Are You a Dog?

"What are you doing?"

Lu Zixue clutched the rear rack of the Phoenix bicycle in a death grip, wrestling with Li Ye. In just a few seconds, his palms were slick with sweat.

He had a premonition: if he let go now, this bicycle that had brought him countless envious looks and so much confidence would leave him forever.

"You're asking what I'm doing?"

Li Ye looked at Lu Zixue calmly. "Of course I'm taking back my bicycle. Is there a problem with that?"

Was there a problem?

Of course there wasn't.

But Lu Zixue felt there was a huge problem. If Li Ye took this bicycle away, what would his classmates think of him? What would Gao Xiaoyan think of him? What would the teachers think of him?

"You can't! This is my—this is the bicycle Older Sister gave me."

Lu Zixue racked his brains anxiously and finally found a suitable reason.

Back then, his older sister Lu Jingyao had been Li Ye's empress. No matter what she said, Li Ye had obeyed without question. He should obey her today too, right?

But Li Ye shook his head and said unhappily, "Whose bicycle is this? Is it your sister's?"

"..."

"Since it isn't your sister's, what right does she have to give it to you?"

By then, a great many people had gathered around them. Feeling the baffled gazes converging on him, Lu Zixue was so anxious he was nearly crying aloud.

"Your father said he didn't want it! Your father said he didn't want it back then!"

Lu Zixue gripped the rear rack tightly, as though he had suffered some towering injustice and yet possessed some towering justification.

That was right. When Li Ye's father, Li Kaijian, had thrown the betrothal gifts out the door, he really had said the harsh words, "Consider it feeding the dogs."

But Li Ye did not acknowledge those words, especially after Lu Jingyao had sent money to County Second High School.

Since she had returned the money to call off the engagement, why had she not sent it to both families' parents?

Perhaps Lu Jingyao had believed that sending the money to Li Ye would spare her father from having to come to return it and suffer another round of humiliation from the Li family.

But the rumors it would stir up against Li Ye at school had not entered her calculations.

The old Li Ye might have silently swallowed this mute loss.

But the current Li Ye...

Heh. If you were heartless, then naturally he would be unjust.

If he did not teach her some rules, would this not go on without end?

Li Ye stared coldly at Lu Zixue. "What did my father say back then? He said these things were considered as feeding the dogs. So tell me... are you a dog?"

Bzzzz—

Lu Zixue felt as if his mind had exploded.

His self-respect, his confidence, all of it collapsed in an instant. The thunderous echo of "Are you a dog? Are you a dog?" kept reverberating in his ears.

But Li Ye had no intention of letting the matter rest. He released the handlebars, then pressed harder. "If you're a dog, bark a few times for me. Then I'll give you this bicycle."

An unbearable humiliation. An unbearable humiliation.

At that moment, Lu Zixue had no other thoughts. He only felt that he had endured a humiliation too great to bear.

He actually understood that this Phoenix bicycle had been sent by the Li family when they became engaged to Lu Jingyao. Now that the engagement between the two families had been dissolved, this bicycle naturally no longer belonged to Lu Jingyao, much less to him, Lu Zixue.

But Li Ye's public humiliation still made him feel like an innocent and pitiful victim.

"Waaahhh—"

A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old's mental endurance was limited after all. Lu Zixue finally burst into loud sobs.

The students gathered around to watch had already formed three layers inside and three layers outside. Hearing someone bawling loudly now, they all stood on tiptoe to peer in, and in an instant the entrance to County First High School was packed so tightly that not even water could pass through.

"Bro, the teachers are coming. This is getting big."

Seeing several figures squeezing through the crowd in the distance, the tall, burly Li Dayong hurriedly tugged on Li Ye's sleeve.

"It's fine. We're not afraid of things getting big."

Li Ye had seen all kinds of scenes in his previous life. This situation was child's play.

With a casual tug, he pulled the bicycle over. Lu Zixue, still bawling, no longer had the face to keep struggling with him.

"What is going on? What are you doing?"

A teacher with a stern face squeezed into the center of the crowd and harshly questioned Li Ye and Li Dayong.

Teachers in this era had an innate bloodline suppression over students. Faced with the teacher's questioning, the six-foot-tall Li Dayong could not help shrinking his neck, like a customer caught by the police while visiting an unsavory establishment.

But Li Ye felt nothing of the sort. "We're not doing anything. We're just taking back what belongs to us."

"What belongs to you?"

The stern teacher looked at Li Ye, then suddenly said, "You... you're that Li Ye, aren't you?"

"Yes. We meet again, Director Yao."

Li Ye knew this teacher too, and his impression of him ran deep.

Back then, Lu Jingyao's father had said, "If Li Ye can get into college, I won't object," and Li Ye had insisted on repeating the year.

Though the Li family was furious at the time, they still pulled strings and contacted the head of the Security Department at County First High School, getting Li Ye into the Retake Class there.

