Chapter 45: I Really Don't Want to Fight Anymore

Based on my analysis, a single kick couldn't possibly be fatal. Yet since they came knocking and he still hasn't woken up, we can only wait for time to tell! This remark provoked a whole string of his theories.

No matter what, at least it's a narrow escape without real disaster. The wife's grateful feelings showed on her face, and her smile was brighter than sunshine.

The two of them chatted animatedly about this and that. The wife's laughter was as crisp as a young maiden's, and before they knew it, the phone call came to an end.

The wife rode her electric scooter to the designated spot, locked it with a U-shaped lock, took the elevator up, and soon appeared near the entrance of the operating room. However, neither the old man nor the old woman was to be seen.

A few strangers had replaced the people on the bench near the door. The wife furrowed her brow in confusion for a long time, unable to make sense of it. When she asked around and got no answers, she had no choice but to rush toward the ward with me. The moment we stepped inside, the situation had changed.

Several doctors in white lab coats were busy about the room. Niu Zhenqing was lying comfortably in a hospital bed with an IV drip hanging high above him. A doctor auscultated his chest area for a moment before hurrying away.

The wife glanced at Niu Zhenqing; his eyes were tightly closed as if he were in a deep sleep. There was no time to inquire about the situation, so she shifted her gaze to the old man's face and asked, "Dad, how is he?"

Without much thought, the old man recounted what he had seen and heard, the most important point being: "After Zhenqing's nasal bridge is repaired, it will leave a scar. Besides, he'll need to get dentures."

The wife was bewildered. Her eyes rolled around in her sockets for a long time, still failing to comprehend: "What the old man said, I had already anticipated; but why won't he wake up?"

The old woman also wanted to chime in, gazing fixedly at me and the wife: "The anesthetic is still taking effect. The doctor said he will wake up on his own."

At that moment, I observed Niu Zhenqing closely: his face was wrapped in white gauze, leaving only his tightly closed eyes exposed; his nose and mouth were invisible. Facing him, I felt no sense of guilt, as everyone already knew the circumstances.

Through this incident, I didn't feel as much hatred toward him as before, especially since the wife had been unfaithful and he had suffered such a devastating blow. One could only imagine how much pain he must be in!

What kind of person was Niu Zhenqing? Up until now, I knew nothing about him. I remembered how caring he had been when I was lying in a hospital bed! The trouble all stemmed from that damned paternity test, which was what made him change his attitude. Thinking about it now, the memory was still fresh.

The old man and the old woman hadn't eaten lunch, so they consulted with the wife, saying, "We'll leave the hospital matters to you; we're going home."

There was no room for debate in this; everything would just take its natural course.

The old man and old woman walked out and disappeared around the corner.

I had been harboring a question in my mind for a long time and finally had to blurt it out: "Mom, where do Grandpa and Grandma live? Who else is in their family?"

The wife was absent-minded about my question and gave no serious answer: "Do you even need to ask? It's not like you've never been there! Your brain really has issues since the accident; you weren't like this before. You just talk nonsense—what master, what martial arts practiced, you don't even know what you're saying!"

I knew my own situation well enough, so I stopped claiming I was Qu Shilai. The wife was already very averse to it, and after all, I still had to rely on her to support me.

It was time for class again. The wife only gave me two yuan for the bus ride, repeatedly and earnestly admonishing me not to fight with other kids. I agreed verbally, but inside there were many things I found intolerable, and holding it in made me deeply uncomfortable.

I walked back to school along the same route. The classmates' eyes darted away evasively, as if the whole school already knew—it was truly baffling...

"Hey, hey-hey!" The school loudspeaker emitted a man's testing voice.

Then came a woman's voice over the school bell, sounding just as pleasant as ever: "Students: Upholding school rules is every student's duty; put an end to violence and brawling! Bring the good deeds and good people of society into the school, and oppose unhealthy trends! Let us jointly create a beautiful campus..."

This sounded as if it were aimed directly at me, but since it didn't explicitly mention my affair, I could barely tolerate it.

The loudspeaker kept repeating the same content, interspersed with music.

However, what interested me most was that woman’s voice—was she really as beautiful as her voice?

The classmates kept far away from me, and some were gesturing with their hands, whispering in each other's ears about goodness knows what.

Anyway, I knew they were talking about me, but since it wasn't easy to ask, I could only endure it in silence. As soon as I entered the classroom, the students caught sight of me and shrank back timidly, hiding in their seats; some were even whispering annoying secrets to one another.

The wife had told me to hold my temper, not to resort to hitting people over trifles, and not to bring her too much trouble. I had to consider her feelings.

Jiang Meili walked in from the outside, sat right down beside me, and shouted toward the rest of the class: "Zheng Tai is simply amazing! He knocked out a piece of trash, it would have been better if he'd died! Let him tell us all about it, shall we?"

