Apology and Atonement

Zhong Shenxiu returned to the dormitory and pushed open the door to Room 307.

The room was quiet—unnaturally quiet.

The lower bunk by the window that had originally belonged to Lin Xuan was now empty. The mattress had been taken away, leaving only the bare bedframe.

Lin Xuan's personal belongings—those expensive casual clothes, soul-guidance leather shoes, and leather backpack—had all vanished, as though he had never lived here at all.

Meanwhile, Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu sat on the other two beds, talking in low voices about something.

But the instant the door opened and Zhong Shenxiu walked in, the two seemed to have been hit with a pause button. Every sound abruptly stopped.

Wang Hao—the chubby boy—still had his right hand wrapped in bandages and secured with a splint. The bruising and swelling on his face had not yet fully faded.

Zhao Tiezhu—the tall, skinny one—had a strip of tape across his nose, with bruises still lingering around his eyes.

The moment they saw Zhong Shenxiu, their entire bodies seemed to stiffen. Their pupils contracted, their breathing stopped, and they did not even dare move a finger.

Fear.

Pure, undisguised fear was written all over their faces.

The one-sided beating three days ago had left an indelible psychological scar on them.

Wang Hao in particular had had all five fingers of his right hand forcibly broken. Although the school doctor had reattached them with a healing soul skill, that agony and terror had left him plagued by nightmares every night these past few days.

Zhao Tiezhu had not fared much better. Zhong Shenxiu had pinned him against the wall and driven more than a dozen punches into his abdomen, damaging his internal organs and making him vomit blood all over the floor. Though he had recovered somewhat, his stomach still hurt whenever he exerted himself even slightly.

As for Lin Xuan... supposedly, he had been taken home for treatment. His face was swollen like a pig's head, one of his front teeth had fallen out, and he would need at least half a month to recover.

Lin Xuan's father, the chairman of the Lin Family Soul Guidance Technology Group, had originally intended to demand an explanation from the school. But after learning what had happened, he had instead scolded Lin Xuan and sent someone to deliver a sum of money as compensation.

Zhong Shenxiu ignored their fear. His gaze swept across the dormitory.

The first thing he noticed was his own bed—it was completely different from how it had been when he left three days ago.

The pillow and blanket had been washed spotlessly clean and folded neatly. The bedsheet was spread without a single wrinkle.

On the bedside table sat the iron box that held his money. Its lid was open, revealing a thick stack of Federal Coin inside.

It was more than ten thousand.

Zhong Shenxiu walked over to the bed, picked up the iron box, and counted it.

Twenty thousand Federal Coin.

The extra ten thousand was obviously an "additional" payment.

He raised an eyebrow and turned toward Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu. The instant he turned around, both of them shuddered and instinctively shrank back.

"You put this here?" Zhong Shenxiu asked. His voice was calm, but to the two of them, it sounded like a thunderclap.

"N-No!"

Wang Hao hurriedly waved his hands, but the movement tugged at his injured right hand. Pain made him bare his teeth, yet he did not dare cry out. He could only endure it as he explained, "Young Master Lin... no, Lin Xuan's father sent someone to bring it. He said it was an apology for you and hoped... hoped you could let bygones be bygones."

Zhao Tiezhu hurriedly added, "R-Right! Lin Xuan's father sent the money, and we helped wash your bedding too. We aired out the blankets and everything..."

Their voices were careful, full of obvious flattery and fear, utterly unlike their arrogant selves from three days ago.

Zhong Shenxiu looked at their trembling appearance, then weighed the Federal Coin in his hand again. A faint, nearly mocking curve lifted at the corner of his mouth.

"Hah."

The soft scoff was especially clear in the silent dormitory.

Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu's hearts leaped into their throats.

"Twenty thousand..."

Zhong Shenxiu murmured, "Is that all a life is worth?"

Their faces instantly went pale.

"However..."

Zhong Shenxiu closed the iron box and placed it back on the bedside table. Then he turned to look at them. "Since it was sent, I'll accept it. After all, I do need money."

He paused, his Light Gold Vertical Pupils sweeping over the two of them. "As for you two..."

Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu's hearts rose again.

"From now on, you'll handle the dormitory cleaning."

Zhong Shenxiu said blandly, "The floor, windows, and bathroom must be cleaned every day. My bedding is to be washed once a week. Consider that your apology..."

He walked up to them and looked down at them. "Any objections?"

Though they were looking up at him, Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu felt as though they were being looked down upon. There was no emotion in those light gold vertical pupils, but the invisible pressure nearly left them unable to breathe.

"N-No objections!"

Wang Hao was the first to react, hastily nodding. "We'll take care of the dormitory cleaning from now on! We'll make sure it's spotless!"

"R-Right, right! We guarantee it!" Zhao Tiezhu quickly echoed.

Zhong Shenxiu nodded, ignored them again, and turned toward his bed.

He needed to tidy up a little before heading to the cafeteria for a meal.

Though meals were provided in the confinement room, they were only simple set meals, and there was not enough of them. His appetite had increased greatly; he could now eat twice as much as an ordinary person in a single meal.

Seeing that Zhong Shenxiu had no intention of pursuing the matter further, Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu both secretly breathed sighs of relief.

The two exchanged glances and saw the lingering fear and relief in each other's eyes.

They knew they had truly kicked an iron plate this time.

This poor-looking, withdrawn nine-year-old orphan was no pushover at all. He was a vicious beast wearing human skin. Lin Xuan's fate was the best proof—so what if he was a rich young master?

So what if he had a corporation backing him?

Once he was provoked, he would still be beaten into a pig's head, and even his family would not dare stand up for him.

"Um..."

After hesitating for a moment, Wang Hao cautiously asked, "Brother... Brother Zhong, have you eaten? How about... we treat you to a meal?"

He wanted to repair their relationship, even if only on the surface. After all, they would be living in the same dormitory for another six years. If things remained this tense, they feared they would go insane.

Zhong Shenxiu was organizing his clothes. Without even turning his head, he said, "No."

His tone was cold and distant.

Wang Hao awkwardly shut his mouth, not daring to say anything else.

After Zhong Shenxiu finished packing, he picked up his meal card and prepared to leave.

When he reached the door, he suddenly stopped. Without looking back, he merely said in an indifferent voice:

"Remember, this is the last time."

"If there is a next time, it won't be as simple as breaking a few fingers and coughing up some blood."

With that, he pulled open the door and walked out.

After the door closed, the dormitory fell into deathly silence.

Wang Hao and Zhao Tiezhu stared at each other, each seeing deep fear in the other's eyes.

"W-What did he mean by that just now?" Zhao Tiezhu asked in a trembling voice.

Wang Hao swallowed, his right hand throbbing faintly. "It means... if we dare provoke him again, he'll kill us."

Neither of them spoke again.

They knew Zhong Shenxiu meant it. If Director Long had not arrived in time during that beating three days ago, Lin Xuan might truly have been beaten to death.

This nine-year-old child possessed ruthlessness and decisiveness far beyond his age.

"From now on... let's just behave ourselves," Wang Hao sighed. "We can't afford to provoke him, but we can avoid him."

Zhao Tiezhu nodded deeply in agreement.