Chapter 5: Get Lost

On Monday at school, Zhou Liming was in a daze the whole time. Fortunately, he was usually as wooden as a log, so no one noticed anything strange about him.

It was June, and the weather was hot, which made people feel the most irritable. Zhou Liming did not know what exactly had happened to him, but it definitely had a lot to do with the injury he suffered on Saturday. It was as if something was lurking inside his body, spreading through every cell, ready to make trouble. He had no idea when his uncontrollable emotions would explode, so whenever he felt a little upset, the best way was to run to the restroom, turn on the tap, and let cold water pour over his head.

Staying in the classroom, the teacher was explaining on the podium, but to Zhou Liming’s ears, it was no longer the usual fascinating lesson. Instead, it sounded like a fly buzzing right next to his ear. Always inadvertently, it made Zhou Liming become impatient.

Zhou Liming, who used to listen seriously in class, began to seem weird in the eyes of his teachers and classmates. Sometimes, in just one class period, he actually went to the restroom three or four times. If it were only one or two classes, one could understand it as an upset stomach, but Zhou Liming was like this the entire day. What was even more incomprehensible was, was it necessary to get his head soaking wet every time he went to the restroom?

For three days in a row, it was like this, and it became even worse. He was almost never in the classroom.

Zhou Liming returned to the classroom with his upper body soaked again. Water dripped from his hair with a “drip, drip” sound, and his face was somewhat pale. From far away, even his panting breath could be heard. It was as if he had done something earth-shattering in the restroom… Everyone had a strange thought: what exactly did Zhou Liming go to the restroom to do every time?

Looking at Zhou Liming, who had returned to the classroom with a straight face, Tong Wenyuan, the physics teacher, frowned and asked with dissatisfaction, “Zhou Liming, if you’re uncomfortable, ask for leave and go back to rest. You are affecting your own studies, and also affecting the studies of other students.”

Zhou Liming said nothing, as if he hadn’t heard, and returned to his seat, picking up his textbook without a word.

When class was over, Zhou Liming felt hot all over again, and his cells began to burn gradually. On Sunday, it was a bit better, but as time passed, the frequency of the fever increased. His body was like a volcano inside. Occasionally, he even felt as if the cells in his body were being pricked by needles, one by one.

During the break, the whole school became very active. Zhou Liming walked in front of the restroom. He started to feel that something was very wrong with his body and was considering whether he should find time to go to the hospital for a check-up.

There were many students going to the restroom, going in and out. Many boys were puffing away smoke at the side of the restroom. In front of the only tap there, seven or eight boys were squatting. Each was smoking a cigarette, occasionally commenting on the girls coming out not far away, and sometimes bursting into loud laughter.

With this group there, the boys who had finished using the restroom, seeing them squatting there, didn’t dare to ask them to move aside. They all silently went back to the classroom.

If it were Zhou Liming in the past, he would definitely have been like a coward, obediently returning to the classroom, impossible to have any interaction with these people. In the whole school, who didn’t know their vile style of doing things? But Zhou Liming felt that every cell of his was becoming hot and sweating. He urgently needed cold water to cool down. He stood not far away, clenching his fists. His previously dull and cowardly personality made him hesitate.

But deep inside, it was as if a voice was roaring.

Gritting his teeth, Zhou Liming clenched his fists and walked straight toward the tap.

Seeing that someone actually dared to come over despite seeing their group occupying the spot, the boys smoking there were a bit stunned. Then they burst into laughter. One rather tall boy stood up, threw away his cigarette butt, crushed it fiercely with his foot, and let out a “yo-ho.” He said, “Which class?”

At this moment, Zhou Liming was suffering terribly. His clothes were soaked through with sweat, and in his eyes, there was only the tap.

“Hmm, kid, you really have some nerve.”

Seeing Zhou Liming say nothing, everyone got a bit annoyed. They all stood up and surrounded Zhou Liming. Some even blew smoke into Zhou Liming’s face, letting out weird laughs.

“Water…” Zhou Liming began to pant from the endurance. He said softly. The smoke sprayed over seemed to be challenging his limit of endurance. He knew very well that he was on the verge of losing control right now. Once he exploded, who knew what he would do? “Move, move aside, I want water.”

In just a moment, Zhou Liming’s panting became even louder, panting like a bull. The blood in his body seemed to boil.

“You want water, huh?” The boy from just now kept a cold face, reached out and patted Zhou Liming’s face, making a slapping sound, and said, “Do you know who I am? You kid have some guts, not answering when I ask you. Water, my ass!” For him, bullying people at school was simply a common occurrence. What was patting a face? If he wasn’t happy, he would even beat them up.

Zhou Liming only felt that every time the other party patted his face, it wiped away a point of his endurance. In just a few pats, it already made Zhou Liming about to explode.

“Get lost!”

With a low roar, Zhou Liming suddenly grabbed the other party’s collar with one hand. The veins on his arm bulged, and he lifted the other party up with one hand. Like a monster, Zhou Liming’s eyes were congested and became ferocious. He stared at the other party with a twisted face, gritted his teeth, and said, “Get lost right now, get lost, or I’ll tear you apart!”

Then he pushed with his hand. The boy, weighing over a hundred pounds, was sent several meters away by Zhou Liming like a fallen leaf and fell heavily to the ground.

The boy struggled to get up in panic, ignoring the pain on his body. He stared at Zhou Liming as if he had seen a ghost. Zhou Liming’s eyes just now were too terrifying, like the feeling of being stared at by a poisonous snake, making one’s whole body turn cold. More than that, he was like a wild beast, ready to tear people to pieces at any time. Anyone who touched his gaze would feel as if they had fallen into an ice cave.

“Beat him!”

A shout rang out. For high school students, often, there was no need for any reason at all. They didn’t even think about what the terrifying power of Zhou Liming being able to lift a person with one hand represented. Without having experienced the hardships of society, how could they have a sense of crisis? Youth, stimulated by hormones, had impulses that were hard to explain.

The boy closest to Zhou Liming, upon hearing this shout, raised his foot and kicked fiercely at Zhou Liming’s back.

The commotion that broke out instantly made everyone who came to use the restroom gather around. They began pointing and talking about Zhou Liming, who was being beaten. Some took pleasure in his misfortune, and some sympathized.

This kick landed solidly on Zhou Liming’s back, causing Zhou Liming, who was unprepared, to stumble and almost fall to the ground. He ran forward a few steps to steady his body. He didn’t feel any pain in his back at all, but Zhou Liming’s originally twisted face gradually relaxed, and a strange smile hung on his face.

“Since it’s so hard to endure, why keep enduring?”

Veins and blood vessels began to bulge. The unbridled power was like cold water in a cold pool, making the scorching body feel refreshingly cool. Zhou Liming suddenly wanted to do something, something he had never done in his eighteen years: like a bad student, disregard school discipline and have a fierce fight.

Yes, Zhou Liming understood that only by venting could he calm his irritable mood.