In the days that followed, the boy once again began to suffer from frequent insomnia—or more precisely, he simply couldn’t sleep well. Sometimes, Ah Jun even felt it might be better not to sleep at all, because he often had a strange dream…

  In the dream, he would arrive at a place that was both unfamiliar and strangely familiar. There was a gemstone glowing toward him, stirring in him a strong, unconscious urge to reach out and touch it—yet some unseen force always blocked his hand.

  The place was dim, and it seemed that Ah Jun was the only one there. The gemstone was so beautiful it actually frightened him a little. Each time he woke, he carried a lingering sense of dread. Worse still, sometimes he would wake in the middle of the night, accompanied by various physical discomforts.

  Every morning, he felt different from before—always as if he hadn’t slept enough, or as if sleeping was no different from not sleeping at all. He thought he had more energy the night before than after a night’s rest.

  But about this situation, Ah Jun decided not to tell his family. In fact, most of the time, with many things, this child bore them silently. He knew his family had already worried themselves sick over him, and he didn’t want to add to their troubles. He hoped he could solve these difficulties on his own—perhaps even share some of the burden for them.

  This state lasted for a long, long time… until his new desk mate appeared—his first true friend of his own choosing, and a turning point in his life. Only then did things begin to ease.

  Ah Jun remembered it clearly. It was the first day of fifth grade, during the first class of the morning—March, with bright sunshine and the vitality of spring. It was truly a day of endings and beginnings.

  Before class began, the homeroom teacher solemnly introduced to the whole class a transfer student from one of the Five Counties—Qilin County (Qílín Jùn, 麒麟郡). The new student was not very tall, chubby, with small eyes, and when he introduced himself, he was all smiles. He was especially good at talking, full of humor, and had the whole class laughing until they bent over their desks.

  After finishing his self-introduction, the new student didn’t wait for the teacher to assign him a seat. Instead, he ran straight to the empty seat next to Ah Jun and plopped himself down. At that moment, Ah Jun thought perhaps the empty seat was too conspicuous—or maybe the new student, being from out of town, didn’t know the unspoken rules here.

  Ah Jun glanced at the teacher, then at the old classmates around him, thinking it over. Just as he was hesitating whether to remind the new student to be more cautious, suddenly, a chubby little hand reached toward him…

  “Hi! Heh heh, finally meeting you in person…” the new student said with a grin. “Just call me Xiao Xi (Xiǎo Xī, 小熙). I’ll be troubling you a lot from now on!”

  “Troubling me? Don’t tell me… you’re here to give me trouble—no, that can’t be… or could it?”

  Ah Jun was thrown off by the new student’s warmth. Clever as he was, he found himself at a loss. Almost without thinking, he extended his bony hand, wanting to try what a handshake felt like. But because of past experiences, he hesitated, stopping with his hand at his chest, not moving it forward.

  He glanced around at the reactions of his classmates. As expected, there were still traces of strange looks in their eyes—but so be it.

  Then he looked back at the teacher, who was smiling and nodding at him. Suddenly, he felt his hand being taken into another warm hand. He quickly turned his head—it was the new student, smiling as he held Ah Jun’s hand, his small eyes seeming to shine.

  “Uh… hello, my name is Jun—if you don’t mind, you can…”

  Out of politeness, and still half in doubt, Ah Jun quickly replied. The atmosphere was still a little awkward, but inside, he felt a sense of ease.

  “—I know! Then I’ll call you Ah Jun too!”

  That inexplicable answer from Xiao Xi left Ah Jun puzzled—who exactly was he? But in the days that followed, Ah Jun’s questions were fully answered.

  Xiao Xi was truly talkative. Ah Jun had grown used to a school life that was both noisy and lonely. The classmates around him were only there to copy his grades; no one really talked to him. Some even shouted at him from across the room.

  The seat beside him had always been empty—he came to school alone and went home alone every day. At most, there had been a time when a little cat kept him company.

  But now, there was suddenly a talkative… friend? Well, desk mate, at least!

  His world was no longer lonely. Though he wasn’t yet used to it, Ah Jun didn’t find the new desk mate noisy at all. In fact, it felt lively. Sometimes, he would study while listening to his desk mate chatter away, and he found himself in a good mood.

  Ah Jun also learned that his desk mate, Xiao Xi, was the child of a wealthy family in the main city of Qilin County. Yet he seemed easygoing, without any airs. His family name was Duanmu (Duānmù, 端木), and his given name was simply Xi (Xī, 熙).

  As a scion of a great family, Xiao Xi had an outstanding Guardian talent. But his parents ran a large restaurant chain, with many branches across the Five Counties. His master was actually the clan leader there—clearly, his status was extraordinary.

