Chapter 29
“You never hated me from the beginning, right?”
Ding ling ling ling ling—
The school bell rang, and Shenhai City’s Boyi High School quickly returned to silence. A short while later, the sound of reading aloud echoed from the top of the teaching building.
In the office, the principal had a complicated expression. He put down the tragic report card with Yang Xiaodao’s name on it and hesitated for a moment:
“This… although we are a private high school, we do have some requirements for academic standards. If your child wants to transfer here, with such grades, I’m afraid it’s still…”
In the armchair, Bai Sheng was about to habitually cross his long legs and put his hands in his pockets when Shen Zhuo, beside him, cleared his throat.
Bai Sheng immediately reacted, adopting a rare, proper, and humble sitting posture, and replied to the principal with equal sincerity, “I understand, I understand. This child is just a little low on IQ, everything else is fine.”
“…” The principal said, “Ah, everything else is not a problem, the problem is these grades…”
Bai Sheng pointed to the second page of the report card and argued reasonably, “You see, his liberal arts are quite good. His geography is close to a perfect score except for the multiple-choice questions!”
“Combined science, three subjects, 85.”
“At least his history passed…”
“Combined science, three subjects, 85.”
“His English grammar is also passable. If only he hadn’t gotten every single one of the cloze test questions wrong…”
The principal said slowly, “Combined science, three subjects, 85.”
The air was silent.
Shen Zhuo stood up as if nothing had happened. “You two chat. I’ll go for a walk.”
Before he could finish, he was grabbed by Bai Sheng and pushed back into the chair, accompanied by a look that screamed “if the fish dies, the net breaks,” meaning, don’t you dare leave me here to be embarrassed alone!
Shen Zhuo closed his eyes wordlessly. From his expression, he probably wished he hadn’t shown up today at all.
“Mr. Bai,” the principal finally couldn’t help but ask sincerely, “There are so many private high schools in Shenhai. Why must you transfer your child to our school? Or you could find an international high school and send your child abroad in the future?”
It turns out that anyone dealing with Bai Sheng must follow a basic law: don’t ask questions, don’t give him a spotlight, a microphone, or a stage; don’t let him enter his own BGM.
Sure enough, the next moment, Bai Sheng, possessed by an award-winning actor, grabbed Shen Zhuo’s hand and expressed with genuine emotion:
“—Our family’s Yang Xiaodao is a child of bitter fate!”
The principal: “?”
Shen Zhuo tried to pull his hand away, but there was no one on this earth who could escape the terrifying, ton-level grip of an S-class evolutionist.
“This child’s mother died early, his father was a gambler and an abuser who didn’t let him go to school. Whenever he drank, he would beat him black and blue. To be able to study, he shouldered the heavy burden of life from a young age, often picking up trash and selling wine bottles and scrap…”
Shen Zhuo whispered from the corner of his mouth, “Do you have regular patch updates for the script you wrote for Yang Xiaodao?”
Bai Sheng ignored him. “…He used the money from selling scrap to pay his tuition, and he couldn’t even bear to buy draft paper. To make matters worse, five years ago, while this child was walking the streets collecting old mobile phones in exchange for stainless steel washbasins, a washbasin fell from the sky and hit him on the head, causing brain damage on the spot…”
The principal was already stunned by this divine development.
“The once straight-A student, Yang Xiaodao, who excelled in both character and studies, was thus transformed overnight into a mentally handicapped child who struggled even with three-digit addition and subtraction—but he did not give up on himself! He started over from one plus one, relearned from the 26 English letters, and through tenacious self-rehabilitation, finally successfully cured his brain disease…”
With a rustle, Bai Sheng flipped open Yang Xiaodao’s report card, his voice full of emotion. “And today, five years later, he has successfully achieved the excellent result of 85 points in the three combined science subjects!”
The principal: “…”
“What lesson do these deeds teach us?” Bai Sheng looked at the principal encouragingly, asking in a persuasive tone.
The principal was speechless.
