After returning from the competition, Zhang Lei and Zuo Yaping had very few opportunities to meet, practically none. Zhang Lei's parents, of course, would not support their child dating early, and Zhang Lei himself hadn't thought about it that way. He just felt a little missed Zuo Yaping because he couldn't play with her anymore.
In the end, it was Zuo Yaping, the only girl, who mustered up the courage to call out to Zhang Lei in the hallway, "Um, hey!"
Zhang Lei was secretly pleased, but seeing several classmates gazing into the distance in the corridor, he couldn't help but feign impatience. "What?" he asked, his tone curt, as hard as a rock in a latrine. (To prevent Zhang Lei from developing amnesia and retaliating against Lao Gui, Lao Gui hereby declares that these were Zhang Lei's own words during the interview, revealing how much Zhang Lei later regretted his attitude.)
"It's nothing, I'm just returning the notebook I borrowed from you last time!" Zuo Yaping's voice, which was originally cheerful, hesitant, and relaxed, now had a hint of tears in it. She shoved a notebook into Zhang Lei's hand, turned around, and ran back to her classroom. Her ponytail seemed to brush against Zhang Lei's chest.
Zhang Lei wanted to call out to her, his lips twitched slightly, but he held back. People's opinions are a fearsome thing. Maybe in the future, Zhang Lei will learn to treat other people's opinions as nothing and live for himself. But right now, Zhang Lei is clearly not at that level. He not only cares about other people's opinions, but he cares about them a lot.
Another reason might be that Zhang Lei hadn't yet experienced a surge of testosterone at this time. He still felt the same way about romantic relationships and didn't think it was worth losing all his friends for the sake of one friend.
With Zhang Lei deliberately distancing himself, the rumors about the two of them quickly faded away. It wasn't until the summer vacation of his second year of junior high school, when Zhang Lei started growing his first hair, that he understood what kind of relationship it really was.
That day, Zhang Lei didn't know why he kept thinking about Zuo Yaping all day. He hadn't been in contact with her for more than half a year, but no matter whether he was sitting, lying down, reading, or playing games, Zuo Yaping's image was always flashing in his mind. He felt uneasy and couldn't concentrate on anything.
It's the same with sleeping. Either I can't fall asleep, or if I do, I definitely dream. In my dream, there are scenes of two people playing around. At the time, I didn't think much of it, but when I woke up, I felt so happy at that moment, and I wished I didn't have to wake up. This made my mind even more chaotic.
The mother noticed that something seemed wrong with Zhang Lei. "Lei Lei, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?" she asked, reaching out to touch Zhang Lei's forehead.
Zhang Lei felt inexplicably annoyed, as if being touched by his mother like that... he didn't know what it was, but he just didn't want her to touch him. "Nothing? My stomach is a little uncomfortable, I'm going to the toilet!" Zhang Lei turned his head away from his mother's hand.
The buildings in Daonan are all apartment buildings, so the toilets here are indoors, one bathroom per household, which is very similar to modern houses.
Zhang Lei noticed tiny, newly sprouting fuzz on his penis. He wasn't sure if he hadn't noticed it a few days ago or if so many had appeared in just one day; he certainly hadn't seen them before. These few fuzzes, though newly grown, marked their presence with a color different from body hair.
Most importantly, Zhang Lei finally understood what impulsiveness and unbearable desire meant. If Zuo Yaping were beside him at that moment, Zhang Lei would definitely pounce on her. Unfortunately, Zhang Lei could only think about it at this point, and even if he did pounce on her, he wouldn't know what to do next. Although he wasn't as foolish as that guy who banged his head against the toilet, he had only peeked at a few women's health magazines out of boredom and curiosity, without really studying them carefully.
The rest is history. While Zhang Lei's first love wasn't his own hands, his first sexual partner was undoubtedly his right-hand man. Perhaps this is the fate of most boys. For the sake of everyone's dinner, I won't describe the details; I doubt anyone wants to see that.
