This is a delightful novel about a pitiful young man's rise to success. It mainly tells the story of the male lead, Zhuo Junli, as he goes from a miserable youth, through the frustrating early days of his career, to the pinnacle of success.
Zhuo Junli's father was abusive, and his mother disappeared when he was a child. He grew up enduring his father's beatings. Due to a lack of food and clothing in his childhood, he was extremely thin during his adolescence. Combined with his shabby clothes that were out of sync with his peers, he appeared very pitiable.
However, he was rarely bullied during his school years because of his handsome appearance, akin to the male leads in TV dramas, and his good grades. Teachers felt sympathy for this unfortunate but hardworking child.
His classmates, especially the girls, liked someone who was good-looking, smart, and willing to help them with their studies. For Zhuo Junli, life at school was much better than at home.
That was until he reached high school. During this period, most of the boys had developed crushes on girls, and what infuriated them was that most of the girls they liked had a crush on Zhuo Junli.
He was handsome, academically gifted, and kind-hearted—a true campus heartthrob. During this time, Zhuo Junli's popularity only slightly waned. Although there were one or two people who targeted him, they didn't dare to go too far.
Until the second year of high school, when a transfer student appeared out of nowhere. He came from a powerful background, was arrogant, and quickly surrounded himself with a group of followers, earning him the title of the school bully.
The school bully had his eye on the most beautiful girl in the class. Unfortunately, this girl had confessed her feelings to Zhuo Junli. Despite Zhuo Junli politely declining, she insisted that she would continue to like him, even if he didn't reciprocate her feelings.
The school bully was furious. He pursued the girl relentlessly while subjecting Zhuo Junli to various forms of harassment.
Initially, the teachers attempted to intervene, but the school bully's powerful background made it impossible to protect Zhuo Junli effectively. Whenever criticism was attempted, he would act nonchalant and claim that he didn't mean any harm, ultimately forcing the teachers to turn a blind eye.
Thus began Zhuo Junli's nightmarish school days.
The school bully employed rather unsophisticated tactics, but they were effective. For example, he deliberately requested to share a dormitory with Zhuo Junli in the middle of winter, pouring cold water on Zhuo Junli's bedding when he was absent, forcing him to endure a freezing night.
Another time, he found out about Zhuo Junli's part-time job and brought his gang to create trouble.
Or he would corner Zhuo Junli after school, using verbal threats before forcibly dragging him to the restroom, attempting to lock him inside overnight—an attempt that remained unsuccessful.
It could be said that Zhuo Junli's health deteriorated significantly under the school bully's reign.
Fortunately, during this time, the school bully refrained from taking more extreme actions due to his fear of the teachers.
The real tragedy came after Zhuo Junli graduated from college. He discovered that the company he had joined was owned by the school bully's family. As the only son, Zhuo Junli was parachuted into the company.
In school, the school bully still feared the teachers, but in the professional world, he had no such constraints. Zhuo Junli endured all sorts of torment, but due to the contract, he couldn't quit, so he had to endure it.
Thankfully, Zhuo Junli was the protagonist. After enduring various trials and tribulations, he used this company as a stepping stone to establish his own. Throughout his journey to establish his own company, the school bully continued to obstruct him.
One could say that the school bully played the role of the antagonist throughout Zhuo Junli's life.
Finally, Zhuo Junli reached the pinnacle of success, uprooting the lifelong shadow that haunted him, bankrupting the school bully, and sending him to prison.
Unfortunately, this book was written so well, and readers loved it so much that it gained a life of its own when it became a real-world phenomenon. At this point in time, the school bully had just poured a bucket of cold water on Zhuo Junli in the restroom on a chilly winter night, and then forcibly locked him inside.
Originally, Zhuo Junli was supposed to wait for the girl who liked him to come to his rescue. However, in this new reality, the girl was sound asleep and had no reason to visit the men's restroom in the middle of the night.
And then...
Zhuo Junli spent the night in the restroom and tragically succumbed to pneumonia.
Such a scientifically pitiful way to die, it truly evoked sympathy.
Shi Qing: [Clearly, I am the school bully.]
System: [I... I'm sorry, Host. I wish I could retract the golden finger, but once it started working, I couldn't stop it.]
