RHITICSG 02

Chapter 2

Luo Shuxin hadn’t expected to get into a fight on his very first day at the new school.

But honestly — it wasn’t his fault.

His mother had said she’d walk with him around the campus to get familiar with the environment. Near the north gate, she stepped aside to take a phone call — gone for maybe two minutes — and in that short time, a couple of punks stopped her, leering and demanding her phone number.

Mrs. Luo was still young and strikingly pretty. While taking the call, she’d lifted her mask so her voice wouldn’t sound muffled. Add to that the chaos of the high school’s opening day — freshmen, parents, drivers, and staff coming and going — and the mix-up gave those small-time delinquents a chance to slip inside.

At first, Luo Shuxin didn’t plan to fight. He just wanted to explain and take his mom away.

But those punks were older than him — and shorter. Having to look up at someone younger and better-looking clearly bruised their egos. Once they decided he was playing hero to show them up, things quickly spiraled out of control.

After the fight, he and his mother walked out through the north gate — and bumped straight into a boy who was, frankly, rather good-looking.

The boy was staring at him, wide-eyed and dazed.

Luo Shuxin guessed he’d heard the commotion but didn’t feel like explaining. He simply nodded slightly at the boy, and that was that.

Then Luo Shuxin and his mom left, while Jiang Jian headed inside.

As they brushed past each other, Luo Shuxin suddenly stopped and turned around.

“Do you need help?” he asked.

Jiang Jian: “…Huh?”

Following Luo Shuxin’s gaze, Jiang Jian realized what he was looking at — his own casted leg and crutch.

He hurriedly shook his head.

No way. His leg was perfectly fine — healthier than ever!
The only downside was that the cast slightly ruined the elegance of his walk.

Somehow, though, he felt offended.
Like he’d just lost a beauty contest and the winner was offering him pity points.

He usually wasn’t that vain, but when Luo Shuxin looked at him, Jiang Jian knew exactly how long he’d frozen — like an idiot.

If the guy had been a girl, he might’ve called it love at first sight.
Now, he finally understood what people meant by “killed by beauty.”

Still fuming, Jiang Jian limped angrily through the gate — and immediately spotted two familiar faces. One was wiping blood from his nose; the other was rubbing a bruised cheek.

Well, what do you know — acquaintances.

Not far from Jiangshui No.1 High were a few vocational schools, whose rougher students often hung around and harassed No.1 students.

Before Jiang Jian had enrolled, this was a regular problem.
And right after he joined, those same street thugs had tried to shake him down.

Of course, they’d picked the wrong target — and didn’t walk away unscathed.
Though Jiang Jian himself hadn’t come out spotless either.

After that, having tasted both victory and injury, Jiang Jian snapped a little — rallying his best friend and a bunch of other kids to form a “Student Protection Committee.”
Wherever there was bullying or extortion, they’d show up to back up their fellow students.

They fought plenty of fights — and collected plenty of demerits — but all in all, it was for a good cause.

Because of that, Jiang Jian’s reputation at school wasn’t too bad.
He wasn’t the kind of “school bully” that made others roll their eyes in fear.

Still, the teachers’ opinions of him were… complicated.

Their collective verdict: He’s a good kid — but he needs strict discipline.
No matter the reason, fighting is fighting, and fighting is wrong.

The two thugs standing in front of Jiang Jian were no strangers — he’d beaten them up before.
More than once, actually.

Now fate had decided to make things interesting: on one side were two guys who’d just been roughed up and were itching for revenge; on the other was Jiang Jian, pretending to be a helpless cripple, wobbling on a crutch.

Their eyes met.

The one wiping blood from his nose suddenly bristled, ready to charge and avenge himself — but Jiang Jian instantly straightened his back and raised his crutch like a weapon.

If they dared come closer, he’d swing.

The thugs froze.

“…Seriously?”

They’d seen people fight dirty before, but this? One second he was limping, the next he was ready for battle!

Within moments, both bolted.

Jiang Jian sighed heavily.
Bad luck really came in waves.

