Tuesday, after the early self-study session ended.

Jiang Ning strolled along the main path of the campus by himself.

In his previous life, after transferring to Yu Zhou Fourth Middle School, he always had a sense of urgency, a frustration of not being recognized by the girls he liked, and the anxiety of not being able to improve his grades.

There was also a feeling of inadequacy when he saw excellent students in the class and grade.

Moreover, there was an anger accompanying his poor background.

Actually, not just in high school, but even after entering university and society, restlessness and resentment always lingered in his heart.

It drove him forward in confusion, busy with living, or busy with dying.

It wasn't until he practiced that Cultivation Technique that he lost that sense of urgency, and the anger stemming from his poor background also vanished.

Now, as he relives his life, he has gradually regained many emotions, but to him, everything besides life and death has faded significantly.

He is more numb than ordinary people, unable to produce matching emotions for things like dignity, vanity, and even shame, which many ordinary people care about.

However, being aware of this also shows that his worldly practice has indeed had an effect.

'At least I can be aware of it.'

Thinking about some matters, Jiang Ning smiled slightly.

A while ago, Chen Siyu complained that drinking a can of "Walnut Drink" every day was completely worthless, as it didn't make her smarter.

She also mentioned the "Brain Platinum" from her childhood, saying despite taking it every day, it didn't make her smarter either.

The ads on TV are all scams.

Bai Yuxia told her, "The fact that you can realize this is proof that you've gotten smarter, isn't it?"

Borrowing Bai Yuxia's words, Jiang Ning thought amusingly that at least he has realized his emotional deficiencies.

...

Jiang Ning walked to the Yucai Mini Store and took a can of Coke from the fridge.

He handed over a 50 yuan bill.

This was given to him by Ma Shicheng this morning, claiming that last night's game was a proxy training, and he should have a share.

Jiang Ning accepted it, and also advised him not to tell Xue Yuantong about the proxy training.

For high school students in small cities like in 2014, 50 bucks was still a good amount of purchasing power.

Jiang Ning pondered spending 5 yuan to buy a top-tier milk custard for Tongtong, she would surely be overjoyed.

She might even feel indebted to him.

Holding the Coke, which was not cold since the store's fridge didn't have its chilling function turned on at the start of winter.

Jiang Ning held the Coke, and a cold breath burst from his palm, quickly forming ice cubes in the can.

Jiang Ning opened the can, and the cold, refreshing Coke made him feel slightly better.

He sat on a bench at the store entrance, watching the students pass by.

Nearby, several first-year students who were piggybacking on the internet were discussing games with great interest. "I've been playing a mobile game similar to CF, it's so fun!"

"What game?"

"Fireline of All People."

Their conversation evoked Jiang Ning's memories, he had played this game too, which was later renamed 'Assault of All People.'

In the past two years, after the release of Tiantian Kupao, Tencent's studios' games have drawn special attention, prompting people to speculate when games like Flying Car, CF, LOL, and Dungeon would be available on mobile platforms.

He drank the iced Coke and quietly listened to their chat.

In the past, Jiang Ning was one of these people.

...

Meanwhile, in the east corridor of Class 8.

Wang Yong looked at his phone, visibly excited: "Li Shi has finished her business and finally came to school."

Regarding Li Shi, Zhuang Jianhui's expression slightly changed; having been in Yuzhou for more than a year, only the incident the other day made him feel troubled.

Usually, only the kid king in the An City courtyard made him experience such frustration.

Lin Zida remained silent, sighing to himself; it was hard to find someone to talk about consoles at Fourth Middle School, but after the incident with Li Shi and Zhuang Jianhui, his half-friendship with Jiang Ning became difficult to manage.

Wang Yong hastily said, "She's getting out of the car, I'll go to the entrance to meet her."

Saying this, he hurriedly ran down the stairs.

Though Wang Yong was from the Yuzhou courtyard, he belonged to the lowest tier. His parents only managed to secure a minor official position after years of hard work.

With his parents as examples, Wang Yong knew that Li Shi's family was in a different league, but each time a new leader took office, they would often pay special visits to Li Shi's parents.

Wang Yong was keen on maintaining a good relationship with Li Shi.

He ran downstairs and looked back at the second-floor balcony, where Cui Yu and others were gesturing grandly.

Wang Yong shook his head inwardly; while peers were still muddling along, he had already seen through the reality of society.

Wang Yong had a sense of satisfaction, realizing that others were still drunk while he was the only one awake.

However, on the surface, Wang Yong still interacted well with classmates; they were all connections after all!

Who knows, maybe one day, someone will soar to great heights and become a phoenix!

Wang Yong walked briskly towards the school gate.

...

Outside the Yucai Mini Store, the young owner Wei Xiu Yuan heard a few lower-grade students discussing and said:

"A game is just a game. Have you heard that there is a shooting range in Evergreen Liquid?"

The young students who were engrossed in their conversation all looked towards Wei Xiu Yuan.

Wei Xiu Yuan was tall, quite handsome, and had good grades, which made his demeanor different in kind from the game-obsessed younger students.

"Young owner, really?" The younger students usually just played games but never really entertained the thought of real weapons, as it was still very far from reality.

Wei Xiu Yuan putting on airs: "A friend of mine said it."

