"Bucktooth, don't worry. There are always more solutions than problems. We'll find a way."
I comforted Mia with these words, but my mind kept replaying what that street thug had told me in the hospital that night: *When you run into a tough nut, you have to be tougher. When you meet a ruthless guy, you have to be even more ruthless. Otherwise, they'll walk all over you for the rest of your life. You've got to be ruthless to survive.*
John had bullied me again and again. I decided I wouldn't take it anymore. He demanded money from me? I wouldn't give him a single cent. I'd make him understand I wasn't someone he could push around.
Bucktooth seemed to catch something in my eyes. He stared at me, alarmed. "Andrew, you're not actually thinking of fighting John and his crew, are you? You can't win against them."
I bit my lip. "He can bully me all he wants, but I'll make sure he knows I'm not an easy target."
The next morning, classes went on as usual. The last period was P.E.
After making us run a few laps around the field, the teacher let us have free time. Some students played ball games, while others sat resting on the steps by the court. Bucktooth, who wasn't very strong, was panting heavily after the run. He pulled me along to the snack shop to buy drinks.
Bucktooth got himself an iced tea. I scanned the fridge full of colorful drinks until my eyes landed on the glass bottles of Fanta orange soda. Suddenly, an idea came to me. Without hesitation, I bought one.
We sat at a table outside the shop, drinking our drinks. After resting for a while, the bell rang.
"Class is over. Let's head back to the dorm."
As I spoke to Bucktooth, I quietly slipped the thick Fanta bottle into my pants pocket and began walking toward the boys' dormitory in the distance.
Bucktooth noticed me hiding the bottle. Startled, he quickly caught up and whispered, confused, "Andrew, why'd you take the glass bottle?"
Those Fanta bottles cost two yuan each, but you were only supposed to drink them in the shop and leave the bottle behind—the supplier collected them for reuse. No wonder Bucktooth was puzzled.
I glanced at him calmly. "I think this thing's pretty handy. It's not obvious on a table, but you can grab it as a weapon."
Bucktooth stared at me, horrified. "You're really going to fight John?"
I met his gaze. "He threatened to make me pay him a thousand yuan, said he'd make sure I couldn't stay at No. 2 High if I didn't pay. If he doesn't come after me today, fine. But if he does, I'll make him pay."
"John's a repeater," Bucktooth said fearfully. "He's got lots of friends at school, and people outside too. If you fight him, it'll end badly. I think you should find a way to get the money—spend money to avoid disaster."
"I don't have any money."
With that, I strode toward the dorm building.
We'd just gotten back to the dorm and washed our faces. Before Bucktooth and I could head to the cafeteria, the dorm door burst open with a bang.
Four guys filed in. The leader had short, spiky hair and a silver earring in his left ear. He wore a floral shirt and bright-colored shorts, with Anta sneakers on his feet. His expression was arrogant, eyes habitually half-closed—when he looked at you, his gaze was feral, aggressive.
Bucktooth panicked at the sight of him. "Y-Yong-ge," he stammered.
Behind John were three other boys from our class, nicknamed Big Buddha, Pillar, and Monkey.
The three of them closed the door and leaned against it, arms crossed. Their eyes settled on me like I was a piece of meat on a chopping board.
John ignored Bucktooth. He scanned the room, then casually sat down on my lower bunk. Flipping through the books I'd left on the bed, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. "Andrew," he said coolly, "is that thousand yuan for my medical fees ready?"
"No." Though I'd prepared for the worst, facing John and his gang still made me nervous. I stole a glance at the Fanta bottle I'd hidden at the foot of my bed. My palms were sweating.
John noticed the box of premium Miqi egg tarts beside my pillow and books. He opened the box, picked one up, and took a bite. Chewing, he said, "Can't get the whole amount at once? How much do you have? Five hundred this week, the rest next week—I can be reasonable."
Seeing him eat the egg tarts Linda had bought me made me furious. I hadn't even dared to eat them myself, yet he'd taken a bite.
I suppressed my anger. "Didn't you hear me? I don't have any money. And even if I did, I wouldn't give it to you."
John stopped chewing. Clearly, he hadn't expected me to defy him. He thought I'd be terrified and scrape together the money somehow.
"You playing me?"
After a second of shock, John's face darkened. He shot to his feet, snatched the egg tart box, and slammed it to the floor. Then he stomped on it hard, grinding it under his shoe. Teeth clenched, he pointed at my face. "You little shit—I gave you a way out, and you spat on it—"
Watching the egg tarts crushed beneath John's shoe felt like my own heart was being stomped on. Rage surged through me, turning my whole body violent.
"Fuck your father!"
With a roar, I grabbed the Fanta bottle and smashed it hard against John's forehead.
The bottle was an excellent weapon. It shattered into pieces on impact, leaving only half in my hand. John screamed, clutching his face as he collapsed to the floor. Crimson blood seeped between his fingers where he pressed his forehead.
"That's for bullying me!"
Not satisfied with just that, I kicked him hard, sending him sprawling.
"Yong-ge!"
"Boss—!"
"Kill this kid!"
Big Buddha, Pillar, and Monkey, shocked and furious at seeing John attacked, rolled up their sleeves to jump me.
I pointed the broken bottle at them. "Come at me if you've got a death wish."
They hadn't expected me to be so fierce. Hesitating, they finally backed down, intimidated by the jagged glass. Instead, they helped John up.
John had a gash on his forehead and was now covered in blood, but he was still conscious. Wiping the blood from his face, he looked murderous, ready to charge at me.
His underlings held him back. "Yong-ge," Big Buddha urged, "your forehead's bleeding badly. Get it treated first. We'll deal with this kid later."
John himself seemed wary of the broken bottle. Instead of forcing a fight, he spat out hatefully, "You just wait! I'll make sure you don't last at No. 2 High!" Then he let his lackeys lead him away.
As soon as they left, the Luo brothers—Big Luo and Little Luo—returned. Seeing the wrecked dorm, Big Luo gaped at me. "Andrew, did you fight John?"
"He forced me." I tossed aside the broken bottle and knelt to carefully pick up the egg tarts John had trampled.
Bucktooth complained, "They're all dirty. Why bother? You should be thinking how to deal with this mess. I told you not to fight him. Now he'll definitely send people after you. You should transfer schools. I don't think you can stay at No. 2 High anymore."
The Luo brothers said nothing, just looked at me with pity.
Silently, I gathered the scattered egg tarts. Looking at their soiled state, my heart ached. Linda had bought them for me with her own hands, and now they were ruined.
Hesitating, I picked up one that was still somewhat intact. I walked to the sink on the balcony, rinsed it under the tap, and took a slow bite. A bitter taste filled my mouth.
In the end, I finished the entire egg tart. Not because I didn't want to waste it, but because I wanted to swallow every bit of this humiliation. I needed to sear this bitterness into my heart and never forget it. If I couldn't even protect a small gift from Linda, what right did I have to protect her?