Zhang Lei had considered starting over with Zuo Yaping, but it was too late. Not only would the train have left and wouldn't turn back, but even if it hadn't been too late, Zhang Lei's thin ego wouldn't allow him to go back to an old flame.
Moreover, the two of them were destined to have no future together. Zhang Lei would definitely return to Shanghai after graduating from junior high school, which was the dream of all educated youth. Although Zhang Lei's mother was not exactly the head of the household, once she was determined to do something, and with the weight placed on her child's future, any objections would be weak or ignored.
...
It was Zhang Lei's turn to be on duty that day, and he was also responsible for cleaning the men's restroom. Zhang Lei carried water in and went in without noticing that Xiong Yong followed him in. Actually, even if he had noticed, who could have stopped him from going in? After all, he hadn't had gender reassignment surgery yet, had he?
"Zhang Lei, I'd like to talk to you?" Xiong Yong's expression was very sincere; judging from his face, he should be a diplomat.
"What is it? Speak up!" After experiencing Lei Xiaofeng, Zhang Lei felt that Xiong Yong wasn't so bad after all. Although he had bullied him in elementary school, he had never actually hit him, so his tone didn't sound particularly aggressive.
"So, don't you think this is awkward? How about we go back to how we used to be?" Xiong Yong cut to the chase.
"Like before what?" Zhang Lei didn't quite understand at first, but after mopping the floor a couple of times, he realized, "Like in elementary school? Like letting you grab me by the collar and then saying I'm afraid of you?"
Episode 1: Internal Strength Like a Drug, Chapter 12: Hitting a Cow Through a Mountain
"Like before, haha, do you think I'm stupid?" Zhang Lei found it very funny and didn't know what he was thinking. He actually made such a request and even followed him into the toilet to talk. It seemed that his IQ really needed to be checked. Maybe the reason this guy was so good at fighting before was because his head was more shock-resistant than others. Because the cerebrum inside was already cooked, its elasticity was naturally better, just like a hard-boiled egg is more elastic than a raw egg.
"What did you say?" Xiong Yong seemed to find it hard to believe. Did this guy really think Zhang Lei would agree?
"Like before, being bullied by you every day, and being spat on by you like Song Yadong without daring to utter a sound, I advise you to stop dreaming like that. You might as well dream of ruling the earth or something!" Zhang Lei looked at Xiong Yong as if he were looking at an idiot, but he didn't dare to relax his grip. Zhang Lei had never felt that the guy in front of him was sick as much as he did now. He had to be careful and watch out for him biting people.
"Say that again!" Zhang Lei's tone was so offensive that even someone with a good temper would find it unbearable, let alone someone like Xiong Yong who was used to being domineering. Zhang Lei's tone was even worse than pointing his finger at someone and calling them an idiot. Xiong Yong grabbed Zhang Lei's collar.
"I advise you to let go!" He gently twisted his neck.
Xiong Yong recalled the scene of Zhang Lei holding him down before. If Zhang Lei held him down here, he might be thrown into the latrine. Xiong Yong couldn't help but move closer to Zhang Lei and stick his elbows out.
Zhang Lei showed no intention of making a move. "Think it over carefully. You might not be able to beat me right now. Besides, if the two of us were to fight, I would definitely be fine, but whether you would be alright is another matter!"
Xiong Yong's father was the captain of the small fleet at the power plant. Anyone who needed to use a vehicle had to ask him for permission, so he had a lot of influence at the plant. But a school is a school after all. The power plant might have some influence over the school, but ultimately, it was the school leaders who made the final decision on how to handle the situation.
Xiong Yong's face paled a little. "You're just relying on your parents, aren't you?" he said, forcefully swinging his hands downwards. Unfortunately, Zhang Lei had placed the mop horizontally below him, and Xiong Yong's hands hit it directly.
