We chatted all the way and returned to the internet cafe. Yuan Shao and Meng Liang were still playing games, shouting and screaming, not caring about my affairs—perhaps in their eyes, what happened to me was nothing.

Ye Zhan walked up to Meng Liang with a smile and said, "Brother Liang, it's settled." I also walked up to Meng Liang and expressed my gratitude.

Meng Liang seemed to be fighting a boss, his eyes fixed on the screen, making noises like "hmm hmm" until he finally defeated the boss. Then he breathed a sigh of relief and looked at me in shock, "My god, you got beaten up?!"

I touched my cheek, still swollen from the punch Zou Yang had given me. It was quite a forceful blow, making half of my face swell up.

"Well, uh..." Ye Zhan hurriedly explained, "Zou Yang wanted to have a one-on-one with Wang Hao, I didn't agree, but Wang Hao insisted on it..."

"Damn it!" Meng Liang stood up abruptly. "Ye Zhan, I entrusted you with something, how can you be so unreliable and let my brother get beaten up?!" His voice was loud, drawing the attention of many people in the internet cafe.

Yuan Shao also heard this conversation and stopped playing games, rushing over immediately. "What, Wang Hao got beaten up?!"

Ye Zhan looked extremely embarrassed, "They had a one-on-one, but Wang Hao had the upper hand..."

Both Yuan Shao and Meng Liang stared at Ye Zhan. I quickly spoke up, "It was my insistence on the one-on-one, it's not Ye Zhan's fault, he's been very protective of me."

Ye Zhan gave me a grateful look. It was evident he was afraid of these people.

I didn't know much about Yuan Shao, Meng Liang, and their group, but I was genuinely worried about Ye Zhan's well-being. So, I reached out and put my arm around his shoulder, both to show affection and to be prepared in case they suddenly turned hostile.

"Alright, you can go now," Yuan Shao said to Ye Zhan, not entirely satisfied.

Ye Zhan shrugged and said goodbye, leading his few buddies out of the door.

I felt guilty and resolved to have a good talk with Ye Zhan later. He seemed really concerned about what had just happened.

"Meng Liang, you keep playing, I'll talk to Wang Hao," Yuan Shao said, hooking his arm around mine and leading me to a corner of the internet cafe.

The internet cafe returned to its noisy state, with no one paying attention to us anymore. Yuan Shao took out a cigarette and offered it to me, but I shook my head awkwardly, "I don't smoke." I never touched these things before, I only bought two packs for Yuan Shao and didn't smoke any myself.

"Take one," Yuan Shao insisted.

I reluctantly took it, and he lit it for me. I took a puff but couldn't inhale properly, so I just coughed it out.

"That's not how you do it," Yuan Shao taught me the right way.

I actually knew how to smoke, I sneaked a puff of my father's cigarette out of curiosity before, and got a severe beating for it. I took a deep drag, and my head started to feel a bit dizzy.

"I called Yu Ge," Yuan Shao said. "He told us to take care of you, said you're a good kid, easy to get taken advantage of."

I felt immensely grateful. Considering everything that happened from this morning till now, if it weren't for Yuan Shao and his crew, I'd probably still be getting beaten up in the dorm right now. I wasn't particularly close with Yu Chengfei, just neighborly acquaintances, but he helped me like this. It was a big deal for me, but probably just a trivial matter for him, easily solved with a few words.

"With all this fuss, no one should dare to bully you anymore," Yuan Shao patted my shoulder, making me feel reassured. "Go back now, if you need anything, come find us. With Yu Ge around, there's hardly anything we can't handle."

I breathed a sigh of relief at his words, feeling warm inside. "Alright, I'll head back then. Thanks a lot for today."

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"No problem," Yuan Shao waved his hand. "In the future, try to get along better with your classmates. You never know when you might need someone's help."

"Sure," I nodded. I did want to get along better with my classmates. It's just that I'm naturally clumsy with words, plus Zou Yang's instigation...

But from now on, it shouldn't be so difficult.

I said my goodbyes to Meng Liang and left the internet cafe, heading towards Chengnan High School. With all the back and forth, it took quite some time, and it was almost time for afternoon classes. So, I didn't go back to the dorm but straight to the classroom.

As I entered the classroom, the previously noisy atmosphere immediately quieted down. Some people cautiously glanced at me, while others pretended to be reading. I knew they must have been discussing me just now. I scanned the classroom and saw Zou Yang, Li Jie, and their gang sitting together, but they didn't meet my eyes.

