DTTCM Chapter 25

Campus Forum:

“I haven’t seen such an explosive scene in a long time.”

“Iron Head, you’re amazing. It’s incredible that you came up with this.”

“Believe it or not, it’s truly spectacular.”

“Yesterday, fists clashed, but today we’re living harmoniously.”

“Let’s discuss the dream that Chu Weitian took away from me.”

“From Brother Sheng’s expression, it’s clear that it wasn’t voluntary.”

“Putting them together, they make quite a visually appealing pair. Does one have to be handsome to become the leader of the school?”

————

Chu Weitian and Sheng Yuan turned their heads away, not looking at each other, their faces ugly.

The Headmaster had intended to say something to them, so that they learn a lesson, but then he d saw a few troublemakers in the school not wearing uniforms. He immediately changed his course and went to apprehend them.

With the Headmaster gone, the two under the maple tree became a photo spot.

Taking advantage of the Headmaster’s absence, some students took out their phones and began snapping away.

Chu Weitian, annoyed to the extreme, exclaimed, “What are you looking at? If you keep staring at your phones, I’ll smash them!”

The surrounding students were instantly frightened and ran away.

As the crowd dispersed, Chu Weitian caught sight of Yu Zuojin not far away, and a pang of unease gripped his heart.

He recalled the peaceful nap he was having in the afternoon before his dormitory door was suddenly pushed open.

He was the only one residing in Room 403.

Who dared to disturb his sleep!

He threw off his blanket and prepared to see who the coward was.

But when he raised his head, he saw Yu Zuojin.

Without uttering a word, Yu Zuojin kicked him in the leg.

There was no finesse, only brute force.

At that moment, he thought his leg was broken.

Yu Zuojin was feared by everyone in the circle. Although Yu Zoujin never got involved in school matters, Chu Weitian had once confidently challenged him.

The result was predictable.

However, Yu Zuojin was always indifferent, seldom resorting to physical violence unless someone crossed his path or provoked him.

But how could he provoke this terror when he was peacefully sleeping in his dormitory?

Was it in a shared dream?!

Chu Weitian groaned in pain on the ground, “Are you fucking…”

Upon seeing the cochlear implant device on Yu Zuojin’s ear, Chu Weitian swallowed the word “sick.”

Although he wasn’t a good person, he wasn’t immoral enough to mock someone’s pain.

“Are you crazy? Why did you hit me?”

Yu Zuojin didn’t respond. Instead, he uttered a cryptic statement with a distorted voice.

“Don’t say it was me.”

Leaving those words behind, he walked away without looking back.

Chu Weitian had initially intended to continue sleeping, but his leg was too painful. He tossed and turned on the bed for over an hour, unable to bear it any longer, and decided to go to the school clinic.

As he limped out of the dormitory, he saw Sheng Yuan coming out of Room 408 after his nap.

If he remembered correctly, Yu Zuojin seemed to live in that room too.

He used to live alone.

An absurd thought instantly flashed through his mind.

Could it be that Yu Zuojin came to enact revenge for Sheng Yuan?

The more he thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

But compared to having a shared dream with Yu Zuojin, it made more sense.

Seeing Yu Zuojin’s cold gaze now, Chu Weitian became even more certain of this idea.

He gulped down his saliva.

Fortunately, Yu Zuojin just cast a cold glance in this direction and walked away.

Chu Weitian breathed a sigh of relief.

Just before class time, the two finally let go of each other.

As soon as they separated, they dashed towards the outdoor washbasins on the west side of the library.

They leaped up the steps in a few strides and vigorously turned on the tap.

No words were exchanged, but the disdain was palpable.

Chu Weitian was the first to finish washing, and he couldn’t help but shudder when he recalled Yu Zuojin’s gaze.

Not paying attention to his footing, he bent his hurt leg and fell down directly.

Bang!

Sheng Yuan turned back, half annoyed and half helpless, and helped him up.

This person managed to fall while descending the stairs and hurt his leg. Now, he even fell while going down a three-step staircase to wash his hands.

