Using Violence to Curb Violence

“Didn’t my brother say there was a pretty girl in your class too?”
“You mean Song Yu, right? She’s not as good-looking as that Wang Ke from earlier.”
“I still think Liang Jingyu from Class One is the prettiest—the girl we saw at morning exercise yesterday.”
“How do you know her name?”
“I just know, okay? Her name is Liang Jingyu!”

At the entrance to Class Four, a group of boys were still discussing pretty girls. Yang Chengqi, having apparently forgotten the scolding he’d just received, was lively again, going on and on about the beauty he’d spotted during morning exercises yesterday—with an inexplicable air of boastful pride.

Zhao Xu found him somewhat annoying and interrupted, “When does your friend usually get here?”
Wang Chuanbiao, sensing that Brother Xu was displeased, grew anxious and quickly replied, “He should be here soon—probably in the dorm, or maybe he’s not done eating yet.”

Zhao Xu nodded. Liu Cheng asked offhandedly, “What’s your friend’s name?”
Wang Chuanbiao was about to answer when he noticed someone’s head coming up the stairs. Even though only a head was visible, he recognized Fang Chang’an, and soon half of Wang Ke’s head appeared as well.

Zhao Xu and Liu Cheng both caught his gaze and looked over, feeling a jolt in their hearts.

Liu Cheng wondered, “Why is Fang Chang’an here so early today?”

Zhao Xu thought, “Damn, it seems Wang Ke and Fang Chang’an are pretty close…”

“Brother Xu, Brother Cheng…” Wang Chuanbiao, realizing it really was Fang Chang’an, quickly turned around, about to tell Zhao Xu and Brother Cheng that this was the guy they’d been waiting for.

But neither Zhao Xu nor Liu Cheng was listening; Liu Cheng was hesitating whether to greet Fang Chang’an first, worried it might undermine his own “authority.”

After all, Fang Chang’an had brought him breakfast this morning and had been quite friendly. Surely he wouldn’t hold a grudge over such a trivial matter, right?

Instinctively, he glanced at Zhao Xu to gauge his reaction—only to see Zhao Xu already step forward two paces, his previously rebellious swagger vanishing, replaced by a polite, even somewhat fawning smile as he greeted, “Brother Chang’an!”

“So this is…”
Wang Chuanbiao’s words caught in his throat, nearly choking him as he stared blankly at Zhao Xu’s ingratiating expression.

Liu Cheng was also stunned. He hadn’t expected Zhao Xu, a sophomore, to humble himself even more than he could, and suddenly better understood his cousin’s advice. He hurriedly followed suit, calling out, “Brother Chang’an!”

Wang Chuanbiao’s dazed gaze shifted to Liu Cheng’s face, leaving him even more bewildered.

Wang Ke, walking beside Fang Chang’an, was startled as well. She blinked, wondering if she’d misheard.

Fang Chang’an smiled and said, “Brother Xu, Brother Cheng, what are you all up to here?”
Zhao Xu awkwardly slapped Wang Chuanbiao on the shoulder. “Just chatting, just chatting. Did you just finish eating?”
Seeing Zhao Xu so deferential before Fang Chang’an, Liu Cheng abandoned his own fragile pride and turned to Hou Xiaoyi, Sun Yanxu, and the others. “Greet Brother Chang’an.”

Sun Yanxu, Hou Xiaoyi, and the rest had no idea who this handsome yet seemingly ordinary boy was, but seeing Zhao Xu and Liu Cheng both so respectful, none of them dared offend him. They quickly echoed, “Brother Chang’an!”

Their voices overlapped in a chaotic chorus, but their attitudes were all earnest. For a moment, it felt as if a mafia boss had arrived and the underlings were lining up to pay their respects.

Fang Chang’an remained friendly, waving a hand with a smile. “No need for all these ‘brothers’—just call me by my name. I’m Fang Chang’an, from Class Four. If you ever have trouble with your studies, you can always come to me.”

They’d all heard plenty of “Come to me if you have any problems,” but academic exchanges usually meant “let me copy your homework” or “let me cheat off you on the next test.” Hearing such an overtly positive offer threw them for a loop.

Without waiting to see if anyone really needed homework help, Fang Chang’an turned to Zhao Xu. “I thought Brother Xu was here to chat with me.”

