Chapter 6

Xie Wendong was walking home alone, it was after 10 p.m., and there were few pedestrians on the road. The night wind blew, causing the grass by the roadside to rustle. The city was unusually quiet, with only cars passing by from time to time. As he walked, Xie Wendong kicked at the stones on the road, lost in thought. What would his future hold? Would he remain a half-bright, half-dark thug for life, or would he plunge headfirst into the criminal world? Either way, it wasn’t what he wanted. The deeper he got involved, the clearer it became to him that both paths led to a dead end with no return. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind, startling him even himself. He shook his head to shake off the thought. But Xie Wendong never imagined that years later, he would be just one step away from pursuing that idea.

Shaking his head, he tried not to think about it. Sometimes a person’s fate depends on their own decisions, while other times it’s predetermined by fate.

The following month was undoubtedly the most painful for Li Shuang, Gao Qiang, and their underlings. There was no freedom, only oppression; no pleasure, only studying. Under Xie Wendong’s strict pressure, these students, whom their teachers considered future scum of society, saw their grades improve dramatically, to the surprise of all their teachers. They wondered if their efforts had finally moved these delinquent youths to change. The school even held a meeting to praise the homeroom teachers of the ninth grade. These students were far better than previous batches and had contributed to education. The homeroom teachers vowed, “For the next generation of our country, we will work harder to teach our students well…” (the rest omitted).

The day of the high school entrance exam finally arrived. A day earlier, Xie Wendong gathered all the students taking the exam and asked them how well they had prepared. Everyone kept their heads down, silent. They all knew it wouldn’t be easy to catch up after wasting three years of schooling! Seeing that no one spoke, Xie Wendong shook his head and said, “No matter what you do, make sure each of you has a PDA ready for tomorrow’s exam!”

Li Shuang asked, “Brother Dong, what’s the use of that thing?” Gao Qiang was initially stunned but quickly understood and hit Li Shuang on the head. “Are you an idiot? Brother Dong wants us to pass the answers to each other!”

Li Shuang acted like he understood everything and said loudly, “Go away! Do you think I don’t know?” Then he turned to his underling and whispered, “What does it mean to pass answers using a PDA?” The underling looked helpless. Brother Gao was right—he really was an idiot. But he didn’t dare say so and explain in detail.

Xie Wendong saw everyone chatting with smiles on their faces and said loudly, “Who can’t borrow it? Raise your hand now—I’ll find a way for you!” (At that time, pagers were still new in the northeast; it wasn’t like now when mobile phones are everywhere.) A few guys raised their hands. Li Shuang glanced around, blushed, and then lowered his head to raise his hand. Gao Qiang nudged him and said, “Hey, Fatso, don’t embarrass yourself. I’ll help you borrow one.” Li Shuang lowered his head even further and said shyly, “My family’s poor!” “Haha,” the others laughed. Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Whoever can borrow more, borrow as much as possible. Let’s help the others get through this first, okay?” A few wealthy guys replied loudly, “Got it, Brother Dong!” Xie Wendong nodded in satisfaction. Li Shuang asked, “Brother Dong, did you plan this way to help us get through?” “Sigh! This is called preparing in advance. What use is the little knowledge you have?” “Then why did Brother Dong force us to read for a month?” Li Shuang voiced what everyone was thinking. Xie Wendong said seriously, “Because I don’t want you to enter high school like fools. Remember, without education, you’re worthless in society! No matter where you go, no one will respect you. Even if you become a boss in the underworld later, it won’t change.” Only then did they realize Xie Wendong’s intentions—he was truly thinking of them. They were moved and all said together, “Got it, Brother Dong!” The next day, the entrance of the Fourth Primary School was packed with parents. Since the exam site for No. 2 Middle School was here, the parents had been waiting there all morning to encourage their children. Sanyan sat aside, smoking one cigarette after another, checking his watch, and asked his subordinate, “Xiaohua, go check if the phone booth is already taken.” Xiaohua replied “Mm-hmm” and ran off. “It’s been over an hour—why hasn’t he come out yet?” Sanyan asked impatiently. “Brother Sanyan, could it be that Brother Dong can’t get out?” another subordinate asked. Sanyan shook his head; he didn’t know either. Five minutes later, someone tapped Sanyan’s shoulder, startling him. He turned around ready to scold, but seeing it was Xie Wendong, he quickly closed his mouth. “Brother Dong, where did you come from? I didn’t see you!” Xie Wendong chuckled and said, “There were people guarding the entrance, so I had to climb over the wall.” He then took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Sanyan. “Hurry up—time is running out!”

