A disastrous start! Grandpa was an old hero?
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[Leave your brains here]
"Yue Xiaofei, congratulations on scoring 735! You're this year's top science student in Jiangbei Province!"
"Why are you still hauling bricks in this heat?"
"This is Principal Li, and this is Director Ma from the Education Bureau. They came especially to honor you!"
At a construction site in Jiangcheng.
A young man carried two sandbags, sweat pouring off him.
His deeply tanned yet still youthful face seemed out of place amid his surroundings.
His name was Yue Xiaofei, and he had once been a special forces War King.
Half a month earlier, he had fallen into an enemy ambush during a mission, only to find himself unexpectedly transported to this world.
The body's original owner shared his name and had been a student at Jiangcheng No. 1 High School. He had just turned eighteen that year.
Yue Xiaofei had quickly learned about his new identity through the original owner's diary, but what he found left him dumbfounded...
A father in prison!
A mother who had died young!
A grandfather with dementia!
A missing older brother!
It was an utterly disastrous start, but Yue Xiaofei refused to lose heart.
Since heaven had given him another chance at life, he would make it count and leave no regrets!
Having only just reached adulthood, he couldn't find a decent job, so he had chosen to haul heavy loads at a construction site.
Three hundred yuan a day, paid weekly, meals included!
He could earn money and build up his body at the same time.
After just half a month, Yue Xiaofei already had visibly defined abs. Though he couldn't match the formidable physique of his previous life, he was regaining some of that masculine strength.
Today was the day the college entrance exam results came out, but he hadn't given it much thought.
Then, just a few minutes earlier!
An Audi A6 had arrived at the construction site, and several balding old geezers had climbed out and surrounded him.
"Teacher Wang, you're not joking, are you? I really topped the college entrance exam?"
Yue Xiaofei looked at his homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang.
"Of course!"
Teacher Wang beamed, then asked, "By the way, you haven't submitted your university choices yet. Are you going to Qingbei or Jingda?"
"I'm not going to Qingbei or Jingda. I'm going to a military academy!"
Yue Xiaofei's voice rang out, firm and decisive.
What?!
Everyone present froze.
Principal Li and Director Ma, in particular, visibly darkened with displeasure.
"Xiaofei, don't be foolish. How could that compare to Qingbei or Jingda?"
Teacher Wang grew anxious and hurried to remind him, "Besides, under the school's rules, you can only receive a scholarship if you get into Qingbei or Jingda!"
"Even if you topped the college entrance exam, you won't qualify if you apply anywhere else!"
Teacher Wang knew that Yue Xiaofei came from a poor family. With neither parent around, he had to work odd jobs to pay his tuition and support his grandfather, who had dementia...
That made this scholarship especially important to him.
"No need! I'll earn my own tuition and living expenses!"
Yue Xiaofei remained resolute.
In another parallel world, he had earned countless military honors and should have been promoted to an officer long ago.
But he had beaten up a privileged official's son who had come to pad his résumé, putting an end to his dream of wearing stars on his shoulders!
Now, he wanted to attend a military academy and make up for that old regret.
"Heh!"
Suddenly, Director Ma chuckled.
"That's fine. Since you are determined to serve your country, Yue, we should encourage you! Some local entrepreneurs are willing to sponsor you. Just shoot an advertisement and say their products dramatically improved your grades, helping you become the top scorer!"
"Wouldn't that be lying?" Yue Xiaofei asked.
"It's just taking a few pictures and doing some promotion. How is that lying?"
Director Ma maintained his smile, wearing an air of respectability.
"No!"
Yue Xiaofei shook his head. "I won't do something that sleazy, and I don't want that dirty money!"
"Hmph, you ungrateful brat! You scored a little higher than everyone else, and now you think you're somebody?"
Director Ma stormed off and climbed into the Audi.
"Director Ma, please don't be angry!"
Like a lapdog, Principal Li hurried after him.
"Yue Xiaofei, you were far too rash. How could you talk back to Director Ma?"
Teacher Wang couldn't help complaining, "It's only an advertisement. Every year's top scorer has done the same thing!"
