Chapter 3 Bitterness Three

  Three

  Standing in the quiet corridor, Du Hongyi lit a cigarette. The bitter gas was absorbed into his lungs, warming the skin all over his body. He exhaled, and the white smoke lingered in the air before slowly dispersing. The school security guard downstairs shone his flashlight up at the floor above, shouting loudly when he saw Du Hongyi: "Which class are you from? What are you still doing here so late? Hurry down!"

  Du Hong glanced at the light source of the flashlight, pinched out the cigarette in his hand and trampled it under his foot, then walked downstairs.

  "What's going on? Which class is this, and what are you doing staying up so late?" The security guard saw Du Hongyi walking down and quickly shone his flashlight at his face.

  The dazzling light made the boy cover his eyes with his hand, "Sixth class Du Hongyi, didn't steal anything, just smoked a cigarette on top."

  "Tomorrow if the school reports that something is missing, I'll come looking for you first! You're still smoking, don't you know that smoking is not allowed in school? Just by looking at you, I can tell you're not studying well, and what's with the dyed hair!" The middle-aged security guard, who was probably around the age of being a father himself, couldn't help but scold the child, who was about the same size as his own kid.

  Du Hongyi reluctantly responded, signing his name on the disciplinary book and walking out of school. Violating discipline was always a common thing, and he had heard enough kind or malicious teachings, but he didn't know why at this age he always had a rebellious impulse, wanting to go against the teachings. He still remembered when he was in elementary school, his teacher asked everyone what their dreams were, and when it was his turn, he said his biggest dream was to rob a bank, and he yearned for the thrill of doing bad things, seeking stimulation. When he said this, he intentionally looked at the girl sitting next to him, who was staring at him in surprise with her big eyes blinking rapidly, and he remembered that girl's dream was to be a kindergarten teacher because she liked playing with kids. At that time, Du Hongyi laughed, and that girl was Lan Caihe. After class, the teacher asked him to go to the office for guidance, and also wanted to invite his parents to school for joint education, but ironically, Du Hongyi's busy father, who was busier than the president, was on a business trip with his phone always busy, so this matter was dropped.

  Thinking of this, I naturally think of Lan C, that slightly fierce and chubby girl. Every morning when she comes to school, the first thing she does is stretch out her small fat hand to ask him for snacks. Her family always has leftover beef jerky that they can't finish eating, so every day before leaving the house, she grabs a handful and puts it in her pocket. It's always enough to make her happy. Lan C is considered a good child by all parents - she ranks high in grades, has a sweet smile, and is polite to everyone except him. The bruises on his hands are all from her pinching. She pinches when she's angry, when she's excited, when she's crying, and even when she's smiling. Even when she's sleeping with her head on the desk, she'll stretch out a hand to pinch him once. He doesn't know why he never resists, but instead clenches his teeth and endures it, waiting for her fingertips to leave, followed by the sharp pain that sweeps across his arm.

  But now, when he saw her tonight, he was a little surprised and even a bit afraid that she would rush over like before and pinch his arm hard enough to leave marks. But she didn't, instead pretending not to recognize him, looking down and trying to walk past him. Where was the fierce and intimidating Lan? He felt a little lost, but couldn't find the right words to start talking, until he saw the girl next to her and remembered the bet he made with his classmates. He quickly stopped them and heard his own voice come out low from his throat: "You're slow, but I'm willing to wait." After saying that, he felt like it was pointless and had lost the excitement of making the bet earlier. Just as he thought about laughing it off, when he saw her deliberately avoiding him, things somehow escalated into a fight later on. He didn't know why, but when the boy came up to him, he couldn't control his emotions and just wanted to vent out some pent-up frustration, until his fist accidentally hit her. With great force, he felt like the debt of being bullied by her in elementary school was finally going to be repaid, but looking at her stubborn face made him a little angry instead, and that anger got stuck in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

  Du Hong raised his head and looked over, the place called home was at the far end of the road lamps. Surprisingly, the lights in the main room were on tonight. His chest suddenly tightened, Du Hong took a step forward and pushed open the door. The soft light inside the house poured out like the Milky Way, and Du Hong looked at the person sitting on the sofa in the living room, shouting incredulously: "Dad."