“Alright, Brother Dong, don’t worry—none of them will slip through!” Sanyan, holding the paper without even looking at it, led his subordinates away.
Eventually, the results of the middle school exams came out. All the boys passed, and Xie Wendong ranked first in the entire city. Yet this top scorer voluntarily chose to attend the third-rate No.1 High School in City J, leaving the teachers puzzled and sighing in regret—such a promising talent wasted!
Xie Wendong’s parents were even more opposed. Left with no choice, he finally said to them, “Mom and Dad, I’m grown up now. Let me choose my own path! I promise you, in three years, I’ll definitely get into college.”
Xie Wendong’s father said to his wife, “Sigh, the child has grown up. He has his own choices. We can force him for a while, but not forever.” Then he turned to Xie Wendong and said, “Wendong, I hope you’ll follow your own path and never have to regret it again!”
And so, Xie Wendong entered the notorious No.1 High School as the top scorer in the city, bringing over a hundred subordinates with him. He finally ended his middle school years, which changed his fate, and began a new chapter in life.
During the break between middle and high school, Xie Wendong didn’t idle away his time. After fighting with Sanyan, he realized that to make a name for himself in society, brains and determination alone weren’t enough—strength was also necessary. Over the next two months, he trained hard. Even Sanyan admired his perseverance. After getting to know him for so long, he understood Xie Wendong’s personality: either don’t do it at all, or do it to the best of your ability. A month later, Xie Wendong brought Sanyan to a sanda class. They wore boxing gloves and headbands, but no one knew who won or lost—both of them ended up badly injured.
Half a month later, Xie Wendong called Sanyan again. This time, Li Shuang and Gao Qiang joined them, but they were kept outside. When Sanyan came out with his eyes swollen, the two pressed him for details. Sanyan simply said, “Brother Dong is very talented in sports!” before walking away.

Half a month passed again. When Xie Wendong went to find Sanyan once more, Sanyan, whose eyes were still slightly swollen, lay on the ground and refused to go no matter what… Xie Wendong had no choice but to try bribing him, saying, “As long as you go, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight; you can pick the place.” Sanyan closed his eyes and said, “Even if I conjured up a flower, I still won’t go. If I lose my life, how can I eat?” Li Shuang, unable to resist the temptation, volunteered to go with Xie Wendong. Sanyan watched Li Shuang walk away with a pitying look, shaking his head and thinking to himself, “Brother, take care!” As it turned out, while eating with Xie Wendong that night, Li Shuang vomited out two front teeth.

From then on, whenever Xie Wendong tried to find someone to go on a mission, there was never a single person within five meters around him. Sanyan once said, “Brother Dong can run 100 meters when he’s not busy. His explosive power is suitable for that sport.” Li Shuang nodded in agreement, deeply understanding the point.

More than two months passed. Xie Wendong remained the same—just a bit taller, but still looking very thin.

The First Middle School was quite far from Xie Wendong’s home, so he had to ride a bicycle to school. Upon arriving at the school gate, the first thing he saw was a broken door. The concrete pillars on both sides of the door were covered with posters. Upon closer inspection, one read, “Patients with sexually transmitted diseases need not worry…” He fainted—how could such ads be posted right at the school entrance? Xie Wendong shook his head and walked into the school. He saw an old man sitting in the duty room, reading a newspaper. Xie Wendong went over and asked, “Uncle, I’m a new student here. Where do I go to register as a new student?”

The old man put down the newspaper, looked at Xie Wendong, and shouted, “What did you say? I didn’t hear you. Speak up!” Xie Wendong had no choice but to shout, “I asked where I can register as a new student!”

“What? You’re about to be late! Hurry up and go to class instead of talking to me!?” The old man shook his head and continued reading his newspaper.

