Qiu Minmin was dazed by a barrage of fists the moment she opened her eyes. Every inch of her body screamed in pain. Someone roughly grabbed the hair on her forehead, forcing her to look up.
Whether it was because the sunlight was too piercing or her eyes were swollen from the beating, she couldn't see clearly. In her blurred, double-visioned world, she could only vaguely discern that her attackers were a group of teenage boys.
"Fuck your mother." The person holding her hair slapped her twice. "Thought telling the teacher would stop me from dealing with you? You coward, do you still dare to tattle? I'll give you something to tattle about! Keep hitting him!"
Another round of punches and kicks followed. Qiu Minmin instinctively shielded her head, unsure of her situation. The agonizing pain made her consciousness sharper, yet she remembered she was dead—suicide, ending at nineteen.
At that time, something calling itself a "System" told her to get back and save someone.
Save who?
Qiu Minmin.
But she *was* Qiu Minmin. The System wanted her to save... herself?
She didn't understand, and that thing hadn't asked for her opinion or given her a chance to argue. It had swept her away like a gale, and when she opened her eyes again, she was in this predicament.
But when had she ever been brutally beaten by boys like this? It hurt so much she’d rather die again.
Powerless to resist, drifting in and out of lucidity, a sharp shout suddenly erupted from nearby. "What are you doing! Which class are you from? Stop it right now! Stand still!"
The three or five boys who had been pinning Qiu Minmin down immediately let go and bolted. The leader didn't forget to deliver one last kick to her abdomen before fleeing. Qiu Minmin curled up in pain, sliding down the wall like a boneless creature.
Her brain felt waves of cold. Her lips twitched, and she lost consciousness completely.
*What was that?*
Qiu Minmin snapped her eyes open and found herself lying on an unfamiliar wooden bunk bed. Simultaneously, a flood of information rushed into her mind. After passively absorbing it all, her pupils shrank in utter disbelief.
What the hell? A boy?!
Startled, she patted her chest, then felt around tentatively. Her expression turned subtle as her hand uncontrollably moved further down... until it reached her hips, where she couldn't bring herself to go any further! A sudden sense of shame stopped her.
According to the information in her head, her name was now Fei Cheng, male, thirteen years old, a student in Class 1 of the eighth grade. His grades were subpar, he was foul-mouthed yet cowardly, and he was frequently bullied by his classmates.
His parents were alive but worked away from home, only returning during holidays.
He also had an older brother in the tenth grade who was an excellent student—the "perfect child" other parents always praised. Both brothers had been raised by their grandparents, with the only difference being that the older brother, Fei Qi, had lived with their parents until he was eight before being sent back to their hometown for school. Fei Cheng, however, had been with his grandparents since he was a month old.
Fei Cheng’s relationship with his parents wasn't great, though the bond between the brothers was decent enough.
Fei Cheng...
Qiu Minmin stared at the slats of the upper bunk in deep thought. That name sounded familiar. Wait! Wasn't that the classmate who died from school violence back when she was in middle school?
Because the incident of a student dying from bullying had caused quite a stir at the time, Fei Cheng’s parents had spent over a month demanding justice at the school gates. The furor only died down after they received a settlement. She remembered it quite clearly.
It happened in the eighth grade, which matched this timeline. So, did the System repair the internal and external injuries of this body and let her occupy it?
Now that she was Fei Cheng, was she supposed to save that flower bud growing in a dark corner, pretending there was sunlight when it would never bloom?
Had anyone asked for her opinion?! Sending her here just like that?
Frustrated, Qiu Minmin ran her fingers through her short, ear-length hair and sat up on the wooden bed.
This was clearly a school dormitory. Twelve people to a room, with three sets of wooden bunk beds on each side. They were made of rough timber and planks. A one-meter-wide aisle ran between the beds, leading from the door straight to the toilet at the back. That was it.
Middle school conditions were like this: cramped dorms, cramped toilets, no fans, no water dispensers. There was only a single tap that didn't provide hot water. To bathe, you either made do with a cold shower in the dorm or joined the long queue at the public bathhouse for hot water.
Qiu Minmin sighed. Instead of making her save her past self, someone should come and save her first.
She needed to use the bathroom; her bladder felt like it was about to explode!
But she wasn't prepared for the logistics of using the bathroom.
She understood the standing posture, but... did she need to pull it out to pee?
With her hands?
While she was agonizing over this, the dormitory door was pushed open without warning. The creaking sound nearly made her wet herself.
She looked over nervously, the person's name and their past interactions flashing through her mind.
It was actually Cheng Yifei.
In Qiu Minmin’s youth, he was the only boy she had ever had a crush on.
The "flower on the high peak," unattainable to all.
But that was a long time ago. Looking at this "fresh meat" walking toward her, she felt instinctively wary.
"You can still crawl up, so I guess you won't die." Cheng Yifei walked over carrying two portions of food. His tone wasn't exactly mocking, but it held no trace of concern either.
Qiu Minmin: "..."
