“Crash!”
A plate fell to the ground, shattering into pieces. The floor manager walked over and reprimanded, “Bai Yang, what’s wrong with you? How many plates have you broken these days?”
“I’m sorry…” Bai Yang apologized with his head lowered, looking somewhat dazed.
Considering Bai Yang’s usually good performance, the floor manager didn’t scold him too severely. “If you’re not feeling well, go rest for now. Otherwise, the cost of these broken plates might end up exceeding your daily wage.”
Bai Yang realized it made sense and requested to leave early. Back at home with nothing to do, he sat still for a while, but his mind kept returning to that day’s events. He eventually decided to head to the hospital.
The private room was still quiet, with only the faint sounds of medical equipment. Bai Yang held his sister’s soft hand against his cheek, feeling the barely perceptible warmth. It gradually brought some warmth back to his heart.
“Taotao, I’m heartbroken…”
He paused and muttered to himself, “No, he didn’t actually like me in the first place. It’s not considered a heartbreak…”
“I really didn’t want him to find out, but he happened to discover…”
The period before and after his freshman year was the darkest time in Bai Yang’s life.
He hadn’t yet recovered from the pain of losing his parents when he had to take on the responsibility of supporting the entire family. He had to sell their original 100-square-meter house and live in a rented 10-square-meter attic. Outside of classes, he worked multiple jobs, often going without a proper meal and decent sleep. It was a common occurrence. The school offered him the maximum financial aid, but news of his extreme financial hardship spread. While most people sympathized with him, there were some who took pleasure in belittling and bullying him.
Song Chi was the ringleader among them. Coming from a wealthy family, he was arrogant and domineering. Even seniors didn’t dare to provoke him, let alone Bai Yang, who was just a freshman.
Once, he witnessed Song Chi and his gang bullying a classmate of the same year. Bai Yang stepped in and got a teacher to protect the classmate. However, he ended up being targeted afterward. That evening, after school, Song Chi’s group forcibly dragged Bai Yang into a secluded restroom and beat him up. He was left with bruises all over, but fortunately, he had protected his head and avoided more serious injuries.
People who enjoyed bullying liked to target those who were upright and stubborn, and Bai Yang, who lacked money, influence, and physical strength, became Song Chi’s primary “target.”
Bai Yang tried his best to avoid them, but since he didn’t want to fall behind in his studies, he went to school every day. Out of ten times, they would catch him two or three times, insulting him verbally at best and resorting to physical abuse at worst. At first, he would resist fiercely, but eventually, he surrendered to the beatings and insults. The more he resisted, the more they seemed to enjoy it. Surrendering and enduring the beating would make them lose interest.
An odd thing about Song Chi was that he would give money after beating someone up. Perhaps he was afraid that someone might make a fuss and involve his father, so he preemptively provided medical expenses. The harder the beating, the more money he would give.
Once, Bai Yang saw himself about to get beaten up again and, deciding to challenge Song Chi, provocatively said, “Hit me harder. I need money.”
Seeing Bai Yang’s defiant posture made Song Chi angry. After a brief pause, he sneered and said slyly,
“Then I’ll give you a chance to earn a lot of money.”
Bai Yang stared at him as he approached, unfastening his belt. A mix of shock and fury surged within Bai Yang:
“What are you doing? Get away from me!”
Seemingly pleased that Bai Yang finally showed some resistance, Song Chi’s accomplice grabbed Bai Yang’s arms and pushed him forward. Bai Yang knelt on the ground, struggling unsuccessfully. As Song Chi unzipped his pants and revealed his crotch in front of Bai Yang.
“Give it a lick for your big bro.”
The memory of what happened afterward made Bai Yang feel nauseous every time he thought about it. Fortunately, Bai Yang bit Song Chi when they were interrupted by a sudden sound, causing Song Chi to curse and retreat. He then proceeded to beat Bai Yang while he was on the ground. If not for the security guard making rounds at the time, Bai Yang might have had multiple broken bones. After Song Chi and his group fled, the security guard took him to the hospital. Perhaps out of concern that the incident could escalate, Song Chi ended up giving Bai Yang several tens of thousands for medical expenses.
After that incident, Song Chi seemed to completely lose interest in him. He bothered Bai Yang much less. When Bai Yang was in his sophomore year, Song Chi and his group had moved on to their junior year, and with fewer courses, they spent most of their time outside partying and enjoying themselves. They were hardly ever seen at school.
However, the humiliating and dark experience left behind some lingering shadows. Bai Yang tried his best not to think about it, and gradually, it sank to the depths of his heart, becoming his most hidden secret.
But Song Chi not only unearthed it, he exposed it to Shao Cheng.
At that time, Bai Yang wanted to explain. Song Chi had exaggerated the truth. They hadn’t actually slept together, and the money Song Chi gave was voluntary. However, Bai Yang’s mind was in turmoil, and he was overwhelmed by a mixture of shame, anger, and fear. These emotions tangled together and oppressed his nerves, rendering him incapable of speaking a single word.
Considering that Shao Cheng already had a low opinion of him, would he be willing to pay any attention to Bai Yang, who now seemed even more pathetic?
The answer was clearly no.
