After a minute or two, the sound of the water grew louder, and the sharp gasps of pain ceased.
Once Fei Cheng adjusted to the cold water, the shower felt refreshing. He stood there completely naked, washing even the areas he usually wouldn't dare touch.
His abdomen was covered in bruises. It was a heart-wrenching sight; he couldn't imagine how the original Fei Cheng had endured it. Living in such an environment, death truly felt like an inevitability rather than an accident.
He squatted under the tap, touching his face. Because of the system’s repairs, the superficial marks of the injuries remained, but they didn't actually hurt much anymore.
He just couldn't fathom how much pain the original Fei Cheng must have been in at the time.
Fei Cheng’s mind wandered for a while before he snapped back to reality. He quickly turned off the tap, dried himself, and got dressed.
With a towel draped over his head, he stuffed his dirty clothes into a bucket, added laundry detergent, and left them to soak, planning to wash them later. Stepping out, he saw that Cheng Yifei was already dressed. He asked casually, "Cheng-ge, are you going to eat?"
He was quite hungry.
Cheng Yifei replied, "Don't call me Cheng-ge. I'm not going to stand up for you."
When someone with a smart mouth who was constantly in trouble suddenly started calling you "Brother" left and right, it was hard not to suspect they wanted something.
Fei Cheng didn't mind at all. Since waking up, Cheng Yifei was the only person he had interacted with. He couldn't explain the exact reason—perhaps it was a sort of "baby bird syndrome"—but staying near the other boy made him feel more at ease.
He promised, "Don't worry, I'm not looking for you to fight my battles. Fighting isn't for top students. If someone comes looking for trouble, just stay far away. Let's go eat; I'm starving."
The two left the dormitory together and headed straight for the cafeteria. Perhaps because he was wearing his school uniform and walking with the top student in the grade, no one bothered him along the way.
***
Sunday afternoon, all students returned to school.
Fei Cheng arrived at the classroom early, reading his books and doing extra practice problems.
It was still quite a while before evening self-study began, so the classroom was mostly empty, save for three or five girls scattered about. Some were chatting, while others were doing homework.
Fei Cheng had always been a fast reader. He would skim the textbook first, then focus on understanding the key points. Identifying what counted as a key point in a chapter wasn't difficult for him—not that he even needed to look that hard.
While he didn't have a photographic memory, reading something once, reciting it mentally, and understanding the logic allowed him to memorize it all.
The exercise books that had previously seemed impossible to solve now yielded to him, albeit with some stumbling, after he reviewed the textbooks and examples.
The feeling of getting an answer right was incredibly satisfying!
Moreover, junior high knowledge was relatively shallow, so it wasn't too taxing to learn. If he made the most of his time to review seriously, it wasn't too late to build a solid foundation.
Fei Cheng let out a breath. His throat felt a bit itchy, and he coughed twice, looking at his completed exercise book with a sense of pride.
"Finished?"
A voice suddenly came from behind, making Fei Cheng’s shoulders jerk in fright. He turned around and sighed in relief. "Cheng-ge, can you make some noise when you walk? You're going to give me a heart attack sooner or later."
Cheng Yifei was drinking a Coke, his gaze moving from the exercise book to Fei Cheng. His eyes held three parts scrutiny and seven parts appraisal, as if he were getting to know this person all over again. He had just watched Fei Cheng solve the problems independently; his logic was clear, he hadn't paused, and his answers were correct.
He couldn't help but remark, "You're not as bad as I thought."
Fei Cheng suppressed the smugness rising in his chest. "I have to thank you for lending me the seventh-grade textbooks, Cheng-ge. But I really admire you—the notes in your books are practically magical. I haven't found anything I can't understand yet. You must lend me your other notes; with them, I'll be like a tiger with wings and catch up in no time."
Cheng Yifei picked up the exercise book to check it. "Just don't let me down."
"I definitely won't let the Big Boss down," Fei Cheng muttered.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing!" Fei Cheng tidied his desk, organizing the subjects he planned to study that evening. He thought to himself: *Top students are truly mysterious; even their books carry a sort of magic.*
A few girls in the classroom were peeking over. Seeing Cheng Yifei talking to Fei Cheng felt strange to them, but their attention was quickly drawn to Fei Cheng’s bruised and battered face. They couldn't help but burst out laughing.
Fei Cheng looked up at his female classmates and made a silly face, teasing, "Scared you to death, didn't I?"
"We're not afraid of you," the girls replied. They truly weren't; some had even hit him before because his words were often so annoying.
Cheng Yifei smiled and lightly swatted Fei Cheng’s head with the exercise book before returning to his own seat.
Fei Cheng suddenly felt that rebirth wasn't so bad after all. But as soon as the thought surfaced, it was shoved back down.
The back door of the classroom was kicked open with a violent *bang*, startling everyone. Four or five boys with dyed yellow hair stood at the entrance, arms draped over each other's shoulders, looking insufferably arrogant.
The tallest boy among them hooked a finger at Fei Cheng. "Fei Dog, get your ass out here."
Fei Cheng: "?"
Fei Cheng instinctively looked at Cheng Yifei, who was staring at the group by the back door. Fei Cheng looked over as well, and just one glance made his wounds throb with phantom pain—a lingering symptom of being beaten into submission.
He remained in his seat. The four or five ninth-graders barged in, crossing the short distance in a few steps to surround him.
"Where's the money I told you to get ready?" the leader asked.
The tall boy dismissively slapped Fei Cheng’s left cheek, a gesture full of insult.
