Chapter One: Time is Scarce

  The weather in June changes suddenly, just now it was sunny but in the blink of an eye it became overcast with dark clouds, a depressing atmosphere filled every inch of space, and the sound of thunder had already begun to rumble, all of this seemed to foretell the arrival of a heavy rain.

  A seven or eight-year-old boy covered in mud didn't bother to hit his younger brother who was already on the ground, and instead pulled a beautiful little girl wearing a white princess dress and ran away quickly, shouting loudly: "Run fast, run fast, it's going to rain soon."

  That little girl, only five or six years old, was the center of attention for many boys. The reason is simple: her extraordinary beauty made even these young boys who didn't understand anything else feel an instinct to protect her.

  The nature of children is easy to understand, they all want to monopolize good things for themselves. Because of this girl, almost every boy on the street has been beaten by each other.

  The girl wasn't from a wealthy family, but neither was she from an ordinary poor one. She had a beautiful name called Shui Mengyao. She took a lingering look at the boy lying on the ground, a hint of guilt flashing in her eyes, before chasing after the boy who was running away.

  Today's events can be said to be entirely because of her. Shui Mengyao saw Guo Ming go to the woods alone and begged Guo Ming to take herself along, but soon she was seen by Guo Ming's second brother, Guo Kun, and then that scene happened.

  The little boy lying on the ground was about six or seven years old. At this time, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his small face was almost twisted. He hugged his stomach and kept rolling on the ground. His brother had hit him too hard, especially the last few times, which almost made his bile come out.

  With a deafening thunderclap, this place suddenly started pouring down with torrential rain.

  Guo Ming let out a bitter laugh and slowly got up, having calmed down the pain. He walked step by step towards his home.

  Tears mixed with rainwater slid down his cheeks, no matter what he said, he was just a little kid, and he didn't know why the kids at home bullied him, was it because of his young age? Guo Ming clenched his small fist secretly, thinking: "One day I will beat my second brother hard, he is too bad."

  Guo Ming returned home covered in mud, a middle-aged man pacing anxiously at the door. Seeing the figure in the rain, he rushed out. It was Guo Ming's father, Guo Zhengzhen. Seeing Guo Ming covered in mud, he angrily said: "How did you get muddy again? Who were you fighting with this time?"

  "No, it was Second Brother who hit me." Guo Ming immediately retorted.

  "Your second brother." Guo Zheng's face changed, and he immediately pulled his son into the house, saying in a low voice: "Ming Er, because our Guo family has a rule that children fighting is not to be interfered with by adults, so Dad can't take your side either. Be more careful in the future and don't provoke him."

  "Why?" Guo Ming asked in puzzlement.

  "Guo Zheng then said in a hoarse voice."

  His second brother was also not a reasonable person, and his second sister-in-law was even more of a spoiled brat, Guo Zheng thought sadly.

  "Don't worry, when I'm not strong enough, I'll avoid Second Brother for now. One day, I'll beat him up properly." Guo Ming said in a low voice.

  Guo Zheng then patted his son's head and looked into the distance.

  Perhaps influenced by his second brother, Guo Ming became a fighting maniac from then on, but he didn't fight with people on his own street, instead he fought with people from other streets. Although there was no fixed pattern, after long-term accumulation, he also learned some fighting skills.

  Eight years later, Guo Ming blew a fist and chuckled before leaving directly.

  His second brother hummed softly, his face full of painful expressions, he stared at the back of his third brother in disbelief. Although he had also known that his third brother often fought with others, but he had learned regular Sanda for many years, how could he still not beat this little rascal in his eyes? In fact, he didn't know that while Sanda can improve one's strength, he had little actual combat experience, whereas Guo Ming had eight years of real combat experience. The gap between them was naturally obvious.

  Guo Ming is already 15 years old this year, and his appearance can't be described as handsome. He's the kind of person who would get lost in a crowd. Although he appears to be a little rascal to others, he is actually a well-behaved boy in his parents' eyes. Wearing a neat school uniform without a speck of dust, this is what sets him apart from others. He attaches great importance to cleanliness, which makes him an exception among many rascals.

  Back home, he smiled and said: "Mom, what delicious food did you cook today?"

  His mother looked at her son and said with a serious face, "Come with me to the living room."

  Guo Ming's heart skipped a beat, and his mind quickly turned around. Could it be that the matter of hitting Second Brother had been exposed? No, that can't be right! It seemed that his speed wasn't faster than his own. Then what was it? What kind of thing had become so serious that it needed to be discussed in person?

  As soon as he entered the living room, Guo Ming's heart skipped a beat again. What was going on? His father had jumped out from somewhere, but he hadn't seen him just now! The situation looked serious.

  As soon as she thought of this, Guo Ming keenly sensed something and before the two asked questions, he immediately said in a low voice: "Dad and mom, I know what you want to say. You can rest assured that I will study hard and strive to take the entrance exam for a famous high school."

  The two of them locked eyes, and both saw helplessness in each other's gaze. This kid actually dared to admit his mistake first, how could he still put on a stern face to educate him?

  "Tomorrow, time is running out, you only have three months left, and the middle school entrance exam is about to start. I don't expect you to get into a very good high school, at least you should be able to get into our county's No. 2 Middle School."

  Guo Ming's heart was also secretly anxious, he had always thought that he could do it, and there was still plenty of time. What was there to fear? It wasn't until his parents brought it up today that he truly realized the little time he had left. Hmm, three months, if he grasped the time tightly, he should be able to get into Second Middle School, right? But in his heart, he didn't have a bit of confidence.

