Returning to my senior year of high school before college, I became addicted to dating.

Lin Feng glanced down at his appearance. If he went back to his maternal grandmother's house like this, the old lady would be terrified.

He sighed, barefoot and shirtless, and limped towards the Black Gate Internet Cafe. He needed to get some proper gear ready first.

This morning, after leaving the New Century Internet Cafe and having breakfast, Raymond Lam went back to his maternal grandparents' house, while Tiger went to the Black Gate Internet Cafe.

Tiger Brother was a free spirit who loved freedom and never went home. He was always wandering around, and internet cafes were his second home.

The midday sun was scorching, making the asphalt road so hot it burned your feet.

Lin Feng walked barefoot on the road, and his soles ached so badly that they throbbed with pain as soon as they touched the ground. Every step felt like he was stepping on blades.

Black Gate Internet Cafe has fewer computers, a worse environment, and lower configurations than New Century Internet Cafe, but it's cheap—only five yuan for an overnight stay. It's a gathering place for students, almost entirely populated by them.

He didn't take a taxi since it wasn't far from the Black Gate.

More than ten minutes later, we finally arrived.

Lin Feng pushed open the door, glanced around, and found Tiger in the corner.

He was smoking a cigarette, staring intently at the screen, his hands clapping rapidly on the keyboard, playing "Legend of Mir".

"Brother Tiger." Lin Feng walked over, his voice weak and listless.

Tiger didn't even turn his head: "Wait a minute, Brother Feng, I'm chopping down the cult leader right now! Holy crap! It exploded! Judgment!"

He jumped up from his chair in excitement and turned to look at Lin Feng.

Upon looking at it, the cigarette in his mouth fell onto the keyboard with a "plop".

"What...what the hell?" Tiger's eyes bulged out.

He looked Lin Feng up and down, then burst out laughing, laughing so hard he almost fell over.

"Hahahaha...! Brother Feng! Did you get robbed or raped?! What happened to you in this mess?"

Lin Feng's face darkened: "Stop fucking laughing! Get me a pair of shoes first, then get me some clothes!"

Tiger finally managed to stop laughing and turned to look at someone browsing the internet next to him:

"You! Take off your clothes."

The man obeyed and did as he was told. Everyone in the Black Gate knew Tiger! He was no longer just a bully.

He asked the shopkeeper for a pair of slippers and tossed them to Lin Feng. With the clothes and slippers on, he finally looked somewhat presentable.

"Tell me, what happened?" Tiger sat down in the chair, handed me a Hongmei cigarette, and lit one for himself as well.

Lin Feng took a deep drag on his cigarette and briefly recounted the events, omitting many details. He only said that he went to find Zhang Min, but her husband blocked the door, so he jumped out of the window and ran barefoot for two kilometers.

Tiger looked on incredulously:

"Holy crap! That's incredible! You slept with someone's wife and then got her cornered at home? That's... fucking outrageous!"

"I know Zhang Min, that woman's got some serious energy, and you actually got her? You're really something!"

Lin Feng pointed to himself: "What do you mean 'okay'! I paid the price for this too! I almost died in the street."

"Come with me to the clinic right away to get my foot treated; I have school tomorrow."

"Alright, alright, let's go." Tiger stood up, then suddenly remembered something: "By the way, have you eaten?"

"No."

"Let's eat first, then go to the clinic. I'm hungry."

The two left the internet cafe and found a dog meat restaurant, where they each ordered a bowl of hot noodles with dog meat sauce. It cost two yuan a bowl.

Huanan's dog meat sauce hot noodles are a must-try. The soup is spicy and flavorful, topped with a layer of dog meat sauce, and then sprinkled with cilantro and scallions.

The taste was absolutely amazing.

Raymond Lam was starving, and he slurped up his noodles, finishing a bowl in just three minutes.

Tiger ate slowly, asking between bites, "You said you two were at her house, how did her husband find out? Did someone snitch on you?"

Raymond Lam recalled: "It must have been the guy across the hall from his house. When I arrived, the guy was just coming out of the opposite door."

"That bastard. When I have time, I'll put a sack over his head and beat him up, teach him a lesson for his foul mouth." Lin Feng was so angry his liver hurt.

