BODYGARD

Chapter 24: Conflict!

Who did he resemble that was famous? No, that couldn't be it. Even though he wasn't interested in celebrities and didn't know many, he was aware that no one had ever recognized him in this way throughout his life.

“Are you Jack?”

“Are you really Jack!”

The girls asked again.

“Um!” Jack nodded in response.

“You're that Jack from the Chinese Literature Department!” The girls were visibly excited.

“You had a fight with Smith yesterday, you looked so cool in the video. Have you trained before? Could you teach us? We also want to learn!”

“Yes, teach us!”

Jack blinked.

Now he understood.

The video of him and Smith's confrontation yesterday had been disseminated online. No wonder people recognized him.

After some thought, he said, "If you want to learn, you should go to the Chinese Literature Department!”

“Don't mislead us!” One of the girls with short hair eyed Jack; “Everyone knows that the Chinese Literature Department teaches very little, it's more about promoting the culture and studies of Chinese literature. It’s just those who want to learn a few tricks that would attend— unless you are willing to endure hardship, substantial hardship, you would not learn anything.”

Jack felt a sudden headache.

You can't learn anything without hard work?

Could it be—

Did they think that they could achieve something merely by lying down with a burger in hand, washing it down with some juice?

Did they believe that learning such skills was possible without enduring any hardship?

Did they imagine that any master of a craft emerged by drinking tap water, sleeping soundly, and waking with all skills acquired?

In this world, there always seemed to be women who thought mana would fall from the heavens.

Yes, perhaps it indeed could.

But even if it fell, would it hit them right on the head?

A sky of uncertain color would only bring hail, or perhaps the occasional airplane accident, but never would money rain down or a good fortune simply drop from the sky.

Jack shook his head, unsure of how to respond.

“Please teach us!”

“Well, I'm not good at teaching people!” Jack said with a wry smile.

After lots of effort, Jack finally managed to break away from those girls.

When he entered the classroom, there were already many students. He took the same seat as yesterday, surrounded by vacancies— many students preferred to sit in the back.

That was the case yesterday.

And it was the same today.

Lost in his thoughts, Jack became aware of several girls running over from the back carrying things. They took seats around him, forming a circle, effectively trapping him in the middle.

“We are sitting here!”

“I'm sitting behind!”

Some girls also decided to sit directly behind Jack.

"This—"

Jack was stunned for a moment.

Why were they all crowding around him?

"We are sitting here. You don’t mind, do you?" the girls said with a smile.

"No, not at all!"

Jack shook his head.

How could he mind?

It was just that—

Some of the girls seemed to be dressed a bit too revealingly.

“You’ve trained before, haven’t you?” one of the girls asked cheerfully, her long black hair framing her smiling face, eyes curved like crescents.

“Hmm—yes, I've trained a bit!” Jack nodded.

“How did you manage to stand up to Smith for so long yesterday? Ever since the Chinese Literature Department was founded, it's been almost a tradition for newcomers to get thrashed by Smith. You really gave us something to cheer about!”

“Hey, let’s all go to the cafeteria together today!”

“The Chinese Literature Department needs to show unity. Some other majors always eat together, staying close. We should do the same; it shows our department's solidarity!”

“Right!”

“Well—I don’t eat at the school cafeteria!”

“Then where do you eat?”

The chatter continued until the teacher arrived in the classroom and it quieted down.

“Cough, cough!”

The teacher started the class with a smile, “Let me ask you, which finger do you use the most when you eat? Don't look it up on your phones, go by feel. Of course, everyone holds their chopsticks differently, so there are different answers.”

The students immediately began discussing among themselves.

Why would the teacher ask this question?

By noon, Jack was still sitting in the classroom.

“Jack, wanna come play basketball?”

At that moment, a few male students came over and asked with a smile.

“I’m not very good at it!” Jack replied, shaking his head amusedly.

“Come on, none of us guys in the Chinese Literature Department are pros. There aren’t many of us, so let’s join together and have some fun!” Tao Yu said with a wide grin, patting Jack on the shoulder.

The others also smiled and started to coax Jack.

Not to mention others—

Everyone knew that if you want to learn some real skills in the Chinese Literature Department, you had to complete the theory classes. Without enough theory, it's impossible to start learning the practical stuff.

Jack thought carefully for a moment.

After all, he was on the university campus now.

It was a kind invitation from these people, and he didn't want to refuse.

“Okay!” Jack agreed.

Jack and about seven or eight other guys headed to the basketball court, which was quite spacious at Houston University, but it was also popular, so there were plenty of players around.

"We're in luck. I've heard that the basketball hoops at Houston University are often fully occupied. There’s one over there; let's grab it quick!"

"Let's go!"

The basketball courts at Houston University were often bustling, sometimes making it hard to find an available hoop.

"Haha, no grabbing!"

"Let me shoot first!"

The guys started scrambling for the basketball.

"Bang!"

"Just let me shoot one!"

However—

Just as they started to play, a group of more than a dozen people approached the hoop they were using.

"What are you doing?"

The group was led by a well-dressed, burly man with a dark complexion, also a student at Houston University. He glanced over at Jack and the others.

"What the hell are you doing?"

Jack wasn't playing basketball; the others who were playing had gathered together upon hearing this voice.

As they gathered, the numbers were not small.

"How dare you speak like that?" one of the guys retorted angrily.

The dark-faced leader sneered, "Quit your damn babbling, get lost, this hoop is ours!"

"Who the hell are you telling to get lost!"

"It's you!!" The dark-faced man sneered, "If you know what’s good for you, you’d leave. I’ve been playing at this hoop for two years, and no one has dared to dispute it with me!"

"Kid, better ask around!"

"The new junior must not know how things work here, ha-ha!"

"What are you trying to do?"

Several other guys from the Chinese Literature Department also stood up. Although they hadn’t known each other for long, in situations like this, few would feel right shrinking back.

It wasn’t a matter of being noble or ignoble.

If someone didn't stand up today, they might be ostracized in class tomorrow. Besides, who would want to be verbally abused for no reason?

The dark-faced man seemed to puff himself up with arrogance, as if he carried a certain background. However, among those who could attend Houston University, apart from those who got in on their own academic merits, there were plenty who had connections and backgrounds; at least some among them did.

"We got to this basketball court first!" someone shouted angrily.

"Ha ha ha!"

The dark-faced guy laughed loudly for a moment, then turned coldly towards the one standing at the forefront.

"Were you the one shouting the loudest just now? Let me teach you a lesson and broaden your horizons!" With a sullen face, the dark-faced man lashed out with a sudden slap.

The slap came so unexpectedly that the student speaking didn’t have time to react.

By the time he could respond, the slap was already close.

"Slap!"

The slap looked like it was about to land right on his face. The group of guys was momentarily stunned.

But when they came to their senses, they saw that the arm of the dark-faced man was being blocked by another arm.

It was Jack.

"What are you doing?" Jack said in a stern voice.