Chapter 001: Turning Points in Life
The family backgrounds of the two students had already been investigated by Jia Liping; both were single mothers raising their children, with no significant social connections. Of course, if the students had any notable background, Jia Liping would never dare to slander them so recklessly. However, dealing with these ordinary families, he had become quite adept at it after sitting in the position of principal at No. 3 Middle School for several years
Collective silence
Yet at this moment, fate played such a mocking joke on him, as if the past 17 years were merely a dream of dark humor, and he unexpectedly found himself back at this turning point in his life
At noon, the students had been standing on the sun-drenched playground for nearly two hours. Many students had already begun to curse inwardly, especially in Class 3, where Yang Yi was. Some of the bolder boys quickly shot a glare at Jia Liping before hastily looking away, using this helpless gesture to vent their inner dissatisfaction. More students, fearing to make such small movements, could only occasionally cast sympathetic glances towards Yang Yi and another person by the podium, whispering in support.
Yang Yi was somewhat taken aback as he glanced around him. Just half a minute ago, he was still nestled in his rented room, contemplating a commissioned editorial piece, but after a flash of bizarre and colorful rainbow light, here he was...
Then, without looking at Jia Liping's face, which had turned the color of pig liver, Yang Yi's face was filled with derision, and his voice was light yet powerful
The middle-aged man on the podium was still chattering incessantly, while the moldy, yellowed memories deep within Yang Yi's mind finally began to slowly replay like an old film
On the podium, Jia Liping took two large sips of tea and regained his fighting spirit. He was not concerned about the students whose hair had become scorching hot from the sun and whose vests were almost soaked with sweat. Instead, he continued to speak grandiloquently. This situation led many of the homeroom teachers maintaining order below to secretly grumble.
The reason why a student named Jia Peng dares to act so recklessly on campus is that his uncle, Jia Liping, is the principal and director of education at the Third Middle School, the middle-aged man in front of him who is currently venting into the microphone
Since the beginning of the second class until now, the conference has lasted for more than an hour. However, Jia Liping still shows no intention of stopping. Upon seeing the students below drenched in sweat, as well as the other school leaders' helplessness and silence, this morally corrupt middle-aged man surprisingly feels a perverse sense of satisfaction rise within him
The man speaking has a slightly receding hairline and pockmarked skin on his face. During the pauses in his speech, he occasionally glances over at Yang Yi, his gaze revealing an unmistakable darkness and anger.
As Yang Yi was striving to understand what had transpired, a powerful voice, which somehow sounded ominous, echoed across the entire playground: "Two vibrant lives, dear classmates! This is a fellow student who was just learning and living alongside you moments ago! How can some people be so indifferent? How can they watch a tragedy unfold without any reaction! This is a fellow student who was just learning and living alongside you moments ago! How can some people be so indifferent? How can they watch a tragedy unfold without any reaction!"
Am I... crossing over?
Following the gaze of the students to trace the source of the incident, Jia Liping finally discovered that Yang Yi, who should have been quietly accepting the "judgment," was actually strolling over from the edge of the podium. This caused his anger to surge once again.
This ... ? ... is. ? Yang slightly moistened his dry lips and moved his somewhat numb and swollen ankles. For a moment, he felt utterly bewildered. When he instinctively glanced at his body and saw the words "Yuezhou Third Junior High School" printed on his chest, along with his body having shrunk a whole circle, he began to understand.
This time, these two morally corrupt students are the examples for you to learn from!" As he spoke, Jia Liping cast a glance at the two students beside the podium, who looked as if they were being judged, with a face full of feigned righteousness: "Why didn't you extend a helping hand? Why didn't you call the teacher in time? Nine years of compulsory education, is it meant to teach you to be indifferent and cold-blooded? Just thinking about it is pitiful! Pitiful!"
His hands, propped against the podium, were also veined and bulging, and from time to time, in rhythm with his speech, he slammed them hard on the table. It was evident that this person's anger was not merely for show: "Each person should sweep the snow in front of their own door and not concern themselves with the frost on others' roofs! Is this the principle of being a person that you learned in school? It is heartbreaking! Heartbreaking, my fellow students! Indifference is an invisible knife, and it is also a mirror reflecting your inner weakness... Indifference is an invisible knife, and it is also a mirror reflecting your inner weakness..."
Hiss! Like the petrifying curse of a wizard in a fantastical world, at the moment Yang Yi smiled and uttered those eight words, the entire campus seemed to freeze, even the wind stood still
This student ... ... "Jia Liping, no matter what, is still the head of the school, and at the very least, he must maintain a certain demeanor. Although he was truly infuriated by Yang Yi's gaze, it was impossible for him to act out openly in front of a large crowd
Several years later, when his mother, who had raised him alone, fell seriously ill due to physical and mental exhaustion, Yang Yi finally realized the need to return to the right path. However, the failures of his earlier life left him utterly powerless to struggle out of the hardships of existence. Even with the desire to strive for improvement, he could only linger at the very bottom of society, working in factories, stocking shelves in supermarkets, as a waiter, a cleaner, and as a security guard. Yet, the failures of his earlier life left him utterly powerless to struggle out of the hardships of existence. Even with the desire to strive for improvement, he could only linger at the very bottom of society, working in factories, stocking shelves in supermarkets, as a waiter, a cleaner, and as a security guard.
It was not until one day, when Yang Yi, in his leisure time, happened to come across a well-known online community in China while browsing the internet, that he published his first post in the current affairs discussion section. This marked a slight turning point in his life—his hobby gradually transformed into a semi-professional posting activity, until he eventually showcased his talent in language and writing, which led to his invitation as a commentator in the current affairs section and a contributor in the history section.
