest one, now rousing the crowd with powerful, inflammatory words.
Leon noticed his other roommates joining in, fanning the flames.
Quickly, the initially silent students erupted. University was always a place where passions could ignite. Wu's words about the school's honor hit hard, and with Chase Wei unconscious, they found courage in numbers.
The crowd surged toward the police, chanting slogans.
"Stop it!" Emma Shen cried, panicked by the chaos. But no one listened.
"Who dares harass H University students? We'll show them!"
"Do they think we're pushovers?"
Lily Lin, as the top freshman beauty, was naturally popular. Seeing the police even trying to take her, the male students couldn't stay silent. They stepped up to block the police, driven by the contagious energy of the moment, fueled by a saying deeply ingrained in their culture: "The law doesn't punish the masses."
One person acting alone might be doomed, but a group had strength in numbers.
Director Qin was dumbfounded, shouting, "Are you trying to obstruct justice?"
"Don't think you can bully H University students!"
The crowd surged forward.
"Arrest anyone shouting!" Director Qin commanded.
The officers looked at each other, unsure how to proceed.
"Just take them first," Ryan urged.
Director Qin nodded, but the crowd engulfed them. "Get these lackeys!"
"Are you attacking police?"
"Oh!" Someone landed the first blow, followed by others. Now it wasn't just about taking people; the police were struggling to protect themselves. Director Qin regretted coming here, thinking about the reputation of Hua University.
Ryan panicked, "Are you all crazy? Secretary, stop them!"
Emma Shen, on the phone, glanced at him coldly.
"And you, traitor, helping outsiders bully our schoolmates." Someone grabbed Ryan.
"You dare touch me? My father is... Ah..." Ryan's voice turned into a scream.
"That's for being a traitor!"
"That's for being a turncoat!"
"That's for not using paper!"
Leon, Serena, and Lily were stunned by the chaos. "What now?" Lily was on the verge of tears.
"Don't worry. They know what they're doing," Leon reassured.
"Hmph, Lily, go kick them to vent your anger," Serena joked.
Besides Leon, others were watching the spectacle.
"I almost want to join in and beat up Chase Wei's gang."
"Didn't expect things to escalate like this. Chase Wei might be in real trouble," the girl had lost interest in her nails, the situation beyond her expectations.
"It feels quite grand."
"Melanie, it seems your prediction was wrong. Our junior Leon and his friends are quite something," the young man commented.
Melanie Mei was unimpressed. "The outcome won't change. We might see Ninth Emperor intervene." They became serious.
"But I'm suddenly very interested in Leon," Melanie said, her eyes fixed on him through the chaos. His calm demeanor intrigued her, especially his eyes filled with something she couldn't decipher.
Melanie was certain Leon wasn't just a hot-headed youth. His confidence must have a reason. What gave him the assurance to trample on Chase Wei?
Melanie couldn't figure it out.
"Confidence at the gambling table often comes from a winning hand..." she mused. "Leon, what's your winning hand?"