Chapter 4

At noon the next day, in the restroom of No. 2 Middle School.
“Fatty, I heard you told that wimp in your class to scratch a line on his face, and you even sided with him. Is that true?” a tall guy with a cigarette in his mouth asked, tilting his head as he looked at Li Shuang. Li Shuang wore a grim expression. “If you dare call him a wimp again, I’ll beat you to death!”
The tall guy’s eyebrows twitched as he grabbed Li Shuang’s fat cheeks and shook them back and forth. “Lanzi, do you know who you’re talking to?”
Li Shuang shook off his hand and glared. “Damn you, Gao Qiang! Do you think I’m afraid of you? Don’t think just because you know a few people you can act tough around me!” Gao Qiang laughed. “Not bad, kid. Wait for me in the classroom after school. If you dare leave first, I’ll break your legs!”
Li Shuang stared into his eyes. “I’ll wait for you. I’m just afraid you won’t show up.”
Back in the classroom, Li Shuang told Xie Wendong what had happened. Xie Wendong asked, “Who is Gao Qiang? What does he do?” “It’s that tall guy who always hangs around me. He was the one who helped me steal your money last time.” He glanced at Xie Wendong carefully and, seeing he wasn’t upset, continued, “That’s Gao Qiang. He’s been involved in trouble since elementary school and has a bunch of followers. Now he’s the ringleader of Class 6, Grade 9.”
Xie Wendong nodded and asked, “How many people can you get together?” Li Shuang thought for a moment. “Maybe five or six reliable ones! The rest are just cowards who’ll run away the moment things get tough.”
Xie Wendong said, “Okay, go get those reliable guys here so I can meet them.” Li Shuang nodded and ran outside.
At 6 p.m., in a classroom on the second floor of No. 2 Middle School.
Li Shuang stood at the back of the classroom, picked up a chair, and smashed it hard onto the floor. With a loud crash, the chair shattered. Li Shuang bent down, picked up a two-foot-long bar, and went to Xie Wendong’s seat. “Brother Dong, take this. You might need it if we start fighting.”
Xie Wendong shook his head. “I don’t need it.” Li Shuang didn’t dare say anything else and hid the bar under a desk, hoping his boss wouldn’t want to use it himself. Soon, the tightly closed door of the classroom was kicked open. The sudden noise startled Li Shuang. He turned to see Gao Qiang enter the classroom with seven or eight people. “Not bad, you two. You really have guts. Waiting for me here!” Gao Qiang turned to his men and laughed. “Haha~ Look at these two idiots!”
Xie Wendong remained silent, sitting coldly in his seat. Hearing this, Li Shuang’s anger reached its peak. “Gao Qiang, if you’re a man, fight me one-on-one. Whoever loses becomes the other’s servant!”

“Fight you one-on-one? Fuck off! Look in the mirror and see how ugly you are!” He turned to Xie Wendong sitting there and said, “Kid, come here!”
Xie Wendong slowly stood up and walked toward Gao Qiang, with Li Shuang following behind him. Seeing Xie Wendong, who was half a head shorter than him, a hint of contempt flashed in Gao Qiang’s eyes. “You little bastard has been getting so arrogant lately, trying to steal people from me. Li Shuang is worthless; if you want him, I’ll give him to you. But I can’t swallow this insult. What do you say?”
Xie Wendong lowered his head, his longer hair covering his eyes. With a slight movement of his lips, he spoke in a cold voice, “If you’re smart, you’d better swallow this insult. Li Shuang has his own choices.”
Hearing the cold voice, Gao Qiang’s heart skipped a beat for some reason. But seeing Li Shuang smiling behind Xie Wendong, he threw aside any hint of weakness in his heart. “Are you trying to act tough with me?” He grabbed Xie Wendong’s hair and pulled it down, then raised his leg and slammed his knee into Xie Wendong’s face. Xie Wendong knelt on the ground, blood flowing from his nose. Li Shuang shouted and rushed at Gao Qiang, but was overwhelmed by the people who had come with him.
With a cruel smile on his face, Gao Qiang kicked Xie Wendong down again. “What’s the matter? Already beaten so easily?” He stepped on Xie Wendong’s face and turned to Li Shuang, “This is your worthless boss, right here at my feet! Hahaha~~~”
Li Shuang struggled to get up, but four or five people pressed down on his arms and legs. “Gao Qiang, I’ll kill you…” Before he could finish, someone kicked him in the face. Li Shuang coughed and spat out blood.
Xie Wendong, lying on the ground, suddenly grabbed the ankle stepping on his face with his left hand, surprising Gao Qiang. With his right hand, he pulled out a decorative knife and stabbed it into Gao Qiang’s thigh. “Ah!~~~” Gao Qiang let out a scream like a pig being slaughtered, clutching his wound and stumbling back several steps. Xie Wendong stood up, walked over to Gao Qiang, and punched him in the face. Gao Qiang’s subordinates, seeing blood, were at a loss.
While they were stunned, Xie Wendong didn’t stop. With bloodshot eyes, he kept punching and kicking Gao Qiang. Soon, Gao Qiang was covered in blood and fell to the ground. Taking advantage of the others’ confusion, Li Shuang stood up, grabbed the object hidden under the table, and smashed it on the head of the person who had kicked him earlier. That person groaned and knelt on the ground, blood flowing from between his fingers. Li Shuang shouted, “Brothers, come out now!”

