Chapter 758: Who

Xiang Little Wei Yuan stared at the large, bright window and the smooth desks and chairs, picked up a steamed bun and put it in his mouth, then swallowed it whole in one motion, silently deciding that once he returned home, he must set up a cafeteria—bigger, brighter, cleaner. Most importantly, one everyone could afford…

A stack of steamers was placed before Xiang Little Wei Yuan. Bao Yun sat beside him and asked, "Don't you chew your buns?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan lifted his head again, swallowed the bun, and said, "It's faster this way. Avoids trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" Bao Yun asked curiously.

Suddenly, a lunchbox flew through the air. Xiang Little Wei Yuan tried to dodge, but his body refused to obey—he could only tilt his head slightly before it slammed into him with a clang.

Now Bao Yun knew what kind of trouble there could be.

She turned to look and saw Li Li Tianci and a group of others seated at a table behind them. There were seven or eight of them; Li Li Tianci sat in the center. He was tall, his features actually decent, but his hair was half-long, hanging over his eyes, utterly out of place with the school's style.

Li Li Tianci sat back, leaning against the table, legs spread wide, posing as if he were effortlessly cool, chin raised high, looking down at Xiang Little Wei Yuan through his nostrils. One of the boys beside him still held the throwing pose, dripping with provocation.

The boy across from them, Xiao Kongque, hesitated and said, "Yuan Ge, class is about to start—they're too many…"

"Eat your bun. It'll ease your worries," Xiang Little Wei Yuan said seriously to Bao Yun, then picked up his bowl of porridge and walked toward Li Li Tianci's table.

Seeing Xiang Little Wei Yuan approach, Li Li Tianci sneered, "Got money for breakfast now? This isn't a place for scum like you…"

Before he finished speaking, darkness fell before his eyes—Xiang Little Wei Yuan had dumped the entire bowl of porridge onto his head!

Immediately, Xiang Little Wei Yuan lunged forward, pinning Li Li Tianci beneath him, and began punching his face again and again.

The boys at the table were stunned, rushing forward, but none could pull Xiang Little Wei Yuan off. They could only kick and punch him from all sides. Li Li Tianci's screams echoed through the crowd, but Xiang Little Wei Yuan made no sound.

"I've got to go," Xiao Kongque called to Bao Yun, then leapt up, grabbed a chair, and charged in. But in an instant, he was knocked to the ground and surrounded, beaten and kicked.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar echoed through the cafeteria: "If you're not eating properly, get out!!"

The cafeteria lady stormed out, still holding a giant ladle. She planted her hands on her hips and bellowed—and a gale swept through the cafeteria.

Li Li Tianci's group immediately stopped. They frantically pulled the exhausted Xiang Little Wei Yuan off Li Li Tianci and threw him aside. A clean-cut student ran up to the lady and bowed respectfully: "It's not our fault—he started it."

The cafeteria lady raised her ladle. "I don't care who started it. All of you—get out! Cause trouble on my turf, and even the principal can't save you!"

The delinquent students fled like rabbits spotting a tiger, hoisted Li Li Tianci up, and scrambled out of the cafeteria.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan lay on his back, his face again smeared with blood. His whole body ached; he had no strength left even to lift his arm. Then, suddenly, a cool, slippery sensation brushed across his face—and his vision gradually cleared.

When his sight returned, Xiang Little Wei Yuan saw Bao Yun crouched before him, a bun clenched between her teeth, using her bare hands to wipe the blood from his face. She had no handkerchief—only her hands, scrubbing away the grime. Yet her expression was calm, as if she were doing the most ordinary thing in the world.

Suddenly, a shrill bell rang—the warning bell for class. Another, more formal bell would follow soon. The students in the cafeteria scattered like startled rabbits, abandoning everything, sprinting for the classrooms.

