Chapter 36: Tang San Apologizes, Xu Yan Plays the Victim!

Xu Yan said, "Furthermore, you must guarantee that you will no longer gang up on me. If you can do that, then this matter will be put to rest."

Jiang Zhu hurriedly pulled on Xu Yan and whispered, "Yuhao, I'm fine."

"No, there are so many of them, and you were the only one who spoke up for me. I will remember this favor," Xu Yan smiled at her.

Looking at Xu Yan's gentle face, Jiang Zhu felt her heart melt. She never expected that the man she admired would care so much about her. However, if things truly went this way, wouldn't it be incredibly awkward to see the Grandmaster in the future? The smile that had just appeared on her face vanished, replaced by hesitation, conflict, and embarrassment.

Upon hearing Xu Yan's demands, Yu Xiaogang’s expression remained indifferent. In truth, these requests were not excessive for him. Since they had made a mistake, they needed to own up to it and apologize.

"Teacher," Tang San took a step forward, looking at Yu Xiaogang.

Yu Xiaogang glanced at him sideways and said coldly, "San, this is the first time in so long that I have been this disappointed in you. Since you were the ones in the wrong, you must bear the consequences. A real man knows how to correct his mistakes; it is nothing to be ashamed of."

Hearing Yu Xiaogang's stern instruction, Tang San felt a surge of anger, but upon reflection, he realized his actions had indeed been rash.

Yu Xiaogang quickly added, "Yuhao, we can agree to both these conditions. You can continue to stay at Shrek Academy; you are still a member of our Shrek family. I guarantee you that something like this will never happen again."

"I hope so. Regardless, I know that some people here are complete fools," Xu Yan said with a mocking sneer.

"You—" Tang San stared at Xu Yan with icy eyes.

In reality, Xu Yan had been looking for a reason to disgust Tang San, but he hadn't expected idiots like Ma Hongjun and Oscar to hand him the opportunity on a silver platter. The Shrek Seven Devils always claimed to be one, so when he had beaten Ma Hongjun and Oscar, Dai Mubai and Tang San had attacked him without a second thought. In their subconscious, even if Ma Hongjun and Oscar were in the wrong, Xu Yan beating their partners and teammates was an unforgivable offense.

Seeing Tang San clench his fists, Yu Xiaogang reached out to steady him, then bowed to Jiang Zhu. "Jiang Zhu, I was too impulsive just now. I am sorry; please forgive me."

Jiang Zhu was flattered and shocked, immediately wanting to step forward to help Yu Xiaogang up.

However, Xu Yan gripped her small hand and said, "Don't."

Jiang Zhu turned back to look at Xu Yan with a flushed face, seeing him shake his head at her. She felt shy and her mind went blank, her heart racing as she felt him holding her hand tightly. She could only turn her head to bow to Yu Xiaogang and say, "It's fine."

Yu Xiaogang straightened up and looked at Xu Yan, asking, "Are you satisfied with this?"

Xu Yan replied, "It has nothing to do with me. You need to ask Jiang Zhu if she forgives you."

Jiang Zhu quickly added, "I really don't mind, Grandmaster... I have already forgiven you."

Xu Yan decided not to push further; after all, he didn't want to make life difficult for Jiang Zhu at Shrek Academy later on.

"Since Jiang Zhu says it's fine, then it's fine. Grandmaster, you are an elder. I stood up for Jiang Zhu today and made you lose face; you won't hold a grudge later, will you?" Xu Yan asked.

Hearing this, Yu Xiaogang quickly replied, "Rest assured, I am not that kind of person. Jiang Zhu is a student of Shrek, and I was indeed too impulsive just now and frightened her, so you have nothing to worry about."

"I see. I trust the Grandmaster's character, but those four... I certainly do not," Xu Yan said, pointing at Tang San, Dai Mubai, Ma Hongjun, and Oscar.

"You can rest assured that this matter has nothing to do with Jiang Zhu," Tang San promised. They had shifted all their resentment onto Xu Yan.

"Good. In that case, I want your apologies, and you must also repair my living quarters," Xu Yan said.

Yu Xiaogang told Tang San, "Apologize quickly so we can be done with this."

Tang San knew that for a teacher, Yu Xiaogang had done all he could. However, he felt unwilling—why was Xu Yan so talented, earning the favor of the Dean, the teachers, and Aunt Erlong? He weighed his options and decided that it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble; he would just stop provoking him in the future.

Xu Yan, however, did not think the same. If they didn't provoke him, he wouldn't bother them, but if they tried to disgust him, he would make sure to return the favor. If he really wanted to get back at them, he would poach their people and leave them with green hats.

Ma Hongjun, Oscar, and Dai Mubai felt aggrieved; they were the ones who had been beaten the worst, yet they were the ones forced to apologize.

"Huo Yuhao, regarding today's events, I, Tang San, did not understand the situation clearly before attacking you. That was my fault." Tang San bowed slightly and said, "I am sorry, please forgive me!"

Dai Mubai, Oscar, and Ma Hongjun stood together, leaning on each other’s shoulders, and bowed to Xu Yan: "We are sorry!"

Yu Xiaogang said, "The apologies have been made. Are you satisfied now?"

"Eh, it's alright. Sincerity aside, if you can fix my house, I'll be mostly satisfied," Xu Yan said coolly.

Tang San wanted to retort but held back, saying, "Fine, I will fix it for you right now."

Yu Xiaogang was satisfied and told Tang San, "The four of you, come see me tomorrow."

Tang San nodded. "Yes, teacher!"

Yu Xiaogang sighed helplessly and turned to leave. Liu Erlong, Flanders, Qin Ming, and Zhao Wuji followed him. Qin Ming said nothing, having observed the entire incident. With the Grandmaster present, the matter was finally settled. Had it been up to him, he might have resorted to force immediately.

Xu Yan looked at Tang San and said, "Please, begin your performance."

Ma Hongjun wanted to say something, but Dai Mubai stopped him. Ignoring their own injuries, they began to repair the door and other fixtures they had broken earlier. Ning Rongrong, Xiao Wu, and Zhu Zhuqing also began to help.

Watching the seven of them acting so united, Xu Yan felt nothing. He sat down to the side and looked up at the starry sky. "Mom, Dad, you can rest in peace in heaven. I won't let anyone bully me."

He muttered to himself, causing the seven people working nearby to feel a pang of sorrow. Jiang Zhu watched Xu Yan lying alone on the grass, looking so sad and hurt, and her heart softened. She wondered how difficult her hero's life had been, how much he had suffered, and how many people had bullied him.