Bai Sheng made the final call. “This unyielding character, this spirit of self-improvement, is exactly what we encourage and advocate for. The future is promising!”
The principal’s office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
After a long while, the principal finally forced his mouth shut and raised his hands to applaud, full of admiration. “I have devoted myself to education for many years, and in my life, I have never seen such a self-improving child!”
Bai Sheng nodded humbly.
“But… I still want to know,” the principal asked cautiously while applauding, “Why must you transfer such a self-improving child to our humble school? What virtue does our humble school possess to have attracted your attention?”
“Oh, it’s like this.” Bai Sheng casually pointed at Shen Zhuo. “This pretty friend of mine feels very much like the child’s mother. To let the child feel a mother’s warmth, I think it’s better to choose a school close to his workplace, for convenient pick-up and drop-off.”
Shen Zhuo: “…”
The principal: “…”
The fact that Bai Sheng had lived this long without being beaten up was due to three indispensable reasons: his naturally good looks, being the sole heir of a wealthy family, and his S-class evolution. If he had lacked even one of these buffs, it was highly likely he would have been beaten to death for his sassy mouth halfway through his growth.
“I understand, Mr. Bai.” The principal thought it over and, knowing he couldn’t handle this surnamed Bai on his own, gritted his teeth and made an excuse. “How about this, I’ll discuss it with the school board first, and you can go back and wait a few days. Later, I’ll have the school board personally visit your residence…”
Bai Sheng said faintly, “Must it be this way?”
The principal said, steeling himself, “I believe the school board will definitely give you a satisfactory answer…”
Bai Sheng sighed. “It seems I can’t move your hard heart today.”
The principal thought to himself, if you don’t leave, it won’t be my heart that’s hard, but a heart attack!
“In that case, there’s only one last way. Let’s solve the problem like adults.”
Bai Sheng leaned back, crossed his long legs, and under the principal’s wary gaze, picked up the report card, slowly and thoroughly tearing it to shreds. Then he asked seriously:
“Is donating a teaching building enough?”
Shen Zhuo almost choked on his tea on the spot.
“…………” The principal was silent for a long moment, then said with difficulty, “Mr. Bai, we are not that kind of school. Although we are private, we have a noble educational philosophy and strict self-requirements…”
“Plus a library, and a complete renovation of three dormitory buildings. I’ll even have the floors done with imported European materials.”
The principal stood up and shook Bai Sheng’s hand, his joy at the unexpected windfall palpable, his tone firm and forceful. “Deal!”
·
Beep beep. A few car horns sounded as the traffic began to move slowly at the changing traffic light.
On a long bench by the high school gate, Yang Xiaodao sat with his hands in his pockets, his handsome face hidden in his hood, indifferently watching a nearby kindergarten that had just let out.
“Mommy, Mommy, I want that…” “Jiajia was a good girl today too!” “Teacher, how much did our child eat today?” “Cross the street, red light stop, green light go…”
The children tumbled and screamed, laughing and playing, each being carried into cars by their young parents, or led away by their grandfathers and grandmothers on electric folding scooters. The fragrant aroma of freshly fried skewers and sponge cakes from the small stalls wafted through the air.
Yang Xiaodao closed his eyes and buried his head deep in his palms.
The noisy, trivial fireworks of the mortal world receded like a tide. A torrential downpour crossed time and space, roaring in his ears with a deafening sound.
—Run, run.
In a daze, he became weak and small, running forward desperately, his internal organs twisting with hunger, his ears filled only with his own ragged breathing.
“…Your parents didn’t want you. We’re the ones who raised you, you ungrateful wolf…” “The police don’t dare to touch an evolutionist like you. What’s wrong with doing a few things for us!” “Didn’t I just ask you to get some more money? If you can’t even do that, what’s the use of raising you!”
…
Scolding, whipping, and punches and kicks from all directions.
Run faster, just a little faster, a little farther—
Thump!
A dull thud from in front. The little boy ran into someone and stumbled, falling headfirst into a puddle.
