DTTCM Chapter 40

The next morning, Shen Yuan rode his bike to school as usual.

The morning chill was heavy, and the autumn wind was bone-chillingly cold. Mrs. Feng Juan was afraid he would catch a cold while cycling, so she wrapped a scarf around his neck.

The scarf was wrapped in a vintage style, referencing the popular wrapping technique from ancient Egypt around the first century BC. It turned his head into a mummy, saving the cost of a helmet.

Such heavy maternal love.

The road was bustling with students. The sun at six o’clock was golden, casting a dazzling reflection on the glass windows of the buildings, turning the glass into a galaxy. The steel forest was adorned with a layer of silver and gold.

However, today there were more colors on the campus road.

There were so many vibrant colors, even black appeared in a kaleidoscope of hues.

Shen Yuan leaned on his bike, his long legs touching the ground, waiting for the traffic light. If he went straight ahead, it led to No.1 Middle School, and if he turned right, it led to the No.12 Middle School.

Normally, at this time, most of the students on the road were ordinary students who went to school on time and didn’t leave early. They wore neatly ironed school uniforms, with boys and girls having the same dark, shiny hair, looking fresh and clean, with a vitality untouched by worldly influences.

Shen Yuan looked around at the colorful hair, there were groups of delinquents, their faces showing signs of a rough night’s sleep.

Their level of irritability could be understood as uniform.

But compared to their hair, Shen Yuan didn’t look any better.

At least they still had hair, whereas now, only his eyes were visible on his entire head.

A few delinquents wearing No.1 Middle School uniform were swearing at the street corner. Each of them held a Chinese textbook in their hands, and even though one of them had a backpack, the book wasn’t put inside. They insisted on holding it in their hands, positioned at the right side of their waist.

One of them yawned repeatedly.

“Damn it, whose kind teacher placed Chinese class as the first period?”

“We have to attend Chinese class, right?!”

“Damn it, it’s so annoying.”

“Why did Yu Zuojin go to the Chinese class for no reason?”

“He must have some reason for going. We’ll find out today when we attend.”

“Damn it, I’m so tired.”

There were still over twenty seconds left on the red light. Shen Yuan stood aside, and in front of him was Lin Yin Avenue. With the arrival of autumn, it already looked golden from a distance. Fallen leaves were being swept to the sides of the road by sanitation workers for centralized disposal.

The scent of nicotine reached Shen Yuan’s nostrils through the scarf, and he turned his head. A few of the delinquents from No.2 Middle School were smoking.

Usually, they wouldn’t wait for the traffic light, but the traffic was heavy on the street, making it inconvenient to cross directly.

A male student with glasses and a bowl-cut hairstyle accidentally dropped his water bottle on the ground, and it rolled towards a group of delinquents.

The student was scared. There were many people on the side of the delinquents, and he had to squeeze in to reach his water bottle. He walked over, speaking in a low and humble voice, “Excuse me, classmates, may I pick up the water bottle.”

As he bent down to reach for it, the delinquents didn’t give him any space. Their legs stood there, watching him struggle, and some of them even bumped him with their legs.

The delinquents whose foot the water bottle rolled to was now extremely annoyed. He exploded like a bomb, looking at the water bottle by his feet, and kicked it to the side of the street.

“Damn it! Get lost!”

The male student was so scared that he sat on the ground.

A delinquent with dyed green hair grabbed him by the collar. “Are you deliberately looking for trouble?”

As he spoke, he was about to slap him across the face.

Delinquency was mostly like this, fighting and bullying. They admired excitement, violence, and power, placing themselves at the top of the hierarchy.

No one dared to approach from the surroundings. The male student closed his eyes in fear, but the anticipated pain didn’t land on his face.

“Hey, such a bad temper early in the morning?”

A lazy and casual voice sounded from behind. The male student slowly opened his eyes, only to see the delinquent who was about to slap him being stopped by a hand with distinct knuckles.

The delinquent looked at the figure before him.

“Where the hell did you come from?”

Shen Yuan didn’t have time to argue with him and spoke directly, “Pick up the person’s water bottle, apologize to him, and consider the matter settled.”

The delinquent couldn’t believe what he had just heard. He looked around at the others and burst into laughter.

“Hahaha, do you even know what you’re saying? Who do you think you are?”

“Pfft hahaha, is this kid crazy?”

“You must be from No.1 Middle School, meet me behind the school warehouse later.”

They tones were threatening.

Delinquent youths never reasoned.

The male student was afraid that Shen Yuan would be bullied, so he tugged at Shen Yuan’s sleeve.

“Mummy man, let it go. Let’s go quickly.”

Shen Yuan: “…”

[System:…]

Shen Yuan didn’t back down and stood in front of the male student. “Pick up the water bottle and apologize.”

“Will I pick it up just because you want me to pick it up? Who do you think you are?!”

The delinquent with green hair stepped forward and snatched Shen Yuan’s scarf, unraveling the cotton fabric to reveal Shen Yuan’s handsome face.

Their gazes met.

The delinquent widened his eyes.

Shen Yuan!!!!!!!!

In an instant, the surroundings fell silent. The delinquent held Shen Yuan’s scarf, unsure of what to do. He didn’t want to give it back, but he also didn’t want to keep it.

Shen Yuan’s reputation was already terrifying enough, let alone the fame he gained as the leader of No.1 Middle School.

In No.1 Middle School, Shen Yuan’s words held authority.

The group of delinquent youths were dumbfounded.

“Brother…Brother Shen!”

“Brother Shen, what are you doing here?”

“Brother Shen, we’re really sorry, we didn’t know any better.”

