Chapter 87: Where Lies the Original Intention?

“Does bullying others feel good?” At some point, all the classmates in the classroom and the teacher at the podium had vanished. In their place was a boundless, empty world. The ground, white or perhaps colorless, stretched as far as the eye could see, as though he stood at the very center of existence.

A negotiation table stood before him, and sitting across was Wen Xiaodao.

Today, Wen Xiaodao’s features were remarkably clear—sharp brows, bright eyes, dressed in a suit and tie with a solemn expression. If two small national flags had been placed on the table, it might have resembled a meeting between heads of state. It seemed he intended to have a formal conversation.

“What’s wrong?” Xiao Cheng asked indifferently.

“I am you, and you are me. Your father is my father, your son calls me Dad as well. So there’s no need for pretense or disguise between us. Facing oneself takes courage, but I think you’re not lacking even that, are you?” Wen Xiaodao spoke earnestly, his tone completely different from his previous playful manner. In fact, this was the mature, steady persona Xiao Cheng had always envisioned—his earlier eccentric behavior was nothing but a bug.

“My wife is still my wife!”

Wen Xiaodao laughed. “You mean Yang Liusan? Actually, she’s more fond of your mature and reliable side—in other words, she prefers me. So, she’s more like my wife.”

Xiao Cheng felt a sudden urge to lash out.

“But that’s not why I’m here. I exist as a perspective you created for self-reflection. I must remind you: you seem to have changed—or at least, you’re showing signs of it.”

Xiao Cheng shrugged. “What, changed so much that no one dares to bully me now?”

“Does bullying others feel good?”

Xiao Cheng couldn’t help but grin mischievously. “It feels great! I know what you want to say: bullying is wrong. But don’t forget how Zhang Peiyue bullied me for the past two years! It was much more than just throwing paper balls and hurling insults. How many times did they beat me up? They even urinated in my backpack! I’m just repaying them in kind—my punishment is not even a hundredth of what he did to me!”

“Back then, you were lonely and powerless—a victim at the mercy of the strong. They were in the wrong. But now, your situation has changed. You’ve defeated them. Qiu Hui is too afraid to come to school after being beaten, Zhang Peiyue lowers his gaze and dares not look you in the eye. Now, you’re the strong, and they are weak. You’re the one bullying the helpless. Of course, you need a reason for your actions—like ‘they bullied me before.’ This reason blinds you to the fact that you’re no different from them now. Don’t forget, when they bullied you, they thought they were avenging their fathers.”

Beasts never realize they are beasts. Each has their reasons for believing their actions are righteous.

Xiao Cheng curled his lip, clearly unmoved by the sermon.

“The key issue is that you’ve started to enjoy it! That’s the real danger!”

Xiao Cheng thought back to the sensation of trampling his enemies underfoot… It did feel exhilarating.

“In the beginning, your aim was revenge, to vent your anger. By now, you’ve already achieved that—no one at school dares oppose you. Your victory on the hill displayed your strength, and your public self-reflection made resistance seem futile. Why are you still fixated on this trivial grudge?”

“Trivial?”

“Yes, trivial!” Wen Xiaodao declared. “You said that being highly intelligent gives you the right to be willful once. That’s not wrong, considering how long you endured suppression. In fact, I wanted to remind you during your self-reflection: you’ve cast yourself as a perpetual victim, as if the whole world owes you. But I must say, that’s a dangerous mindset!”

If you believe the world owes you, then you’re not far from becoming its enemy.

Xiao Cheng and Xiaodao were one and the same, so he understood without further explanation. He had indeed suffered injustice, had felt the world was nothing but gray. But that didn’t mean the world lacked sunlight, nor that he should live in that darkness.

Outside, the sky was shrouded in smog.

Even if you live in a gray world, you cannot abandon your longing for the light.

“Our intelligence surpasses that of 99.999% of the world. This sense of superiority can easily lead to dangerous delusions.”

“What kind of delusions?” Xiao Cheng asked.

“To see yourself as a god.”

That line left Xiao Cheng silent for a moment. Wen Xiaodao didn’t wait, continuing, “You’re only fifteen, yet you can easily solve problems that confound others for a lifetime. Two weeks ago, you were trampled underfoot; in just half a month, you’ve not only turned the tables but can bully Zhang Peiyue and his ilk at will. Even the principal has to show you respect. You can play the education bureau and the media for fools. You can become a millionaire with ease, even see through a girl’s thoughts at a glance. You’re almost like a god.”

Xiao Cheng thought for a moment and said, “Being a god doesn’t sound so bad.”

“But a god is no longer human.”

And those who fancy themselves gods are often seen as madmen.

Wen Xiaodao sighed softly and explained, “That’s my greatest worry. Your intellect far exceeds others, enabling you to do things no one else can. If you wished, you could kill Zhang Peiyue and evade the law with ease. Your abilities are so powerful, you could do whatever you please. If you lose yourself, the consequences would be unimaginable!”

Xiao Cheng frowned, finding Wen Xiaodao’s words a bit alarmist.

“But that’s the reality. When your power is such that you can take lives at will, you’ll cease to value life. When everything is at your fingertips, you’ll stop cherishing it. Not knowing how to cherish isn’t so frightening, but not knowing reverence is. Without reverence for life, you’ll treat it as nothing; without reverence for the law, you’ll do as you please. Think—what kind of person would you become then?”

A madman who thinks he’s a god.

Both of them knew the answer.

“I am you. From your own perspective, as long as you aren’t caught or punished, being that kind of madman might be fun—reveling in supreme power, deciding life and death with a thought. But do you really want to become the very person you once despised? What was your original wish, your true intention?”

Xiao Cheng fell silent. Where was his original intention?

A steaming hotpot, a family gathered in warmth and laughter, the satisfied smiles of loved ones, the comfort that enveloped both body and soul…

“That’s why I say your feud with Zhang Peiyue is insignificant. You should aim higher, not get tangled in childish games! Isn’t your goal the Round Table? Then strive to gather those who belong at it!”

“The meaning of life isn’t in how much money you make, but in how much you accomplish. The greatest achievement isn’t the height you reach, but the smiles on your loved ones’ faces. The greater your abilities, the greater your responsibilities. If you can bring more smiles to more faces, that is your great virtue, your true fulfillment.”

Xiao Cheng smiled, as if a ray of sunlight had broken into his heart. He glanced toward Yang Liusan’s seat in the row ahead, just as the girl turned to look at him. Their eyes met, and they both smiled; she blushed shyly.

———

We should all reflect: in our youth, we were never short of ideals or a sense of justice. How did we become the very people we once loathed? Where did our original intentions go?

This is today’s second update. There’ll be another at 5:18 p.m. For the next few days, there will be three updates daily: 12:05 a.m., 8:05 a.m., and 5:18 p.m.—for those sleepless nights, the wait at work, or the subway ride home.