Li Xiu didn't sleep well that night.
I had nightmares all night.
In his dream, he seemed to be back in the Xiao family villa at dusk.
The sticky, twisted monsters surrounded him, entangled him tightly with their deformed tentacles. The stale fishy smell fermented by the dust and mold in the room was like a cancer, making Li Xiu almost unable to breathe.
[Zizi——]
Is that the sound of peeling wall covering?
No, that's not right...
[Sizzle…sizzle…]
It was the wet sound made by the friction between the mucus on the surface of some huge creature and the ground when it was wriggling.
Li Xiu opened her eyes wide and looked towards the window of the old room.
The setting sun cast a red hue, stretching the tall, thin shadow of an unknown janitor outside the window. And then… before Li Xiu's eyes, the janitor gradually transformed into something twisted, evil, and indescribably bizarre.
It slid in, and Li Xiu saw that its mouth was slightly open, and its scarlet lips were stretched all the way to below its ears, revealing its teeth that had been carefully cared for since childhood and were therefore exceptionally white and neat.
The monster was eaten by it.
[Zi...A Xiu...]
A vaguely familiar voice sounded next to Li Xiu's ear.
The voice was strangely mechanical, the kind that animals make when they imitate human intonation.
[Ah Xiu...my Ah Xiu...]
[She cries so beautifully.]
The monster felt cold to the touch, like leather dripping with sticky juice.
Li Xiu couldn't move. He only felt that his body was being tightened little by little by the other party, and then his consciousness in the nightmare gradually became blurred.
The last thing that stuck in my mind was the glimpse I caught of the walls of the room before being completely devoured by the monster.
In reality, behind the wall cloth were densely packed and repeatedly pasted talismans, but in this dream, Li Xiu saw countless eyes.
There are no whites of the eyes, only pure black pupils.
Every eyeball moved flexibly, staring at Li Xiu intently.
*
"Ugh, it hurts so much..."
When Li Xiu woke up the next day, he still felt the sticky feeling left over from the nightmare.
He soon found the source of this unpleasant feeling - he had sweated so much last night that his pajamas were completely soaked.
Fortunately, the handful of pills that Li Xiu took randomly last night worked. When he woke up, his low fever had subsided, and the pain that made him afraid to breathe too hard had also faded a lot.
Even the corners of his mouth and forehead, which he had thought would become horrifyingly bruised after a night, did not seem too exaggerated at this moment.
Li Xiu's health is much better than he expected yesterday.
However, when he thought about going to school today and facing Fang Qianan and his group again, a turbid and heavy emotion like mud spread out from deep within the boy's body like a dam bursting.
I knew that if I didn't leave quickly, there would be no way to ensure that I could enter the classroom before those people stopped me, but my body stayed on the bed uncontrollably, remaining in the same position as when I got up, unable to move.
It was not until I heard some slight noises outside the bedroom that the feeling of sleep paralysis that seemed to occur when I was awake suddenly disappeared.
Li Xiu was startled and subconsciously thought that it was her grandmother who had woken up.
When Li Xiu was little, his grandmother always prepared breakfast for him. But as she's gotten older and less energetic, she rarely wakes up so early anymore. On the rare occasions when Li Xiu wakes up and finds his grandmother in the kitchen, it's likely she's suddenly lost her composure and confused about time.
I don't want my grandma to notice that I'm abnormal.
Li Xiu took a deep breath, forced himself to cheer up, got out of bed, and walked out of the room.
"Grandma, stop busying yourself and go to sleep—"
He lowered his head so that his grandmother wouldn't see the strangeness on his face, and was about to persuade her to go back to her room and sleep.
However, when he reached the kitchen door, Li Xiu was stunned.
The old house didn't have good sound insulation. Li Xiu had clearly heard the sound of dishes being moved in the kitchen from her room.
But now, the morning light fell on the kitchen, and the cold and empty kitchen was silent.
"Hu…Hu…Hu…"
Grandma is still sleeping.
In the poorly soundproofed room, the old man's dull snoring became clearly audible at this moment.
*
Li Xiu frowned and her eyes fell on the kitchen chopping board.
