Chapter 759: Whose Youth, Part 2

As the dismissal bell rang, the classroom erupted into chaos. Little Wei Yuan was buried in his studies when suddenly a hand slammed down on his book.

Little Wei Yuan looked up to see one of Li Li Tianci's henchmen standing beside his desk, his face fierce: "Don't leave after school—Li Tianci's waiting for you in the small grove behind the school!"

"No time. Get lost." Little Wei Yuan's voice was calm and mechanical.

The boy flew into a rage and swung a punch: "You think you're something special?"

In Little Wei Yuan's eyes, the punch moved slowly. He prepared to seize the wrist, pull it with the flow, unbalance the attacker, then remain seated, lift his leg, and kick the side of the knee—this would force the boy to collapse on the spot and be unable to walk properly for days.

The entire sequence flowed effortlessly in his mind, but in reality, his hand had barely risen halfway when the fist already struck his face.

The boy landed the punch, but seeing Little Wei Yuan's calm expression and thoughtful gaze, he suddenly felt an inexplicable fear. "If you don't show up, you'll regret it," he muttered, then hurried back to his seat.

Little Wei Yuan stared at his own hand, pondering why his movements had been so sluggish.

Before long, dismissal arrived. Many students swiftly packed their bags and vanished in an instant. Little Wei Yuan reluctantly closed his textbook and asked Bao Yun: "What class tomorrow?"

"Physics."

Little Wei Yuan's spirits lifted instantly—he couldn't say why, but his mood improved all at once.

Little Wei Yuan, Bao Yun, and Kong Que walked toward the school gate together. Kong Que looked worried: "You're really not going to meet Li Li Tianci?"

"No time. Oh, by the way—why are they picking on us?"

Kong Que was startled: "Brother Yuan, don't you remember anything? Li Li Tianci's family is filthy rich—he's got several lackeys and bullies kids at school all the time. We enrolled together, but one day after school, they cornered me and demanded my pocket money. I had none, so they beat me—and you happened to pass by, so you got beaten too."

Little Wei Yuan raised an eyebrow. That last part sounded oddly off.

Little Wei Yuan stared at his hands again. He felt he should move faster, be stronger—even this body should be capable of it. But it seemed another consciousness dwelled within this body, constantly sabotaging him. And every action this body took was decided by that consciousness.

For example, when he swung a punch, he'd unconsciously hold back halfway; by the time he realized and tried to add force, it was too late—the punch came slow and weak. That's why, despite beating Li Li Tianci multiple times, he still bounced back unharmed.

Kong Que continued: "... But you're even poorer than me. We got cornered three times and beaten three times. You said 'three strikes and you're out'—you'd fight back once. So you planned to ambush them at the school gate. You even said bricks should only hit the back, never the head—that could be fatal. Later, Sister Bao said you were her boyfriend, and Li Li Tianci declared he'd beat us every time he saw us."

Little Wei Yuan asked: "He's this arrogant—does he have other backing?"

"The vice principal loves him. Students who reported him got scolded instead. So over time, everyone just stopped reporting."

"So it's either rely on ourselves—or take down the vice principal too." Little Wei Yuan understood.

He thought solving this was absurdly simple—like children playing house. But precisely because it was too simple, it felt strange.

Little Wei Yuan paused, then asked: "Li Li Tianci's family is rich?"

"Yes."

"And he still steals our pocket money?"

"Right."

"... Is he mentally ill?" Little Wei Yuan was baffled.

Bao Yun said: "Maybe he just needs someone to bully to feel superior."

"... He's definitely mentally ill." Little Wei Yuan realized.

As they talked, they reached the school gate and saw a crowd of students gathered, necks craned, staring at something.

Little Wei Yuan, curious, followed their gaze and saw a tall girl walking out of the classroom building. Her hair was unusually tied up, her neck long and elegant as a swan's.

She stood half a head taller than other girls, her skin a light tan—unlike the pale complexions of her peers. She was stunning: her slanted brows exuded wildness and pride. Though dressed in the uniform, her legs beneath the short skirt were round, long, and powerful—the uniform itself seemed to accentuate her sensuality.

The onlookers burst into murmurs.

"Finally, Lu Xuan Lu's here!"

"So beautiful!"

"I wonder who's prettier—her or the new transfer student?"

"Each has her own beauty—they're different."

"I wish I could have both!"

The wild-eyed girl spotted Bao Yun, studied her carefully, then turned her gaze to Little Wei Yuan—lingered a moment—then looked away and walked out the gate, vanishing.

The three of them also left the school.

Little Wei Yuan looked around. Morning light had just entered the window; the auntie's booming voice echoed through the hall—he was back in the cafeteria at dawn.

Bao Yun placed a tray of buns on the table, then pulled out a card and handed it to him: "I got a supplementary card. Buy whatever you want."

Instantly, every eye in the cafeteria fixed on them. The boys' gazes were knives; the girls scrutinized him, intensely curious.

Little Wei Yuan slipped the supplementary card into his pocket: "If it's not enough, I'll ask you again."

Kong Que choked on his bun, unable to swallow or breathe. The boys around them stared in shock—no one had ever said something like that.

