After meowing, Sheng Yan was stunned.

Whose voice is that?

Qin Zigui?

It doesn't seem like it.

Yellow hair?

That's disgusting.

Who else could it be?

Hold? !

Sheng Yan finally realized what was happening and, from the strange and complicated looks in Qin Zigui's and the blond thugs' eyes, he realized that he, the school bully of Shishi Foreign Language School, had been caught meowing on the spot.

A strong sense of shame instantly surged into his mind, and his ears turned red at a visible speed.

However, his years of experience as the leader of the lower district of Nanwu allowed him to quickly calm down. He decided to take the initiative and seize the opportunity. He stood up, raised an eyebrow, and questioned Qin Zigui: "What are you doing here?"

After asking the question, without waiting for Qin Zigui's answer, he turned to look at the row of unlucky guys in the corner and said irritably, "What are you doing here too?"

The group of guys with yellow hair were still stunned from being beaten and then from being meowed. Before they could react, they were asked a question right in front of them, which made them even more confused. They asked back, not very confidently, "Isn't this... the back gate of our school?"

Sheng Yan: "..."

It seems so.

So why was Qin Zigui at the back gate of the vocational high school?

Sheng Yan turned back to look at Qin Zigui again, his eyebrows raised high.

Qin Zigui casually put his injured right hand back into his pocket and answered nonchalantly, "I bumped into him on my way to the training class and we had a little conflict."

The blond-haired guy, who was walking happily on his way to find Lin Qian, was suddenly dragged into an alley and beaten up by this person: "?"

Is that how it is?

Just as she was about to ask a question, she met Qin Zigui's cold gaze. She was slightly taken aback, then covered her head and nodded quickly: "Yes, yes."

Sheng Yan frowned and asked Qin Zigui again, "What about last night?"

He didn't specify what happened last night, but both of them knew the truth.

Qin Zigui remained unfazed: "Last night, I passed by the internet cafe and overheard them saying some filthy things, so I stopped them and we had a little argument, but it wasn't a big deal."

The blond guy was happily surfing the internet last night when he was suddenly called out and given a severe beating: "??"

Is this also the case?

Then, meeting Qin Zigui's cold gaze again, he could only nod quickly once more: "Yes, yes."

After hearing these two answers, Sheng Yan had already imagined a whole scenario where Qin Zigui had accidentally offended this group of people last night and then been harassed by them time and time again.

Thinking of Qin Zigui's hand injury, her expression instantly turned cold. She squatted down and smacked the blond-haired man on the head: "Do you even know who he is before you dare to cause him trouble? Didn't you get enough of a beating yesterday? Do you want to do it again today?"

The blond-haired guy, who had been beaten up three times in two days, was thinking: "???"

No! He's had enough!

And when did they cause him any trouble?!

It was clearly Qin Zigui who came to cause trouble for them for two consecutive days!

The key is that this guy is incredibly sarcastic. Before beating you up, he slowly rolls up his sleeves and glances at you, making you so angry that you can't help but want to tear down his pretentious aura. Then, he swiftly lifts you down with his long legs and beats you up in places that don't look like they're actually hurting terribly, without making a single unnecessary move.

He remained expressionless throughout, as if taking on several people was an effortless and numb thing, which was the ultimate display of arrogance.

And this is enough to make them cause him trouble?

Huang Mao, who had been a delinquent for so many years, had never felt so wronged. He couldn't help but shout in grievance, "Who caused him trouble! We brothers got beaten up like this, and you're saying we caused him trouble? Do you even know who this guy is...?"

As Huang Mao got excited, he let go of his hands that were covering his head and was about to lift his clothes to show Sheng Yan the bruises he had hidden on his body. However, as soon as he moved, he inadvertently looked up and once again met the cold gaze of the person behind Sheng Yan.

He froze for half a second, remembering the fear of being slammed against the wall by the neck with the other person's expressionless face, then silently put his hands behind his head and obediently squatted down: "I'm sorry, I was wrong, I won't do it again next time. So who exactly is he to you?"

How could it be so terrifying!

