Lu Mingfei: Don't call me a loser, call me a hero.

As Lu Mingfei left the Peacock Mansion, his heart pounded with excitement and his hands trembled. Holding the gift bag containing the PS2, he felt as if he were walking on clouds, floating around without any sense of solid ground.

Even after he pinched himself hard several times after closing the bronze door, he still felt that it was all incredibly dreamlike.

If he hadn't been certain that Chu Zihang had a stunningly beautiful girlfriend, he would have seriously suspected that she had her eye on him.

After all, that's how it's portrayed in TV dramas: rich second-generation heirs don't like well-off, wealthy women who are their equals; they prefer naive and innocent ordinary girls.

Although he's neither a naive girl nor a girl, he's poor!

Rounding down, Chu Zihang's approach can be considered precise poverty alleviation.

"Thank God, my senior brother received the best gift from his senior sister today."

Lu Mingfei boarded the bus, sincerely wishing Chu Zihang could find a beautiful love.

He deserves it!

After offering his blessings, Lu Mingfei rubbed his hands together, ready to draw the lottery results.

He thought that he would only have one chance to draw a prize if his favorability rating was above 50, but he never expected that he would get a chance to draw a prize every time he reached a new stage.

"System, open it for me!"

[Congratulations, hero, on acquiring the skill "Saxophone Playing" (Your pose can be anything, but your saxophone playing must be stylish!)]

Hmm? Senior brother can play the saxophone?

Lu Mingfei really didn't expect that his super-cold-faced senior brother would actually play such a cool instrument as the saxophone.

He had always thought that the latter was good at instruments like the cello, piano, and violin, which were elegant and aloof.

However, reflecting on his experiences over the past two days, he felt relieved.

You can't judge a book by its cover. If you didn't see it with your own eyes, who would believe that the Iceberg Senior Brother is actually warm-hearted despite his cold exterior? He keeps his distance from all women on the surface, but he's secretly pursuing someone else.

It's normal to have a bit of a wild side; maybe Xia Mi encouraged him to learn the saxophone.

Although this [Saxophone playing] is not as practical as [Basic Kendo], mastering a musical instrument is still a breakthrough for Lu Mingfei.

After all, all he does besides whistling is boast.

There is no direct bus from Peacock Residence to his uncle's house; he has to get off at the bus stop near Shilan Middle School.

Normally, he would definitely choose to walk back for this distance, but today is the weekend, and the evening is the peak time for delinquents and hooligans.

They may lack ability or connections when they go out to have fun, but they must have money.

Lu Mingfei didn't want to be carrying his game home only to be robbed by thugs.

However, things didn't go as planned. It seemed that the goddess of fate, that little devil, particularly enjoyed playing tricks on him, this nobody.

As soon as I got off the bus at the transfer station, I caught a glimpse of several familiar figures emerging from the convenience store on the side of the road.

The leader was chewing on a hammer, while his three underlings shared a bag of spicy strips. They were Liang Wendao and the others who had given Lu Mingfei his first mission.

These individuals are all seasoned students who don't study properly, and their main focus is on not doing anything productive.

The day before yesterday, Liang and his friends spent the whole night squatting in the alley near the internet cafe and came back empty-handed. They unanimously decided to find a better spot.

However, there were quite a few wolves like them searching for easy prey on the streets over the weekend. Not only did they fail to secure a favorable position, but they were almost mistaken for easy prey themselves. After several twists and turns, they finally arrived near Shilan Private Noble Academy.

Fortune favors the bold. If they dare not approach this place again just because they were taught a lesson by Chu Zihang before, how can they grow bigger and stronger?

Of course, this is also directly related to the fact that Chu Zihang is having a birthday party today and doesn't have time to seek justice.

The market wasn't doing well today; I waited for two hours but still couldn't make a sale.

Liang Wendao was just about to take his brothers to try their luck in another place when he looked up and saw Lu Mingfei getting off the bus carrying a big bag, treating it like a precious treasure.

Their eyes met, and Liang Wendao instantly perked up.

Although he and Lu Mingfei had some acquaintance, it was limited to the internet cafe; once outside, they had to go their separate ways.

Lu Mingfei had money to take the bus today, and it looks like he bought something nice; he must have money on him!

We've let him off the hook so many times before, but today the guys are really broke, so Xiao Lu has to lend a hand, right?

If you become rich and powerful, don't forget me!

"Hey, isn't this Shameless Road?" Liang asked, striding over. "What good stuff are you carrying? Let us guys take a look!"

Lu Mingfei realized he was in trouble and quickly hid the bag behind his back, forcing a dry laugh: "It's nothing, just... just some supplementary teaching materials."

"Materials?" Liang asked with a sneer. "You're kidding me. When did you, Lu Mingfei, become so studious? You have money but don't go online to buy materials. Are you going to have to keep fast-forwarding through them?"

"How could that be? It's a proper teaching session." Lu Mingfei stepped back.

But someone had already gone around and blocked his escape route.

Liang Wen swaggered up to him, put his arm around his shoulder, and walked away from the bus stop like two buddies:

"That's perfect! We've been wanting to improve lately. Why don't you share your study materials so we can experience what it's like to learn?"

