教父的诞生

Volume 1: Youthful Passion Chapter 1

In the 1990s, in the corridor of the first floor at J City Second Middle School.

"Hey, kid, hand over all your money!" Two boys with brightly dyed hair cornered a frail student against the wall.

The student lowered his head and said softly, "I don't have any money."

Slap! One of the taller boys smacked the student's face. "D*mn it, stop whining and hurry up!"

The student's mouth turned red from the slap, and tears streamed down his face uncontrollably. At this moment, the shorter and chubby boy next to the tall one said, "Forget it, don't hit him too hard. This kid is a top student in my class, haha!"

The tall boy looked at the student and said, "D*mn, look at him. What's the use of being a top student?" He turned to the fat boy and added, "Old Fatty, check his pockets. I don't believe he has no money!"

The fat boy grunted in acknowledgment and stepped in front of the student. "Xie Wendong, let go of your pockets." The student, hearing the tall boy's words, clutched his pants pockets tightly.

Seeing that the student named Xie Wendong was still gripping his pockets as if he hadn't heard, the fat boy kicked him in the stomach. Xie Wendong crashed heavily against the wall. The fat boy then pried his hand away and reached into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled five-yuan note.

The fat boy handed the money to the tall boy and spat on the ground, "D*mn it, you're so ungrateful." Afterward, he and the tall boy left, laughing and joking, leaving Xie Wendong in pain.

Xie Wendong is a third-year student at J City Second Middle School. He studies hard and has excellent grades, ranking first in the entire school. However, he is introverted, has few friends, and is frequently bullied due to his small stature. Second Middle School is not a prestigious school in J City, and the school's management is lax, allowing local delinquents to come and go. These delinquents, who are no longer in school for various reasons, often bully weak and easy targets, perhaps finding a sense of accomplishment in doing so.

Standing in the school corridor for a while, Xie Wendong picked up his fallen backpack and left the school. On his way home, his eyes were filled with tears of grievance as he repeatedly asked himself: Why? Why do they always bully me? Why not someone else? Why is it always me?

No one could answer him. The darkness of the evening concealed his tears. When Xie Wendong arrived home, he wiped his tears before entering, not wanting his family to know he was bullied at school. Weak people still have their pride, and sometimes their pride is stronger than anyone else's. Xie Wendong used his key to open the door, finding only his mother at home. Dinner was prepared and laid out on the table, waiting for him to come home and eat. Seeing Xie Wendong return, his mother said, "Hurry up and eat, or it'll get cold."

Xie Wendong nodded and asked, "Where's Dad?"

"Your dad is on the night shift tonight, so he won't be home," his mother replied as she served the food. Xie Wendong simply said "Oh" and sat down, staring at the food on the table with no appetite.

Noticing that Xie Wendong was just sitting there without eating, his mother asked with concern, "Wendong, what's wrong? Are you feeling sick?"

"No!" To avoid raising his mother's suspicions, Xie Wendong picked up his bowl and started eating silently.

Xie Wendong lives in an ordinary family. His father works on the railway, driving trains, and often works night shifts. His mother is a retired worker who later did some small business. Although his family is not wealthy, he has never lacked money. Due to his good academic performance, his parents are always pleased, and they have never refused him money whenever he asked.