Volume 4: Hidden Struggles, Chapter 74: Will This Cause Trouble?

“Damn it, such a big deal like ‘someone jumping off a building’ happened! Third Brother, come on, let’s go take a look!” Bai Lei quickly put aside his thoughts and pulled Chu Tianyu inside, calling for Da Ge and Bao Cai before rushing downstairs.
When they arrived downstairs, many classmates were already gathered there. Chu Tianyu and the others quickly looked up and saw a person standing tall on a corner of the rooftop platform.
Chu Tianyu squinted to see that the person jumping was actually Chen Qing from their class. With his sharp eyesight, he could clearly see Chen Qing’s expression—his gaze was distant, and he was muttering to himself; it was impossible to hear what he was saying.
He could barely remember Chen Qing since freshman year, after Wang Shengyi arranged their dorm assignments. He seemed to recall that Chen Qing was from Guangxi, lived in a town, and was quite introverted. Since he got along well with Wang Shengyi, Bai Lei and the others hardly interacted with him. As the class leader, Chu Tianyu had occasionally dealt with him, but only regarding class matters; he didn’t remember much else about him.
“It seems to be Chen Qing… How come it’s him?” Bai Lei also recognized him and exclaimed in confusion.
“Yeah, it’s him. He’s a pretty honest guy. What could have made him think of jumping?” Da Ge and Bao Cai agreed.
“No, I have to go upstairs and talk to him. After all, we’re classmates!” As he spoke, Bai Lei was about to step forward when he seemed to remember something and anxiously looked at Chu Tianyu.
Chu Tianyu understood Bai Lei’s questioning look immediately. He nodded at him and moved his lips slightly. Bai Lei heard Chu Tianyu’s voice in his ear: “It’s fine. Even if he falls, at most he’ll get a few scratches. Go up safely. I’ll keep watch here!”
Relieved, Bai Lei cheered up and said to Da Ge and Bao Cai, “Da Ge, let’s go upstairs and check the situation. Bao Cai, your mouth is too sharp—stay here with Chu Tianyu and keep an eye out!”
Without paying attention to Bao Cai’s innocent expression, he and Da Ge rushed toward the stairs.
But just as Bai Lei stepped onto a stair, they heard a burst of screams from downstairs, accompanied by frantic female cries!
“Damn it! He really jumped!!!” Bai Lei and Da Ge quickly turned back. But when they looked again, they heard a crackling sound, followed by a heavy thud.

But Bai Lei had an almost obsessive trust in Chu Tianyu. Despite the loud noises, he firmly believed that the kid must be fine! Sure enough, when Bai Lei and the tall guy rushed back to the scene, the “miracle” had already happened—several boys from their class were already gathered around Chen Qing, including their class leader, Chu Tianyu! Chu Tianyu turned around and gave Bai Lei a slight smile, just as a classmate beside them exclaimed happily, “He’s awake! He can even open his eyes! Chen Qing, Chen Qing, can you still talk?” Bai Lei pushed his way through the crowd and saw that Chen Qing had already opened his eyes, looking around in confusion. No one else dared to move him rashly. Someone had already gone to call the teacher and the school nurse; others had even called an ambulance. As the classmates around them discussed eagerly, Chen Qing slowly sat up, as if nothing had happened. This was truly strange—those in his class quickly started asking him various questions about whether he was okay. Chen Qing, now conscious, shook his head and murmured a few words in a low voice, but no one could understand them. However, seeing that he was temporarily fine, everyone relaxed and turned their attention to the fact that he had fallen from a five-story building without any injury, sparking more discussions. “Falling from such a height and coming out unharmed—this violates Newton’s laws. It’s truly a miracle!” said a physics major. “But if you notice that he hit two sunshades while falling, according to the law of conservation of energy, his potential energy was absorbed by those obstacles. From the perspective of energy conversion, this isn’t a miracle at all—it’s just a typical application of physical principles!” said another physics major. “Just because he’s conscious now doesn’t mean he’s fine. Often, patients in critical condition can remain extremely alert!” said a freshman in medicine who had only been in school for half a year. “Survival or death—is it just a change in terminology, or perhaps a transition from one starting point to an ending point, or from an ending point to a starting point, or maybe…” “Or maybe fuck off! Get out of the way!” Bai Lei pushed aside a philosophy major who was still talking nonsense. As expected, that person, a true product of the philosophy department, muttered, “Violence embodies the virtue of humility…” before obediently moving aside.