Lu Mingfei was a skinny monkey; once he was held in place, he couldn't break free and was forced to leave the light and walk into the darkness.

But he still tried to argue: "Brother Dao, studying is a rather personal matter. I still prefer to be alone. How about I treat you guys to an internet cafe? I just received my allowance for this month and haven't had a chance to use it yet..."

Before he could finish speaking, the gift bag he had hidden behind his back was snatched away by Liang Wendao's henchman. Upon opening it, he exclaimed in shock:

"Holy crap, it's a game console! And it's a Japanese product!"

Upon hearing this, Liang Wendao shoved Lu Mingfei aside, walked over, and stared wide-eyed at the brand-new, unopened, genuine PS2:

"Wow, Lu Mingfei, you've upgraded your weapon! You even managed to get your hands on a PS2!"

He pulled out a stack of game discs, all in Japanese, and exclaimed in amazement, "Where did you get the money to buy all this? Did you steal it or rob it?"

Before Lu Mingfei could explain himself, his henchman couldn't help but laugh.

"Boss, you're kidding. If that loser Lu had the guts, would he have ended up in this mess?"

"Exactly! His cousin's whole family is as fat as pigs, while he's as skinny as a monkey. If you didn't know better, you'd think they were on their way to the Western Paradise to retrieve Buddhist scriptures, haha!"

With the game console in the other side's hands, Lu Mingfei didn't dare to turn against the four thugs, so he could only put on a fawning smile:

"I didn't steal it; a friend gave it to me."

"Friends?" Liang asked with a laugh. "If you, Lu Mingfei, could have friends like that, why would you need to ask us for snacks at an internet cafe?!"

Although they weren't from Shilan Private Academy, they were all regulars at internet cafes and had even played games together, so they naturally knew what kind of situation Lu Mingfei was in.

Poor grades, bad interpersonal relationships, and a bad family background—to put it bluntly, they're at the very bottom of the food chain.

In the neighboring island nation, it would be a desolate place where people are blocked in their toilets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, ignored on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, and only able to find a sense of existence online on weekends.

"You think your friend's name is Chu Zihang? Giving him a PS2 as a random gift? A few thousand dollars thrown into the water might make a splash, but what good would it do you, loser Lu?"

Although he had been taught a lesson by Chu Zihang, the other party was indeed the most arrogant peer that Liang Wendao had ever met, so he used him as an example to make Lu Mingfei face reality.

After all, it's obvious to anyone with eyes that the gap between Chu Zihang and Lu Mingfei is like heaven and earth, and they will never cross paths in this lifetime unless something unexpected happens.

Unexpectedly, no sooner had he finished his taunts than Lu Mingfei's voice, unusually firm, rang out:

"It was Chu Zihang who sent it!"

The four of them looked over and discovered that this loser, who always bowed his head to everyone and would just shrink back, scratch the back of his head, and grin foolishly, actually dared to raise his head and look them straight in the eye today.

Not only do they dare to look people in the eye, but they also dare to speak out in rebuttal!

Is this still the road of the loser?

"I went to his birthday party, this is a return gift from him!" Lu Mingfei explained, stubbornly refusing to listen to the hostile stares of the four thugs.

He had been down on his luck for so many years, almost to the bone, but today someone respected him and gave him a profound and genuine respect.

It was the first time I was invited to a party, the first time I was treated with such respect, the first time I received a return gift, and the first time I felt like I wasn't just another nobody on the street.

He wanted to uphold that respect and prove that today wasn't a terrible day.

If he can't even do this, then Lu Mingfei will probably just rot in the mud for the rest of his life.

The four lazy students looked at each other in bewilderment upon hearing this, and then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Listen to this, that loser Lu said he was invited to Chu Zihang's birthday party."

"If he's qualified to go, then wouldn't Brother Dao also be a guest of honor for Chu Zihang?"

"Not only that, Chu Zihang's parents also have to come and toast Dao Ge, otherwise it wouldn't show their sincerity!"

"That's hilarious. You might as well say it's a prize you won in a competition somewhere. That would be more believable than saying it's a gift from Chu Zihang."

Hearing the undisguised sarcasm, Lu Mingfei felt the anger that had been building up in his chest all day burning even brighter. He wanted to rush forward and show them with his fists that he, too, could go crazy.

But he was just a good-for-nothing who was good at running errands, while the four opponents were professional scoundrels that even security guards couldn't catch. He was no match for them, and this was a dead end that no one ever went through.

Whether or not I can win a fight is a minor issue. The real problem is that if I fight, I'll get scolded by my aunt when I get back, and I'll have to endure that suffocating pressure and emotional abuse.

His situation was already difficult enough; he couldn't make his survival even more challenging.

The mocking laughter continued for a while, but gradually subsided when Lu Mingfei gave no response.

They considered themselves to be idealistic and ambitious, and there was no point in bullying a useless person who wouldn't fight back.

Liang Wen took Lu Mingfei's clothes out of the bag and threw them on the ground, then shook the bag in his hand:

"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. We can borrow your 'study materials' for now, and we'll return them to you after we finish our exams."

