Chapter 055: The Troubles of Youth

Page 1 of 3

The city of Binhai at night was ablaze with neon lights and the allure of nightlife, seemingly vibrant and full of excitement. Yet for the students, such sights could only be admired from behind the school’s iron gates, gazing longingly at the enchanting world beyond.

After evening study hours had ended, Yang Tian and Huang Juan sat together in the school’s wooden corridor, their eyes drifting to the city lights outside as they chatted idly.

“Xiaotian, do you miss home?” Huang Juan suddenly turned to Yang Tian and asked. That night, she wore the school uniform—beneath it a pink shirt—and her long black hair was braided, hanging down her back, youthful and fresh.

“A little. Why? Are you homesick?” Yang Tian sat across from her, smiling as he replied.

He could well imagine—having just graduated from middle school and entered high school, the pressure of study had surged, the pace of life quickened. Inevitably, they all felt that reality was drifting further from their ideals, perhaps even becoming unattainable.

Such feelings easily bred fatigue and disillusionment, and Yang Tian guessed Huang Juan must be mired in such emotions herself.

“Yeah. I’m so tired, and I can’t sleep at night—the dorm is too noisy!” Huang Juan forced a bitter smile.

At home, she always slept alone; in middle school, the dorms were quieter and the academic pressure was lighter, so restful sleep came naturally. But now, things were different. Many students at No.1 High were diligent, some burning the midnight oil with a desk lamp, others rising at the crack of dawn to wash up. The irregular habits of a few disrupted the rest of the dorm, but these things were impossible to coordinate to everyone’s satisfaction. All Huang Juan could do was silently endure it.

Compared to the girls’ dorm, the boys’ was another world entirely. After escorting Huang Juan back, Yang Tian returned to his own room, where out of eight roommates, only Chen Ming was present; the others were a bit more uninhibited, even though they were all top students at No.1 High.

One boy sprawled across a desk piled high with books, noisily slurping instant noodles as if equipped with a pump, thoroughly enjoying himself.

Another boy hid under his covers reading novels—classics like “The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber” or “The Gallant Knights,” though a few would sneak peeks at “The Plum in the Golden Vase.” If caught by the homeroom teacher, they’d be “sentenced to death,” but it was their favorite way to relax after the intensity of study.

Page 2 of 3

There were also the sports enthusiasts, who would sneak in a bit of exercise in the dorm when the building supervisor wasn’t watching. With only gym class during the school day as their outlet, at night they seized any chance to scratch that itch.

“Chen Ming, what’s wrong? You look exhausted.” Yang Tian pulled a drink from his bag and offered it to Chen Ming.

Zhang Zhi had taken his advice and stocked a variety of drinks at the internet cafe, for customers to buy. Yang Tian, however, could drink for free every day.

To his surprise, Chen Ming didn’t accept the drink. Instead, he rolled off the bed and hurried out the door. It seemed he was crying.

Startled, Yang Tian quickly followed. He had no idea what had happened—was Chen Ming being bullied again?

The boys’ dormitory corridor was filled with noise. After evening study, boys liked to let loose: some would wash their feet in the communal washroom, singing at the tops of their lungs, others would gather in groups of three or four to horse around with laundry poles and clothes hangers as they hung their laundry.

Seeing this, Chen Ming seemed even more despondent. He stood alone at the end of the corridor, gazing down at the street below, where all kinds of vehicles roared past, leaving only a cloud of dust in their wake.

“What’s wrong? Nervous about next week’s math test?” Yang Tian teased, though he knew that wasn’t the real reason—Chen Ming was a diligent student, never the sort to panic over an exam, even at No.1 High.

“An Qi dropped out,” Chen Ming finally revealed, and the news stunned Yang Tian.

“What?” Yang Tian exclaimed softly. The semester had only just begun—how could An Qi have quit school already? She’d worked so hard to get into No.1 High, one of the province’s best schools—why would she give it up?

“Her father fell seriously ill over the summer. They spent all their money on his treatment. She hid it from us, and her tuition was paid with money her mother borrowed from loan sharks. Now those people show up every day demanding payment and even beat her mother. She couldn’t stand it anymore, so she quit school to earn money,” Chen Ming said, tears streaming down his face.

“She’s being foolish—how much can she earn? It won’t solve anything. That girl…” Yang Tian’s worry showed. “Do you know where she went to work?”

He remembered, in his previous life, An Qi had gone to No.2 High, but after high school began, they’d lost touch, and he never knew what became of her. Now he realized her family had suffered a misfortune and she’d dropped out.

She must have confided only in Chen Ming—of the four of them, he was always closest to her.

Page 3 of 3

“She and her mother opened a small food stall in the city,” Chen Ming choked out.

“Oh? So she’s still in Binhai?” A flicker of hope rose in Yang Tian’s heart.

“Yeah, on the east side of Xuefu Street,” Chen Ming said, wiping his tears and looking toward the east, where the lights still glimmered.

“All right. Let’s go find her this weekend. For now, let’s get some rest,” Yang Tian said, pausing for a moment before patting Chen Ming on the shoulder.

The next morning, Huang Juan also sought out Yang Tian to talk about An Qi. An Qi had been a close friend to her as well, and she was deeply worried. After all, at only fifteen, it was such a pity for An Qi to give up her studies. Now was the best time to be in school; if she missed this train of life, the chance would never come again.

The school administration soon learned what had happened and asked the homeroom teacher, Bao Yuehong, to counsel An Qi. Knowing that An Qi was close to Yang Tian and Chen Ming, Bao Yuehong called them in first.

“Do you know where An Qi is?” In Bao Yuehong’s office, Yang Tian, Huang Juan, and Chen Ming gathered, all anxious.

“She and her mother opened a small food stall on the east side of Xuefu Street,” Chen Ming said quietly. He’d already investigated thoroughly, even going to find An Qi himself, but had failed to persuade her—she refused to return.

“A food stall? You’ve already tried to see her?” Bao Yuehong was slightly surprised.

“Yes. She won’t come back. Her family owes a lot of money, and she says she has to work to pay off the debt,” Huang Juan and Chen Ming replied, their tension clear.

“That poor child! Yang Tian, what do you think?” Bao Yuehong sighed deeply, then turned to Yang Tian. She seemed to sense that he already had a solution in mind.

“If we want her to return to school, we need to accomplish two things. First, we must help her family pay off part of the loan shark debt to ease her burden. Second, we need to show them a way to earn a living. Since her mother wants to run a food stall, we should find a way to help their business prosper—if they can earn a steady income each year, they’ll be able to pay off the debt gradually and improve their living conditions, so An Qi can focus on her studies,” Yang Tian said, after a brief moment of reflection, his words measured and calm.