Volume 1 Youth Passion Chapter 1
In the 1990s, inside the corridor on the first floor of J City's Second Middle School.
"Hey, kid, hand over all your money!" Two teenagers with dyed hair cornered a skinny student against the wall.
The student lowered his head and whispered, "I don't have any money."
Slap! The taller of the two boys struck the student across the face. "Damn it, stop wasting my time. Hurry up!"
The student's mouth turned red from the blow, and tears began to fall uncontrollably. At this moment, the shorter, chubby boy next to the taller one said, "Forget it, don't beat him up too badly. This kid is the top student in my class, haha!"
The taller boy glanced at the student. "Damn, look at how pathetic he is. What good is being smart anyway?" He turned to the chubby boy and said, "Fatty, go through his pockets. I don't believe he doesn't have any money!"
The chubby boy grunted and walked up to the student. "Xie Wendong, let go of your hands." It turned out that the student, upon hearing the taller boy's words, had tightly gripped his pants pockets.
Seeing that Xie Wendong, as if deaf, still clutched his pockets, the chubby boy cursed, "Damn, are you ignoring me?" He kicked Xie Wendong in the stomach. Xie Wendong's body slammed against the wall. The chubby boy pulled his hands away and reached into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled five-yuan bill.
The chubby boy handed the money to the taller boy and spat on the ground. "Damn, you asked for it." With that, he and the taller boy walked away laughing, leaving Xie Wendong in pain.
Xie Wendong was a third-year student at J City's Second Middle School. He studied hard and was academically outstanding, ranking first in the entire school. However, he was introverted, had few friends, and was often bullied due to his small stature. Second Middle School was not a key school in J City, and its management was lax. It was common for young delinquents from outside the school to come and go. These delinquents, mostly teenagers who had dropped out of school for various reasons, roamed the streets. When they encountered weak and easy-to-bully students, they would either pick fights or demand money, perhaps finding a sense of accomplishment in doing so.
After standing in the school corridor for a while, Xie Wendong bent down to pick up his fallen backpack and left the school. On his way home, tears of frustration filled his eyes as he repeatedly asked himself: Why? Why do they always bully me? Why don't they bully others? Why does it have to be me?
No one could give him an answer. The darkness of the evening hid his tears. When Xie Wendong returned home, he wiped his face clean before entering. He didn't want his family to know he was being bullied at school. Weak people don't lack self-esteem; in fact, their self-esteem is often stronger than anyone else's. Xie Wendong unlocked the door with his key. Only his mother was home. Dinner was already prepared and waiting for him on the table. Seeing Xie Wendong return, his mother said, "Hurry up and eat before it gets cold."
Xie Wendong nodded and asked, "Where's Dad?"
"Your dad is on the night shift tonight. He won't be home," his mother replied as she served the food. Xie Wendong let out an "Oh" and sat down, staring at the food on the table without any appetite.
Seeing that Xie Wendong was just sitting there without eating, his mother asked worriedly, "Wendong, what's wrong? Are you sick?"
"No!" To avoid raising his mother's suspicions, Xie Wendong picked up his bowl and began to eat silently.
Xie Wendong came from an ordinary family. His father worked on the railway, operating locomotives, and often worked night shifts. His mother was a laid-off worker who later started a small business. Although the family wasn't wealthy, Xie Wendong never lacked money. Because of his excellent academic performance, his parents were proud of him and never refused when he asked for money.
The next day, Xie Wendong woke up at 5:30 a.m. as usual. After reviewing his homework from the previous day and having a quick breakfast, he asked his mother for ten yuan and headed to school. His home was not far from the school, just two blocks away, and it took less than five minutes to walk there. When Xie Wendong arrived at his classroom, the door was locked, and no one was inside. He used the class key to unlock the door and entered.
He sat in the front row of the class, not because he was short, but because of his academic performance. In many schools in J City, it was common for top students to sit in the front, while those with poorer grades sat in the back. Seating arrangements were determined based on the results of major exams (midterms and finals). The school had its own explanation for this method: students with poor grades were often those who talked during class or didn't pay attention. By placing them in the back, they wouldn't disturb others, creating a better environment for students who were serious about their studies and had hopes of advancing to higher education.
Xie Wendong sat at his desk and began reading. Soon, his classmates started arriving, and the quiet classroom gradually became lively. Friends gathered together, chatting about the TV shows they watched the night before, discussing which celebrity had released a new song, or exchanging collectible stickers. The classroom buzzed like a marketplace.
As the noise grew louder, Xie Wendong frowned and put down his book. At that moment, the chubby boy who had robbed him the day before entered the classroom and placed his bag on his seat. Seeing Xie Wendong sitting there in a daze, he walked over with a smirk. When he got close, he slapped Xie Wendong's head. "Hey! Did you bring any money today?" Xie Wendong was startled and shook his head. "I didn't bring any."
"No?" The chubby boy chuckled. "Then let me check." He reached for Xie Wendong's pocket.
Xie Wendong pushed his hand away, his voice trembling. "Don't search me. I need the money for lunch." Seeing that Xie Wendong had money but refused to hand it over, the chubby boy slapped him across the face. "Damn, you're playing games with me?!" The pain brought tears to Xie Wendong's eyes.
By now, the entire class was watching. Some looked on with curiosity, while others seemed to enjoy the spectacle. Seeing his classmates staring at him, Xie Wendong's face turned red. He felt his self-esteem being trampled on. Xie Wendong's deskmate, a round-faced girl, couldn't stand it anymore. She said to the chubby boy, "Li Shuang, you're going too far. Why are you hitting him?"
Li Shuang pointed at the girl. "Mind your own business!"