[It's okay.]
Shi Qing grinned: [I like bullying people too.]
He got up and strolled around the dormitory.
Why was this school so amazing to have double rooms? It was all thanks to the original host. He knew he would transfer here starting from his first year, not wanting to share a dormitory with a bunch of people, so he persuaded his family to donate a dormitory building to the school.
By the time he transferred, the dormitory building had been completed. However, at this time, he didn't like Zhuo Junli, so he sacrificed his own single room and insisted on sharing a room with him to make it easier to bully him.
Also, it was to monitor him and prevent him from having private contact with the girl. This dormitory was quite good, with ample space, large windows, and a notebook on the table.
It belonged to the original host, who, as the son of a wealthy man who had donated the building to the school, had certain privileges. For example, the teachers never came to check the dormitory he was in.
In the original storyline, this was set up to depict the evil school bully who took advantage of the teachers not checking the dorms to torment Zhuo Junli. For example, this time, the teachers didn't check the dormitory, so they didn't know Zhuo Junli was missing.
He kept his opponent locked up all night.
Just before Shi Qing arrived, the henchmen of the original host had just left after locking Zhuo Junli in the restroom with him.
Shi Qing examined Zhuo Junli's belongings. There was an old backpack that had been used for who knows how many years, books scattered on the table, and it was already winter. The bedding was still thin. Zhuo Junli had bought it in the summer, but after the original host arrived, he deliberately hindered Zhuo Junli from obtaining a scholarship, and Zhuo Junli didn't have the money to buy a new winter quilt.
At this moment, the bedding was completely soaked, and even the mattress beneath it was wet. The dormitory had an air conditioner, but the remote control was always with the original host. Since he intentionally made Zhuo Junli suffer from the cold, he wouldn't turn on the air conditioner to warm him up.
After checking the situation, Shi Qing rubbed his hands and went to find his pitiful roommate.
※※※
Zhuo Junli was standing in the restroom, walking back and forth. His lips were pale from the cold, but there was no trace of anger on his face, only calmness.
To allow ventilation, the school restroom had windows, but they were not equipped with glass panes. Students used the restroom quickly, so it wasn't that cold. However, if someone were to be locked inside for an extended period, the experience would be quite different.
At this moment, regardless of which direction Zhuo Junli faced, the cold wind could reach him, causing his hands and feet to grow even colder.
It wasn't too bad, though. He was generating some heat by moving around, and he knew that he had not yet completely depleted his body's warmth. The restroom was located in the far corner of the school's courtyard, and the sound insulation was not very good. The front wall was solid, and the door was closed. Even if he were to shout at the top of his lungs, the dormitory building and teaching buildings wouldn't hear him.
Furthermore, shouting would lead to a rapid loss of body heat and physical stamina. While student dormitories had restrooms, the teachers' dormitories did not. After checking the student dorms, the teachers would come to the restroom. The dormitory check usually took place between 10:00 and 10:30, and he hadn't checked the time when he was locked in, but based on the evening self-study schedule, it was likely around 9:40.
With an additional ten minutes, it would be 9:50. At most, he would have to endure for another forty minutes before the teachers arrived.
Zhuo Junli exhaled and continued walking quietly to keep his body warm. In less than a minute, he suddenly heard the sound of a lock being opened outside the restroom.
Zhuo Junli stopped in his tracks, his handsome face showing a hint of confusion. According to his calculations, it wasn't time for anyone to come yet.
Shi Qing strolled in with an air of confidence. Inside, a tall and handsome young man was looking at Zhuo Junli with a somewhat dazed expression.
He was exceptionally good-looking, the kind of face that gave off a sense of purity at first glance.
Shi Qing: [Wow... he's really good-looking, not just a school idol, more like a national idol.]
He clicked his tongue: [So youthful, it seems like he could squeeze water out of you. Are all the protagonists in their student days this good-looking?]
In Zhuo Junli's eyes, it seemed like Shi Qing was looking at him with ill intentions. He remained cautious, tensing his body and slightly exerting force in his legs, while on his face, he skillfully displayed an appearance of timidity and fear, bowing his head as if he were very afraid.