County First High School had the best teaching quality and college admission rate in all of Qingshui County. The Li family had truly gone all out for Li Ye.

But just as Li Ye arrived at the school and was about to enroll, Director Yao from the high school academic office had blocked him outside, claiming that he did not meet County First High School's admission standards.

Li Ye's grades indeed did not meet County First High School's standards, and Director Yao's actions had been beyond reproach. But to the original owner, who had been in an emotionally sensitive period, it was undoubtedly a severe blow.

That was why the original owner had changed from cheerful and sunny to quiet and withdrawn. Director Yao was not unrelated to that change.

Director Yao narrowed his eyes and sternly asked Li Ye, "Since you are not a student of County First High School, why are you causing trouble here?"

Li Ye actually respected teachers of this era. They truly devoted themselves to educating their students.

But the contempt in this grade director's eyes made Li Ye deeply unhappy.

So anger rose in his heart for no apparent reason, and he immediately snapped back, "Teacher, let's set aside whether I'm causing trouble. Even if I were, you wouldn't have the right to interfere, would you?"

Director Yao's eyes immediately widened. "Why wouldn't I have the right? This is County First High School."

"This is a public road." Li Ye pointed at the pavement beneath his feet. "Inside the school, you can manage things however you like. But outside the school... you can't."

In his previous life, Li Ye had always hated this sort of thing.

After driving around forever and finally finding a parking space, he would find the storefront facing the street had placed traffic cones there, or even installed a parking lock.

You bought the storefront, or rented the storefront. Did you buy or rent the road outside too?

What utter nonsense.

But though Li Ye was angry, Director Yao was even angrier.

He had never seen such an arrogant student. He had to press him down.

So many people were watching. If the academic director of County First High School got shut down by a student, how was he supposed to lead the team from now on?

"I may not be able to manage the road, but I can manage students. You made my student cry, so I have the right to deal with you."

Director Yao swept Li Ye with a sharp gaze, then turned to Lu Zixue. "Speak. How did he bully you? Your teacher will stand up for you."

As though he had grabbed hold of a savior, Lu Zixue sobbed and said, "He stole my... bicycle."

"Good heavens! Robbery in broad daylight, and you even dared rob someone right at County First High School's doorstep. Today, if I don't have you arrested—"

Director Yao reached out to grab at Li Ye's sleeve, like an old cat baring its fangs and claws to protect its young.

There was only one 26-inch Phoenix bicycle in the school, and Lu Zixue rode it around every day, making it far too conspicuous. So Director Yao had not doubted Lu Zixue's words at all.

Li Ye casually shook his arm and flung Director Yao aside.

"Director Yao, please watch yourself. If teachers could arrest people whenever they pleased, what would the police be for?"

"..."

Director Yao had been shut down again. He was someone who cared deeply about reason; making a scene without logic was not his style.

But faced with Li Ye, who clearly did not take him seriously, he truly could not suppress the fury in his heart.

"Go! Call the people from the Security Department over here."

Several students immediately ran toward the school gate to summon the people from the Security Department.

The Security Department in those days was not merely "security guards." It was a joint-defense organization with considerable deterrence, more than capable of catching criminals.

Before the students could even squeeze their way to the school gate, the Security Department personnel had already forced their way through the crowd.

Director Yao pointed at Li Ye. "He's a robber. Arrest him for me."

But after looking Li Ye over, one of the Security Department staff laughed. "Impossible. I know this kid. How could he be a robber?"

"..."

Only then did Director Yao remember that he had been the one to reject Li Ye at the gate, disregarding the Security Department head's favor.

But Director Yao had never feared offending people. He said sternly, "Section Chief Ma, he openly stole one of our students' bicycle right outside our school. You can't play favorites."

"Stole a bicycle?"

Section Chief Ma looked at Li Ye, then at Lu Zixue, and waved his hand. "Director Yao, this is something we can't handle."

Director Yao said angrily, "Why can't we handle it?"

Section Chief Ma explained patiently, "Because we don't have the bicycle registration records here. This is actually easy to settle. Chengbei Police Station is only a few hundred meters up ahead. Go there and check, and you'll know who this bicycle belongs to."

Bicycles in the eighties and nineties had a complete registration system. Not only did you need an introduction letter from your work unit to register one at the police station, you also received a license plate and bicycle permit, and it even had to pass annual inspections!

After hearing Section Chief Ma's words, Director Yao thought for a moment and said, "Fine. Then we'll go to the police station."

But Lu Zixue went blank. He knew better than anyone whose name this bicycle was registered under.

If they went to the police station, once the truth came out, would Director Yao not devour him alive?

"I'm not going to the police station! The chief of Chengbei Police Station is his relative, Teacher. I ride this bicycle every day!"

Director Yao froze. Looking at the restless and uneasy Lu Zixue, he finally sensed that something was wrong.

For an instant, he felt as disgusted as if he had swallowed a fly.

When a person who prized reason suddenly discovered that he was the one in the wrong, who could understand that feeling?

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