Chapter 1
“Don’t dawdle, go see the commotion!”
The May Day holiday was just over, and several agile figures darted down the school corridor during break time.
The office door opened, and the Class Seven headteacher unsurprisingly saw their second-to-last student monkeying around in the corridor.
Zhang Cuilin shouted: “Li Shuo! You again! What commotion? You are the commotion! Class is about to start, get back to the classroom!”
Li Shuo excitedly ran to Zhang Cuilin: “Sister Lin, Chi Aibei is crying on the playground, everyone’s gone to watch. I’ll go check it out for you and be right back.”
“Them? Did they also score five in the math test?” Compared to Chi Aibei, Li Shuo was the more troublesome one. Zhang Cuilin said: “Chi Aibei even got eight marks, and you’re not even as good as…you’re not even as good as Chi Aibei, and you still have the nerve to watch the commotion?”
Li Shuo understood from Zhang Cuilin’s broken sentence that she originally wanted to say “you’re not even as good as a fool,” but probably couldn’t bring herself to say it as a teacher.
Li Shuo tried to argue, but Zhang Cuilin glared him into silence. To avoid further scolding, Li Shuo shamefacedly returned to the classroom.
Zhang Cuilin closed the office door: “These students, their academic performance is terrible, but everything else is fine!” She glanced at the boy standing in front of her desk, her eyes filled with envy, but also regret when she thought of Class One’s headteacher.
…What a promising student, why did he decide to drop out?
Chen Jiang: “Lin Xiu, Lin Xiu?”
Lin Xiu absentmindedly listened to the sounds from the corridor. Hearing Mr. Chen call him, he took a while to refocus: “Yes, teacher.”
Chen Jiang was Lin Xiu’s headteacher. He asked: “Does your family know about your decision to drop out?”
Lin Xiu had no father, and his mother left when he was two. He was raised by his grandmother, who was frail, and he hadn’t told her about dropping out.
Seeing Lin Xiu’s silence, Chen Jiang guessed what was happening. He knew something about Lin Xiu’s family situation, so he said: “You’re already in your second year, persevere a little longer. If it’s about money, the teacher can help you think of a way.”
Lin Xiu’s brow furrowed slightly: “Thank you, Teacher Chen, it’s not about money.”
Chen Jiang knew that boys of this age cared about face, so he didn’t mention money again. He wrote a leave slip for Lin Xiu: “Go rest for two days, and discuss the matter of dropping out with your grandmother.”
Lin Xiu only informed Chen Jiang out of respect for his care, but whether he would return…
Lin Xiu took the leave slip: “Thank you, Teacher Chen. Goodbye, teacher.”
Leaving the office, Lin Xiu looked at the leave slip, then crumpled it into a ball and shoved it into his school uniform pocket.
The May Day holiday had just ended, and the air still held a touch of coolness. A gentle breeze blew, and Lin Xiu took a deep breath—it was the air of freedom, a chance at a new beginning. Even after so many days, he still couldn’t believe he was truly reborn.
He remembered how, because of Teacher Chen’s “kind” efforts in organizing a donation drive at school, everyone knew about his family’s difficulties, and he endured everyone’s malice, only to let his guard down towards the “kindness.”
Hearing Teacher Chen offer to help him, Lin Xiu almost couldn’t hold back; he didn’t want to go through that again.
Lin Xiu left the school building and heard someone crying in the distance, the sound loud and unrestrained.
This must be the “commotion” the Class Seven boys mentioned!
Lin Xiu tried to recall why the foolish younger brother was crying, but it was too long ago, and he hadn’t paid much attention to the fool back then.
Lin Xiu thought, it was probably because of He Chenjiang, why else?
…
Chi Aibei stood under the stage, crying uncontrollably. One shoulder of his school uniform slumped, and all his pockets were turned out, as if someone had robbed him.
“Who’s bullying him, he’s crying so hard?”
“Seriously? Who dares to bully him? They don’t want to be dealt with by He Chenjiang, do they?”
“You’ll be the one dealt with by the school bully if you say that! Don’t you know the school bully hates this fool?”
Chi Aibei heard the three words “He Chenjiang” and cried even louder…
“Whoa, whoa, quickly, someone go get He Chenjiang, he’s the only one who can handle this!”
“If you dare, you go, I’m not going!”
Hearing the people around him muttering the names of characters from the novel, Chi Aibei became even more certain of his situation.
He had merely scorned a vicious masochistic novel before bed, so angry it kept him awake half the night. He finally fell asleep, only to wake up here!
Transmigrating wasn’t scary; what was scary was that he didn’t have a single cent. He felt he wouldn’t survive the year!
Qin Wanpeng stood outside the crowd and clicked his tongue twice: “He’s crying so much, why don’t you go comfort him?”
