Chapter 62: The Unfolding Storm

I distinctly remember it rained that day.

The white-haired guy beside me had predicted rain, yet the morning sky remained stubbornly clear, sunlight streaming through the windows. By lunchtime, however, thick clouds had swallowed the sun, casting a gloomy pallor. Rays of light slanted down through gaps in the clouds like gleaming blades.

By afternoon, when I finally looked up, fine threads of rain had begun to drift down. He, meanwhile, slept profoundly, utterly oblivious to it all.

Occasionally, my gaze would drift to him. He lay on his side, his face pale, accentuating the dark circles beneath his eyes. A heavy scent of smoke clung to him, suggesting he had spent the previous night at an internet café. He looked like nothing more than an ordinary teenager with little interest in studying.

The sky was overcast, yet the classroom lights remained off, plunging the room into a dim twilight. During the break, the boys who had planned to play basketball were now slumped at their desks, peering out the window with palpable disappointment. The girls, too, had turned to chat and giggle in hushed tones with their neighbors.

The classroom buzzed with a chaotic symphony of voices, a layer of fragmented noise woven into the human chatter.

I sat with the new student, forming arguably the quietest pair in the entire class. I was engrossed in my book, while he softly snored beside me. Without looking at him, I listened as the gentle patter outside grew into a steady downpour, then turned my head to see the rain intensify.

Suddenly, a hand forcefully thumped my back. It felt like a rag-wrapped stick, delivered with clear malice, likely using knuckles, and it stung terribly. I turned to see Chen Feng, his head tucked in, grinning broadly.

An unreadable glint flickered in his eyes, and the dim light from outside cast an ominous shadow across his plump face. Back then, I was a quiet person, rarely speaking. I simply stared at his face, waiting for him to continue.

He glanced around before asking, “We’re going to sing K later. Coming?”

His question was clearly rhetorical. My reclusive nature in class was well-known, and I had no fondness for crowded karaoke bars. I remembered at the start of the semester, a few enthusiastic boys had organized a Dutch treat outing to a bar to help everyone bond.

Many classmates went, leaving behind only the “good kids” who feared returning home smelling of smoke and alcohol. I lived alone at the time, but I simply found such places too noisy. I was probably the only one in class who genuinely didn’t want to go.

Naturally, I replied, “I’m not going.”

He paused, a smile still playing on his lips, then turned to look behind him for a moment. Following his gaze, I saw several boys in the back row, leaning on their desks, watching us with ambiguous smiles. Chen Feng then added, “We brothers decided to go together today, but we’re a bit short on cash. Could you help us out?”

However, I didn’t have much money myself. So, without a second thought, I shook my head and said, “I don’t have any money either.”

Chen Feng visibly stifled a reaction, yet maintained his fake smile. He pleaded, “Come on, it’s just a loan. We’ll pay you back. Besides, we’re friends, aren’t we?”

I scoured my mind for the definition of ‘friend’, concluding that we weren’t close enough for that title. I shook my head again. “We’re not friends.”

Chen Feng’s expression shifted. “Buddy, that’s a bit much, isn’t it?”

Harmony among people seemed to be a crucial matter, yet I, by chance, had little concept of it. I was a person who stuck to their principles.

I pondered this. We truly weren’t friends, not even close. No one would use emotional blackmail to extort money from a friend. I shook my head once more. “We’re really not friends.”

Chen Feng stared at me, his face stern, then looked around indignantly before nodding. “Fine.”

Seeing that the matter was resolved, I turned back around.

****

That afternoon, the homeroom teacher had a meeting, leaving us with self-study for almost the entire day. Without a teacher present, self-study veered far from its intended purpose. No one studied during self-study, not even me.

I spent some time reading a novel on my phone, then gazed out the window. The playground was deserted, covered in puddles. Sunlight still streamed through the clouds like a diffused laser, but the persistent rain had transformed the playground into a miniature world map.

Suddenly, something struck the back of my head with force. It stung slightly. The object bounced into my collar, and I reached in to retrieve it—a folded piece of paper. I didn’t even bother to turn around; it was likely retaliation for not lending money. If I had turned, it might have hit me in the eye.

