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nEditor: yummers

nThis was a novel about a very unfortunate boy’s journey to the top. It mainly followed the story of the protagonist, Zhuo Junli, as he endured bullying in the workforce after leaving his miserable childhood behind; all the way to the pinnacle of his successful career.

nZhuo Junli’s father was abusive, which caused his mother to leave home when he was a child. He grew up being beaten by his father.

nDue to the lack of food and clothing, he was a very skinny boy growing up. His tattered clothes also set him apart from his peers, causing him to appear very pitiful.

nBut he hadn’t been bullied much since he was a kid because he had an attractive appearance; he resembled those school idols on TV. His grades were also good, so ever since he started elementary school, the teachers were sympathetic towards this hardworking child from a troubled family.

nHis classmates—especially the female ones—admired that he was good-looking and smart. Most of all, he was willing to help them with difficult problems in class.

nFor Zhuo Junli, his school environment was better than the one at home.

nThat was, until he entered high school.

nIt was around this time that many boys had their first crush. What was infuriating was that most of the girls that they liked had a crush on Zhuo Junli.

nThe school idol who was handsome, smart, and kind to others.

nThen, Zhuo Junli’s popularity decreased just a bit. Although there were one or two people who targeted him, they didn’t dare go too far.

nIt wasn’t until his sophomore year that everything changed when a new transfer student appeared.

nHe had a strong background. Although he was arrogant, he was also very generous. He quickly gathered a bunch of underlings and usurped the title of school bully.

nThe school bully liked the prettiest girl in his class.

nIt just so happened that, unfortunately, the girl had confessed to Zhuo Junli. Even though Zhuo Junli rejected her in a kind manner, the girl said that she would still have feelings for him.

nThe school bully was furious.

nHe chased after the girl while tormenting Zhuo Junli in various ways.

nThe teacher tried to help at first, but the school bully’s background was too influential. He bullied Zhuo Junli without leaving a mark on him. When the teacher tried to reprimand him, the bully would smile and say that it was an accident. In the end, the teacher could only turn a blind eye to this matter.

nZhuo Junli’s nightmarish school days began.

nThe school bully used underhanded but effective methods.

nHe asked to be Zhuo Junli’s roommate on purpose during the beginning of the year when the school was assigning two-people dorms. In the middle of winter, he waited until Zhuo Junli was away to pour ice-cold water on his bed, causing him to suffer for the entire night.

nWhen he heard that Zhuo Junli had gotten a part-time job, he deliberately went with his gang to cause trouble.

nHe also blocked Zhuo Junli after school, verbally harassed him, and even tried dragging him to the bathroom and locking him in there for the night.

nIt could be said that Zhuo Junli hasn’t had a single good day since the school bully arrived.

nThe only silver lining was that, at the time, the school bully was wary of the teachers, so he only pulled small pranks.

nHowever, things got worse after the two graduated from university. Zhuo Junli joined a company only to find that it was owned by the school bully’s family. As their only son, the school bully was parachuted into the company.

nNow, there were no teachers to hold the bully back. Zhuo Junli was humiliated in every way, but he was unable to leave because of the contract he signed. He could only continue to endure this cruel treatment.

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nIt was a good thing that he was the protagonist. After a period of suffering, he used this company as a stepping stone to start his own. The school bully continued to be a relentless thorn in his side on the rest of his journey, setting traps for him at every turn.

nThe school bully could be considered the antagonist of Zhuo Junli’s life.

nIt wasn’t until the end that Zhuo Junli was able to reach the top and completely uproot the shadow that had haunted him his entire life. He drove the school bully to bankruptcy before putting him behind bars.

nThe tragedy was that the novel was too well-written. The wishes of the readers who liked it so much allowed it to become a world of its own. It was no longer governed by a script afterwards.

nRight now, it was the day after the school bully poured cold water over Zhuo Junli’s blanket in the middle of winter. He had also already pulled Zhuo Junli to the bathroom and locked him inside.

nIn the original novel, the girl that had a crush on Zhuo Junli would come to his rescue. But after the world gained a life of its own, that girl was soundly asleep instead. After all, why would she go to the boy’s bathroom in the middle of the night?

nAnd then…

nZhuo Junli died of pneumonia after freezing in the bathroom all night.

nSuch a miserable and scientific way to die. It really was pitiful.

nShi Qing, Obviously I’m the school bully.

nSystem: Wu… I’m sorry, Host. I wanted to take back the golden finger, but it can’t be stopped once it’s activated.

nIt’s okay.

nShi Qing laughed evilly, I also like to bully people.

nHe got up and strolled around the dorm room.

nThe reason why this school had two-person rooms was thanks to the original host. When he found out that he was going to transfer schools as a freshman, he didn’t want to share a room with others. Therefore, he persuaded his family to offer a donation to the school for new dorms.

nShortly after he transferred, the dormitory building had also just finished construction. But by then, the school bully already started holding a grudge against Zhuo Junli. He gave up on his own single person room and insisted on living with Zhuo Junli to make it easier to harass him.

nIt was also easier to monitor him this way and to make sure Zhuo Junli wasn’t making any moves on his girl.

nThis dorm room was pretty decent. It was spacious and had large windows. There was a notebook on the desk inside.

nIt belonged to the original owner. As the son of a rich family who had donated to the school, he was able to enjoy special privileges. For example, the teachers never inspected the dorm he stayed in.

