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In his second year of junior high, Jiang Cheng transferred schools for the third time.

He stood outside the office, listening to Jiang Yanlan and the homeroom teacher talk.

Jiang Yanlan's voice was very pleasant, gentle and elegant, but her tone left no room for doubt: "Teacher Lin, please arrange Chengyi's seat next to the top student in your class."

The homeroom teacher politely declined, saying, "Chengyi's mother, the students chose their own seats. It's not appropriate to force them to accept them."

Jiang Yanlan's voice turned cold, "Our Chengyi is the top student in the whole school. It's fine for us to sit with anyone. What's inappropriate about that?"

The homeroom teacher insisted, "It has nothing to do with grades."

After arguing for half an hour, Jiang Yanlan reluctantly compromised, "Then let's arrange a separate seat for Cheng Yi."

After the morning self-study session, the homeroom teacher introduced Jiang Chengyi to the whole class.

"Classmates, today we have a new student in Class 3 of Grade 8. Let's welcome him!"

Amidst applause, Jiang Cheng entered the classroom.

The boy was tall and thin, with a very short buzz cut and an expressionless face. He wrote three large characters on the blackboard, nodded slightly to everyone, and said, "My name is Jiang Chengyi."

After saying that, he sat down at an empty desk next to the podium.

This desk was moved separately, even further forward than the first row, and no more than half a meter from the podium.

The homeroom teacher was a little embarrassed and said, "The new student might be a bit shy," before starting the lesson.

When get out of class ended, everyone whispered about the new classmate.

"He looks so strange."

"It seems like they used to be number one next door."

"Then why transfer schools?"

"My friend goes to Experimental Middle School. I heard that his mother beat up the teacher!"

"No, my dad is a teacher there. He said Jiang Chengyi's mother felt that the lab teachers weren't good enough to teach Jiang Chengyi..."

Teenagers can't control their volume well, and these speculations drifted into Jiang Chengyi's ears, but he seemed not to hear them—he was already used to these discussions.

Rather, this is the best thing for him.

The more rumors about him there are, the less people will try to talk to him.

But an accident still happened when school was over.

A boy walked up to Jiang Chengyi and extended his hand to him. "Hello, I'm Yu Si, the class monitor of Class 3."

He laughed heartily, "If you encounter any difficulties in your studies in the future, you can come to me!"

Jiang Cheng stuffed his homework into his schoolbag without even glancing at Yu Si, leaving the outstretched hand frozen in mid-air.

Finally, he slung his backpack over his shoulder, stood up, and said coldly, "No need."

Then, without hesitation, she walked past the boy and out of the classroom.

He knew the consequences of holding that hand.

It might take a few days, or it might take a few weeks, but as long as he makes the slightest mistake, Jiang Yanlan will go crazy and investigate his surroundings, pointing at every classmate who is close to him and yelling: "Did you corrupt Cheng Yi? How dare you be friends with him!"

If that's the case, then why even begin?

Jiang Chengyi took the bus home today.

Jiang Yanlan was supposed to pick him up in person, but she happened to have very important work to do, so she had to let him take the bus.

Twenty minutes later, he got out of the car at the entrance of the residential area and walked towards his building. There were people walking their dogs on the lawn in the residential area. In the past, whenever Jiang Yanlan picked him up and dropped him off, he could only pass by in a hurry. This time, he stopped and watched for a while.

They played frisbee with the dog and frolicked on the grass, their laughter filling the air. Jiang Chengyi couldn't help but smile slightly.

As he approached the bottom of the stairs, his pace gradually slowed, and finally he stopped in front of a dark mark, his smile vanishing.

Two months ago, Jiang Yanlan threw a litter of kittens from the tenth floor to this place, turning them into a bloody mess. The blood was quickly washed away in a heavy rain, but the traces left behind are so stubborn.

He looked around for a long time before finally taking another step and walking into the building.

When he got home, Jiang Yanlan was waiting for him in the living room.

Her expression was icy. "Come here."

Jiang Cheng walked over and stood in front of her.

"School ends at 5:30. It takes 20 minutes by bus. Add the time spent waiting for the bus and walking, and you'll be home by 6:10 at the latest. It's already 6:30 now."

"Why are you twenty minutes late? Did you go out with your classmates?"

Jiang Chengyi did not answer.

Jiang Yanlan's voice softened, "Chengyi, Mom is just worried about you, afraid that you will encounter danger outside."

Jiang Chengyi remained silent.

Jiang Yanlan took a deep breath and tried to smile. "Chengyi, be good and don't pressure your mother."

But all she got in response was silence.

She could no longer bear it. She stood up, her chest heaving, her breathing rapid, and pointed to a cushion on the floor in the center of the living room. "Kneel down!"

Jiang Cheng knelt down with practiced ease, taking off his shirt to reveal his slender back.

There are many thin scars on his back, some deep and some shallow, crisscrossing each other.

Jiang Yanlan took a thin, shiny bamboo whip and lashed it with all her might across Jiang Chengyi's back.

A bloodstain instantly appeared. Jiang Cheng clenched his fists, his jaw tensed, and he didn't make a sound.

