Insufficient balance

  "Have another bite, the doctor said you've lost too much blood and need to eat more nourishing food to recover as soon as possible."

  The bullet pierced my shoulder blade, and I couldn't exert any strength in my hands. Every meal had to be fed by Wan Ying. Each time she ate, she held the fast food box with her left hand, scooped up a spoonful of food with her right hand, blew gently on it, and carefully sent it into my mouth.

  She used a napkin to wipe away the soup from my mouth, then kissed me on the cheek and whispered "I'm off to school, Liu Mu Shi uncle secretly handed me a credit card, I believe that's what dad wanted him to pass on to us, we can't let him down!"

  She hastily ran out of the ward, and after seeing her off, I also tried to put on my clothes with my teeth. Although she seemed nonchalant in front of me, when she leaned down to kiss me, I found a large bruise on her neck hidden under her collar, which was pinched by fingers.

  Actions that normally take only a few minutes to complete are now a huge challenge for me. I've been injecting anesthetic needles twice a day, which can relieve my pain but also numb my brain. Long-term use will severely affect my physical coordination and reaction ability. Now, as soon as I lift either of my arms slightly, I'm in so much pain that I break out in a cold sweat all over, and with the thick bandages wrapped around me, it took me two or three hours to struggle and finally put on a set of clothes.

  Standing by the road, I took a deep breath of the not-so-fresh air, which was much better than the smell of alcohol and metal in the hospital. Luckily, the remaining birthday money was still safely in my pocket, and as the crowd surged forward at the bus stop, I squeezed onto a bus heading towards Wan Ying's school.

  "Hey, isn't that Fu Yinxue from the newspaper? Such a handsome guy, and not like he can't find a girlfriend, why would he have designs on his own sister?"

  "You don't know this, but according to reliable sources, it was his sister who seduced him first. Think about it, there were only the two of them at home, and she took the initiative - it's normal that he couldn't control himself for a moment!"

  "Yes, they're really shameless..."

  It seems I've really become famous, although it's been over a dozen days since that thing happened. Sitting on the bus, I still quickly attract attention from some people. All sorts of whispers keep floating into my ears - mocking, curious, sympathetic, and all sorts of gazes filled with different emotions are like dozens of steel needles stabbing me all over, making me feel uncomfortable.

  I arrived at the school gate of my sister's school, and I almost jumped off the bus in a hurry. When I stepped into the school gate, the old man who was guarding the door didn't ask me many questions, but intentionally or unintentionally, he accidentally splashed a basin of dirty water on me. My still weak body was stimulated by the cold water, and I involuntarily shivered. The dirty water soaked through my clothes and also seeped into the bandages wrapped around the wounds on my shoulders, causing a burning pain.

  "Sorry about that," said the old man who was guarding the school gate, rushing out to apologize: "That was my foot-washing water from yesterday. I didn't drown you, did I?"

  I shook my head and continued walking inside.

  "Wait a minute," the old man stopped me: "You're looking for Wan Ying, aren't you? She's already finished class. If you want to find her, go to the cold drink shop at the lower left corner of the playground."

  "Thank you."

  "Hum, I don't dare to!" The old man turned his head and walked out of the door with a basin in hand, muttering to himself: "It seems that such a clever and sensible young man and such a beautiful and clever little girl would not do such a thing, it's really a sin!"

  I slowly walked through the campus, now past class time. The small woods by the playground were filled with top students wearing headphones and desperately reviewing English vocabulary, as well as couples lost in gentle contact. Occasionally, a soccer ball would fly into the woods, always eliciting a girl's shriek and a boy's dissatisfied curses.

  As I walked along the edge of a small forest, I saw two used condoms under a tree at the corner of a wall. This was probably left behind by boarding students who had a secret tryst at night. Astonishingly, some fool even carved on the tree: "Gao Chuanxin and Zhao Qiaowei were here to commemorate, September 14th, 2005!" I couldn't help but admire the boldness of these two pioneers. If it were me, I would have at least moved the evidence of their passion a little further away!

  Taiyuan No. 1 Middle School, as the school with the best teacher resources and highest teaching level in Taiyuan City, has gathered a large number of students who have achieved excellent grades and may be admitted to top universities nationwide. At the same time, due to social capital investment, it also inevitably accommodates some students with strong backgrounds or wealthy families. Although they are not many in number, they have an extraordinary influence. Originally a middle school that advocates for thriftiness, it has set up some high-end consumer venues one after another because of them.

  The cold drink hall belongs to the kind of aristocratic class that can afford to consume high-end clubs, it is said that it is a four-star standard VIP member system Western restaurant, usually only receiving VIP members or friends they bring.

  Wan Ying has said that this place has become a gathering place for the aristocracy, where students come to show off their wealth to girls.

  A high and magnificent flower wall stretched across the playground, and as I stepped through the small gate woven from iron wire and flowers, I suddenly found myself in a completely different world. Everywhere was carefully cultivated greenery and pink hues, miraculously sweeping away the dust and noise of the summer school playground. In the center of the divided area stood an artificial hill made of strange rocks, and under the operation of electric machinery, clear streams flowed out from the hill with unique craftsmanship, gathering in a joyful rush into the pool below the hill, bringing out shimmering silver colors.

  Next to the artificial hill stood a huge Tai Shan stone, on which were carved a few lines of powerful calligraphy: "Dampness shows a clear will, quietness leads to a distant place". The author of these two lines of poetry was Fu Shan, a poet from the Qing dynasty. He held a book volume and stood quietly beside it, gently raising his head, with an expression on his face as if he had a slight epiphany. Seeing these few words, feeling the starry splashes of water hanging down from the creek, plus the climbing plants crawling all over the top, a cool feeling naturally rose up in my heart.

  In this atmosphere, take a sip of red wine, find a few friends to play chess together, and have a good time.

  The cold drink shop I was looking for was hidden deep in the flowers, and a neatly dressed waiter stood at the door.

  He looked at the guy who was drenched from head to toe with disdain, he must be a rookie who had just entered school. A place like this noble forbidden zone was not where someone as poor as him should come. If those aristocratic students who were usually carefree and enjoyed bullying others saw him, his future days would be difficult to endure.

  The student looked around and then walked straight towards the cold drink hall, the waiter instinctively stretched out his hand to stop him: "Please stay here, we only serve..."