  According to Xiao Xi, he had transferred here because his grades were too poor, and his master had ordered him to come. It was arranged through the connections of two clan leaders. As for why he ended up with Ah Jun, Xiao Xi was vague—perhaps even he didn’t know what was in the gourd. Maybe it was just “near vermilion, one turns red.”

  Whatever the reason, Ah Jun felt it was probably a good thing. In the days that followed, he was happy, even sleeping better at night. It was the second time in three years his condition had improved.

  Still, he was well aware of his own situation and the old rivals around him, so he kept a subtle distance from his desk mate. But Xiao Xi seemed unaware, sticking to Ah Jun like a conjoined twin—eating together, attending class together, even going to the restroom together. After school, he would walk home with Ah Jun before taking a car back himself.

  Xiao Xi lived in the best hotel in the city, with his own bodyguards and butler. His route home was the opposite of Ah Jun’s. Ah Jun felt a twinge of envy—not for the luxury, but because he thought Xiao Xi’s parents must really love their child. Of course, his own family was very good to him as well.

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  After a stretch of pleasant days at school, Ah Jun’s mood kept lifting. Even so, he felt he had to draw a clear boundary with his new friend in time—at least keep more distance. He knew in his heart that any child who got linked to him would be hurt to some degree. He didn’t want, and couldn’t stand, to see another friend suffer because of him.

  After all, he was—had always been—the one everyone here agreed on as the main city’s only “jinx.” Of course, this wasn’t Ah Jun mocking himself, but a socalled baseless charge others slapped on him—and there were uglier names.

  As for his new desk mate, Xiao Xi, he clearly hadn’t realized this yet, or didn’t know at all. Ah Jun figured that once he knew, he would naturally steer away, saving Ah Jun the trouble of having to politely decline yet another… friend?

  “Ah Jun!”

  One day after school, a familiar voice rang out just as Ah Jun reached the school gate, panting, ready to slip away while Xiao Xi was in the restroom. At that moment, a student a grade above him stepped in front of him, blocking his path—a tall, burly boy with a round belly.

  “Yo… long time no see!”

  “Mm.”

  Though startled, Ah Jun didn’t resist, but he hesitated. He seemed to know this person, yet didn’t feel like chatting. He planned to toss out a casual goodbye and bolt.

  “See you!”

  “Ah Jun, wait for me…”

  With that, Ah Jun sprang forward and fled. In the distance, Xiao Xi came hurrying after him, panting. He had shouted several times, but Ah Jun acted as if he hadn’t heard, speeding away until he vanished.

  The older student then gave Xiao Xi an approving onceover, steadied his gaze, and extended his hand with a kind of swagger. “Hello, I’m Pudding (Bùdīng, 布丁), a friend of Ah Jun’s! How should I address you?”

  His certainty made Xiao Xi hesitate a little. After all, Ah Jun had never mentioned any other friends, nor had he seen one.

  “Mm, hello. You can just call me Xiao Xi,” he answered promptly and politely, a child of a prominent family after all.

  “He… it’s not that he doesn’t want to be your friend. He’s just afraid—” Pudding sighed, watching Ah Jun’s retreating back, then turned to Xiao Xi. “Ah Jun thinks about others so much that he forgets he’s just a kid, like us.”

  “Afraid? Afraid of what?”

  Xiao Xi glanced at Ah Jun too, puzzled. “His grades are so good—what’s there to worry about?”

  “He’s afraid of dragging us down.”

  Pudding looked after Ah Jun again, speaking helplessly. “The pressure he bears… you and I probably can’t imagine it. And it’s the kind of thing kids our age shouldn’t have to face.”

  “Dragging us down?”

  Even then, Xiao Xi didn’t understand. Ah Jun hadn’t done anything wrong and never caused trouble. On the contrary, he was upright—helping the teacher keep order, helping with study, refusing to let him copy during exams, only urging him to improve by his own effort. To Xiao Xi, Ah Jun wasn’t bad at all. Strict, yes, but for his good—and Xiao Xi didn’t mind listening. So where did “dragging down” come from?

  “Maybe that’s why he resists so hard, why he deliberately keeps his distance from you and me…”

  Pudding looked as if he understood Ah Jun through and through. He sounded like the kind of words only an old friend of years would say.

  “You? Me? You say you’re his friend, but how come I’ve never seen you?” Xiao Xi asked curiously.

  “I’m a year above you, so we don’t cross paths much. And after that incident, Ah Jun deliberately drew a line between us, so we rarely met. It’s natural you wouldn’t know me.”

  “Incident… what exactly happened?”

  “That’s a long story…”

  “No problem—tell me. Maybe I can find a breakthrough, even become Ah Jun’s first real friend. That’s one of the reasons I came here!”

  “First—cough! To be precise, you’d be the second, okay? … All right then.”