There was an empty bowl placed there.
That was the bowl that Li Xiu could never mistake.
A bowl that only "brother" would use.
Li Xiu remembered very clearly that after "feeding" his brother yesterday, he washed his brother's bowl as usual and placed it deep in the cupboard.
In recent years, my grandmother has become increasingly wary of my brother's things, and the ordinary bowls used by her family for eating are always kept very separate from my brother's bowls.
And now, the bowl he had washed clean yesterday had a layer of dried brown dirt at the bottom.
Just like what the neighbor lady complained to the tenants, Li Xiu's grandmother was indeed a "fairy lady" who opened a temple in her own home.
Li Xiu had no way to refute the neighbor aunt's call of his grandmother as a liar. After all, he could see more clearly than anyone else that his grandmother was indeed a swindler most of the time.
But over the years, grandma has been struggling to support Li Xiu by relying on the meager money she earned by pretending to be a ghost.
Since childhood, Li Xiu has often seen her grandmother tinkering with all kinds of strange things at home, and has also witnessed many of the tricks her grandmother used to fool people.
So this morning, after a brief moment of stunned silence, Li Xiu didn't think too much and directly gave the most reasonable explanation.
The noise he heard before was probably coming from next door. As for the empty bowl covered in dirt, it was probably because his grandmother got confused again last night and used his brother's bowl to mix something.
Although there was still a lingering chill on the back of his neck, Li Xiu's instinct made him choose the most reasonable and normal guess to explain the morning's incident.
Li Xiu pursed her lips, hurriedly washed the bowl again, put it away again, then left home with her schoolbag on her back.
"Ka--"
The moment he closed the door, Li Xiu seemed to hear some strange and uncomfortable noises in the kitchen again in a trance.
He thought about opening the door to check, but when he looked at the time, the uneasiness in his heart was instantly replaced by panic.
He was almost late.
*
Through the thin door, the boy's hurried footsteps quickly disappeared.
In this old and dilapidated house, the only sound left is the old man's snoring.
Li Xiu, who was in a hurry to go to morning self-study, naturally didn't know that not long after he left, his grandmother's tightly closed bedroom door suddenly creaked open a crack without anyone touching it.
In the pitch-black bedroom, the old man's originally regular snoring was suddenly replaced by some rough and wild mumbling like a beast in his sleep.
"The rice smells so good, little baby, come and eat. Eat well and grow fat..."
"Eat more... grow taller..."
…
Although it's completely out of tune, if you listen carefully, you can still tell that it's a nursery rhyme.
"Ka."
On the empty kitchen table, a clean porcelain bowl made a crisp sound and fell onto the table.
*
Qiming Middle School——
"Hey, Cripple."
A hand was placed on Li Xiu's shoulder, almost causing her to stagger.
Li Xiu suddenly stopped, turned around breathlessly, and looked at the two boys beside her with a stern face.
Even though he had expected this, Li Xiu still felt annoyed when he was blocked by such a guy downstairs of the teaching building because he went out too late.
"Strange, you're not going to be a coward today?"
With a turn, the man raised his foot and stood in front of Li Xiu, blocking his way.
The boy was a head taller than Li Xiu, with a weed-like perm. The cigarette smell in his mouth when he spoke made Li Xiu frown.
Li Xiu knew this guy. He was Wang Rongfa's loyal younger brother, and his name was Song Cheng.
Behind Li Xiu was another "friend" of Song Cheng. This guy, like Song Cheng, was considered at the bottom of the small group. His characteristic was that his face was full of "Amazi". Li Xiu didn't know his real name, but only knew that Wang Rongfa and others seemed to call this guy by his nickname, "Amazi".
Li Xiu kept her eyes down and didn't look at him, for fear of disgusting herself.
"Hey, come on, talk to me. You were so brave yesterday, Brother Fang, you even dared to bite me."
"That's right, we haven't settled the score with you for yesterday yet..."
…
In his impression, these two people were not qualified to get close to Fang Qianan on weekdays. Li Xiu could guess that these two guys were so energetic and came to block him so early in the morning just to please Fang Qianan.
Li Xiu narrowed her eyes.