This was Zhuo Junli's experience from childhood to adulthood. When faced with a bully, he could only show fear and timidity. When the other person felt satisfied, they would stop the bullying.
While making this expression skillfully, Zhuo Junli was also calculating in his mind. Shi Qing wouldn't hurt him. He didn't seem to be carrying any tools for tormenting people.
Was he here to mock him?
However, what surprised him was that the arrogant school bully merely crossed his arms and raised his chin, looking at Zhuo Junli:
"What are you standing there for? Follow me."
Zhuo Junli became even more vigilant in his heart, but on the surface, he continued to appear timid, lowering his head and asking softly, "Where are we going?"
"Why are you talking so much? If I tell you to go, just go."
Shi Qing seemed impatient, and he stepped forward, grabbing Zhuo Junli's arm and pulling him out.
Zhuo Junli's feet were frozen stiff, and he stumbled when he was suddenly pulled. He almost fell to the ground.
The school bully held him with one hand and sneered, "You really are weak. I don't know why Tong Xinyu likes you."
Zhuo Junli lowered his eyes, and his long, thick eyelashes quivered slightly. Coupled with his fair and handsome face, he looked even more pitiful. This was his well-practiced move to make others sympathize with him:
"Tong Xinyu and I are just classmates. You've really misunderstood."
"Hmph! Classmates? She gave you bread!"
As soon as this was brought up, the school bully's tone turned malicious.
Shi Qing reached out and patted Zhuo Junli's cheek in a nasty manner. He patted his face lightly:
"Tong Xinyu must like your face. If you didn't have this face, do you think she would be interested in you?"
The handsome young man shrank back and looked at Shi Qing with a somewhat frightened expression, trembling slightly. With his fair and handsome face, he appeared even more pitiful, using his usual tactic to make others sympathize with him:
"Tong Xinyu and I have no relationship. I didn't accept the bread either."
It was just that he didn't hide his face in the right way, and his lips accidentally brushed against Shi Qing's hand.
—Swish!
The school bully seemed to retract his hand at the speed of light, even placing it behind his back. When he noticed Zhuo Junli's slightly surprised gaze, he snorted impatiently and maintained his domineering and arrogant expression:
"What are you looking at? Did I say you could look at me?"
Zhuo Junli withdrew his earlier suspicions, obediently lowering his head. His voice was weak: "Tong Xinyu and I truly have no connection. I didn't accept the bread. If you like her, you should go pursue her."
Why was he always being bothered by this guy?
"What's the use of pursuing her? You're so close to her. What good does it do for me to pursue her?"
Shi Qing extended his other hand and grabbed the collar of the young man in front of him, making him move closer to himself.
The school bully's excellent face was now filled with anger:
"Zhuo Junli, do you really think I don't know? You didn't accept the bread, but three days ago, you accepted the eraser she gave you. Last week, on Tuesday evening self-study, she asked you to explain problems to her, and you did it."
"Moreover, the week before last, didn't you help her with her chores? Tsk, for her, you sacrificed fifteen minutes of your study time as a top student. You claim you have no relationship with her? Do you think I'm stupid or blind?"
Zhuo Junli: "…"
He couldn't even remember these things himself, how did Shi Qing know about them?
It was just an eraser, and the week before last, Tong Xinyu had her period and asked for his help; it was a normal thing to do.
As for helping with homework, almost all the students in the class who wanted to study well came to him for explanations.
And as for the eraser…
Zhuo Junli pursed his lips slightly. After explaining the reasons for the first two incidents, he continued to speak in a low voice, "That eraser she picked up herself and didn't want, so she gave it to me. I've bought this kind before, it's only fifty cents each at the school supermarket, not worth much money, so I…"
"So you accepted it."
Shi Qing squeezed these words out through clenched teeth. "Do you know that this type of eraser is sold in pairs? You used the blue piglet, and she used the red piglet!"
Although the context was a bit awkward, watching the school bully argue about two little erasers, Zhuo Junli couldn't help but find it amusing.
Of course, Shi Qing wasn't just arguing about that. He was gnashing his teeth in anger, saying, while using his right index finger to poke Zhuo Junli's collarbone, "One eraser costs fifty cents. Yours and hers together make one dollar. You two are practically flaunting your affection in public. You're still a top student; how can you not see such a simple truth? And you say you have no covert relationship with her!"
