Chapter One

　　"Be honest, hand over the money, and nothing will happen to you today!" A particularly fierce boy's voice echoed low in the dark alley.

　　"Gary Watson, I really didn't bring any money today, please let me go this time." A burly boy, his face full of fear, was pinned against the wall by a slightly thin boy. The big boy looked utterly desperate. Their body sizes were completely mismatched, yet the atmosphere between them was strangely reversed.

　　"Don't you fucking play dead. You think I don't know what you've got? Your dad used to be a police chief—how could you not have any extra cash!" The thin boy looked at him with utter disdain and slapped him across the face. Instantly, a red, swollen handprint appeared on the big boy's cheek.

　　Ah!! Despite his strong build, the big boy screamed in pain, clutching his face and slowly squatting down, wailing in misery. He wanted to fight back, but the thin boy's strength and ferocity, so out of proportion to his size, made him shrink back.

　　It was as if that punch had landed on a sandbag. The thin boy didn't see the big boy as a person at all, viciously punching and kicking him.

　　Beside the burly boy lay a schoolbag—clearly the victim's. A few books had fallen out of the loosened opening, and between the pages of one book, the corner of a banknote and an exam admission ticket could be seen.

　　Today was June 9th, the last day of the annual college entrance examination. For every senior high school student, this was a turning point in their fate. Classmates who had studied together for years would, from this day on, begin to walk their own separate paths in life.

　　"What's this?" The thin boy clearly noticed something unusual about the paper tucked between the book's pages—it seemed to have a few portraits printed on it.

　　"N-no, it's nothing, d-don't!" The burly boy tried to hide something and lunged for the book, but was caught off guard by a kick from the side.

　　Another miserable howl. The big boy collapsed on the ground in agony, convulsing on the muddy, filthy ground.

　　"Heh, high school algebra. With your brains, you think you can study? Pah!" The thin boy picked up the book from the ground and pulled out the oddly patterned paper.

　　It was a one-hundred-yuan bill, crisp and uncreased.

　　"If you'd handed it over earlier, this would be over. Why pretend to be poor?" The thin boy casually stuffed the money into his own pocket. As he turned away, the ferocity on his face instantly vanished, replaced by an honest and sincere expression. If someone else had been there, they would never have believed how drastically his demeanor could change.

　　The burly boy lay on the ground, gasping for breath. That kick from the thin boy hadn't treated him as a person at all—the pain in his chest and lungs left him unable to move.

　　"Scum! Consider yourself lucky!" The thin boy curled his lip, stepped over the burly boy, and walked away.

　　"William Thompson, just you wait, I won't let you get away with this, hmph!" The burly boy glared venomously at the departing thin boy, squeezing out a few words from the corner of his mouth.

　　At noon, the final bell signaling the end of the exam rang out.

　　The entrance of Huaming High School was abuzz with noise. Parents anxiously waited outside the exam hall for their children, eagerly watching the tide of students pouring out of the teaching building.

　　The students cheered and leapt with joy as they surged out, each one glowing with the pride of having taken control of their own destiny.

　　A figure appeared at the school gate with the crowd of students. Dressed in a standard student athletic uniform, his slightly handsome face wore an unconscious smile, and he sported black-rimmed glasses. Though his build was a bit thin and small, his honest and simple face gave him an air of sincerity. This was the same thin boy who had robbed the big boy in the alley that morning. At this moment, however, he looked like a model, obedient student, no different from the others—except for a trace of world-weariness in his eyes that didn't match his age.

　　"William Thompson, stop right there!" Suddenly, a boy's voice called out from behind William Thompson, full of righteous authority.

　　William Thompson, with his backpack slung over one shoulder, cocked his head and turned around. Damn, an old acquaintance—nothing good ever happened when he showed up.

　　A tall, fair-skinned boy was staring intently at him, with several other students standing behind, all looking unfriendly.

　　"Mr. Harrison, what can I do for you?" William Thompson still looked nonchalant, not the least bit intimidated by the group of aggressive students.

　　"This morning, did you rob Brian Clark of a hundred yuan again? We're about to graduate, and you still won't let him go?" The boy William Thompson called Mr. Harrison stared at him without relaxing.