When I arrived at the school gate, it was still a bit early—classes hadn’t ended yet, and the entrance was quiet.
Bored, I leaned against a large tree, staring up at the towering canopy, thinking about the gambler I’d met earlier that day. He was a real oddball, picking just two stones and turning 4,000 bucks into nearly 400,000. That’s some skill.
Then I thought about my own family, barely scraping by with no guarantee of the next meal. I shook my head with a bitter laugh. The gap between people in this world was just fucking huge.
When school let out, I saw students trickling out, but neither Big Lazi nor Wang Xin was among them. Instead, I spotted Little Fatty running out in a panic. I stepped out from behind the tree, and when he saw me, he blurted, “Did you hit Big Lazi?”
I said, “Yeah. He promised to apologize to Wang Xin after school, so I’m waiting for him here.”
Little Fatty replied, “How could you even believe him? Since when does he listen to you? I just saw him with the She-Devil from the second year. She rounded up her lackeys and went to Wang Xin’s classroom.”
The She-Devil?
That She-Devil was the girl who ruined my father and my whole family. She was a grade above me, and I’d been looking for a chance to confront her. Now she’d shown up on her own—and with Big Lazi, no less.
Seems like the brawl this morning didn’t have the effect I’d hoped for.
Seeing Little Fatty’s nervous expression, I told him, “Don’t worry. She’s not gonna eat me in broad daylight. When they get here, stay out of it. If they try anything, run inside and get a teacher.”
Every grade had teachers on duty, especially the third years—there were more of them since they had evening self-study sessions and needed supervision.
I knew I couldn’t take on a whole group alone, so I had to have a backup plan.
Before long, a whole crowd showed up. A girl with dyed red hair strode straight toward me, followed by a few cold-faced girls. Strangely, Big Lazi and Wang Xin were nowhere in sight.
This redhead was the She-Devil—Zhou Yingying. I’d known her name for a long time. She was the one who’d testified in court, accusing my father of attempted rape and insisting he’d harassed her multiple times.
She swaggered up to me, pointed at my face, and sneered, “Son of a rapist, you got a death wish? How dare you hit my brother?”
I had no idea when Big Lazi had teamed up with her, but now they were calling each other “brothers.”
I glared but didn’t respond. This was between me and Big Lazi—what kind of man hides behind a woman?
The She-Devil slapped me across the face. My cheek burned, but I held back. This woman had already destroyed my father once. If I fought back, she’d probably pull some other stunt. I needed to wait for Big Lazi to show up and see what the hell was going on.
Seeing I didn’t retaliate, she smirked. “My brother said you were tough, but you’re just a coward. Come on, let’s see if the rapist’s son has any guts!”
I gritted my teeth. “Tell Big Lazi to face me himself. I don’t hit women. This is between him and me—stay out of it.”
The She-Devil scoffed. “My brother’s business is my business. Big Lazi? He’s already at the movies with his girl. If you wanna talk to him, wait till the film’s over.”
My heart twisted. So that’s why I hadn’t seen Big Lazi or Wang Xin—the She-Devil had stalled me while they slipped away.
They couldn’t have gotten far in just a few minutes. I shot Little Fatty a look, then bolted.
The She-Devil was caught off guard. After a stunned second, she barked at her lackeys to chase me.
But they were just girls, and I had a head start. Within moments, I’d put enough distance between us to lose them around a corner.
Poor Little Fatty was left panting like a dog, bent over and wheezing.
I told him to take his time while I sprinted toward the cinema. No way was I letting them get away with this.
When I reached the theater, the entrance was empty. I was too late—the movie had already started.
I barged in, but the ticket taker blocked me. I shoved five bucks into his hand. “Just let me in. I need to handle something.”
He took the money and didn’t stop me. I plunged into the pitch-black screening room.
It was impossible to see anything. The screen cast some light, but the seats were shrouded in darkness, just vague silhouettes of heads.
After letting my eyes adjust, I made out rows of mostly empty seats. Only a few people were scattered around.
This wasn’t a prime-time showing—it’d probably be packed for the evening session.
Then I spotted a cluster of heads in the back row, sitting together while the rest were spread out. I headed straight for them.
Sure enough, it was them. Wang Xin sat in the middle, Big Lazi beside her. I watched as she squirmed, slapping away his groping hands.
I stepped into the row in front of them and said coldly, “Big Lazi, you fucking coward. Hiding behind a woman?”
He was shocked to see me but quickly recovered. “Hah! That’s my boss. It’s her job to protect me. Want me to put in a good word so she’ll protect you too?”
I grabbed Wang Xin’s wrist and pulled her up. “Wang Xin, come with me.”
As she moved to leave, a few lackeys tried to block her. I glared. “Sit the fuck down.”
They’d seen what I’d done that morning and froze in fear.
Big Lazi, furious that Wang Xin was getting away, started to stand. I hissed, “You want another taste of the belt?”
He knew he had no backup—his lackeys were too scared to move.
Wang Xin rushed over, tears streaming. I took her hand and said, “Don’t be afraid. If this bastard doesn’t learn his lesson the first time, I’ll teach him again and again. He can’t keep his boss tied to his belt forever. Let’s go.”
I turned back to Big Lazi. “You’d better stay and finish the movie. Got it?”
He glared hatefully but didn’t dare move. Ignoring him, I led Wang Xin out.
Once outside, she whispered, “After school, the She-Devil hit me and said you’d surrendered—that you promised not to interfere anymore. Then Big Lazi’s gang dragged me away. I saw you at the gate when I left… the She-Devil hit you. I thought it was over, that we couldn’t beat them.”
She started crying again. I explained, “Didn’t you see Big Lazi and his lackeys? I already beat him once. He promised to apologize to you after school, but the She-Devil got involved and stopped me at the gate. That’s how he got you here.”
Wang Xin sniffled. “So that’s what happened. But if they team up, we still can’t win.”
I said, “Big Lazi won’t fight me alone. The real problem now is the She-Devil. I can’t just hit her like I did Big Lazi—she’s still a girl. But I *will* deal with her. She destroyed my family. I won’t let that slide.”