Zhuo Junli: "It is a covert relationship."
Shi Qing: "…"
After a few seconds, the school bully roared in frustration, "I know! I just like saying that. Do you have a problem with that?"
Zhuo Junli remained silent for a few seconds, then, under the threatening gaze of the school bully, he said, "I'll give the eraser back to Tong Xinyu."
Only then did Shi Qing withdraw his hand with satisfaction. "That'll do."
"Remember what you promised me. If I see anything she gives you on your desk tomorrow, I'll throw it all in the trash."
"Alright, let's go."
He pushed Zhuo Junli forward.
While walking, Zhuo Junli felt that something was amiss. According to his calculations, if Shi Qing was jealous of Tong Xinyu giving him things, shouldn't he want to keep those things for himself?
As he walked and calculated in his mind, he slowed down a bit. The school bully, who had been following him all along, immediately urged impatiently, "Are you a rabbit? Hurry up! Do you want to freeze me to death by walking so slowly?"
Zhuo Junli looked at the person who had just spoken and had walked to his side. Shi Qing was wearing a down jacket, bundled up from head to toe.
Then he looked down at his own sweater.
No matter how you looked at it, the person who would freeze from walking slowly was him, not Shi Qing.
However, the school bully, who always put himself first, didn't care about these things. He was annoyed by Zhuo Junli's slow pace and grabbed his arm, urging him to move faster.
Zhuo Junli's feet were numb from the cold, and he stumbled when he was suddenly pulled. He almost fell to the ground.
The school bully held him with one hand and sneered, "You really are weak. I don't know why Tong Xinyu likes you."
Zhuo Junli lowered his eyes, and his long, thick eyelashes quivered slightly. Coupled with his fair and handsome face, he looked even more pitiful. This was his well-practiced move to make others sympathize with him:
"Tong Xinyu and I are just classmates. You've really misunderstood."
"Hmph! Classmates? She gave you bread!"
As soon as this was brought up, the school bully's tone turned malicious.
Shi Qing reached out and patted Zhuo Junli's cheek in a nasty manner. He patted his face lightly:
"Tong Xinyu must like your face. If you didn't have this face, do you think she would be interested in you?"
The handsome young man shrank back and looked at Shi Qing with a somewhat frightened expression, trembling slightly. With his fair and handsome face, he appeared even more pitiful, using his usual tactic to make others sympathize with him:
"Tong Xinyu and I have no relationship. I didn't accept the bread either."
It was just that he didn't hide his face in the right way, and his lips accidentally brushed against Shi Qing's hand.
—Swish!
The school bully seemed to retract his hand at the speed of light, even placing it behind his back. When he noticed Zhuo Junli's slightly surprised gaze, he snorted impatiently and maintained his domineering and arrogant expression:
"What are you looking at? Did I say you could look at me?"
Zhuo Junli withdrew his earlier suspicions, obediently lowering his head. His voice was weak: "Tong Xinyu and I truly have no connection. I didn't accept the bread either."
Why was he always being bothered by this guy?
"What's the use of pursuing her? You're so close to her. What good does it do for me to pursue her?"
Shi Qing extended his other hand and grabbed the collar of the young man in front of him, making him move closer to himself.
The school bully's excellent face was now filled with anger:
"Zhuo Junli, do you really think I don't know? You didn't accept the bread, but three days ago, you accepted the eraser she gave you. Last week, on Tuesday evening self-study, she asked you to explain problems to her, and you did it."
Zhuo Junli had no choice but to stand up and move aside, watching Shi Qing walk over to his bed. "What are you doing...?"
Shi Qing was humming a song, pouring the basin of water he held in his hand methodically and evenly all over the still-dry bed.
After he finished pouring, the bed was completely unsleepable.
He threw the basin to the floor with a cheerful mood. "Come on, tell me now, where are you sleeping tonight?"
Zhuo Junli: "…"
He clenched his fists, and a hint of anger gradually filled his light brown eyes.
Even clay figurines have a temper, especially when his original easygoing and submissive demeanor was just an act.