Sheng Yuan: “Do you always get bullied by the staircases on campus?”

Chu Weitian: “…”

The former delinquent leader of the school had fallen to such a pitiful state.

Sheng Yuan entered just as the classroom bell rang and returned to the classroom. During this study period, the Headmaster noticed that Class Six didn’t have a class and called Sheng Yuan over to discuss the three-school joint knowledge competition.

The three schools, as you can imagine, collaborated to set the questions, promoting academic exchanges.

To put it plainly, it’s an exam.

The three schools involved were No.1 Middle School, No.8 Middle School, and No.12 Middle School.

They each sent three students from each grade.

The students representing No.1 Middle School in the third year were already determined: Guo Gang, Ji Minglai, and Sheng Yuan.

The Headmaster said, “As you probably know, I called you here to discuss the three-school knowledge competition.”

“I know that at your age, you don’t like listening to long-winded lectures, so I’ll be brief.”

“This time, the announcement of the competition results will be different from previous years. The evaluation and results will be announced on the same day, so we will have to stay at the competition venue for an extra day. The prize money, awards, and certificates will be given directly to you.”

“The first prize is 5,000 yuan and two thermos cups; the second prize is 3,000 yuan and one thermos cup; the third prize is 2,000 yuan, without a thermos cup.”

Headmaster: “The time is set for tomorrow at seven o’clock. Gather at the school gate, and we’ll take the school bus.”

After the Headmaster finished speaking, he waved his hand to dismiss them. “The rewards are generous, and the teachers won’t put any pressure on you. Everyone, work hard.”

It had been two years since No.1 Middle School won first place.

Although he didn’t say it out loud, he still felt sour in his heart.

Last year, Teacher Yang from No.12 Middle School made fun of him quite a bit.

When going to the exam venue, they didn’t need to bring anything except their brains. The exam supplies and lunch were all provided.

The next morning, Sheng Yuan didn’t enter the school gate. He went directly to the exam venue by boarding the bus at the school gate.

The exam venue was located in the Provincial Knowledge Venue, and the three schools had specifically applied to rent it for a day.

The Headmaster watched as the students settled down to answer their papers when his shoulder was suddenly tapped.

“Oh, isn’t this Teacher Pan?”

Teacher Yang came over with a smile and greeted him. “Is No.1 Middle School sending the same group of students as last year for the exam?”

The two had been classmates from high school to university, and their competitive spirit was strong. Even as Headmasters, they were always neck and neck.

Teacher Yang: “Looking at it, except for the freshmen, the students participating are the same as last year. Hasn’t changed much, can they handle it?”

The other party had a way of speaking that annoyed people.

The Headmaster gritted his teeth. “They will compete with their abilities and work hard, of course they can handle it.”

Teacher Yang stood with crossed arms beside him. “Is that so? Well, a dark horse emerged from my senior class, and the results, well, he shot up in no time.”

The Headmaster wasn’t one to back down. “Coincidentally, I have one in my senior class too.”

“But I have two.”

Headmaster: “…

The exam ended after half a day, and in the afternoon, the Headmaster and Teacher Yang stood at the front of the stage, eagerly awaiting the results, neither willing to yield to the other.

The third and second prizes were announced first.

No.1 Middle School had two winners, No.8 Middle School had none, and the remaining four spots were all from No.12 Middle School.

The Headmaster’s expression darkened.

They waited for the announcement of the first prize.

Teacher Yang spoke up on the side, “I must say, this year the first prize still belongs to our No.12 Middle School.”

Playing mind games, huh?

The Headmaster replied, “That’s not necessarily true!”

When away from home, one’s reputation is self-given.

“Now, the announcement for the first prize!”

There was only one spot for the first prize.

The Headmaster’s heart sank, while Teacher Yang eagerly prepared himself.

The host held the microphone. “The recipient of the first prize is Sheng Yuan.”

Sheng Yuan!

The Headmaster’s eyes widened!

