C8 Ten Years

"How dare he wear a mask to school! He must be acting tough in front of us! Let's take care of him!"

As I spoke, Little Fatso and my companions were about to attack me. I had long since sensed that the situation wasn't good and was already prepared. Without waiting for them to grab me, I flipped my desk and ran out of the classroom.

I didn't dare go back to the classroom until the bell rang. I didn't expect that just as I was about to walk towards my seat, the little fatty intentionally stretched his leg out to the aisle and tripped me up. I didn't notice and immediately fell flat on my face.

The whole class burst into laughter.

When the math teacher saw me making a fool of myself, he punished me for standing in the corner next to the blackboard. I had only been standing there for less than ten minutes. The more I thought about it, the more wronged I became. I couldn't help but cry. This time, the math teacher panicked a little and didn't dare to let me stand. She hurriedly let me return to my seat.

After class, I heard the girls in my class all tease me that I was a tearful, unambitious person. Little Fatso and a few of his buddies wanted to take off my mask again, but when they saw that the situation wasn't right, they immediately dashed out of the classroom and headed straight for the homeroom teacher's office. I explained the situation to the homeroom teacher, and the homeroom teacher led me back to the classroom. She walked up to the little fatty and ruthlessly reprimanded him. Furthermore, she announced in front of all the students that if anyone dared to bully me again, she would definitely punish them harshly without mercy.

With the homeroom teacher as their backer, Little Fatso and the rest didn't dare to bully me anymore. However, every time they saw me, they would ridicule me incessantly, saying that I was an ugly monster, a devil, and was shameful.

In the early days, I was mocked around the school as a freak and wanted to drop out of school. It scared my parents that I was thinking of dropping out of school when I was just a year old. Mom and Dad quickly asked my grandma to do some thought work for me before they persuaded me to go back to school.

Since I was a monster, I didn't have a single friend in school. Every day after class, I would be on my own. As for my three elder brothers, they won't help outsiders bully me. They would take me to school with them, unless the sun rose from the west.

At the time, I thought I was going to finish primary school by myself until the day of my second grade.

That day my pocket money was taken from me at school, and some of the kids in the next village said they were going to block me on the road, so I took a detour home from the river and was so upset thinking about it that I lost my mind and fell into the river. I couldn't swim at all, and when I fell into the river I took a few gulps of water and clutched at the riverbank with both hands.

Just before I lost consciousness, I had a vague feeling that someone had grabbed my hand. When I woke up and opened my eyes, I saw the face of a pretty little girl, and I recognized her immediately. She was Qi, the prettiest girl in the village. I've known her for a long time, but I don't think I've seen her for a long time.

Qi was surprised to see me awake.

I wasn't in the mood to talk to her. Looking at how my backpack, my clothes and pants were all soaked, I couldn't help but to cry bitterly at the thought of my pocket money being stolen from me.

"Hey, don't cry," Qi lightly patted my back as she consoled me. She took out a red apple from her schoolbag and handed it to me. "Here, I'll give you an apple to eat."

Seeing the red apple, I thought of Little Fox, I remember Little Fox said I was a coward and couldn't protect her at all. Little Fox would be very disappointed if she knew that I was always crying right now. I immediately stopped crying and dried my tears.

"Here, take it." Qi touched the apple to my arm and motioned for me to take it.

When I saw her serious face and that she sincerely wanted to give me the apple, my heart warmed up immediately. After hesitating for a moment, I took the apple. Seeing me take the apple, Qi's beautiful face revealed a smile, and her bright eyes stared at me.

I was about to eat the apple when I noticed Qi staring at me. "Qi, you gave me the apple. What about you?"

Qi smiled and shook her head, saying, "I won't eat it."

I quickly tried to give the apple back to her, but Qi pushed me back. The two of us pushed each other around. Suddenly, Qi yelled in a bad mood, "Alright, alright. Don't push it. I have an idea."

She took the apple and split it into two halves. Then, she handed the other half to me and said, "We will split it into half. Now, are you willing to eat?"

"Yes." I nodded, and then we ate happily.

Ever since that time, I went to school with Qi every day, and I was no longer alone. I've never been to Qi's classroom or home. There were times when I wanted to go, but Qi seriously told me not to go, otherwise our friends wouldn't be able to make it. Hearing how serious she was, I cherished her as a friend, and I never asked her about the classroom or home again.

Just like this, Qi accompanied me to complete primary school, then entered junior high school, and accompanied me to complete the first and second year of junior high school. On the third day of the new year, a new family came to our village. I heard that a new boy who was about my age had moved into our junior high school. I was curious and had always wanted to meet him on my way to school, but I hadn't seen him for a long time.

On this day, I was called to the men's room because I didn't want to copy homework for a few of my classmates.