He lowered his crutch, pulled out his phone, and sent a desperate message to his best friend.

[Fried Shredded Potato: Help…]
[Fried Shredded Potato: I got jumped at the north gate. Come save me… quick…]

Then, expression blank, he fired off a row of crying emojis — little cartoon characters sobbing, rolling on the ground, and wiping tears dramatically.

[Lu Xun’s Former Residence: ?]
[Lu Xun’s Former Residence: What?? Already?? Who hit you??]
[Lu Xun’s Former Residence: I told you — if you’d stopped playing with that cat and just come inside, this wouldn’t have happened!]
[Lu Xun’s Former Residence: Wait there! I’m coming to back you up!!]

Shao Xing — that was Jiang Jian’s best friend — didn’t stop to question how someone in the middle of being beaten up could text in real time.
Without hesitation, he stood up in class, reported a fake stomachache to the teacher, and bolted.

Although the new school year meant the campus was buzzing with first-year orientation, Classes 2 and 3 were still in session as usual.

Shao Xing sprinted straight to the north gate — and found his “injured” young master sitting comfortably in the shade, long legs stretched out, lazily waving at him.

Shao Xing: “???”

“You said you were getting beaten up!”

Jiang Jian sighed dramatically. “I was — emotionally. I just saw an insanely handsome guy.”

At that, Shao Xing instantly thought of the face of the new transfer student — the one so good-looking it was almost unfair. He plopped down beside Jiang Jian, slapped his thigh, and said,

“I bet it was the new kid in our class! The class flower just messaged the group — she said with that face, the rest of us might as well give up living! …Wait a sec.”

He paused mid-rant, suddenly realizing something.

“Hold on — you got emotionally wrecked, but why call me here?”

Jiang Jian lifted his casted leg and pointed. “This thing makes me walk weird. I called you to carry me back to class.”

Shao Xing: “?”

Shao Xing: “???”

The two had known each other since they were kids, their families close friends. Their relationship thrived on a mix of mutual teasing and mutual rescue.

When Shao Xing didn’t immediately comply, Jiang Jian lightly kicked him with his plastered foot. “You sprained your ankle in middle school and I carried you everywhere — to class, up and down stairs, to the bathroom — for months!”

Shao Xing rolled his eyes so hard it hurt, then crouched down in front of Jiang Jian and snapped, “Fine, fine, I’ll carry you. Stop guilt-tripping me, you drama queen.”

Jiang Jian happily flopped onto his back. Shao Xing, grumbling under his breath, carried him back toward the teaching building.

“Walk steadier,” Jiang Jian complained. “You’re making me dizzy. How do you even manage to give someone motion sickness on your back?”

“Keep talking and I’ll drop you,” Shao Xing threatened.

Meanwhile, Class 1 was in the middle of physics.

The physics teacher, Li Zhao, was affectionately nicknamed “the Crown Prince.” He was married to their Chinese teacher — the infamous “Crown Princess” — and the two had tied the knot just last year.

Li Zhao looked up as Shao Xing entered, carrying a very alive and healthy Jiang Jian. Smiling, he teased,

“Went to the bathroom and came back with a treasure, did you?”

Jiang Jian quickly hopped down from Shao Xing’s back and faked a stumble.

Li Zhao: “…”

What could he even say at that point?

With a sigh, he waved his test papers at the two like a white flag. “Alright, alright. Go sit down before I change my mind.”

Jiang Jian secretly flashed Shao Xing a victory “V,” then limped back to his seat.

He was tall, and as usual, his desk was near the back of the room.

The Crown Princess had long since learned that no matter where Jiang Jian sat, he’d find someone to chat with — so she’d banished him to the far back corner, where he had his own single desk.

But today, there was a new desk right next to his.

Jiang Jian glanced sideways. On the book cover neatly placed on top of that desk, beautiful handwriting spelled out:

“Luo Shuxin.”

…His new deskmate?

Still wondering, Jiang Jian reached into his bag for his physics book — and noticed his phone lighting up again.

