Chapter Two: What Really Happened

"What did you just say?" Qin Xiaochuan flared up, hearing every word from Teacher Li aimed directly at him.

"…Really, nothing happened at all."

Sensing the tension in the air, the bespectacled boy and the freckled boy both grew anxious, afraid things would escalate. They hurriedly tried to explain quietly to Teacher Li.

Seeing how frightened the two boys were of Qin Xiaochuan, Teacher Li felt somewhat vexed. It seemed these two students wouldn’t dare accuse Qin Xiaochuan of anything. As he pondered how to find an excuse to deal with this troublesome student, his eyes fell upon a cigarette butt, freshly extinguished on the ground.

"Hmph!" Pointing at the cigarette butt, Teacher Li found his outlet. "Were you smoking? Truly incorrigible, aren’t you, Qin Xiaochuan? Ignoring school rules makes you the worst kind of student. Someone like you is unworthy of attending this school!"

Hearing Teacher Li’s tirade, the bespectacled boy and the freckled boy straightened up in the corner, heads bowed even lower, not daring to look at Teacher Li at all.

"Annoying. What’s it to you?" Qin Xiaochuan turned back, his face dark, suppressing his anger. He glanced at Teacher Li, then strode toward the school gate as if unmoved by the scolding.

Seeing his words so blatantly ignored by this delinquent, Teacher Li shouted after the receding figure, "Get out of this school, now!"

"Fine, fine."

Without so much as a backward glance, Qin Xiaochuan walked out through the school gate. Even if it was a teacher, he wouldn’t easily lose his temper—unless truly provoked. As he reached into his pocket, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, he took one and placed it in his mouth, just about to light up and vent his frustration, when suddenly a heavy blow landed on the back of his head.

"Ouch! Which bastard did that?"

Staggered by the sudden attack, Qin Xiaochuan dropped both cigarette and lighter, stumbling forward. Rubbing the sore spot at the back of his head, he spun around in fury to see who dared assault him, only to be confronted by a familiar old face.

"Huang Kui!" Recognizing his homeroom teacher, Qin Xiaochuan was momentarily stunned.

"Address me as Teacher Huang!" Standing before him was his homeroom teacher, Mr. Huang Kui, his face stern as he said, "Barely out the gate and already smoking? What are you thinking, you little delinquent?"

"Mind your own business," Qin Xiaochuan answered defiantly, rubbing the aching spot. Clearly, Mr. Huang’s blow had not been gentle.

"You only show up at school once every ten days, and now you plan to leave before noon? Do you think you’re some big shot, Qin Xiaochuan?" Mr. Huang lectured him, his tone severe.

"Wasn’t it you who told me to get lost?"

"Anyway, I’m sure you did something wrong, didn’t you?"

"I didn’t do anything at all," Qin Xiaochuan protested, face full of denial.

"All right, all right, I’ll hear your side of the story." Unconvinced, Mr. Huang strode over and grabbed Qin Xiaochuan by the ear, dragging him toward the office. "Come with me, I’ll ‘treat’ you to some tea."

"Ouch, ouch! Let go, you bastard!" Qin Xiaochuan flailed his arms, struggling against the ear-twisting grip.

"You’re not leaving until evening today," Mr. Huang said triumphantly, still pulling him along by the ear. "Did you hear me? Hey? Hello?!"

Suddenly, there was no resistance behind him. Mr. Huang looked down at his right hand in disbelief—at some point, a stuffed monkey had been swapped into his grip. Spinning around, he saw Qin Xiaochuan squatting nearby, waving at him smugly. "Are you a ninja?" Mr. Huang exclaimed, staring at the monkey in astonishment.

"Bye-bye now!" Qin Xiaochuan got to his feet with a pleased grin, swaggering away, bow-legged, waving back at Mr. Huang. "See you around!"

"Be sure to come to class tomorrow, Qin Xiaochuan!" Mr. Huang called after him, unwilling to let it go. Despite his sternness, he clearly cared about Qin Xiaochuan—unlike Teacher Li, whose eyes brimmed only with contempt.

Walking down the street, Qin Xiaochuan scowled, thinking, ‘Tch… I finally felt like going to school, and everyone acts all self-righteous and condescending. What a rotten day.’

When he reached home, he found his mother just up, clad in sexy lingerie. Qin Xiaochuan muttered, "What’s this, just getting up now, Mom?"

"Brat, make me some coffee," Qin Sushu said, lighting a cigarette as she glanced at her son. "Weren’t you at school?"

"I was in a bad mood, so I skipped," he answered truthfully. He’d never lied to his mother, even if it meant being chased around the house for a beating.

Hearing her demand for coffee, Qin Xiaochuan went to the kitchen, switched on the coffee machine, and expertly poured in the beans, starting the grinder.

