A sound of footsteps came from the door of the cafeteria, hurried and heavy.
"Stop!"
Teacher Liu's voice exploded in the air.
I turned my head and saw him pushing through the crowd and walking briskly.
The beads of sweat on his forehead reflected the light, and the eyes behind his glasses were panicked.
"Liam, let him go!"
Teacher Liu's hand was pressed on my shoulder, not strong but firm.
I slowly let go of my clenched fist.
The skin on the knuckles was broken, and blood was running down the back of the hand.
Daniel lay on the ground, his chest rising and falling slightly.
The bridge of his nose was tilted to one side, and the corners of his mouth were still oozing blood.
"Call an ambulance!"
Teacher Liu crouched down to examine Daniel's injuries.
Onlookers took out their mobile phones to call the emergency services.
"Everybody's scattered!"
Teacher Liu stood up and scanned the audience.
"Go back to your seat and do what you have to do."
The students slowly dispersed, but their eyes remained fixed on me.
Fear is written on everyone's face.
"What did you just hear?"
Teacher Liu's voice was very low.
"What did Daniel say?"
Ariel timidly raised his hand.
"He said Liam's sister died well."
Teacher Liu's face instantly turned pale.
"Who else heard?"
More than a dozen students nodded at the same time.
"Okay, I got it."
Teacher Liu patted me on the shoulder.
"Come with me to the office."
I followed him out of the cafeteria.
The students in the hallway automatically moved out of the way when they saw us.
Whispers rang out behind him.
"That freak beat Daniel half to death."
"I heard that my nose is broken."
"Don't mess with him in the future."
There were just the two of us in the office.
Teacher Liu poured me a cup of hot water.
"Wash your hands first."
Warm water rushes through the wound, taking away the blood and the pain.
"Daniel insulted your sister first?"
I nodded.
"He said my sister died well."
Teacher Liu's brow furrowed even deeper.
"It's really wrong for you to hit someone."
"But his words are even more wrong."
I sat in my chair in silence.
"Liam, your grades are good, and you're not a bad person."
"I'll take care of it for you this time."
Teacher Liu rummaged through the table for something.
"But you have to promise me that you can't do it again in the future."
"What if they talk about my sister again?"
My voice is soft.
"Then tell me and I'll take care of it."
Mr. Liu found a form and began to fill it out.
"But Daniel's medical expenses must be covered by you."
"I know all about you. If there is a difficulty, you tell me. "
When I heard this, my heart sank.
The orphanage gave me little money in the first place.
In the past few months, there are only more than 6,000 yuan left in the account.
"How much does it cost?"
"It won't be too much, it's estimated that it will be about five thousand."
Teacher Liu put down the pen.
"I'll pay for you first, and you pay it back slowly."
"No, you don't."
I shook my head.
"I'll do it myself."
Back in the evening, Lucas was playing on his phone and Henry wasn't.
"I heard you put Daniel in the hospital."
His voice was flat.
"Hmm."
I lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"Why?"
"He said my sister died well."
Lacus finally looked up at me.
"That's really the right thing to do."
It was the first time he supported me.
The next morning, I went to the bank and withdrew five thousand dollars.
The thick wad of cash felt heavy in his hand.
That's pretty much all my savings.
When I handed it over to the hospital billing office, I felt a sense of emptiness in my heart.
Daniel was lying on the hospital bed, his face swollen like a bun.
When he saw me come in, his eyes immediately turned terrified.
"What are you doing here?"
The voice was muffled, as if it was holding something.
"I paid for the medical bills."
I was standing by the bedside.
"Keep your mouth shut. Otherwise, maybe it won't be in the hospital next time. "
Daniel wanted to say something, but his mouth couldn't open.
It can only make a whining sound.
The rest of my high school career is destined to start getting busy.
In addition to learning, actual combat exercises. It looks like it's going to start making money.
There were just over a thousand dollars left in the bank card. It's hard to make ends meet, let alone spend on other expenses.