“It’s a misunderstanding, Brother Shen. It’s all a misunderstanding.”

Although the two sides had never met before, no one dared to disrespect Shen Yuan.

The male student behind Shen Yuan was stunned when he saw Shen Yuan’s face.

This morning experience was nothing short of legendary.

First, he accidentally provoked the delinquent youths, and now, he had encountered the king of delinquents in No.1 Middle School and infamous leader, Shen Yuan.

The delinquent with green hair quickly returned the scarf to Shen Yuan and then went with a few other delinquents to pick up the water bottle from the side of the street, even wiping It with their hands.

“Brother Shen, we’re really sorry. Here it is.”

Shen Yuan looked at the water bottle, “What do you want me to do with it?”

He tilted his chin slightly, indicating, “Give it to him.”

The delinquent quickly changed targets.

“Sorry, really sorry.”

“I apologize for not paying attention earlier.”

The male student received the water bottle, dumbfounded as he looked into Shen Yuan’s eyes.

“Alright, Brother Shen.”

Green hair behaved obediently in front of Shen Yuan, no longer exploding at the slightest provocation.

Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

“What did I say before?” he asked casually.

Green hair replied, “Study well at school and follow the rules. Don’t bully the weak or take advantage of the small.”

“You remember it quite well.” Shen Yuan held the scarf in his hand, his expression not overly serious, but his tone was a warning. “Don’t let me catch you again.”

“Yes, Brother Shen.”

After Shen Yuan left, the surroundings remained silent. The delinquents cursed their bad luck and crossed the street.

The male student watched Shen Yuan’s figure recede into the distance, his mouth hanging open for a while without closing.

So, this is what it’s like to be the school bully?!

So impressive.

Shen Yuan arrived at Class 6, where cheers and excitement filled the air. They had successfully secured the dance studio in the art building today for their competition with Classes 7 and 8.

After all, they hadn’t even had a chance to try on the costumes and props they rented.

Class 6 spent the whole day in excitement and anticipation.

After lunch, Shen Yuan went to the small grove on the east side and waited under the camphor tree for Yu Zuojin, just like last time.

Today, the other party was a bit late. Jumping onto the camphor tree, Shen Yuan caught a whiff of soap fragrance from Yu Zuojin, fresh and light, the scent of recently washed cleanliness, mingling with the aroma of the camphor tree.

“Did you take a bath?” Shen Yuan asked.

Taking a bath in the middle of the day?

Yu Zuojin didn’t answer but directly handed him the book in his hand.

Yu Zuojin had carefully taken notes on the poem “Tengwang Pavilion.”

Shen Yuan admired his work. “Very well done, the fruit of your diligence in class, Yu Zuojin.”

“Just listening casually.”

With a cold face and that arrogant expression, Shen Yuan handed the book back to let him give it a try.

Yu Zuojin took the book from Shen Yuan’s hand.

Shen Yuan looked at his palm. “Why is your hand so red?”

Yu Zuojin held the book and quickly turned it over, placing his palm downwards.

Ignoring Shen Yuan’s question, he bowed his head and started answering the questions on the book as if Shen Yuan hadn’t spoken at all.

His body was extremely hot. The intense physical activity left him breathing heavily.

In the morning, he had helped unload furniture at a warehouse.

The client had only one requirement: being tall and strong. They offered five hundred yuan for the morning’s work, a generous salary for an ordinary person.

But there was also a great risk involved.

The large handmade furniture couldn’t be lifted by a crane as it was prone to damage. It had to be carried by a group of people working together. If the coordination wasn’t good, accidents could easily happen. The feeling of several hundred kilograms pressing on his arms and shoulders was indescribable.

After finishing work, he returned to room 408, quickly took a shower, and rushed here.

The soreness in his shoulders and neck was like a drizzle to him, a minor inconvenience compared to the injuries he had sustained from fights in the past. He didn’t pay it much mind. It was just that he was too hot, even though he was already under the shade of the camphor tree. His whole body itched from the heat.

His dark gaze fixated on Shen Yuan’s fair wrist, and he seemed to emit a hot breath like a large lion standing beside Shen Yuan.

After an hour of studying, Shen Yuan received a WeChat message from Lin Xiaoyuan.

[One round ball: Sheng Yuan, are you available? Can you come to the Literary Arts Department for a small meeting?]

What was the purpose of Shen Yuan going to the Literary Arts Department for a meeting?

Although Shen Yuan was puzzled, he didn’t decline.

[Profound Yuan: Five minutes.]

After replying to the message, Shen Yuan said, “I have something to take care of. You can go back to the dormitory.”

Yu Zuojin walked out of the grove behind him and returned to room 408, where he took a quick cold shower before rushing out of the school gate once again.

Shen Yuan arrived at the Literary Arts Department, and the door was open. He lightly knocked twice as a formality.

The senior literary committee members turned their heads in unison, and Lin Xiaoyuan stood up. “Shen Yuan, you’re here.”

Seeing him, the other literary committee members hesitated to approach and speak. After all, the “School Bully” filter was present, just like when Chu Weitian had entered earlier.

Shen Yuan asked, “What do you need?”

Lin Xiaoyuan got straight to the point. “We’re currently auditioning actors for the grade’s performance in the school anniversary celebration.”

“What kind of performance?”

“It’s a story about a prince and a princess, and there are many supporting roles.”

“The princess has already been assigned to Classmate Chu. As for the prince…” Lin Xiaoyuan rubbed her hands together.

Everyone’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

Shen Yuan looked at Chu Weitian, who was sitting in the corner.

Their gazes met.

Shen Yuan didn’t hesitate for a moment. “I’ll pass.”

“…”