"If you don’t want to go to school, just quit. School isn’t free, you know," Qin Sushu sighed, exhaling a plume of smoke and propping her head in her hand. "When I was fourteen, I lost all my tuition fees because of you… Ugh, my head hurts!"

"Seriously… Even my own mother lectures me, I’ve had enough." Rolling his eyes at her complaints, Qin Xiaochuan brought out the freshly brewed coffee and handed it over.

"If you don’t want to be nagged, grow up and be independent, you useless boy," Qin Sushu said as she took the cup, reclining on the sofa and switching on the TV, as if she’d overheard his grumbling in the kitchen.

"Yeah, yeah," Qin Xiaochuan replied, dead inside, pushing open his bedroom door and leaving the house, more frustrated than ever. ‘Today is my unlucky day. Damn it, even my own mom looks down on me. The more I think about it, the angrier I get!’

He walked the streets, gloom written all over his face. As he passed the storefronts, the shopkeepers turned away and hurriedly closed their doors at the sight of him. This only worsened his mood. ‘Damn, I’m too notorious in this neighborhood. They won’t even let me in the shops anymore. I bet all the petty thefts in our school get blamed on me—well, most of them actually were my doing.’

He was about to head to the arcade when several students in his school uniform suddenly surrounded him. One of them, a curly-haired boy with a battered face, stepped forward and shouted, "Qin Xiaochuan!"

"You again, Zhang Yang? Isn’t this getting old? Even if you’re not bored, I am." Qin Xiaochuan sounded impatient. Ever since he’d beaten Zhang Yang up a year ago, the boy had shown up nearly every day looking for trouble. Just yesterday behind the school building, he’d given him another thrashing. Here he was again, not even healed, back for more.

"Enough talk. Yesterday I was hungry, but today I’ll settle this once and for all. We’ll see who’s truly the boss of Yan University Affiliated High!" So saying, Zhang Yang seized Qin Xiaochuan by the collar, his swollen cheeks making his words slurred. "Today, I’ll put you under my feet!"

"Heh." Glancing down at his own collar, Qin Xiaochuan looked up, a wicked grin on his face. "I’m in a foul mood today—a really foul mood. You showed up just in time. Ha! Take this!"

Without waiting for a response, he laughed and drove his fist straight into Zhang Yang’s still-swollen cheek, sending him sprawling. In an instant, Qin Xiaochuan pounced, straddling Zhang Yang on the ground, raining blows left and right, as though venting all the day’s resentment onto this hapless victim. Not satisfied, he began using his head as a battering ram, looking utterly deranged. Soon, Zhang Yang fell silent, apparently knocked out cold. Still not done, Qin Xiaochuan planted his rear firmly on Zhang Yang’s pointed face, then clapped his hands with satisfaction and stood up. "Heh! Now I feel better!"

He cast a glance at the foaming-at-the-mouth Zhang Yang, laughed darkly, and walked off with hands in his pockets, humming a little tune. Clearly, he knew just how tough Zhang Yang was and had no fear of accidentally killing him.

"How terrifying…!"

"He's a devil!"

"Yeah… Zhang Yang, are you all right? Hey, wake up!"

None of Zhang Yang’s friends had dared intervene during the savage beating. Only after Qin Xiaochuan had walked a good distance did the three of them rush to help the unconscious Zhang Yang.

One of them, a nervous boy with a side part, lifted Zhang Yang up and stammered, "Maybe you shouldn't keep fighting Qin Xiaochuan. He’s just too scary… like a devil!"

"Shut up! I won’t stop until I beat him!" At his classmate’s defeatist words, Zhang Yang suddenly came to, shouting hoarsely. Clearly, he was far from accepting another loss. "Before I met that guy, I was undefeated. Even if I die, I’ll keep fighting!"

After venting his anger on Zhang Yang, Qin Xiaochuan felt much better. Nearby, he spotted a little kid kicking a ball. This reminded him of something…

As he walked along the sidewalk, a ball rolled to his feet. Just as he bent to pick it up, a cute little boy, perhaps five or six years old, came running over. His big, sparkling eyes showed a hint of shyness as he eyed the ball in Qin Xiaochuan’s hands, reaching out as if to ask for it.

Amused by the child’s cuteness, Qin Xiaochuan’s playful side took over. He began performing tricks with the ball—hiding his face behind it to make a silly expression, then pretending to make the ball vanish into his pants—making the boy laugh out loud, pointing and teasing, "Silly! Haha, silly!"

After playing for a while, Qin Xiaochuan grew tired of the game and handed the ball back to the boy, giving him a few words of advice before turning to leave. As he rounded the corner, he looked back to see the boy still playing with the ball on the sidewalk. Shaking his head, he muttered, "Still at it? What a silly little kid."

Just as he was about to turn into the alley, the boy slipped and kicked the ball into the street. Seeing the ball there, the boy immediately dashed after it. At that moment, a car came hurtling down the road, heading straight for the child.