Chapter 76

During lunch at the school cafeteria, many familiar classmates, including Zhu Hongyu and Naren Hua, approached Song Haowen, eager to learn the truth about his heroic fight against the thugs.

He couldn’t outright confirm or deny it, so he had to dodge their questions. The male classmates were more interested than the female ones.

Roommates like Ding Mo, Zhang Qiang, Yu Guangzhong, Sun Laixi, and Wu Sida speculated wildly about Song Haowen single-handedly defeating dozens of armed opponents. Even Song Haowen found himself starting to believe their exaggerated scenarios.

To escape the relentless questioning from classmates, Song Haowen had to take a leave in the afternoon. As soon as he arrived at the business Store, Qian Youlai and Wang Li intercepted him, asking about the authenticity of the rumors surrounding his street fight.

Not wanting to deceive them, he told the truth, leaving them amazed.

Qian Youlai couldn’t stop expressing regret, blaming himself for not practicing diligently and feeling embarrassed for letting down his master.

Since Song Haowen taught him martial arts a few months ago, he felt that his skills hadn’t improved at all.

Song Haowen comforted Qian Youlai, urging him not to worry and explaining that martial arts practice is a gradual process.

When the time is right, progress will naturally happen. In his heart, Song Haowen knew that without the foundation from his previous life, even if he started practicing from the womb, he wouldn’t have the current level of martial arts he has now.

However, this hidden aspect couldn’t be easily explained, adding to the curiosity people had about him.

By around three in the afternoon, Song Haowen rushed to the music room to check the preparations for the evening performance at the theater.

The music room had signed up five or six male and female singers, including one female singer who had achieved the title of “Queen of Heaven” in his previous life.

However, their singing skills varied, and their coordination needed improvement. Additionally, the music room had recruited a few dance performers who, although playing supporting roles, still required proper training to enhance the overall performance.

Although Song Haowen wasn’t trained in dance and didn’t understand the language of dance, having seen a lot of K-pop in his previous life, he casually mentioned a few moves like “Gangnam Style” and Michael Jackson’s signature moves, astonishing the traditional dance performers and receiving praise as a “stroke of genius.”

When Song Haowen arrived at the music room, intending to head straight to the second-floor inside theater room for rehearsal observation, he was spotted by Su Yan, who called him into the office.

She also inquired about the events of the previous night and expressed her concern, saying, “Won’t those ruffians come back for revenge? You need to be extra careful when you go out from now on.”

Song Haowen smiled and reassured Su Yan, “Don’t worry. Those guys won’t be coming out for a few years. Besides, even if they want revenge, they’d need the courage to do it. Moreover, they brought this upon themselves by picking a fight. I just defended myself. Hating me doesn’t seem to have much justification.”

“This incident is too frightening. You have a precious life. Be careful in the future. Fighting with those desperate people isn’t worth it. If you can avoid physical conflicts, don’t hesitate. Sometimes taking a small loss isn’t a big deal.” Su Yan continued to express her concern.

At this moment, Tian Nana also came over. She saw Song Haowen and pulled his hand, inspecting him from all angles. When she didn’t see any injuries, she finally relaxed a bit.

“Little brother, I heard about what happened last night in the morning, and it scared me quite a bit. More than ten people, and they were carrying weapons. What if they had stabbed you or hit you with an iron rod? It could have been really bad,” Tian Nana said, her eyes turning red. “Luckily, you’re nimble and fortunate, and nothing happened to your face.”

Su Yan advised, “Xiao Song, you shouldn’t perform tonight. Take a good rest. If you go on stage tonight, I’m afraid the scene will explode. Right or wrong, fighting as a celebrity is a big deal.”

Song Haowen readily agreed, saying, “I was thinking the same. I didn’t expect this matter to spread so quickly. Truly, good news doesn’t go out, and bad news spreads far and wide. Let’s let this cool down first.”

Tian Nana disagreed, saying, “Although what Haowen did may not be considered a righteous act, it was self-defense, a justifiable action that deserves respect. I think Haowen should still show up tonight. Even if he just sings a song, it will be beneficial to calm the public opinion outside.”

Su Yan, after hearing her daughter’s words, found them reasonable and looked at Song Haowen, waiting to see how he would respond.

After some consideration, Song Haowen agreed with Tian Nana’s suggestion and decided to go on stage and sing a song in the evening.

As the three were discussing matters in the office, a female intern journalist, holding a press pass from the “Beijing Evening News,” came in. She wanted to interview Song Haowen about the events of the previous night.

Song Haowen didn’t want to bring up old matters, fearing it could cause trouble. However, the persistent journalist forced him to accept the interview eventually.

The girl, not yet twenty, holding a press pass from the “Beijing Evening News,” was named Gu Ziwei. Before coming, she had already visited the local police station to understand the situation and confirmed with a few witnesses.

