Chen Yi and Miao Jing attended the same middle school but passed by each other as strangers. Even when special circumstances forced them to speak, they remained so distant and cold that no one suspected their relationship—except for those in the know. Bo Zai also attended the school, lived near the Chen family, and knew Miao Jing. Occasionally, he would follow behind Chen Yi to greet her.

The school had built a new five-story dormitory with mixed-gender housing—boys on the first and second floors, girls from the third floor up. The dormitory had two staircases, one for boys and one for girls.

Chen Yi lived on the first floor, and Miao Jing on the fourth. They often crossed paths at the building’s entrance and sometimes met in the cafeteria or on the playground. He played basketball and soccer every day, sneaking out to internet cafes during evening study hall. By then, Chen Yi had grown into an adolescent boy, shooting up to an unreachable height, with loose pant legs, long limbs, an Adam’s apple, and a cracking voice. He secretly smoked. Word was that the PE teacher wanted to recruit him for the sports team and send him to sports school, but for some reason, it never happened.

Ninth grade was graduation year, and the school focused on high school entrance exam rates. Chen Yi seemed to fight less and cause less trouble while still wandering—meeting a dedicated homeroom teacher is every bad student’s fortune, and it was one reason Chen Yi stayed in school. His homeroom teacher, surname Li, was a short, stocky middle-aged man. In eighth grade, Teacher Li had kept Chen Yi off the expulsion list. Every semester, Teacher Li would catch Chen Yi and bring him back to school, even contacting Chen Libin about tuition. Chen Yi’s grades weren’t rock bottom—his best performance had placed him in the class’s top ten, reportedly due to a bet where the entire class wagered money against him. He won over a thousand yuan at once and received a school disciplinary notice.

He was especially popular at school, particularly during basketball games and sports meets, drawing large crowds. Sometimes Miao Jing would hear upper-class girls in her building gossiping, frequently mentioning Chen Yi’s name, calling him cool and handsome, his eyes fierce yet bright, his smile wicked and dazzling, with a bad-boy charm that made hearts flutter. Even the school beauty had a secret crush on him. Miao Jing couldn’t understand how so many strange adjectives could apply to one boy—she only remembered him being beaten and sleeping.

Miao Jing also grew taller in middle school and her skin became fairer, but she still looked childish. Since washing hair was inconvenient at school, she cut it short like Cherry from Chibi Maruko-chan, with slightly puffy baby-fat cheeks. When passing Chen Yi’s group of delinquent boys, she would lower her eyes and step aside, her curled eyelashes fluffy, a thin and quiet junior student. Some would turn their heads repeatedly, saying she was cute and they wanted to pursue her. Chen Yi would walk lazily, mockingly: “You’re interested in elementary school kids? If you’re sick, go to the hospital. Don’t embarrass yourself here.”

The boys would laugh heartily while Miao Jing silently furrowed her delicate brows in displeasure.

Both children lived in dorms. Wei Mingzhen, having nothing to do at home, found work as a hostess in a tea house. She hadn’t been able to get pregnant these past few years and seemed unable to fully enter the family’s core domain. Chen Libin spent every day obsessed with stock trading and gaming, chatting passionately with strange women online. Despite the power bureau’s excellent benefits and amazing bonuses, Wei Mingzhen never gained control of the finances—she even had to scrape together her own mahjong money.

Wei Mingzhen began arguing with Chen Libin, with earth-shattering arguments. But after living in Teng City for these years, ending the relationship wasn’t simple. She couldn’t go back home—after years of free room and board, and children’s school expenses, though Chen Libin wasn’t necessarily generous, he hadn’t been too harsh either. Like chicken ribs: tasteless to eat, but a waste to throw away.

Miao Jing knew about their arguments. Wei Mingzhen worked every day, and Miao Jing remained wary of Chen Libin. Although she went home weekly for living expenses, she only stayed one day—returning Saturday morning and going back to school Sunday afternoon. Chen Yi barely went home during his ninth-grade year, occasionally returning to grab something. No one knew how he received his living expenses; perhaps he had his ways of making money.

Every Sunday afternoon, boarding students would return to school with their living expenses. The commercial street outside the school gates bustled with people. Miao Jing and her dormmates would shop together, buying stationery and snacks.

Near the school gates were small restaurants, stationery shops, and boutiques. Walking further to the residential area, there were hidden internet cafes, game rooms, and pool halls. The girls said boys from their class secretly came here to play games, and the school’s gangs, big brothers, and big sisters often hung out here. They curiously peeked around—the storefronts in the alley were open, shutters half-drawn, voices coming from inside. They could only see green pool tables, and people walking around them, and the game arcade was similar, with pinball machines at the entrance and rumbling sound effects from within.

