73: Chapter 73 Mom, I want to repeat a grade!

Although the system said to win them over with charm, Jiang Li didn't plan on making it that complicated.

When dealing with kids like this, reasoning with them doesn't do much good.

What they lack most right now isn't logic, but a harsh beating from society.

Jiang Li looked at the Blue-haired Girl and chuckled.

"Who are you calling an old fogey, little brat?"

Hearing this, the Blue-haired Girl's expression stiffened.

Jiang Li had said it very casually, but the destructive power was high.

She had just called him old, so he called her young—giving her a taste of her own medicine.

Kids who have just grown up are most sensitive about people calling them young.

Sure enough, the Blue-haired Girl got anxious immediately.

She took a step forward and puffed out her chest.

"Where am I small?"

"I'm already eighteen!"

Jiang Li looked her up and down.

"The eighteenth, huh."

He nodded with a very serious tone.

"That's definitely very small."

The Blue-haired Girl: "???"

Not the eighteenth!

It's eighteen years old, dammit!

After saying that, Jiang Li deliberately glanced at Du Aoling standing next to him and gave a mischievous chuckle.

"She's not even half as big as my Lingling."

Du Aoling's face turned red instantly.

She was both embarrassed and amused, and in the end, she couldn't hold it back; she reached out to grab Jiang Li's arm, her whole body trembling.

The Blue-haired Girl was stunned.

For a moment, she couldn't even tell who the real troublemaker was.

Clearly, she was the one being snarky first, so why did it feel like she was the one being pinned to the ground and roasted?

Several students passing by had originally been watching the spectacle.

Hearing Jiang Li's words, someone couldn't hold it back on the spot.

"Pfft!"

"That's brutal!"

The Red-haired Girl and the Green-haired Girl were also struggling to keep a straight face.

They wanted to laugh, but didn't dare to be too obvious.

After all, the Blue-haired Girl was on their side, and if they laughed too loudly, it might easily lead to internal conflict later.

The Blue-haired Girl's face flushed red, and she gritted her teeth while looking at Jiang Li.

"I... I want to duel you!"

Jiang Li was taken aback for a moment.

"A duel?"

In modern society, does such an archaic method still exist?

"Yes!"

The Blue-haired Girl pointed to the pool hall behind her.

"Didn't you say I was a brat?"

"Let's play a game of pool."

"Let's see who the real brat is!"

Jiang Li almost laughed.

Kids these days actually have a sense of sportsmanship.

Even when they can't win with words, they don't think about throwing punches, but choose to get on the pool table instead.

Du Aoling hurriedly tugged on Jiang Li's arm.

"Brother, don't agree to her."

"She's very good at playing pool."

"The boys at our school can't beat her."

Upon hearing this, the Blue-haired Girl immediately regained some confidence.

She crossed her arms and sneered.

"What?"

"Are you scared?"

Jiang Li saw her expression and laughed instead.

"How good can she be compared to me?"

Before he became a corporate drone, he used to play these things often.

Billiards, arcade games, all-nighters at internet cafes.

Those were the three staples of a teenage boy's youth in a small town.

And he used to be quite good at it.

Although he was a bit rusty now, after working out these past few days, the system had added a lot to his physique.

Strength, stability, and body control were all much stronger than before.

Playing against a few brats really wouldn't cause him to flip over.

Jiang Li patted Du Aoling's hand.

"Don't worry."

"Today, I'll show you what the athletic talent of a mature man looks like."

Du Aoling: "..."

She always felt that this sentence was a bit strange, but she didn't know how to refute it.

A few of them soon entered the pool hall.

The pool hall wasn't big, and the smell of smoke and drinks mixed together inside.

There were some faded posters stuck on the walls.

Jiang Li had been to places like this before.

It's just a small-town pool hall.

The decor doesn't matter; what matters more is the atmosphere.

The Blue-haired Girl expertly opened a table.

After she set up the balls, she tilted her chin at Jiang Li.

"I'll let you break."

She was doing it on purpose.

Many people look quite confident, but in reality, they can't even scatter the balls on the break.

The Blue-haired Girl just wanted to see Jiang Li make a fool of himself.

Jiang Li didn't stand on ceremony either.

He picked up the cue, simply applied some chalk.

Bent over.

Aimed.

Shot.

"Bang!"

A crisp sound rang out.

The cue ball slammed into the pile of balls.

The next second, the balls on the table scattered, hitting the cushions continuously.

"Clack!" "Clack!" "Clack!"

Several balls went into the pockets one after another.

The smile on the Blue-haired Girl's face froze instantly, and the Red-haired Girl and the Green-haired Girl were stunned.

What is this?

Is this even human?

What kind of normal person breaks like they're demolishing a building?

Du Aoling's eyes lit up instantly.

"Brother, that's amazing!"

Jiang Li felt pretty good hearing that.

