On the morning after the second Chinese language class, the sky turned gloomy and overcast. Dark clouds swept across the entire city, the misty haze grew increasingly dense, and successive claps of thunder heralded a downpour.
Many students from Class 1, Grade 4 rushed to the windows to watch the rain, while others gathered around Jiang Yubai—they had heard he was drawing the "Exploring the Universe" comic series and clamored to participate in the storyline.
Jiang Yubai's status in the class was at its peak.
He seemed to have suddenly become a famous Hollywood director.
Faced with a group of classmates begging to be included, Jiang Yubai mediated: "Stop fighting, there's an order to this."
Jiang Yubai first arranged appearances for himself and Lin Zhixia. In the universe he constructed, Lin Zhixia would explore the mysteries of the universe, while Jiang Yubai would go panning for gold on Orion.
"Just like the American Gold Rush in the 19th century," Jiang Yubai explained to everyone.
Lin Zhixia leaned over her desk watching him: "Is there gold on Orion?"
"If Jiang Yubai says there is, then there is!" Dong Sunqi loudly supported.
Lin Zhixia compromised: "Alright then. So, Lin Zhixia and Jiang Yubai are Earthlings searching for gold, while on Orion there's a group of Orion people led by Dong Sunqi! They possess mysterious powers to control magnetic fields."
Suddenly, the students began dividing into factions.
"I want to be an Earthling!"
"I want to be an Orion person!"
And so the noisy arguments continued endlessly.
Ding Yan angrily accused: "So many people have betrayed Earth!"
Dong Sunqi retorted: "It was you Earthlings who invaded our Orion first! And you want to steal our gold!"
Jiang Yubai realized the seriousness of the situation.
To resolve the dispute between Earthlings and Orion people, Jiang Yubai contributed a brand new notebook. While recording, he described: "In 2004, the war between Earthlings and Orion people began. Jiang Yubai is familiar with Orion's terrain. He leads the Earth Legion to attack Orion..."
"Not attack!" Dong Sunqi corrected him, "Invasion! Invasion!"
Jiang Yubai let out a cold laugh: "Dong Sunqi wants to detonate the Cloud Nucleus through magnetic fields and spiral galaxies to occupy the entire Milky Way..."
Dong Sunqi remembered his villain persona and diligently corrected: "Not occupation, destruction! Destruction!"
He wrapped his arms around two boys beside him and loudly declared: "We Orion people must destroy the Milky Way!"
One of the boys he held also said: "Defeat the Earthlings! Stupid Earthlings! Greedy Earthlings!" They had clearly forgotten their origins and completely immersed themselves in Orion's passionate atmosphere.
Dong Sunqi even grabbed Ding Yan, asking him: "Why did you Earthlings come to distant Orion?"
Ding Yan stammered: "Huh? Because, because it's fun?"
"What the hell?" Dong Sunqi said to his companions, "Listen everyone, the Earthlings think Orion is fun, so they come here to steal our territory!"
The Orion classmates automatically stood behind Dong Sunqi, consciously drawing a clear line with the Earthlings.
The opposing Earthlings also gathered together.At that moment, Lin Zhixia grabbed a pen and began expanding the plot: "Dong Sunqi's legion wishes to destroy the galaxy. And we Earthlings stand on the land of Orion for freedom and dignity! All life, civilization, and environment on Earth are the reasons we fight bloodily. Brave warriors, think of your family, friends, and pet dogs! This isn't a star battle competition—this is resisting fate's arrangement, resisting the invaders' aggression! It's for the eternal glow of the galaxy that we'll always see when we look up at the sky..."
The Earthlings were stunned.
Two seconds later, the classmates erupted in thunderous applause.
Dong Sunqi sighed emotionally: "There's no arguing with Lin Zhixia—she's so good at speaking. If Lin Zhixia ran for class president, I would've stepped down long ago..."
Before Dong Sunqi finished speaking, a "thump-thump" sound came from the classroom door of Class 1, Grade 4—the sound of a crutch hitting the ground. A tall, slender boy entered the classroom on crutches, accompanied by his mother.
The boy had very fair skin and quite handsome features. Many classmates moved toward him, but no one dared speak to him directly. They just stood nearby whispering among themselves or reached out hands to help support him.