Ignoring the pain, he scrambled up to run, but as he passed, he was easily grabbed by the back of his collar. “Yo, little ghost, in a hurry to get reincarnated?”
The little boy raised his head in alarm and saw a pair of smiling eyes behind sunglasses.
The person was very young, very tall, casually holding a black umbrella. His handsome features had a playful look, and he seemed a bit mischievous.
But he exuded an extremely powerful and mature aura of his own kind.
“…” The little boy trembled all over. Hunger and fear flooded every nerve. After a long while, he finally brought his trembling hands out from behind his back and opened his palms. In the downpour, his hands were dripping with blood.
“…I… I killed… someone…”
“They were going to beat… beat me to death. I didn’t mean to…”
The person raised an eyebrow and said softly, “So you sent someone else to get reincarnated.”
Under the filthy sleeves, his arms were thin and frail, covered in marks from whips and cigarette burns, like a wounded young beast.
“Still didn’t make it in time…” the man murmured with a sigh. “Forget it.”
He took the bloody hand, not caring that his own palm was stained with blood, and led the little boy into the distance.
“Where… where are you taking me?” the little boy stumbled along behind him, looking up and asking.
“To a place where you can eat your fill and study like a normal person.” The person had long legs, but his pace was one that a small child like him could keep up with. His smiling voice was very clear in the heavy rain.
“Even beasts must learn to protect themselves, learn to use their fangs correctly, and coexist peacefully with the people of this world.”
…
Knock, knock. Someone knocked on the back of the chair with their knuckles.
Yang Xiaodao was startled out of his memories and turned his head to see Shen Zhuo.
“What’s wrong?”
The street was bustling with traffic. Yang Xiaodao lowered his head and wiped his face. When he looked up again, his expression was nonchalant, but his voice was slightly hoarse. “…Nothing. Where’s Bai Sheng?”
“He went to get the car,” Shen Zhuo said. “The admission procedures are done. Come here for registration and classes the day after tomorrow.”
Yang Xiaodao: “Oh.”
He didn’t ask how Bai Sheng had gotten him into this school, what price he had paid, or what he planned to have him do in the future. He was like a young wolf on the verge of adulthood, defiant, sensitive, and taciturn, offering unconditional loyalty and following the powerful alpha wolf with the pack.
Shen Zhuo followed his previous gaze and looked at the bustling kindergarten across the street.
“How did you meet Bai Sheng?” he suddenly asked.
Yang Xiaodao said warily, “What’s it to you?”
“What about your parents?”
“They’re dead.”
“Do you still remember what your parents looked like?”
“I forgot a long time ago.” Yang Xiaodao narrowed his eyes coldly. “What are you trying to do?”
“…”
Shen Zhuo stood behind the long bench, one hand in his pocket, the other resting on the back of the chair.
The Shenhai City Supervisor was slender. When Yang Xiaodao looked up, he couldn’t see his eyes, only that his expression was hidden in the shadows. After a long moment, he slowly opened his mouth and said:
“…Yang Xiaodao, 16 years old, originally from Yangjia Village, Pingliang County.”
Yang Xiaodao stiffened.
“His parents divorced when he was young and their whereabouts are unknown. He was abandoned at a distant relative’s home and suddenly evolved at the age of 11. In the same year, his distant relatives died mysteriously from an abdominal stab wound from an unknown weapon. The scene was arranged to look like a robbery, but no weapon or culprit could be found. It was eventually filed as an unsolved case.”
“After that, you met Bai Sheng, were brought back to Shenhai under a false name, and have lived as an ordinary teenager ever since.”
The afternoon street was noisy, but in this small space, it was as if even the air had frozen.
“The Supervision Office’s intelligence team is not just for show.” Shen Zhuo calmly looked down at the tensed-up teenager and asked, “Was it really a robbery?”
“…” Yang Xiaodao’s nails dug deep into the flesh of his palm. He growled with hostility, “What does it have to do with you?!”
