Chapter 122: Turbulence

"Hmph, someone who was ranked third from the bottom in his original class, what is there to be so arrogant about?" Shi Lei sneered, a flicker of malice subconsciously crossing his eyes.

"Did you only get in because of your family's connections?" Although it was a question, his face displayed absolute confidence.

Gasps rippled through the room.

Suddenly, the gazes the surrounding students cast toward Zhang Ye changed. To them, having entered the elite class through family connections was fundamentally unfair, especially to those who had barely made the cut through their own hard work. This was felt even more keenly by those who had missed the cutoff by only a few points.

Zhang Ye looked up at him, shook his head, and said nothing.

He did not care about the strange looks from his classmates. Ever since he was reborn into this present, he knew a natural barrier had been established between him and them; he could no longer act like a normal student, engaging in playful banter or games.

In his past life, he had been something of a loner due to the scar on his face. In this life, his personality remained largely unchanged. Even though the fate of that scar had been altered, he still found it impossible to truly mingle with these children.

"Too embarrassed to speak? Trying to hide something?" Zhang Ye's indifference completely infuriated him. Shi Lei lunged for the notebook in Zhang Ye's hand, shouting as he grabbed, "Someone like you has no place in our class!"

"Nuisance."

It felt like a fly buzzing incessantly in his ear. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't have minded; Zhang Ye’s heart was calm, and such trivial noise could not affect him. But this fly wasn't just buzzing—it was trying to use hands and a body stained with all sorts of filth to grab at him. That was intolerable.

Zhang Ye lowered his hand holding the notebook slightly, dodging Shi Lei’s grasp, then rose swiftly, grabbed him by the collar, and lifted him straight into the air.

Shi Lei was of medium build, slightly chubby, and stood about 1.7 meters tall. Even if he wasn't a heavyweight, he was certainly not light. Being hoisted into the air by a single hand, his toes dangling above the floor, and struggling while Zhang Ye’s hand remained as steady as a mountain—the shock of this was far greater than the rumors about him getting in through connections.

They watched Zhang Ye with a mixture of surprise and awe, then turned sympathetic gazes toward Shi Lei. Shi Lei, who had always acted smug and arrogant—perhaps because he had once been the vice class monitor—was not well-liked by his peers either. When the conflict broke out, no one thought to fetch a teacher; instead, they all left their seats and gathered around.

"Let go!" Shi Lei’s face flushed a deep red. He struggled violently with his limbs, grabbing at Zhang Ye’s arm and attempting to kick him, but suspended in mid-air and under Zhang Ye’s firm control, his efforts were futile. Being held straight out in front of Zhang Ye by one hand only made the humiliation more acute.

In front of the entire class, his pride, his dignity, his conceit... all were buried in this moment. Shame was no longer enough to describe his feelings; he wanted to die. If there had been a hole in the floor, he would have crawled into it, even if it meant leaving his chubby rear end exposed.

But clearly, his struggles were no match for the strength hidden within Zhang Ye’s seemingly slender frame.

"I hate it when people buzz like flies in front of me; it gives me the urge to hit them. It’s best you don't annoy me again. If you're so capable, go find the principal and have him move me. As soon as he says the word, I’ll pack up and leave without a second thought." With that, Zhang Ye tossed Shi Lei to the ground, didn't spare him a second glance, and sat back down at his desk.

For girls, especially those in their adolescence, the model students often failed to capture their attention. It was the "bad boys"—those who walked alone and stood apart from the crowd—who were more likely to catch their eye. During the budding years of youth, these "bad boys" often left an indelible mark on their hearts. They wouldn't realize until they were truly mature that these "bad boys" often ended up as street thugs or brawlers, living day-to-day with no security.

Thus, most of the girls in the class were conquered by Zhang Ye’s domineering aura at that moment.

Zhang