The young girls didn’t dare venture in, just looking out of curiosity for the excitement. At the alley’s end, turning toward school, they saw several boys gathered ahead, some crouching, some standing, smoking with an air of supremacy and a hooligan demeanor. This group stopped two girls, said something, waved them away, and then stopped passing boys who reluctantly took something from their pockets and walked away dejectedly.

“They’re extorting money from people.”

“What should we do? Should we keep going forward?”

“Let’s take another route, I’m a bit scared…”

Miao Jing followed her friends, turning to quickly retreat.

“Hey, you lot! Why are you running? Come back here!” Someone shouted from behind. “Just you girls, dare to run? Try it! Come here!”

Five or six girls tremblingly stopped, shrinking as they turned around, inching forward step by step.

The one who called out was a dark-skinned boy wearing a denim jacket, cigarette dangling from his mouth, holding a wooden stick. His gaze swept over the girls: “Where were you planning to run?”

“Back… back to school.”

“What for? To tell teachers or find security?”

“No, no, we’re going back for evening study hall.”

“If you dare tell the school, you girls are asking for death, understand?!”

“Yes!”

A chubby white boy walked over, seeing the girls carrying snacks, knowing they had money: “How much money do you have? Let’s see it.”

“Not… not much.” The girls were all panicked.

“Yi-ge said not to rob girls, it’s beneath us.” The dark-skinned boy swung his long stick, tapping his chubby companion. “Let them go, girls are the worst tattletales.”

“Go on then, but if the school finds out…” The chubby one’s sharp eyes caught a student ID in one girl’s pocket, “Class 1-5, you lot, you’ll regret it if you talk.”

“Okay…”

The group walked forward fearfully with lowered heads, steps hurried and chaotic.

A buzz-cut boy sitting nearby flicked his cigarette to the ground, and slowly stood up, hands in his pockets, lazily leaning against the wall. He stretched out his long leg, blocking Miao Jing who was last in line.

His voice was also languid, lacking energy: “You—”

Dark eyes circled her body, seeing her holding skewered meatballs. His stomach growled, and he reached to grab them. Miao Jing hadn’t expected this, suddenly letting go and shrinking back. Seeing her startled, dodging movement, he half-closed his eyes and smiled contemptuously: “Scared to death?”

Swallowing several meatballs in one bite, Chen Yi threw the skewer on the ground, casually clapping his hands, shamelessly extorting his junior: “How much money do you have? Hand it over.”

The dark-skinned one had just said—don’t rob girls.

Miao Jing’s eyes showed slight panic, glancing at Chen Yi twice, pressing her cherry lips together, silent.

He wore clothes she’d never seen before—a black hoodie and jeans. Taking advantage of his height, hunching his back, he looked every bit the hoodlum. His chin had a light blue tinge with several small cuts from razor blades. His eyes stared at her like a tiger, his gaze carrying an implicit threat mixed with lazy indifference.

Miao Jing clutched her uniform hem, fine brows slightly furrowed, lips trembling, her slender figure appearing timid, seemingly too frightened to speak.

Chen Yi saw her indignant yet fearful expression, raised an eyebrow, opened his folding fruit knife, wiping fingerprints from the blade, his voice cold: “Where’s the money? Want me to search you?”

The group watched, her female classmates trembling as they watched Miao Jing, not daring to breathe. Miao Jing glimpsed the cold silver blade, swallowed, and slowly pulled out a roll of bills from her pocket, holding it out to him.

“How much?”

“Ninety-eight…”

As a boarding student, she didn’t need to buy daily necessities—she used the welfare items from Chen Libin’s work unit. She only had a one hundred yuan weekly allowance for three meals, a bathroom, hot water facilities, and stationery, with a bit left for pocket money. She’d just spent two yuan on two skewers of meatballs—one in her stomach, one eaten by Chen Yi.

Chen Yi nodded, took the money, folded his knife, and pushed her shoulder: “Go.”

Miao Jing stumbled forward, steadied by her classmates, and they ran away in a flash.

The boys were all amazed, mouths agape, questioning confusedly: “Brother Yi, didn’t you say not to extort girls? Why’d you do it? And pick the prettiest little sister too, showing no mercy to beauty.”

“She’s different.” Chen Yi carelessly looked away: “Come on, let’s eat, I’ve been hungry all day.”

Back in the dormitory, the girls who had gone out together discussed how only Miao Jing had been robbed by the thugs. The girls were anxious: “What should we do? Should we tell the teachers? Or call home?”

