(1)
An Jing didn’t know why she felt so sleepy today.
It was already Friday, after all. She should’ve been a bit more excited—able to leave school early and go hang out with her friends at the big greenhouse, stroll around the shopping street, have some fun…
A gentle breeze swept in from the window, softly tickling An Jing’s cheek, making the hair on her forehead sway lightly.
“Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing, Xiao Jing—?”
“Huh? Uh…” An Jing opened her eyes in a daze, only to quickly shut them again as the sunlight from outside was too glaring. “So sleepy…”
“School’s over already. What’s wrong with you today? You’ve looked ready to fall asleep since lunch, and during the last class, you were out cold before the teacher even arrived.”
“I don’t know, I just feel dead tired.” An Jing tried to prop herself up, but her arms felt numb and useless. Her body tilted to the right, bumping right into Zhu Ying’s embrace.
Soft and sweet, the scent was almost like creamy strawberries wrapping all around her.
“What’s up? Ate something bad?” Zhu Ying reached out and gently hugged her. “Why so listless? Or did you stay up late last night?”
“Cough…!”
“I only sent you a slightly revealing photo last night, that’s all~”
“Cough, cough, cough!” An Jing choked, hurriedly sitting up straight. “I—I didn’t even see it…”
“Yeah, right. I sent it at ten, and your QQ didn’t go offline until midnight. You didn’t reply to my messages in between. Fess up—what mischief did you get into?”
“I—I didn’t!”
“Didn’t~ you?” Zhu Ying narrowed her eyes.
“I—I was just admiring it!”
“Really? Pure admiration?”
“Even if I wanted to do anything bad, I can’t now…”
“That’s not certain.”
“Eek!”
“Question: Where is the mole—on my collarbone or at the top of my thigh?”
“Thigh… uh!!”
“You zoomed in, didn’t you? You definitely zoomed in! You looked that closely?”
“I—I was… just admiring!”
“Alright, I believe you. You like looking so much, it makes me really happy.” Zhu Ying leaned closer, hugging An Jing tightly, whispering into her ear, “So, Xiao Jing, when are you sending me one of yours?”
“Ah, ah??”
“A bath-time shot is fine, too, you know?”
“…Eek!” An Jing’s eyelid twitched. “Sometimes I really don’t get whether you like boys or girls…”
“Doesn’t matter—as long as it’s you, Xiao Jing, I like you.”
“Ugh, I wish I could turn back into a boy…”
“Don’t even think about it, absolutely~ impossible!”
“So you basically like girls!”
“It’s just that girls’ bodies are cuter. Or if you stay like this and turn back into a boy, I wouldn’t mind, either.”
“What a weird fetish!”
“It’s not weird at all~!”
(2)
When An Jing woke up, the classroom was already empty.
It was a rare Friday, and all the students had left school early. Zhang Qiqi had been called to the office for something about class activities and hadn’t returned yet.
“Feels like I’m still not fully awake…” An Jing rubbed her eyes. “Is it really Friday today?”
“Of course! Don’t tell me you can’t even remember the days now?”
“It’s just… this time of day, there’s no one in school. Feels like a dream.”
“If it’s the Dream School, this is when the Big Machine Monster should show up to wreak havoc.” Zhu Ying grabbed her schoolbag. “Let’s go, didn’t you say you wanted to check out Anime House today?”
“Yeah, last time I passed by, I saw a few new posters. Wonder if there’s any new merch…” An Jing suddenly slapped her forehead. “Oh, right! Did Sun Wei and the others already leave?”
“They left a while ago—ten minutes ago, maybe?”
“When?”
“I think they were probably the last to leave—besides us.”
“What if he already got beaten up?” An Jing sprang up in panic. “No, I need to check!”
“Xiao Jing, it’s not like you can help…”
“At least I can help call the police!”
◎
（三）
Rewind fifteen minutes, there were still a few duty students finishing up in the classroom. Sun Wei stood at the door, waiting for his friends to leave together—he’d already taken several deep breaths without realizing it.
“A’Wei, don’t be scared.” Fang Qiang slung an arm over his shoulder. “With us here, there’s no way that guy’s getting cocky.”
“To be honest, I’m not any good at fighting, man.”
“No worries. If our numbers match, it’ll probably just be a standoff—then we all leave.” Zhou Chao grinned. “When people realize you’ll actually fight back, most don’t dare throw the first punch. That’s just how it is.”
“Let’s go. An entourage walking you out of school? Not something you get every day, huh?” Fang Qiang smiled, glancing back into the classroom. “An Jing’s still sleeping on her desk.”
“She’s been sleepy since that can of coffee at lunch.” Zhou Chao sipped from a bottle of AD Calcium Milk. “Didn’t expect her to still be out at the end of school.”
“Zhu Ying doesn’t seem like she wants to wake her.”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s still early. Let her sleep a bit longer.”
Lei Laohu flexed his arm with a couple of his close buddies. “Let’s go! If he dares show up today, I’ll finally get a good fight in!”
“Tiger Bro’s fierce. Last time, he took on three guys at once and flattened them.”
“Yeah, I saw it with my own eyes.”
“He’s really that tough?” Sun Wei felt his nerves settle a bit. “Guess there’s nothing to worry about, then.”
“No worries! Tiger Bro and Fang Qiang can handle five on their own. The rest of us take one each—nothing to be afraid of!”
“Exactly!”