Sheng Yan had no idea what Qin Zigui had done behind his back. He only thought that Huang Mao had been beaten into submission by him, so he didn't think much of it. On the contrary, he was the one who was stumped by Huang Mao's question.

Right, who is Qin Zigui?

Neighbors? Classmates? Nemesis rivals who can't stand each other?

It seems there's no identity that would allow him to say such a thing.

After a brief pause, Sheng Yan remembered the wish he had made earlier that day. Quick-thinking, he calmly and nonchalantly said, "He's my little brother."

blond hair: "???"

How could someone so terrifying become someone else's henchman?!

He looked up at Qin Zigui, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Qin Ziju stood with his hands in his pockets, leaning against the wall, and nodded slightly: "Yes, I'm his underling."

Yellow Hair: "...!"

How could this be!

If someone as terrifying as him can become Sheng Yan's subordinate, it means that Sheng Yan must have some extraordinary abilities that they don't know about. In other words, Sheng Yan had been holding back in his previous actions towards them, and his actual strength may far exceed their imagination.

The yellow-haired group looked at Sheng Yan with a mixture of awe and shock.

Sheng Yan, who was initially worried that Qin Zigui would not give him face, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately, Qin Zigui is somewhat sensible.

So it seems that the wishing system might be somewhat useful?

Sheng Yan raised an eyebrow in satisfaction, stood up, hooked his backpack strap, lowered his eyelids, and looked down at the blond-haired man: "Explain in detail where you went wrong."

His double eyelids were very deep, and when his eyelids drooped, they extended into a thin line, which, combined with his naturally upturned eye corners, gave him a somewhat fearless and reckless look.

Considering that this was still while they were hiding their true strength, the blond-haired man didn't hesitate and immediately answered: "You shouldn't disrespect girls, you shouldn't harass girls, you shouldn't force girls, you shouldn't say dirty words to girls, and you shouldn't touch people you shouldn't touch."

"Someone I shouldn't have touched?"

The first few sentences were alright, but Sheng Yan pondered the last sentence and felt something was off.

Huang Mao thought Sheng Yan was dissatisfied with his answer, so he quickly explained, "I just listened to Brother Qin. That's how he taught me."

"He taught you?"

Sheng Yan frowned slightly.

The blond-haired man nodded immediately in fright: "Yeah, yeah, Brother Qin's exact words were, 'I'm beating you up today for no other reason than because you touched someone you shouldn't have.' That's what he told me when he came to beat me up yesterday."

Huang Mao was so focused on apologizing to Sheng Yan that he answered sincerely and nervously, to the point that he temporarily forgot to look at Qin Zigui's expression.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Yan frowned even more deeply: "What do you mean when he came to beat you up? Didn't he just happen to be passing by yesterday, or did he come looking for you on his own initiative?"

The blond-haired guy, who was enthusiastically admitting his mistake, suddenly stopped.

Sheng Yan turned to look at Qin Zigui.

Qin Zigui lowered his eyelids, concealing the color of his eyes.

So this is the default?

If Huang Mao hadn't let it slip, would Qin Zigui have been planning to fool him?

But if Qin Zigui went to beat up Huang Mao last night, just say so. It's not like it's anything shameful. Why hide it from him? He won't...

etc.

In a flash, Sheng Yan suddenly felt something skewer up.

Qin Zigui gave Lin Qian a hard time last night while on duty because Lin Qian brought him band-aids.

After hearing that the group from the vocational high school had caused trouble for Lin Qian, she left the school immediately and even skipped the competition class.

Then, guessing that given his personality, he would definitely go after Huang Mao and his gang again, he squatted outside the wall and threatened himself with the fake duty book, forbidding himself from going to them.

In order to completely discourage these blond-haired kids, Qin Zigui even came to the back gate of the vocational high school today and beat them up again.

If all of this is to be considered reasonable, there can only be one reason—

Qin Zigui was in love with Lin Qian.

That's why I got jealous when she gave me a band-aid.

That's why she went after the blond guy when she heard he was being bullied.

That's why they said Huang Mao and his gang touched people they shouldn't have.

