Chapter 4: Deterrence

The conscience of heaven and earth, just now, Lorin was truly engrossed in reading. Upon encountering an uncommon variant character, he instinctively inquired of Lanlan without much contemplation. Little did he know that the word "roll," in the ears of Han Xuan and others, carried an entirely different meaning!

"Uh, apologies, purely unintentional," Lorin felt a bit embarrassed. A girl of this age, especially Han Xuan, who was pampered and raised in a wealthy family, couldn't possibly endure Lorin's inadvertent "insult."

"You...," Han Xuan, feeling wronged, was on the verge of tears. When had she ever been scolded with "roll" in front of so many people?! And this rascal still had the audacity to claim it was "purely unintentional"? Nonsense!

Han Xuan swore she wanted to slap him right now, but years of family upbringing made her grit her teeth and hold back the impulse. With tears almost streaming down, she abruptly turned and ran out of the classroom, leaving behind the words, "Lorin! You big scoundrel!!"

"Uh..." Watching Han Xuan sway her petite figure out of the classroom, Lorin shrugged helplessly.

Chi Shi, observing Han Xuan running out, had a sudden inspiration and shouted loudly, "Scoundrel, you dare insult our class leader Han? Do you want to die?"

The decibel level was high enough for everyone present to hear clearly, including Han Xuan, who had run outside.

This was precisely the effect Chi Shi wanted.

Firstly, he had been itching to take care of Lorin for a while. Secondly, this time, he was standing up for "Han Beauty." She would undoubtedly remember his heroic act! Killing two birds with one stone—how satisfying!

"Brothers, give me a good beating for this scoundrel!"

The words were barely out when Chi Shi's lackeys rushed forward to give Lorin a severe thrashing.

Initially feeling a bit helpless, Lorin's expression suddenly turned cold when he saw the guys coming to beat him up. "What? Going to beat me?"

The aura emanating from Lorin at this moment was completely incongruent with his age. The icy and slightly disdainful tone made the approaching fellows involuntarily pause.

"Planning to beat me?" Chi Shi was relatively far from Lorin and couldn't personally feel the aura emanating from him. He acted tough and said, "Today, if I don't teach you a lesson, my name isn't Chi! What are you staring at? Beat him up!"

Lorin coldly smiled. He didn't pay much attention to these small fries.

Casually pulling out a utility knife from the drawer, he looked at the delinquents approaching and said with a cold tone, "Planning to attack me? I'll be the victim then. Plus, you outnumber me, so if I fight back, it's purely self-defense." With that, he pushed out the sharp blade of the utility knife, its cold gleam sending shivers.

"The sharpness of this utility knife is no less than that of a sharpened dagger. If used properly, it can effortlessly sever certain people's windpipes. The windpipe is in this area," Lorin gestured on his own neck, "once cut, arterial blood will continuously flow, unstoppable, leading to certain death. Unfortunately, before death, breathing becomes impossible. It's said that the sensation is akin to being alive but wishing for death. Not sure if it's true."

Lorin grinned, then swiped the utility knife across a book, instantly scattering the pages on the ground.

The delinquents were visibly shocked, looking at the scattered pages. They had no doubt about the sharpness of the utility knife. Even if Lorin couldn't cut their windpipes, causing some sharp injuries was entirely feasible. They were just following Chi Shi to pass the time, no need to go all out.

"According to the law, acting in self-defense incurs no criminal liability. At most, compensation needs to be paid to the deceased's family. If any of you are tired of living or think your family's money isn't enough, feel free to resort to violence against me."

Lorin, a seasoned veteran of nearly forty, spoke confidently and reasonably. It was enough to intimidate these simple-minded thugs.

While observing Lorin, Lanlan was frightened. She looked at the utility knife in his hand, pale-faced, unable to speak. Yet, she didn't run away at this critical moment. Not for anything else, but because she felt some affection for Lorin and didn't want to leave him alone in such a situation.

Lorin naturally noticed Lanlan's every move, feeling touched by her actions. He cursed himself for not recognizing the girl's straightforward feelings. Guilty, guilty.

"How about it?" Lorin raised an eyebrow, looking at Chi Shi in the distance. "Chi Shi, want to beat me? Come by yourself, don't drag others into this. Isn't your dad the deputy mayor? I can guarantee that if you come alone to beat me, then it's not self-defense. It's a private dispute between the two of us. Of course, if I cut off your windpipe, then I become a murderer. Your dad being the deputy mayor would surely make me face the consequences. Still want to beat me?"

The entire class shifted their gaze to Chi Shi.

Just a moment ago, the arrogant Chi Shi was now standing alone, uncertain of what action to take.

Rushing to fight with Lorin? Judging by Lorin's ruthless appearance, who knew if he would actually slash his neck. But if he didn't, he would be seen as a coward, embarrassing himself in front of the whole class.

Chi Shi felt a slight panic in his heart. Despite his tough words, he was scared. However, he couldn't just stand there dumbly. Being the center of attention from the entire class, he didn't know what to do.

After some hesitation, Chi Shi threatened with gritted teeth, "Lorin, why draw a knife? If you have the guts, fight me barehanded, and I'll show you I can beat you!"

Lorin knew he was scared, and with a disdainful smile, he replied, "Chi Shi, stop with the useless talk. If you want to fight, come now. Don't dawdle like a girl. If you're afraid, you can bring a knife or even a gun if you have the guts."

With that, Lorin sat down, playing with the utility knife in one hand while holding a book in the other, continuing his studies. He appeared entirely relaxed, as if in his eyes, Chi Shi was smaller than an ant.

The entire classroom fell into an unusually silent state.

Han Xuan, who had been hiding outside the classroom, also quietly peeked in, observing everything. She saw it all clearly and without a doubt, she was awed by Lorin's dominance.

Say what you will about him being bad, but scaring these small-time thugs was just a bluff. Say what you will about him being all talk, but the strength in his words was unquestionable.

Lorin calmly read his book, letting the atmosphere settle. Noticing everyone watching him, Chi Shi felt humiliated, but he had.