When Pei Cangyu stepped out of the convenience store, he made a point of checking his watch. It was exactly 22:17.
He was supposed to have clocked out at ten sharp, but the skinny guy who came to relieve him had been drinking. The man had draped an arm over Pei’s shoulder, reeking of alcohol, and spent ten minutes cracking lewd jokes that earned him glares from several girls at the checkout. Consequently, Pei had no choice but to stay with a dark expression, finishing the transactions for those girls before finally throwing off his uniform and leaving.
The skinny guy grabbed him, his eyes glazed with intoxication. "Got any spare change? Lend me some. I’m just a little short of getting back to the table."
Pei Cangyu wrenched his arm away, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. He shot the man an impatient glare as he headed for the exit. "No."
The skinny guy followed, tugging at his clothes again. "Just a little, I’ll definitely pay you back."
Pei Cangyu spun around abruptly, grabbing the man by the collar and hoisting him slightly off the ground. With the cigarette clamped between his teeth, he growled, "Can't you fucking understand human speech? Get lost."
He let go with a shove, and the skinny guy landed hard on his backside, looking a bit more sober. The man stared blankly for a few seconds, then gave a resentful chuckle. Saying nothing, he scrambled up as if nothing had happened and returned to the counter, whistling a wheezing tune as he pulled on his work vest.
Pei Cangyu turned and pushed open the glass door. A mechanical female voice chirped, "Welcome, please come again," accompanied by a short jingle as he walked away.
The skinny guy’s whistling stopped. He rushed to the door Pei had just exited and spat viciously at the ground.
***
Pei Cangyu was heading home; he had school tomorrow.
At twenty-one years old, Pei Cangyu was a senior in high school.
This wasn't a normal senior year; it was his sixth. The reason Pei Cangyu had such a prolonged high school education was partly due to an IQ that sat comfortably below the average, but more importantly, it was a matter of timing.
During his first senior year, Pei Cangyu didn't get into the school he wanted, so he decided to repeat the grade.
In his second senior year, he happened to get into a minor bicycle accident right during the college entrance exams, so he missed them.
In his third senior year, a healthy and punctual Pei Cangyu showed up at the wrong testing center. Upon hearing he was in the wrong place, he turned and bolted, completely ignoring the teachers shouting behind him, "Don't go! There's an emergency protocol!" He took a bus to his actual testing center. Naturally, he wasn't allowed in.
And so, he arrived at his fourth senior year. While children from ordinary families were graduating from university at twenty-one, this over-aged repeating student often felt out of place in his new classes.
Especially since he was a member of the "Free Martial Arts Faction" on campus—commonly known as a "delinquent."
Compared to his eyesore of an academic record, Pei Cangyu’s career as a hoodlum had begun in primary school and flourished ever since. During middle school, he was the notorious "kid from Wenhua Road No. 3 Middle School." He had dyed his hair a brilliant, shimmering yellow in junior high; in high school, he had tried "Enchanting Night Black" and even sported a Mohawk. By his fifth senior year, he finally had an epiphany and stopped messing with his hair. Now that he was in his sixth year, he naturally disdained participating in "martial arts disputes" like the younger boys. Having retired from the underworld, Pei Cangyu was determined to graduate.
Was there really a need to go to school every day for material he had learned three or four times already?
Pei Cangyu reasoned that it was better to spend time working part-time to supplement the household income, since he lived alone. The teachers let him be, not bothering to ask questions.
Pei Cangyu was alone.
After his mother gave birth to him, she dropped him off at his grandmother’s house. She visited him two or three times before ultimately deciding to go back to finish her second year of high school, study abroad, and become a high-society lady, returning to the steady path of her life. His father dropped out of school to raise him for two years—he had no choice, since they were in his house. During that time, he demonstrated his passion for wuxia novels by bestowing the name "Pei Cangyu"—a name that sounded exactly like a hypocritical villain from a righteous sect—and then, one day, went to an internet cafe to play games until three in the morning. Standing by the sea, he lamented his useless young life and ran off with the internet cafe manager.