That's why he tried every means to prevent himself from standing up for Lin Qian, because he was her biggest rival in love.

Qin Zigui is a model student who never violates school rules and regulations, yet he skipped class and got into a fight twice. What else could this be but love?

No wonder he turned against her after Lin Qian confessed her feelings to her on her birthday last year.

It seems that Gou You and the others were right; Qin Zigui does indeed like Lin Qian.

But the girl he likes is important, but his brother, whom he's grown up with for over ten years, isn't?!

My brotherhood of over ten years has been wasted like this?!

He thinks I'm nothing but a fart?!

Sheng Yan grew angrier and angrier, until he couldn't hold back any longer. He grabbed Qin Zigui by the collar, slammed him against the wall, and raised his fist, ready to punch him hard.

But the fist stopped abruptly in front of Qin Zigui. His knuckles were clenched so tightly they turned white, and the veins on the back of his hand bulged, showing that he was restraining a great deal of strength. In the end, he reluctantly lowered his fist and squeezed out through gritted teeth, "Qin Zigui, I don't like Lin Qian! I have nothing to do with her!"

Qin Zigui didn't dodge, but just looked at him and said calmly, "Yes, I know."

"You know?" Upon hearing this answer, Sheng Yan was stunned for a moment, then became even angrier. "You fucking know I don't like her, and you still want to break up with me? Are you sick in the head?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the blond-haired guy who had been squatting silently beside him cautiously spoke up: "Um..."

"That bullshit! Shut up!" Sheng Yan didn't even turn his head, continuing to angrily question Qin Zigui, "Since you know I don't like her, why are you turning against me? What do you mean by that? Did I do something to offend you?"

Before Qin Zigui could answer, the blond-haired man cautiously spoke up again: "Um, Sheng Yan..."

"I told you to shut up, didn't you hear me!" Sheng Yan didn't turn his head, but looked at Qin Zigui, his voice trembling with anger. "Qin Zigui, you better explain yourself clearly today. What have I, Sheng Yan, done to offend you?! As long as you explain yourself clearly, I promise I will never say another word to you again!"

"that……"

The blond-haired man spoke again.

Sheng Yan finally lost all patience and turned around: "Can't you see we're talking about serious business here?! Can't you go somewhere cool and stay somewhere else...?"

Sheng Yan was cursing when he suddenly stopped, his head turning ninety degrees.

Because he saw a plump, round figure rushing angrily towards him at the end of the alley in that direction, accompanied by a panting roar from a middle-aged man: "Sheng Yan! I knew it! You're fighting here again!!!"

Holy crap?!

Why is the weasel here?

If he catches him, won't he make him stand for an entire evening study session and run ten laps around the track as punishment?!

The fear of being caught on the spot by the weasel momentarily overwhelmed Sheng Yan's anger towards Qin Zigui, and he stood there frozen in place.

The next second, his backpack was snatched from his shoulder, his wrist was grabbed, and he heard a low voice say, "Run!"

Before his brain could even process it, his instincts had already driven him to follow the owner of the voice without looking back into the humid and stifling alleyway in the summer twilight.

As the warm wind, carrying the scent of evening fireworks, swept past his face, for some reason, Sheng Yan suddenly thought of his childhood.

At that time, Qin Zigui had just moved back to Nanwu with Qin Ru not long before.

He was good-looking, quiet, smart, and clean. The kindergarten teachers and girls all liked him, but he just didn't like to talk and always had a stern face, so the little boys in the kindergarten especially disliked him.

They always ganged up to bully Qin Zigui, soiling his clothes, hiding his lunchbox, spitting on him in front of him, and calling him a bastard without parents and a mute who couldn't speak.

Qin Zigui simply listened without speaking, arguing, or complaining, which made the boys increasingly demanding and outrageous.

Until one day, Sheng Yan caught them red-handed. Sheng Yan, who was just one day shy of turning five, was so angry that he took a sprint and ran up to knock down the leader, Fat Tiger, and then started biting his arm relentlessly.

However, how could a middle-class child like him fight against a group of older children? In the end, Qin Zigui rushed up, pushed everyone else aside, picked up Sheng Yan, and rushed out to rescue him.