At that moment, the teacher and the school doctor also rushed over upon hearing the news. The school doctor first conducted a full-body examination on Chen Qing. A student from the medical school even boasted, “Teacher, after he fell, none of us dared to move him, fearing that moving him might worsen his injuries. But from the outside, it doesn’t seem like there’s anything serious.”
“Hmm, you all did very well! Come on, a few students, help carry him to the infirmary for another full-body check. It seems, aside from some minor scratches, he’s not in too much trouble.”
Of course, Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei felt it was their duty to help. Although Chu Tianyu knew inside that Chen Qing wasn’t seriously injured, as the class monitor, he still had to pretend to take action at this moment.
Who would have thought Chen Qing would just jump like that? It was unclear what triggered him. If not for Bai Lei pulling them down in time, the consequences could have been disastrous. That’s why, when Chen Qing jumped, Chu Tianyu managed to support him with his internal energy. To cover his tracks, he slightly shifted Chen Qing’s body onto the two extended awnings during the fall, making it seem to the onlookers as though the impact was reduced.
……
After leaving the infirmary, Chu Tianyu and the others took Chen Qing to their dormitory first. Upon examination, it was confirmed that Chen Qing wasn’t seriously injured, which relieved the teachers present greatly. It wasn’t the time to investigate the cause or hold anyone accountable—anything could further upset him. So, the principal and the dorm supervisor entrusted the task of taking care of him to his class monitor, Chu Tianyu, and repeatedly instructed him to keep a close eye on him, comfort him, figure out the reason, and report back promptly.
Chu Tianyu was overwhelmed by all this. But who was he to complain? After all, he was the class monitor!
Back in the dormitory, Chen Qing lay on Bai Lei’s bed, staring blankly at the ceiling with a frightening expression.
Chu Tianyu brought him a cup of hot water and placed it in his hands, then gave Bai Lei a look. “It was you who got this bed when school started, right? Do you still remember?”
Chen Qing slowly nodded.
Seeing an opportunity, Bai Lei quickly tried to get close to him. “Well, it’s quite coincidental. After you moved away, I happened to end up sleeping here. Hehe, we can consider ourselves roommates!”
Upon hearing this, Chen Qing’s expression darkened. “Actually, sometimes I really envy you guys. The other students also like to hang out with you. They see you always fighting and causing trouble, not taking things seriously. But it’s clear that if one of you has problems, the others will be more concerned than anyone else. I… I really envy you…”

By the end, Chen Qing was completely choked up with tears.
“Actually, the rest of us were just making a fuss too, hehe!” Bao Cai interjected.
“Yes, what’s there to be envious about? We’re all in the same class. If anyone wants to play with us, we welcome them without hesitation, haha!” The tall guy said generously.
Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei nodded emphatically in response to the tall guy’s words.
Looking at these sincere faces in front of him, Chen Qing felt a warmth he had never experienced before. Suddenly, as if overwhelmed by sorrow, he burst into tears—filled with helplessness and regret…
A man should not easily shed tears, unless he’s truly heartbroken.
Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei exchanged glances, not knowing what to say. Just as Bai Lei was about to offer comfort, Chu Tianyu stopped him by shaking his head, signaling that it was better for Chen Qing to cry—it was better to vent than to hold it in.
Indeed, after crying for a while, Chen Qing’s sobs gradually subsided. Bao Cai promptly handed him a clean, warm towel. Chen Qing instinctively took it and wiped his face a few times, his expression once again sinking into gloom as he fell silent.
Although anxious, everyone knew this wasn’t the time to ask questions. They looked at each other, none speaking. Just as Chu Tianyu felt at a loss, Chen Qing spoke in a hoarse voice, “I know you look down on me usually, whispering behind my back that I’m a clingy fool, a sycophant…”
Chu Tianyu and the others exchanged glances, feeling wronged. They were too busy with club activities or chores to pay attention to him. It was true they hadn’t really paid much mind to Chen Qing!
“But you don’t know how hard it is to get a college degree in our area. It’s a great honor for a family when one of their members can stay in the city to work! I used to say my parents worked in the town to make up for the gap between us, but do you know what they do? They’re just farmers who carry loads of vegetables around the town. To support my studies, my sister also dropped out early and went home to help with household chores. Do you know how excited I was when Wang Shengyi promised to find me a government job in the city? And how thrilled I was when he casually gave me two hundred yuan—I stayed up all night, rushed to the post office early the next day, and sent 150 yuan back home…”