Not long after those words were spoken, chaotic footsteps echoed in the corridor. Soon, seven or eight more people entered the classroom. Li Shuang shouted, “I’ll ‘do the sampling’!” and started beating the others with a stick. When the newcomers saw Li Shuang taking action, they immediately surrounded the people brought by Gao Qiang and kicked them mercilessly.

Xie Wendong grabbed Gao Qiang by the hair and pulled his head up. At that moment, Gao Qiang was confused, with one eye swollen shut from a blow, while the other eye stared blankly at his assailant. He said, “Kid, I admit it this time—because I’m not as ruthless as you. Hit me or kill me if you want; I, Gao Qiang, am someone who doesn’t need anyone’s approval!”

Xie Wendong placed a razor blade against his neck and said, “You have two choices now. Either die or come with me. Choose for yourself.”

Xie Wendong put down Gao Qiang and stepped back two steps. The others also stepped forward and stood behind him. A quick-witted student quickly brought over a stool. Xie Wendong glanced at it, smiled slightly, sat down, crossed his legs, and gently stroked his face.

Gao Qiang wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and looked at his subordinates lying on the ground. He asked, “Brother, what’s your name?”

“Xie Wendong,” Xie Wendong replied, putting the knife in his pocket.

“Good, Brother Dong. I submit to you. From now on, you’re my big brother!” Gao Qiang thought this man was not only ruthless but also intelligent—sure to become someone great in the future.

Xie Wendong stood up, patted Gao Qiang on the shoulder, and said, “Hehe! From now on, we’re brothers. What’s mine is yours!” Then he left the classroom. Gao Qiang watched his figure disappear at the door, still remembering the determined look in Xie Wendong’s eyes when he patted his shoulder. He felt an unexplained sense of happiness.

The newcomers were stunned. They were all Li Shuang’s friends, and today Li Shuang had told them there was a man who was their boss and asked them to meet him. They were greatly disappointed because Xie Wendong seemed nothing special at all. Out of respect for Li Shuang, they called him “Brother Dong” as well, but they didn’t really accept him. They never expected this ordinary-looking man to defeat Gao Qiang in just a few moves and make him submit as his subordinate. Now they truly respected Xie Wendong.

Li Shuang broke the silence and said to the people around him, “Damn, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and take Brother Qiang and his injured men to the hospital!” Hearing this, the others quickly lifted Gao Qiang and his injured subordinates. Gao Qiang pushed away those trying to help him, struggled to stand up, and said, “I can walk by myself! Fatso, you’re calling me Brother Qiang now? It’s like slapping me then giving me a candy after!”
Li Shuang smiled awkwardly and said, “Brother Qiang, what are you saying? From now on, we’re brothers. Following Brother Dong, we’ll surely make it big. Come on, let me help you!” Li Shuang supported the swaying Gao Qiang, who then grabbed his head and said, “Damn, you kid…!!” The group laughed as they headed to the hospital.
Xie Wendong walked home slowly, thinking about the events of the past few days. How could he avoid being bullied by others? He had to be stronger than them. How could he be stronger? He had to be ruthless. He had already brought most of the well-known troublemakers in the school under his control; now it was time to deal with those outside the school. Xie Wendong decided to build his own power base, starting with No. 2 Middle School and recruiting some young troublemakers from the community. These guys were young and fought recklessly, but they were ruthless. With their youthful enthusiasm and blind admiration for heroes, they were easy to control. Right now, Xie Wendong’s intelligence far exceeded his actual age—some adults couldn’t even compare to him.
At home, Xie Wendong remained unchanged—still a well-behaved son and the pride of his parents. At school, he was still a good student in the eyes of his teachers and a top performer academically. But his reputation had spread around No. 2 Middle School. The local troublemakers knew that a new tyrant had risen there—Xie Wendong, who fought extremely fiercely, using a decorated knife as his weapon…
That day, as usual, Xie Wendong was in class, paying close attention to every word the teacher said. He believed that no matter what he did in the future, education would always be the most important. Having an outstanding mind was far more useful than a strong body. After class, Li Shuang ran in and whispered in Xie Wendong’s ear, “Brother Dong, Three-Eyes’ men want to see you.”
Xie Wendong, still bent over solving problems on paper, didn’t even look up and said, “Mm, tell them to wait a bit. I need to finish this problem first.”
Li Shuang nodded and rushed out again. Three-Eyes’s real name was Zhang Zhidong. He was a well-known troublemaker in the area around No. 2 Middle School, famous for fighting to the death. In one fight, he got a two-inch-long scar on his forehead, which, at first glance, gave the impression of three eyes—hence his nickname.