Surrounded by two men with bad intentions, Li Xiu took the time to glance around.
The bad news is that this is a blind spot, with few students passing by, and it is difficult to attract the attention of the patrolling teachers even if you shout at the top of your lungs.
And the good news is…
There is no one else except Song Cheng and A Mazi.
Fang Qianan didn't come, and neither did Wang Rongfa.
This made Li Xiu feel a little relieved.
"What are you looking at, little cripple? Are you thinking of complaining to the teacher again?"
Song Cheng noticed Li Xiu's little action, sneered and laughed at him.
Li Xiu said nothing.
The boy's expressionless face made Song Cheng even more annoyed.
What he hated most was Li Xiu's look as if he didn't care about anything.
He's just a lame man, what's so noble about him?
"Hey, I'm talking to you."
Song Cheng took a step forward.
Then he saw Li Xiu raise her eyes, look past him, and her eyes light up slightly.
"Teacher Chen——"
Li Xiu shouted.
Hearing Li Xiu call him "teacher," Song Cheng subconsciously froze. The next second, he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. Li Xiu had elbowed him hard with all her might. That's why the guest called the cripple cunning. Knowing he wasn't strong enough, he didn't even use his fists, but his elbows.
Then, while Song Cheng was bending over in pain, Li Xiu directly swung the schoolbag weighing dozens of kilograms and smashed it on A Mazi's head. Seeing that A Mazi was also stunned by the blow, he dragged his legs and started running.
"Fuck your mother, you really want to die——"
Ah Mazi covered his nose and wiped away the hot liquid flowing out of his nostrils. He screamed in frustration and raised his hand to pull Li Xiu.
Li Xiu felt a tightness on his back, and he felt that his schoolbag was grabbed.
Then, as the backpack strap loosened, something seemed to be thrown out.
"Ahhhhhhhhh—"
He heard two screams.
Li Xiu glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and saw A Mazi and Song Cheng slapping their arms in fear and jumping on the spot.
What is this...wait...
Li Xiu reacted quickly and realized that what she had just thrown away seemed to be the bag of rice that she had put in her schoolbag yesterday and planned to throw away at school today.
God knows what A Mazi and Song Cheng thought of the rice, but it was obvious that they were both shocked.
Is it necessary to cry so miserably?
This thought flashed through Li Xiu's mind.
He didn't even look back. Taking advantage of the brief moment when the two guys were scared, Li Xiu ran out desperately.
As a lame man, Li Xiu ran very slowly and staggered.
Fortunately, after getting out of the blind spot, he immediately saw the head teacher who was doing the morning patrol.
...Perhaps it was for this reason that Song Cheng and A Mazi hid in a corner and ultimately failed to catch up.
*
Li Xiushun arrived at the classroom door before the morning self-study began.
Unfortunately, he was stopped before entering the classroom.
As soon as Li Xiu turned around, he saw a handsome young face - a man who graduated from a top foreign university and had just been recruited from a well-known aristocratic school by the principal with great effort. He was now the head teacher of Li Xiu's class.
Compared to other teachers, he was so handsome that he almost looked out of place in the entire school.
However, among students, teachers who are handsome, teach in an easy way and have a humorous way of speaking are quite popular. Even on the Internet, men can be regarded as Internet celebrities because of their appearance.
He never pretended to be stern and authoritative like other teachers, but when Li Xiu saw him, her movements unconsciously tensed up.
"Good morning, Teacher Ouyang."
Li Xiu greeted him quickly and softly, then turned around and slipped into the classroom.
But Teacher Ouyang's palm pressed directly on his shoulder.
The man looked at Li Xiu with great concern.
"I heard that some classmates at school had a dispute with you recently?"
As always, the young teacher was very considerate and took into account the fragile and sensitive self-esteem of adolescent students. Even the rumors of bullying he heard became less harsh in his mouth.
"...No."
Li Xiu avoided Ouyang's gaze and spoke in a low voice.
His resistance made a trace of helplessness flash across the man's face.
"Well, that's good. If you encounter any problems in study or life, you can come to me."
