I Have a Question

Listening to the lecture from above, Wang Yan flipped through his textbook.

These things, even though his memory was good, he could recall many high school subjects.

But recalling them was useless; he had to understand them.

However, these were minor issues. With his learning ability, in two years, who knew, he might even get into Tsinghua or Peking University.

The trio over there was discussing the two newcomers.

"Hey, hey, hey, what do you guys think of that girl?" Zhao Ye nudged the other two.

Chen Xun, not meaning what he said, replied, "Not much."

Qiao Ran, seemingly focused on the lecture and not paying attention, casually responded, "She's alright."

"Don't give up, keep asking," Zhao Ye persisted, "What about that guy?"

This question hit the mark. Both of them answered in unison: "Idiot."

"Yeah, I think so too. Looks like a loner," Zhao Ye nodded in agreement.

"You three, shut your mouths," Teacher Hou, having listened to their incessant buzzing for ages, couldn't stand it anymore.

The trio, dejected, stopped talking.

On the side, Lin Jiamo, seeing them get scolded, chuckled gleefully.

"Lin Jiamo, they didn't scold you, did they? What's so funny?"

Now it was the trio's turn to mock, their shoulders shaking as they tried to stifle their laughter.

This made Lin Jiamo grind her teeth in anger.

Seeing this scene, Wang Yan smiled knowingly. The joys of student life were that simple.

Unfortunately, when Zhao Ye turned to wink at Lin Jiamo, he caught Wang Yan smiling. To Zhao Ye, however, it looked like a smirk.

He felt provoked and, as a show of defiance, Zhao Ye flexed his fist at Wang Yan, putting on a fierce expression as if to say, "I'll show you."

Wang Yan didn't say anything, just narrowed his eyes, and his gaze instantly turned cold as he looked at Zhao Ye.

Their eyes met, and Zhao Ye felt a jolt, a palpitation, and quickly turned his head away.

But as soon as he turned his head, he felt like he had shown weakness. He wasn't convinced.

He turned back to look again. Wang Yan wasn't looking at him anymore; he was reading his book.

Looking at the figure engrossed in his studies, Zhao Ye felt that this kid was a bit unusual, though he couldn't pinpoint why. He rubbed his eyes and looked again. The feeling was gone, and Wang Yan seemed ordinary and unremarkable. Zhao Ye didn't think much of it, attributing it to his eyes playing tricks on him, and dismissed it.

Both Wang Yan and Fang Hui were new. Although making friends was quick at their age, it still took time to get to know each other.

Wang Yan didn't cause trouble or try to show off, so the day passed peacefully.

After school, he followed the address the system had given him.

It wasn't far from the experimental middle school, just two streets away.

Along the way, Wang Yan looked around with curiosity.

This was not the Beijing of twenty years later, with its towering skyscrapers and bustling, neon-lit streets.

There weren't many cars on the road; most were bicycles, and everywhere, uncles and aunties with their characteristic Beijing accents chatted with customers as they pedaled their tricycles.

The streets were also filled with trendy young men and women, dressed fashionably.

Passing a vegetable stall, Wang Yan bought some, planning to cook dinner later.

He continued looking around, and soon arrived at his destination.

It was an old six-story building located within the Second Ring Road. Given its location, it would likely be demolished in a few years.

He climbed all the way to the top floor, took out the key from his spatial storage, and opened the door.

Houses built in that era were not large; his was only sixty square meters.

He looked around. The room was clean, tidy, and simply furnished.

Wang Yan washed his hands and then started making dinner.

Before long, he had stir-fried two dishes, which he ate with steamed buns.

He instinctively patted his pockets, wanting a cigarette, only to realize his clothes had none.

Shaking his head, he cleaned up the dishes, went downstairs, and bought a pack of cigarettes. He climbed the stairs to the rooftop and, facing the evening breeze, lit a solitary cigarette.

In the following month, Wang Yan attended classes as usual and, on weekends, went to Zhongguancun to do some freelance coding, earning his first pot of gold.