nIn the original story, this was used to demonstrate how the tyrannical school bully abused this oversight to further torment Zhuo Junli.

nTake locking him in a bathroom for example. The teachers never inspected their dorm, so of course they didn’t know that Zhuo Junli was missing.

nNo one else would know even if he locked the other person up for the entire night.

nA second before Shi Qing arrived, the original owner’s cronies had just locked Zhuo Junli in the washroom. They were now leaving the scene.

nHe looked through Zhuo Junli’s belongings again.

nThere was a well-used backpack. His desk was buried under books. His bedding was still thin despite it being winter.

nIt was bought by Zhuo Junli in the summer. He wanted to buy a warmer set later on, but because the original owner sabotaged his chances of getting a scholarship, he had no money left to do so.

nAt the moment, the blanket was already soaked through. Even the mattress underneath was soggy.

nThere was air conditioning in the room, but the remote had always been in the original owner’s possession. Since he wanted Zhuo Junli to freeze, he naturally wouldn’t turn on the heating.

nAfter rummaging around and confirming the situation, Shi Qing rubbed his hands and went to find his poor little roommate.

n***

nZhuo Junli was pacing around in the bathroom.

nHis lips were already white from the cold, but he didn’t appear to be angry. There was only a calm expression on his face.

nThe school bathrooms had open windows for ventilation, but there was no glass installed there. Since students left the bathroom right after they finished their business, they wouldn’t get too cold. But being locked in the bathroom for a long time was another story entirely.

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nNo matter which direction Zhuo Junli stood in, the whistling wind was still able to reach him, causing his hands and feet to get colder and colder.

nIt’s actually fine. He thought as he walked around to generate heat. He’s only been locked in here for ten minutes, and his body was still reasonably warm.

nThe bathroom was in the very corner of the exercise area. The walls were insulated and the door was locked. Even if he shouted at the top of his lungs, the people in the dormitories and school wouldn’t be able to hear him.

nNot to mention that shouting would cause his body heat to plummet and sap his energy even faster.

nThe students had bathrooms in their own dorms, so there was no reason to come out here. However, the teachers’ dorms didn’t have any.

nAfter their patrols, the teachers should come to the bathroom. They normally inspected around from 10:00-10:30. Zhuo Junli didn’t catch a glimpse of the time before he was locked in here, but it should be around 9:40 by his estimates.

nAdding in the ten minutes he’s already spent here, it should be 9:50 right now.

nThe teachers would be here in 40 minutes at the latest.

nHe exhaled and silently continued to walk around to raise his body temperature.

nAfter less than a minute of pacing, the sound of the chains being pulled open came from outside the washroom.

nZhuo Junli’s movements stopped. His handsome face and light-coloured eyes showed hints of confusion.

nAccording to his deductions, no one should be here at this time.

nShi Qing swaggered in.

nInside, a young man with a slender figure and a handsome face was staring at him with a bit of a dazed look.

nHe was way too handsome. A single glance at his features could improve anyone’s mood.

nShi Qing, Wow… He’s a real beauty. This is no school idol, this is a national idol.

nHe tutted, So tender and fresh. Are all school protagonists this good looking?

nIn Zhuo Junli’s eyes, nothing good could come out of the way Shi Qing was staring at him.

nHe tensed up vigilantly and flexed his feet, but his face skillfully showed cowardice. He lowered his head as if he was frightened.

nZhuo Junli had learned a lesson from his childhood.

nIt was only when his abuser was satisfied by the fear and submissiveness he showed that the violence would stop.

nAs he skillfully made this expression, Zhuo Junli began to play out scenarios in his head.

nShi Qing wouldn’t hit him.

nIt didn’t look like he was carrying any other teasing tools on him either.

nDid he come to mock him?

nHowever, what happened next was completely out of his expectations. The arrogant and domineering school bully only crossed his arms and raised his chin as he faced Zhuo Junli.

n“What are you standing around for? Come with me.”

nZhuo Junli became even more wary, but he was still timid on the surface. He carefully looked at Shi Qing and asked quietly, “Where to?”

n“You sure talk a lot. Just do as I say.”

nShi Qing seemed to have lost his patience. He grabbed Zhuo Junli’s arm and pulled him out.

nZhuo Junli’s feet were frozen. He stumbled as he was pulled abruptly and nearly fell onto the ground.

nThe school bully pulled him back with one hand and scoffed, “You’re really a weak chicken. I really don’t know what Tong Xinyu sees in you.”

nZhuo Junli lowered his eyes. His long, thick eyelashes trembled gently. That, along with his white and handsome face, made him look especially pitiful. This was his usual trick to get the sympathy of others.

n“Tong Xinyu and I are just classmates. You’ve misunderstood.”

n“Hah! Classmates, huh? Why would she give bread to a classmate?!”

nAs soon as he was reminded of this, the school bully’s tone became even more resentful.

nShi Qing stretched out his hand to gently pat at Zhou Junli’s cheek.

n“Tong Xinyu just likes your face. Do you think she would give you a second glance if you didn’t look like this?”

nThe handsome youth shrank back and ducked.

n“There’s really nothing between us. I didn’t even accept the bread.”

nBut due to the way he ducked, his lips accidentally brushed against Shi Qing’s hand.

n—Fwip!

nThe school bully withdrew his hand at the speed of light, even hiding that hand behind his back.

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