He slapped away the helping hands.
His mother scolded: "Liu Xingjian!"
His name was Liu Xingjian.
Dong Sunqi told Jiang Yubai: "Well, that's Liu Xingjian. His mom is our school's vice principal, and his dad is wealthy and powerful. During summer vacation, he was home alone and fell down the stairs of his villa, breaking his leg. He's been on leave for a month."
Jiang Yubai had been treated as a buddy by Dong Sunqi. Out of buddy loyalty, Dong Sunqi repeatedly warned: "Jiang Yubai, whatever you do, don't provoke Liu Xingjian."
Outside, the rain poured heavily, windswept waves like surging tides leaving the corridor damp. Liu Xingjian's clothes were soaked with rainwater. His mother left him a towel, said a few words to him, and then departed the classroom.
This class had a 30-minute break, which the school called "extended recess." Normally during extended recess, students above fourth grade would go to the playground for running exercises. However, today's violent storm had temporarily canceled the running activity.
Jiang Yubai packed his notebook, planning to step outside for fresh air.
The daylight grew increasingly dim, the daytime resembling dusk.
The teaching building stood firm and unmoving, towering amidst the torrential downpour.
As Jiang Yubai looked up at the sky, he suddenly heard the "thump-thump" of crutches hitting the ground. He glanced sideways and saw Liu Xingjian solemnly supporting himself on crutches, walking alone toward the fourth-floor water dispenser room.
Jiang Yubai averted his gaze.
Liu Xingjian left his crutches by the water room entrance. Like a one-legged grasshopper, tragic yet determined, he hopped and jumped to meet fate's teasing. Clutching his water cup firmly, he took two hops into the water room.
The water temperature in the dispenser room reached one hundred degrees.
Jiang Yubai thought for a moment, then walked over and stood outside the doorway observing.
The rainy scene appeared hazy as smoke, making the corridor lights appear exceptionally bright. Jiang Yubai's shadow drifted down like a ghost, reflected on the steel side of the water heater, startling Liu Xingjian badly.Liu Xingjian failed to hold his water cup steady. The cup fell onto the stainless steel counter. The boiling water splashed violently like an exploding bomb, making Liu Xingjian cry out in pain: "Hey! Did you do that on purpose?"
Jiang Yubai looked slightly confused: "What?"
Liu Xingjian vigorously pulled down his sleeve—making himself look rather ridiculous. He hid his scalded red hand inside the sleeve and said to Jiang Yubai with a dark expression: "Just you wait. You'll get what's coming to you."
Liu Xingjian's bold provocation instantly ignited Jiang Yubai's competitive spirit.
Jiang Yubai calmly delivered his retort: "We'll talk after your leg heals."
Liu Xingjian took a deep breath, infuriated: "You'd better apologize quickly."
Jiang Yubai immediately apologized: "Sorry, I didn't know your hand... couldn't hold the cup steady."
Liu Xingjian's rage burned fiercely. He hopped on one leg and was about to deliver a heavy punch to Jiang Yubai's shoulder when Jiang Yubai took a step back, effortlessly dodging the attack.
Leaning against the water station doorframe, Liu Xingjian asked furiously: "You're that transfer student from Singapore? What's your name! Just you wait! I won't let you off!"
Jiang Yubai admitted: "My name is Jiang Yubai. The character '逾'—you probably don't know how to write it, and I don't plan to teach you."
Liu Xingjian appeared quite lively, still able to jump up and throw punches, not seeming particularly affected by the scalding water. So Jiang Yubai walked back to the classroom as if nothing had happened. He remembered Dong Sunqi's warning—never provoke Liu Xingjian.
Though Jiang Yubai wasn't quite sure how it had happened, it seemed he had indeed managed to anger Liu Xingjian.
So what would be the consequences?
Jiang Yubai found Dong Sunqi and inquired: "Class monitor, I have a question."
The area around Class Monitor Dong Sunqi's seat was always bustling.
The class monitor was the core of Class 4-1, the source of all kinds of information, and the backbone uniting the entire class. Today was no exception. Several classmates were gathered around him borrowing books.
"Class monitor, lend me a copy of 'Adventure Team'!" The classmates made such sincere requests.