“Enough, Chen Qing, stop talking…” the tall guy said, his eyes slightly red.
“No, I have to say! I have to explain why the world is so unfair—there are wealthy people who can spend lavishly on pleasure, while people like our family struggle to survive! That’s why I refuse to give up. I decided to change things, and from high school, I studied hard because I knew only that way could I get into college and change our family’s fate. I succeeded and entered Beifu College without having to pay tuition, but then I met that beast, Wang Shengyi!”
At this point, Chen Qing abandoned his usual gentle expression, his eyes blood-red as he spoke through gritted teeth.
“Damn it, it’s that Wang Shengyi again. But it seems he’s changed a lot this semester; he’s not as arrogant anymore. And after being beaten by Chu Tianyu last time, he didn’t make any fuss either. Otherwise, with his personality as the son of a vice mayor, he would have reacted immediately!” Bai Lei analyzed.
Chen Qing didn’t respond but continued, “At first, he was nice to me. I remember at the start of school, he invited you all out for dinner, but you didn’t go, so he invited some folks from my hometown, including my girlfriend who came from the same county as me… I… I never expected that the seeds of disaster were sown back then…”
By now, everyone could roughly guess what was about to happen. Bai Lei was even more impatient, on the verge of exploding, until Chu Tianyu gently tapped him to let Chen Qing continue.
“Last semester was fine. Although Wang Shengyi had ulterior motives for my girlfriend, he was too busy pursuing Zhou Yun at the time, so he didn’t show any behavior. But this semester… this semester…” Chen Qing seemed to remember something, his fingers tightly gripping the corners of the blanket, looking almost insane, unable to control himself.
“Come on, just tell us! You’re driving us crazy! Did that beast Wang Shengyi do something to your girlfriend? If so, I’ll castrate him with a knife!” Bai Lei demanded urgently.
The tall guy and Bao Cai were also anxious, shouting anxiously.

Hearing this, Chen Qing’s expression suddenly turned despondent again, a look of utter despair, as he said emotionlessly, “Last evening, he came to me and said it was the beginning of the new semester, asking me and my girlfriend to have dinner together, saying he would need my help with his studies in the future. I didn’t think much of it and took my girlfriend to a villa belonging to one of his friends that night. To my surprise, there were already many people there—men and women—who didn’t seem like decent people. But from their tone, it seemed they all had high status, like children of high-ranking officials.”
“Children of high-ranking officials?” Chu Tianyu said coldly.
“I never expected that once we went in, something terrible happened. They first forced my girlfriend to take off her clothes and dance closely with them. When we refused, several of them rushed out, beat me mercilessly, tied me to a pillar, and then, right in front of me, raped my girlfriend. That bastard Wang Shengyi even said that trying village girls from time to time had its own unique flavor…” At this point, Chen Qing burst into sobbing out of remorse.
Chu Tianyu and Bai Lei remained silent, their faces pale with anger.
After a long while…
Chu Tianyu finally spoke slowly, word by word, “Bai Lei, can you cause trouble?”
Looking at the fury in Chu Tianyu’s eyes, Bai Lei replied fiercely as well, “Damn it, I’m not afraid of anything—especially not causing trouble!!!!”