After the Most Hated Persona Faked Their Death, the Ex-Husband Lost His Mind - Chapter 10

The night before he was due to return, Li Zhi spent hours mentally preparing himself. He jolted awake before dawn, checking his phone to find it was just past five in the morning.

He could not fall back asleep after that. When it was finally time, he went to wash up with eyes haggard from exhaustion. His hands shook so violently that he dropped his toothpaste into the sink several times before successfully applying it.

He could not remember how he made it back to school. The moment he stepped through the classroom door, his heart leaped into his throat. For a split second, the room fell into an eerie silence before returning to its normal bustle.

Li Zhi gripped his backpack straps tightly. He could feel several gazes landing on him, mostly from Wang Kaixuan’s followers. Wang Kaixuan had returned as well, but unlike his cronies, he did not even spare Li Zhi a glance, acting as if he were not even human.

This did not help Li Zhi relax. Wang Kaixuan’s behavior felt like the calm before a storm. How long could this peace last? Wang Xiaochun had said everything was over, but what truly awaited him? Would it be a violent gale or a rainbow?

Li Zhi remained restless all day. In movies, school violence always happened in the bathrooms. Terrified of being cornered, he did not even dare to drink much water. When he finally could not hold it any longer, he ran all the way back to his dormitory room to relieve himself, constantly fearing he was being followed.

He developed a new habit: before putting on his shoes, he would tip them upside down to ensure they were empty. Even though he lived alone in the dorm and no one but the matron had a key, he did not dare slide his feet in blindly anymore.

Before entering the classroom, his body would instinctively tense up, bracing for the imaginary chill of filthy water falling from above. He would touch his chair to ensure it was dry and clean, free of glue.

Every morning became a high-stakes gamble. If there was no writing on the blackboard and his desk was clean, Li Zhi would be happy, though it only made him more hyper-vigilant for the bullying he was sure was coming.

This state lasted for about a month. Yet, during that month, nothing happened. Even Wang Kaixuan’s friends stopped paying him any attention. They laughed and chatted, smoking in the corridor outside the bathroom. When Li Zhi passed by, he received nothing but secondhand smoke.

It really is over, is it not?

This thought slowly took root in his mind, growing day by day into a sturdy tree that shielded his scarred heart. Li Zhi began to smile more. One day, Gong Jie remarked in surprise, “You have been in a much better mood lately!”

“That is the spirit,” she said, patting his shoulder.

In the height of autumn, the school paths were covered in golden ginkgo leaves. The afternoon sun shone upon them, making everything look warm and brilliant, a sign of hope.

Li Zhi opened his diary, biting his pen as he thought about the weather entry. He wrote: The rain has passed, the sky is clear, and the breeze is beautiful.

He added: I believe everything will get better!

Following the sentence, he drew a large smiley face.

“Li Zhi!” Someone suddenly called his name. Startled, Li Zhi’s hand jerked, leaving a jagged line across the page. He turned to see a boy he barely knew, likely the class hygiene monitor.

“Go take out the trash.” The boy gestured toward the bin next to him.

Li Zhi paused, whispering, “But, but today, it is not my turn for duty.”

“I know,” the boy clicked his tongue impatiently. “It is Gong Jie’s turn, but has she not gone to orchestra practice? Since you are so close to her, help her out. The hygiene inspectors are coming any minute.”

It was lunch break, and the classroom was nearly empty. Li Zhi glanced at the empty chair beside him, his eyelid twitching for some reason. “But, I thought the Hygiene Department only inspected on Wednesday lunch breaks?”

Today was only Tuesday.

“Hey, just go when you are told! Why so much talk? I just got a notification that it was moved up this week, alright?” the boy said overbearingly. “Just go, and hurry. If points are deducted, I am holding you responsible!”

Without giving Li Zhi a chance to refuse, the boy marched out of the classroom. Li Zhi sighed, stood up, and lifted the trash bin.

The garbage disposal area was quite far from the teaching building. To the left of the area was the school’s badminton hall, which had been closed for renovations for the past two days.

Directly opposite the disposal area was the back door of the Art Building, where Gong Jie’s orchestra practiced on the fifth floor.

As Li Zhi approached, he could hear faint music. Because the floor was so high, it was not very clear. He did not plan to linger. He emptied the trash and was about to leave when his ears caught a sound behind him.

Footsteps, and more than one person.

Li Zhi’s heart plummeted. He spun around, but before he could identify the figures, a fist broke through the air and slammed into his face.

“Ugh!” Li Zhi could not dodge in time. The punch left him dizzied. Before he could steady himself, another blow landed. After two punches, he was beaten to the ground. His collar was yanked up. “Brother Xuan, where are we taking this kid?”

Through the haze, Li Zhi heard Wang Kaixuan’s voice: “Brother Han, where to?”

“The badminton hall next door. Here are the keys.”

That voice was incredibly familiar. Li Zhi’s eyes snapped open. He remembered who this person was. It was Han Ziyao.

“Catch.” Han Ziyao, with one hand in his pocket, tossed a set of keys he had been spinning on his finger toward Wang Kaixuan.

Wang Kaixuan caught them and grinned. “Thanks, brother. I will treat you to something big another day.”

