Chapter 5

Liu Xiangtian walked home alone late at night, past ten o'clock, with few people on the road. The night wind blew, and the grass by the side of the road made a rustling sound. The city was unusually quiet at this time, except for the occasional car whizzing by. Liu Xiangtian kicked the stones on the road as he walked, thinking about his troubles. What would his future hold? Would he be a small-time hoodlum for the rest of his life, neither black nor white, or would he muster the courage to join the underworld? Neither path was what he wanted, and the deeper he got, the more he realized that both roads were endless dead ends. Suddenly, a thought popped into his head, startling him. He shook his head and tried to shake the thought out of his mind. But Liu Xiangtian didn't realize that he was only one step away from that thought many years later.

Liu Xiangtian shook his head and stopped thinking about these things. Sometimes a person's fate can be decided by themselves, but sometimes it's predetermined by the heavens.

In the following month, it was arguably the most painful month for Li Shuang, Gao Qiang, and their underlings. They had no freedom, only oppression. They had no pleasure, only studying. Under Liu Xiangtian's high pressure, these students, who were considered the future scum of society by their teachers, had significantly improved grades, which surprised all of their teachers. They all wondered: had their hard work finally moved these delinquent youths to turn their lives around? The school even held a meeting to praise the head teachers of the third-year classes. This group of students was much better than previous years, and had made contributions to the education cause. The head teachers of each class also stated that "for the sake of the country's next generation, we will work harder in the future and teach students well... (the rest omitted to save space)."

The day of the middle school entrance exam finally arrived. The day before, Liu Xiangtian called all the brothers who were going to take the exam and asked them how their review was going. Everyone remained silent with their heads down, all understanding that it was not easy to catch up on three years of wasted education. Seeing everyone not speaking up, Liu Xiangtian shook his head and said, "No matter what method you use, tomorrow during the exam, each of you will have a BB machine in your hand."

Li Shuang asked in confusion, "Tian Ge, what are we going to do with that thing?" At first, Gao Qiang was confused, but then he immediately understood and hit Li Shuang on the head, "Are you stupid? Tian Ge will send us the answers using the BB machine!"

Li Shuang, acting as if he knew all about it, replied loudly, "Get lost! Do you think I don't know?" Then he turned to the little brother next to him and whispered, "What's the deal with sending answers using a BB machine?" The little brother who was asked looked helpless and thought Gao Qiang was right; Li Shuang was indeed stupid. But he didn't dare to say that and started to explain in detail.

Seeing everyone discussing with a smile, Liu Xiangtian loudly said, "If anyone can't borrow one, raise your hand, and I'll think of a way!" (At that time, BB machines were still a novelty in Northeast China, and it was not as common as it is now where mobile phones are ubiquitous.)

A few little brothers raised their hands, and Li Shuang looked around, blushing and lowering his head, before finally raising his hand. Gao Qiang pushed him aside and said, "Hey, don't embarrass yourself, I'll help you borrow one."

Li Shuang lowered his head and whispered apologetically, "My family is poor!" The brothers around him laughed. Liu Xiangtian smiled and said, "Whoever can borrow more, borrow as much as possible, and help other brothers get through this hurdle first, understand?" Some of the wealthy ones said loudly, "Got it, Brother Tian!"

Liu Xiangtian nodded in satisfaction. Li Shuang asked, "Brother Tian, did you think of this way to help us pass the test early on?"

"Well, it's called being prepared. What good is the little ink in your stomach for?"

"Why did Brother Tian force us to read books for a month?" Li Shuang also expressed everyone's doubts.

Liu Xiangtian said solemnly, "Because I don't want you to be like a blockhead when you enter high school. You must remember that without education, you are nothing in society! Wherever you go, no one will respect you. Even if you become a boss in the underworld in the future, it's the same." Everyone then realized Liu Xiangtian's intentions. It was truly for their own good, and they were all moved and said together, "Understood, Brother Tian!"

The next day, the entrance of the Fourth Elementary School was crowded with students' parents. As the examination center of the Second Middle School was located here, the parents had been standing here for a whole morning to cheer for their children.

Sanyan was squatting on the side, smoking cigarette after cigarette, checking his watch and asking his younger brother beside him, "Xiao Hua, did you go to see if the telephone booth is all occupied?" Xiao Hua nodded and ran to the side. "It's been over an hour, why hasn't anyone come out yet!" Sanyan muttered impatiently.

"Brother Sanyan, do you think Tian ge (Big Brother Tian) can't come out?" asked the younger brother next to him. Sanyan shook his head, not knowing the answer.