"Does doing it all along make it right?"
Yue Xiaofei's quiet question was calm, yet carried remarkable force.
It left Teacher Wang speechless.
"Sigh... I can't get through to you! But remember to watch out for Gao Zisheng. His father is a well-known wealthy businessman in the city. You offended him before, and I doubt he'll let it go!"
With that, Teacher Wang left too.
Gao Zisheng?
Yue Xiaofei searched his memories. The guy was the school's resident scumbag, using his family background to bully boys and harass girls. He especially enjoyed picking on Yue Xiaofei.
With neither parent around and a meek disposition that made him endure whatever came his way, the original owner had been a natural punching bag!
Whenever Gao Zisheng was upset, he would take it out on him!
But things were different now!
"Hmph!"
"Gao Zisheng, if you dare come looking for death..."
"I'll make you regret ever being born!"
That evening.
Yue Xiaofei collected his week's wages, a total of 2,100 yuan.
It sounded like a lot, but not everyone could handle such backbreaking labor.
He bought some vegetables and fruit, then returned to a single-story house in an urban village.
"Grandpa, I'm home!"
"Mm..."
Inside sat a white-haired old man wearing an old-fashioned military overcoat washed nearly white. It was covered in patches, but he couldn't bear to throw it away.
"Grandpa, I got paid today, so I bought your favorite watermelon and some braised chicken drumsticks!" Yue Xiaofei said with a smile.
His grandfather not only had dementia, poor hearing, and failing eyesight, but sometimes talked in his sleep as well.
Of course, Yue Xiaofei hadn't taken any of it seriously.
In the Dragon Kingdom, district officials would visit retired military personnel during holidays.
But no one had come to see his grandfather in all these years. Even if he had served when he was young, he had probably been no more than a private first class.
Bang!
Suddenly, a loud crash rang out as the already drafty wooden door was kicked open.
"Who's there?"
Yue Xiaofei immediately turned to look.
A young man with dyed blond hair, dressed head to toe in designer brands, swaggered inside.
It was none other than the notorious school bully, Gao Zisheng!
Behind him followed more than a dozen burly men with dragon and tiger tattoos on their arms, vicious thugs by the look of them.
"Gao Zisheng, what are you doing here?"
Yue Xiaofei grew tense.
"Yue Xiaofei, you really are hard to kill! I pushed you off the rooftop half a month ago, and you still survived to take the college entrance exam. You even managed to become the top scorer?!"
Gao Zisheng was brash and overbearing.
Half a month ago?
The rooftop?
Yue Xiaofei's expression darkened. He had indeed been lying in a hospital when he arrived in this world.
The original owner's memories contained only vague fragments of falling from a building.
He had assumed it was an accident, never imagining Gao Zisheng had done it!
"What? Cat got your tongue?"
Seeing his silence, Gao Zisheng grew even more smug and started cursing.
"I was chasing Pan Tiantian, the school beauty, but she likes guys with good grades. She even used you as an example, going on about how hard Yue Xiaofei works!"
"Who the hell do you think you are, trying to steal my girl?"
So that was it!
Yue Xiaofei instantly pieced everything together.
He had barely exchanged a few words with Pan Tiantian, but she had used his excellent grades as a shield to fend Gao Zisheng off.
That had stirred Gao Zisheng's jealousy, leading him to push Yue Xiaofei off the rooftop.
It was premeditated murder!
Since he had inherited the original owner's body, he would avenge him. Blood would be repaid with blood!
Smack!
Suddenly, Gao Zisheng pulled out a yellowed sheet of paper and slapped it onto the table.
"We'll deal with Pan Tiantian later. Today, I'm here to collect a debt!"
"Your father, Yue Changlong, owes the Gao Family a million yuan. It's all here in black and white, signed and sealed with his fingerprint!"
Huh?
Yue Xiaofei looked down. The IOU read, "I hereby acknowledge borrowing 1,000,000 yuan from Mr. Gao Tianxiong."
