Now you must speak, unless you prefer not to.

Looking at the man on the ground, Lin Mo sneered coldly, took Chu Miaomiao's hand, and walked toward the school.

The suited man lying on the ground gritted his teeth against the pain and forced himself to stand up.

"Hey, kid, don’t you dare walk away! You bastard! Come on, guys, let’s beat him up!"

He took two steps forward.

But then he sensed something was off. Turning his head, he saw the others standing frozen in place, none of them moving.

Instead, it was Lin Mo who let out another cold laugh, his gaze sweeping over the name tags hanging from their necks.

"Star Realty agents, huh? I’ll remember that."

In Goat City, men in suits were either insurance salesmen or real estate agents.

Lin Mo turned and walked away without another word.

"Don’t you walk away!" the suited man roared.

But Lin Mo ignored him, continuing forward without pause.

Footsteps pounded behind him—the suited man had picked up a brick from somewhere and was charging at Lin Mo.

In response, Lin Mo spun around and delivered a powerful front kick straight to the man’s chest.

The suited man flew backward and crashed to the ground.

Lin Mo didn’t spare him another glance, simply tightening his grip on Chu Miaomiao’s hand as they walked toward the school.

People like him didn’t deserve a second chance.

No one helped the suited man up. His so-called colleagues turned and left without a word.

When Lin Mo reached the school gate, he greeted the security guard on duty.

"Is Director Huang in today?"

"Yeah, he should be resting right now."

Lin Mo’s hand-holding with Chu Miaomiao was obvious, drawing stares from students and parents alike.

But Lin Mo didn’t care. He led Chu Miaomiao, whose body trembled slightly, into the security office. "Can you call Director Huang’s internal line? I need to speak with him."

The guard knew exactly who Lin Mo was. Just yesterday, the school’s Top 100 Rankings had been updated.

Tong Dong, the previous first-place holder, had been dethroned.

Lin Mo now held the top spot.

And his declaration had been updated to: "The One Who Stands Alone Above All Eternity."

(Note: This was before the novel Perfect World existed.)

After the last incident where thugs had stormed the school, the security team had received commendations.

So the guards were familiar with Lin Mo.

The guard immediately dialed Director Huang’s internal line.

Director Huang, who hadn’t yet settled down for his nap, answered quickly.

"Hello, this is the school office. What’s the matter?"

Lin Mo recognized his voice.

"Director Huang, it’s Lin Mo. I’m at the security office right now. There’s something I need you to come down for."

Director Huang, who had just finished his meal and was about to enjoy a peaceful rest, froze for a moment.

If Lin Mo was calling from the security office, it meant he had just returned from outside.

Had he run into trouble with thugs again?

This could be another chance for commendations.

There was a big difference between a student subduing troublemakers and the security team handling it.

So he quickly got up from his cot and hurried downstairs.

Soon, Director Huang arrived at the security office.

"Director Huang, have you eaten?"

Director Huang smiled warmly. "Yes, yes. Lin, what’s going on?"

His eyes flicked between Lin Mo and Chu Miaomiao, lingering on their clasped hands.

The school strictly forbade early romance—but when the top-ranked student was involved, rules tended to bend.

Lin Mo knew exactly what Director Huang was thinking, but he didn’t care.

He simply recounted what had just happened.

One thing was certain: in school, reporting to a teacher was always effective.

Especially in a top-tier high school.

When dealing with parents, the school was at a T5 level—if parents caused a scene, it could be messy. But against societal forces, the school was T1.

Upon hearing the details, Director Huang immediately called the police.

A grown man harassing a female high school student near campus?

And attempting to assault a minor?

At best, this was public disorder. At worst, it was assault and sexual harassment of an underage girl.

Top-tier high schools took student safety very seriously.

So the police mobilized quickly.

...

Star Realty.

"Why didn’t any of you back me up?"

The suited man glared at his colleagues. Just moments ago, they’d been egging him on to hit on that high school girl.

But when he got beaten up, they all backed off.

After the incident, they’d scattered, grabbing their meals and ignoring him completely.

Faced with his accusations, no one responded.

They just looked at him with disdain.

Finally, one of them spoke up.

"Flirting is one thing, but you crossed the line. She told you to stop, and you still chased after her, trying to hit someone? You’re insane—we’re not."

There was a fine line between flirting and harassment.

"Then why didn’t you stop me?" the suited man snapped.

The others exchanged glances but said nothing, busying themselves with their own tasks.

"Whatever. Bunch of cowards. If it weren’t for my uncle, I wouldn’t even work with you losers."

Their expressions darkened, but they kept silent.

The branch manager of Star Realty was this guy’s uncle.

He constantly skimmed their commissions and handed them to his nephew.

Earlier, they hadn’t even planned to eat at that barbecue place—but this guy had dragged them there after spotting a pretty, well-built high school girl.

And because his uncle was the manager, they’d had to play along.

But then he’d actually waited for the girl’s male companion to leave before making his move.

This guy was a dropout without even a real estate license—his deals were all under their names, but he still took the commissions.

Just then, two police cars pulled up outside.

Four officers stepped out, scanned the room, and immediately locked onto the suited man.

"That’s him."

"Sir, you’ll need to come with us."

The suited man stiffened. "What for? I didn’t do anything!"

The officers exchanged looks.

"You’re suspected of harassing an underage girl and attempting to assault a minor. You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say may be used against you in court."

A young officer excitedly recited the script before an older cop smacked him on the back of the head.

"Too many cop shows, kid?" The veteran glanced at the others.

"You’re all coming in for questioning too."

They exchanged glances, a flicker of excitement in their eyes.

For one simple reason—their problem coworker was finally getting what he deserved.

And maybe, just maybe, the manager’s seat would soon be vacant.