Bao Yun said: "Club recruitment's this afternoon. I think it's interesting—sign up for whatever you like!"

"Okay." Little Wei Yuan nodded, tilting his head back to swallow the bun.

The bell rang for class. In came an elderly female teacher, her eyes and mouth downturned, her gaze dark and sharp. Little Wei Yuan always felt her skin had a faint bluish tint, with faint spots.

The teacher immediately called on Little Wei Yuan to answer a question. Naturally, he couldn't. After sitting down, he quietly asked the girl in front of him and learned his grades were always the lowest in the grade—failing was normal; succeeding would be strange.

Little Wei Yuan didn't care. He flipped open the book to the first page and began reading with keen interest.

The teacher treated Little Wei Yuan with particular hostility, frequently calling him up to scold him. Little Wei Yuan accepted it all and started reading from the beginning again. The physics textbook was extremely basic—he vaguely remembered studying far more advanced material, but he couldn't recall where.

When the dismissal bell rang, the classroom buzzed again. Little Wei Yuan remembered something and patted the shoulder of the sweet girl in front: "Besides buns, what else is there for breakfast in the cafeteria?"

The girl replied: "Of course! Everything you can imagine—we're famous for our food and our beautiful girls."

Little Wei Yuan asked: "Then why haven't I seen anything else?"

"You never went to get it. Think—don't other students eat different things?"

Little Wei Yuan recalled—and suddenly, the memory sharpened. Indeed, apart from their table, no one else ate buns.

Little Wei Yuan thought a moment, then asked Bao Yun: "Why do we always eat buns?"

Bao Yun said: "I only ever see buns."

Before long, it was afternoon.

Club recruitment was always the liveliest time. Bao Yun and Little Wei Yuan, unusually, parted ways to find clubs they liked. The gym was filled with roaring voices.

As Little Wei Yuan stepped out of the gym, he carried a new backpack. Outside the door, he suddenly stopped. A girl stood ahead—ordinary, merely pretty, her long hair straight and black, strikingly memorable. She didn't belong here at all. Quietly, she walked toward a building Little Wei Yuan had never visited: the library.

Little Wei Yuan watched her until she entered the library. Then a repulsive face appeared before him. One of Li Li Tianci's henchmen, hair covering one eye, the tips dyed purple.

He forced a cocky, self-satisfied grin: "Li Tianci wants you to fight him in the gymnastics hall! Don't even think of running—Sister Bao's already there."

Little Wei Yuan had been about to say he was busy, but hearing Bao Yun had gone, he followed the boy to the gymnastics hall.

The gymnastics hall was small, dimly lit, and dilapidated—many machines covered in thick dust. As soon as Little Wei Yuan entered, he saw Li Li Tianci and his gang surrounding Bao Yun, fawning over her.

In just one afternoon, Bao Yun had transformed: her hair was dyed yellow, a cigarette in hand, leaning lazily against the vaulting horse. Her face remained stunning—this look gave off an aura of rebellion, freedom, and broken beauty.

Why broken beauty? Little Wei Yuan wondered—perhaps the answer lay in the library.

Seeing Little Wei Yuan enter, Li Li Tianci said: "Bring him out."

Two boys dragged Kong Que forward and shoved him beside Little Wei Yuan.

Li Li Tianci held a cigarette, tapped Little Wei Yuan's chest, then flicked his hair with his other hand: "If Bao Yun agrees to be my girlfriend—of course, not just words. She has to kiss me ten times, just like she kissed him. Then this guy kneels and apologizes to me. I'll forgive him, and never bother him again. Deal?"

Little Wei Yuan looked at Bao Yun. She exhaled a smoke ring, shrugged: "Your call."

Little Wei Yuan said: "I'm going to the library. No time to waste on this idiot."

Before Bao Yun could speak, Kong Que cheered, tied a white cloth strip around his head, and shouted: "I've had enough! I joined karate—I'm gonna show you all my power today!"

"Fine, I'll join in too." Bao Yun flicked her cigarette to the ground, reached behind her backpack, and pulled out a gracefully curved baseball bat. "I signed up for baseball. Little Wei Yuan, what did you sign up for?"

Little Wei Yuan looked at the strange object in his hand: "Shot put."

Moments later...

Little Wei Yuan lay on a hospital bed, staring at the blinding, buzzing fluorescent light, wondering why he was here. On the next bed, Kong Que groaned pitifully.

Bao Yun sat beside him, helping him sit up, handing him a cup of water. During the fight, Little Wei Yuan's shot put had nearly struck Li Li Tianci's head—then his movement froze. The shot put rebounded and hit him instead. Kong Que fared no better—cried out a few times, then went down. Finally, Bao Yun stepped in, took on seven at once, and knocked them all out.

Bao Yun picked up a strand of dyed-yellow hair and brushed it across Little Wei Yuan's face: "Pretty?"

"Not pretty." Little Wei Yuan spoke honestly.

Bao Yun smiled faintly: "But dyed hair makes you tougher in school."

Little Wei Yuan said: "... Also dumber."

(End of Chapter)