Her gentle hands, the delicate touch, and the stinging sensation of the medicated oil on my bruises made me shiver involuntarily.
Especially since Linda was leaning over me at this moment, the deep curve of her cleavage faintly visible, unbearably seductive. My eyes instantly locked onto the sight, transfixed…
Linda didn't notice. She only glanced at me and asked, "Does it hurt?"
"N-no…" I wanted to say it felt good, but I didn't dare. Still, a soft warmth rose from somewhere deep inside me, as if something tender in my heart had been touched.
Linda asked, "Why did John and the others hit you?"
After hesitating, I couldn't help but tell her the reason for the fight. When she heard it, her expression turned strange. "You got into a fight just because they said a few things about me? Was it worth it?"
"Yes!"
I hadn't been sure before, but in that moment, with Linda gently applying the medicated oil to my wounds, I felt that everything was worth it.
After finishing, Linda calmly packed up the supplies and said in a neutral tone, "Andrew, beautiful women will always be talked about. If you hear any rumors about me, don't believe them. And there's no need for you to fight over it. Understand?"
I blurted out, "But I can't accept them talking about you like that—"
Linda's eyes suddenly turned cold, her voice laced with displeasure. "Who do you think you are?"
I stared at her, stunned, before reality crashed over me. Right. I'm just a live-in son-in-law—no, not even a real one. What right do I have to be jealous? What right do I have to protect her?
Heart aching, I muttered, "If I'm nothing in your eyes, why did you care enough to personally apply medicine for me?"
Linda looked at me evenly. "Because I'm a teacher. Even if I don't like you, you're still my student now. If any other student were injured, I'd take them to the infirmary too."
So, her concern was just professional duty.
Back in the classroom, Linda began roll call and assigned seats. By coincidence, my desk mate turned out to be Bucktooth, Li Jinyu. I also spotted John—tall and burly, he was placed in the last row. When our eyes accidentally met, he narrowed his gaze at me, and I quickly looked away.
Bucktooth still felt guilty for ratting me out. He looked uneasy when facing me and whispered an apology. "Andrew, about earlier… I had no choice…"
I shook my head and reassured him. "It's fine. Actually, I'm the one who dragged you into it. I should've admitted it was me, but I chickened out. Let's just forget it. We're still friends."
Bucktooth was visibly moved. He nodded repeatedly. "Yeah, we're still friends."
The morning was spent on seating arrangements, textbook distribution, and an opening ceremony. By the time lunch break arrived, Bucktooth expertly led me to the canteen. No. 2 High School had over 3,000 students, but the cafeteria could only seat a few hundred at a time. Many students ate in their classrooms or dorms instead.
Bucktooth and I carried our food back to the dorm.
On the way, he couldn't help but warn me, "Andrew, John holds grudges. He might come after you again. You'd better be careful."
The thought of John targeting me again made me both afraid and angry. Gritting my teeth, I said, "Let him come. I'm not scared."
Bucktooth saw right through my bravado. He advised quietly, "You don't need to be *that* scared. At worst, he'll beat you up once or twice. Just lower your head and endure it. Once John vents his anger and saves face, he'll leave you alone."
I stayed silent. Before I knew it, we were back at the dorm.
Aside from Bucktooth and me, there were two other roommates—twin brothers from the countryside. The older one was Luo Cheng, the younger Luo Wei. We called them "Big Luo" and "Little Luo."
They were burly but dressed plainly, carrying the self-consciousness of rural kids. Wary of everyone, they kept to themselves. They didn't even greet us when we walked in.
Bucktooth and I chatted while eating. Halfway through our meal, the dorm door was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang. Five or six boys filed in, led by none other than John, his silver earring glinting.
Bucktooth, ever the coward, scrambled to his feet. "Y-Yong-ge, what's up?"
John glanced at him dismissively. "Not your business, Bucktooth. Ugly as hell—get out of my sight."
Bucktooth didn't dare argue and quickly shuffled aside. John then turned his cold gaze to me.
