The Gods' Group Chat

Chapter 3 The Unexpected Reflex

That morning, the atmosphere at school felt different for Shuwan. Even though the bruises on his face still throbbed painfully and his stomach still ached whenever he pressed against it, something was giving him strength—the 50 Yuan in his pocket and the mysterious photo on his phone.

He walked through the corridor with his head held slightly higher than usual, though he still tried to avoid eye contact with the growing crowd of students arriving at school.

However, luck did not always favor his steps.

At the corner near the lockers, Shuwan, who had been absentmindedly thinking about the gods’ group chat, accidentally bumped shoulders with a girl.

Thud!

“Sorry,” Shuwan said shortly and politely, lowering his head a little.

The girl turned around sharply. Her long black hair swayed behind her, and the thick bangs covering her forehead almost hid the sharp glare in her eyes.

She was Shu Qi.

At school, she was known as Bo’s cousin and one of the core members of the most annoying gang in the entire school.

“Shuwan! Are you blind or what?!” Shu Qi snapped in a deliberately loud voice. “You just bump into people like that? Weak loser. Even walking through a wide hallway is too hard for you?”

Shuwan took a deep breath.

He wanted to argue back. He wanted to yell that he simply wasn’t paying attention. But he held his emotions back.

He knew Shu Qi’s personality well. She had a sharp tongue and loved provoking people, but at least she never resorted to violence like Bo did.

Shuwan only stared at her blankly before walking past her without another word.

Shu Qi stood frozen, watching Shuwan’s back as he walked away. The moment he turned into the classroom corridor, the fierce expression on her face suddenly softened.

She quickly moved to a quiet corner of the hallway, hiding behind a pillar as she peeked at Shuwan with a completely different look in her eyes.

“Oh, Shuwan... you poor thing,” she whispered softly, almost inaudibly. Her fingers tightly gripped the edge of her uniform. “I’m sorry I couldn’t stand up for you yesterday... I have to keep pretending to hate you in front of them.”

Her face flushed slightly from the guilt mixed with the feelings she had buried deep inside her heart.

But then the image of Bo kicking Shuwan yesterday flashed through her mind again.

“Bo, you i***t. I’ll teach you a lesson later,” she muttered quietly.

“Hey, Shu Qi! What are you doing here?”

The deep voice thundered right behind her, making Shu Qi nearly jump in shock.

It was Bo.

He stood there arrogantly with a smug grin, staring at his cousin who had just been caught spying.

Shu Qi immediately changed her expression into one of explosive anger.

“Don’t touch me!” she shouted as she slapped away Bo’s hand when he tried to pat her shoulder. “You went way too far yesterday! Why did you have to kick Shuwan like that, huh?!”

Bo frowned, clearly surprised by his cousin’s outburst.

“Huh? What’s your problem?” he replied mockingly. “Suddenly trying to be a hero now? Do you actually care about him?”

“M-Me? N-No!” Shu Qi stammered, her face turning even redder. “I just... ah, anyway, you seriously went too far! You could’ve ended up in prison if that weak guy had died! Do you want to disgrace our family by ending up behind bars?!”

After lashing out at Bo with those harsh words, Shu Qi immediately stormed away, leaving Bo standing there dumbfounded in the middle of the hallway.

Bo scratched his head in confusion.

“Is she worried about me because I’m her cousin... or does she actually care about that weakling?” he muttered irritably.

He clicked his tongue before continuing toward the classroom with growing annoyance.

Inside the classroom, the atmosphere suddenly fell silent the moment Bo walked in.

He saw Shuwan already sitting calmly at his desk as if yesterday’s incident had never happened.

That calmness only fueled the fire burning in Bo’s chest.

Bo stepped forward and kicked an empty chair near Shuwan’s desk, creating a loud screeching noise.

“Hey, you!” Bo said in a highly provocative tone. “Still got guts, huh? You still dare get close to Mei Lin?”

Shuwan did not react.

He simply stared at the blackboard in front of him, his face showing restrained irritation. He was sick of Bo repeating the same drama over and over again.

“Hey! I’m talking to you, useless trash! Did yesterday’s beating make you deaf too?!” Bo barked again.

Now he stood directly in front of Shuwan’s desk, towering over him with his large build.

Shuwan slowly shifted his gaze toward him.

He looked straight into Bo’s eyes with cold contempt.

“I’m always useless, right?” Shuwan said calmly. “Then if I’m really that useless, why are you still bothering to ask me things? Why is someone as amazing as you so obsessed with a worthless person like me?”

The entire classroom gasped.

Normally, Shuwan would only lower his head or apologize.

This kind of courage was something completely new.

“You—!”

Bo exploded in rage.

BANG!

He slammed Shuwan’s desk violently, causing a deafening screech across the classroom.

“You want me to beat you up again?!” Bo threatened while clenching his fist in front of Shuwan’s face. “Do you want to end up in the infirmary again today?!”

The other students immediately began cheering, adding fuel to the tension.

“Beat him up, Bo! Let him know his place!” one of Bo’s followers shouted.

“Go ahead if you want!” Shuwan challenged as he stood up from his chair, defying both Bo’s intimidation and the fear gripping the room.

Bo gritted his teeth so hard that his jaw bulged.

Without another warning, he threw a heavy punch straight toward Shuwan’s jaw.

The punch was fast and powerful.

Normally, it would have landed squarely on Shuwan’s face.

Whoosh!

The entire classroom suddenly fell silent.

Everyone held their breath.

Not because Shuwan had collapsed—

—but because, for the first time in the school’s history, Shuwan had successfully dodged Bo’s punch.

He tilted his head just a few centimeters aside, causing Bo’s fist to slice through the air right beside his ear.

Even Shuwan himself was shocked.

His body had moved instinctively, as though time had suddenly slowed down and he could clearly see the direction of the attack.

“Shuwan...? No way...” one student whispered from the back row.

“Was that just luck? There’s no way that weakling could dodge it,” another student muttered in disbelief.

Bo stood frozen with his fist still hanging in the air.

His eyes widened as he stared at Shuwan, who now stood before him with a sharp gaze and not the slightest trace of fear.