Miao Jing sat dejectedly on the bed edge, staring blankly: “Forget it…”

Telling Wei Mingzhen would only make her fear Chen Libin would beat someone again, and she’d worry Chen Yi would bully her like when she was little.

Miao Jing borrowed thirty yuan from her dormmates. Her meal card had twenty yuan left—ten yuan per day for food could barely get her through the week. To make matters worse, she had to pay fifteen yuan for class fees during the evening study hall. After accounting for shower tickets, she had less than thirty yuan to eat with for a week.

She ate steamed buns for breakfast and dinner, ordering just one vegetable dish for lunch. During this crucial period of physical growth, Miao Jing felt constantly hungry. The school had exercise breaks between classes and two PE lessons per week. After running two laps around the track, she’d feel dizzy and weak-legged.

Not wanting others to see her dire situation, Miao Jing would hide behind an English textbook, secretly eating steamed buns on a garden bench.

Suddenly, a stone flew over, hitting her arm before rolling to her feet. Miao Jing turned to look for the thrower. The thug who’d stolen her living expenses was crouching in the bushes behind her, taking furtive drags from a cigarette, his proud dark eyes barely visible through the white smoke.

Looking down at her feet, she saw a pink paper wrapped around a small stone. Picking it up, she found it was a large sheet of cafeteria meal tickets.

“Don’t you know to ask for money at home?” His voice was hoarse and cracked, but not unpleasant. “Are you stupid enough to starve yourself to death?”

Miao Jing, long accustomed to his tone, replied coolly: “Where did these come from?”

She smoothed out the meal tickets—they were combo meal vouchers sold at the counter, good for one meat and two vegetable dishes, twenty tickets in total.

“Did you steal these?”

Chen Yi scoffed dismissively: “Teacher Li gave them… as a prize.”

He didn’t explain what kind of prize. After taking two quick drags of his cigarette, he buried the butt in the soil, stepped on it twice, and walked away.

Miao Jing tore off one ticket and went to the cafeteria before it closed.

That weekend when she returned home, Miao Jing stayed one night. The next day after lunch, she put down her chopsticks: “I’m going back to school.”

Wei Mingzhen took out a red bill from her wallet for her. Miao Jing obediently took the money and pulled out her chair to leave, but then turned back, asking casually.

“Mom, what about brother’s living expenses?”

Wei Mingzhen and Chen Libin, still eating, both froze, their chopsticks stopping mid-air.

“What’s the matter?” Chen Libin put down his wine glass, speaking kindly to Miao Jing. “What about your brother?”

“Nothing, ninth grade is so busy with studies, brother hasn’t been home for several months. Does he have enough living expenses?” Miao Jing’s voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz. “He’s grown taller, his pants are too short now.”

Chen Libin stared at Miao Jing for a while, then smiled gently: “Is that so? He hasn’t been back for a long time. Tell him to come home and stay for a few days when he’s free.”

Before she left, Chen Libin went to his room and took out a thousand yuan, asking Miao Jing to give it to Chen Yi. Miao Jing carefully put the money in her school bag. As she was leaving, Wei Mingzhen secretly poked her forehead.

It was a large sum of money, and Miao Jing didn’t dare keep it on her for long. Back at school, she looked around for Chen Yi but couldn’t find him. After the evening study hall, she waited in front of the dormitory. Just before lights out and room check, Chen Yi climbed over the wall, hurrying past her.

“Brother.” She called out to him.

Chen Yi stopped, looking at her quizzically.

She handed him the stack of money: “Uncle gave you living expenses, one thousand yuan.”

Chen Yi’s gaze swept from her face to the red bills in her hand and back to her face. His brows furrowed deeply, his gaze profound, his calm expression carrying traces of irritation and coldness. After a long pause, he let out a cold laugh: “Thanks, dear sister.”

He snatched the money from her hand. The atmosphere inexplicably stiffened. Chen Yi turned and strode away, with Miao Jing standing behind, watching his figure appear especially thin and dark against the brightly lit dormitory building ahead.

Chen Yi spent all thousand yuan within two days.

After spending more time at school, Miao Jing gradually got to know Chen Yi’s gang. Besides Bo Zai, the dark-skinned boy who’d blocked their way was Shen Hong, and the chubby white boy was A-Yong—all part of one gang. Another group was led by Big Head Yuan. These groups were notorious at school, but they kept to themselves, not bothering ordinary students.