He Chenjiang frowned impatiently: “It’s none of my business.”
He Chenjiang was annoyed by his crying and turned to leave.
Qin Wanpeng hadn’t had enough of the spectacle: “Lao He, where are you going?”
He Chenjiang turned, his steps abruptly halting, causing Qin Wanpeng to stumble: “…Whoa!”
Qin Wanpeng followed He Chenjiang’s gaze to the person walking towards them: “Isn’t that the top student?”
Lin Xiu walked while looking at Chi Aibei, who was crying his heart out in the crowd. Hearing the title “top student,” he felt a little unfamiliar; he hadn’t heard anyone call him that in a long time.
When he recognized who the two were, some not-so-distant memories flooded his brain, making him feel nauseous…
Qin Wanpeng was usually quite thick-skinned, but this time he keenly sensed a hint of disgust from the top student. Seeing Lin Xiu walk past them, he asked He Chenjiang: “Did he just glare at me?”
Lin Xiu was known in school for being aloof, and coupled with his handsome appearance, girls secretly called him “Iceberg Beauty.”
He Chenjiang always found those girls strange, calling a boy “Beauty.” However, seeing him up close, he realized they weren’t entirely exaggerating. “Beauty” aside, “Iceberg” was certainly accurate.
He Chenjiang: “Why would he glare at you? He doesn’t even know you.”
Qin Wanpeng scratched his head: “…True.” But he felt he had just been glared at.
The crying behind them suddenly stopped. The eerie silence made He Chenjiang’s scalp tingle.
Qin Wanpeng looked back and tugged He Chenjiang: “Hey, look.”
He Chenjiang shrugged: “I’m not looking!”
He Chenjiang avoided it as if it were a plague. He then heard Qin Wanpeng say: “The little fool is going to the top student.”
He Chenjiang: “???”
He Chenjiang turned his head and saw the fool running towards the top student…
Chi Aibei heard someone softly say, “Isn’t that Lin Xiu?” Hearing the name that had pained him for half the night, Chi Aibei immediately stopped crying and found the “lonely” figure in the crowd.
Lin Xiu looked at Chi Aibei, who stood before him with outstretched arms, crying, nose red, eyes teary but smiling at him, looking like a mentally challenged fool.
“Something?” Lin Xiu knew the fool wouldn’t answer, but he still asked. He was blocked, and so many people were watching; he couldn’t leave.
Chi Aibei didn’t have anything; he just wanted to look.
He stared at the small black mole at the corner of Lin Xiu’s eye, his smile deepening… It’s him, it’s him, he really is just like the novel described!
The mole at the corner of his eye, brown irises, calm demeanor, and handsome appearance—
Chi Aibei excitedly roared in his heart, Ahh, Heaven favors me! Even though I’m broke, I’ve met my precious son so quickly!
Lin Xiu watched Chi Aibei stare at him and smile foolishly, then saw a clear liquid dripping from his nose…
Lin Xiu frowned: “You—” A big booger was about to fall!
Gravity was strong; before Lin Xiu could warn him, Chi Aibei tasted something… um, salty?
Chi Aibei wondered where the saltiness came from and even stuck out his tongue to lick it.
Lin Xiu: “…”
Chi Aibei realized what he’d licked and quickly turned his head to spit it out!
“Chi Aibei!”
He Chenjiang arrived just in time and caught Chi Aibei’s… expectoration.
He Chenjiang: “…”
Lin Xiu: “…”
Chi Aibei: “?”
“Whoa!” Qin Wanpeng stared in shock at He Chenjiang’s uniform: “Chenjiang, your uniform…”
Qin Wanpeng was grateful he was a step behind, otherwise, that would have landed on him.
Chi Aibei’s ears twitched… What did you call him?
Someone whispered, “I told you He Chenjiang would come.”
The three words “He Chenjiang” were the culprit that made Chi Aibei broke. If it weren’t for this person, he wouldn’t have been so angry he couldn’t sleep!
Chi Aibei glared at He Chenjiang with a ferocious look, his eyes filled with hatred. He stepped forward, shielding Lin Xiu behind him.
You dog,渣男 (scumbag), back off! Back off! Back off!
Stay away from my precious son!
He Chenjiang didn’t notice his unusual behavior. He looked at his uniform and gritted his teeth: “Chi—Ai—Bei——!”
Chi Aibei wasn’t afraid. He wiped his nose with a grand flourish, his “what are you going to do about it?” expression angering He Chenjiang even more.
He Chenjiang disgustedly took off his uniform and threw it on the ground.
Chi Aibei, having nowhere to wipe his nose, politely said “Thank you” upon seeing the discarded uniform, then squatted down to wipe his hands.