Fei Cheng endured it, pulling out nineteen yuan. He had hidden ten yuan for himself; even if he couldn't use it, he wasn't going to give it to these scumbags so easily.
The leader took the money, looked at it, and slammed his hand on the desk in a rage. "Just this much?! I wanted fifty! Where's my money? Where did it go!" He then grabbed Fei Cheng by the hair, pulling hard enough to make his scalp sting. "Have you not learned your lesson yet? Fifty yuan. Not a single cent less!"
Fei Cheng looked at them with a steady gaze. These weren't the same people who had beaten him on Friday.
His mind raced. His fingers quietly gripped the edge of his book. "The money was taken by another group. Can't you see the injuries on my face?"
"..." The tall boy looked at Fei Cheng’s multicolored face with suspicion.
Fei Cheng stood up and lifted his shirt right in front of them, exposing his bruise-covered abdomen. A patch on the upper left was so swollen it looked congested with blood; it looked severe.
To be so calm and composed while covered in such injuries... Fei Cheng actually managed to intimidate them a little.
Keeping his shirt lifted, he said, "You've been shaking me down since the seventh grade. You've probably taken over a thousand yuan by now. Right now, I have no money, only my life. If you want to hit me, go ahead. If you put me in the hospital, your parents will pay my medical bills. If you kill me, you can look forward to going bankrupt—each of you will have to pay at least a hundred thousand in compensation. Either way, I don't lose."
The ninth-graders were stunned. This useless waste—who usually barked like a dog when told and crawled between their legs when ordered—actually dared to defy them?
Had he seen a ghost?
"What are you looking at me for? Hit me. Looking at these wounds, how much longer do you think I have to live? Even if these weren't from you, you're the ones handling me last. You won't be able to wash your hands of it no matter what." Fei Cheng stared at each of them in turn. He had been an adult in his previous life, after all; facing a group of fifteen and sixteen-year-olds, he had a fair bit of courage.
"You must have taken the wrong medicine! Who stole my money? Tell me! You've grown some balls, haven't you?" The tall boy pushed Fei Cheng, but... he didn't use much force.
Fei Cheng took half a step back to steady himself and continued his bluff. "There were at least seven or eight of them. I didn't recognize everyone, but I know the leader was Liu Yulang from Class 4. After he took the money, he warned me not to tell you, because he'd never admit to taking it. In the end, I'd just get beaten by you, and they'd keep teaching me lessons too. He told me to shut up if I didn't want to die."
"Then why are you telling us now?" one of the lackeys chimed in.
Fei Cheng looked at him and gave a mocking laugh. "Because I realized something. You don't treat me like a human being, bullying me day in and day out. What's the point of living without dignity? At worst, I die, and at least I can earn some compensation for my parents."
The ninth-graders: "..."
Cheng Yifei: "..." *How filial.*
As he spoke, Fei Cheng sat back down, adopting an attitude of 'hit me if you want, otherwise get lost.'
"Zhenjiang, I've heard of that guy from Class 4. He's pretty aggressive. I saw him hitting this kid last time."
"I've heard of him too. Forget it, leave this kid alone. I think he's gone crazy today."
The leader, Liu Zhenjiang, listened to his companions' whispers and took the offered exit. "I'll let you off today. Remember, fifty yuan next week. For every yuan you're short, I'll give you a slap."
"You could also choose to kill me for every yuan I'm short," Fei Cheng said, looking him straight in the eye. However, knowing not to push too far, he quickly looked away to avoid it being seen as a direct provocation.
Liu Zhenjiang and his crew: "..."
They had arrived with bluster and left full of irritation, likely heading off to settle scores with that guy from Class 4.
A few minutes later, Fei Cheng slowly unclenched his fists. This was humiliating. He needed to find a permanent solution; he had too many troubles to deal with while trying to improve his grades.
The teachers wouldn't help. On Friday, he had complained to the Class 4 homeroom teacher, who had criticized Liu Yulang by name in front of the class. Liu Yulang felt he had lost face, which was why he had sent people to beat him.
And until his problems were solved, he didn't dare approach Qiu Minmin.
Fei Cheng rubbed his face and looked at the books on his desk. He decided to put the annoying matters aside for now and deal with things as they came.
At 5:40 PM, most students had entered the classroom, waiting for the 6:00 PM evening self-study to begin.
Fei Cheng’s seat was in the back row, surrounded by students who had no interest in studying. They usually bullied him too; even if they weren't as vicious as the outsiders, they didn't make his life easy.
Now, seeing textbooks and exercise problems laid out on his desk, and the boy himself looking focused on his work, it felt like a miracle—as if the sun had risen in the west.
"Fei Dog, what are you writing? Ooh, an exercise book? Hey, everyone, come look! This dog is actually doing homework!"
"What homework? Wow, you've written so much. Who told you to copy it for them? Here, copy mine too. What homework are we supposed to turn in tonight anyway?" As they spoke, they began tugging at Fei Cheng’s exercise book.
Fei Cheng, who was just calculating the final step of a problem, felt a surge of fury. He slammed his hand on the desk and stood up, pinning the book down. "Let go!"
***
| Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation |
| :--- | :--- | :--- |
| 雏鸟情节 | Baby bird syndrome | Also known as imprinting; a psychological phenomenon. |
| 如虎添翼 | Like a tiger with wings | An idiom meaning to become even more powerful with assistance. |
| 刘镇江 | Liu Zhenjiang | A ninth-grade bully. |
| 刘宇浪 | Liu Yulang | A bully from Class 4 mentioned by Fei Cheng. |
| 非狗 | Fei Dog | A derogatory nickname for the MC. |
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