And so, his grandmother raised him.
But she had passed away as well.
***
With a half-finished bottle of water in one hand and a bag of oden in the other, Pei Cangyu planned to go home and heat up a meal.
He had a cigarette in his mouth and an unfriendly expression as he stood impatiently waiting for the traffic light.
A little girl walking her dog nearby glanced at him. Pei Cangyu turned to meet her gaze, and the girl looked away in a fright.
Other people gathered behind them, chattering amongst themselves as they waited for the light.
In the city at ten o'clock, the streetlights had shifted to more intoxicating colors, like a woman applying a more alluring shade of lipstick.
The red light stopped, replaced by a green light for right turns.
The people going straight didn't move.
A man poked the shoulder of the girl with the dog, one hand still holding a phone as he ranted into it, "I fucking... you fucking can't understand human speech."
The man had drunk quite a bit. He poked the girl again, diverting some attention from his call. "Hey, if you're not moving, get out of the way."
The girl turned around, her round eyes wide. She backed away fearfully and looked around. The people turning right had already bypassed them, and there was plenty of space around her, yet this uncle was telling her to move.
She licked her lips and looked at him. She didn't move, saying timidly, "...You could also just go around..."
The man, who was in the middle of a profanity-laced tirade, paused at her words. He stared at her incredulously, then reached out a finger and poked her forehead, making her head bob back and forth. "You fucking..."
It was just a late-night squabble.
Not many people stopped to watch.
The girl was about to give way. She moved her feet.
But the man’s phone was snatched away and tossed into the bushes. The handsome young man who took it had a taut face. "Damn, you're so noisy. Can't you just go around? Making such a big deal out of nothing, yapping away like a fucking idiot."
The girl looked at this older brother. Although his actions were somewhat righteous, his demeanor... still seemed more like a delinquent.
The drinking man’s face turned red with rage. He pointed at the bushes. "Go pick it up for me."
Pei Cangyu glared at him. "No."
The green light for going straight lit up.
The pedestrians began to depart.
The girl hesitated, looking at the brother who had gotten involved on her behalf, but he was busy in a standoff, competing to see who could be more aggressive. He had no time for her.
The green light flashed repeatedly, about to change.
The girl bit her lip and followed the crowd.
Pei Cangyu was still arguing with the drunk man. They were grabbing each other's collars, exchanging "greetings" to each other's parents. The verbal sparring between a twenty-year-old and a thirty-year-old was in full bloom—a display of flowery language and Zuan-style vitriol that perfectly showcased the spirit of the internet, yet neither actually threw a punch. People bypassed them, occasionally glancing over as if looking at flies circling trash.
Finally, the thirty-year-old "elder" stopped first. He needed water.
The man said, "Water... I need a drink of water."
As he spoke, he was the first to release Pei Cangyu’s collar. He sat down on the edge of a planter and stared fixedly at the water in Pei Cangyu’s hand.
Seeing the battle was over, Pei Cangyu turned to leave. The man grabbed his pant leg, asking a question he already knew the answer to. "Brother, got any water?"
Pei Cangyu lied blatantly. "No."
The man coughed heavily twice. "Give me a sip, and I'll let you off today."
Pei Cangyu shook his leg. The man’s arm, still clutching his pants, swayed along with the movement; from a distance, it almost looked like he was acting spoiled. Pei Cangyu tugged his foot; the man pitifully raised his arm and swayed to the rhythm. Pei Cangyu stepped back; the man leaned forward like an obsessive fan who just wanted to lick his idol's shoes.
Pei Cangyu, the boss of Wenhua Road, sighed at the sky. *Dammit.*
He slammed the water bottle against the man’s chest, yanked his leg free, lit a new cigarette, and walked away.
He was annoyed to death. He decided to take a shortcut home. Come to think of it, why had he been shouting at someone in the middle of the street?
Tsk, why was that again?
...
Whatever, forget it.