He Chenjiang’s temples throbbed: “…Chi Aibei!”
Chi Aibei slowly raised his head: “Hmm? What?”
He Chenjiang: “…”
What? He dares to ask what?!
Seeing his innocent and clueless expression, He Chenjiang didn’t bother saying anything more and turned to leave.
Chi Aibei: “Hey, you forgot your trash.”
He Chenjiang didn’t know whether it was that “hey” or the word “trash,” but his already rising anger made it harder to breathe.
He turned back to look at Chi Aibei, who was picking up a corner of his uniform with two fingertips, his eyes turning fierce: “Trash?”
Chi Aibei fearlessly said: “If you don’t want it, don’t throw it on the ground. Throw it in the trash can.”
Qin Wanpeng stared at Chi Aibei in shock, his heart pounding for him. What was wrong with this fool today? Had he gone mad?
Seeing He Chenjiang about to punch someone, Qin Wanpeng quickly took the “trash” from Chi Aibei’s hands and rolled it up.
He might have warned someone else, but facing a fool, Qin Wanpeng couldn’t say anything. He dragged He Chenjiang away quickly.
Their mothers were friends, and their families had a close relationship. If they really beat the little fool, it would be a big deal!
The school bell rang, and people on the playground rushed back. In an instant, only Lin Xiu, who was preparing to leave school, and Chi Aibei, who wouldn’t be noticed whether he attended class or not, remained.
It might have been Lin Xiu’s imagination, but when He Chenjiang was dragged away by Qin Wanpeng, he seemed to see the little fool sneak a smile.
However, he quickly dismissed the thought. Chi Aibei’s foolishness was the traditional kind, the kind of child with innate intellectual disabilities.
Chi Aibei stood before Lin Xiu again, fumbling around his body. After a while, he pulled out a meal card from his chest pocket.
Chi Aibei frowned disapprovingly. So poor, he was so poor!
He held the meal card carefully and offered it to Lin Xiu, his eyes holding a kind of affection Lin Xiu didn’t understand.
Over the past ten years, Lin Xiu hadn’t interacted much with the little fool and didn’t understand his behavior: “What is it?”
Chi Aibei: “Brother, can you help me get into university? I can pay you.”
Lin Xiu: “…”
Lin Xiu thought the shock of his rebirth might have left a few of his spirits behind, causing him to hallucinate. Otherwise, how could he hear such absurd words—a fool wanting to go to university?
Lin Xiu looked at the “reward” in his hand. If he didn’t know the child had intellectual disabilities, he would suspect he was being mocked.
Lin Xiu: “You don’t need to go to university. Your family will take care of you.”
Thinking of the little fool’s later years with He Chenjiang, where he wasn’t well-treated, Lin Xiu offered a final piece of advice before leaving: “Don’t follow He Chenjiang, go back to your brother.”
That was all he could say. He left Chi Aibei, holding the meal card, and walked toward the school gate.
Chi Aibei stood there, smiling foolishly.
Ahh, my child spoke to me! He spoke to me, even though I didn’t understand what he meant!
Chi Aibei pocketed the meal card and jogged to catch up with Lin Xiu.
At the gate, the security guard stopped Chi Aibei from leaving.
Lin Xiu had a leave slip and was already outside the gate. He looked back; the little fool showed no resentment or grievance, smiling and waving at him through the gate.
Lin Xiu sighed; being a carefree fool wasn’t so bad. Sadness was forgotten after crying.
His own messy life, on the other hand, wasn’t something he could forget so easily.
Lin Xiu ignored him and walked towards the bus stop along the school wall. Passing an alley outside the wall, there was a sudden “thump”—
“Damn it, who is it!”
Lin Xiu followed the man’s curse and saw the little fool, who had just been kept inside the school gate, now lying on top of a large, fat man.
Chi Aibei quickly got up from the fat man, apologetically saying: “I’m sorry, uncle, I didn’t mean to.”
Lin Xiu looked at the tall wall: “…” Was the little fool trying to fly?
The fat man stood up, looked at the wall, then at the boy in the school uniform, glaring fiercely: “Are you a student here? Why are you climbing the wall, skipping class?”
The fat man also had a son who didn’t study well, so seeing Chi Aibei skipping class immediately angered him. He grabbed Chi Aibei by the collar: “At such a young age, not studying… I’ll—”
Chi Aibei struggled, then saw Lin Xiu standing there.
Lin Xiu’s eyelids twitched. He was about to leave when he heard the little fool shout with outstretched arms: “Brother! He’s my brother, I came to find my brother!”
The fat man saw the school uniform on Lin Xiu and his sense of justice surged: “Good, I caught another one!”
Lin Xiu: “…”