The WeChat icon flashed nonstop — new messages pouring in.

He glanced at Li Zhao up front.

Good — the man was explaining test answers. Jiang Jian hadn’t even taken that test, so he was safe to slack off.

He unlocked his phone under the desk.

The chat that was blowing up belonged to a group called [Defenders of World Peace] — the private group Jiang Jian had created to “protect peace at Jiangshui No.1 High” (and, admittedly, to vent his own frustrations).

There were around ten people from different classes, ranging from Class 1 to Class 9.

And right now, the group was buzzing with talk about the new transfer student.

Luo Shuxin had barely stepped onto campus, but he’d already made a splash.

At first, it was just because he was too good-looking — within minutes of arriving, someone had snapped his picture and posted it on the school’s confession wall.

A few girls from the group, familiar with everyone, had started gossiping like it was their own little chatroom — from shameless fangirling to full-blown rumor-spreading.

[Not a Crybaby: Breaking news!! That guy used to be a top student and a school bully!!]
[Youth and Cicadas: Huh?? A school bully? No way — with that face? He looks like a model student!]
[Not a Crybaby: He’s from the neighboring city, right? I poked my middle school friend over there, just out of curiosity — turns out it’s true! He’s famous for fighting. Fought so hard he got suspended for a whole year! Their discipline director was too scared to take him back, so he transferred here instead!!]

[少年和蝉: Is that reliable? Our school isn’t a trash can. If he’s really that much of a problem student, the school wouldn’t have accepted him.]

[我不是嘤嘤怪: Maybe he’s got connections?]

[少年和蝉: I still don’t buy it. Look at that face — I’d believe he’s a bookworm, not a fighter…]

Jiang Jian had been secretly watching the chat for a while, and now he finally spoke up to defend what he’d seen.

[Jiang-fried-shredded-potatoes: He can fight. Really well. I saw it.]

The moment Jiang Jian joined in, the group—which had been mostly two girls chatting—instantly came alive.

People started rambling about all sorts of things.
Someone joked, “Is our Earth’s Peacekeeper League finally returning to action?”
Another said, “Wait, who are you guys talking about? I’m lost. Why is Jian-ge even speaking? I thought this was a thread about hot guys—that’s a girls’ topic!”

Shao Xing chimed in:
[Shao Xing: Everyone loves beauty. Why is talking about handsome guys suddenly a girls-only thing?]

The conversation drifted further off track.

Then someone suggested, since the transfer student was supposedly a “problem kid,” why not test him first—call him out for a fight and see if he’s all talk. Better to “tame” him before he bullies anyone else; if they waited until after something happened, they’d just look like cowards.

[鲁迅故居: @少年和蝉, you’re the Chinese class rep, right? You write the challenge letter! A few thousand words! Scare him with your rhetoric first!]

Jiang Jian was just about to reply when a hand—its fingertips dusted with chalk—reached over and neatly snatched his phone away.

Jiang Jian had plenty of experience with this situation. Even with the teacher’s hand gripping the phone, he still managed to press the lock button just in time, turning the screen black.

Li Zhao, the physics teacher, waved the phone at him and sighed.
“Jiang, you’re really making this hard for me, you know that?”

Jiang Jian tilted his head up, smiled with a face that could charm angels—harmless, obedient, even sweet. The kind of face that made people second-guess their anger.

Just then, the bell rang for the end of class.

“Alright, class dismissed,” said Li Zhao, tapping Jiang’s desk with his stack of test papers. “As for you, come with me to the office. Teacher Dai’s been waiting for you all morning. I’m confiscating your phone for now. When your physics and Chinese scores hit normal levels again, then I’ll think about giving it back.”

Jiang Jian hadn’t expected that this little trip would turn into nearly an hour-long lecture from Teacher Dai (nicknamed the Crown Princess), long enough for him to miss the entire next class.

During that time, however, the so-called Earth Peacekeepers had already finalized their grand plan—to “invite” Luo Shuxin, the transfer student, out for a “chat.”