Unexpectedly, Shen Zhuo didn’t get angry, or even seem to care much. He squinted at the lively scene of the school letting out across the street and, after a long moment, suddenly said:
“Actually, I don’t remember either.”
Yang Xiaodao was stunned for a full two seconds before realizing he was answering the previous question about his parents’ appearance.
“Everyone remembers what my parents were like before they died, only I forgot. It might be because they passed away too many years ago. Later, I really wanted to remember, but then I felt it was meaningless.”
The afternoon street was bustling with voices, but in front of Shen Zhuo, it was as if there was a cold, transparent barrier, and he was watching the distant, lively mortal world with cold eyes.
“Parents are the initial anchors of our lives, but not every anchor chain is so indestructible. If you unfortunately lose your anchor, even in a raging storm, you have no choice but to set sail alone immediately. It can’t be helped.”
For a moment, Yang Xiaodao almost suspected that the person in front of him was not the high and mighty Grand Supervisor of Shenhai City, but someone whose soul had been switched.
Two beeps sounded in the distance. A black Cullinan, caught in the traffic, honked at them arrogantly twice.
Shen Zhuo patted the back of the chair. “Let’s go. Bai Sheng is here.”
·
The great young master Bai had many properties in Shenhai, but after returning to the country, his favorite place to live was the top-floor penthouse apartment less than a fifteen-minute walk from the Supervision Office. According to him, it was because he had once spent a wonderful night there with Supervisor Shen and had indelible, beautiful memories. And every time he relived this memory with Chen Miao, his eyes would fill with shy, pink bubbles, completely ignoring the fact that Chen Miao wished he could knock himself into amnesia with a stick.
“Yang Xiaodao sleeps in this room.” Bai Sheng, wearing a black tank top and sweatpants, walked barefoot through the long corridor, pointing to a south-facing guest room and signaling for Yang Xiaodao to throw his backpack in. “Same old rules: first thing after school is homework. No games, no phone, no music on speaker after 12 o’clock. And absolutely no secretly slipping notes into female classmates’ desks before you get into college…”
“I didn’t!!” The pure-hearted teenager was fuming. “There are no female classmates! And certainly no notes!!”
“Is that so? How pitiful of you.” Bai Sheng smiled. “Even I received little notes when I was in school. On grid paper torn from the back of a notebook. We were so pure in our time. Speaking of which, Supervisor Shen, have you ever received any? Not to brag, but a beauty like our Supervisor Shen, who is as ruthless as the autumn wind to his enemies and as cold as the harsh winter to himself, probably also…”
“Never,” Shen Zhuo said faintly. “I was eleven when I was in high school.”
Bai Sheng: “…”
Yang Xiaodao: “…”
“You deserved that taunt,” Yang Xiaodao whispered to Bai Sheng from the side.
The teenager was pushed into the room by Bai Sheng to settle his meager luggage. Shen Zhuo strolled around. This top-floor penthouse was over five hundred square meters. The first time he had come here, he was seriously injured and unconscious. This was the second time, but it was as if he already knew the internal structure of this place very well. He casually got himself a glass of ice water from the kitchen, took a sip, and noticed a custom-made magnet on the refrigerator.
It was a photo of a family of three.
The seven or eight-year-old little Bai Sheng was a very beautiful little boy from all angles, although his face was full of an “Oh my, I’m so cool” expression. His parents were nestled closely on either side of him, intimate and smiling broadly. The couple were no longer young, but it was clear that their relationship was very good.
“—I say,” Bai Sheng’s teasing voice came from behind.
Shen Zhuo turned around and saw Bai Sheng leaning against the doorframe, his legs crossed at an angle, his eyes full of mockery. “Did you have someone draw a floor plan of my house and file it away long ago? You seemed quite familiar with the way to the Unfinished Building last time too. Do you take out my file from under your pillow and flip through it to pass the time when you can’t sleep at night?”
Shen Zhuo sneered and, holding the glass, gestured with his chin towards the refrigerator magnet. “Your parents?”
“Uh-huh. I have good genes, right?”