"Will you tell me or not?"

No answer.

The second lash was more powerful than the first, and blood was drawn almost immediately.

With each lash of the whip, she would ask, "Will you tell me or not?"

Finally, Jiang Chengyi was whipped until his back was covered in bloody welts, and his sweat soaked the mat, but he didn't say a word.

Jiang Yanlan broke down. She threw down the whip, hugged Jiang Cheng, and cried her heart out, as if she were the one in pain.

"Chengyi, Mom is doing this for your own good. You can understand Mom, right?"

-

The next day, Jiang Yanlan took Jiang Chengyi to school and asked the homeroom teacher to pull up the surveillance footage from the previous day's dismissal so she could find out who had hooked up with Jiang Chengyi.

The homeroom teacher naturally disagreed, and the two had a heated argument. Jiang Yanlan's scream pierced through the crack in the door.

"I won't allow anyone to corrupt Chengyi!"

Today is a beautiful day; the sun is bright but not glaring, and a gentle breeze rustles through the camphor trees.

Jiang Cheng stood in the shadows of the corridor, staring at a small insect on a spider web in the corner of the wall, his gaze seemingly frozen.

He wondered: How long will this kind of life continue?

-

In the third year of junior high, a new student joined our class.

He wrote his name "Cheng Nuo" on the blackboard, grinned at everyone, and showed off his white teeth.

"Hello everyone, my name is Cheng Nuo. I like basketball, soccer, and playing video games. I have a lot of games at home. If you're interested, you can come over to my house to play!"

Cheng Nuo sat behind Jiang Chengyi.

He had many "friends," and as soon as get out of class ended, he was surrounded by people who chattered and flattered him, asking to borrow games and money from him, which annoyed Jiang Chengyi to no end.

He was also an annoying, overly friendly person who would often bring a big bag of snacks to share in class, always throwing one onto Jiang Chengyi's desk, which Jiang Chengyi would always return.

But the next time, they still enjoy it just as much.

Two months later, when one of Cheng Nuo's "friends" asked him for money again, Jiang Chengyi couldn't help but speak up.

"This is the fourth time he's borrowed money from you. Are you sure he'll pay it back?"

"Huh?" Cheng Nuo scratched his head. "But we're friends, he should pay it back, right?"

Jiang Cheng glanced at Cheng Nuo coldly, as if looking at an idiot, "Friend? In his eyes, you're probably just a stupid, rich fool."

The next day, Cheng Nuo came to school looking dejected.

“You’re right. When I asked them to pay me back, they all laughed at me and called me a fool.”

He took out a large bag of snacks. "Here, thank you for reminding me."

Jiang Cheng refused, "No."

He hesitated before revealing his purpose: "Actually, I want to be your friend."

Jiang Chengyi refused again, "I won't do it."

"Do it, do it."

Cheng Nuo enthusiastically promoted herself, "My house has a basketball court, a jacuzzi, lots and lots of comics and games, and lots of snacks. Oh, and my housekeeper's cooking is also incredibly delicious. You can eat and play however you want!"

Cheng Nuo then opened the bag of snacks to show him, "These snacks were all carefully selected by me!"

"This chocolate has nuts in it, it tastes especially good; and these potato chips are thin and crispy; this fruit candy is bursting with filling; and..."

Jiang Cheng stared at the bag of novel, never-before-seen snacks, and finally said, "I can't take them home."

Jiang Yanlan strictly controlled Jiang Chengyi's diet. From childhood to adulthood, Jiang Chengyi rarely ate out and never ate snacks.

When he was in third grade, he bought a lollipop with the 50 cents he found. He had only taken one lick when Jiang Yanlan found out. As a result, the lollipop was thrown into the trash can, and he was slapped twice. His mouth was cut by his teeth and bled profusely.

Cheng Nuo suddenly realized, "It's because of your mother, isn't it?"

He patted his chest and said, "It's okay, just leave the snacks here. Take them whenever you want!"

He took a piece of candy out of the bag. "Here, this is my favorite candy."

Jiang Cheng hesitated for a moment, then took it, unwrapped the candy, put the crystal-clear fruit candy into his mouth, and immediately frowned.

It wasn't the pure sweetness of granulated sugar he'd secretly tried; nor was it the metallic taste he remembered. Instead, it was a rich, sweet and sour flavor, a taste of many fruits: oranges, apples, grapes—

He had never eaten anything so stimulating.

Seeing Jiang Chengyi's expression, Cheng Nuo asked in confusion, "What's wrong? Is it hard to eat?"

“No,” he shook his head and said slowly, “it’s delicious.”

So this is what sugar tastes like.

-

Cheng Nuo started bringing Jiang Cheng all sorts of snacks.

Various flavors of potato chips, candies, spicy strips, beef jerky, chocolate...

Jiang Chengyi only eats one kind of food each day. When he eats, he is always very serious and savors every bite carefully, as if he wants to remember its taste.

He also recommended a novel to Jiang Cheng: "Jin Yong's Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils is good, but there are too many words, so I can't finish reading it."

