As soon as Qin He entered the classroom and heard a group of girls gossiping about the latest news. They huddled together, eagerly discussing
“Have you heard? Yu Cheng beat up the principal’s son,” one of the girls said.
Lin Zhi listened with interest. He didn’t know the person they were talking about, but his name sounded familiar. He had heard about him many times before.
Yu Cheng was a notorious bully at No.13 Middle School. He could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn’t destroy the school.
He skipped classes today, fought with someone tomorrow, and played pranks on a teacher the day after. He was a legendary figure at school, and this time he had beaten up the principal’s son.
Yu’s family was known to be rich in Yao’an City, and they were also known to spoil their son.
As a result, Yu Cheng’s personality became that of a little tyrant who was fearless.
If it weren’t for the money that Yu’s family donated to the school every year, he would have been expelled a long time ago.
No. 13 Middle School is one of the better private schools in Yao’an City. It has good educational resources and produces several top students every year.
Qin He grew up in a single-parent family, and his family was not wealthy; in fact, they were quite poor.
As for why he came to No. 13 Middle School, there was no other reason than the fact that this school offered more money.
At the time of the high school entrance exam, it was the third-best school in Yao’an City, and many schools offered him a place.
But he chose this school, which was only above average. After all, private schools also need to attract good students to maintain their reputation. Qin He came here because the tuition was fully covered and the bonuses were generous.
Qin He’s childhood cannot be described as good but rather as bad. His childhood was nothing but endless quarrels, beatings, and broken glass scattered everywhere.
And after the beatings, there would be a man kneeling on the ground, with muddy tears streaming down his wrinkled face, regretting his own despicable behaviour.
The dim light inside the rented house is like a spotlight shining on this fragmented family, as if it were a farcical play being acted out.
Qin He’s only impression of this supposed father is that he is a weak alcoholic.
Qin Wanqing is a softhearted woman who didn’t go to school and got married at a young age to a man who was four or five years older than her.
After marriage, the man no longer used sweet words, especially after Qin He was born. The wolf in sheep’s clothing shed its disguise and became ferocious.
Thus, the beatings and abuse became like raindrops falling on her, and due to the influence of her family of origin, all she learned was to tolerate it.
I also want my child to have a complete family.
So she endured again and again. However, one time the man got drunk and hit Qin He.
The little child still inevitably got hurt even though Qin Wanqing protected him.
The child was afraid of worrying his mother, so he tightly pursed his lips and didn’t say a word while getting stitched up with medicine.
The winter wind howled outside the window, banging against the glass. Even in the hospital, it still made people shiver uncontrollably.
The child stood on tiptoe, reaching out his relatively unharmed hand and trying to imitate the way the woman usually comforted him; he touched her head and said, “Don’t cry; it doesn’t hurt.”
The woman’s dishevelled hair was smoothed out by the small, red hand, and she hugged the child tightly, tears wetting her collar.
“From now on, there’s only mommy. Are you scared?”
At that time, children without fathers would be ridiculed, bullied, and pelted with stones by other children. This was followed by the burden of a broken family.
“I’m not afraid; I have my mother,” the child said.
Qin Wanqing went to court and didn’t ask for anything except the custody of Qin He. She then came to Yao’an City alone with Qin He.
Since then, she has never thought about getting married again and has been raising Qin He alone.
Due to Qin Wanqing’s lack of education, she had to work hard to support herself and her child. She was especially determined about her son Qin He’s education, and fortunately, Qin He worked hard and became successful in his studies.
At the end of each term, Qin He was able to receive a scholarship to support the family. Despite not having a father, Qin Wanqing did her best to provide a complete childhood for Qin He.
Qin Wanqing always tried her best to give Qin He the things he liked, and as a result, Qin He’s happiness was not always evident on his face.
Qin He isn’t very interested in those stories and news; he just listens and forgets about them. They don’t have anything to do with him. He only needs to focus on studying, earn more scholarships, and then take exams to find a good job.
His only wish and goal is to allow his mother, who has endured so much hardship, to finally relax and not have to worry so much anymore.
In his private high school, he has plenty of personal time, as he gets out of school at 6 p.m.
One can freely arrange their time and leave the school whenever they want. Boarding students just need to return to the school before 9 p.m.
During this time, Qin He found a part-time job because he needed to buy a smartphone to conveniently access various information. He was currently using a keypad phone that Qin Wanqing had bought for him when he was in junior high school to make it easier for him to contact her.
He could only send messages and make phone calls with it, and it was also very expensive at the time. Most of Qin He’s scholarships were used to support his family, and only a small portion was left for his own living expenses. Now that he needed to buy a smartphone, he had to work to earn money.
Qin He’s grandmother was getting older and had been sick recently, and there were too many places that needed money. If he told Qin Wanqing, Qin Wanqing would definitely cut back on his expenses to buy it for him.
When it comes to learning, Qin Wanqing has always been generous. She may not understand those things, but if Qin He tells her it’s for studying, she will definitely buy it.
But Qin He didn’t want that. So he found a part-time job near school without telling his mother. He was paid ten yuan per hour.
He was busy tonight and didn’t finish until half past nine. Qin He sneaked to the corner of the wall and was about to climb over it when he was suddenly hit and fell to the ground.
Qin He got up, rubbed his forehead, checked himself for injuries, and realised that the blow was too painful.
It’s the end of summer, and the weather is slightly hot. Qin He is wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and sure enough, his elbow is scratched badly.