Li Shuang ran downstairs. There were two groups of people on the school playground. One group was led by Gao Qiang, consisting of seventeen or eighteen people, while the other was led by San Yan, with about a dozen men. Gao Qiang was squatting on the ground, smoking with his head tilted. When he saw Li Shuang return, he flicked the cigarette butt away, stood up, and asked, “Lao Fei, where’s Dong Ge?”
“Dong Ge will come down in a bit. Tell them to wait!” Li Shuang’s fat body was slightly out of breath.
Gao Qiang felt annoyed. “Damn, look at you being so fat. Can’t you lose some weight? You’re already out of breath after just a few steps, like a pig.”
“Damn it, do you think I don’t want to lose weight? It’s easier said than done!” Li Shuang glanced at San Yan’s impatient men and said, “Wait a little longer. Our boss will be down in a moment.”
“Damn, what kind of shit? He really thinks he’s something special!” a man wearing yellow sunglasses shouted.
Hearing this, Li Shuang’s blood boiled. He stepped forward and punched that man in the face without warning, sending the sunglasses flying far away. San Yan’s men weren’t expecting him to attack so suddenly, showing no respect at all. They quickly reached into their clothes and pulled out knives hidden inside. The leader waved his hand to calm his men and said to Li Shuang, “That kid is new here and doesn’t know better. Please forgive us.”
Li Shuang laughed and said, “It’s okay, it’s okay!” Then he turned serious and stared at the leader, saying, “Take your kid out and teach him some manners first, okay? Stop talking nonsense. Damn!”
The leader’s expression changed, but he quickly forced a smile and said, “Yeah, brother. I’ll remember this lesson. Hehe!”
“Go fuck yourself!” Gao Qiang, who had been holding back for a long time, grew even angrier at the leader’s attitude. He cursed and kicked the man in the abdomen. The man bent over and stepped back several steps, needing his men to support him. Now San Yan’s men really got angry and pulled out their knives. The people brought by Li Shuang and Gao Qiang also took out weapons from behind them. Both sides were ready to fight, everyone staring intently for their opponents. Just then, Xie Wendong walked out of the teaching building calmly, hands in his pockets.
“Hehe! What a lively scene!”
Xie Wendong arrived in the middle of the crowd, ignoring the knives in their hands. Seeing an ordinary student in No. 2 Middle School’s uniform there, the leader rubbed his stomach and asked, “Kid, what are you doing here?”
Xie Wendong didn’t say anything. Li Shuang shouted, “This is our boss!”
The leader sized up Xie Wendong from head to toe and thought, “Damn, is there no one else at No. 2 Middle School? They picked a malnourished kid as the boss.” Xie Wendong didn’t miss the look of contempt in his eyes and just stood there smiling.

