Chapter 75.2: One Hundred Days

After the assembly, Li Zhuiyuan walked to the school gate, accompanied by Wu Xinhang and several school leaders and teachers.

He could feel the sadness in the air—everyone knew that once he walked out of this campus, it would be difficult to meet again.

He was genuinely grateful for how well the school had treated him, so he stopped by the flower bed near the gate.

Ignoring the sign that read “Keep off the flowers,” the boy stepped in and bent down under the ginkgo tree to pick up a few fallen leaves, tucking them into his book.

That had been the reason he brought the book along this morning.

Wu Xinhang took off his glasses and began to cry.

The subject teachers' eyes turned red.

The other faculty and school leaders, seeing the principal cry, quietly wiped their eyes too.

Even if the feelings weren't that deep, and even if the tears weren't that intense, they weren’t fake either.

Sometimes, tears fall just to leave a few damp traces in the book of one’s life—marks that make it easier to revisit those memories.

…

The third-year classroom had erupted into chaos.

Students tore up their papers and notebooks, scattering them like confetti from the windows.

Downstairs, and across in the junior high building, younger students leaned over the balconies, watching their seniors go wild—part envy, part yearning.

No teachers came to restore order. Even the school janitors were delighted to grab sacks and collect the paper for recycling.

Tan Wenbin reclined in his seat, hands behind his head, feet on the desk, watching the scene.

If he’d never met Brother Xiaoyuan, never lived through those events six months ago, he would probably still be Left Enforcer, and the loudest troublemaker of them all.

Others, at least, stayed partly sane during the frenzy. He would’ve torn up textbooks and ended up with nothing decent to review in the final two days.

Now, though, he just found his classmates incredibly lovable. He enjoyed the atmosphere but couldn’t be bothered to join in.

Thanks to Brother Xiaoyuan’s help, his mock exam scores had stabilized at the top of the class. He saw the big exam the day after tomorrow as nothing more than a scheduled task—no need to be nervous.

Zhou Yunyun sat in Li Zhuiyuan’s former seat. Though the room buzzed with shouting and noise, all sounds seemed muffled.

The class monitor gathered her courage and whispered into Tan Wenbin’s ear:

“Tan Wenbin, I like you.”

He heard her. His first instinct was to pretend he hadn’t.

But that felt wrong. He turned to look at her. She didn’t shy away—just stood there, open and steady.

His instincts told him to cheekily tilt her chin and mimic that greasy brothel heir’s tone:

“Come on, sweetheart, give Grandpa a smile.”

But in the end, he just reached out and gave her a light pat on the back, half-embrace style.

Several classmates saw it, but no one jeered. It was too pure—like an early farewell between friends.

“Good luck. Let’s both get into good colleges.”

It wasn’t a confession accepted or rejected—more of a blessing than a promise.

Zhou Yunyun returned the hug graciously. Their noses caught the faint scent of each other.

Youth—once spoken aloud, there’s no regret left behind.

Then Tan Wenbin picked up his schoolbag, stylishly vaulted over a desk, went to an empty table, and packed a potted plant into his bag.

Then, shouting and pushing through the crowd, he made his exit.

…

The high faded, and emotions dipped.

When they sat down to eat skewers after browsing the discount market, Tan Wenbin stabbed two pieces of fried tofu, slowly slicing them apart with his skewer.

Li Zhuiyuan used a tissue to gently wipe the sauce from the corner of Ah Li’s mouth.

Then he turned to Tan Wenbin and asked with mock surprise, “Got rejected by the class monitor?”

Tan Wenbin replied, “Mm.”

Runsheng glanced at him, said nothing, and bit into his chicken skewer.

The food stall was tucked away in a quiet corner of the street. Only here could Ah Li eat in peace.

Li Zhuiyuan said, “If it was your choice, then as long as you don’t regret it, it’s fine.”

“No regrets,” Tan Wenbin said, sipping soda and burping. “Brother Xiaoyuan, our future lies in becoming Dead Sinkers adrift in the vast ocean. Otherwise, what’s the point of all this biceps training?”

Li Zhuiyuan glanced at his overly stuffed schoolbag—it was holding the potted plant that used to sit on Zheng Haiyang’s desk.

Some things, Tan Wenbin never forgot.

That’s what Li Zhuiyuan admired most about him—he himself was so numb, he could even sever ties with his own mother.

Just then, a few whistling punks reached out and pinned down two college students at the next table, saying they were short on cash and needed a handout.

Tan Wenbin picked up his sauce-covered plate and slammed it down on one guy’s head.

As the thug turned around, Tan Wenbin kicked him square in the chest, knocking him over. Then came a follow-up kick, sending the man tumbling.

These were Dead Sinker techniques—used on the living, the force was even more terrifying.

The other two thugs scrambled for weapons—one grabbed a bottle of lemon acid, the other a bunch of skewers.

Runsheng looked at Li Zhuiyuan.

Li Zhuiyuan took a bite of the starch sausage Ah Li passed him and nodded.

Runsheng stood and walked over.

Tan Wenbin backed up behind him, still cursing loudly.

He wasn’t scared. He wasn’t outmatched. He just had exams coming up and couldn’t risk injuring his hands.

Soon, Runsheng had flattened the punks. The swagger from earlier was gone—now they were coughing blood and begging the police to be called.

Runsheng used his shoe to tap their teeth on the ground, counting them. When the count fell short, he stomped on the guy with the nicest teeth.

“Puh! Puh!”

Once that man spat out a few more, Runsheng finally felt satisfied.

A police cruiser pulled up nearby—not a response unit, just passing through. But they’d clearly seen the fight.

Tan Wenbin slung his bag over one shoulder, whistled, and nudged Runsheng.

“Time to go. Cops are here.”

Runsheng gave a glance and said, “That’s your dad.”

Sure enough, Tan Yunlong got out of the cruiser, took off his cap, and walked over—only to start kicking Tan Wenbin repeatedly.