I unfolded the paper to find it blank, just an ordinary sheet. I thought for a moment, then cautiously glanced back. As expected, several boys, their fingers interlaced with rubber bands, were aiming at me. Seeing me turn, another folded paper projectile shot my way.

But I had anticipated it, and a quick turn of my head made it hit the girl in front of me instead. The girl, who had a rather short temper, stopped chatting with her friends and let out an angry shout, clutching her head. “What the hell? Who’s got a screw loose?”

The new student beside me was still asleep. At the sudden scream, his brows furrowed noticeably, but then gradually relaxed. Laughter erupted from Chen Feng and his group behind me. The girl, who had been standing aggressively, remained indignant despite their snickering, though her eyes dropped to me for a moment. Then she yelled, “You bastards! You think Lu Ren would dare hit me with a rubber band? He’d have to have a death wish! Don’t mess with me, or I’ll beat you senseless!”

After her outburst, the girl sat down with a look of disgust. A few awkward laughs came from behind, accompanied by whispers of ‘can’t afford to offend her.’ I suspected the guys behind me were pointing at me, signaling that I was the culprit. Yet, after her declaration, a sudden urge to get a rubber band and snap it at her head arose within me.

From behind, a boy chuckled softly, “Aim carefully!”

I was someone who rarely got angry, my personality rather straightforward. I spoke my mind, and any anger I felt was usually displayed directly. However, my threshold for anger seemed inherently low, and nothing had ever truly provoked me. Having lived alone since childhood, no one had taught me how to express rage. When truly upset, I would usually state, very earnestly, that I was angry.

This scene was all too familiar. I sighed inwardly, pulling my hood up. A paper wad whizzed past my ear, bounced off the chair in front, and landed back on my desk. I reached out, flicked the paper ball to the floor, and returned to watching the view outside.

Something hit my head again, but the hat cushioned the blow, so it didn’t hurt. I lazily observed the playground outside. The rain was gradually ceasing, and as the afternoon progressed, the dark clouds began to disperse, revealing a faintly purple sky behind them. The puddles on the playground reflected the dazzling white light from the west, sunlight filtered by the clouds into an intense glare.

The farce behind me continued. Not long after, I felt my desk vibrate distinctly. I heard someone behind me softly exclaim, “Holy crap.” I turned to see the boy who had just arrived that morning, sitting up with sleepy eyes, his face expressionless, as he ran a hand through his messy white hair and looked back.

Chen Feng grinned. “Sorry, brother.”

Bai Hailong, still looking drowsy, glanced at Chen Feng and asked, “Who’s your brother?”

The boy had only arrived that morning, so his words were not inherently problematic. However, the same phrase had been spoken earlier, giving it a different nuance now.

Chen Feng’s awkward smile remained fixed. He had just bumped shoulders with Bai Hailong that morning.

This group was adept at testing people’s boundaries. Every relationship, for them, began with such probes. If the tested individual’s boundaries were set low, they would escalate their actions, time and again.

Another new test began. Chen Feng chuckled, saying, “Buddy, we’re going to be seeing a lot of each other. Don’t be so hot-headed.”

Bai Hailong was now wide awake. He frowned impatiently, rubbing his head. “What does ‘hot-headed’ have to do with anything? I asked who flicked it?”

The light in Chen Feng’s eyes sharpened, but his smile didn’t waver. The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. Then Chen Feng said, “I flicked it.”

I had been watching with dwindling interest.

I expected this boy to, like others, laugh it off, find a way to smooth things over, and then they’d become friends, perhaps discussing where to eat. Thus, there would be one more person asking me for money. I continued to think this until the moment he abruptly stood up.

In that split second of distraction, I suddenly heard a resounding slap. Chen Feng tumbled backward from the impact, dragging his silent female deskmate and their entire table nearly half a meter across the floor with a grating clatter.

As the slap echoed, the classroom instantly fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The hot-tempered girl in front of me also stared, dumbfounded, at the scene, utterly speechless.

Numerous gazes, each distinct, converged on the commotion. Being so close to the sudden incident, I instinctively stood up and retreated towards the window, staring blankly at the groaning Chen Feng.

“You flicked it, huh?” Bai Hailong mumbled, still rubbing his head. He stepped over a stool, crouched beside Chen Feng, and asked, “Then why are you acting all high and mighty, you damn arrogant prick?”