After watching for a while, the man nodded and said, “Boss Xie, our leader has something to discuss with you. Are you free this evening to come and meet up?”
“No problem. Tell me the time and place. I’m really busy otherwise,” Xie Wendong replied readily.
The man nodded again and said, “Come to ‘Xinxin’ Billiards Hall after school. Our leader will be waiting there for you. What do you think?”
“Okay, that’s settled.” In fact, Xie Wendong had long wanted to meet this three-eyed scoundrel but never had the chance. He didn’t expect them to approach him first today. Watching the group leave, he said to Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, “You two were too impulsive. You need to change that.” Gao Qiang lowered his head and stayed silent, while Li Shuang shouted, “Brother Dong, it’s them who were too arrogant. If they hadn’t insulted us first, we wouldn’t have fought back.”
Xie Wendong smiled. “I’m not blaming you. I’m just reminding you that staying clear-headed can help you avoid losses!”
Li Shuang and Gao Qiang nodded in unison, “Got it, Brother Dong!” They agreed that their leader made sense—had he not stepped in to fight, even though their side was outnumbered, they might not have won.
Gao Qiang thought for a moment and said, “Brother Dong, I don’t think Three-Eyes has good intentions in inviting us. What do you think we should do…”
Xie Wendong said seriously, “If we really want to establish ourselves here, we must first get through tonight. It might be dangerous, but what’s the point of hanging around if you lack courage?” Hearing this, Gao Qiang blushed and nodded in agreement. “Brother Dong, tell me what to do tonight. I’ll follow your lead!”
Xie Wendong nodded, deep in thought.
“Ding~” The school bell for No. 2 Middle School rang. Immediately, the school gates were crowded. For some reason, the students rushed toward the already narrow gates. The first one out shouted, “YES!” excitedly, as if he had won the lottery.
Inside the teaching building, on both sides of the stairs between the first and second floors, stood over twenty students, all with their hands in their pockets and cigarettes in their mouths. Whether they knew how to smoke or not, at least they thought it made them look cool. When they saw pretty girls passing by, they whistled and cheered, “Great! She’s really beautiful! So eye-catching~” “Get lost! What kind of look is that? Looks like Zhu Bajie’s… second aunt! Haha!” “Ugh…”
Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, standing in the crowd, weren’t as happy. Li Shuang asked Gao Qiang, “Brother Qiang, what time is it?” Gao Qiang checked his watch and patted his shoulder. “It just got out of school. What time do you think it is? Why so nervous? I can handle anything.”

Li Shuang swallowed hard and said, “Damn, it’s impossible not to be nervous! The other guy is Sanyan!”
“What’s wrong with Sanyan? He’s not human. Don’t people vomit when they drink too much? Don’t they poop when they eat too much?!” Gao Qiang’s words sparked laughter. Li Shuang laughed and said, “You old ghost always has so many words.”
At that moment, Xie Wendong came down from the second-floor corridor. Everyone stopped laughing, stood straight on both sides of the stairs, and bowed together, saying, “Hello, Brother Dong!”
Xie Wendong nodded and asked, “Have you brought everything?” Li Shuang replied, “Don’t worry, Brother Dong. Everyone has one.”
“Hmm, let’s go. Finally, we can meet the legendary Sanyan!” Xie Wendong said half-jokingly. Seeing Xie Wendong’s relaxed expression, everyone felt even more at ease. They chatted and laughed as they headed to the ‘Xinxin’ billiard hall.
‘Xinxin’ Billiard Hall was located to the left of No. 2 Middle School. Students from the school usually went there to play billiards—first because it was close to the school, and second because the prices were low, five jiao per shot (though the tables were in poor condition!).
When Xie Wendong and his group arrived at ‘Xinxin’, there wasn’t a single customer in the hall; it was entirely occupied by Sanyan. Sanyan was playing billiards with one of his underlings when he saw Xie Wendong leading a group in. He laughed a few times and walked over to greet them. The hall was dim, and it was only when he got closer to Xie Wendong that they could see Sanyan clearly. He was in his early twenties, about 178 cm tall, with a buzz cut. At first glance, he seemed very straightforward and always smiling.
Sanyan also sized up Xie Wendong and nodded, saying, “Brother, you must be the famous Xie Wendong these days, right?”
Xie Wendong chuckled and replied, “Brother Sanyan already knows my name. I wonder if that’s good luck for me or bad luck?”
Sanyan was momentarily stunned before laughing again. “Brother Xie, you’re smart! I like that! Haha~” He picked up a cue and handed it to Xie Wendong, saying, “Brother, are you interested in playing a game?”
Xie Wendong had never played billiards before, but he took the cue without hesitation and said, “Sure. Even if I don’t know how, I have to play. Otherwise, it would be disrespectful to Brother Sanyan.” Sanyan narrowed his eyes and said, “Hmm, I like that attitude of yours!”
Holding the cue, Sanyan forcefully knocked the balls in place. “I shouldn’t interfere in how you handle things at school, but since you’re forming a gang on my territory, it would be too much not to give you a heads-up.”
Xie Wendong had watched others play and knew how to do it. He picked up the cue and aimed at ball number six, saying, “I’ve only started playing ‘Ligun’ not long ago. There are still many things I don’t understand, so I need Brother Sanyan’s guidance.” The ball didn’t go in.