Bai Sheng walked into the kitchen, casually took the glass of ice water from Shen Zhuo’s hand, then filled an electric kettle with some purified water and started boiling it. He said, “I was born when they were in their forties, but they passed away very early.”
Shen Zhuo’s expression flickered slightly.
“A car accident.” Bai Sheng shrugged, his back to him. “The two of them were out on business in one car, and were rear-ended on the way, causing the car to overturn. The gas tank caught fire and exploded. They were trapped inside the car…”
No one spoke in the kitchen.
The kettle began to heat up, making a slight noise.
“It made the front page of the newspapers at the time,” Bai Sheng said faintly after a moment. “I was just over eight that year.”
After a long silence, Shen Zhuo’s calm voice finally sounded in the kitchen. “I read that report, on the day you came to Shenhai.”
“…”
“It said that from the time the gas tank ruptured to when the fire started was more than five minutes, and no one came to their aid. I didn’t read any further after that.” Shen Zhuo paused and asked, “Did you receive psychological intervention?”
“What psychological intervention.” Bai Sheng laughed shortly. “Saving someone is a kindness, not saving them is normal. After all, it’s a dangerous situation. Who owes who anything?”
With a soft click, the water boiled. He poured some into the cup.
“When I was a kid, I didn’t understand. I was stubborn and liked to dwell on things. As I got older, I slowly came to terms with it. People have to learn to reconcile with themselves.”
The ice water in the cup became warm, and a light mist instantly formed on the glass wall, then dissipated.
Shen Zhuo stood behind Bai Sheng with his arms crossed, noncommittal.
“—But speaking of which, it still had an effect later.” Suddenly, Bai Sheng’s tone changed. He turned around and handed the cup back to Shen Zhuo, smiling. “Guess what my first awakened ability was?”
“…”
Shen Zhuo took the glass, didn’t answer immediately, and stared at him thoughtfully.
An S-class could have an unlimited number of ability types, but one thing was certain: the earlier an ability was awakened, the stronger it was. Bai Sheng’s Fatal Strike was undoubtedly causality law, but his first awakened ability was something else. It was conceivable that it was related to his deepest, most unforgettable, and most resentful obsession.
Bai Sheng looked into Shen Zhuo’s eyes, smiled slightly, and if one looked closely, that smile seemed a bit strange:
“It was fire.”
“I hate the people who stood by and watched back then. I will never be able to reconcile with that. I want to find them all and burn them to death.”
The kitchen was silent. It was as if even the air had frozen.
In the small space, there were only the two of them, their breathing deep and shallow.
“…” Shen Zhuo sneered silently, took a sip of the warm water, and casually placed the glass back on the counter. “How unsurprising.”
He turned to walk out, but in the next second—
Bang!
A sudden force pulled Shen Zhuo back and forcefully pressed him against the refrigerator. The back of his body made a muffled impact sound. Their bodies were almost touching. Bai Sheng gripped Shen Zhuo’s hand, looking down at the sharp, cold, and beautiful eyes before him at close range, and asked with a smile, “Didn’t you hear what I said, Supervisor?”
Shen Zhuo was forced to tilt his head back. “I heard you. What do you want?”
“You don’t have any intention of sanctioning me at all?”
“Sanction you for what?”
“…”
Bai Sheng raised an eyebrow slightly, studying the unperturbed face in front of him. After a long moment, he said, “I have hatred and dangerous motives, and I could pose a huge social threat. You don’t want to immediately put an electric shock collar on me and find a crime to throw me in prison for life?”
Shen Zhuo started to laugh, as if he found it a little ridiculous.
“Harboring hatred.” He repeated those two words, saying lazily, “Someone who harbors hatred wouldn’t go out of their way to deal with hijackers on a plane for the sake of ordinary people, nor would they, after dealing with the hijackers, meticulously use their ability to heal the two pilots’ injuries.”