"Well, thank you, teacher." Li Xiu said quickly, "I'm fine."
Then he grabbed the strap of his schoolbag, shook off the man's hand without leaving a trace, and walked quickly into the classroom with his head lowered.
His physical disability made him very sensitive to other people's gazes since he was a child, so he could clearly feel that after he turned around, Teacher Ouyang's gaze was still fixed on him for a long, long time.
Just like a good teacher who cares about his students.
*
"What's wrong with you?"
When sitting down, the girl next to her caught a glimpse of Li Xiu's opened schoolbag, and then she saw the wound on Li Xiu's face.
The girl frowned and asked.
"Could it be that those idiots are looking for you again?"
Feeling the girl's concern, Li Xiu applied a little force with his fingertips, but he still shook his head.
"without."
As soon as the words fell, several boys who heard their conversation behind them suddenly laughed.
...It was practically an open secret that Wang Rongfa and his gang had bullied Li Xiu on campus. Li Xiu's response now sounded completely ridiculous to them as a show of strength.
Before Li Xiu could say anything, the girl sitting at the same table had already turned ugly.
"Li Xiu, why don't you go find the teacher? I can testify for you—"
Li Xiu opened her schoolbag with a bang. The rice bag that had been packed earlier had become loose, and the rice mixed with incense ash was scattered all over the schoolbag.
He lowered his eyes, gathered the rice, tied the bag again, and took out his homework.
"Do you want to copy it?"
He asked.
"Ahhhhh, yes, yes, Li Xiu, you are my God, my eternal God, how do you know I didn't do it--"
The girl's attention was indeed diverted, and she never asked about Li Xiu being bullied again.
For a girl whose plastic hairpins were Li Xiu's living expenses for several months, the things that happened to Li Xiu were indeed too far away.
Li Xiu breathed a sigh of relief silently.
*
The seats of Songcheng and "Amazi" were empty until the end of morning self-study.
Li Xiu didn't care either.
Whether it is Fang Qianan or Wang Rongfa, the people in the small group surrounding them are generally the same.
Either their families were wealthy and didn't care how they did on the college entrance exam, as they were going to study abroad anyway, or their families were completely broke and had no intention of intervening. As for Qiming's teachers, they had long since let these people go their own way.
It is common for them to skip classes, and it is rare for them not to skip classes.
In any case, Li Xiu felt a little more relaxed now that there were fewer people in the class who were full of malice towards her.
When he arrived at school, the effect of the medicine had worn off a little. After the second class, Li Xiu realized that he had a low fever again. Feeling so uncomfortable, he really didn't want to focus his energy on this boring guy.
He is different from those people.
He has no parents and no money.
We need to work harder than ordinary people to barely maintain our fragile life today.
*
The debuff caused by the low fever was stronger than Li Xiu had imagined.
During the break, Li Xiu wanted to finish half of the test paper, but accidentally fell asleep.
Still a nightmare.
In his dream, he dreamed of Song Cheng and "Amazi", still standing in the shadow in the corner of the stairwell. The tall boys made hoarse sounds in their mouths, as if they were screaming or crying, but their mouths were blocked by something, and in the end, only vague whimpers came out.
As if they had noticed Li Xiu's presence, the two men suddenly turned their heads slowly.
[Wuwu…]
The boys' faces were swollen and distorted, and they were indeed crying.
However, what kept oozing out from the corners of his eyes were not tears, but tiny maggots that kept wriggling and falling in the sticky blood.
Clusters of small bumps rose and fell under the boy's skin.
They opened their mouths.
More maggots just spurted out.
Li Xiu stepped back suddenly, and the next second he ran into a cold embrace.
It was a man much taller than him.
The other person's body was so cold that Li Xiu shivered.
The visitor's cold hands gently rested on Li Xiu's shoulders.
[Sizzle… Ah… Ah Xiu…]
I can't tell what kind of sound it was.
Low, gloomy, evil.
Yet, there was an inexplicable familiarity to it.
Li Xiu froze completely, and a huge fear instantly overwhelmed him.
[…How pitiful… You're being bullied so pitifully, Ah Xiu.]
[My Ah Xiu. ]