He pulled out another One Piece manga, saying, "This one is still the most comfortable to read."

Cheng Nuo always asks Jiang Chengyi to copy her homework.

Jiang Chengyi initially refused, saying, "If this continues, you won't even be able to go to high school."

Cheng Nuo didn't care at all, "It's okay, I've already talked to my dad. He'll donate a building to whichever high school you go to, and he'll make sure you're in the same class as him."

"Don't your parents care?"

"My parents said that as long as I am healthy, law-abiding, and don't cause trouble, grades are not important."

Jiang Chengyi fell silent.

Cheng Nuo then happily took his homework and started copying it.

Cheng Nuo wanted to invite Jiang Chengyi to his house to play basketball, but every day after school, when he saw Jiang Yanlan standing at the door, he couldn't help but chicken out and didn't dare to say a word.

At this moment, Jiang Cheng pretended to be a stranger to Cheng Nuo.

He packed his schoolbag, walked out of the classroom without looking to the side, and didn't exchange a single glance with Cheng Nuo.

But their friendship was still discovered.

The reason was that Jiang Yanlan noticed that Jiang Cheng smelled of potato chips.

She took a whole day off, dropped Jiang Chengyi off at school, pretended to leave, then returned and hid behind the window to observe.

During a break between classes, Cheng Nuo handed a bag of potato chips to Jiang Chengyi. Suddenly, Jiang Chengyi rushed into the classroom, grabbed the potato chips, and threw them at Cheng Nuo's face.

She cursed Cheng Nuo as shameless and a little bastard, accusing him of using such trash to seduce Jiang Chengyi.

Cheng Nuo looked bewildered; a thin line of blood had been drawn on his forehead from the potato chip bag, and blood was flowing down his forehead.

She reached out, intending to slap Cheng Nuo, but Jiang Cheng blocked her.

Jiang Cheng said, "It has nothing to do with him; it was my initiative."

Jiang Yanlan's expression changed from anger to sadness.

She started sobbing, "Chengyi, why did you have to go so low? Do you know how much your mother has sacrificed for you? Are you taking revenge on me...?"

Jiang Chengyi clenched his fist and remained silent under the watchful eyes of the entire class.

The matter ultimately ended with Cheng Nuo being reassigned to a different seat.

The next day, Jiang Chengyi, his back covered in wounds, limped into the classroom. When he passed Cheng Nuo, he lay on the desk, not even lifting his head.

Jiang Cheng sat down, took out his textbook, and began his morning reading.

The newly transferred students behind him were trembling with fear, reading very softly, as if they were afraid of disturbing Jiang Chengyi.

Halfway through reading, he felt a gaze on him. Turning his head, he saw Cheng Nuo hurriedly lower her head, as if afraid of being seen by him.

There's nothing wrong with it.

Jiang Cheng thought to himself, "Haven't we experienced this many times before? This time is no different."

It's perfectly normal to feel scared and want to back down after being treated like that by his mother.

Rather, it would be problematic if someone were still willing to get close to him under these circumstances.

At least, he knows what sugar tastes like, has eaten spicy snacks, and has read two martial arts novels.

That's enough.

He tried to force a smile, but couldn't manage it.

During the break on the fourth day, Cheng Nuo came to his desk again, took out a handful of candy, and said, "My dad brought these from Russia, have a taste!"

He breathed a long sigh of relief. "Your mother has been watching you from outside the window for the past few days. It scared me so much that I didn't dare to look in your direction too much. She's finally gone today!"

Jiang Cheng stared blankly at Cheng Nuo, "Why are you still willing...?"

"Willing to what?"

He pursed his lips and said, "I'm willing to be your friend."

"Aren't you afraid of what happened that day?"

"What's there to be afraid of? At worst, we'll just be careful."

Cheng Nuo patted his chest and said, "True friends wouldn't back down over something like this!"

"Come on, try it! How does it taste?"

Jiang Cheng ate a piece of candy and exclaimed, "Delicious!"

Cheng Nuo also peeled open a seed, saying, "I told you so."

He crunched on the candy and suddenly said, "Jiang Chengyi, although I have never experienced a life where I can't eat snacks, play games, or read novels, I know that it must be very difficult."

He paused for a moment, then added, "If I don't become friends with you, you won't be able to eat snacks or read novels, which would be so pitiful."

As if struck by lightning, Jiang Cheng froze in shock.

In my mouth, the rich, sweet chocolate suddenly turned extremely bitter.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that he was indeed a pitiful person.

His pitiful state lies not in how his mother treated him, but in the fact that he silently and unresistingly submitted for twelve years.

Jiang Cheng swallowed the bitter candy and said, "Teach me how to play basketball."

"Great! I've been thinking that way for a while now!"

“However,” Cheng Nuo said with a troubled expression, “your mother waits at the classroom door as soon as school is over, so it’s not easy to sneak away.”

"No need to wait until school is over."

Jiang Cheng put the book into his bag. "The next class is PE."

What happened in PE class?

He slung his backpack over his shoulder, stood up, looked at Cheng Nuo, and smiled slightly.

"We skipped class."