Bao Yun pulled the half-bitten bun from her mouth, shoved it into Xiang Little Wei Yuan's mouth, grabbed him by the collar, and dragged him running toward the classroom.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan chewed the bun as he ran, struggling to keep up. He had a faint sense—if he was late for class, something very bad would happen.

They sprinted all the way, barely making it into the classroom at the last second.

As soon as they entered, every eye turned to them. Li Li Tianci sat in the back row, wiping blood from his lips with a tissue. When he saw Xiang Little Wei Yuan, his eyes filled with hatred.

Inside the classroom, Xiang Little Wei Yuan spotted his seat—and Bao Yun's. They were far apart. Bao Yun pulled him to her desk and said to the boy beside her, "Switch seats with him."

The boy's face flushed crimson at Bao Yun speaking to him. He stammered, "But I—I don't want to…"

With a rustle, Bao Yun swept everything off his desk onto the floor.

The boy's eyes welled with tears. He gathered his stationery and books, hugged them to his chest, and shuffled slowly to Xiang Little Wei Yuan's old seat.

Xiang Little Wei Yuan sat down. His tense heart finally eased. He lifted his head and swallowed the bun. As it entered his stomach, a warm flow spread through his body—he clearly felt a slight increase in strength.

The teacher entered the classroom and was about to close the door when—CRASH—the door burst open and Xiao Kongque tumbled in. At that moment, the shrill class bell rang, its tone hoarse, clearly long overdue for repair.

The teacher glanced at Xiao Kongque, shut the door, walked to the podium, adjusted his black-rimmed glasses, and said, "Open your books to page 138. Let's review yesterday's lesson… Who can tell me what this molecular formula represents?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan's body automatically opened his textbook to the right page—but then his consciousness intervened. He flipped back to the cover and saw it read: "Chemistry."

Chemistry?

Xiang Little Wei Yuan's spirits lifted. Suddenly, he wasn't sleepy anymore. He looked at the page he'd turned to—it was like reading celestial script. He understood nothing.

At that moment, the teacher said, "Xiang Little Wei Yuan, answer this."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan stood and said, "I don't know."

The class erupted in laughter. Li Li Tianci laughed the loudest, pounding the desk until he nearly cramped.

The teacher's face had turned ashen. "Xiang Little Wei Yuan! Your family is so poor, yet you still refuse to study? Do you honor your parents?! You didn't even learn yesterday's lesson—you skip class, smoke, fight—what will you do when you grow up? How will you earn money to support your family? Are you like others? They have money. What do you have? You'll still be relying on your parents when you're grown. Are you ashamed?!"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan froze. The words he'd planned to say vanished. He bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

The teacher stared, panting heavily, then softened his tone. "Saying you're sorry isn't enough. Apologies mean nothing. Study hard—that's your only chance, and the easiest thing in your life. Sit down."

Xiang Little Wei Yuan sat. He flipped his book back to page one and began reading earnestly. Bao Yun looked at him and asked, "Is your family really poor?"

Xiang Little Wei Yuan replied casually, "We farm. I remember one year there was a terrible drought—we couldn't even afford meat."

"Then… do you have a vehicle? One of those big ones for planting and harvesting?"

"No vehicle. We have a donkey."

The classroom burst into laughter again—boys and girls alike, some even imitating donkey brays.

Bao Yun didn't laugh. She said, "I have money. You'll spend mine from now on."

The laughter died instantly. Many boys opened their mouths wide, faces full of "Why her?"

A sweet-looking girl in the front row turned around, glanced at Xiang Little Wei Yuan, then at Bao Yun, and asked, "Bao Yun, I heard you made him your boyfriend?"

"Yes."

The girl didn't believe it. "You just want a obedient lackey. Girls like us all need a few lackeys—it's about appearances. Real boyfriend-girlfriend relationships need… intimate gestures."

"Is that so?" Bao Yun pulled Xiang Little Wei Yuan close and kissed him on the cheek.

Instantly, the room fell silent—then the air turned deadly.

(End of Chapter)