The students lowered their heads in silence, thoroughly terrified. Their eyes darted evasively, and not a single one dared to make a sound.

"Alright, stop making trouble! My mother is almost driven crazy with anger! It's a miracle that scumbag didn't die, which is the only reason I got out of trouble!" Annoyed by Jiang Meili's behavior, I whispered into her ear.

News travels fast around here; speak of the devil and he shall appear. Scumbag walked in carrying his backpack and acted as if he didn't see me.

The students' eyes widened larger than copper bells. Having clearly seen someone who looked dead, they never expected him to show up alive and well for class as if nothing had happened...

Some students, who used to be on good terms with Scumbag, were eager to find out what had happened: "Pi Pi, how was the matter settled?"

"Can you not talk about it, please? It's already in the past!" He waved his hand vigorously, declining all inquiries.

The students were unwilling to drop it, especially the few troublemaking boys who hoped for a satisfactory answer: "Pi Pi, it's no big deal, we're just talking about it! What's there to hide?"

"I told you not to talk about it, why won't you listen? It's none of your damn business!" Scumbag pulled a face longer than a horse's and roared angrily at them, glaring fiercely.

Though this silenced the classmates, the boat of their friendship capsized on the spot. No one bothered with him anymore...

The class bell rang, and a female teacher of about thirty-two walked in, wearing a professional skirt. She placed her books on the podium, wrote a chemical formula on the blackboard, and turned around to say, "For this class, finish the formula problems on the board, hand them in, and then class is dismissed. You have 40 minutes."

I took out my notebook, laid it flat on the desk, and began copying the assignment from the blackboard...

The Gold-Worshipper's hand reached too far across, repeatedly shoving me toward the edge of the desk. After calling him out a few times to no avail, I reached my limit and said, "Reach your hand over here again and see if I don't hit you!"

He already disliked me and was secretly terrified, but unable to help himself, within less than a minute his hand drifted back over. Without the slightest hesitation, I struck a heavy blow across his hand...

"Ouch! Why are you hitting people!" The Gold-Worshipper deliberately raised his voice in a howl.

All the students secretly shifted their gazes toward our direction. The teacher was busy writing on the blackboard and had no time to manage it, so she called out loudly, "No quarreling! We only have this little time, you must hurry up!"

Annoyed and caring little whether others heard me, I issued another warning: "Dare to reach your hand over again and see if I don't break your arm!"

The female teacher could no longer continue writing. She stopped her chalk, turned around to face the class, and said, "The moment the bell rings, whether you've finished writing or not, you must hand in your assignments! Stop making a fuss, all right?"

Instead, the Gold-Worshipper raised his hand high into the air and deliberately waved it back and forth...

The female teacher waved her hand, refusing to let him stand up to speak, and reminded everyone, "Hurry up with your work, or there won't be enough time!"

I had no choice but to quiet down. This chemical formula was very simple, much easier to write than a mathematical one. Since we had already learned it, it felt like no time at all before the class bell rang.

The students hurriedly handed their homework to the group leaders, and soon the whole pile was resting on the podium, carried away by the female chemistry teacher...

"You motherfucking Gold-Worshipper, still trying to run! Let's see if I don't pound you to a pulp!"

I grabbed his hand and forced his head down onto the floor.

He didn't dare to resist, only yelling loudly, "Come look, everyone! Zheng Tai is beating someone to death!"

I didn't care whether he yelled or not. With a light sweep of my foot, he collapsed limply, and I planted a foot squarely on his back, shouting, "Keep yelling and I'll stomp the life right out of you!"

From start to finish, the Gold-Worshipper didn't dare fight back. He looked up with a pleading gaze: "Zheng Tai, let's stop messing around, okay? Isn't it enough that I'm afraid of you?"

I liked hearing that. Holding the Gold-Worshipper down with one hand and pressing my foot against his waist, I shouted to the surrounding students, "Whoever dares oppose me will end up just like him!"

Scumbag didn't dare watch and slipped quietly out the door.

Jiang Meili clapped her hands vigorously and shouted, "Wonderful! Zheng Tai is so awesome! Only by following him will anyone be protected!"

Few people believed it, but a few did cast friendly glances in my direction.

The Gold-Worshipper cowered, trembling all over, as the image of Scumbag's supposed death flashed through his mind—just in case...

I put on airs of supreme dominance, determined to make everyone fear me: "The name Gold-Worshipper sounds too awful, with eyes only for money. You should change it to Goddess-Worshipper!"

Struggling slightly beneath my foot, he muttered, "People don't choose their own names. Did you choose yours?"

I glared and grunted, "When I'm talking, keep your trap shut, or I'll take your dog's life!" Sweeping my eyes across the watching students, I shouted loudly, "Hey, are there any people with the surname Bai here?"

Jiang Meili chimed in right beside me, playing along: "Yes, there are! Otherwise, why would his last name be Bai?"