“I can’t claim to be an expert; we all just work together!” Sanyan scored a shot. “You’ve made quite a bit of money at school lately, right?”
“Not that much. We’re all poor students; a few hundred yuan a day at most!” Xie Wendong wiped the club head.
Sanyan laughed and said while playing, “You’re really bold, bro. In a month, you must make at least ten thousand yuan!” When the shot missed, Sanyan continued, “This place used to be under my control. Now that you’ve become neutral, none of my guys can get in. You should give us a way out, right?”
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “I can’t claim to give you a way out! Since we’ve gotten this far, I guess there are only a few options left.” Sanyan leaned on his club and looked at Xie Wendong across the table. “Oh? What do you mean?” “Either you leave, or I leave, or we merge.”
“Haha, you always say the truth, bro!” Sanyan’s gaze turned cold. “So you mean you want to kick me out of this area?”
Xie Wendong chuckled and stared at Sanyan. “Bro Sanyan, no need to scare me. Since I’m here, I’m not afraid of you. Even if it comes to a fight, we might not lose. But it’s not good for anyone, is it?”
Xie Wendong paused and bent down to play.
Sanyan no longer underestimated this thin young man; his intuition told him this guy was no ordinary person. Neither his mind nor his courage were inferior to those of old veterans who had been in the game for years.
Sanyan took out a pack of “Honghe” cigarettes from his pocket, pulled out two, and handed them to Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong smiled, said “Thank you,” took one, and put it in his mouth. Li Shuang, who was nearby, came over and lit the cigarettes for both of them. Sanyan glanced at Li Shuang and said to Xie Wendong, “This kid is pretty good at handling things!” After a pause, he added, “So, what do you plan to do?”
“I say we merge. That way, it’s beneficial for everyone, and no one loses out.” Xie Wendong exhaled smoke.
“Haha! Merge? Well, that’s a good idea. It is beneficial for everyone.” Sanyan rubbed his club and said, “But then again…”
Xie Wendong knew exactly what Sanyan meant. “Bro Sanyan, you’re asking who should be the boss, right?” Sanyan remained silent, just nodding and staring at Xie Wendong. “I don’t deserve to compete with you for the position of boss. But if I give it up for free, the others will say I lack backbone. So, in that case…” Sanyan frowned and asked, “What then?”
“A duel! You and me. Whoever wins gets to be the boss.” A cold glint appeared in Xie Wendong’s eyes.

Sanyan was stunned, unable to believe that these words came from him. He glanced at Xie Wendong again. Nothing special about him—barely 170 cm tall and quite thin. What kind of person was this who dared say such things?
“Haha~~~” Sanyan laughed. “Brother, do you keep your word?” “Heh, if I didn’t keep my word, why would I even show up?”
“Alright, then let’s do it! Just tell me when.” Sanyan said with confidence.
Xie Wendong looked around and said, “Your place is good. I don’t have much free time. How about right now?”
“Hehe, fine!”
Xie Wendong took off his jacket. Neither Li Shuang nor Gao Qiang expected things to turn out this way. Li Shuang asked worriedly, “Brother Dong, are we really going to have a one-on-one fight? Sanyan is famous for his fighting skills!”
Xie Wendong tossed his jacket to Li Shuang and whispered, “This is the best way to resolve this. We’re too weak to fight Sanyan!” He then walked toward the center of the billiard room. Li Shuang and Gao Qiang both reached for the knives at their waists, thinking that if their boss was in danger, they would strike that bastard first. Seeing they both did the same, they smiled at each other—no need for words.
At that moment, Sanyan ordered his men to move the billiard table aside and turn on all the lights in the room. The place instantly became bright. He too took off his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt, getting ready. He found it ridiculous now—having to fight a teenager. He wondered if it would be embarrassing if others found out!
Xie Wendong stood in front of Sanyan, completely unfazed, as if everything was under control. The billiard room was silent; everyone watched the two standing in the middle of the floor. An invisible pressure filled the air.
Seeing that Xie Wendong still hadn’t moved, Sanyan spoke first, “Brother, can we start?” Xie Wendong nodded in response.
“Be careful!” Without further hesitation, Sanyan threw a punch at Xie Wendong. Xie stepped back to avoid it, but then received a kick to his stomach from Sanyan, sending him tumbling. Before he could get up, Sanyan kicked him in the stomach again. His body slid two meters before stopping. Li Shuang could hardly hold back any longer and tried to draw his knife, but Gao Qiang stopped him, whispering, “Wait a bit more!” Li Shuang stamped his foot in anger, sweat pouring down his face.