This Emily clearly hasn't lost interest in herself yet. In James Parker's estimation, she probably thinks she's some kind of genius child with an IQ of 180, hiding her intelligence and biding her time because of her precociousness and lack of attention from her family. James Parker could sense this every time she glanced at him with that half-smiling, half-mocking look. Oh well, let her think whatever she wants.

Not long after, the case of the two criminals was concluded. The one with the triangular eyes was sentenced to eight years, and the main culprit, Scarface, got ten years—a heavy sentence for this kind of case, likely thanks to the Zhang family's influence. In fact, if they had been released directly, the outcome might have been even worse, because not only would James Parker have taken them out himself, but the leader of the Shazhu Gang had already put out word that if he saw those two, he’d kill them on sight.

After finally enduring a long, boring summer vacation, constantly tested by a self-important woman, September arrived. Emily started teaching at the aristocratic academy, so she had far fewer chances to come to the martial arts school. James Parker, along with Lily and Sarah, entered Xinghui Middle School, stepping into their junior high years.

Volume Two

Chapter Twelve: The Nude Photo Incident

Early 1995, Xinhua District, Jianghai City.

As one of Jianghai’s oldest districts, this was also the most bustling area in the city. Even though the city’s planning aimed to shift the downtown area toward several new districts, that was not something that could be accomplished overnight.

Everyone has a sense of nostalgia. Anyone who’s lived in Jianghai for more than five years will almost always come to Xinhua District when they go out. For example, there’s the dirty but oldest and largest Shalankou produce market, the secondhand market for old books and furniture, the old street selling all kinds of local snacks with Jianghai characteristics, and the floating bridge that, despite the construction of a new river-crossing bridge, is still in use today. All these are things Jianghai residents are most familiar with.

Even after several expansions, the streets remain crowded and bustling. The cries of street vendors, the haggling, the sounds of demolition in prime locations, the roar of construction sites, the long lines of bicycles during rush hour... these are the first impressions Xinhua District gives people.

Of course, if you’re familiar enough with the area, once you leave the main commercial streets, you’ll see laundry hanging between old apartment buildings, elderly women dozing peacefully in bamboo chairs, the occasional ring of a bicycle bell, ivy climbing up the walls, overgrown little flower gardens behind the buildings, and a solitary fig tree. When the distant sounds of the city’s hustle and bustle drift over, you might even feel that this place is as peaceful as a paradise.

But in reality, it’s not so peaceful.

Like every city, an old district where antiquity and prosperity coexist inevitably breeds things lurking in the shadows—we can call them the city’s parasites. Prostitutes, drugs, firearms, gangs—according to police records, crimes like these remain high here every year.

But if you keep to yourself and behave, you might find you’re actually far removed from all that, and at most it’s just something to chat about over tea. Maybe a young man who just did drugs will greet you warmly as he comes downstairs; a major drug dealer hiding half a kilo of heroin might just be that friendly neighbor you joke with every day; the young guy who just came back from a knife fight might seem to you like just another kid who graduated junior high and is busy looking for work... Until one day they mysteriously disappear, and when chatting with others, you’ll just casually make up something like, “Oh, he probably went to Hainan to do business or something.”

The world is complicated, but in some ways, it’s also very simple.

As the city’s top-ranked old school for academic advancement, Xinghui High School is located right on the edge of this chaotic old district.

Evening, in a dead-end alley near Xinghui High School.

“Peh, damn it! Let’s see where you can run this time...” The slanting sunlight cut across the gloomy alley entrance. Deep in the alley, five boys around sixteen or seventeen, wielding sticks, were closing in. Cornered in the alley was a short-haired girl of about fourteen or fifteen, holding a baseball bat, limping as she retreated. Her left leg looked badly injured, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth, but facing the five of them, her eyes still burned with stubborn defiance. If not for the obvious swell of her chest, most people would probably have mistaken her for a handsome boy.

The leader of the five was a chubby guy in a Xinghui school uniform, spitting blood from his mouth as he cursed and advanced: “Sarah Lane, weren’t you acting all tough? Why aren’t you so cocky now? Damn it, are you going to do it yourself or do we have to... fuck...”

“You fat pig.” The girl named Sarah Lane retorted as she backed away, showing no sign of weakness. “If you’ve got the guts, come fight me one-on-one!”

“One-on-one? Go to hell! Is your family in the mob or something?” the fat guy shouted. “Keep backing up, keep backing up, how much farther can you go? I’m telling you, we brought everything today, even brought a camera. Today we’re stripping you and taking some nude photos—let’s see if you dare act tough again after that...”