Han Ziyao did not respond to the offer. He rubbed his chin, asking with interest, “This little bastard, how do you plan to handle him?”

“This damn dog nearly ruined me. I have to give him a taste of his own medicine.” Wang Kaixuan spat on the ground and looked toward Han Ziyao’s side. “Where is Brother Yu? This is a golden opportunity to mess with the kid, and he did not come?”

Han Ziyao gave a mocking laugh. “The Vice Principal called him in for a talk. But Zhou Baiyu said, if you want to fix this bastard, he has no objection, but do not go too far. Otherwise, how is he supposed to explain it to Uncle Zhou?”

“Pfft,” Wang Kaixuan waved it off. “Do I not know that already? Relax.”

He gestured to his followers. “Get him into the badminton hall. And,” he pointed at a nearby trash bin, his lips curling into a grin, “bring that along, too.”

“Gah!”

“Damn you!” A violent kick landed on Li Zhi’s stomach, causing him to curl up like a cooked shrimp. “I am going to end you today.”

“You made me stay in the hospital for three days. It hurt like hell, dammit!”

In reality, it was not Li Zhi who had put him in the hospital, but Wang Kaixuan could not touch Chu Mingzhang. He chose the “soft persimmon” to squeeze, taking all his rage out on Li Zhi.

“Did you think this was over? Haha, I remember everything! I am here to settle the score!” He delivered two more kicks to the stomach.

“Ugh,” cold sweat dripped down Li Zhi’s face. His back was hunched as far as it could go. The bursts of laughter surrounding him sounded like the shrieks of demons in hell. Wang Kaixuan patted the back of Li Zhi’s head, sneering, “Did you know your mother came to my house to apologize?”

“Your mother really is a mistress worthy of the title. She is undeniably beautiful. Tsk tsk. You know, if you looked even a bit like her, I would not have the heart to do this, but you look disgusting.”

“Your mom brought gifts with her own hands. She did not even dare to sit down. She kept bowing to my mother, saying, ‘I am sorry, it is my child’s fault. I do not know what happened between them, but it must be my poor discipline. They are classmates; I hope Kaixuan does not take it to heart.'”

“She was trying to be reasonable, but Li Zhi, I think words are useless. If your mom let me sleep with her once, I might let you, FUCK!”

“AAAAAH!”

Someone shouted in terror, “Quick, pull him off!”

Li Zhi had no idea what was happening around him. He did not know how he had suddenly found the strength to break free from the people holding him, but he had lunged forward and bitten down on Wang Kaixuan’s wrist with everything he had.

The taste of metallic, foul blood filled his mouth. The pig’s screams of agony acted as a stimulant. He could not feel any of the pain in his own body. He had only one thought: bite through this pig’s arm.

He must have bitten deep; his jaw ached, and it felt like he had hit something hard. Many hands grabbed him from all directions, pulling him back with immense force. Li Zhi twisted his head to the side with all his might, and he heard the sound of flesh tearing.

“ARGH!”

“Hahaha,” Li Zhi began to laugh, his mouth stained crimson. “Haha, hahahaha.”

A large pool of blood dripped onto the floor. Wang Kaixuan’s face was deathly pale. Someone held him up as he pointed his uninjured hand at Li Zhi. “Fuck, hot water! Hot water! Burn him to death!”

Li Zhi saw someone bring a large thermos. They pressed the lid, preparing to pour it over him. Before the water could spill, an arm reached out to block it.

“Hey!” Han Ziyao frowned. “This is going too far.”

“Fuck, look at my,” Wang Kaixuan tried to show his hand, but the excitement Han Ziyao had felt earlier was gone, replaced by unconcealed disgust and annoyance. “Call 120 again. We cannot let this get too big. That is enough. Let us go!”

“Heh,” but Wang Kaixuan could not let it go. He panted heavily, his features twisting into a lewd, sickening expression. “Change it. Use this instead.”

He pointed at the object they had brought earlier: the trash bin.

“Brother, Brother Xuan, do we, really have to do this?” someone asked, sounding frightened. “Let us just forget it.”

“Yeah, forget it.”

The voices of protest grew, but Wang Kaixuan was blinded by rage. “Dump it! What are you afraid of? If anything happens, I will take the blame!”

“Not dumping it? Then you are the next one I will deal with!” He stood up and kicked a boy standing near the bin.

The boy shrank back, glanced at Li Zhi, and finally, under Wang Kaixuan’s threatening gaze, lifted the bin and tipped it toward Li Zhi.

Li Zhi’s eyes widened, and he began to struggle frantically again. The people who had been holding him moved away to avoid the mess, but Wang Kaixuan roared, “Who the fuck dares to move?”

“Dump it!”

Li Zhi closed his eyes as a barrage of items fell. He did not even see what they were before they crashed over his head and face, accompanied by a stifling stench, the pain of hard objects hitting his bones, and a sickening, sticky sensation clinging to his skin.

He only saw one thing clearly at the very end. It was a book. On the cover, the title was written: Gone with the Wind.

He had read Gone with the Wind in a hurry, but one line had left the deepest impression on him:

“After all, tomorrow is another day.”