Chapter 2: Old Grudges

"Dongzi, wait for me!"

As the setting sun cast its glow upon him, Li Dong was stopped right after leaving the school gate. Turning around, he saw his former middle school classmate, Wei Yuan, from the same neighborhood.

Both of them lived in the same community, and although they weren't in the same high school class, they were just next door. Wei Yuan was in the class adjacent to Li Dong's.

Seeing Wei Yuan, Li Dong squinted with a grin and said, "Chairman Wei, long time no see!"

"Cut it out! We had lunch together in the cafeteria just this noon. What 'long time no see'?"

Wei Yuan didn't mind being called by his nickname, as it was quite impressive compared to Li Dong's nickname.

"Heh heh!"

Li Dong smiled without elaborating. It had indeed been a while since he'd seen Wei Yuan.

In his previous life, after his parents passed away and their old house was sold, Li Dong had avoided his old neighborhood for fear of being reminded of the past. Naturally, he hadn't had the chance to see Wei Yuan again.

Wei Yuan, of course, wasn't aware of Li Dong's thoughts. Breathing heavily, he approached Li Dong, patting him on the shoulder and said, "Come on, why the rush home? Your parents aren't back yet. Let's go to the internet café and play a few games. I got badly beaten yesterday."

At this time, there were some differences between the First High School and the future. Students weren't required to attend evening study sessions.

Typically, students from county towns could skip school self-study as long as their parents agreed, and teachers wouldn't object.

Neither Li Dong nor Wei Yuan were top students, so they wouldn't choose to suffer at school. Therefore, they had plenty of free time in the evenings.

As for Wei Yuan's suggestion, Li Dong understood. The most popular online games of the time were "Legend" and "CS" (Counter-Strike).

Li Dong and Wei Yuan played CS. Since Li Dong's parents came home late and Wei Yuan's parents worked late too, they often went to the internet café to indulge.

If Li Dong were still the old Li Dong, he'd definitely agree. But the current Li Dong had no interest in playing games.

Punching Wei Yuan's chest lightly, Li Dong smiled and said, "Not going. The college entrance exam is approaching, and I'm not in the mood for games. You should be sensible for a few months. If you don't do well on the exam, your parents will make things hard for you."

"Cut it out! Dongzi, when did you become so timid? What's there to fear about the college entrance exam? We're from the First High; even with our eyes closed, getting into a decent university shouldn't be a problem."

Wei Yuan was boastful and carefree, causing Li Dong to burst into laughter.

"Keep bragging, and watch out for your parents' mixed double team!" Li Dong scoffed at Wei Yuan's arrogance. Although the First High School was good, it wasn't that amazing.

After all, it was just a high school in an inland county, and the college entrance exam was not as easy as it would be in a few years.

While Li Dong's class was a key class with a relatively high rate of college admission, Wei Yuan was in an ordinary class. Getting into college wasn't so easy. Li Dong remembered that in his previous life, Wei Yuan only managed to get into a vocational college, nearly getting beaten by his parents.

But Li Dong didn't feel the need to overdo it. Having mingled in society for years, he knew that excessive behavior was counterproductive. There was no need to provoke anyone.

Seeing that Li Dong wasn't going, Wei Yuan's eagerness to go to the internet café diminished. He thought for a moment and said with a mischievous smile, "Alright, let's not go to the internet café. How about we go and block Qin Yuhan?"

Looking at Wei Yuan's excited expression, Li Dong's face darkened. The name Qin Yuhan was etched in his memory.

To remember someone so deeply, especially a woman, usually indicates either deep love or intense hatred.

For Qin Yuhan, it was definitely the latter. She was a lifelong disgrace to Li Dong, something he hadn't been able to forget even after his rebirth.

Of course, whether there was any element of love in the mix was unknown.

Anyway, pretty girls are memorable to everyone. Even though it had been over a decade since he last saw Qin Yuhan, Li Dong couldn't forget her charming face.

Li Dong wasn't interested in going online, but if he could catch Qin Yuhan and give her a good smack, he wouldn't mind.

In his thirty years of life, only a few women left a mark on his heart, and Qin Yuhan was one of them. Sometimes, in the dead of night, he would involuntarily think of her.

Naturally, a solitary man only thinks about such things and never expresses them. After graduating from university, he never dared to contact Qin Yuhan again.

Whether it was due to inferiority or introversion, Qin Yuhan had pursued both her undergraduate and master's degrees and stayed on as a teacher at a prestigious domestic university. The disparity was clear, and Li Dong could never hope for such achievements.

Without further ado, before Wei Yuan could say anything, Li Dong dragged him along and said, "Let's hurry up. We didn't catch her last time, so we can't let her slip away this time!"

...

In a small alley on the south side of First High School, this was Qin Yuhan's regular route home.

Li Dong's gaze was sharp as he pretended to glare fiercely at the girl in front of him.

Qin Yuhan lived up to her name. Her parents must have named her well, as she grew up to be quite attractive.

The girl was so charming that anyone who saw her would want to hold her and shower her with affection.