Shi Qing!
This was too much!
As his fists tightened, Shi Qing raised an eyebrow suddenly, wearing a smug smile. He pulled Zhuo Junli to his bed, then pushed him onto it.
Shi Qing's bed was covered with soft and fluffy blankets. When Zhuo Junli was pushed, he sank halfway into it, and his clenched fists lost their strength.
After a moment, he tried to sit up by placing his hands on the bed, but Shi Qing pushed him back down.
So Zhuo Junli could only remain sunk into the soft bedding, looking up at the school bully who stood on the floor, watching him condescendingly.
The school bully had a smirk on his face, as if he were "bestowing his mercy."
"Since your bed is unusable now, just sleep with me from now on."
"You don't need to thank me too much. As long as you stay away from Tong Xinyu a bit, I'm quite easy to get along with."
He said it as if he weren't the one who had soaked the bed.
Zhuo Junli: "…"
"Alright, dry your hair and don't wet my bed."
Not quite sure what was happening, Zhuo Junli could only adapt to the situation.
"I don't have a hairdryer."
In fact, the dormitory provided hairdryers, but the young master Shi Qing thought they were of poor quality and had thrown them away. Zhuo Junli had a good-quality hairdryer himself, but currently, he was penniless, and Shi Qing was the only one with a meal card that had any money on it. So Zhuo Junli had to rely on air drying in the freezing weather.
"Tsk."
Shi Qing walked over to the cabinet and found his own hairdryer, tossing it over. "You can use mine for now."
Three minutes later.
Zhuo Junli sat in a chair, blowing his hair dry. While doing so, he turned to look at Shi Qing, who was lying in bed playing games.
Perhaps noticing that he was being watched, the school bully raised his head, frowned impatiently, and used one hand to pat the pillow next to him.
"Why are you so slow? Hurry up! I'm already so tired."
Zhuo Junli: "…"
He couldn't help but feel that something was not quite right.
Men's hair was easy to dry, and Shi Qing's hair dryer was a good brand. In no time, Zhuo Junli's hair was completely dry.
He put away the hair dryer and was about to clean up the dormitory before going to bed, as was customary. But as soon as he picked up the broom, Shi Qing, who had been playing games, suddenly looked annoyed.
"Why are you sweeping? Let them do it for me tomorrow. You, hurry up. If you don't come up here, I'll come down and drag you!"
For some reason, Zhuo Junli always felt that Shi Qing's expression looked somewhat... impatient?
Moreover, he seemed a bit excited.
As he was about to sit on the bed, having just taken off his shoes, Shi Qing didn't hesitate to pull him onto the bed.
"You sleep inside."
As if afraid he would run away, the school bully pushed his roommate inside and wrapped him tightly in the warm and toasty blanket. Then, with a bit of unease, he sat up and pulled the blanket over Zhuo Junli's side, making sure it was tucked in securely.
Afterward, Shi Qing reached out and turned off the light.
Rather impatiently, he got into the bed himself, unabashedly grabbing Zhuo Junli and hugging him tightly in an octopus-like manner.
Zhuo Junli squirmed uncomfortably at first but was scolded by Shi Qing. "Behave! If you're not well-behaved, I won't let you sleep in my bed!"
He hadn't intended to sleep.
In the darkness, Zhuo Junli opened his eyes, staring into the pitch-black surroundings, with a warm and burning heat source beside him.
Something didn't feel quite right.
Thank you for reading this far! You can access more chapters from HERE by joining my Patreon community. You'll gain exclusive early access to the COMPLETE NOVEL.
As a member of my Patreon community, here is what you'll get:
For $5
- Early access to 100s of chapters before they go public.
- You also get access to all the novels I'm translating, you can find them here HERE.
- Your name will be featured on the "Wall of Gratitude".
- The power to vote on which novel I translate next.
- You Get Ad-free Chapters.
For $10
- You get to suggest a Novel for me to translate.
- You get access to Digital art.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in gold).
For $20
- You get to recommend a Novel and I will immediately start translating it.
- Your name featured on the "Wall of Gratitude" (in blue).
Plus, you can Cancel your membership at any time.
Don't let this amazing opportunity slip through your fingers!
