An eighteen-year-old boy tasted the bitterness of sorrow for the first time. That Rolls-Royce stood before him like an insurmountable mountain, its social class so high that no matter how hard he tried, he could never cross it.
The way the two of them had spent Saturday afternoon was still vivid in his memory, as beautiful as a dreamy bubble that would vanish with a single poke.
His adolescent, clueless emotions were raw, immature, and devoid of any outlet for release. He felt an urgent desire to go outside and smoke a cigarette.
So during the long recess, He Yi committed a colossal act of self-destruction. He stood up to leave, and with a tone dripping with displaced anger, he snapped at the person beside him: "Get out of the way."
Qin Jiujiu froze for a moment. Dazed, she raised her head to meet his eyes.
The boy had not yet reined in his gaze, which was filled with heavy irritation and disgust.
Qin Jiujiu felt as though she had been pricked all over by a prickly hedgehog. A dense, prickling pain bloomed in her heart.
At that moment, she didn't care about any missions or conquest strategies; she only wanted to find an outlet for the anger suddenly surging within her.
She turned her head away from him, yet slowly and deliberately straightened her back, leaning her upper body against the back wall of the classroom to completely block He Yi inside.
With a heavy, chilling tone, she said, "Say that again."
The surrounding noise died down until the room was as quiet as a church.
Fu Yu, who had been eavesdropping, massaged his forehead. So this was the aura of a wealthy young miss... He silently lit another metaphorical candle for He Yi.
Lowering his head to look at the girl whose very hair crown radiated displeasure, He Yi had initially felt a pang of remorse for his rudeness, but now, directly experiencing her pampered temper, he ground his molars in fury. So this person had just been putting on a sweet, obedient act the whole time! Continuing his self-destructive streak, he retorted: "Are you training a dog?!"
"Training you."
"Damn it, do you take me for a dog?"
Their voices grew louder with every exchange.
The surrounding classmates collectively drew in sharp breaths. Several of them muttered inwardly: Qin Jiujiu is new and probably doesn't know, but He Yi used to be notoriously fierce. He lorded over the middle school, and in high school, he fought his way from the freshman year straight into the sophomore year. He has the biggest build and the hardest fists, and people say he even practiced boxing; no one ever dared to provoke him.
It was only when he secured a guaranteed admission spot in his senior year and presumably decided to pursue a career as a professional basketball player that he reined himself in to avoid adding any more dark spots to his record.
Seeing the battle escalate, the two suddenly turned into a pair of stubborn mules, neither willing to yield an inch.
Trembling, Fu Yu stood up from his seat and stammered as a peacemaker, not even daring to use her fairy-like nickname anymore: "Q-Qin Jiujiu, He Yi didn't mean it like that. D-Don't be mad. The two of us are just going out to u-use the restroom..."
Fu Yu reached out to gently pull Qin Jiujiu, but she, extending her animosity toward him, sidestepped to avoid his touch. She scooted her stool forward a little to clear the space behind her.
Fu Yu hurriedly changed direction to pull He Yi, whose face and neck were flushed red with agitation.
He Yi was still stiffly holding his ground. When Fu Yu yanked him out, he wasn't paying attention, and his raised knee slammed heavily right into the lower back of the person in front of him.
Both of them watched as the girl's straight spine shuddered violently.
The redness on He Yi's face vanished instantly, turning pale instead.
Fu Yu didn't know how to smooth things over anymore. He muttered an apology like a buzzing mosquito, but neither of them paid him any mind as the two boys quietly left the classroom.
In the System Space, 001 didn't even dare to draw a full breath.
Goodness knows it had been sleeping soundly when countless piercing red alarms suddenly wavered across the System Space. Jolted wide awake, it had witnessed the precursor to the collapse of a small world.
W-What, what on earth is happening?!
Then it saw the scene of Lord Heavenly Dao and Lord Evil God pecking at each other like a pair of schoolyard bullies.
It didn't dare try to persuade them at all...
Fortunately, Lord Heavenly Dao finally calmed down in the end, and the world returned to peace.
Trembling submissively, 001 took the initiative to speak: [Lord Heavenly Dao, you are injured. Would you like to run a repair...]
Qin Jiujiu ignored it and asked a different question: "Whose meal card in the class needs a top-up?"
001 rummaged through the data and checked: [Class monitor Liu Qing.]
Even though she didn't recognize a good half of the people in the class, she still knew the class monitor, Liu Qing.
Seeing that he was sitting at his desk working on a test paper, she stood up and hissed—damn it, that really hurt! That bastardly dog!
Walking over to Liu Qing with a slightly awkward gait, she managed a strained bend at the waist to discuss cashing out the meal card with him.
Back in the corner where no one else was around, He Yi and Fu Yu were smoking quietly. He Yi's hands were still shaking as he said, "She got hurt, didn't she?"
Fu Yu sighed. "Badly."
He Yi cursed twice and hammered his fists against the wall.
Unable to hold back, Fu Yu scolded him: "What is wrong with you? Even if she didn't reciprocate your feelings, you didn't have to take it out on her! Now look at this, the fairy isn't even bothering to pretend anymore. Such a wonderful young miss comes here only to be bullied."
A sour feeling churned in He Yi's heart, but he stubbornly defended himself: "She treated me like a dog!"
"Do you know how many people would love to be her dog... No, that's not what I meant, stop glaring at me..."
"All I'm saying is, if you don't love her, at least don't hurt her! You've really gone and offended her this time; I have a feeling you're going to end up kneeling... Hey, I haven't finished talking, don't leave..."
Before Fu Yu could grab him, He Yi—whether he had listened to the advice or not—hurriedly sprinted back toward the classroom. Fu Yu sighed. This is so hard...