Tiger nodded: "Huanan is such a small place, everyone knows each other. You've made quite a big fuss about this."

Lin Feng sighed, "I'm wearing underwear over my head, so no one should recognize me."

Tiger laughed and said, "That's true. Who would have thought that you were the one with the red hood and shorts?"

Lin Feng kicked him: "Can you please stop laughing!"

"I'm not laughing anymore, I'm not laughing anymore..." Tiger said, trying to suppress his laughter.

Lin Feng wiped his mouth. "Oh, right, there's something else. That new guy, Wang Yu, might be trying to ambush me the day after tomorrow."

Tiger's expression turned serious: "I heard that kid Wang Yu has been quite arrogant lately. Just because his family has some money, he thinks he's all that."

"He dares to touch you, which means he doesn't respect me, Wang Hu. Don't worry, I'll have someone take care of him tomorrow."

Lin Feng waved his hand: "No need, fighting is a last resort. I have a way to deal with him."

"What trick?"

Lin Feng smiled faintly, "Isn't he good at using money to buy people off? Then I'll use his most effective method to suppress him."

Tiger was taken aback: "You mean, use money to turn them against you?"

Lin Feng's lips curled up: "Yes, I asked Chen Qisheng to inquire for me. Wang Yu's dozen or so henchmen all come from poor families. They follow him just to get some benefits. I can spend some money and turn them into a lone commander."

Tiger waved his hand and said, "Wasting that money is unnecessary. If you have money, give it to me! I'll just cripple him for you."

"Don't you know me? When have I ever lost money in a war? I have no money, but you can take my life. I'm used to going in and out all the time, so don't waste your money."

"My family isn't well-off either, so give me the money! I can even treat you to internet access and a meal."

Looking at Tiger's pathetic and simple-minded appearance, Lin Feng shook his head with a wry smile:

"You wouldn't understand even if I told you more. When it's your turn to make money in the future, just listen to my arrangements."

Tiger looked puzzled and didn't understand what it meant.

After finishing their noodles, the two went to a nearby shopping mall to replace the screen on Lin Feng's phone before heading to the clinic.

The clinic is a small storefront, located opposite the Huanan County Hospital, and is run by an elderly doctor.

The old doctor, wearing reading glasses, frowned as he looked at the soles of Lin Feng's feet.

"Did you step on a piece of broken glass? The cut is quite deep; you'll need two stitches."

Upon hearing about stitches, Lin Feng's face turned pale: "Stitches in the sole of your foot? That must hurt so much! Doctor, can't we skip the stitches?"

The old doctor looked up at him and said, "It's fine if we don't stitch it up, but it will heal slowly and we'll have to change the dressing every day. It's your choice."

Lin Feng waved his hand and said, "Then I won't sew it... just wrap it up for me."

When the old doctor disinfected his wounds, he gasped for breath in pain, and his toes curled up.

Tiger, watching from the side, couldn't help but laugh: "Look at you, so pathetic. Back in the day, I got stabbed six times, one of which went right into my lung, and I didn't even grimac like you."

Lin Feng, sweating profusely from the pain, said, "You were fucking stabbed unconscious, of course you can't feel any pain."

While bandaging the wound, the old doctor muttered, "You young people, you never know how to take care of your bodies."

Lin Feng remained silent, feeling incredibly aggrieved. If he hadn't been caught in the act, would he have run two miles barefoot?

After bandaging, the doctor applied medicine to his knee and prescribed some anti-inflammatory drugs, which only cost 16 yuan in total.

After leaving the hospital, Lin Feng checked his phone; it was one o'clock in the afternoon.

He thought for a moment: "Today is Sunday, and I have to go to school tomorrow, Monday. I need to get everything done today."

He took out his phone, opened a text message containing the list and addresses of Wang Yu's sixteen henchmen—all boarding students from rural areas.

The text message was sent to him by Chen Qisheng, who was Lin Feng's best friend in school and one of the few high school classmates he had kept in touch with in 2026.

Tiger asked, "Shall I go with you?"

Lin Feng shook his head: "No need, it'll be harder to talk if there are too many people. Go back to the internet cafe and wait for me, I'll come find you after I'm done."

Tiger nodded: "Alright then! Be careful."