Reborn in 2015, I became a male god starting in high school.

Chapter 3 Youth Knows No Sorrow

To be honest, Zhou Ziyang and Li Dongfeng had known each other since junior high school.

However, Zhou Ziyang did not consider Li Dongfeng a friend.

Even when they met again, Zhou Ziyang almost didn't recognize the construction worker with a limp.

When Li Dongfeng was in junior high school, he was a bit unsophisticated, but he also had his own stubbornness.

Zhou Ziyang vaguely remembers that at that time, several mischievous boys in the class, each as skinny as a monkey, would go over to Li Dongfeng after class and pester him to fight.

Then, relying on brute force, Li Dongfeng gritted his teeth and exerted his strength, easily shaking off the classmate who rushed up at him.

One comes, one goes.

He was surrounded and attacked by his classmates.

He did indeed secretly wipe away tears by himself.

But he never backed down.

By high school, Li Dongfeng had shed the naivety of his youth.

Then, relying on his tall and strong physique, he was quite popular at school for a time.

No one expected this.

Years have passed.

He would be wearing a worn-out red t-shirt.

It appeared in Zhou Ziyang's new house.

Li Dongfeng said that working in the south is a trap, even if they promise a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan and an independent dormitory.

When they got there, they didn't even know where the factory was.

"There was a person who took us to a factory that looked very big, and then said that the factory they had previously arranged for us was already full, and they would arrange a new factory for us, but the treatment would remain the same."

"But we have to buy bed sheets and blankets first."

“We told them we had brought it, but they said no, we had to buy it from them.”

"They sell us a set of bedding for 200 yuan, but it's so thin it could be used as a bed sheet!"

At this point, Li Dongfeng was indignant.

I read online that I could earn 8,000 yuan a month, but after working myself to the bone for a month, I only received 2,000 yuan.

Later, Li Dongfeng learned that the company recruiting online and the company contacting him offline were not the same company at all.

Those companies that advertise online are complete scams. The managers who call probably don't even know where the factory is. They just use scripts from a book to recruit people.

Then, once they arrive at their destination, the local laborers will exploit them further.

The salary won't be as high as eight thousand yuan, but it won't be as low as two thousand yuan either.

Typically, workers work for a month, and then the employers take a 30% to 40% cut of their wages.

In short, they take advantage of information asymmetry to bully honest people.

Li Dongfeng went to the south with some classmates, worked there for about a month, but couldn't take it anymore. He got into a fight at the factory and ran away with them.

After returning home, I lost interest in school and found a job in a nearby factory.

The salary isn't very high, between three and four thousand.

However, after going out once, Li Dongfeng realized that society is full of tricks and that he should forget about earning 8,000 yuan a month.

Three or four thousand a month is enough to live on.

I spend eight or nine hours a day on the assembly line, then go back to my dorm and lie down playing on my phone or playing games.

Li Dongfeng was content.

Two years later, Li Dongfeng started dating while playing video games.

At the beginning, they were deeply in love.

The other person also kept calling him "husband".

Li Dongfeng's mouth went dry from listening, and he also had a physiological reaction.

I tried calling her "wife" a few times.

The moment that sound was uttered, I felt my blood rushing and a sense of hope for life instantly returned.

On the assembly line, you have to screw in a few more screws than usual.

They then talked for a while longer.

We started by sending each other photos, and it seemed to go well.

Then click on the video.

Upon seeing Li Dongfeng in the video, the girl instantly became indifferent.

It's a tactful way of saying that it's a bit inappropriate.

Li Dongfeng's nose suddenly felt sore.

Why is it inappropriate?

Li Dongfeng felt that he must have done something wrong to upset his baby.

So I beg and plead!
He even said he would buy his child an iPhone 7 Plus!

The other party hesitated for a moment after hearing this.

She spent another two months with Li Dongfeng.

Then I felt it wasn't suitable.

In short, the two argued back and forth for a long time.

That day was the Mid-Autumn Festival, and there weren't many people in the factory.

Li Dongfeng made a video call to his girlfriend from the hallway.

My girlfriend said the most vicious thing: "Stop bothering me! If you keep bothering me, I'm calling the police!"

Li Dongfeng, who was on the third floor, said to his girlfriend, "Believe it or not, if you break up with me, I'll jump!"
"Jump! If you don't jump, you're my son!"

After saying this, the screen went black.

Li Dongfeng jumped from the third floor without hesitation.

His lower leg was left disabled from then on.

He could only do odd jobs with small construction teams.

That afternoon, Zhou Ziyang and Li Dongfeng talked a lot in their new home, which was not yet fully furnished.

Li Dongfeng is no longer the big, goofy guy he was in high school who spoke without any boundaries, and the silly smile on his face is gone.

He was about the same age as Zhou Ziyang, but looked like a middle-aged man in his forties, with a scruffy beard, an ill-fitting red T-shirt, and baggy shorts.