  Xiao Xi’s words surprised Pudding. He hadn’t expected someone to transfer schools for Ah Jun. He himself had tried many ways in the past but never changed Ah Jun’s resolve. Could this chubby kid really pull it off?

  Still… it looked like maybe this time, the boy in front of him could. Pudding hoped someone could help break the ice.

  So the tall one and the chubby one started talking in the glow of the setting sun, chatting on until night fell—long enough for the bodyguards’ lower backs to ache from standing. And it went on like this until Xiao Xi’s butler arrived…

  Their venue shifted from the school gate to a luxury hotel. The two boys, like old friends, ate from a lavish buffet while they continued. There were countless desserts, teas, and main dishes. Pudding had long wanted a feast like this, but with his family’s tight finances, he hadn’t had the chance. He couldn’t help feeling a pang of emotion now.

  Mm… this Xiao Xi really was something—rich, willful, and instantly friendly.

  Over dinner, Pudding told Xiao Xi that back in third grade, Ah Jun had once had a good friend. But a year ago, for certain reasons, she had to transfer to a school in Zhebei City (Zhéběi Shì, 哲北市). As for Pudding and Ah Jun then, they weren’t close—if anything, they had minor frictions.

  Pudding used to be a problem student. Though his martial skills were strong, he disliked studying, had poor grades, often skipped class, and ran with a little crew of classmates from his grade and lower grades. They were either off playing games or acting as righteous hired muscle for patrons.

  Even so, while most of Pudding’s underlings weren’t strong in academics, they were loyal and fair, picking their “jobs” carefully and never bullying the weak.

  Pudding’s little gang had a base—but it was tiny. As their numbers grew, the boss felt he should find them a bigger, better place.

  After all, whenever they threw a party or played games, the place got crowded, and the neighborhood uncles and aunties would complain, scold, even report them to the school more than once.

  Because of this, Pudding’s teacher was often at wit’s end and had to invite his parents in for talks. The next day, Pudding would show up with bruises on his face—but even that didn’t stop him from scoring zero or leading his crew.

  By contrast, Ah Jun was the school’s top student, scoring full marks in every exam. Teachers often used him as an example to lecture Pudding, which Pudding found hard to swallow—what was the use of being good at studying? You couldn’t eat grades for dinner. A bookworm, no matter how much he learned, was still no match for having a real skill to rely on.

  —Oh? Not bad, I’ve got my eye on you! But… why does that sound so familiar?

  After all, Pudding’s dream was to become, in the future, a great figure like a frontier general—highly skilled in martial arts and able to lead troops into battle. And he knew about Ah Jun’s situation: just a skinny kid who could only study, despised by everyone. What was there to admire in that?

  Of course, Pudding thought this way because, at the time, he and Ah Jun had never had any dealings, and he didn’t know Ah Jun’s real story. They weren’t even in the same year—until one day…

  Before third grade, for quite a long time, Ah Jun had been allowed to bring a little cat to school with him. But under constant protest from others, the school was forced to cancel this privilege.

  After that, Ah Jun’s condition returned to square one—his inner depression, recurring physical troubles, and restless sleep all came back. Then, one day after the start of third grade, a “little patron” from a year below Pudding came to him again, wanting to discuss a deal. Pudding knew this little patron had always disliked Ah Jun and was especially eager to find someone to teach him a lesson.

  The little patron was generous. He promised that if Pudding would help him fulfill his wish this time, he would provide Pudding’s crew with a spacious, luxurious base that wouldn’t bother the neighbors, and would also gift them the latest model of game console—similar to the one Ah Jun was using now.

  As for this person’s family, everyone knew they were rich and had everything—except for a pair of Ah Jun’s glasses, which were custommade and couldn’t be bought even with money.

  Pudding had already refused him many times. In his eyes, Ah Jun was a pitiful kid who posed no harm. So weak—why bother bullying him?

  Besides, Pudding had always found this little patron annoying—throwing his weight around at school, forming cliques and acting like everyone had to bow to him. Sure, he had the means and influence, but he didn’t seem to have any real ability—just throwing money around.

  However, this time, the issue of the crew’s base made Pudding hesitate. The little patron’s offer was tempting, and his underlings, listening in, egged him on. In the end, Pudding wavered.

  The little patron then added that teaching Ah Jun a lesson was about “righting a wrong.” That kid might look wellbehaved, but he was actually arrogant—his underlings had tried to provoke him several times and failed. Worse, they’d even been taught a lesson by Ah Jun; one time, one of them had been so scared he wet his pants.

  Hearing this, Pudding gave a cold sideways glance and a sly smile—such weak underlings! Still, it seemed that kid was hiding some skill…

  After much thought, for the sake of his crew’s welfare, he finally accepted the job—but he knew his limits. He would never actually hurt him, just find a chance to scare him a bit.

  —However, this decision would turn out to be a grave mistake!