"A-Train issued a public apology: 'I feel very guilty about Luo Bin's death. At the time, I was chasing two bank robbers...'"
"Bronze fought six superhumans single-handedly and utterly defeated them. Godkin University stated it would not condone drug crimes and has formally expelled the instigator, Marcus."
"The She-Beast critically injured her new boyfriend again; the victim is currently being rescued in the ICU."
"During a border duty shift, the Wrangler caused the deaths of seven illegal immigrants and injured eleven; his law enforcement standards have been questioned by many parties."
"The Super Seven draft has concluded. The girl-next-door Starlight from Des Moines, Iowa, has successfully joined the Super Seven..."
Godkin University. The first day of classes.
On his way to the teaching building of the Crime Fighting College, Qi Li discovered he had become a household name on campus.
A male student holding a phone approached him and asked, "Bronze, can I take a photo with you?"
Qi Li curled his lip: "Can I say no?"
Of course not.
The student had already crowded up beside Qi Li as though they were old friends, snapping several photos.
Qi Li skillfully put on a forced smile.
Afterward, the student left without hesitation, quickly posting the new photo to social media, titled "A Photo with My Good Brother Bronze."
This wasn't the first time.
Qi Li had come to realize that no matter what he said, these people would still come to take photos.
This was the affliction of celebrity.
His only choice was to agree, creating the illusion of choice.
"Hey, Bronze, I'm your fan. Can I take a photo with you?" A well-built female student then arrived.
Qi Li gladly accepted: "Come on."
Thus, he enjoyed the treatment of a big star, being photographed, filmed, and even livestreamed all the way.
Maverick, who had suddenly left at some point, appeared again at this moment.
Beneath his red cap, he now wore a new pair of sunglasses.
This was Qi Li's suggestion.
That way, when others talked to him, they could at least speak to his glasses instead of looking around blankly at the air.
"Qi Li, you're thoroughly famous now," Maverick said with a smile as he came to his side. "Now you're not only Godkin's No. 1 but also a Super Seven reject. These two identities combined make for great talking points."
Qi Li casually replied while skillfully posing for photos with those who approached: "For people like us, what we fear most is a lack of talking points."
Maverick nodded: "Indeed, just like my father, who shows up in women's restrooms, women's locker rooms, and sorority bathrooms every now and then to grab the front-page headlines the next day."
Hearing this, Qi Li glanced at Maverick wordlessly.
What your dad does and what I do are not the same thing at all, okay.
Crime Fighting Teaching Building, tiered classroom.
After Qi Li stepped in, the surroundings finally quieted down, and no one came to disturb him anymore.
"Qi Li, here." Maverick had already found a seat and waved at him.
Qi Li didn't look that way at all; he walked straight to the middle row of the classroom and smiled at a girl seated there, greeting her:
"Hey, Kate."
Kate's silky blonde hair fell over her shoulders, and it moved slightly at his words.
She looked at Qi Li and smiled with pursed lips:
"Hey, Qi Li."
Qi Li sat down naturally in the seat next to Kate, leaning slightly forward, and said:
"Yesterday I gave you my contact info, and I was full of hope you'd call, but I waited all day for nothing. So here I am, coming to find you myself, Kate."
Kate's heart sped up a beat, but she acted calm on the surface: "It's only been one day. Qi Li, you're exaggerating, aren't you?"
"Exaggerating? Not at all. There's an Eastern saying: 'A day apart feels like three autumns.'"
Qi Li looked at Kate with a completely serious expression.
Today she wore a white dress, with knee-high boots on her feet.
Qi Li glanced quickly.
Yes, those beautiful legs under the skirt were indeed charming.
To be honest, compared to Sigrid, a genuine tall Western woman, Kate—delicate-featured, slender and tall—actually fit Eastern aesthetics better.
As an Easterner at heart, Qi Li naturally had to take the initiative.
He expounded the "fact": "Kate, we've already been apart for three autumns."
Kate felt she could hardly hold out anymore.
Also a superhuman, her past life had actually been monotonous and dull.
Like many superhumans in this world with unhappy childhoods.
Once on an outing, annoyed by her younger brother's mischief, she unconsciously used her superpower for the first time, making her brother "obediently" disappear without a trace, never to be found again.
After that, her life was completely shut in her room by parents who were frightened and even hated her, until Principal Shetty came, gave her psychological treatment, and brought her to Godkin University, where she finally lived a normal life.
It could be said that Kate rarely communicated with her peers.
Let alone having a boyfriend.
Facing Qi Li's offensive at this moment, being able to "calmly" hold out for a while was already quite good.
Actually, Kate had lied to Qi Li.
She had seen the film Bronze: Deadly Weapon.
It was the first movie she watched in a theater after leaving her prison-like home.
After that, a new figure filled the long-vacant place in her dreams.
But she never thought the dream figure would one day come true, now right before her eyes, this close.
In addition to excitement, Kate was actually fearful in her heart, worried that Qi Li would hate and avoid her like her parents did once he learned of her superpower.
Therefore, she told herself to stay calm, be indifferent, and not have too high expectations.
But all of this was useless under Qi Li's fiery offensive.
"Is there... really such a saying?" Kate asked slowly, her fingers unconsciously twisting.
"Of course!" Qi Li's eyes lit up, triggering his "Role Model" talent, and he launched into a lengthy explanation.
"That's my good brother, making people both love and hate him at the same time."
Maverick, left behind, watched this scene and sighed to the Asian male student in blue-and-white sportswear nearby.
Jordan Li was somewhat shy.
Not understanding, he just smiled politely.
Maverick, as familiar as ever, asked: "Jordan, you and Qi Li are both Asian and have 'Li' in your names. Are you brothers?"
Jordan glanced at Qi Li, far more famous than him, and shook his head honestly: "No, I have no blood relation to Qi Li."
"Oh." Maverick said regretfully.
Under Kate's admiring gaze, Qi Li's little classroom talk didn't last long.
Because the person who was actually going to teach the class had arrived.
It was the old acquaintance Professor Brink.
And the name of this class was "Hero Ethics."""
Chapter 19