Villain: Without morals, you can’t be manipulated!

Chapter 42 Qi Lin’s Past and Minzu High School

After learning about Wang Siling’s whereabouts, Qi Lin didn’t head straight to the riverside. Instead, after hanging up the call, he pondered for a moment before driving toward Jianghan Minzu High School.

If Huashi No.1 High School was the best in Jianghan City, then Minzu High School was the worst in terms of environment. The school mainly enrolled ethnic minority students from various counties and children of migrant workers.

Due to its diverse student background, the school environment was chaotic, filled with all sorts of people. Fights were a common occurrence, and gangs often formed within the school. There were even cases of students extorting money, assaulting teachers, and other misconduct.

Why did Qi Lin know this so well?

Because he had once been a part of it.

Before transferring in his senior year, he had spent years studying at Minzu High School. His car stopped at the school gate.

Even before rolling down the window, Qi Lin saw the storefronts on both sides of the campus entrance, where groups of young thugs with buzz cuts were either standing or sitting around.

They were cursing loudly, flirting with delinquent girls, and puffing smoke into the air, looking utterly arrogant.

An average person would be intimidated by this sight and take a detour. But Qi Lin merely chuckled, opened the car door, and walked straight toward them.

______

Zheng Yu was squatting on the steps, smoking, and contemplating how to make money. After all, he had a bunch of younger gang members to support.

Being a gang leader wasn’t just about loyalty; money was an essential tool for maintaining power. If his followers lost faith in him, his position as their boss wouldn’t last long.

Suddenly, he noticed a pair of shoes appear in front of him. Looking up, he saw a familiar face.

“Well, well, isn’t this our school’s little rich kid, Young Master Lin?”

“I heard you transferred schools a while back and disappeared for months. What brings you back to visit your old pals?”

Upon seeing Qi Lin, Zheng Yu grinned.

Just moments ago, he was wondering where to get some money, and now a walking ATM had shown up.

In his past life, Qi Lin had been generous, frequently treating Zheng Yu and his gang to drinks and cigarettes. Whenever Zheng Yu asked for money, Qi Lin, reluctant to stir up trouble, would always hand it over.

Because of this, Qi Lin never got bullied while studying at Minzu High School. But now that he had been reborn, his personality had hardened—he wasn’t going to be a fool again.

“Zheng Yu, over the past two years, I’ve given you at least several thousand yuan, haven’t I? Don’t you think it’s time for you to return the favor?”

Qi Lin didn’t bother with pleasantries and got straight to the point. Zheng Yu was momentarily stunned by Qi Lin’s tone. This kid sounded way more arrogant than before—nothing like the easygoing pushover he used to be.

“Young Master Lin, that’s not how this works. The money you gave me was for protection. If it weren’t for me looking out for you, do you think you’d have survived unscathed at Minzu High?”

“If you want my help now, you gotta pay up again.”

Zheng Yu flicked away his cigarette and stood up, staring Qi Lin in the eyes.

“How much do you want?”

Qi Lin narrowed his eyes, radiating a dangerous aura. Back then, he had paid off multiple gang leaders at Minzu High to keep trouble away. But Zheng Yu had always been the greediest, which was precisely why Qi Lin sought him out first.

Zheng Yu smirked.

“Not much. If you need me to rough someone up or back you up, 10,000 yuan will do.”

“Heh—”

Qi Lin chuckled coldly.

In 2002, 10,000 yuan was enough for these thugs to live lavishly for a month.

Did Zheng Yu really think he was still the same gullible fool?

“Well, Young Master Lin? Made up your mind yet?”

Zheng Yu lazily urged.

SLAP!

Qi Lin’s response was a sharp slap across Zheng Yu’s face. Feeling the burning pain on his cheek, Zheng Yu staggered backward, utterly dumbfounded.

At Minzu High, there were countless gang leaders. Zheng Yu was one of them. But in all his years here, no one had ever dared slap him like this.

“F*ck your mother! You dare hit me!”

Zheng Yu was livid and immediately waved for his men.

“Damn it! Get over here, all of you! If I don’t break this brat’s leg today, I’m not worthy of my name!”

His gang members weren’t the only ones who responded. Several other gang leaders at Minzu High noticed the commotion and eagerly came over to watch. Dozens of thugs stood off against Qi Lin, while hundreds of others gathered to witness the showdown. But Qi Lin remained unfazed.

He calmly pulled out a cigarette, lit it, took a deep drag, and exhaled a smoke ring before speaking slowly.

“My dad owns Tianlin Breeding Group, worth over a billion yuan. If anything happens to me today, he’ll have you all chopped into mincemeat by tomorrow.”

His fearless aura and icy tone sent chills down their spines. Zheng Yu’s gang hesitated. Seeing that he had intimidated them, Qi Lin casually pulled out a thick stack of cash—all in 100-yuan bills, totaling more than 10,000 yuan. Then, he did something that shocked everyone.

Whoosh!

With a devilish smile, Qi Lin tossed the stack of cash into the air. A rain of hundred-yuan bills fluttered down before the eyes of hundreds of gang members.

“You wanted 10,000 yuan, right? Today, whoever beats the sh*t out of Zheng Yu gets a share of this money.”

“As for anyone thinking about touching me—listen carefully. If even a single hair on my head is harmed, my dad will make sure you end up at the bottom of the Yangtze River, never to be found.”

His words were calm, yet they carried an undeniable weight, making it impossible for anyone to dismiss them.

Were Qi Lin’s words entirely true?

Of course not.

His father was just a businessman who played by the rules.

But in 2002, many billionaires had indeed climbed their way up from the underground, with blood on their hands. The blurred line between truth and deception was enough to deter these street thugs.

“You… what are you guys planning to do?”

As expected, the sight of flying money was far more persuasive than anything else. On top of that, Zheng Yu had made many enemies at Minzu High.

Hearing Qi Lin’s offer, the other gang leaders and hundreds of thugs began eyeing Zheng Yu with ill intent. Panic surged through Zheng Yu’s heart as he turned around in desperation.

But to his horror, he saw something that shattered his last bit of hope.

The so-called “brothers” who had sworn loyalty to him had all disappeared. Within moments, he was left standing there alone.

“Qi—Qi Lin… No! Brother Lin! I was wrong, I really was! I apologize, okay? I won’t take your money, I’ll do whatever you say! Just spare me this once!”

Faced with certain doom, the once-arrogant Zheng Yu immediately caved, begging for mercy.

But the reborn Qi Lin had a heart as cold as steel.

He smirked and turned to the surrounding thugs.

“What’s wrong? Don’t you want the money? Get to work.”

The moment he spoke, the thugs could no longer hold back.

Like a swarm of locusts, they charged at Zheng Yu.

“AHHHH!”

Amidst the chaos, Zheng Yu’s agonized screams were drowned out by the mob.