"Ring!"
"Class is starting. Please return to your seats."
"Hey! Xia Shule! Are you going tonight?"
"I'm not going anywhere like that. Go yourselves if you want." Xia Shule returned to his seat and looked out the window.
A boy was walking toward the classroom building. He had seen this boy before. Old Zhang, their homeroom teacher, had said he was a new student. He wondered whether he would join their class.
The figure was too far away for him to make out his face.
Xia Shule looked away, uninterested.
"Lele!" Zhou Anyang came over with a smile, the bruising around his eye still there.
He secretly took out a handful of money and started stuffing it into Xia Shule's hand. The bills were crumpled. Not knowing what he was doing, Xia Shule hurriedly blocked the money.
He asked, "What are you doing? Whose money is that?"
"Mine!"
"Why are you giving it to me?"
"I saw them all collecting protection money. You saved me, so I'll give my protection money to you!" Zhou Anyang smiled, making the eyeball beneath his swollen eyelid even harder to see.
Xia Shule rolled his eyes. "Dude, I didn't save you for your money. Keep it and spend it yourself. Buy whatever you want. As long as I'm here, you don't have to pay protection money to anyone, including me!"
Zhou Anyang stuffed the money into his pocket, a little embarrassed. But who wouldn't be happy about not having to pay?
An imperious voice sounded behind him. "Hey, class is starting."
He turned around. Xiang Lin stood there with a lollipop in his mouth. This was Xiang Lin's seat. He and Xia Shule were deskmates, and Zhou Anyang was currently occupying his place.
Zhou Anyang hurriedly stood. "Sorry, I'll go right now!"
With that,