Chapter 140: Boy x Bullying x Studying to Madness (20)

Chapter 140: Boy x Bullying x Studying to Madness (20)

Tang Zhi was always cautious and careful, his personality marked by the cowardice that his family had ingrained in him over the years. He never dared to provoke anyone.

But Ke Ding was different.

He had always been unrestrained by nature, and after spending so much time with Big in the previous world, he had become even more willful and reckless.

Seeing an opportunity to exploit the situation, Ke Ding printed several copies of the reconciliation letter and started showing them off in class.

Soon, some students found the content of the letter quite interesting, and it ‘coincidentally’ got passed around for reading.

The letter quickly made its way to neighboring classes, and even beyond, spreading like wildfire. The good students got just a glimpse of what was happening from that single sheet of paper, and the atmosphere in every class became lighter and more cheerful.

There might not be that many bad students in the world, but there were plenty of thugs who bullied others with brute force, thugs who mocked dedicated teachers during class, thugs who played their phone audio out loud, disturbing others' studies, and those who spread malicious rumors, harassed girls, or used violence to get what they wanted. These underage delinquents had barely learned how to be decent people, let alone how to be good students.

The letter was eagerly circulated among the students, spreading rapidly, and soon it reached the hands of various subject teachers.

Most teachers, who had previously stayed silent for fear of retaliation, now felt free to call out students directly in class.

"He Shangqiang, did you understand this part? If not, be careful not to end up in prison."

"Dong Yuan, why is your homework so empty today? When others don’t do their homework, at most they get punished by standing. Do you know the consequences of not doing yours?"

Though only eight people were involved, the situation sent a clear warning to everyone else.

In both the middle school and high school groups, all kinds of students quickly settled down. The number of students secretly smoking dropped to only 30% of what it had been.

The individuals involved were already under immense social pressure, and this situation felt like the backlash of bullying coming for them.

Before, they had been the ones who bullied others.

They’d hang out in the school’s corners, leering at girls and whistling at anyone they didn’t like, making everyone feel uncomfortable.

They were good at throwing the homework or books—or even glasses—of people they disliked, laughing as they watched their victims struggle helplessly.

Jeering, name-calling, humiliation, and torment—these were the cruel games these teens excelled at.

But no one saw this coming—least of all the thugs themselves.

Every thug, every person who had done wrong, felt like they were going through hell when handing in assignments or being called out in class.

Other students might not have even noticed them, but those who did gave them cold, emotionless looks.

But for Dong Yuan, for He Shangqiang, and for every name signed on the reconciliation letter, it was like a thousand needles piercing their hearts with burning anxiety.

If these guys were still hanging out in the streets, any reckless behavior would give them a sense of superiority. This superiority could hide their clumsiness in academics, allowing them to quickly gain the status and respect they desperately wanted at their age.

Tang Zhi had stripped away all these defenses, forcing these habitual pretenders to face how incompetent and worthless they truly were.

And he made them stand in the gaze of everyone, realizing that in the battlefield of exam-oriented education, they were already bloodied and powerless.

Suddenly, the area around Qinshi No.1 Middle School became much calmer. Both the students and the local thugs were caught off guard by the change.

Hanging out in the streets lost much of its appeal. Organizing fights had always been a major activity for these thugs. It didn’t matter who started it or who was right—none of that mattered.

Fighting in groups is an activity that easily gets stupid kids excited.

Most of them weren’t at the center of the brawl, but swaggering around with iron pipes or bats, throwing a few half-assed kung fu moves, made them feel grand about themselves.

In the heat of a group fight, they were filled with heroic passion, truly and awesomely alive, experiencing a more thrilling youth than the bookish kids stuck in the classroom.

With the numerous thugs from Qinshi No.1 Middle School now lying low, the troublemakers from Qinshi No.5 and No.7 Middle Schools were starting to get restless.

What's going on? The Nine Seas gang had gone quiet—rumor had it the police had disbanded them?

What's happening with the turf at No.1 Middle School? Why wasn’t anyone stepping up to take the lead?

These days, you couldn’t even find anyone playing pool at No.1 anymore, it was ridiculous!

They made some inquiries and soon got the news.

In the junior high division of No.1 Middle School, a guy named Tang Zhi had taken care of all the thugs and even made the leader of the Nine Seas gang turn himself in at the police station.

A scout from the gang quietly took a photo.

A small, bespectacled kid, pale and scrawny, who seemed like he’d be half-dead if you smacked him against a wall.

This kid cleaned up No.1?!

The thugs from No.5 and No.7 Middle Schools burst out laughing.

Well, the troublemakers from top high schools were all just fake gangsters. How many of them dared to make a name for themselves? The stuff on their bodies was probably just temporary tattoos.

There really were people who weren’t afraid of death, and with their leader’s blessing, they put on their No.5 Middle School uniforms and sneaked into the school at dismissal time, grinning as they chewed candy, looking for Dong Yuan.

In Class 1 of the third year of junior high, Dong Yuan looked like he was locked up.

His dark circles looked like bruises from a beating, and at dismissal time, he buried his head while packing his bag, no longer the smug, chatty self he used to be.

"Dong Zi!" A thug from No.7 Middle School called out from beside the window, "Dong Zi! Wanna play pool tonight?"

Dong Yuan didn’t seem to hear the guy’s shout and quickened his pace at packing his bag.

"Moron!" The thug taunted, "What, gone straight-edge on us?"

Before Dong Yuan could answer, another student chimed in with a sneer, "Dong Yuan, someone’s calling you outside."