After five minutes, someone patted Sanyan's shoulder, startling him. He turned around ready to swear, but when he saw it was Liu Xiangtian, he quickly closed his mouth. "Tian ge, where did you come from? Why didn't I see you?" he asked.

Liu Xiangtian chuckled and said, "Someone was guarding the entrance and I couldn't come out, so I had to jump over the wall." He took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Sanyan. "Hurry up, there's not enough time!"

"Okay, Tian ge (Big Brother Tian), don't worry, not even one will be missed!" Sanyan said as he took the paper without even looking at it and led his younger brother to run off.

Finally, the results of the entrance exam were released. All the brothers passed, and Liu Xiangtian ranked first in the city. However, this top scorer in the entrance exam voluntarily proposed to attend the first high school of a third-rate school in J city, leaving the teachers puzzled and regretful. They thought it was a pity to let such a talented student go to waste.

Liu Xiangtian's parents were even more opposed to his decision. Liu Xiangtian, who had no choice but to follow his own heart, told his parents, "Mom and Dad, I have grown up. Let me choose my own path. I promise you that I will be able to get into college in three years."

Liu Xiangtian's father said to his mother, "Alas, our child has grown up. He has his own choice. We can force him for a while, but we cannot force him for a lifetime." Then he said to Liu Xiangtian, "Xiangtian, I hope you can walk your own path, and there will be no more opportunities for regret in the future!"

In this way, Liu Xiangtian entered the notorious First High School of J city as the top scorer in the city, bringing along more than one hundred brothers. Liu Xiangtian finally ended his middle school career that had changed his fate and started a new journey in life.

During the summer vacation before entering high school, Liu Xiangtian was not idle. After fighting with Sanyan, he realized that relying solely on his intelligence and a ruthless heart was not enough to succeed in society, he also needed a strong body. For more than two months, Liu Xiangtian joined a sanda class and a martial arts class, and constantly exercised whenever he had free time. Even Sanyan was very impressed by his perseverance. After spending so much time together, Sanyan's understanding of Liu Xiangtian's personality was that he either didn't do it, or he did it the best.

One month later, Liu Xiangtian found Sanyan at the sanda class. With boxing gloves on and Sanyan with a stick, no one knew who won or lost, but both of them were badly injured.

Half a month later, Liu Xiangtian found Sanyan again. This time, Li Shuang and Gao Qiang followed him, but were turned away at the door. After Sanyan came out with a swollen eye, the two asked about the result. Sanyan only said, "Tian ge (Big Brother Tian) has a talent for sports!" and walked away.

Another half a month later, when Liu Xiangtian found Sanyan again, Sanyan was still lying on the ground with a slight swelling around his eyes and refused to go. Liu Xiangtian had no choice but to bribe him, "As long as you come, I will treat you to dinner tonight, and you can choose the place." Sanyan closed his eyes and said, "Even if you say it in flowers, I won't go. Can I still eat if I'm dead?" Li Shuang couldn't resist the temptation and offered to go with Liu Xiangtian. Sanyan looked at Li Shuang with pity and shook his head as they walked away, secretly saying in his heart, "Take care, brother!" The result was that Li Shuang and Liu Xiangtian vomited two molars during dinner that night.

From then on, when Liu Xiangtian looked for someone to go to Single Bar, there was no one within a five-meter radius. Sanyan once said, "When Tian ge (Big Brother Tian) is not busy, he can run the 100-meter race. His explosive power is suitable for this sport." Li Shuang nodded in agreement, understanding what he meant.

More than two months passed, and Liu Xiangtian remained the same, just a little taller, but still giving people the impression of being thin and weak.

The First High School was far from Liu Xiangtian's home, so he had to ride his bicycle to school. When he arrived at the school gate, the first thing he saw was a broken door. The cement pillars on both sides of the door were covered with pieces of paper. He approached to take a closer look and saw "Sexually transmitted disease patients don't need to worry..." He was stunned. Why were such advertisements posted all over the school? Liu Xiangtian shook his head and walked into the school. He saw an old man sitting in the duty room at the entrance, reading a newspaper. Liu Xiangtian walked over and asked, "Excuse me, I'm a new student here. Where should I report?"

The old man put down the newspaper and looked at Liu Xiangtian, "What did you say? I didn't hear you, speak up!" Liu Xiangtian had to speak louder, "I said, where should new students report?"

"What? You're going to be late soon! Why are you wasting time talking to me? Go to class!" The old man shook his head and continued reading the newspaper.

