As soon as Shen Xingkong heard the voice, he knew exactly who was standing in front of him. He sighed lightly, his eyes filled with indifference as he glanced forward.

"Move aside. I don't talk to people with bad breath."

The people blocking Shen Xingkong were Wang Lei and three or four male classmates who always hung around him. Their eyes were filled with hostility, as if they had knives in them, eager to carve pieces off Shen Xingkong. Yesterday, Wang Lei had his birthday, and Shen Xingkong didn’t attend. It didn’t take long for Wang Lei to come looking for trouble.

"I said yesterday, anyone who disrespects me, I’ll disrespect them. Shen Xingkong, all the guys showed up last night, except for you. Are you trying to disrespect me?"

Some students who hadn’t left the classroom yet turned their attention to Shen Xingkong and Wang Lei, sensing the tension in the air. Although Shen Xingkong wasn’t particularly popular and didn’t have many friends, the students couldn’t help but worry for him. Given Wang Lei’s background, if he wanted to beat up Shen Xingkong, it would be as easy as crushing an ant, and he wouldn’t even have to do it himself.

But to everyone’s surprise, Shen Xingkong suddenly laughed, his smile full of sarcasm.

"Wang Lei, I know your dad works for the Public Security Bureau, but that doesn’t matter to me. I’m just a student here to study. Don’t bring your gangster antics into this. Also, do us all a favor and brush your teeth more often; your breath really stinks."

After saying that, Shen Xingkong didn’t bother looking at Wang Lei again. He walked around him, roughly pushing another male classmate out of the way, and strode out of the classroom.

Despite Shen Xingkong’s poor family background and lack of power, he had never been afraid of anyone. His principle was simple: if you want to be friends, treat each other sincerely; if not, stay away.

Wang Lei’s face turned as if someone had slapped him with a shoe, looking more furious than ever. No one at the medical school had ever dared to dismiss him like this. Staring at Shen Xingkong’s departing figure, Wang Lei’s expression twisted with anger before he finally sneered.

"Hmph, Shen Xingkong, you want to play? I’ll play with you," Wang Lei muttered through clenched teeth.

Shen Xingkong didn’t take Wang Lei seriously, but he wasn’t foolish. He knew Wang Lei wouldn’t let this go easily, so he would have to be more cautious in the future.

The cafeteria at the medical school was bustling with people, filled with the mixed aroma of various dishes. Shen Xingkong ordered a three-yuan lunch and found a random table to eat at.

Halfway through his meal, Chang Le suddenly rushed into the cafeteria, looking flustered. After scanning the room, he spotted Shen Xingkong and hurried over to sit across from him.

Chang Le had already heard about Wang Lei causing trouble for Shen Xingkong. Being sharp-minded, he immediately realized Shen Xingkong was in big trouble. Worried that Shen Xingkong might get hurt, he ditched his new girlfriend in the middle of the street and rushed over to find him.

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Seeing that Shen Xingkong was unharmed, Chang Le breathed a sigh of relief. But when he noticed that Shen Xingkong was calmly enjoying his tomato and egg dish, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated.

"Old Shen, I warned you yesterday, didn’t I? See, now you’re in trouble, right?"

"What trouble? Is there a fire?" Shen Xingkong pretended to be alarmed, craning his neck and looking around.

"Are you kidding me? Do you believe Wang Lei could break your leg tonight?" Chang Le was genuinely angry this time.

"I believe it, but what am I supposed to do about it?" Shen Xingkong shrugged, lifting his tray with one hand. "You don’t expect me to go find Wang Lei and kneel down, calling him grandpa, do you?"

"You..." Chang Le was almost speechless with frustration, his face tense as he thought for a moment. "Alright, how about this: let’s leave school early this afternoon. I’ll drive you home."

"Hehe, I knew you were a good friend!" Shen Xingkong patted Chang Le on the shoulder with a hand covered in sauce, grinning like a fox.

Throughout the entire afternoon, Chang Le was on edge, sticking to Shen Xingkong like glue. He even followed Shen Xingkong to the bathroom, making it almost impossible for Shen Xingkong to relieve himself.

But Shen Xingkong acted as if nothing was wrong, chatting and laughing as usual. Whenever he had free time, he would bury himself in a book on acupuncture points, leaving Chang Le feeling utterly perplexed.

What puzzled Chang Le even more was Shen Xingkong’s sudden interest in studying. Sneaking a peek, he confirmed that it was indeed a book on acupuncture points and not some hidden AV magazine.

By 3:30 in the afternoon, Chang Le dragged Shen Xingkong out of the classroom and drove him home in his Audi A6. Before they parted, Chang Le repeatedly urged Shen Xingkong to stay indoors and not go out unless necessary, promising to pick him up again the next morning.

With a friend like Chang Le, Shen Xingkong, though he didn’t say much, was genuinely touched. He simply waved goodbye, but the gesture carried a lot of meaning.

After passing through the old building’s front door, Shen Xingkong went upstairs, took out his keys, and unlocked his apartment door. Before opening the door, he was still brooding over the trouble with Wang Lei, feeling that he was being unjustly targeted. But when the door finally opened, his feelings quickly escalated from mere frustration to shock.

Standing frozen in the doorway, he saw that his apartment looked like it had been hit by a bomb. All the furniture was toppled over, old appliances were smashed to pieces, the sofa was slashed open with stuffing and springs spilling out, and the ceiling light had fallen and shattered on the floor. Not a single pane of glass was left in the windows, allowing the cold wind to blow freely into the apartment, chilling Shen Xingkong’s face.

Was this still his home? The home his parents had left him when they went off to work?

A fire of rage ignited within Shen Xingkong, turning his face an angry shade of green. He didn’t need to think twice to know that this was Wang Lei’s doing.

No wonder Wang Lei hadn’t caused any trouble at school that afternoon, nor had he chased after Shen Xingkong and Chang Le when they left early. The bastard must have found out where Shen Xingkong lived and sent people to trash his place while he wasn’t home.

Staring at the wreckage of his apartment, Shen Xingkong felt an overwhelming urge to find Wang Lei and settle things once and for all. But no matter how angry he was, he still had enough sense to know that confronting Wang Lei now would likely result in a severe beating. Moreover, without any evidence, accusing Wang Lei of trashing his home could backfire, possibly even leading to Wang Lei turning the tables on him.

Shen Xingkong walked into his bedroom, which was just as trashed as the rest of the apartment. The bed, blankets, and pillows had been soaked with water, making them unusable.

Yet, Shen Xingkong seemed numb to it all. He lay down on the bed, pulling the wet blanket over himself. He lay there motionless as night fell and then gave way to morning, never closing his eyes.

At around 7:00 a.m., Shen Xingkong got up and left his apartment. He went next door and knocked on his neighbor’s door.

"Who is it?" came the voice of the woman living next door.

"It’s me, Auntie Wang. I’m Shen, from next door."