Under the streetlights, the injured area looks particularly glaring.
His pants are torn at the knee, but Qin He doesn’t frown at his injury. He only wrinkles his brow at the ripped pants and mutters to himself, “What the hell? You bumped into me and didn’t apologise. What’s wrong with you? Are you stupid or something?”
Before Qin He could even speak, but he was scolded, which made him angry. “You bumped into me, and you want me to apologise to you? Is your brain okay? Maybe you’re so ugly because you’ve damaged your brain while falling.”
Qin He cursed the person reluctantly. The person he was facing was not ugly and was even somewhat good-looking.
He had a buzz cut and wore an earring. He dressed like a delinquent, with a skull on his chest and a loud clanging sound from the iron chain he was wearing.
What taste—why didn’t that iron chain smash him? Qin He sighed in his heart, feeling unhappy with the person no matter how he looked at him.
But the face is indeed good-looking, a bit rogue and handsome, with a look of impatience, but of course, when arguing and cursing, he cannot lose his momentum.
Yu Cheng was looking at the person who was expressing their opinions just a second ago and was still a bit stunned that the person suddenly started cursing at him.
After all, the other person had a weak and scholarly look. Yu Cheng now knew he was in the wrong, and his outburst earlier was only because he had some pent-up frustration.
But he couldn’t help but add defiantly, “Take a good look. Even walking down the street, people would hand me their business cards, and talent scouts would take me away.”
No one has ever called him ugly.
Yu Cheng and the director’s son, Ma Zhuo, have not seen eye to eye for a long time.
Today, that kid kept looking for him to fight.
Yu Cheng felt like the other guy was disrespecting him, and he didn’t want to appear weak. So he found a place to fight with the other guy.
In the end, he won the fight. But who knew that the guy had no shame and went to tell his dad that Yu Cheng had hit him, which resulted in Yu Cheng being backstabbed.
The guy even said that it was unprovoked. When they were facing off, Yu Cheng couldn’t help but feel angry and want to hit him again.
The result was, of course, being stopped, and then his dad found out in the afternoon. He had been scolded for a long time, skipped class in the afternoon, and was lying in his dormitory when his friend outside the school invited him to go out and play. Feeling bored, he agreed.
However, as soon as he jumped over the wall, he bumped into someone and got angry immediately; without considering right or wrong, he cursed the person.
“It’s your fault for not being careful. jumping over the wall at night and bumping into me first. My arm is scratched, and my pants are torn. You have to take full responsibility for these. Otherwise, I’ll report to you tomorrow, and you will have to attend the school-wide criticism and punishment on Monday.”
Initially, Qin He didn’t intend to do anything, but seeing how angry and defensive Yu Cheng was, he thought about taking action. This was the first time that Yu Cheng had been threatened with a disciplinary review, and he found it a bit amusing.
“Hey, little brother. I climbed over the wall at night, and so did you. Do you want to accompany me on a one-day tour of the office? You look like a good student. Have you ever written a review before? Do you even know who I am? How are you going to report me?” Yu Cheng helped the person find a loophole.
“Right, with that attitude of yours, I’m going to take you on an office tour. Your dress style is unique, and the whole school can’t find another person like you, can they?”
Qin He also became more determined.
Yu Cheng found it even more amusing and patted the person’s shoulder, saying, “Come with me; I’ll take responsibility for it.”
Yu Cheng and the person both treated their wounds together and then gave each other a glance.
“I’ll compensate you for your torn pants. What’s your name, and which class are you in?”
“Forget it; you don’t need to compensate me.”
Qin He wanted to leave. His pants were already torn and should have been replaced a long time ago. They weren’t worth much money, and his wound had been treated well.
Just now, dealing with that person was already beyond Qin He. He never wanted to have too much involvement with anyone.
That person looked like a wealthy young master, and Qin He didn’t want to have too much involvement with them, as it wasn’t necessary.
Qin He wanted to leave, but Yu Cheng stopped him and walked up to the person.
looking at the person in front of him with a yellowed shirt and faded pants.
Yu Cheng didn’t want to owe anyone anything, especially since it wasn’t necessary as he could tell that the person’s family background was not very good.
Yucheng doesn’t want to owe anyone anything. He believes that if something is broken because of his fault, he should take responsibility and pay for it. Qin He clearly feels uncomfortable under the other person’s gaze.
“What’s your name and class? I said I’m responsible; I’ll pay however I need to.”
Qin He frowns as he looks at the person in front of him, who doesn’t show any signs of backing down.
It’s too late, and there are classes tomorrow, so he needs to make sure he gets enough sleep.
After saying these words, “Class 1 of Grade 2, Qin He” he walked away.
“Wow, what a good student,” murmured Yu Cheng as he watched the person’s back and also left.
Most students at the 13th Middle School are from wealthy families, except for a few like Yu Cheng who are still willing to learn.
However, students recruited specially usually end up in Classes 1 and 2, commonly known as the experimental classes, where the students are the good seedlings of the 13th Middle School.
“You’re back. I helped you answer during roll call earlier. Why are you so late today?”
The person in the bunk bed below, Gao Yu, was playing games and chatting with Qin He. They knew about Qin He’s part-time job, and sometimes when he came back late, Gao Yu would help cover for him.
“The shop was busy and held me up for a bit. Thanks for today; I’ll treat you to breakfast tomorrow.”
“No big deal; no need to thank me.”
Qin He washed up and went to bed, not thinking much about what had happened today. Such things didn’t make any waves in his life.
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