That Blow

That Blow

When Zhuang Jianhui heard Ding Shuyan say they were leaving, he naturally had no objections. After seeing Yuzhou's gyms, he too felt like leaving.

Before they had gone more than a few steps, a chubby figure emerged from the gym's entrance.

Jiang Ning, who had been waiting in the distance, narrowed his eyes slightly. The person he had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Song Sheng wiped the sweat from his face, wearing a rather smug expression. He had just bench-pressed 65 kilograms.

If a real fight broke out, none of the adults around him would be able to beat him. He would easily pin them to the ground.

That thought alone was enough to make Song Sheng proud.

He was only in his first year of high school, and his body had not fully developed yet. Once he became an adult and kept training, he figured breaking 150 kilograms on the bench press would not be difficult.

At that point, who in the class would be able to mess with him? Wouldn't he be able to handle his classmates however he wanted?

But at the thought of school, Song Sheng's face darkened. That day, Jiang Ning had kicked him over in front of everyone and forced him to apologize before the whole class. He had been humiliated beyond belief.

He still could not understand why Jiang Ning, who was neither tall nor burly, had such immense strength. Even now, he could clearly recall the instant Jiang Ning had kicked him flying.

He was 1.75 meters tall and weighed 170 jin, yet he had actually been sent airborne.

What kind of strength was that? Even if he kicked himself with a running start, he could not pull that off! In short, there was no way to avenge this grudge anytime soon, unless he launched a sneak attack.

Song Sheng thought of his kitchen knife, then immediately crushed the thought. He would love nothing more than to hack Jiang Ning to death, but if he actually did it, he would definitely face severe consequences. He still had to get into college. He could wait until after he got his college diploma.

One day, he would bench-press 100 kilograms. Then he would pin Jiang Ning to the ground in class, beat him senseless, and reclaim the face he had lost.

Before that, he could only pick on weaker classmates to establish his authority.

Thinking this, Song Sheng's eyes drifted toward the people ahead.

As it happened, Zhuang Jianhui and the others were about to leave, so they spotted Song Sheng as well.

From more than twenty meters away, Lin Zida said quietly, "Did you guys see that guy? He goes to our school."

Zhuang Jianhui said, "Never heard of him."

School had only started a few days ago. He had seen several interesting people at No.4 Middle School, but Song Sheng was clearly not among them. He did not know a minor character like Song Sheng.

Ding Shuyan said nothing. She had spent the entire summer abroad and had only returned to the country recently. She had come to Yuzhou with her aunt today and had not yet transferred to No.4 Middle School.

"His name is Song Sheng, from Class 8. Funny thing is, Class 8 had a conflict right at the start of military training. During Evening Self-Study, some people fought in the classroom, and Song Sheng was one of the main ones. Then someone kicked him flying with one kick." As Lin Zida spoke, his brows rose. "He really was kicked flying. A buddy I know from Class 8 told me about it."

Zhuang Jianhui thought he was talking nonsense. "Kicked flying? That guy doesn't look light. He has to weigh at least 160 or 170 jin, right?"

"Exactly. I thought it was bullshit too, but that classmate sounded completely serious. You remember when we ate together the day before yesterday, right? The kid from that Transportation Bureau official's family said it," Lin Zida said.

"We came to Yuzhou at the same time. How come you seem so much more familiar with the place than I am?" Zhuang Jianhui glanced at Lin Zida.

Ding Shuyan quietly listened to them. She had been to many places, both in China and abroad. Every winter and summer break, she traveled with her aunt. She had seen much and had broad horizons, so she did not take students' scuffles seriously.

She even found them somewhat contemptible. What era was this? Fighting was childish and immature.

As a girl, she instinctively disliked violence, though she herself had gotten into plenty of fights as a child.

Song Sheng was too far away to hear them. Otherwise, he might have held a grudge against them.

He did not dare confront them directly. He was bad, not stupid. His family lived in Yuzhou City Center, and both his parents worked regular jobs. His family knew all about the major and minor matters in Yuzhou, including who could be provoked and who could not.

Zhuang Jianhui's group was absolutely among those he could not provoke.

At that gathering, an elder in his family with considerable status, someone who usually sat at the head of the table during family meals, had specifically warned him that Yuzhou's new leader was also surnamed Zhuang.

Song Sheng understood then that he could not afford to provoke Zhuang Jianhui. But that did not mean he feared him. If he were pushed too far, he would risk it all—at worst, they could trade one life for another! Song Sheng looked at the girl among them, and a flash of admiration, along with greed, passed through his eyes.

However, the two of them were destined never to cross paths. Though he was very strong and could bench-press 60 kilograms at sixteen, that could not bridge the gap between their social classes. It only allowed him to throw his weight around in class. Their statuses were simply too far apart.

Unless he could bench-press 600 kilograms and become an Olympic champion.

What mattered most now was how to get revenge. Maybe he could ask around about Jiang Ning, or find a few people to beat him up. He refused to believe Jiang Ning could take on several people by himself.

Song Sheng's small eyes shifted as he suddenly remembered that he did not seem to have any close friends.

Forget it. Beasts always walked alone; cattle and sheep moved in herds.

And Song Sheng was his own beast.

He headed toward the main road. His home was only a few hundred meters away, a three-to-five-minute walk.

As Song Sheng left, Jiang Ning moved as well. He was incredibly fast, crossing dozens of meters in an instant. His figure was like a ghost, yet amid the bustling city, no one noticed.

Song Sheng thought about how school started again tomorrow. It should be the day they handed out textbooks. He had attended summer tutoring classes and studied many subjects in advance, so he would definitely get excellent results on the Monthly Exam.

By then, the Class Teacher would surely value him more. It would also be easier for him to bully those honest students with poor grades in the future.

After all, didn't schools judge people solely by their grades?

Wasn't it only natural for students with good grades to bully those with poor grades?

Song Sheng felt that he had figured it out. A look of pleasure appeared on his face, curling the corners of his mouth into a cruel, grotesque grin across his fat face.

He took a step forward. It felt as if he were not stepping on the ground, but on the faces of weaker classmates. All the pent-up hostility from the past few days came crashing down beneath that step, and Song Sheng unconsciously put some force into it.

At that moment, Jiang Ning swung the stick. How immense was the strength of a body stimulated by electric currents day after day? The wooden stick tore through the air and viciously smashed into Song Sheng's calf.

Bang! Crack!

Two dull, sharp sounds rang out in quick succession.

Song Sheng staggered and fell.

His leg had been smashed by brutal force. What kind of pain was that? Excruciating pain surged through him, twisting Song Sheng's face into a grimace.

He looked at his leg in terror. Beneath his shorts, his calf swayed faintly like an octopus tentacle. It was clearly still there, yet he could not control it, as though it no longer belonged to him.

"Ah!"

"Ah, my leg! My leg!"

Fear descended like dark clouds. The terror of the unknown filled his heart with an unbearable emptiness and confusion.

The muscles throughout his body went limp in an instant. With no support left, he collapsed to the ground. The movement of falling tugged at his injury, and pain drenched him in cold sweat.

"My leg is broken! Ah!"

Song Sheng screamed miserably, his voice shrill as a pig being slaughtered, drawing the gazes of passersby.