"You scoundrel..." Before Jia Liping could slam the table and scold him, Yang Yi snatched the microphone from in front of another vice principal, cleared his throat, and tested the microphone by saying "Hello" twice.
On the evening of May 27, 1997, in the campus of Yuezhou Third Junior High School, the campus bully, Jia Peng, took advantage of the sparse presence of students after class to tease a girl he had long coveted. However, in the midst of their struggle and resistance, they both accidentally fell from the window, resulting in their immediate death from a height of five stories.
The cacophony of cicadas increasingly heightened the heat in the air, while the scorching wind swept fiercely across the playground, lifting a flurry of colorful hems. The wisps of hair at the temples and the tips of ponytails of the young girls danced in the breeze. The scent of the young leaves of the French parasol trees and camphor trees mingled with the fragrances of shampoo and soap, slightly alleviating the twofold heat in the heart.
His nephew's death was a significant event, which compelled him to act and attempt to mitigate the impact of the incident, diverting public attention. Although since he, Jia Liping, took office, the school's ranking in Yuezhou City has dropped significantly, far from the glory of competing for championships with Experimental Middle School in previous years, it is still officially designated as a key city school. Now, with such a major oversight occurring, even his brother-in-law, the director of the education bureau, is quite troubled and has reprimanded him on numerous occasions.
The most vile and despicable individuals are always the ones who prefer to use morality and justice as their cover.
Thus, when Jia Liping learned that there were two other students present at the scene who witnessed the death of his nephew, under the combined pressure and malevolence, Jia Liping, who was nearly driven to madness, did not hesitate to instruct a subordinate, the academic director, to commit perjury, characterizing the girl who jumped from the building as having succumbed to the immense pressure of the impending high school entrance examination, leading her to choose suicide; meanwhile, his nephew Jia Peng was transformed into a model of heroism for saving others; as for the blame, it was entirely cast upon Yang Yi and another student, Su Wan.
The quick release of evil fire | The feeling makes Jia Li's face flush | As it becomes popular, while hypocritically criticizing, secretly applauding oneself for this trick of creating something out of nothing and deceiving the world
It is unclear how many seconds have passed, whether it is a few seconds or more than ten seconds, but a much greater uproar suddenly erupted than when Jia Liping announced the disciplinary action. The loud clamor instantly coalesced into an invisible wave, sweeping through the entire campus like a passing hurricane
To invert black and white, is the height of shamelessness
Only when he finally withdrew his gaze from Yang Yi did he realize, somewhat astonished, that this student was staring at him with a blank expression, his eyes seemingly filled with disdain. This caused Jia Liping's recently improved mood to plummet once again, and anger surged within him.
Due to his familial connection with Xi Hongjun, the director of the Education Bureau of Yuezhou City, Jia Liping was an unquestioned local tyrant at the Third Middle School. His nephew Jia Peng, whom he regarded as a son due to his own lack of heirs, clearly inherited his demeanor and was spoiled to the point of arrogance. Naturally, when Jia Peng met with such an unexpected demise, the pent-up resentment among the top students at the Third Middle School was palpable—anger nearly reached the heavens, yet there was nowhere to vent it.
June 8, 1997, as the Dragon Boat Festival approaches, in the picturesque region of Jiangnan, Yuezhou
In the previous life, Yang Yi was unjustly accused, which led to him receiving a probationary disciplinary action before the high school entrance examination. Coupled with Jia Liping's connections within the education system, Yang Yi, who originally had only average exam results, was forced to attend a third-rate, subpar high school. He quickly fell from being a sensitive and ambitious good student to someone who was indifferent and aimless. Consequently, he was unable to enter a university and instead entered society early, wasting his most precious years in chaos and idleness. Originally, with only average exam results, Yang Yi could only reluctantly attend a third-rate, subpar high school, and he soon fell from being a sensitive and ambitious good student to someone who was indifferent and aimless. Consequently, he was unable to enter a university and instead entered society early, wasting his most precious years in chaos and idleness.
However, even so, Yang Yi could only do this much, after all, he had lost too much in the past, and the fractures in his life were too significant, so significant that he could not possibly make amends.
Are you not convinced? So what if I frame and set you up! A little brat like you still dares to be arrogant at a time like this
The sound of a buzzing, accompanied by an electric current noise, suddenly enveloped the entire playground. It seemed that the amplification effect was unexpectedly astonishing. Yang Yi smiled awkwardly, but as the smile appeared on his somewhat youthful face, it revealed a hint of shyness, which immediately caused several young girls to whisper in awe.
This is how the scene that Yang Yi is currently experiencing came to be—clearly it is the final summary meeting for the mock exam of the third year of junior high school, yet it has been forcibly turned into a conference for critiquing ideological and moral education by Jia Liping
However, just at the moment when Jia Liping was spitting out words, he suddenly noticed some unusual behavior among the students below. That strange aura was like a passing wind, instantly stirring up a wave of commotion, with some students even ignoring his furious glare, staring blankly at the podium.
As far as the eye can see, there is a sea of heads moving in a dense crowd.
"Jia Lizi is becoming increasingly perverse. Nan Nan, you need to report the situation to your father and save us from this dire predicament!" A girl whispered to her best friend with her head down, while Jiang Nan, the class monitor of Class 3, merely frowned slightly, then smiled helplessly, saying nothing.
Thus, the once determined top student suddenly found his face clouded with gloom, and his ominous words pierced the heart: "Still a representative for the Chinese language class, a student leader! But has he promoted the ideology of justice and prevented the occurrence of tragedy? Has he set the example that a student leader should? And the other one, who is said to have always been a typical example of selfishness and indifference, such a student..."
Is it really this matter? It truly feels like a rebirth
Is this ... ... a chance to start over for oneself