"Andrew, right? Got some nerve, huh? A newbie daring to challenge me. You trying to be the boss of Class 163?"
I shook my head. "It was a misunderstanding."
"Misunderstanding my ass. Think I'm a kid you can fool?" John slapped my face lightly—not hard, but the humiliation burned. "You tripped me on purpose to make me look bad, didn't you?"
I glanced at his gang behind him and stayed silent.
"What, no comeback?" John pointed at his foot. "Thanks to you, I **sprained** my leg. The doctor's bill was 900 bucks. I'll make it simple—pay me 1,000 yuan for medical fees, and I'll pretend this never happened. Otherwise, you won't last at this school. Got it?"
"I don't have money."
I eyed his legs skeptically. The guy had just kicked the door open with terrifying force—no way was he injured. This was extortion.
One of John's lackeys, a guy with a comically large head, lunged forward and smacked the back of my skull. "No money? Then get some! Steal from your parents, lie about school fees—I don't care how. But if you don't pay, we'll end you."
John pulled "Big Head" back and said coldly, "Today's Monday. You've got till **Thursday**. If I don't see 1,000 yuan by then, don't blame us for what happens next."
Big Head jabbed a finger at my face. "And if you **snitch** to the teachers, we'll beat you every time we see you—until you drop out."
With that threat, John and his gang swaggered out.
The Luo brothers shot me sympathetic looks but said nothing, returning to their books. Only Bucktooth showed concern.
"Andrew, you okay?"
"I'm fine."
Bucktooth glanced at my tightly clenched fists, my nails digging into my palms. "John's a repeater. He's got connections here, and his dad's the school director. If you want to stay at No. 2 High, you'd better find a way to get that money. Otherwise, they'll make your life hell."
I shook my head. "I don't have it."
"Then make up an excuse and ask your family."
"My family's poor. Even if I had the money, I wouldn't give it to him. His leg isn't hurt—this is blackmail."
Bucktooth wanted to say more, but I grabbed my bowl and headed to wash it. The truth was, my family was dirt poor. As the Zhang family's live-in son-in-law, my monthly allowance was only 300 yuan—barely enough for school expenses. A thousand? Impossible.
As I scrubbed the bowl, I made a silent vow: I don't have money, but I've got my life. If John really comes for me on Thursday, I'll fight to the end.
---
Afternoon classes began, and No. 2 High had a tradition—right after term started, there'd be a placement test to rank students by number. From Monday afternoon till Tuesday, we took exams for every subject.
By Wednesday, the results were out. To everyone's shock, I scored first in class, earning the student number 001.
Bucktooth, meanwhile, got 050—near the bottom of the 60+ students. He gaped at me. "Andrew, damn! Didn't know you were this good. I'm copying your homework from now on."
After the fight on the first day, most classmates had looked down on me, seeing me as weak. Now that I'd aced the test, their gazes held a new respect.
At lunch, as Bucktooth and I packed up to leave, a girl blocked our path—Harper, our class monitor and the unofficial class beauty.
Dressed in a white blouse, blue jeans, and white sneakers, her hair in a ponytail with a pink clip, she looked fresh and lovely.
Not only was she pretty, but she was also top of the class—this time, just one point behind me, ranking second with the number 002.
"Monitor, what's up?" I asked, confused. We'd never interacted before.
Harper, used to being the center of attention, lifted her chin. "I've always been first in class. This time, you stole my spot. I won't accept it."
Bucktooth and I exchanged bewildered looks. What kind of logic is this?
I stared at her, this feisty girl puffing up like a challenged hen. "So… you want me to **throw** the next test and let you win?"
Harper hissed, her eyes flashing. "Who needs you to let me win? I'm here to declare war!"
My heart **lurched**. "You're… getting people to beat me up too?"
She rolled her eyes—a surprisingly feminine gesture. "Who said anything about fighting? I mean I'll defeat you in next month's exam and take back the 001 number!"
Ah. At No. 2 High, student numbers weren't fixed. Monthly exams reshuffled the rankings, pushing students to compete.
I couldn't help but smile. "Alright then. Game on."