Xie Wendong almost spat blood. With such a doorman, how could the school stay in order? Ignoring the old man, he pushed his bike inside the school. After walking a few steps, the roar of a motorcycle came from behind him. Without thinking, Xie Wendong instinctively jumped to the side, causing his bike to fall to the ground. A motorcycle sped past him and stopped not far ahead. The rider was dressed in jeans, took off her helmet, and her black, shiny hair fluttered in the air as she turned to look at Xie Wendong. “So beautiful,” Xie Wendong realized the rider was actually a girl. She had a oval face with two delicate curved eyebrows, bright eyes like black pearls beneath them, and rosy lips moving up and down.

“Are you blind? Can’t you see where you’re going?”

Her voice was pleasant, but what she said made Xie Wendong unable to appreciate her beauty any longer. With a look of grievance, he said, “It seems like you were the one who rode your bike into me! Why blame me?”
The girl sized up Xie Wendong from head to toe. He had an average build and a fairly pretty face, but his eyes were truly special—thin, long, and extremely bright, giving off a unique impression.
Seeing the girl staring at him, Xie Wendong felt a bit embarrassed. “Classmate, is there something wrong with me?”
Xie Wendong’s voice interrupted her thoughts. Her cheeks turned slightly red as she got off her motorcycle and walked over to him. “Are you a new student?”
Xie Wendong nodded. He thought this girl had a great figure, about 170 centimeters tall, almost the same as him. Combined with her slender build, he finally understood what it meant to be graceful and delicate.
“As a new student, you should call me senior, not classmate. You seem pretty weak. If anyone bullies you in the future, come to me, and I’ll stand up for you!” The girl said while patting Xie Wendong’s head. She herself didn’t know why, but seeing this pretty boy, she always felt the urge to get close to him and protect him. Perhaps it was his thin build that triggered her protective instincts, she reasoned. Xie Wendong was both amused and puzzled—this girl was definitely no ordinary person. But he still nodded obediently, “Yes, thank you, senior. I’ll remember that!”
Seeing Xie Wendong’s bright eyes smiling at her, her heart skipped a beat. She shook her head and walked away quickly, telling herself she was leaving, not running away. Xie Wendong called after her, “See you later, senior!” In fact, he didn’t even know which class she was from, nor did he want to. His attraction to her earlier was simply an instinctive appreciation for beauty.
Only after the girl walked far away did Xie Wendong turn his attention back and bend down to pick up his bike. At that moment, a deep voice came from behind, “Bro Dong! Wait for me!” Without turning around, he knew who it was. Xie Wendong turned to see Li Shuang, sweating profusely, followed by Gao Qiang and six unfamiliar faces.
As they got closer, Li Shuang said to the six men, “This is Bro Dong, your boss!” The six men glanced at Xie Wendong and bowed together, saying, “Hello, Bro Dong!”
Seeing Xie Wendong’s confused expression, Gao Qiang explained, “These six guys are also new students. Brother Three-Eyes and we found them. When it comes to fighting, they’re all little tigers!”

Xie Wendong nodded at the six men and said to Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, “Once all the brothers arrive, keep an eye on things. Don’t start any trouble, okay?” The two nodded. Li Shuang grinned and said, “Brother Dong, I’ve been with you for so long now and I’ve learned a thing or two. Don’t worry!”
Xie Wendong turned and shook his head. “It’s you I’m most worried about.” He pushed the cart toward the parking shed on the side. Gao Qiang chuckled and followed behind Xie Wendong with the cart. “You guy, what else can you do besides gloating?” Li Shuang, with his chubby body, got back on his cart and chased after Xie Wendong, with the six new recruits following behind, all smiling.
Xie Wendong and the others arrived at the shed and were about to go in when two students at the entrance stopped them. “Hey~ hey~ hey! Stop right there! Why are you trying to go in? Don’t you know this is where the teachers park their cars?”
Li Shuang felt annoyed. “I just saw some people in school uniforms park their cars here. Why isn’t it okay for us?”
One of the students with small eyes glared at Li Shuang. “They’re them, and you’re you. If I say it’s not okay, it’s not okay!” The thin guy with him didn’t say anything, but he held his head so high that people could see the hairs in his nose.
Li Shuang parked his cart and stepped forward to argue. “What’s the problem? It’s because I’m a freshman, right? I’m telling you, move aside now. I absolutely have to park my car here today.”
Xie Wendong also thought those two were going too far, so he didn’t stop Li Shuang.