That day, they ran for a long, long time through the humid and stuffy alleys in the twilight of Nanwu in summer before finally shaking off those nasty kids. So, Sheng Yan's birthday wish that year was for that fat tiger to have a lot of bad luck.

The next day, Fatty Tiger really had a terrible time. He came to Sheng Yan with a bruised and swollen face, crying his eyes out, promising that he would never bully him and Qin Zigui again.

From then on, Qin Zigui, who had always been reluctant to get close to people, began to wait for him to go to and from school every day, and was almost inseparable from him.

Later, when Qin Zigui had to take a year off from elementary school for some reason, he simply said it was okay, because that way Qin Zigui could be in the same class as him and protect him.

Sheng Yan has always had a good memory, but he never expected that he would remember things from his childhood so clearly.

Actually, he didn't know everything. Things about his father, about Ms. Xu at that time, and many other things were all vague. The only things he could clearly remember were the old house's courtyard covered with green vines and roses, the delicious meals cooked by his maternal grandparents, and Qin Zigui, who occupied almost his entire childhood.

But what good is it for him to remember?

Qin Zigui is a complete scoundrel who forgets his principles for the sake of women!

By the time Sheng Yan snapped out of his reverie, they had already run back to the apartment building. Sheng Yan flung Qin Zigui's hand away, yelling, "Don't touch me! Get as far away from me as you can!"

His voice was slightly breathless, his hair was disheveled by the wind, and his face was faintly flushed.

Qin Zigui was also a little tired, but he immediately noticed that Sheng Yan's black T-shirt was soaked with sweat. He said in a low voice, "We can talk about it when we get home. Go back and change your clothes so you don't catch a cold."

"Mind your own business!" Sheng Yan was furious with Qin Zigui and didn't care what the other person said; he just yelled at him.

After yelling at him, he turned to leave, but a hurried voice came from behind him: "Qin Zigui, Sheng Yan, you two stop right there!"

Turning around, I saw Qin Ru pushing open the glass door downstairs and walking out. Her usually gentle and mild face was unusually angry. Her long hair was just hastily tied up, and she hadn't even had time to put on makeup. It was obvious that she had rushed out.

Sheng Yan froze, not daring to take another step. He lowered his head guiltily and obediently called out, "Aunt Qin."

When Qin Ru saw him like this, her anger subsided by half. She glanced at them helplessly before saying, "Come here and take a turn around."

So the most aloof and cold academic genius and the most ferocious and ruthless school bully stood side by side without saying a word and obediently turned 360 degrees at the entrance of the building.

It's alright, my arms and legs are still intact.

Qin Ru finally breathed a sigh of relief and her expression softened: "It's good that you're not injured."

After saying that, he realized he was being too gentle and not intimidating enough, so he immediately straightened his face and said in his fiercest tone, "You still know how to come back! Do you know that your headmaster has complained to me? Tell him yourselves what happened!"

She pulled out her phone, and the moment the call connected, her voice immediately softened into a gentle, polite tone: "Hello, Director Huang, I'm Qin Zigui and Sheng Yan's parent. It's nothing, just wanted to let you know the two kids have been found. Sheng Yan took sick leave this morning, but he's not fully recovered yet. When he saw you just now, he probably panicked, and now he has a headache and feels nauseous, so Zigui brought him back. As for what happened in the fight, I haven't asked yet. You can tell them yourself."

Then she pressed the speakerphone button, held the phone up to them, and raised an eyebrow to show that she, as the parent, had done everything she could.

The next second, a furious roar came from the loudspeaker: "Sheng Yan! It's one thing for you to fight, skip classes, and not study properly! But you've even corrupted Qin Zigui! Don't you have any respect for the law?!"

"Who led him astray?"

Sheng Yan muttered something.

The sound wasn't loud, but Huang Shuliang, having served as the dean of students for so many years, had developed ears comparable to a weasel's.

