Chapter 21: Newborn

Middle school second grade Class 3.

Having just finished the class assignments, the students in the new classroom were whispering to each other.

“How unlucky, we ended up in the same class as the school tyrant.”

“We’re doomed. I heard he beats people up three times a day, without skipping a single time.”

“He dared to fight with third-year students when he was just in the first year and made them cry for their parents!”

“What’s that about? I heard he’s really well-connected outside of school!”

“They say his dad’s in the mafia?”

“I’ve seen his dad! Tall, big, and looks really fierce!”

“Isn’t his family supposed to be rich?”

“If they’re in the underworld, they have to have money, right?”

Several boys discussed nervously, both afraid and curious. A girl sitting in front, who was in the same class as them before, chimed in, “Really? I think he looks quite handsome.”

The boys sneered, “You girls only care about looks.”

The girl retorted, “If not for looks, should I be looking at your pimples?”

The boy with pimples fell silent, and another boy without pimples leaned in and said, “You better be careful. I heard he changes girlfriends like he changes clothes, and he’s even gotten someone pregnant before.”

The girl’s face turned pale. “No way, he looks so…”

“Hmph, with his looks, wouldn’t a bunch of girls line up just by a singel gesture of his?”

They continued their vivid discussion until the teacher came in to take attendance.

Out of the 56 students in the class, two were missing.

Qi Mu woke up late. He was too excited last night, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. When he finally fell asleep, it was already two or three in the morning. When he opened his eyes again, it was eight o’clock!

He cursed under his breath, quickly got dressed, and ran out without even having breakfast.

At this time, Qi Dashan and Qiao Jin had already left. The housekeeper had made breakfast and knocked on his door, but unfortunately, Qi Mu was sleeping too soundly to hear it.

He hopped on his bike and raced towards the school.

Since the incident that happened during the summer break before sixth grade, Qi Dashan and Qiao Jin should have cherished their only child even more.

But they were never normal parents from the beginning. When he entered middle school, they fired the driver and made Qi Mu go to school by himself.

At first, Qiao Jin was worried sick, but Qi Dashan reassured her, “We can’t protect him forever. He needs to learn how to be self-reliant and independent.”

Dashan was right. No matter how wealthy a family was, they couldn’t keep their child confined in a safe cage forever. That was not protecting him; it was destroying him. Everyone was terrified by what happened during the summer break, but they couldn’t let that incident make them overly paranoid and ruin the child’s future.

While other parents might tighten their grip on their children after such an event, Qi Dashan and Qiao Jin decided to give him more freedom. Life is full of scary experiences; instead of relying on others for protection, it’s better to develop one’s judgment and learn to avoid danger independently.

Qi Dashan taught Qi Mu martial arts and encouraged him to engage with the world, to meet all kinds of people, and to discern the good from the bad.

As for grades, after putting in some effort, Mrs. Qiao Jin told her husband, “Alright, not everything can be perfect. Let’s not push too hard.”

Dashan had never pushed for perfection—what’s wrong with seventy points? Round it up, and it’s practically a hundred!

Qi Mu reached the school in just ten minutes, but unfortunately, he was already late. The school required students to arrive by 7:30 and start class at 8:00. It was already 8:20, and the first period was well underway!

What to do? Climb the wall, of course; there was no way he could walk in through the front gate. The head of the grade, stationed at the gate, looked as stern as soot. If Qi Mu tried to go in that way, he’d likely be lectured for three hours!

As Qi Mu reached his usual spot, he saw his good buddy waiting there.
Xu Xiaoming, still sleepy, greeted him, “Morning, Brother Mu.”

Qi Mu’s sharp eyes spotted the sandwich in Xiaoming’s hand. Comrade Xiaoming immediately handed it over, “Here, you eat it. I have another one.”

Qi Mu didn’t hesitate and took the sandwich, taking a bite. “Did you go out partying again last night?” He was so excited he couldn’t sleep, but Xu Xiaoming had no idea about that surprise.

“No,” Xu Xiaoming replied listlessly, “Guild war. How could a big shot like me not see it through to the end?”

Qi Mu asked, “What game is it? Let me join.”

Xu Xiaoming perked up immediately, “You absolutely must not play. It took me ages to become the guild leader. What would I do if you joined?”

Qi Mu said, “I won’t compete with you.”

Xu Xiaoming looked distressed, “You might not compete with me, but those brats would rebel and crown a new king!”

Qi Mu glanced at him, “Relationships maintained with money aren’t reliable.”

There was more to this story. Besides eating, drinking, and having fun, Xu Xiaoming spent his time playing games. He had plenty of money and quickly bought his way to becoming a big shot. As the saying goes, money makes the mare go, and Mr. Xu’s dad practically paid the guild members a salary, so naturally, they all supported him and elected him as the guild leader.

Xu Xiaoming was so proud and couldn’t resist showing off, so he told Qi Mu about it.

Feeling bored, Qi Mu decided to give the game a try. It turned out to be a hit. Qi the Overlord had an irresistible charm, especially among the hot-blooded men. After playing for about a month, he became close with the guild members, who responded eagerly to his call.
Xu Xiaoming found himself overshadowed by his good buddy and became a figurehead guild leader.
Having spent money and ended up like this, Xu Xiaoming was very reluctant. He tentatively hinted in the guild, “I’ve been busy with work lately (pretending to be an adult), and I might have to leave for a bit (quit the game)…”
Before he could finish, the guild members said, “Boss, don’t worry, Brother Mu is here.” “Yes, Brother Mu is holding up the guild.” “Boss, why not just transfer the account to Brother Mu?” “No need, Brother Mu’s account is fine. Boss, just transfer the guild leader position to him.”
Xu Xiaoming was devastated in front of his computer—Oh heavens, why create Xiaoming if you also created Mu!

Fortunately, Brother Mu was an incredibly loyal friend and immediately said, “Xiaoming isn’t playing anymore? Then I’ll quit too.”

Xu Xiaoming’s wounded heart had just begun to heal when the guild channel erupted, giving him a heart attack.

“Brother Mu’s not playing anymore?” “No way, Brother Mu, don’t go!” “If Brother Mu quits, I’ll delete my account!” “If Brother Mu isn’t here, what’s the point of playing this game!” “Bye, brothers, I’m going to jump off a building.”

Xu Xiaoming: “…” Go ahead and jump, or I’ll kick you off!

He was really about to be driven mad by these ungrateful people!

Amid his fury, Xu Xiaoming saw a ray of hope in the sea of despair: “Boss, don’t go…”

Xu Xiaoming was moved to tears, glad that someone didn’t want him to leave. How wonderful. But then the second half of the sentence came out, “…if the boss doesn’t leave, Brother Mu won’t leave either.”

Xu Xiaoming slammed his head on the keyboard!

With such a track record, Xu Xiaoming vowed never to play games with Qi Mu again. The experience was too frustrating, and spending money just to be exasperated was not worth it!

The two leaned against the wall, munching on their sandwiches. Xu Xiaoming looked at Qi Mu’s uncontrollable grin and asked, “What’s new this semester? Why are you so happy?”

Qi Mu flashed his little tiger teeth, “It’s a secret.”

Xu Xiaoming was taken aback for a moment and then suddenly had an epiphany, “Yin Xiuzhu is back?”

Qi Mu’s eyes sparkled, rivaling the sunrise on the horizon, “Yes!”

Yin Xiuzhu, who had taken a year off from school, was finally coming back!