He no longer speaks without any sense of boundaries like he did in high school.

He said, "If only I had studied harder back then!"
"I knew back then that you had good grades and would definitely get into Tsinghua or Peking University!"

"Does good grades really guarantee success? Look at you now,"

"This house must cost at least a million, right?"

Zhou Ziyang remained silent in the face of Li Dongfeng's flattery.

People are always filled with awe for the heights they haven't reached. In high school, Li Dongfeng often dragged Zhou Ziyang out to play.

Zhou Ziyang always refused, citing his need to study.

At this point, Li Dongfeng would grin and say, "That's right! You're different from me. You're better at studying than me, and you're going to go to university!"

However, in reality, Zhou Ziyang's grades were neither particularly good nor bad.

He didn't have the exceptional talent of a good student.

They also lacked the "give up" mentality that Li Dongfeng had.

He carried this psychological burden, struggling painfully year after year.

In the end, I got into an ordinary second-tier university.

After graduation, I'll find an ordinary job.

Of course, I've also tried to brainwash myself.

Saying that grades aren't the only way out,
You can still start a business and make a fortune even if you graduate from a second-tier university!
However, the reality is that once you leave the school, you can hardly move an inch.

My total monthly salary is less than three thousand yuan.

Even renting a room costs 200 yuan for a 10-square-meter secondary bedroom facing north.

To save money, people often ride shared bikes for more than ten minutes before squeezing onto the subway.

During their youth, both his mother and Zhou Ziyang were very ambitious.

His mother taught Zhou Ziyang that poverty should not diminish one's ambition.

A person can lack arrogance, but they absolutely cannot lack integrity.

However, 25-year-old Zhou Ziyang was on the phone with his mother.

What I heard was my mother's long sighs.

The mother said, "It's all my fault."

“If I hadn’t divorced him back then, you wouldn’t be living such a difficult life.”

Actually, Zhou Ziyang didn't feel tired, but he was really poor.

Because of long-term reliance on takeout, irregular eating habits, and staying up late.

Zhou Ziyang has cholecystitis.

A chronic illness that is neither too serious nor too minor.

The mother realized that she couldn't let her son suffer like this.

In the end, she couldn't hold onto her pride.

She contacted her ex-husband, whom she hadn't spoken to in years.

And so, 27-year-old Zhou Ziyang returned to his small county town.

I have a decent job.

He also has his own car.

And a river-view apartment of about 180 square meters with four bedrooms, two living rooms, and two living rooms.

Perhaps in Li Dongfeng's eyes, Zhou Ziyang was successful.

It's not just Li Dongfeng.

In the eyes of most of his classmates, Zhou Ziyang was a success.

In this small town, on this tiny patch of land.

Relying on his father's remaining influence, Zhou Ziyang dressed in a respectable manner.

They frequented only high-end establishments in the county town.

The managers of various hotels also greeted Zhou Ziyang warmly.

Between welcoming and seeing off guests.

If any of his former classmates had any trouble, it was just a matter of Zhou Ziyang making a phone call.

However, this was not what Zhou Ziyang wanted.

No one knew what Zhou Ziyang was thinking.

But it is undeniable.

Zhou Ziyang is a complete loser.

He couldn't even compare to Li Dongfeng, who worked as a laborer.

"Old Zhou!"

"Old Zhou!"

What are you thinking about!?

Looking back on the first half of my life, when I regained consciousness.

But what was before him was still Li Dongfeng's still somewhat immature face.

"Old Zhou, are you coming tonight or not? Just give me a straight answer, okay?"

Li Dongfeng was getting a little anxious.

Perhaps Li Dongfeng already knew.

Zhou Ziyang didn't consider himself a friend, and he didn't want to attend his farewell dinner.

But he still refused to admit it.

After all, since junior high school, Zhou Ziyang was the first person who could treat himself like a human being.

He genuinely considered Zhou Ziyang a friend.

Therefore, he was genuinely afraid that Zhou Ziyang would reject him.

Looking into Li Dongfeng's earnest eyes.

Zhou Ziyang no longer hesitated and nodded solemnly: "Go!"

"why are you not going?"

"Holy crap, really? Zhou Ziyang, you're not going to evening self-study?!"

Zhou Ziyang's quick agreement surprised a group of classmates who were waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

It was obvious that the students in the advanced class didn't really like this underachiever who came to their class and made a lot of noise.

It's important to know that students in the advanced training program are also considered top candidates for undergraduate studies.

And Li Dongfeng, who is a complete failure, is preparing to go out to work without even going to school?
In the past, Zhou Ziyang would have refused Li Dongfeng.

But what's wrong with today?
They just agreed like that?

Aren't you afraid that our elite class will isolate you?
Even Xia Wei in the front row.

When Zhou Ziyang readily agreed.

He was also taken aback for a moment.

She unexpectedly turned around and glanced at Zhou Ziyang.

(End of this chapter)