It hurt quite a bit to hit your fingers directly on such a thick wooden stick. Watching Xiong Yong clasp his hands together, unsure which to lick first, Zhang Lei couldn't help but grimac for him. He really wanted to remind him that no matter how much it hurt, he shouldn't treat his hands like bear paws. Besides, bear paws, if not properly processed, are very smelly and pungent. Looking at the thick layer of grime on his hands, no wonder he didn't need gloves even in the coldest weather—that was a semi-natural protective layer. No wonder he's surnamed Xiong (Bear); it's almost like a bear rubbing pine resin off a tree.
Zhang Lei picked up the bucket, grabbed the adorable and magnificent mop, and headed outside. He no longer needed to worry about the little bear attacking from behind; its paws were now only good for steaming like bear paws. If it dared to rush at him now, Zhang Lei would be more than happy. 'If you insist on me taking advantage of your vulnerability, I'll oblige, won't I?'
Unfortunately, Xiong Yong was clearly not completely stupid. Zhang Lei could only leave him with the words, "You're just relying on your brother. What are you if you don't rely on your brother? At least I have good grades if I don't rely on my parents. What do you have if you don't rely on your brother? Hmph!"
Anyway, getting angry is a sure way to kill someone, so why not get angry?
Zhang Lei knew Xiong Yong all too well that if he took a step back, Xiong Yong would take two steps forward. So now that he had come this far, he absolutely could not back down, especially not in front of Xiong Yong.
That's Song Yadong. He had to join Xiong Yong's gang because an elder was in it. But this guy was probably even more weak and kind-hearted than Zhang Lei used to be. Zhang Lei never saw him argue with anyone. Even if they were in the same gang, Xiong Yong and his gang would bully him.
Zhang Lei witnessed Xiong Yong telling him to close his eyes, tricking him into giving him something to eat, and then spitting a wad of phlegm into his mouth!
Honestly, Zhang Lei felt indignant at the time. This was too much. I believe there were many people around who felt the same way as Zhang Lei. Zhang Lei even thought about raising his voice to uphold justice, but Song Yadong just glanced at Xiong Yong and didn't even dare to utter a curse word before running to the pool to vomit.
Therefore, this step is one that cannot be backed down under any circumstances. Even if things return to the way they were when Lei Xiaofeng was around, and they fight every day, there is no way to back down. Zhang Lei himself has not yet realized that Lei Xiaofeng is like a whetstone, gradually hardening his temperament. Without Lei Xiaofeng, it is really uncertain whether Zhang Lei would have the courage and audacity to confront Xiong Yong face to face.
Zhang Lei's mother often mentions something that happened when Zhang Lei was just starting elementary school, before they went to the power plant...
A little boy, about half a year younger than Zhang Lei, was chasing him around in the yard with a stick. Zhang Lei was being chased when his mother saw this and ordered him, "Zhang Lei, pin him down!"
Zhang Lei still listened to his mother. He turned around and easily pinned the child to the ground.
The child's mother, like Zhang Lei's mother, was a teacher at the school. She said in the teaching and research office, half-jokingly, "Teacher Jiang is really funny. He had his child pin my child down!"
When Zhang Lei's mother said something, she said, "He's a boy, and he's being chased and beaten by kids younger than him. What kind of behavior is that? Boys should act like boys, not be so weak!"
Unfortunately, that was Zhang Lei's nature, and he hardly changed it throughout elementary school. At that time, Zhang Lei's mother asked him, "Why don't you hit him back when he hits you?"
Zhang Lei's answer was, "If I hit him, wouldn't he feel pain?"
Unfortunately, this kind of personality either allows them to survive like Song Yadong, or they have to become strong on their own. Don't even mention the cutthroat world of society; even among elementary school students, this kind of personality will only lead to them being taken advantage of. Cattle and sheep don't eat meat; no matter how strong they are, they'll only become food for wolves. Perhaps some cattle and sheep might injure one or two wolves in their desperate struggle, but that's a minority, and those injured are usually novice wolves who haven't yet learned how to hunt. More often than not, by the time the cattle and sheep try to fight back, they've already lost the strength to swing their horns.