This was nothing like the Cheng Yifei in her memory. That person was supposed to be a top student so cold he barely spoke.
The Cheng Yifei of this time was about fourteen or fifteen, wearing a plain white graphic T-shirt, slim-fit jeans, and black canvas shoes. In Qiu Minmin’s eyes, he had three major highlights: a handsome face, beautiful hands, and long legs.
Even as a young boy, his proportions were excellent. Thinking of his future achievements, he must have saved the galaxy in his past life.
With a sour expression, Cheng Yifei placed the takeout food by Fei Cheng’s bed and turned to leave.
Qiu Minmin looked at him and asked, "Is this... for me?"
"You can throw it away if you want."
"...Thanks." Qiu Minmin reached for it. She was indeed hungry, and she had just discovered that Cheng Yifei was the type whose words were harsh but whose actions were kind.
She suddenly remembered something and asked, "Cheng Yifei, is there a girl named Qiu Minmin in Class 3?"
"Yesterday you were shouting in the dorm about how cute she is, and today you're asking me if there's a Qiu Minmin?" Cheng Yifei looked at Fei Cheng as if he were an idiot.
Qiu Minmin let out an "ah." Fei Cheng had actually said she was cute? She thought about it, then looked up and said with serious conviction, "Yes, she is incredibly, incomparably cute."
"You're sick." Cheng Yifei went back to his own bed and sat down.
Qiu Minmin watched him for a moment before reaching for the takeout. The rustling of the plastic bag made the urge to pee surge! She really couldn't hold it anymore. She scrambled off the bed and rushed into the toilet.
Standing before the squat toilet, she decisively pulled down her pants, took out the "treasure," and let it all out in a satisfying rush. During the process, she even made sure to aim for the hole. The sound of the water and the sheer relief almost made her want to whistle.
After resolving her physiological needs, Qiu Minmin instinctively shuddered. When she realized what she had done, her body froze.
She slowly looked down. When she saw a certain object, she jerked her head up, her eyes darting around. *Oh, my goodness...* A moment later, she peeked down again. "Calm down! Stay calm!"
She carefully tucked the "treasure" back into her pants, turned on the tap to wash her hands, found her soap on the windowsill, lathered up, and continued washing.
Someone had hung a mirror in the toilet. She was caught off guard by the face in the reflection—a mess of blue and purple bruises that made her look unrecognizable. She took a step back in shock. Once she realized it was her, a lump of blood seemed to catch in her throat, nearly choking her.
"My brother, just how badly were you beaten?!"
"Sorry for seeing things I shouldn't have just now. I'll probably be seeing them every day from now on."
"I don't know if you went back to the past like I did after you died, but those of us who are dead can't go back to the world before death. You can't come back, and I can't leave. I can only be Fei Cheng now. I hope you're doing well in another world. Amitabha..."
After quietly murmuring this, Fei Cheng washed his face. Looking at himself in the mirror, he chanted three times: *I am Fei Cheng, I am Fei Cheng, I am Fei Cheng!*
He adjusted his mindset and walked back to sit on the edge of his bed, letting the water droplets from his face fall to the floor. After a thought, he turned his head and asked, "Cheng Yifei, what day is it today?"
"Saturday."
Saturday. That meant he had been beaten after school on Friday.
"Did you bring me back?"
"The security guard."
"..."
He had been beaten into a coma, yet no one had sent him to the hospital, or at least the school clinic! He almost forgot—middle schools didn't have clinics.
Fei Cheng gritted his teeth and unceremoniously finished all the takeout. With a full stomach, he felt strength returning to his limbs. He thought about paying Cheng Yifei back for the food, but after checking his pockets and rummaging through his backpack and luggage...
He didn't have a single cent?
"I'll pay you back for the food tomorrow afternoon."
Cheng Yifei looked up, his eyes full of suspicion toward Fei Cheng. After a moment, he looked away and said irritably, "No need."
Fei Cheng’s face remained blank. He didn't understand which part of his sentence had annoyed the other boy. Was Cheng Yifei the type who valued loyalty and felt that paying him back made them seem like strangers?
But he felt bad eating someone else's food for free. He insisted, "I have to, I have to."
Cheng Yifei closed his book and asked, "Are you planning to use that as an excuse when the ninth graders come to collect money from you tomorrow afternoon?"
Fei Cheng: "What?"
He dug through his memories for this event and was instantly shocked. Was this a self-rescue mission or a self-destruction mission?! Were they trying to force him to die again? Not only was he being bullied and beaten, but he was also being extorted by upperclassmen!
He didn't want to experience suicide a second time. People said swallowing a large amount of sleeping pills allowed one to die peacefully in their sleep—what a lie! From the drowsiness to the high fever, then hallucinations, difficulty breathing, exhaustion, and dehydration until acute renal failure... the process was long, involving convulsions, vomiting, and incontinence. Anyone who wanted that experience could have it!
Fei Cheng looked at Cheng Yifei, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Brother Cheng, if you were being extorted, how would you handle it?"
***