The girl glared at him and raised her voice. "What's wrong with calling you out for hitting someone?" Her friends chimed in, "Come on, Li Shuang, stop making a scene. The teacher will be here soon." "Xu Na, just drop it." Xu Na was the name of Xie Wendong's deskmate. She was usually lively and tomboyish, but her grades were excellent.
Li Shuang nodded, then turned to Xie Wendong, who remained silent. "Fine, damn you. Just wait!" He returned to his seat, breathing heavily.
Xu Na said loudly to Xie Wendong, who was still looking down, "What are you afraid of? What can he do to you?" She sat down angrily and nudged Xie Wendong. "Why are you so timid? The more you fear him, the more he'll bully you. Don't you have an older brother at home? Get him to beat Li Shuang up, and he'll stop."
Xie Wendong nodded blankly. "Thank you."
Xu Na was frustrated by his response and turned away, ignoring him.
The long, unbearable day finally ended. After school, the students left one by one, but Xie Wendong didn't dare to leave. He was afraid that Li Shuang and his gang would ambush him in the school corridor. Eventually, only he and the student on duty remained in the classroom. The student on duty, Zhang Qiang, had also been bullied by Li Shuang before. Seeing that Xie Wendong was still there, he asked while sweeping the floor, "Xie Wendong, why haven't you left yet? It's almost six o'clock (school ends at 5:30)."
Xie Wendong scratched his head awkwardly. "I still haven't figured out this geometry problem. I'll leave in a bit."
"Wow, you're really dedicated. No wonder your grades are so good!" After a while, Zhang Qiang finished cleaning the classroom. He picked up his bag and said, "Xie Wendong, I'm done. Are you leaving? We can go together."
Xie Wendong shook his head. "You go ahead. We're not going the same way anyway."
Zhang Qiang said goodbye and ran out of the classroom with his bag. Xie Wendong waited a little longer. When he checked his watch and saw it was already past six, he figured Li Shuang wouldn't wait this long. Maybe they thought he had already gone home.
Xie Wendong packed his books, picked up his bag, and left the classroom. After locking the door, he turned to leave.
(The Second Middle School's teaching building was a sizable five-story structure. The first, second, and third floors were classrooms, while the fourth and fifth floors housed laboratories, computer rooms, and language labs. Xie Wendong's classroom was on the second floor.)
By now, most of the students had left the school. Many of the corridor lights were turned off, making the area dim. Xie Wendong walked down the first-floor corridor, the place he feared the most, as Li Shuang and his gang often waited for him there. Seeing that the corridor was empty, Xie Wendong finally felt relieved. But just as he reached the middle of the corridor, the door of a nearby classroom opened, and four or five people walked out. Among them were Li Shuang and the tall boy who had robbed him the day before.
Li Shuang smirked. "Xie Wendong, you finally came out. We've been waiting for you!" With that, the four or five of them surrounded Xie Wendong.
Xie Wendong's heart sank. He had never been bullied by so many people at once, and tears nearly fell from his eyes. "Li Shuang, I'm... I'm sorry about this morning."
"Damn you! Forget that. Just hand over the money first," Li Shuang said, emboldened by the number of people backing him up.
"I spent all my money on lunch. I really don't have any now."
Li Shuang laughed. "No money, huh? I'll beat it out of you then." He kicked Xie Wendong in the thigh. The others, all troublemakers from different classes who loved stirring up trouble, didn't hesitate. They surrounded Xie Wendong and began punching and kicking him. As they beat him, Li Shuang warned, "Don't hit his face. We don't want to leave obvious marks."
Xie Wendong was forced against the wall, his arms covering his head. By now, he could no longer feel the physical pain. Compared to the anguish in his heart, the beating was nothing. He couldn't hear the outside world; his ears were filled with a buzzing noise.
"Enough! Stop hitting him." Li Shuang, seeing that they had done enough, stopped the others. He didn't want to seriously injure Xie Wendong and cause bigger trouble. He grabbed Xie Wendong's hair and slapped his face. "Bring me ten yuan tomorrow. If you don't, I'll get someone to beat you up again. Got it?"
Xie Wendong leaned against the wall, his body bent, his head lowered. Tears streamed down his face and fell to the ground. Seeing that Xie Wendong wasn't responding, Li Shuang yanked his hair harder. "Damn it, are you listening to me?"
Xie Wendong, numb, let out a weak "Ah!" Li Shuang nodded in satisfaction and left with the others. "What should we do now?" "Let's go play video games!" "Nah, let's play pool instead!" "Damn, do you even have money?" Li Shuang and his friends laughed and joked as they walked out of the school.
Xie Wendong, still leaning against the wall, slowly slid down and crouched on the ground, clutching his head and crying. At that moment, he felt that life had no meaning. What good were good grades if he was still being bullied? Why? He punched his own head in frustration, hating himself for being so weak, hating himself for not fighting back, hating himself for not telling his parents about the bullying.
After a while, when his emotions had settled somewhat, Xie Wendong stood up, straightened his crumpled clothes, and left the school. Outside, it had started to rain. Xie Wendong walked slowly down the street. He was grateful for the rain, as it hid his tears from others. All he wanted was to live an ordinary life. Was that too much to ask? Why could others go to school in peace, while he had to live in fear? If this was heaven's punishment for the weak, then he decided at that moment to become strong. He would no longer let anyone bully him. That day, as the rain fell, Xie Wendong would never forget it. It was the beginning of a transformation in his life.
- This article tags： novel
- This article link： https://hdilikes.com/article/19
- Copyright Notice： 本文由zcgOriginal publication, please follow the guidelines for reprinting《Attribution - Non Commercial Use - ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)》License Agreement Authorization
Popular recommendations
-
view(281) comment(0) -
view(198) comment(0) -
view(171) comment(0)
Related articles
About