Sometimes he would also visit the welfare home he had been to before. His current abilities were limited, so he couldn't help much. He would just spend time talking with the elderly residents and playing with the children.

Through interaction, everyone came to know that the two newcomers were quiet and didn't socialize much, seeming like outsiders.

There wasn't outright rejection, but they coexisted peacefully.

The trio, however, spent their time studying Fang Hui, showing a particular curiosity towards her.

During the National Day holiday, Wang Yan joined the people from the welfare home to watch the grand military parade. It was the first time in his life he had witnessed it firsthand, rather than on television. Although Wang Yan had cultivated a calm demeanor, seeing the rows of soldiers marching with imposing momentum still stirred his heart.

After the holiday, the students, not yet finished with their fun, had to return to campus.

After the first class ended, Chen Xun walked to the front and tapped the desk, drawing the attention of the students below. "Quiet, quiet down."

Wang Yan knew what was going on. They had been notified before the holiday that evening self-study would be extended to nine o'clock after they returned.

As expected, Chen Xun saw everyone quiet down and said, "Where there is oppression, there is resistance."

"Are we really having evening self-study until nine tonight?"

A loud cheer rose from the crowd below, echoing his sentiment.

Chen Xun continued, "So we must resist. This way of suppressing our freedom is unacceptable. Therefore, I propose that the whole class jointly petition to cancel evening self-study."

"Oh!" A burst of cheers erupted from below.

"Everyone, calm down. This isn't class struggle. We'll use a more democratic method: voting. Please raise your hands if you agree with my proposal."

Below, they looked at each other, and finally, everyone raised their hands.

Everyone except Fang Hui at the front and Wang Yan at the back.

Seeing Fang Hui hadn't raised her hand, someone beside her nudged her. "Why aren't you raising your hand? Hurry up."

The gazes of those around them focused on Fang Hui. Most people couldn't withstand such pressure. Hesitantly, she raised her hand.

At this moment, Zhao Ye, who was overjoyed, saw that Wang Yan at the back hadn't moved and shouted, "Hey, why aren't you raising your hand?"

Chen Xun, Qiao Ran, Fang Hui, Lin Jiamo, and everyone in the class looked at Wang Yan, who was sitting there.

Scanning the students in the classroom, Wang Yan said, "Isn't this democracy? I abstain. You guys do your thing, don't mind me."

Chen Xun stared at Wang Yan, thought for a moment, and said, "Alright, then we won't mind classmate Wang Yan."

Zhao Ye was indignant over there, but since Chen Xun had spoken, he didn't say anything more.

Fang Hui watched all of this. To be honest, she envied Wang Yan's courage.

Everyone began to enthusiastically sign a large piece of paper, as if participating in a significant event with a historical mission, as if they were firing the first shot in the struggle for the students of Experimental Middle School.

Chen Xun placed the signed paper, filled with names, on the classroom blackboard.

The Dean of Students, Ma Jianjun, came to give them a class and saw the large paper filled with names on the blackboard.

He tore it down and threw it onto the podium.

"Who did this? Who did this?"

Chen Xun stood up with an impatient expression. "I did."

"Someone like you can be class monitor? If you don't want to study, go home."

"I want to study."

"If you want to study, why aren't you studying properly? I've seen so many students, but I've never seen anyone like you."

Chen Xun tilted his head. "Dean, I have a question. How do you write the character for 'person'?"

Without waiting for Dean Ma's reaction, he walked onto the podium and picked up chalk.

He wrote the character 'person' with a left-falling stroke and a right-falling stroke.

"If you don't understand, I'll explain it to you."

Dean Ma looked at him without speaking.

"The character for 'person' has a left stroke and a right stroke, supporting each other, standing tall. The left side is freedom, and the right side is independence. You are depriving us of our freedom and denying our independence. Dean, if we can't even be people, how can we be students?"

"You, get out of here..."

"I have a question." Before Dean Ma could finish speaking, Wang Yan raised his hand.