The younger students didn't quite believe it, casting doubtful looks.

Wei Xiu Yuan looked towards Jiang Ning sitting on the bench, finding him familiar. Isn't this the second-ranked student Jiang Ning?

He asked nonchalantly: "Bro, you went to the Evergreen Liquid launch, right? Did you win a spot at the shooting range?"

Jiang Ning: "I did."

Wei Xiu Yuan was taken aback: "You really went?"

Jiang Ning: "Of course."

Wei Xiu Yuan: "Can you talk about what firing a gun feels like?"

The younger students, seeing that there was a senior around, all became interested. They play shooting games every day, so they must long for the shooting range!

"Big bro, how does it compare to the feel in the game? If I'm good at CF, would it help with real shooting?" a close-cropped younger student asked familiarly.

You could tell he was very naive.

Another chubby younger student asked: "Big bro, does it give you the feeling of 'bearing a deadly weapon, murderous intent rising'?"

One more younger student asked curiously: "I've heard that real guns inspire awe!"

"The feel?" Jiang Ning pondered for a few seconds, raised his hand into the air, slightly bent his fingers, and mimicked a 'gun' gesture.

Wei Xiu Yuan and the younger students all focused their attention, waiting for him to speak.

Just then, Wang Yong came out of the school gate, searching for Li Shi's figure, and happened to see Jiang Ning's gesture.

Wang Yong didn't pay much attention, thinking he was just playing around.

He was about ten meters ahead.

Li Shi was wearing a luxury coat, her expression much more reserved compared to a couple of days ago, like the surface of a lake after a storm.

Although the doctor advised her to rest a couple more days, Li Shi refused. She's not that fragile.

Raised in privilege, this setback didn't crush her spirit into the ground.

She is far stronger than others imagine.

'Jiang Ning…' The name popped into Li Shi's mind with mixed feelings and a lurking gloom.

She won't yield.

Though her steps were heavy, each was steady and powerful. The name-brand coat added charm, catching the eyes of surrounding students. Many male classmates secretly glanced at her, awed by her presence.

Until, at a certain moment, Li Shi's gaze caught Jiang Ning unintentionally.

He was sitting on the bench, making a gesture with his hand, familiar yet terrifying.

In an instant, her heart throbbed violently, as if she was back at that moment under the gun's shadow, with that gesture slowly turning into a phantom of a gun in her eyes.

The phantom was towering like a mountain, aimed straight at her heart.

In front of the gun, she felt inconceivably small and weak.

Fear drained all her courage, leaving her back cold, face pale. She couldn't even scream, only stare at Jiang Ning in fright.

The next second, Wang Yong noticed Li Shi and called out: "Sister Lee, over here over here!"

Driven by an instinct to flee, Li Shi turned around and ran, quickly disappearing from Wang Yong's sight. She didn't stop until reaching the intersection, her throat parched.

Wang Yong stood there puzzled, 'What's up with Sister Lee?'

Li Shi's actions drew the attention of the crowd, sparking discussions.

Jiang Ning naturally withdrew his hand, saying: "I don't quite know about the feel, but did you guys notice that girl just now?"

Wei Xiu Yuan was puzzled: "Saw her, she was acting really strangely."

Jiang Ning stood up, took a sip of cola, and with a smile, said: "That's the reaction to having a gun pointed at you."

Having said that, Jiang Ning descended the steps. As he walked, he casually tossed the can, which flew over ten meters and landed in a trash bin by the road with a "clang" sound.

Then he left coolly.

Wei Xiu Yuan thought: 'Damn it, in literature there's metaphor by objects, and you can actually use people to show off?'

...

A few minutes later, Wang Yong returned to the east balcony of Class 8.

Lin Zida saw him return alone, puzzled: "Didn't you pick up Li Shi?"

Just now, Wang Yong had rushed downstairs, so he must have received Li Shi's message, right?

Wang Yong wore a troubled expression, still unable to understand why Li Shi acted so abnormally.

And the terror on her face was clear to him. In his memory, Li Shi had always been extremely proud, like a phoenix.

"I saw her at the school gate, and then…" Wang Yong described the scene just now.

Zhuang Jianhui interrupted: "Did you see Jiang Ning?"

Lin Zida also turned pale.

Wang Yong was puzzled: "Yes, is there something wrong with him?"

Unlike Wang Yong, who didn't know the backstory, Lin Zida and Zhuang Jianhui exchanged a glance, both seeing the seriousness in each other's eyes.

Zhuang Jianhui thought privately: 'It's the second time. Does he have no fear of Li Shi's retaliation?'

Lin Zida was also recalling his cousin Shuyan's warning.

The two had different thoughts, but only Wang Yong couldn't grasp it. However, seeing Lin and Zhuang's reactions, it seemed Li Shi's abnormality was not unrelated to Jiang Ning.

At this moment, Jiang Ning stepped onto the balcony, and Lin and Zhuang looked over simultaneously.

Jiang Ning noticed, nodded lightly, and then walked past them.

Zhuang Jianhui's expression was not very natural; he was planning to scheme against Jiang Ning the day before, but it turned out that Jiang Ning didn't care at all.

Lin Zida sighed inwardly, patted Zhuang Jianhui on the shoulder: "Let it go."

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