Roll Up Your Bedding, Trash Class (Part 2)

They headed deeper into the dormitory district, passing several rows of buildings before the view suddenly opened up—no, it should have been said that it suddenly fell into ruin. If the previous residences had been Middle Ancient Buildings, then after passing those few structures, they abruptly became Primordial Buildings. The living conditions took a nosedive, and as for the grounds, they were beyond mention.

He sniffed. Even standing outside the buildings with the night wind blowing, he could smell a soul-hooking stench. A glance at the main road showed that one or two streetlights were out every few poles, while others flickered on and off like something from a ghost movie.

And this was not the end.

Zheng Kaiming and his group continued deeper in.

After passing row upon row of Primordial Buildings, several structures that looked like Remote Ancient Buildings appeared before Shi Tiexin. Their red brick walls lay directly exposed, and the little buildings, only three stories high at most, seemed ready to topple in wind and rain. From the outside, the old buildings still had wooden doors and windows. Some windows would not shut properly, creaking in the evening wind, the very embodiment of the two words "miserable."

One of Shi Tiexin's consciousnesses could not help but be overcome with sorrow, sinking into immense grief.

But Shi Tiexin himself showed no reaction and followed them all the way to the very last row of buildings.

The stairwell was narrow, cramped, and pitch-black. Zheng Kaiming clapped his hands—nothing happened. His expression darkened as he stomped his foot again, hard. The thudding footsteps echoed forcefully before the sound-activated lights finally came on. Yet the school apparently could not bear to install decent lights here. The wattage was low, the brightness weak, leaving everything in a dim yellow haze.

Carrying his bedding bundle up to the third floor—the top floor of this Remote Ancient Building—Shi Tiexin stood in the stairwell and looked up. A hole leading straight to the roof hung directly above his head. There was not even a cover over it, and cold wind poured in with a howl, making people shiver.

Following Zheng Kaiming farther inside, the stench in the corridor grew even stronger. Shi Tiexin kept his eyes straight ahead, yet still saw everything clearly. There were not even white metal-sheet doors here; they were all old wooden doors.

Listening carefully, he could hear faint rustling somewhere in the hallway. Clearly, people were still wandering about here. Students lingering in the dormitory building during evening self-study time were presumably all wind-chasing youths with their own fierce glories...

Zheng Kaiming led Shi Tiexin to a stop before a room. Directly opposite the door was the communal restroom, and its water supply was poor as well. The accumulated filth could not be flushed away quickly, and the smell it produced was enough to make one retch.

Zheng Kaiming glanced sidelong at Shi Tiexin. Seeing that Shi Tiexin's face remained utterly unmoved, he said nothing and pulled out a key, inserting it into a lock older than old.

He twisted it once. The door did not open.

He twisted it again. The door still did not open.

The Discipline Committee normally handled dormitory inspections. One student was clearly familiar with the place and hurried over to take on the task of opening the door. He twisted the key, turned the handle, then gave it a forceful lift at a subtle angle. With a bang, the door finally opened.

"This is your dormitory from now on." After speaking, Zheng Kaiming pushed the door open and entered, snapping on the dorm light.

But to his surprise, there came a clatter from inside. A figure rolled down from the bunk—it was a bare-chested boy. Like a startled bird, the boy hurriedly hid something, then suddenly raised his head. His face changed drastically in an instant.

"Z-Z-Zheng..."

That Square Head was simply too conspicuous. The boy instantly understood his predicament, his face turning deathly pale as his whole body shook.

Zheng Kaiming looked the boy over from top to bottom, his face stiffening as he thrust out a hand and spread his five fingers. "Hand it over."

The boy pretended not to understand. "Hand... Director Zheng, hand over what?"

"Cigarettes!"

"Haha, Director Zheng, you're joking. What cigarettes could there possibly be..." The boy's eyes rolled wildly, and he forced a smile. Seeing this, even Shi Tiexin was speechless. The smell of smoke on this kid was so obvious that Shi Tiexin could catch it clearly from the doorway, even while steeped in the intoxicating fumes of the restroom. If that could fool Director Zheng, then it would truly be bizarre.

Wait, how did he know that smell was cigarette smoke? He should never have come into contact with such antiques...

While Shi Tiexin was still in confusion, Zheng Kaiming's face darkened, his expression turning gloomy at once. "Will you hand them over yourself, or make me search you? If I have to do it myself..."

"Understood! Understood! Director Zheng, I was wrong!" Trembling, the boy took out half a pack of cigarettes. There was even half a cigarette left unsmoked inside, and he placed it all into Zheng Kaiming's hand.

Zheng Kaiming did not even look at them. He simply kept his hand extended, stiff and straight.

"Th-There aren't any more..."

Zheng Kaiming's eyes nailed themselves to the boy's face as he forced out each word through clenched teeth. "Zhou Nan, you little punk, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."

"I—I—!" The boy called Zhou Nan was at a loss, staring blankly at Zheng Kaiming. In the end, he dejectedly pulled out another entire unopened pack from somewhere else.

Old Zheng's hand remained unmoved through wind and rain.

Zhou Nan stared at that outstretched hand, his expression changing like storm clouds. In the end, he looked as though his parents had died. Gritting his teeth, he dug out five more full packs from beneath the bed and handed them all over. Only then did Zheng Kaiming finally withdraw his hand. Without even looking at Zhou Nan, who had shrunk to the side and was gnashing his teeth, Zheng Kaiming patted the upper bunk of the steel-frame bed closest to the door—and thus closest to the restroom. "This is your bed."

The three Discipline Committee students filed in, tossed Shi Tiexin's things onto the floor, and turned to leave without a word. Zheng Kaiming was the last to give Shi Tiexin a careful look. He found that Shi Tiexin had remained silent. There was neither resentment nor grievance on his face, much less panic or dissatisfaction. He did not even have the common adolescent affectation of pretending to be strong and rebellious—of acting as though he did not care, as though nothing mattered, as though he disdained it all.

But it was impossible to say that this fellow had become dull-witted and vacant. Not to mention that anyone who could become a First Guard Champion was a favored child of heaven, but even now, his face and eyes were far from empty. There seemed to be something deep within his expression, at the bottom of his eyes, yet Zheng Kaiming could neither see through it nor put it into words.

"This Shi Tiexin..." Zheng Kaiming left the dormitory building, then the dormitory district. After parting with the three Discipline Committee students, he headed straight for the office building. Yet though he still walked with wind and fire in his stride, his mind kept turning over Shi Tiexin's affairs all the way.

The moment he stepped into the office building's lobby, Zheng Kaiming suddenly halted. At last, he understood what was in Shi Tiexin's expression, in his eyes.

It was calmness—nothing but calmness, firm as a mountain and vast as the sea. As though everything he had encountered today was no more than a clear breeze brushing a mountain ridge, a bright moon shining over a great river, utterly incapable of shaking that will of iron.