I didn't look at them either and went straight to my seat.

So much had happened at lunchtime, and now that I had a moment to relax, I couldn't even remember what the first class of the afternoon was. Liu Zihong kindly reminded me, "Physics class."

"Oh," I nodded, taking out my physics book. It was amusing to me how Liu Zihong, who used to be quiet, was now talking so much. It seemed like how much he talked depended on who he was talking to.

"You were really impressive at lunch," Liu Zihong exclaimed. "I didn't expect you to be so tough!"

"It was nothing," I shrugged, showing a nonchalant attitude.

Liu Zihong opened his mouth, seemingly sensing my cold attitude, and whispered, "I was wrong before. But Zou Yang told us privately not to talk to you, or else we'd get beaten up, so..."

I could tell that Zou Yang must have been meddling behind the scenes, but I didn't expect him to be so straightforward in rejecting me.

"To be honest, we don't really like him either," Liu Zihong continued quietly. "He's just a rich kid who bullies people, thinking he's all that... Disgusting!" He spat on the ground vehemently.

I was surprised that Liu Zihong had such a temper. I always thought he was a quiet nerd, but it seemed people weren't always what they appeared to be.

Just then, Xia Xue suddenly turned around and said, "Liu Zihong, let's switch seats!"

Amidst envious glances, Xia Xue sat next to me. But this time, everyone seemed to think it was perfectly natural.

"Sure, why not," Xia Xue patted my shoulder, laughing heartily.

"What's so good about it?" I pretended to be clueless.

"Oh, come on, everyone already knows," Xia Xue said with a playful smile. "Turns out you're Meng Liang's brother, no wonder you're so confident. But I still can't figure out why you endured it for so long before. With such a powerful brother, you could have ruled the school."

I smiled but didn't say anything. Actually, she had no idea. If I hadn't been pushed to the edge, I wouldn't have gone looking for those guys.

"It's really satisfying to hear," Xia Xue continued chatting away. "Seeing you so calm and collected, I never expected that from you..."

Watching this lovely girl, I couldn't help but feel grateful. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't have had the courage to stand up for myself. There are always people like this in life, who give you courage, strength, and guide you forward. The more I looked at her, the more I liked her. I listened quietly to her chatter, my mind naturally drifting to thoughts of how nice it would be if she were my girlfriend.

Xia Xue chattered on, but I didn't really listen, lost in my own thoughts. After a while, she finished talking, patted my arm, and said, "Well, I'm off!" And like a breeze, she drifted away again, leaving behind a faint scent in the air.

Liu Zihong came back, his eyes shining with excitement. "I think Xia Xue likes you, you should make a move!"

"Really?" I blushed a little. Having a girlfriend was something I'd only dared to imagine.

"Of course!" Liu Zihong was excited. "Xia Xue is the goddess of our class in the hearts of us boys. Even Zou Yang is crazy about her..." Suddenly realizing his mistake, he coughed lightly and continued, "But Xia Xue is clearly fond of you, she's always coming to you! Before, everyone didn't understand, saying you were just lucky. But since the incident at lunch, everyone's come to accept it, and they say Xia Xue has good taste, recognizing that you're not ordinary."

Everyone likes to hear nice things, and I'm no exception. After listening to Liu Zihong's flattery, I did feel a little elated. But having been ostracized for three years, I naturally had a bit of guardedness towards others, so I didn't show it too much on my face, and just said lightly, "Don't talk nonsense, we're just good friends." But in my heart, I was already planning when to confess to Xia Xue.

As the bell for class rang, Liu Zihong stopped his chatter.

After a day passed, I noticed a change in my classmates' attitudes towards me. They no longer deliberately ignored me as they did before, but would actively come to talk to me and chat. During breaks, several girls even came to me with their textbooks to ask questions. Honestly, they were much better students than me. And a few boys came with a basketball, asking if I wanted to play. I felt honored and almost knelt down to thank them. Today was supposed to be my turn for duty, but there was no need for me to clean the blackboard at all. Liu Zihong eagerly took over for me.

Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction.

However, at that moment, I didn't know that a bigger storm was waiting for me ahead...

For several days in a row, I felt like my life in class was like a breath of fresh air, like a fish in water. I no longer walked timidly, and when I saw Zou Yang, he would hurriedly turn away instead of me. This change made me realize the true meaning of "times change." But I'm not the type to bully others or pick fights. I just wanted to get along well with my classmates and often thought that it would be nice if things continued like this, smoothly passing the three years, getting into university, and starting a fresh new life.