The school bathrooms and hot water room were next to the dormitory. From the high female floors, standing in the corridor at night, using the room lights, one could hazily see boys in slippers, tank tops, and athletic shorts going in and out of the bathroom. They would also gather in groups on the empty ground in front of the building, chatting and roughhousing—Chen Yi’s figure was often visible. Many girls at school pursued him, but he was said to be indifferent to their attention, only interested in gaming and pool, not mixing with girls. The ninth-grade girls were more mature, sometimes secretly watching him emerge from the shower dripping wet, his loose tank top unable to hide his broad shoulders and solid biceps.

There were usually lines for the bathroom after evening study hall. Miao Jing preferred going just before closing when it was quieter and the water pressure was better. She’d wash her dirty clothes too, waiting until the cleaning aunt came to chase people out. Dressed in her outer clothes, Miao Jing would carry her pink washbasin back to her room. By then, the classroom building and playground lights would be off, with only the dormitory lit. The evening breeze was gentle, making the walk especially peaceful and quiet.

It would have been a beautiful spring night for Miao Jing if the boys from the first and second floors hadn’t been driven out for body searches, gathering in the courtyard while the principal and four or five male teachers searched their rooms.

Seeing the mass of boys ahead, she knew this was a surprise dormitory inspection. The school was cracking down on discipline, trying to root out troublemakers. To get back to her room, she’d have to circle this crowd to reach the stairwell.

“Xiao Jing.” Chen Yi’s eyes brightened as he called out to her from the crowd.

Miao Jing walked steadily forward until she saw Chen Yi, doubting her ears. Since childhood, she’d always been called Miao Jing—no one had ever called her “Xiao Jing.” This person had never even called her name before, at most just saying “hey.”

“Chen Yi, stay where you are! It’s not your turn yet.” The dormitory supervisor shouted. “Where are you going?”

“My sister.” Chen Yi pointed at Miao Jing casually, wearing only a loose black T-shirt, grinning with his hands on his hips. “I’ve been looking for her. She’s going home tomorrow, and I want her to bring something back for me.”

“Teacher, we’ll just talk right here for a minute. You can watch us. When it’s my turn for the search, I’ll fly right over.”

Chen Yi took two steps forward, waving to Miao Jing. “Little sister, when you go home tomorrow, check my room…”

Miao Jing stood frozen before him. He wore a sheepish smile, his voice clear, but his eyebrows pressed down at the corners, his gaze particularly alert and sharp.

“Got it? Come back to school early, I need it.” Chen Yi reached out and ruffled her damp hair, messing it up, his voice unusually gentle. “Why haven’t you dried your hair? It’s still a bit cold, don’t catch a cold.”

Miao Jing stood stiffly, blinked, then nodded dazedly: “Okay, brother.”

“Hold still, let me dry your hair. You’ve always had a weak constitution, it’d be trouble if you got sick.”

He stepped closer, lifting the corner of his T-shirt. Miao Jing caught a glimpse of honey-colored skin like an iron plate, with raised muscle groups. Before she could look carefully, Chen Yi’s frame completely covered her, standing very close. She closed her eyes in shock as the male scent washed over her—soap, clear water, skin, and a faint tobacco smell, healthy and crisp, not unpleasant.

Then fabric with body warmth covered her head, one hand roughly rubbing her wet hair.

“Hold it carefully, don’t let it be found.” The suppressed voice in his throat was only audible to her. Chen Yi’s other hand quickly pulled out a cloth package from his waist—something hard and long, burning hot with his body temperature, heavily pressed into her hand.

“Hide it in your clothes.”

The atmosphere between them was intensely dark.

Miao Jing’s heart jumped, and using her jacket and washbasin as cover, she quickly pushed the object into her clothes, pressing it against her stomach with her gestures.

The dormitory supervisor was watching from behind. The two were close for only a few dozen seconds before Chen Yi grinned and stepped back, steadying the small washbasin in Miao Jing’s hands. He bent down to look at her wooden expression, his smile warm and bright: “Go rest early.”

Miao Jing’s hair stood on end as she carried her washbasin like a puppet, taking small steps to leave. Only when she reached the stairs did she dare look back. The boys stood in rows being searched by male teachers. Chen Yi stood out in the crowd, his deep eyes watching her.

Back in the dormitory, her classmates were chattering about the boys’ room inspection—someone had hidden iron rods and daggers in the dormitory. The girls’ side had just been checked too, with the dormitory aunt going through everyone’s drawers and boxes before leaving.

Miao Jing trembled, secretly letting out a breath.

Two sharp daggers in sheaths, brand new, with patterns and decorations that looked expensive, had been hidden against Miao Jing’s stomach the whole time.