Dong Sunqi never disappointed anyone. He strictly scheduled each student's book borrowing and return dates. He timely distributed, replenished, and exchanged books, ensuring his supply chain never broke.
After lending out another "Adventure Team," he finally found time to answer Jiang Yubai's question: "What's up, Jiang Tycoon?"
The address "Jiang Tycoon" made Jiang Yubai and Dong Sunqi sound like colluding members of the privileged class.
Jiang Yubai lowered his voice to ask: "Monitor Dong, you told me not to provoke Liu Xingjian. Why?"
Dong Sunqi's smile faded, his expression gradually turning serious: "Did you provoke him?"
Jiang Yubai said casually: "Nothing much, just a small misunderstanding."
Dong Sunqi shook his head: "You can't say that."
Jiang Yubai asked: "Then how should I put it?"
Dong Sunqi heaved a heavy sigh: "Jiang Tycoon, if you and Liu Xingjian get into a fight, it would be like dogs biting dogs... ah, no, I mean, it would be like gods fighting—even the homeroom teacher wouldn't dare intervene. Liu Xingjian... holds grudges particularly well. Back in first grade, Han Dawei stepped on Liu Xingjian's foot, and Liu Xingjian stepped back ten times before he was satisfied.""So, are you and Liu Xingjian having a conflict?" The question came from Lin Zhixia.
Jiang Yubai turned around to find Lin Zhixia standing right behind him. She was holding a stack of Chinese homework assignments, merely ten centimeters away from him. She carefully observed Jiang Yubai's expression, trying to discern his inner thoughts from subtle changes. But her gaze was too direct, like a lion on the African savannah targeting a gazelle.
Jiang Yubai retreated until his back touched the desk before saying to her, "You should go hand out the homework."
Lin Zhixia casually divided the notebooks into four piles and handed them to the four group leaders standing beside her. She asked again, "Did Liu Xingjian bully you? If he bullied you, just tell me."
Dong Sunqi laughed heartily: "Lin Zhixia, no need to worry! As class monitor, I'll uphold justice for Jiang Yubai!"
Jiang Yubai felt somewhat puzzled about why he had become the one needing protection. Even in the "Exploring the Universe" comic series, "Jiang Yubai" should be a passionate warrior commanding interstellar legions and bravely fighting against Orion.
With wind and rain howling outside the window, Jiang Yubai said to Lin Zhixia, "Come on, let's return to our seats first."
Actually, Jiang Yubai wasn't the first transfer student in Class 1, Grade 4.
When Lin Zhixia was in second and third grade, there were also classmates who transferred from other schools and classes. Adults always thought children were very simple. However, Lin Zhixia believed that school was a diluted microcosm of society, operating under a unique set of rules.
When a transfer student entered a new class as an individual, they were bound to attract the attention of the entire class.
The high level of attention from the whole class had both positive and negative effects. For example, one transfer student in the second semester of third grade was isolated by the entire class for a month after offending a core member of a class clique—this kind of factional struggle similar to adult society was also content that needed to be added to Lin Zhixia's "Human Observation Diary."
In Lin Zhixia's imagination, as a transfer student, Jiang Yubai might be being bullied by Liu Xingjian.
But Jiang Yubai asked her, "Why do you think Liu Xingjian offended me, rather than me offending him?"
Lin Zhixia thought meaningfully: "Because you often act silly, giving me the impression that you're easy to bully."
The words "act silly" coming from Lin Zhixia's mouth were particularly devastating, leaving Jiang Yubai utterly defeated and bleeding profusely. He barely stabilized himself and told her, "No, I was the one who pissed off Liu Xingjian."
She tilted her head: "Huh?"
He glanced sideways: "What do you mean by just saying 'huh'?"
"It means no need to worry," Lin Zhixia replied, "Don't worry, I'll help you keep an eye on Liu Xingjian's every move."
Jiang Yubai immediately stopped her: "I don't even pay attention to Liu Xingjian, why should you? It's a waste of time."
Then, Jiang Yubai sincerely suggested: "If you have free time, wouldn't it be better to write more in your 'Human Observation Diary'?"
Lin Zhixia's tone was very surprised: "Really! I thought you might be a bit unhappy about me writing that diary! It seems you really like me writing the 'Human Observation Diary'!"
Jiang Yubai answered against his conscience: "Mhmm!"
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