Liu Xiangtian almost spurted blood. With such a security guard, how could this school not be chaotic? Ignoring the old man, he pushed his bicycle into the school. After walking a few steps, he heard the roar of a motorcycle behind him. Without thinking, Liu Xiangtian instinctively jumped to the side and the bike fell to the ground. A motorcycle flew past him and stopped not far ahead. The rider was dressed in denim, took off her helmet, and her jet-black hair fluttered in the air as she turned to look at Liu Xiangtian. "Wow, she's so beautiful," thought Liu Xiangtian as he realized the rider was a girl. The girl had a melon seed face, two delicate eyebrows on top, bright black pearl-like eyes underneath, and her seductive red lips were moving up and down.

"Are you blind? Can't you watch where you're going?" Her voice was pleasant, but the words made Liu Xiangtian unable to appreciate her beauty any longer. He looked helpless and said, "You were the one who hit me first! Why are you blaming me?"

The girl looked Liu Xiangtian up and down, he had an average build and a fair complexion, but his eyes were special! They were slender and long, and exceptionally bright, giving off a different feeling.

Seeing the girl staring at him, Liu Xiangtian felt a little embarrassed and asked, "Is there something wrong with me?"

His voice interrupted the girl's thoughts, and she blushed slightly before getting off her motorcycle and walking towards him, saying, "Are you a new student?" Liu Xiangtian nodded. He felt the girl had a great figure, about 1.7 meters tall, and almost the same height as himself. Coupled with her slender figure, Liu Xiangtian finally understood the meaning of "graceful and poised".

"If you're a new student, you should call me senior sister, not classmate. If anyone bullies you in the future, come find me, I'll help you!" The girl said as she patted Liu Xiangtian's head. She didn't know why, but whenever she saw this handsome and delicate-looking boy, she always wanted to protect him. Maybe it was because his thin and weak appearance triggered her protective instincts. "Liu Xiangtian felt both amused and helpless. This girl was not an ordinary "big shot." But he still obediently nodded and said, "Yes, thank you senior sister. I'll remember that."

As Liu Xiangtian watched the girl walk away, her bright eyes filled with a smile, his heart skipped a beat. Shaking his head, he walked away quickly, telling himself that she was walking, not escaping. Liu Xiangtian shouted after her, "Goodbye, school sister!" He didn't even know which class the girl was in, nor did he care. His attraction to her was purely instinctual appreciation of beauty.

As he was about to pick up his bike, he heard a male voice from behind, "Tian Ge, wait for me!" He didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Liu Xiangtian turned around and saw a sweating Li Shuang, followed by Gao Qiang and six unfamiliar faces.

Approaching, Li Shuang said to the six people, "This is Tian Ge, your boss!" The six people took a glance at Liu Xiangtian and bowed, "Hello, Tian Ge!"

Seeing Liu Xiangtian looking confused, Gao Qiang explained, "These six guys are all freshmen, and Three-Eyed Brother brought them here. They're all like little tigers when it comes to fighting!"

Liu Xiangtian nodded at the six of them and said to Li Shuang and Gao Qiang, "When our brothers all arrive later, watch yourselves and don't start trouble, you hear?" The two nodded, and Li Shuang chuckled and said, "Brother Tian, I've been with you for so long, I've learned a few things too. Don't worry!"

Liu Xiangtian turned around and shook his head. "You're the one I worry about the most." He pushed the cart and walked towards the parking shed on the side. Gao Qiang chuckled and pushed the cart behind Liu Xiangtian. "What else do you know besides taking pleasure in others' misfortune?" Li Shuang, who had gotten back on his bike, caught up with Liu Xiangtian with his plump body, and the six new guys followed along, all smiling.

When Liu Xiangtian and the others arrived at the shed, they were stopped by two students at the entrance. "Hey, hey, hey! Stop right there, where do you think you're going? Don't you know this is where the teachers park?"

Li Shuang felt unhappy in his heart. "I just saw someone wearing a school uniform park their car in there. Why can't we?"

A student with small eyes glared at Li Shuang. "That's them, and you're you. If I say it's not allowed, it's not allowed!" The skinny guy with him didn't say anything, but he lifted his head enough to reveal the nose hairs in his nostrils.

Li Shuang parked the car and went forward to argue. "What's the matter? Just because I'm a freshman? Let me tell you, move aside right now. I have to park my car here today." Liu Xiangtian also thought these two were too much and didn't stop Li Shuang.