"Master, what are you worried about?" The voice of the blood wolf sounded in his head.
"Money." I'll be honest.
"What is money?" The coyote asked curiously.
"A tool for human survival." I lay on the bed with the empty bank card in my hand. "Without money, there is no food, there is no shelter."
"Then let's grab it." Blood Wolf proposed.
"Nope." I shook my head. "I don't want to be a real monster."
Lucas sat up from the bed. "What are you talking to yourself?"
"Nothing." I put my card away. "Do you know of any part-time jobs near the school?"
"Part-time?" Lucas pushed his glasses. "You're going to work?"
"Hmm. Pay the medical bills. I don't have enough money left over for my expenses. "
"There are a few places." Lucas thought for a moment. "Restaurant waiters, supermarket cashiers, and Internet café administrators."
"Which one pays more?"
"Internet café administrator, fifteen yuan an hour." Lucas took out his phone and searched. "It's just a night shift, eight p.m. to four a.m."
Eight hours, one hundred and twenty dollars. There can be more than 3,000 in a month.
"Do you have a contact information?"
"Are you really going?" Lucas was a little worried. "The night shift is tiring, and it's a mixed bag. What's more, you'll have to come back to class the next day. "
"It's fine."
After school the next day, I found the internet café by following the address. "Feiyue Internet Cafe", the words on the signboard are a little off paint. There were several young men with dyed hair standing at the door, smoking and chatting.
The boss is a fat man in his thirties, surnamed Li. He looked me up and down.
"Are you sure you're going to do the night shift?"
"Sure."
"High school students doing night shifts can easily affect their learning." Boss Zhang lit a cigarette. "Does your family agree?"
"I'm an orphan."
Boss Li was stunned for a moment, then nodded. "Okay, let's try for a week. Perform well and stay. "
The job is simple. Collect money, turn on the machine, and maintain order. Most of the customers in the Internet café are young people, including students and young people.
The first night shift was in trouble.
At two o'clock in the morning, three drunk youths broke into the Internet café. They made loud noises, kicked over chairs, and spoke ill of other guests.
"Little brother, drive us three machines." The young man led by him walked to the cash register, drunk and drunk.
"You need to pay upfront." I pointed to the price list.
"What do you pay?" The young man slapped the table. "Lao Tzu never gives money to surf the Internet here."
The other guests stopped their games and looked nervously.
"According to the regulations, you have to pay first." My voice was calm.
"You're looking for death, aren't you?" The young man grabbed the ashtray on the table and was about to smash it.
My hand was pressed under the cash register, where there were self-defense supplies prepared by Boss Li. A short stick.
"I advise you to calm down." I looked him in the eye. "There's monitoring here."
The young man's hand holding the ashtray stopped in mid-air. He obviously didn't expect a high school student to be so calm.
"Boy, do you know who I am?"
"I don't know, and I don't want to know." I stood up. "Either pay to go online or leave."
Two of the youth's companions grabbed him. "Forget it, don't worry about children."
"Let's go."
The three of them left the Internet café scolding. The other guests breathed a sigh of relief and re-entered the game.
"Little brother, you are so bold." A college student with glasses walks over. "Those guys just now are the thugs in this area."
"Gangsters have to follow the rules." I sat back in my chair.
"It's not easy for you to do this job." The college student shook his head. "People often come to make trouble."
The night shift work is really hard, but the income is stable. Over the course of a week, I got eight hundred and forty dollars.
"Nice boy." Boss Li is very satisfied. "You've been hired."
Back in the dorm, Lucas and Henry were still sleeping. I put my money away and got ready to wash.
"Master, you've changed." The voice of the blood wolf sounded in his head.
"What do you mean?"
"You've learned to protect yourself with rules." The Blood Wolf's tone was somewhat complicated. "You used to only use your fists."
"Fists don't solve everything." I looked at myself in the mirror.
What's more, I'm just a high school student now. Moreover, Brother Tiger's matter always makes me feel that someone is eyeing me.