Upon hearing this, he immediately flew into a rage: "If you didn't corrupt him, how could he have corrupted you? Do you know how many points you got on the final exam? 327! A new all-time low! A full 147 points lower than the second to last! In all my years of teaching at Shishi Foreign Language School, I've never seen a result like yours! The key is, do you know how many points Qin Zigui got? 723! First in the grade! If he can corrupt you, I'll cut off my head and let you kick it like a ball!"

It's a whole bunch of things, and it even has some single rhymes.

After he finished yelling, one could even picture Huang Shuliang's angry yet righteous image, radiating smoke.

Then Qin Zigui said calmly, "Director Huang, it was indeed I who led Sheng Yan astray."

"?"

Qin Zigui calmly stated, "I was the one who started the fight with those vocational high school students. Sheng Yan just happened to run into them when he went out for dinner."

"???"

You could see the three question marks above Huang Shuliang's head even through the screen.

Qin Zigui's tone remained calm and confident: "If you don't believe me, you can ask the people at the vocational high school, or contact their dean of students."

"..."

After Qin Zigui's few calm words, the other end of the phone fell into an unusual silence.

A brief pause.

Huang Shuliang finally spoke: "I'll go and find out what's going on."

When he returned, his tone had become very kind and approachable: "Qin Zigui, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but your act of bravery and upholding justice is commendable and worthy of praise. However, we don't encourage this kind of behavior. You are a good student from a reputable school, a top student with the potential to be a top student, a candidate for Tsinghua or Peking University, and the hope for the future of our country. You must learn to protect yourself, do you understand?"

Sheng Yan, who had been kicking pebbles for a while, looked up and raised an eyebrow upon hearing this: "Wait, Director, you didn't say that about me when I did something heroic before."

"You still have the nerve to talk back!" Huang Shuliang, who had just been amiable, instantly switched to a berserk state. "Don't think you're safe just because you didn't lead the fight today! Weren't you the one who skipped evening self-study? Weren't you the one who ran away when you saw me? Weren't you the one who wasn't wearing the school uniform? Weren't you the one who slept in the exam room and got the lowest score in the grade?! Count how many school rules and regulations you've broken! If you continue like this, you're very likely to become a threat to society, do you know that?!"

Sheng Yan: "??"

How can Qin Zigui, who is the hope for the future of the motherland, become a threat to society?

Before a single question could be uttered, Huang Shuliang on the other end of the phone had already delivered the final verdict: "Alright, considering your engine was working and didn't cause any damage, and it's Sheng Yan's birthday, I'll let you off the hook for today. Qin Zigui, go to your competition class first, and submit an 800-word self-criticism tomorrow. Sheng Yan, you copy the entire student handbook from beginning to end, neatly and completely. If you don't finish copying it, come to my office tomorrow to continue copying, understand?"

Sheng Yan: "???"

"Why does Qin Zigui only have to write an 800-word self-criticism, while I have to copy more than 10,000 words of student rules? He was the one who got into the fight." Sheng Yan finally couldn't hold back anymore.

Huang Shuliang retorted confidently, "It's because Qin Zigui is first in the grade, and you're last!"

After saying that, he hung up the phone.

Along with him, Sheng Yan's young heart, broken by the injustices of the world, also perished.

He was so angry he was about to explode.

First, the kitten that I finally managed to spot was lost again because of Qin Zigui's mess.

Then he discovered that Qin Zigui had completely ruined their more than ten years of brotherhood just because the girl he liked confessed her feelings to him.

Then, the head of the teaching department caught him red-handed for his crime, giving a vivid demonstration of unparalleled double standards.

I've encountered all sorts of bad luck, and it's all because of Qin Zigui!

I never want to look at him again in my entire life!

Sheng Yan grew angrier the more he thought about it. He snatched back his schoolbag, pushed open the building door, and didn't want to say another word.

Qin Zigui called out from behind, "Sheng Yan."

He didn't even want to listen, and angrily threw out, "Go to your competition class and don't fucking bother me," before slamming the door and entering without looking back.