But don't be fooled by her appearance. In Li Dong's eyes, she was a cunning little fox.

Li Dong and Wei Yuan had blocked Qin Yuhan many times, dating back to a few years ago. They had never gained the upper hand, and they had often been on the losing end.

At this moment, Qin Yuhan blinked and looked at Li Dong with a seemingly innocent expression. "Li Dong, you've gained weight. You're blocking my way."

"Hmph! Stop with the pretense. Your old Dongzi is no longer the newbie he used to be. I'm here to settle the score for the grievances of the past!"

Li Dong was smug in his heart. He was no longer the naive fool he used to be and wouldn't be swayed by her words.

"Li Dong, you're a man. You're not going to bully a girl, are you?" Qin Yuhan pretended to be scared, looking at Li Dong timidly.

"Enough! Back then, you ruined my reputation. The grudge is everlasting!"

Li Dong grumbled, casting a quick glance at the girl in front of him. He sighed internally, realizing how dangerous beauty could be. No wonder he had been so easily fooled by her in the past. Perhaps, deep down, he was willing to be deceived.

"Right! Qin Yuhan, don't just think it's Dongzi who's upset. Even I, an outsider, can't stand it. You're going too far..."

"Get lost!"

Wei Yuan's interruption was cut off by Li Dong's harsh retort. This was the kind of annoying teammate who always stirred up trouble.

"Pfft!"

Qin Yuhan couldn't keep her composure any longer. Hearing Wei Yuan's words, she burst into laughter.

She, Li Dong, and Wei Yuan had been in the same middle school class. While there was no deep-seated enmity, Li Dong used to bully the girls in their class.

Generally, boys bully girls to attract their attention, and the more attractive the girl, the more she's targeted.

Qin Yuhan, being exceptionally cute, was bullied by Li Dong more than once or twice.

Later, unable to tolerate it, she threw a fake snake made of bamboo into the restroom while Li Dong was inside.

Li Dong had always been terrified of such soft creatures. Unable to discern the fake from the real, he ran out without even pulling up his pants.

Unbeknownst to him, almost the entire class had gathered outside the restroom to watch, all thanks to Qin Yuhan calling them over for a good laugh.

Li Dong, being a small, late-developing boy in the first year of middle school, was humiliated.

Thinking about it brought tears of bitterness. Because of that incident, he hadn't experienced a beautiful first love throughout middle school. Even at graduation, none of the girls wanted to be romantically involved with him.

Of course, if Qin Yuhan had been willing to have a beautiful first love with Li Dong, he probably wouldn't have held a grudge.

Seeing Li Dong's face darken like the bottom of a pot, Qin Yuhan laughed so hard she could barely breathe and quickly waved her hands. "Li... hehe... Li Dong, it's been so many years. Are you still holding a grudge? I've long forgotten about it."

"Of course, you'd like to forget it. It's not your face that was embarrassed!" Li Dong gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Over the years, you've blocked me dozens of times. It's not easy for a man to hold such a grudge. The college entrance exam is coming up, and we won't get to see

 each other often in the future. How about this: I'll let you hit me once, and we can remain friends from now on... hehe..." Qin Yuhan said, unable to stop laughing.

Seeing Qin Yuhan surrendering so willingly, Li Dong's gaze shifted to her small buttocks, feeling an urge to touch...

No, he should slap her a couple of times to exact his revenge!

But as he looked at Qin Yuhan's semi-smiling expression, Li Dong's face turned slightly red. He cleared his throat and mumbled, "I won't hold a grudge. Am I the kind of petty man who would do that? But since you've seen me in my entirety, if I can't find a girlfriend in the future, I'll come looking for you!"

"Get lost! Who saw you? Besides, even if someone did see, it wasn't just me. The whole class saw it back then, hehe..." Qin Yuhan said with a laugh.

Li Dong, no longer interested in arguing with her, realized that he had initially come to exact revenge but was now more focused on seeing the beautiful girl. 

With his thoughts settled, Li Dong felt satisfied with his inner gentlemanliness and decided to act magnanimous. "Forget it. I didn't come to seek revenge. With the college entrance exam approaching, I thought we should at least maintain some connection. Qin Yuhan, which school are you planning to attend? I'll consider going there too, so I can look out for you in the future."

Qin Yuhan's mouth slightly opened, while Wei Yuan looked disdainful and said, "Qin Yuhan ranks in the top ten every exam. You were ranked four hundred and twenty last time."

Li Dong's face flushed slightly, but fortunately, it wasn't too noticeable. He then remembered that Qin Yuhan had gone to Beijing Normal University, which was far better than his mediocre university.

Resigned internally but not willing to admit defeat, he said, "That's because I've been low-profile. I used to deliberately score lower in exams. I'll surprise you all in the college entrance exam!"

"Pfft!"

Qin Yuhan and Wei Yuan dismissed him with contempt. Teenagers quickly moved from anger to playful banter, walking home together with laughter and teasing.

Even Li Dong didn't mind whether he came for revenge or not. After all, this was how it had been during previous encounters.

Walking with a beautiful girl was more important than holding onto minor grudges.