Zhao Xu forced a smile. “Well, since we ran into each other, we might as well chat. I just didn’t want to disturb your studies.”

“It’s fine. My grades are good—missing a bit of study time won’t matter. First in the whole school will still be first.”

Zhao Xu had met top students before, but never one so shameless. For a moment, he didn’t know how to respond.

Fang Chang’an glanced around at the group and added, “Chatting is fine—after all, it’s not class time so teachers don’t care. But whistling at girls isn’t appropriate, right?”

Seeing Fang Chang’an’s gentle, pleasant smile, Zhao Xu immediately recalled what had happened a few nights ago. He shot a quick look at Wang Ke, then looked away, his tone indignant. “I agree. I just scolded him about that…”

He turned to Yang Chengqi, his expression stern. “Aren’t you going to apologize to your classmate?”

Yang Chengqi glanced at Wang Ke, then at Fang Chang’an, hesitating.

Hou Xiaoyi, who was in the same class as Yang Chengqi, was about to smooth things over, but Liu Cheng cut him off with a swift kick to Yang Chengqi’s side, snapping, “Didn’t you hear? Apologize!”

Yang Chengqi was caught off guard and nearly knocked Hou Xiaoyi over as he stumbled to the ground. Hou Xiaoyi stepped back, hesitated, but said nothing.

Yang Chengqi had actually done well in school as a child, but he’d grown wild over the years and couldn’t rein himself in. It had been almost three years now, always running in the pack. Though always a follower, he’d swaggered around, convinced he was somebody. He’d even taken part in a brawl once and considered himself worldly. He looked down on teachers and parents, seeing them all as mediocre, unable to understand his life.

Middle school, to him, was a bigger stage. The top dog from his elementary school had gone elsewhere, and over the summer, he’d even fantasized about becoming the new boss. After the semester started, he saw Hou Xiaoyi was tougher than the previous leader and quickly decided to follow him instead.

Sure enough, within days of the new term, not only did he know people from other classes, he was even making connections with sophomores—some of the most influential ones at that.

There were too many big shots; he knew he had no hope of being a boss himself. Instead, he tried to stay on good terms with the top dogs, and maybe, with his good looks, charm a pretty girl or two. He’d seen a beauty—more stunning than he’d ever imagined.

Yet a single whistle had landed him in this mess.

Part of him marveled at how eventful middle school was, full of both powerful people and stories. But he couldn’t help panicking at the situation, and a deep shame crept in. He remembered bragging to his friends about fights he’d heard of, always saying, “If it were me…” or “If I were in that situation…” and so on.

Now, though, his fantasies of getting closer to that pretty girl had vanished, replaced by a kick that left his mind blank. His wild ambitions and bravado had evaporated, leaving only anxiety and regret.

Holding the railing, Yang Chengqi stood up. Liu Cheng’s kick had hurt, but not too badly.

He’d witnessed scenes like this before, but always as one of the supporters behind the boss. Back then, it felt cool and triumphant. Experiencing it firsthand was a different matter—a lesson he’d never forget.

Not everyone present wanted to beat him up, but he’d offended someone even more powerful than Brother Xu, so the result was much the same.

Getting to his feet, he realized his legs were shaking. He wanted to apologize but the words stuck in his throat, a stubborn pride choking him.

Part of him regretted the whistle, but another part didn’t care. Wasn’t it just a whistle? He’d done it before, others had too… Why did he have to apologize today?

There was also that lingering pride—a belief that, even now, he could choose another path, that of the unyielding hero he’d seen in TV shows and novels and sometimes imagined himself to be.

Better to die than apologize, better to die than apologize—at worst, take a beating…

“Didn’t you hear? I told you to apologize!” Liu Cheng, seeing his hesitation, kicked him again.

Hou Xiaoyi glanced at Sun Yanxu but stayed silent; another boy from Class Seven did the same.

Wang Ke shifted uneasily, looking at Fang Chang’an. Seeing his gentle and handsome smile unchanged, she bit her lip and tugged at his sleeve.

Fang Chang’an gave her a warm smile.

Remembering what he’d just said, Wang Ke’s heart warmed, her cheeks flushed, and she looked away without a word.