At the bottom was the name Yue Changlong, with a red fingerprint beside it.
"My father couldn't possibly owe you money. This IOU is forged!"
Yue Xiaofei saw through it at once.
His father had gone to prison five years ago. How could he have borrowed the money?
"Hmph!"
Gao Zisheng sneered, planted one foot on a chair, and glared down at Yue Xiaofei.
"Then get that jailbird father of yours out here to confront me! Oh, right, he's still working a sewing machine in prison. Guess he won't get the chance, huh?"
"Here's the deal. I'll give you two choices-"
"Either pay back the million within three days, or get on your knees, kowtow, and give me your Top Scholar Slot. Then we'll call it even!"
Gao Zisheng wore a malicious grin.
"In your dreams!"
Yue Xiaofei understood instantly.
This bastard never studied, spending his days skipping class and hanging out at bars. His scores across several subjects didn't even add up to a hundred!
He was putting on this entire act because he wanted Yue Xiaofei's Top Scholar Slot and intended to take his place!
"What, you don't want to?"
Gao Zisheng continued arrogantly, "Then I'll have this dump bulldozed and leave you homeless. I'll throw that idiot grandfather of yours onto the street to beg, too! Hahaha!"
"You-"
Yue Xiaofei was furious, his fists clenched. He wasn't afraid for himself, but his grandfather could barely get around!
Ring, ring!
Suddenly, Gao Zisheng's phone rang, and the voice of one of his disreputable friends came through.
"Young Master Gao, a few new foreign girls just arrived at the Caesar Club. Get over here!"
"Sure, I'll be right over for some foreign-language lessons!"
Gao Zisheng flashed a lecherous grin, then instructed his men.
"Flatten this dump, then teach this brat a good lesson! Even if things blow up, my dad can cover for us!"
With that, Gao Zisheng walked out, climbed into a Porsche 911, and sped away.
"Do it!"
Scarface, the thug leading the group, gave the order as a yellow bulldozer approached outside.
"Stop! Lay a finger on anything, and I'll fight you to the death!"
Over the past half month, Yue Xiaofei had gotten plenty of exercise at the construction site. His strength and reflexes were far beyond those of an ordinary person.
He lashed out with a kick to the nearest thug's stomach. The man doubled over in pain, then collapsed to the ground, screaming.
But there were too many of them. They quickly surrounded him, and seven or eight men pinned Yue Xiaofei down, leaving him unable to move.
"Kid, stop wasting your strength!"
"Young Master Gao gave the orders: once we flatten this house, we'll string you up here in the sun for three days. Then you'll know what happens when you cross the Gao Family!"
"Bulldozer, move!"
Scarface swept his hand forward.
"Grandpa! Grandpa, get out of there!"
Yue Xiaofei's eyes were bloodshot, his heart in his throat.
Grandpa was still in the back room!
"Heh! That senile grandpa of yours might as well drop dead. He's just a bottom-feeding nobody. No one would give a damn!"
Scarface bared a vicious grin.
Rumble!
The bulldozer roared like a wild beast, about to slam into the dilapidated single-story house.
Bang!
At that critical instant, a sound like a thunderclap exploded!
It was a gunshot!
Everyone froze. Even the bulldozer driver slammed on the brakes.
"Who the hell brought a shotgun?"
Scarface Dong looked around, sweat pouring down his face, his earlier arrogance gone.
Thud!
Thud!
Thud!
Then footsteps sounded from inside the house.
An unbelievable sight appeared before everyone's eyes-
Old Master Yue emerged, leaning on his cane.
He still wore that dark green overcoat. His hair was graying, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.
"Grandpa!"
Yue Xiaofei was stunned.
He had never seen his grandfather like this!
His back was straight as a towering pine, and the murderous intent in his eyes was almost tangible. He looked like a warrior who could take on ten thousand men on the battlefield!
At that moment.
A bold thought surfaced in Yue Xiaofei's mind-
Could it be... Grandpa wasn't an ordinary veteran?
Was he an old war hero who had ridden through battle, his towering spirit sweeping across ten thousand miles?!