Although she found it unbelievable and almost mythical that Song Haowen had defeated more than ten people by himself, it seemed real and credible. Therefore, she was determined to interview him regardless.

Song Haowen reluctantly said, “There’s really not much to say about this matter. It’s not that my skills are outstanding; the main thing is that they never expected I would be unafraid of their large numbers and would even fight back. Maybe they were a bit bewildered at the time, and defeating them relied on catching them off guard and a bit of luck.”

Gu Ziwei wasn’t a child, and she wasn’t a rookie reporter on her first day. How could she fully believe Song Haowen’s words? Unconventional tactics for victory were possible when the strength of both sides wasn’t too disparate.

However, facing more than ten adult thugs, the strength difference wasn’t negligible. Depending solely on catching them off guard, he might be able to subdue one or two, but it was impossible to suddenly defeat more than ten. Clearly, his victory was not accidental; he possessed formidable strength.

“Have you practiced martial arts?” she asked from a different angle.

“A little bit. I practiced Tai Chi when I was a child,” Song Haowen truthfully replied.

“You don’t just know a little bit; you’re probably better than a martial arts master!” Gu Ziwei felt that Song Haowen was too modest. “I’m curious; you’re so young, and you’re not only a singer but also a martial arts expert. Are you from a martial arts family?”

Song Haowen laughed. “I’m just a farmer’s son, and none of the adults at home know martial arts.”

“Then your master must be amazing. Who is it? Can you tell me?” Gu Ziwei asked.

“What’s there not to say? To be honest, I don’t have a specific master. I basically followed a manual and practiced on my own. I don’t even know if my practice is correct,” Song Haowen said. In his previous life, he had learned from a martial arts master, but how could he explain that? So, he shamelessly claimed to be self-taught, and in this life, no one could refute him.

Gu Ziwei’s cute little mouth widened, and her beautiful eyes stared round. “A prodigy, a genius! Let me make sure I’m not dreaming first.” Gu Ziwei chuckled and pinched her own fair arm. “Ouch… This is too unbelievable. Forgive me for making a request: Little Master, can you show me some of your moves?”

Song Haowen looked around the office and shook his head. “How do I demonstrate this? There’s no one here to fight with.”

At this moment, Su Yan, sitting behind the desk, interjected, “Reporter Gu, let me tell you, our little Song’s kung fu is really amazing, not just bragging. However, you might not be able to see his strength in an empty-handed performance.”

Gu Ziwei persisted. “Then perform a few moves without any weapons, just so I can learn.”

Song Haowen understood that she was still somewhat skeptical about his martial arts skills. To end the interview sooner and go watch the rehearsal, he walked to the open area in the middle of the office, threw a few punches, and then casually grabbed a paperweight from his desk.

With a swing of his palm, the granite block, as thick as a child’s arm, instantly split in half. Seeing this, Tian Nana exclaimed and rushed forward to check Song Haowen’s hand, worried that he might be injured.

After confirming that his palm was unharmed, she finally felt relieved.

Gu Ziwei picked up the heavy broken stones from the ground, knocking them together, creating crisp sounds. Finally convinced of Song Haowen’s extraordinary skills, she was filled with stars in her eyes.

Su Yan checked her watch and said, “It’s getting late, and we need to prepare for the evening performance. Reporter Gu, let’s end the interview here for now.” Without waiting for Gu Ziwei to agree, she said to Song Haowen, “Xiao Song, you and Nana go check the rehearsal’s progress quickly. Don’t make any mistakes during the actual performance.”

Song Haowen was happy to escape the interview and politely greeted Reporter Gu. He then followed Tian Nana and left.

Gu Ziwei saw that Song Haowen was busy and didn’t want to force the interview. Instead, she decided to follow him to the rehearsal site and see how things progressed.

As a result, whenever Song Haowen and Tian Nana got busy, they couldn’t stop. For dinner, each person only had a piece of bread and a cup of milk, then they were busy arranging the details of the performance.

Su Yan was also busy, leading the staff to help the gatekeeper with ticket checks and maintaining order in the theater.

Because overnight, Song Haowen became a martial arts master, attracting a large audience all at once. However, the small theater had limited capacity, and many couldn’t get tickets, so they gathered on the street outside the music room, causing a traffic jam.

At this time, the entire staff of the music room was nervous, and nobody had time to pay attention to Gu Ziwei.

Fortunately, Gu Ziwei was accustomed to such situations, not feeling awkward. She found a corner on the second-floor theater and sat down.

This time, besides reporting on Song Haowen’s brave fight against the ruffians, the music room and theater, as new elements, were also her points of focus.

To prevent any mishaps, Song Haowen’s solo performance was scheduled last. Before he took the stage, the entire evening’s performance was relatively ordinary, going smoothly, with only a few audience members shouting for him to appear.

However, when he did, the entire venue erupted. All the audience stood up, applauding and cheering, demanding him to demonstrate his martial arts skills, leaving him momentarily unable to start singing.