"Speak," Dean Ma said irritably. "I'd like to ask classmate Chen Xun, what are your so-called freedom and independence?"

Chen Xun hadn't expected Wang Yan to target him. He felt a bit embarrassed. After thinking for a moment, he began to quote obscure passages to Wang Yan, explaining the principles of freedom and independence he had read somewhere.

Finally, he said, "Then this matter today is the freedom and independence I'm talking about."

"Then let me ask you, if you don't want to attend evening self-study, why didn't you talk to your parents and ask for leave? If that didn't work, you could have just skipped it. Why do this? Why drag everyone else down with you?"

"If you were truly as you claim, why didn't you stand outside with a megaphone and announce your purpose to the thousands of students in the three grades? Why didn't you confront the school leaders directly and state your demands? Wouldn't that be more effective? Wouldn't that better demonstrate your freedom and independence?"

"I'm not saying whether your freedom and independence are right or wrong. Have you considered them?" Wang Yan said, pointing at the other students.

"From what I see, at least classmate Fang Hui doesn't want your freedom and independence, and neither do I."

As Wang Yan spoke, some of the students' expressions changed, clearly indicating they didn't truly feel that way.

"And don't say I'm making generalizations," Wang Yan said, pointing at a few people with uneasy expressions.

Seeing the people Wang Yan pointed to, Chen Xun was confused. He remembered some of them had been quite vocal.

Chen Xun was unconvinced but couldn't refute him. His motives weren't pure. He stared intently at Wang Yan, remembering him.

Dean Ma saw that the situation was under control and said, "Alright, shut up."

"Chen Xun, go write a 5,000-word self-criticism," Dean Ma said, pointing towards the door.

Chen Xun left dejectedly.

"Okay, let's continue with the class."

Afterward, Director Ma began his lecture in a torrent of words.

Qiao Ran thought about Wang Yan's words, as he felt they held some truth, and Wang Yan was someone who knew the real situation.

Zhao Ye glared fiercely at Wang Yan. His good brother had been publicly humiliated, and he couldn't just stand by.

Lin Jiamo naturally sided with them. Young people always had clear likes and dislikes.

Fang Hui already had a decent impression of Wang Yan and felt he had spoken her mind.

The other classmates also mulled over Wang Yan's recent words. Some thought Wang Yan was being nosy, some felt he was right, and some resented him for speaking up after the fact. Yet, they had all signed their names.

After class, Director Ma left.

Zhao Ye slammed his desk, the chair scraping with an unpleasant noise.

"Damn it, what's your problem? Why are you always stirring up trouble?" Zhao Ye walked over, pointing at Wang Yan.

Wang Yan grabbed his hand and twisted it clockwise. Zhao Ye couldn't resist the immense strength. He immediately squatted down, following the momentum with a spin, his face pressed to the ground, his arm pinned behind his back by Wang Yan.

"Hiss, it hurts, it hurts. Let go quickly." Zhao Ye couldn't break free, and the pain intensified. He quickly spoke, feeling like his arm was about to break.

Over there, Qiao Ran heard the commotion and came over. Seeing his good brother being bullied like this, he said, "Let him go," and rushed over, trying to pry Wang Yan's hand off.

But how could he match Wang Yan's strength? He was easily pulled, pushed, and twisted. "Ow, it hurts, it hurts," both he and Zhao Ye were contorted in pain.

Wang Yan knew his limits and wouldn't actually injure them. He leaned forward slightly in his chair and moved closer to Zhao Ye: "What did you just say?"

"I said... Ow! Hiss..." Zhao Ye was about to speak when Wang Yan instantly applied a little more force.

"What did you just say?"

"I didn't say anything, I said everything."

"Hmm, teachable." With that, Wang Yan released them.

Zhao Ye and Qiao Ran stood up, quickly rubbing their shoulders. It hurt like hell.

"You..." Zhao Ye was about to say something harsh, but Qiao Ran, being pragmatic, saw Wang Yan starting to rise and quickly pulled Zhao Ye away.

