Chapter 521 — The Situation Shifts

So once these paid stooges stepped forward to voice their support, the situation shifted. Whether or not Yang Ce took part in the match, they would have an excuse to attack Yang Juehuan.

"It seems the students' opinions aren't unified either!" Feng Jiuneng said with a smile. "But I agree with what these classmates are saying. The match hasn't started yet, and whether it happens at all rests entirely with Heng. If he says he'll fight, then what are you all worrying yourselves sick over? And if he says he won't, then all your worrying was for nothing anyway, wasn't it?"

Feng Jiuneng's words, inside and out, shifted the entire responsibility onto Yang Ce, as though everything had been caused by Yang Juehuan and had nothing whatsoever to do with him or Fan Ce! Right or wrong, it was all on Yang Ce.

Though Feng Jiuneng's reasoning was warped and smacked of manipulating public opinion, for a moment the students below the stage, having heard Fan Ce's words, genuinely felt that this was indeed how things stood! The decision lay in Yang Juehuan's hands—so what were they worrying about?

At that thought, the students quieted down for the time being.

Below the stage stood Zhao Ying and Wang Yanqiu.

"Yanyan, this Feng Jiuneng is just too nasty, isn't he? He's completely steering everyone's thinking—they swapped in another man to fight Yan, and now they act like they're in the right?" Zhao Ying was having none of it! If it had been Fan Ce, she wouldn't have worried much—Fan Ce's build spoke for itself, he'd been pranked by Yang Ce several times already, and his fighting ability was thoroughly ordinary!

On the way to Donghai for sightseeing, Fan Ce had been beaten up at the auto repair shop—he clearly had no idea how to fight at all! And at the villa gates in Donghai, he'd been thrashed by Yang Juehuan's driver, Little Wang, without even managing to hit back!

So when Fan Ce challenged Yang Ce, Zhao Ying couldn't say she was a hundred percent at ease, but at least she had confidence. Yet the moment she saw that hulking brute Fan Sibiao step onto the stage, she began to feel a little uneasy.

"Hah, so that's how Fan Ce dared to challenge Yang Ce—he had a backup plan all along!" Wang Yanqiu said coolly, regarding Fan Sibiao on the stage with a trace of contempt.

From Fan Sibiao's physique alone, Wang Yanqiu could tell that the man won entirely by brute strength. There was no denying his body was powerfully built and his strength must be enormous, but a man like that was only good for underground fights and prize rings—the sort who could enter a few matches to fool the spectators.

If it came to a real fight, Wang Yanqiu had at least a hundred ways to kill him. It might not be a single fatal blow, but putting him down would be no difficult matter!

Still, in Wang Yanqiu's eyes, Fan Sibiao was nothing but an instant kill for Heng. He himself couldn't manage a one-hit kill, but if Yang Ce struck, this Fan Sibiao would go down in a single move.

So Wang Yanqiu wasn't worried at all about whoever Fan Ce might substitute in—it made no difference who it was. Yang Ce's enemies had long since been upgraded to the kind of **boss** that even special agents found a headache. Small fry like this weren't even enough to serve as a warm-up for Yang Ce.

"But look how strong he is—can Yang Ce really handle him?" Zhao Ying was starting to worry.

"Don't forget Yang Juehuan's identity," Wang Yanqiu said mildly. "Didn't he tell you?"

"You mean... Yang Ce's identity as a special agent?" Zhao Ying was slightly taken aback.

"Heh. Since Yang Juehuan's superiors decided to send Yang Ce on that dangerous mission, they must have recognized Yang Juehuan's skill. If Yang Ce couldn't even handle a big brute like this, then his superiors might as well have sent this brute instead—why bother with Yang Ce at all?" Wang Yanqiu laughed. "Think about it—if even Fan Ce could hire this man, do you really believe Yang Ce's superiors couldn't find someone like him?"

"Right, Yanyan, you're right—why didn't I think of that?" In that instant, everything clicked into place for Zhao Ying. Since Yang Ce was a special agent and was about to carry out a highly dangerous mission, his skills had to be exceptional—otherwise Yang Juehuan's superiors would never have designated Yang Ce for the task!

And though this Fan Sibiao looked burly and powerful, in reality he probably wasn't much good. Otherwise, as Wang Yanqiu said, if Fan Ce could find the man, couldn't Yang Juehuan's superiors find him too?

If he really were stronger than Yang Ce, they'd simply send a man like him on the mission—why bother with Yang Ce at all?

"You—you just worry about Yang Ce too much. Care clouds the judgment!" Wang Yanqiu shook her head. "You've only just started dating him, so it's normal to fret. I've been with him long enough to know Yang Ce very well, which is why I don't worry!"

"Mm, then don't laugh at me for it..." Zhao Ying said, a little embarrassed.

"How could I?" Wang Yanqiu shook her head. "Everyone goes through this stage. I've worried about Yang Ce too..."

Wang Yanqiu thought back to the days she and Yan had spent in Vietnam, in Africa...

Weren't those heart-stopping times as well? Especially that moment when Yang Ce braved a hail of bullets—Wang Yanqiu had been worried sick!

But now that it was over, Wang Yanqiu had come to terms with it. If you were an assassin, how could there be no danger? And with Yang Ce's extraordinary skills, there shouldn't be any problem!

Meanwhile, in another section of the stands below, Chen Shutang, Lin Yanhe, and Zhou Yanning had arrived at the stadium early as well. They too had come to watch Yang Ce's last public appearance at school before he left.

Sitting beside the three of them were Zhang Bin, Zhao Sisi, and Wang Mei. Clearly Zhang Bin had smoothed things over between Zhao Sisi and Wang Mei—which went to show that, as a henchman, he carried himself with a good deal of the boss's flair!

In truth, Zhang Bin had always felt that being Yang Juehuan's henchman was quite the glorious position. The good things he got, the women and so on—sure, they were a grade or two below the boss's, but they were far better than what the villains got!

He had two girlfriends: one not much to look at, but at least a ***; the other quite pretty, but not a ***. Each had her flaws, but taken together, things were still pretty good—and he had two women, which put him far ahead of ordinary men!

Look at the likes of Wang Lin and the other characters who'd set themselves against Yan—they might have seemed all that, but in the end, weren't they just finished goods?

So Zhang Bin figured being a henchman was just fine. If trouble came, the boss rode to the rescue; if you got bullied, the boss stepped up for you; even the company—the boss handed it to you. Sure, overall you were still a notch below the boss, but compared to everyone else, you were doing pretty damn well!

"Sister Mengyan, that Fan Ce—how did he dig up a hulking brute like that? Will everything be all right?" Lin Yanhe couldn't help worrying when she saw Fan Sibiao take the stage.

"It should be fine... don't forget, Yang Ce is a special agent!" Chen Shutang had great faith in Heng. At a moment like this, even if she had no confidence, she had to give her sisters enough—after all, she was the first wife.