  Dreams are good, but reality is cruel. He often skips class and fights, where does he have the mind to study? Wanting to learn a three-year course in just three months is no different from saying a dream. There are several high schools in their county, among which the most famous one is Yizhong (First High School). People in the county often say that as long as you get into Yizhong, it's equivalent to having one foot already in university. However, its requirements are too harsh. Next is Erzhong (Second High School), which belongs to the middle level, but the difference with Yizhong is not small. Fortunately, the promotion rate is not low either. Even if you're a poor student who got into Erzhong and can't get into a top university, getting into a good vocational college is still possible. As for the rest of the high schools, they're not even worth mentioning. The possibility of getting into a famous university is extremely slim.

  Guo Zheng and his wife had never expected their son to be admitted to the First Middle School, which was selected from all over the county. There were only 500 places available in the whole county, and the rest of the students came from other counties as top students. Therefore, they just hoped that their son could be admitted to the Second Middle School, which would be a great honor for them.

  Guo Ming's mother nodded and said, "The requirements of No. 1 Middle School are too harsh. Your second brother was also among the top five in his class, but he still missed the admission by three points. We won't put too much pressure on you either, as long as you can get into No. 2 Middle School."

  Guo Ming felt a pang in his heart as he watched his parents grow older day by day. Their greatest wish was for their son to succeed, but what had he given them in return? Looking into their expectant eyes, Guo Ming wanted to shout out loud, "Dad and Mom, don't worry, I promise I'll get into Second High School!" But these words stuck in his throat. Perhaps having been through countless struggles made him more mature than his peers, able to deceive others but not his own parents. Giving them hope only to disappoint them again would ultimately lead to despair, and he couldn't bear the thought of being so heartless.

  The reason is simple, he doesn't have that strength, unless a miracle happens. In those years, I myself prepared for eight years to compete with my second brother! Learning is also an accumulation process, he can't achieve it overnight, unless you have an amazing memory and high IQ, otherwise everything is in vain.

  "Ah, Shui Mengyao is in the same grade as you, I've also heard about her, with her scores being 100% guaranteed to get into Yizhong." Guo Zheng's tone was filled with envy.

  Guo Ming couldn't help but think of Shui Mengyao, a classmate of his. Over the past eight years, she had transformed from an innocent young girl into a renowned beauty in their county's middle school. According to Guo Ming's interpretation, this was probably the kind of person who would bring calamity to the country and its people!

  The boys who chased her were at least 800, and there were fights because of her every day. But Shui Mengyao just studied and didn't care about anything outside.

  Although they are neighbors, one often skips class and the other is diligent in studying, so they rarely spend time together. To be honest, Guo Ming doesn't know much about Shui Mengyao. His father said that Shui Mengyao would definitely get into Yizhong with 100% certainty, but Guo Ming thought it was more than that - he himself didn't learn much in class and only occasionally paid attention to his grades, while Shui Mengyao always ranked among the top three in the school, and getting into Yizhong was a sure thing; she would probably be among the top ten in the county.

  "Why don't we let Meng Yao give Ming a supplementary lesson tomorrow?" Guo Ming's mother suddenly thought of something and smiled.

  "Ah!" Guo Ming exclaimed in surprise.

  Kuang Zheng thought for a moment and nodded his head.

  "You all agree, I disagree." Guo Ming shook his head firmly and refused.

  "Why?" Guo Zheng asked in puzzlement.

  "No reason why, anyway I won't let her tutor me because I don't need it. Dad and mom, you just watch! I will definitely work hard to get into the second middle school." Guo Ming said firmly.

  Let Shui Mengyao tutor herself, just thinking about it gives him a headache. If he doesn't stop this, it's very likely to happen, and he can trust the abilities of his family members.

  Shuǐ Mèng Yáo's father has been developing rapidly in the political arena in recent years and has secured the position of deputy county head. As for his father, he is also vigorously developing enterprises and can be considered a big figure with a good reputation in the county. The two families have been neighbors for over a decade, so this small matter would definitely not be refused if mentioned to each other.

  Shuǐ Mèng Yáo is one of the top students in the class, and letting her tutor him makes Guō Míng feel embarrassed. It's not for any other reason, but because he doesn't know too much, and subconsciously, he doesn't want to lose face in front of Shuǐ Mèng Yáo. Maybe this is just male chauvinism!

  Looking at their son's expression, Mr. and Mrs. Guo had no choice but to give up.

  After dinner, Guo Ming returned to his own room. The whole house was spotless, with everything arranged in a tasteful and elegant manner, giving people a sense of delight as soon as they entered.

  His room had never been entered by anyone except his parents, not even his own relatives. He hated others messing with his things.

  At night, Guo Ming turned on the desk lamp, picked up the periodic table in his hand, and looked at it for less than a few minutes before feeling inexplicably annoyed. He put down the book and walked to the windowsill, gazing out into the sky.

  A golden round moon hangs high in the sky, its bright light shining down on the world. Untroubled by worldly joys or sorrows, the moon waxes and wanes, rising at night and returning with clarity, far removed from human worries and troubles.

  Looking back at the last impact schedule I wrote earlier, there are still 100 days left. In 100 days, I will face the middle school entrance examination, the first turning point in life.

  A thread of regret crept onto his mind, time was really running out.