08 – People

Ju De had an inferiority complex. Ever since he was a little child, his parents would compare him to his older sister. His older sister was popular and beautiful, unlike himself, who was short, quiet and a complete failure at life.

At first, a lot of students were curious about him because his father was the mayor. However, they quickly realized that the son had no talent. He was neither good at school nor at sports. He didn't like to talk much and had a gloomy atmosphere. Many wondered if he was really the son of Mayor Ning Long, who was known as a charismatic and warm man.

His demeanor had caused the seniors to mark him as an easy target, regularly taking his allowances. Ju De had once told his father about it, who then called the school to discipline the bullies. However, it only made the situation worse. Instead of leaving physical marks, the bullies tortured him in some other ways. From then on, Ju De decided not to tell his family about his situation until he was capable of sticking up for himself.

On the first day of his senior year in middle school, Ju De walked confidently to school. The bullies had graduated to high school, so there was no need to be fearful anymore, he said to himself. There was only one small problem, the high school was located next to the middle school.

After class, Ju De leaned against the brick fence of the high school, and looked toward the path leading to the parking lot where his driver was waiting to pick him up. If he could get to the car before the bullies could see him, he would be safe.

"Should I bolt or sneak across?" He thought to himself.

He decided to bolt. Just as he ran, he was quickly surrounded by the high schoolers.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Ju De," said the bully. "Why don't we head somewhere and catch up? We haven't seen each other in months."

Ju De looked around. Although there were other students, they mostly minded their own business and ignored the scene. A group of delinquents was even enjoying popcorn from across the school.

Some of the teachers did glance their way, looking to see if there was any problem. Ju De had the option to expose the bully now, and then get beaten up tomorrow, or get beaten up that day. Ju De toughened up and decided to get beaten up that day. Otherwise, the retaliation would be worse the following day. Ju De waved at the teacher as though he was casually hanging out with friends.

While Ju De was dragged away by the bullies, a group of high schoolers eating popcorn continued to watch everything unfold. It was more appropriate to call them delinquents by the way they dressed and looked.

"Bro, you're not going to help that kid out?" Ersan, a freshman, asked while sitting on a makeshift cardboard stool.

Li Yun shook his head and continued to watch the students scattered out from the school gate. With messy unkempt hair and a partially unbuttoned uniform, Li Yun's appearance in high school mirrored that of a typical hoodlum. The scar marking the inner corner of his left eye to the upper cheek gave an impression that he wasn't someone to mess around with. As for the reason behind his scar, it was a secret he was keeping to his grave.

Bufu and Fatty Fang sat nearby, enjoying the popcorn. They were in a perfect position to see the elementary school, the middle school, and the high school.

"Li Yun is probably watching something else," said Fatty Fang.

Fatty Fang had grown taller, and remained the biggest kid in class. The only exception was that his body was covered in tattoos and muscles rather than fat. There was no sign of the large and overweight kid who could barely lift himself off the swing. Anyone who looked at him would think he was a gang leader.

The intricate tattoos of strokes and lines were inked by Li Yun to add strength. After completing the nine sets of daoyin, he had gained nine different inscriptions. Unfortunately, it was all the +1 variety. The stats included charm, culture, guts, fertility, sense, qi, spirit, essence, and strength.

Studying the scene in front of them, Bufu thought the kid looked familiar. "Isn't that Ning Xuxu's brother?" Bufu asked, but then refocused on his laptop.

Bufu had grown a bit taller, and his face was still slim. However, his constant use of computers had deteriorated his eyesight and his eyes were framed with black-rimmed glasses. Surprisingly, his face was a lot more refined and handsome in high school. He looked a bit out of place in a gang of delinquents.

"Ah, is that who?" asked Ersan. "No wonder he looked a bit familiar. I heard he gets bullied a lot."

They continued eating popcorn. People-watching was Li Yun's usual pastime outside of calligraphy. They usually sat in an open restaurant by a crowded street to watch people, so they found it odd that Li Yun had decided to watch the school. Maybe because it was the first day of school and he didn't want his mom to nag at him.

Once the students' traffic dwindled down, they went to the sanda gym. The following two weeks, Li Yun and the gang continued going to school and watching the entrance. The gang felt bad that the kid Ju De was constantly getting bullied. However, Li Yun ignored the incident.

"Li Yun, you're not going to tell us why we're not going to help the kid?" asked Bufu.

"Have you noticed that Mr. Jiang is having an affair with his student?" asked Li Yun. "I'm considering whether to contact the police or not."

"Child molestation could put him in jail for 5 years," said Bufu. "I thought he seemed like a decent guy, guess you really can't tell from looks. How do you know that?"

"He usually ignores direct eye contact with her," said Li Yun. "I slipped her name in a casual conversation, and I could see his eyes being a bit shifty."

"Should we ask Old Bu to take care of this?" asked Ersan.

Li Yun shook his head. "I've been watching the girl, and she also has a problem," said Li Yun. "A bit manipulative, and someone who needs to be the center of attention. She may have a problem with a father figure, and find it amusing to manipulate older men."

"So Mr. Jiang is the victim?" asked Ersan.

"Even if he is, isn't that pathetic for a teacher?" asked Fatty Fang.

Li Yun agreed. From what he had gathered, Mr. Jiang was married for 5 years. He married young, and likely out of love. The problem was, people who were quick to jump into relationships, were also quick to fall out of it.

Mr. Jiang was likely in a rough patch with his wife, and the girl probably took the opportunity to seduce him. Li Yun wondered if Mr. Jiang was hired as a tutor in the summer, or if the girl suggested it.

"Who's the girl?" asked Bufu curiously.

Li Yun got up when he saw the bullies taking Ju De to a side alley.

"Let's recruit that kid first," said Li Yun.

The gang of four bullies took Ju De to the side, and kicked him until he threw them the money. He was in a pathetic state, but no one came to help him. Ju De got up after the bullies left, and put his clothing back into place. The bullies were always careful about leaving visible markings on the face and exposed limbs.

"Hey kid," Li Yun called out to him from the top wall beside the alley.

Ju De looked around for the source of the voice, he craned his neck up to face Li Yun, and immediately recognized him and the other high schoolers around him.

"Ah, Brother Yun, why are you here?" asked Ju De, cowering back a bit.

Ju De was naturally afraid of Li Yun and the other delinquents of Kaishi High School. Otherwise known as the Evils, they ran the school grounds and other neighboring territories.

"Stop bullying those kids, if you really want to be a punching bag, Fatty Fang can help you at the sanda club," said Li Yun. "Also, tell your sister to stop messing around with Mr. Jiang."

Ju De looked into Li Yun's eyes for a moment. The scared little boy's facade faded away and his eyes became sharp.

"All right," Ju De replied, he was getting bored of putting on the weak pathetic kid act.

Bufu, Fatty Fang, and the other delinquents were utterly confused, and it took them a while to figure out what had happened that day. For Li Yun, he had a big grin on his face.

Face reading completed to small perfection, +10 shen.