Pei Cangyu turned into a small alley. This route could save him half an hour, though it was a bit dark.
Just as he turned, he slammed face-first into someone with a thud.
Startled, Pei Cangyu dropped his cigarette and took a step back. "Shit, you scared the hell out of me."
But something was wrong with this person. He was a head taller than Pei Cangyu and was swaying unsteadily. Pei Cangyu instinctively reached out to steady him. "Hey! Whoa... you okay?"
Another drunk? Pei Cangyu thought with a frown.
But he couldn't smell any alcohol. It was just...
His hand, supporting the man, touched something slick. The light was too dim to see clearly. He tried to pull the man upright. "Hey..."
The man’s eyes were wide and staring. His trembling hand suddenly gripped Pei Cangyu, veins bulging, his face deathly pale.
Pei Cangyu wanted to let go. As his hand moved, he seemed to touch something hard right at the man’s abdomen.
Pei Cangyu froze.
The man let out a sudden spray of blood.
Pei Cangyu stood rooted to the spot, letting the blood splash onto him. He finally understood what the slick liquid was—it was unstoppable blood. And that cold, hard object was the hilt of a knife.
Heaven as his witness! He was just a delinquent, not a murderer. He only beat up other delinquents; he never stole money from little boys, little girls, old ladies, or old men. When he was out on the streets, he never encroached on territory outside of Wenhua Road. He didn't dodge debts or skip out on bills. He wasn't a scumbag who toyed with emotions or juggled multiple relationships. He always followed traffic rules and didn't run red lights. He gave up his seat to the elderly on the bus, and he even thought he’d helped an old person cross the street yesterday...
The man gave one last sway and pitched forward. His head hit Pei Cangyu’s chest, and his warm, heavy gasping abruptly ceased. Pei Cangyu’s legs shook uncontrollably. He took a stiff step back, and the man slumped to the side, falling flat on the ground.
The man’s face landed right against Pei Cangyu’s pant leg, pressing against him in a terrifying manner.
Pei Cangyu didn't dare move.
*Run.*
He thought.
*It’s best to run right now... this scene is impossible to explain...*
He wanted to move, but he remained frozen.
At that moment, from deep within the dark alley, he heard the sound of footsteps.
*I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead, I'm dead...*
Pei Cangyu watched as a tall man emerged. He wore a greyish-white overcoat that made his figure look even more upright. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he wore black Derby shoes. He had a cold, handsome face and looked straight over.
Pei Cangyu’s eyes widened, his lips trembling as he tried to say something—like "It wasn't me," or "It really wasn't me"...
But no words came out.
The tall man walked forward a few steps, looked down at the corpse on the ground, then looked up at him. "You..."
His voice was a bit raspy and low. This voice suddenly made Pei Cangyu remember—this person was his middle school classmate. They had even been deskmates for two months. This was that "academic ace" who was popular with girls, had great grades, and came from a wealthy family... what was his name again? But... if it was a classmate, it should be easy to explain, right?
Pei Cangyu grew excited and pointed at himself. "It's me... do you remember me?"
He didn't finish his sentence, because that pleasant, raspy voice spoke to him with heavy gravity.
"You killed someone."
Pei Cangyu blurted out a curse. "I fucking..."
***
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
裴苍玉 | Pei Cangyu | The protagonist.
文化路三中 | Wenhua Road No. 3 Middle School | The middle school Pei Cangyu attended.
文化路 | Wenhua Road | The area where Pei Cangyu is a well-known delinquent.
自由武斗派 | Free Martial Arts Faction | A humorous way to describe a street fighter or delinquent.
混混 | Delinquent / Hoodlum | Common term for a street punk.
高六 | Sixth year of high school / High 6 | Refers to repeating the 12th grade for the fourth time.
祖安风骨 | Zuan-style vitriol / Zuan spirit | Refers to the "Zuan" server in League of Legends, notorious for toxic players and creative insults.
学霸 | Academic ace / Top student | A student who excels academically.