So Sun Wei, knowing there was no escaping, simply braced himself and walked out the school gates. The others didn’t walk close to him, but kept their distance, following from behind.
That was Tiger Bro’s idea—he figured if the class monitor’s boyfriend from Class Four saw they had too many people, he’d just run off.
As he put it: If there’s gonna be a fight, do it thoroughly—beat them so badly they won’t dare come looking for trouble again.
Though Sun Wei wasn’t keen on violence fighting violence. After all, he still had to walk alone sometimes…
And those punks, they always ran in packs, right?
Even if they didn’t, with his skinny frame, he’d hardly win against anyone.
“Wolf Bro, it’s him.”
“That’s him, huh? Heh, looks like a damn creep. Watch me teach him a lesson!” Suddenly, a thunderous roar burst from the alley. “Hey! You, kid over there, get over here!”
Sun Wei stood there drenched in sweat. He really wanted to run, but he couldn’t let his friends down. After several seconds’ hesitation, he forced himself to turn around, facing the alley.
Those punks, hair dyed all sorts of colors, were either leaning against the wall or squatting on the ground, all glaring at him. The ground was littered with cigarette butts—clearly, they’d been waiting a while.
“What do you want…?”
“You, right? Shifty-eyed, and you still dare hit on my girl?”
“I wasn’t, really.” Sun Wei stammered, backing away a half-step.
“He not only confessed to me in class, he insulted me with gross words—so disgusting!”
“I think you’re just itching for a beating. On the streets, they call me the South District Wolf King—no one treats my girl like that.” He sneered, waving a hand with an air of superiority, as if Sun Wei was just a toy. “Boys, teach him a lesson!”
“Heh, so it’s just this little guy?”
“Hit him twice and I’m afraid he’ll fall apart.”
“Haha, let me! I know how to make him wish he were dead!”
Sun Wei nearly blurted out “help,” but swallowed it back.
Because Fang Qiang put his broad hand on his shoulder. The big, good-natured guy’s face looked downright savage right now.
Adolescent boys—there’s hardly anyone who doesn’t have a bit of violent impulse inside. Most just keep it buried most of the time.
“Well, you brought plenty.”
“But not as many as us.” Lei Laohu grinned fiercely, stepping in front of Sun Wei. “Looks like we’ve got ourselves a fight.”
“Really? You don’t actually think I’ve run these streets for three years with just this handful of lackeys?”
No sooner had he finished speaking, more punks rushed out from the corner of the alley, quickly surrounding them all.
Sun Wei’s heart skipped a beat.
A rough count—there were at least twenty of them.
Half a class!
No way they could win!
Counting himself, they had only nine.
The word “doomed” filled his head.
Should’ve just gotten on my knees…
(3)
From an alley not far from the school gates came the sound of shouting and violent scuffling, making An Jing’s heart leap into her throat.
“Oh no! Something’s happened!”
“Xiao Jing!” Zhu Ying hurried to keep up. “Be careful, don’t let them spot you!”
“If I can’t make it in time, call the police for me!” An Jing didn’t slow down—she sped up instead. Because Sun Wei’s scream rang from the alley—she couldn’t mistake that voice.
“Ugh—!! I… ah!!”
“Still calling for help? Go ahead! Hahaha, you think the South District Wolf King is some pushover?”
“Wolf Bro, let me have a go!”
“Fine, hit him hard, take out your anger.”
“Sun Wei!!”
An Jing raced to the corner of the alley, breathless. She saw Sun Wei lying on the ground, his head stomped on by a girl in school uniform—though she looked every bit the delinquent now—spitting on him over and over: “Pah! You think you have a chance with me? Disgusting. Just thinking about you is like seeing a cockroach on my desk. Regret it now, don’t you?”
And Sun Wei wasn’t alone.
Zhou Chao was pinned against the wall by two people, sighing helplessly.
Fang Qiang was held down by four others, arms and legs locked, unable to move. Seeing Sun Wei’s head getting stomped, he wanted to help but couldn’t break free.
Lei Laohu was still grappling with someone. No one else could interfere—they could only watch the two of them roll in the dirt, kicking up dust everywhere.
As for the rest, they were all pinned down, unable to resist.
The faces of the boys who’d come to help were full of unwillingness, but faced with overwhelming numbers, they were utterly powerless.
“Let go, let them go!” An Jing shouted. “So many ganging up on so few—what’s that prove?”
“Heh, where’d this little chick come from? Not bad looking either.”
The delinquent girl stepped off Sun Wei’s head, sneering, “Wolf Bro, that’s no chick. That’s a dude.”
“A guy? Looking like that?”
“Yeah, a sissy.”
“Haha… seriously? There’s actually a boy who looks like this? What, want to stick up for your friends? No way—you think you can take us on? With your soft skin and delicate looks, you’ll look pathetic when we pin you to the ground.”
“Let them go!”
“Why should I? You think I’m an idiot?”
“You won’t let them go?” An Jing’s brows knitted tight.
“Nope. What, you gonna bite me or something? Haha—look at you getting mad, you’re just like a girl. What a sissy!”
“You bully, only picking on the weak!” An Jing saw the blood on Sun Wei’s face, Fang Qiang’s black eye, and the torn shirt on Zhou Chao’s back. She clenched her fists, trembling all over, then jerked her head up—
Staring right at the mocking face of “Wolf Bro.”
And in that instant, the so-called South District Wolf King, a middle school dropout who’d run wild for three years, suddenly found that he couldn’t move his gaze away—or even move his body.