As expected of a fresh female college graduate, her emotional support, while not as professional as Wang Yaoyao's, excelled in its sincerity.

Jiang Li continued to lean over to hit the next ball.

It was just that he hadn't played in too long, and his feel for the game hadn't fully returned.

This shot was slightly off-angle; the ball grazed the pocket and wobbled, but didn't go in.

The Blue-haired Girl immediately seized the opportunity.

"Oh."

"Looks like you just have some brute strength."

As she said this, she deliberately glanced at Du Aoling.

"No wonder our Lingling took a liking to you."

"So she likes it rough."

Du Aoling's face turned red again.

Jiang Li, however, didn't feel any pressure at all.

He put the cue aside and said calmly:

"Even if you wanted it rough, there's nobody willing to exert it on you."

The Blue-haired Girl: "..."

This time, she was truly speechless.

She was usually considered sharp-tongued at school.

But that was only against students.

When she actually ran into a social adult like Jiang Li, her bit of snark wasn't enough.

The Blue-haired Girl was so angry she bared her teeth.

"Watch me destroy you!"

She picked up the cue and leaned over to shoot.

Have to admit, she did have some skill.

Two balls in a row went in very steadily.

Plus the pile Jiang Li had sunk on the break, there weren't many balls left on the table for her to play.

With only two left, she could win.

The Blue-haired Girl's lips curled up again, and she pursed her mouth at Jiang Li.

"Your turn, don't say I'm bullying an old man."

Jiang Li looked at the table, not rushing to speak.

He leaned down, placed his fingers on the table, and slowly tried to find his feel.

That last shot was off, not because he didn't know how to play.

It was just that he hadn't controlled his strength well.

Now he roughly knew.

Jiang Li shot.

First ball in.

Second ball in.

Third ball in.

The Blue-haired Girl had been holding her arms at first.

Watching and watching, her arms dropped, and she was so surprised that her mouth hung open, wide enough to fit an egg.

Could this guy be playing the pig to eat the tiger?

Jiang Li's pace wasn't fast.

But every shot was very steady.

When it came to the last ball, he even paused on purpose.

"Watch closely."

The Blue-haired Girl: "..."

She suddenly had an ominous premonition.

The next second, Jiang Li made the shot.

The target ball went cleanly into the pocket.

Cleared the table in one go.

Jiang Li put down the cue and looked at the Blue-haired Girl.

"Little brat, convinced yet?"

The Blue-haired Girl, the Red-haired Girl, and the Green-haired Girl were also stunned.

The brute force miracle earlier could still be understood.

But the following balls in a row, that wasn't a question of strength.

He really knows how to play!

The Blue-haired Girl's expression changed repeatedly, and finally, she gritted her teeth and said:

"I'm not convinced!"

"Best two out of three!"

Jiang Li smiled.

"Fine."

Two minutes later.

The Blue-haired Girl clutched the cue, her face looking even worse.

"No!"

"Best three out of five!"

Jiang Li nodded.

"That's fine too."

Another two minutes later.

The Blue-haired Girl's voice wasn't as confident as before.

"Best four out of six!"

Jiang Li looked at her, "Your math is quite liberal."

After four consecutive games, she finally stopped talking.

Because by the last game, Jiang Li hadn't even let her touch a ball.

Break.

Clear the table.

Finished.

The whole process was faster than ordering milk tea.

More and more people were watching.

Some students were whispering on the side.

"This guy is really ruthless."

"The Blue-haired Girl really kicked a steel plate today."

"More than just kicking a steel plate; she tried to take a bite out of it."

The Blue-haired Girl stood by the table, completely deflated.

Jiang Li put down the cue.

"How about it?"

"Still wet behind the ears, and you're out here trying to find a sense of superiority?"

The Blue-haired Girl: "..."

Her lips trembled twice, and then she suddenly cried, tears dropping down...

This pool hall was their base.

They usually hang out here quite a bit.

Everyone who saw them had to call her Sister Blue.

As a result, today, she was beaten like this in her own base.

How is she supposed to hang out here in the future?

The Red-haired Girl and the Green-haired Girl panicked too.

"Sister Blue, don't cry."

"It's just one game..."

"It's not one game, it's many games."

Some student nearby whispered, adding that.

The Blue-haired Girl cried even more sadly.

While crying, she took out her phone.

Du Aoling instantly became nervous and hurriedly pulled Jiang Li.

"Brother."

"Let's go quickly."

"Is she going to call for backup?"

Jiang Li patted Du Aoling's shoulder.

"It's fine."

He was hoping she would call for backup.

If she really called someone, he would just call Wang Qiang over.

Let's see who could call for more professional backup.

But the next moment, the Blue-haired Girl dialed a number while crying and said something that shattered Jiang Li's worldview.

"Mom..."

"Help me sign up for a tutoring class."

"I want to repeat a grade!"