Dong Yuan mumbled a vague acknowledgment and quickly walked over to the window.

"I’m not going."

"Come on, it’s been a while since we hung out. Brother Shun is calling us for drinks, aren’t you coming?"

Dong Yuan sneered, "Get lost, don’t bother me."

The thug perked up, "Wanna fight? Come on, then, baby!"

Dong Yuan shook his head quickly, muttering, "I gotta finish my chem homework, so I’m outta here."

No matter what the thug said after that, Dong Yuan ignored him and left quickly with his bag.

The thug was puzzled and soon spotted Zhang Tongquan, who was also preparing to head to after-school tutoring, and quickly chased after him down the stairs.

Zhang Tongquan, who used to curse like a sailor, now walked out with a stone-cold look, completely different from before.

"Tongquan! Let's go! For a drink!" The thug slung his arm around him. "What have you been up to lately? Haven't seen you around."

Before the arm could even touch him, Zhang Tongquan dodged away like he'd been electrocuted, and said sternly, "Stay away from me!"

"Why?" The thug lit a cigarette openly, ignoring the expressions of nearby teachers and students, looking quite pleased with himself. "Heard that a junior high kid got the better of you guys?"

"You’ve been MIA for days, and now you’re acting like a scared rabbit. Don’t even say you know me."

Zhang Tongquan's face turned ashen. "Say what you want, just don't block my way. Move."

The thug said with a smirk, "Used to ask me for cigarettes every day, now you've quit, huh?"

"What did this Tang Zhi do to you guys, like he neutered you or something?" The thug made a scissors gesture with a vulgar expression. "Did he really castrate you, or what? That’s why you’re all so tame now?"

At the mention of Tang Zhi, Zhang Tongquan's temple throbbed.

Seeing his reaction, the thug, feeling amused, said, "This is interesting, I'll go meet him."

The next second, before the thug could even react, Zhang Tongquan had grabbed his arm with all his strength, his voice sounding like it was crushed through his teeth. "Don't mess with him."

Zhang Tongquan's eyes were on fire, like ghostly flames.

"I’m warning you, you can mess with anyone in this high school, you can even go fight the dean if you want to die."

"But don’t mess with Tang Zhi, okay? I’m treating you like a brother by telling you this."

"Don’t. Mess. With. Tang. Zhi."

The thug found it funny. "What’s wrong with you guys, acting like you’re in love with him or something? What’s it called, Stockholm syndrome or something?"

Zhang Tongquan glanced quickly at his watch, knowing full well he'd get beaten if he was late for his tutoring class. He didn’t waste another word and quickened his pace towards the exit.

The thug followed behind him, hoping to find more amusement.

"You know, Sis Xiao even thinks Tang Zhi looks quite handsome. She's planning to take him as a new boy toy haha—"

Zhang Tongquan, who had been hurrying forward, suddenly stopped dead, almost causing the person behind him to crash into him.

"Have you seen what happened to us? We’re all screwed. Me, Dong, Lao He, the eight of us, all screwed."

"Stay the hell away from me!"

The thug was startled. "It’s just a letter of guarantee, are you guys really that scared?!"

Zhang Tongquan leaned in, his eyes almost crazy. "Tang Zhi is not an ordinary person, he’s the type, you don’t understand, you don’t know how terrifying he is, he’s not human, do you understand what happened to the eight of us, do you know that Old Knife went nuts washing himself when he got home, Dong Yuan warned him, and now I’m warning you, don’t come near us, understand? You guys have no idea!!"

The thug stood frozen in place as Zhang Tongquan took off, his back like that of a cursed man.

After watching him leave, the thug called his boss.

"Sis Xiao, I've met them, they're all crazy."

"Zhang Tongquan was practically screaming at me to stay away. They didn’t even hit the internet café after school, like they’re in a hurry to go somewhere."

Over the phone, the sound of a slot machine spinning could be heard. A high school girl said lazily, "A bunch of wimps, scared by some punk from junior high?"

"Chaozi, follow them and see where they're going."

"Ah."

Zhong Chao always followed the boss lady's orders, strolling leisurely and finishing his cigarette before they reached the building.

The office building was covered in posters advertising tutoring centers, which made Zhong Chao's eyebrows twitch. Even though he could guess what those people were probably up to, it still felt off.

He observed which floor Zhang Tongquan's elevator stopped at and quickly followed suit.

A few students had skipped evening study hall and gone in for extra tutoring.

Inside, there were muffled cries, the droning of teachers explaining problems, and the occasional roar from an angry parent.

Zhong Chao had just taken out a cigarette but stuffed it back into his pocket and leaned closer to the window to observe the situation inside.

Five or six students were doing their exercises, with members of the high school group continuously walking in.

The room was also packed with many middle-aged people, both men and women, their eyes burning with intensity.

Suddenly, someone shouted, startling Zhong Chao.

"Still don't get it?! Even I got it, and you still don't?!"

"Fuck! What’s wrong with your brain?!"

The student doing homework was still crying, shoulders heaving. "I can't catch up, Dad. This is three years' worth of material. I feel like I'm drowning... I just want to die!!"

The father’s anger exploded, and he roared, "Don't you dare die!! You're not allowed to die!! You’ll finish that test, even if you have to do it after you’re dead!!"

Zhong Chao took a deep breath and stepped away from the classroom, his mind still reeling. He needed to get out of there, to clear his head. He finally found a cigarette in his pocket after fumbling around.

What kind of place is this? Some kind of cult or something?