He had already experienced that strength and didn't want to go through it again.

Seeing the two leave, Wang Yan glanced at the students who had gathered to watch. They quickly dispersed.

He had offended all three of the class's bullies. What a tough guy.

Zhao Ye and Qiao Ran went outside and found Chen Xun playing basketball. Zhao Ye said, "Damn, that kid is something else. His strength is incredible, it hurt like hell."

"What happened? Did he hit you?"

"No, he just..." Zhao Ye recounted what had happened.

After hearing him out, Chen Xun said, "We can't just let this go."

Qiao Ran, however, said, "I think he had a point, Chen Xun."

Chen Xun naturally knew Wang Yan had a point, but what did that matter?

"Qiao Ran, whose side are you on? He treated you both like that, and you're still speaking up for him?"

"Didn't Zhao Ye start it?"

Zhao Ye felt wronged: "I was just trying to get justice for Chen Xun."

"Alright, alright, stop talking. We'll deal with that kid in a couple of days. We can't do anything here at school. The priority is tonight's game."

As he spoke, Chen Xun pondered for a moment: "I've got it. I have a way. I guarantee we'll get to watch the game tonight."

Zhao Ye asked enthusiastically, "What way?"

Chen Xun's lips curled into a slight smile: "Come closer and I'll tell you."

The trio whispered amongst themselves.

Returning to the classroom, Chen Xun saw Wang Yan at the back and snorted. That guy was too annoying. He'd remember this and get him back.

That evening, during self-study.

Chen Xun signaled to the other two. Seeing Wang Yan looking at him, he shot a warning glare, then sneaked out.

A short while later, the classroom lights suddenly went out.

The male students were mostly fine, just momentarily stunned. A few of the female students, however, screamed like they were being murdered, "Ah!"

At that moment, sounds of running, cheering, and commotion came from the hallway: "Going home, hahaha."

Hearing the noise, they quickly followed suit and rushed out in a swarm.

They were afraid the lights might suddenly come back on, forcing them to continue their miserable self-study.

There were still some people left in the classroom. This kind of thing happened sometimes, and the teacher would be here soon.

They were also waiting for news, to see what the teacher would say.

Wang Yan sat quietly, watching the moonlight outside in the darkness.

In the dark, Wang Yan felt someone watching him. He turned his gaze towards the direction of the feeling.

The classroom was pitch black, making it impossible to see who was there. But he knew Fang Hui was sitting there.

Fang Hui had just gone out to the restroom. When she returned, the power suddenly went out, and she bumped into the trio.

She had returned and was waiting for the teacher's notice. As she walked in silently, she saw Wang Yan in the back row bathed in moonlight.

Over there, the teachers noticed the lights had gone out and quickly came to calm the students.

They immediately sent someone to check the power distribution box, only to find that the circuit breaker had been pulled.

Instantly, Director Ma locked onto his target.

After all, he had his suspicions given what happened during the day.

He directly dragged back everyone who had been watching the game outside.

Standing on the podium, Director Ma was furious. How could this be tolerated?

"Who did it? Huh? Who exactly did it?"

I went out to use the restroom earlier, and when I came back, the power suddenly went out, and I bumped into the trio.

She returned and was waiting for the teacher's notice. As she walked in silently, she saw Wang Yan in the back row bathed in moonlight.

Over there, the teachers noticed the lights had gone out and quickly came to calm the students.

They immediately sent someone to check the power distribution box, only to find that the circuit breaker had been pulled.

Instantly, Director Ma locked onto his target.

After all, he had his suspicions given what happened during the day.

He directly dragged back everyone who had been watching the game outside.

Standing on the podium, Director Ma was furious. How could this be tolerated?

"Who did it? Huh? Who exactly did it?"

(Yesterday's heroic spirit vanished after a night's sleep. Writing this now, everything feels like a mess. Then I started thinking about old times, and unconsciously thought of my first love, my unrequited crush. The more I wrote, the less energy I had.)

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