Qi Si led Reiko to the classroom building. After seeing her into Class 10, Grade 9, he strolled into Class 9, Grade 9.
Li Fang was conducting a class meeting, sternly explaining the class rules and discipline to the students sitting primly in their seats. After Qi Si took his seat, she shot him a warning look and said coldly, "Mark Lu Ming down for one tardy."
Although Class 9 was one of the two worst classes in the school, its students were not completely lawless. They still feared Li Fang's notorious reputation, and all sat as quietly as mice.
The familiar lecture on rules soon came to an end. Li Fang swept her gaze across the class, her voice severe. "Many of you are able to sit here today not because of yourselves, but because of your parents.
"You need to work hard, get good grades, enter a top high school, and become useful members of society. Only then will you live up to their expectations."
Drizzle shrouded Hope Middle School. Amid the gloomy, silent atmosphere, the class meeting ended, and Li Fang turned and left. All the students remained quietly seated, either flipping through books or burying their heads in practice problems.
The stagnant, deathly silence permeated the entire classroom building, creating the illusion that one might suffocate at any moment. Yet beneath the suppressed emotions, a murky, hidden malice stirred restlessly.
The moment the dismissal bell rang, several boys gathered around Qi Si with malicious grins. "Lu Ming, have you seen that Rabbit God again these past few days? Try praying to It. Maybe It'll change your bad luck."
"It's been so many days already. Your illness should be better, right? Go into the water again if you dare. If you do, we'll never bully you again.