It was theirs!

“Sheng Yuan, please come up to receive your award.”

The Headmaster quickly turned around. “He’s from our school! No.1 Middle School! Sheng Yuan, come on, quickly!!!”

Sheng Yuan stood up from his chair and went up on stage to receive the award and take photos.

The Headmaster was pleasantly surprised. Looking at the person next to him, he couldn’t help but blurt out in a northeastern dialect, “Ay, Teacher Yang, you have to tell me, I thought your school would win the championship. Ay… I never expected this.”

“After all, you have two dark horses in your senior class, while I only have one, but this child worked hard and surpassed expectations.”

“Calculate how many years it’s been since our No.1 Middle School won a championship. But this year is different. From the desolate mountains and rivers of Ba and Chu, we have produced a shining example.”

“It’s him.” The Headmaster was afraid the other party couldn’t see, so he grabbed his eyes, pointed at the young man on stage, and said, “His name is Sheng Yuan, he’s incredible!”

Teacher Yang: “…”

The Headmaster was extremely pleased. When Sheng Yuan came down from the stage, he praised him and gave him a thumbs-up, almost kissing him on the cheek.

After the competition ended, the Headmaster said they didn’t have to attend the evening self-study session today and could go home on their own.

Sheng Yuan held a bag with a thermal cup in his hand and a card with a 5,000 yuan prize in his pocket.

He remembered that Xia Zhiqi had been talking about wanting to eat home-style ice cream.

He took out his phone and sent a message to the group.

It was now 5 o’clock in the afternoon, the time when No.1 Middle School rested and had dinner.

Xia Zhiqi received a message notification on his phone.

Big Brother wanted to treat them to ice cream!

The address of the ice cream shop was shared in the group, and they agreed to meet at 5:30.

Xia Zhiqi and Xiao Pang were together. They called Sheng Yuan and found out that they were not far from each other. They decided to go find Sheng Yuan first, while the other little brothers would come from different places outside to the ice cream shop.

Sheng Yuan stood at the intersection of the commercial street.

When Xia Zhiqi saw him, he yelled, “Brother Sheng!”

Sheng Yuan turned around and saw only Xia Zhiqi. “Where’s Xiao Pang?”

“Xiao Pang is thirsty and went to buy water,” Xia Zhiqi said. “Brother Sheng, let’s go ahead, he’ll catch up later.”

Sheng Yuan nodded and walked into the commercial street. They crossed it and then walked two blocks to reach the ice cream shop.

After walking a few hundred meters, Sheng Yuan stopped.

“This outfit looks nice.”

Sheng Yuan looked at the jacket displayed in the shop window beside him.

“Brother Sheng, do you want to buy clothes?” Xia Zhiqi turned to look and then his eyes went wide.

Sheng Yuan remembered Yu Zuojin’s short and tight jacket, and he raised his leg and walked into the store.

Xiao Pang caught up with an iced tea in his hand and saw Xia Zhiqi squatting in front of a clothing store with a lifeless expression.

He kicked him. “What are you squatting here for?”

“Brother Sheng is buying clothes inside.”

“If Brother Sheng wants to buy clothes, let him buy clothes. What’s with that expression on your face?”

Xia Zhiqi was speechless.

“See for yourself.”

Xiao Pang was baffled.

Then, he turned his head and saw Sheng Yuan inside the store, holding a bold red and green baseball jacket, asking the shopkeeper if they had a larger size.

Xiao Pang: “…”

Looking down the entire street, there was no other outfit with such a daring color combination.

It was extremely tacky.

Xiao Pang swallowed. “Brother Sheng’s taste is quite similar to someone in my family.”

“Who?”

“My great-grandmother.”

Author’s note:

Yu Zuojin, you’re in luck.

Brother Sheng’s straight steel man aesthetics: a combination of vibrant red and green equals festive and visually pleasing.

*”Straight steel man” is slang for a man who has a straight forward personality, is clueless when it comes to matters of love/ has low emotional intelligence.