Qin Ru originally wanted to give him a good talking-to, but she had to hurry up and get ready to attend a social gathering with Jiang Ping, so she just whispered to Qin Zigui, "Alright, Auntie knows you're good kids and won't do anything bad, but you can't do this again next time, or I won't speak up for you in front of Director Huang. Besides, you're the older brother, so you have to be considerate of Xiao Yan. Remember to bring him some treats when you come back from class; he's soft-hearted and easy to coax."

He's not easy to coax.

Sheng Yan caught the last sentence and entered the elevator with a sullen face.

This time he was really angry, extremely angry, the kind of anger that no amount of delicious food could appease him.

Even if Qin Zigui showed no remorse, he would never forgive him, not even if Qin Zigui immediately knelt down and begged him to apologize.

He had been a true friend to his friend for over a decade, but the person turned around and didn't take him seriously at all. Moreover, his teachers and classmates all showed him favoritism.

On what grounds?!

Big trash.

Sheng Yan returned to his room, locked the door, took out the giant cat-shaped pillow from the closet, took out a marker, wrote the three characters "Qin Zigui" on its butt, then threw it on the bed and gave it a good beating.

As if he were using all the strength he hadn't had to bring himself to hit her in the alley earlier, he hit her harder and harder with each blow until the cotton padding on her buttocks was so dented that it could hardly bounce back. Only then did he finally give up, pick up his pajamas, and go into the bathroom.

After he finished his bath, watched his anime, and enjoyed Qin Zigui's large bathtub with its built-in massage and movie-watching functions, he finally calmed down and slowly dried his hair before returning to his room.

I checked my phone and it was almost 10 o'clock.

Why hasn't Qin Zigui returned yet?

Just then, there was a knock on the door: "Ayan."

"Get away!"

The person outside paused slightly, then said in a low, gentle voice, "I'll help you copy the student handbook."

"No need. I wouldn't dare to delay our Chairman Qin's study time. Otherwise, if we lose a top scorer in the college entrance examination, the weasel will eat me alive."

After Sheng Yan finished speaking in a sarcastic tone, there really was no sound outside.

"?"

So you're giving up already?

What happened to the promise to buy him something delicious to appease him?

He knew it all too well; he was completely unimportant to Qin Zigui!

Sheng Yan angrily pulled out a tattered notebook from a corner, opened the official website of Shishi Foreign Language School, downloaded the student handbook PDF file, gripped the pen tightly, and while looking at the screen, began to scribble furiously on the notebook, trying to channel his grief and anger into strength and show Qin Zigui what a man's responsibility was.

However, he soon discovered that he might still be just a boy, not a man.

Because when he was writing furiously, until his fingers started to cramp, he checked the progress and it was 30%.

Sheng Yan threw down his pen, leaned back in his chair, and sighed deeply.

What terrible things did he do? Did he steal Qin Zigui's wife in his past life? Why did his birthday turn out like this?

Sheng Yan closed his eyes in despair.

Then it suddenly stopped.

Wait, a birthday?

Birthday!

Sheng Yan picked up his phone and saw that it was just past midnight. The "Wish Fulfilled" app had already sent him a system message: "[Dear little master, this week's wish slots have been refreshed. Come and make a wish~]"

Sheng Yan replied without hesitation: [Hopefully, I'll wake up to find the entire student handbook copied.]

Then I stared at the spinning white circle, waiting anxiously.

One lap, two laps, three laps.

The wish has been granted.

Sheng Yan breathed a sigh of relief.

Whether he's a fraud or not, we'll give it a shot; at worst, we'll just have a day trip to Huang Shuliang's office tomorrow.

Thinking it over, he took the flowerpot and planted the daisy seeds.

Next, we just wait for the mission.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Sheng Yan was still somewhat worried, after all, if he was really assigned some illegal or unethical task or a task that he couldn't complete, then his last remaining hope would be dashed.

When the small mailbox next to the garden lit up with a "ding," he unconsciously held his breath, pursed his lips, and carefully extended a finger to click the [Accept Task] button on the screen.

Then, in the next second, he froze, completely stunned.

Why does this app have such inappropriate tasks?

Author's Note:

Ding! Qin Gou's elaborate scheme has been activated. (Elementary school kid, danger!)