Bai Sheng stared at him intently. “Those idiots shot at me. Maybe I was just provoked by them…”
“Then you wouldn’t have, at the first moment after the plane landed, questioned who the bastard was who disregarded the hostages’ lives and refused to make a deal with the criminals. And you certainly wouldn’t have later pressed me about what I would have done if there had been no evolutionists on that flight.”
“…”
“Everyone has selfishness, resentment, darkness, injustice, unresolved obsessions, and unspeakable frustrations in their hearts. If our souls were exposed to the sun, no one in this world would be a saint. But that doesn’t stop us from being good people.” Shen Zhuo freed one hand from the restraint and casually patted Bai Sheng’s face. “I believe that with your financial resources, you have the means to track down those onlookers from back then. I am very glad that after careful investigation, I found that you have never tried to do so.”
“As an S-class evolutionist, as long as you try your best to be a good person, that’s enough for me.”
They were almost face to face. Bai Sheng could almost see his own face clearly in those beautiful pupils. After a long while, he slowly, bit by bit, began to smile.
The cold, fierce expression from just now dissipated, finally revealing his true, cunning self.
“…Let’s be honest, Supervisor.”
Bai Sheng leaned close to Shen Zhuo’s ear, his lips almost touching the thin, translucent earlobe, his final tone like a hook that was reluctant to let go. “Actually, at the airport, the first time we met, you smelled the same scent on me. You saw that we might be following the same principles…”
“You, the person who judges life and death with a single glance, you didn’t dislike me from the very beginning, did you?”
The distance between them was negligible, leaving no room for even a slight evasion of their eyes.
Bai Sheng’s constitution was much stronger than an ordinary person’s. In this position, he gripped Shen Zhuo’s left wrist, forcefully pinning his entire body against the refrigerator door. It was a distance where their heartbeats were almost pressed against each other’s chests.
Shen Zhuo looked the audacious young S-class up and down, then let out a soft laugh after a moment, the meaning clearly being, don’t push your luck just because I’m being nice to you. Then he pointed out the window:
“See that road out there?”
From the top floor, the view was unobstructed, with a bustling river view and a stream of people.
“If you really dare to go out and set fires, you can immediately have an immersive experience of my so-called principles.” Shen Zhuo patted the back of Bai Sheng’s head, his tone light and sarcastic. “At that time, I will definitely grant your wish, put an electric shock collar on you, and lock you up. Two hundred thousand volts, three times a day. I guarantee you’ll be so thrilled you’ll ascend to heaven.”
Bai Sheng: “…”
Shen Zhuo suddenly pushed Bai Sheng away with force and was about to walk out.
“Oh, so now you’re threatening me!” Bai Sheng reacted like lightning, immediately grabbing him back, hoisting him over his shoulder, and pinning him almost horizontally against the kitchen counter, leaning down and pressing against him without a care. “You really want to put a collar on me, huh? Come on, show me how…”
With a whoosh, the door was pushed open.
“Where are they? Captain Chen has something urgent for you two. There was a sudden news break online—”
Yang Xiaodao’s words cut off abruptly.
By the kitchen counter, the two guardians were entangled, their clothes disheveled. The Shenhai City Supervisor was pinned messily on the counter, his usually immaculate shirt rumpled; a certain S-class surnamed Bai was pressing on him unreasonably, his strong arms wrapped around his lower back, forcefully embedding him into his own embrace, one knee wedged firmly between his thighs.
Three pairs of eyes met, their expressions blank.
The atmosphere froze for several seconds.
“You adults are so indecent!!” The rebellious teenager’s defenses broke again. He covered his eyes and slammed the door as he ran away.
__
Author’s note:
To avoid future controversy caused by this snippet, I hereby repeat and explain that, from the perspective of this entire chapter, Bai Sheng’s words about finding the onlookers who didn’t help back then and burning them to death were said deliberately to provoke Shen Zhuo. He did not actually have this thought and had long understood kindness, common sense, and the danger of rescue.
Another note: Saving people requires first assessing one’s own abilities. This will be mentioned later in this volume. Thank you~
Lol! They traumatized the poor kid
Dead parents all around 😟