He turned and left, his underlings following closely behind, each "accidentally" stepping on the clean clothes in turn. The last one, being the kindest, kicked the clothes, covered in shoe prints and dirt, in front of Lu Mingfei.

"Face reality, kid. You think you can scare people by bringing up Chu Zihang?"

Even if he really gave you this game console, so what? You don't actually think he considers you a friend, do you?

"They just felt sorry for you and were in a good mood, so they threw you a bone to tease you. Why did you take it so seriously?"

"Actually, you should thank us. After all, we'll keep these materials for you and return them when you're done playing with them."

"If your uncle and aunt see it, it will definitely be confiscated, and you'll never get it back in your lifetime."

Laughter rang out again, and the four men swaggered away.

[Status: Awakened 70%]

Standing in the shadows, Lu Mingfei looked at the dirty shirt on the ground and once again experienced the humiliation of having his dignity trampled underfoot.

He clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, his body trembling uncontrollably. It was as if a voice inside him was shouting and urging him to throw a punch, to fight back, and to rush forward without regard for anything else.

But a voice kept roaring, cursing, and accusing him in his mind, trying to degrade him to the dust and make him submissive and swallow his anger.

"It's okay," he told himself.

Although Brother Dao is a scoundrel, he is a man of honor among people in the underworld, and he will definitely repay what he said he would.

The game console is an original copy; given their level of education and inability to understand Japanese, they'll definitely lose interest quickly.

Even if they find the arcade and crack it into a Chinese version, it would save them the trouble of translating, which is great.

Dao Ge had even treated him to a Coke when they used to play games together at internet cafes; he wouldn't risk his limited network of connections for a game console.

A voice in Lu Mingfei's mind was trying to persuade him to carefully recall the price he would pay for taking action.

He remembered the score from three years ago very clearly: whoever struck first was in the wrong. No matter what the other party said or did, as long as he threw the first punch, he would always be the one in the wrong in the end.

His aunt would scold him harshly, take away all his pocket money and give it back to the other person, drag him by the ear to apologize to the other person, and make him bow down and apologize to the other person.

No matter whose fault it is, in the end it's always his fault!

This wasn't the first time; Lu Mingfei had learned his lesson. He knew this was a losing proposition no matter how you looked at it.

It's not worth it, not for the sake of pride.

Five years of domestication built a strong dam within him to suppress the boy's bloodlust and bravery.

His aunt's words from back then echoed in his ears like Tang Sanzang chanting sutras, constantly reinforcing the dam and trying to suppress the passion in his heart with this cruel reality.

It can't be suppressed.

Those survival rules that he had painstakingly etched into his bones over three years suddenly became incredibly fragile at this moment.

Every time he says "not worth it," "it's not that serious," or "it's unnecessary," another voice inside him asks—what would be worth it?

Three years ago, that bastard spread rumors to your face that your parents divorced abroad and abandoned you. That fat woman not only didn't stand by your side, but also belittled you and your parents in every way, and tried every means to cut your allowance. Was that worth it?

She made you do chores for that jerk, made you be pointed at and looked down upon by the whole class, made you serve food and wash dishes like a servant when you got home, and even that fatso dared to tell you to get out of his room so he could sleep alone. Is all this worth it?

Five years! Five years! How have you spent these past five years?!

They squander the money your parents gave them, treating you like free labor they can use at will, and looking down on you both openly and behind your back!

Why should you care about their feelings? They are the ones who have wronged you, not the other way around!

It felt as if a wild beast was roaring in my heart, but it wasn't the roar of an enraged lion; rather, it was the cry of a boy who had long since died but refused to rest in peace.

The boy pushed aside the layers of reasoning that weighed on him, pushed aside "it's not worth it", pushed aside "it will pass if you just bear with it", pushed aside "it's better to do less trouble", and pushed aside all the excuses used to comfort and bind himself.

He crawled out from layers of compromises and humiliations, covered in blood and mud, standing before Lu Mingfei with defiance and anger, asking him in a voice squeezed out from between his teeth:

"How long are you going to hold out?"

A young man, full of vigor, will surely rise to prominence in his time! A friend's gift has been stolen by a villain. Please choose—

1. A moment of patience brings calm, a step back opens up a vast horizon.

2. Use kind words to discuss and persuade with reason.

3. Just do it!

"Give it back to me..."

In the deserted, dark alley, a hoarse voice suddenly rang out.

Liang Wendao and the others, who had already walked out of the alley, stopped and turned to look at the loser who was still hanging his head.

"What did you say?"

"Speak louder!"

"Did your parents take your vocal cords with them when they went abroad?"

[Status: Awakened 80%]

"I said..." Lu Mingfei raised his head, his pupils reflecting not the four people's images, but his younger self:

"Give it back to me!"

He watched as the bastard who had stolen his PS2 walked over, put his ear in his face and told him to speak louder, making the same gesture he had made three years ago.

With a hoarse and violent roar, Lu Mingfei unleashed a powerful punch, carrying the rage that had been suppressed for far too long:

"I fucking told you to give me back my game console! Are you deaf?!"