"Brat, I'll let you copy your homework to take your life, right?"

"F * ck, so what if he's good at reading?"

"Take care of him! Let him remember!"

Just as those few delinquent students were about to teach me a lesson, a thunderous roar suddenly sounded out from behind them, "Stop!"

A few of the gangsters were startled and quickly turned their heads to look.

I saw a tanned, well-built young man striding forward.

"Fuck, you want to be the first one to take the lead, right?" The yellow-hair didn't say anything as he punched the sturdy youth.

The sturdy youth did not move at all, and suddenly let out a loud roar. With a slap of his large palm, he smashed the yellow hair to the ground. A few of the hoodlum students swarmed over, but they were actually punched and kicked by the sturdy youth, causing them to cry out for their parents, before fleeing in panic.

I was stunned.

"Are you alright?" the burly boy asked kindly, as he came up to me.

"Nothing," I said, shaking my head. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, I know you. You're from the Wu family in the village, right?" The sturdy youth said with a smile, revealing his white teeth.

After talking to him, I realized that this sturdy youth was the child from the family that moved to our village. His name was Hu Zi, and he looked as strong as his name. Hu Zi said that he had already known me for a long time, but he just didn't have the chance to know me.

Hu Zi and I were like friends at first sight. I told him to wait for me at the school gate after school, and we went back together. He smiled and nodded in agreement.

After school, I was the first to arrive at the school gate, waiting for Hu Zi and Qi. After a while, Hu Zi walked out with a smile. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "Let's go back together."

I said, "Hu Zi, wait a minute, Qi hasn't come out yet."

"Qi?" Hu Zi's face changed slightly when he heard what I said and asked, "Wu Qia, the Qi you're talking about, is she the Qi from the Xue Family who used to live in your village?"

"Mhm, her name is Xue Qi." I don't deny it.

"What?" Hu Zi looked surprised and his expression changed drastically. He looked at me in disbelief and asked nervously, "Wu Qia, you said that you want to wait for Xue Qi to come out and go home?"

"Yeah." "No," I said firmly.

"How is this possible?" Hu Zi grabbed my shoulder tightly.

"Hey, Hu Zi, what happened to you?" I said, puzzled.

Hu Zi didn't know what to say, so he dragged me to a corner next to the school gate. After trying hard to calm down, he stared at me and said, "Listen, Wu Qia. As far as I know, Xue Qi has been dead for several years."

"What?" I cried out in surprise, and for a moment my mind went blank.

Hu Zi looked at me and said seriously, "Why do you think I know? Because our family is currently living in the Xue family's house. These things were what my parents and the Xue Family told me when they were discussing to buy a house. "I heard from my parents that it was because Xue Qi was dead that Xue Qi's parents planned to move out of the village."

I felt like my head was in a mess and I couldn't think straight.

For so many years, Xue Qi had been with me every day of school and school. Until this morning, she was still accompanying me. Hu Zi said that she had been dead for many years now? Then, who is that Xue Qi who has been accompanying me for the past seven to eight years?

I followed Hu Zi to his house and found out that his family did indeed live in the Xue family's house. I didn't know because after I got home from school almost every day, my grandma wouldn't let me go out. I suddenly remembered that years ago, I had wanted to go to Qi's classroom and home, but Qi had refused. At that time, I didn't pay much attention to it, but now that I think about it …

When I got home, I immediately asked my grandmother about Qi.

Grandma looked at me strangely and asked, "Qia, why did you ask about this?"

"Grandma, is Qi dead?" I asked directly.

Grandma looked at me in astonishment. "Why do you ask this?"

"Quickly tell me, Grandma." I cried.

Although Grandma thought I was strange, she still told me the truth after sighing. "Qi has already been dead for many years. It's such a pity to think about that adorable child."

My whole body felt like it had been struck by lightning.

"Qia, what's wrong?" Are you alright? " my grandmother asked, worried.

I quietly shook my head and didn't say anything before heading back to the ancestral hall. Sitting in the ancestral hall, I felt an inexplicable fear and couldn't say a word. That night, lying in my coffin, I couldn't sleep.

The next morning, I went to the usual meeting place with Qi to wait. When class was about to begin, Qi also didn't come. This was the first time I was late for school that day, and then after school, I was waiting outside the school again. I was in a daze, but when the students finished walking, I still didn't see Qi.

"Wu Qia, let's go back." Hu Zi patted me on the shoulder.

I nodded sadly.

Later, I didn't see Qi again until I graduated from junior high. During that time, Hu Zi accompanied me after school. With his protection, no one would dare to bully me in school.

After graduating from junior high school, Hu Zi didn't get into high school and went to work with his dad on the construction site in the city. I got good grades and went to a high school. But after a year of studying, I dropped out of school. On the one hand, I didn't have the mood to go back to school, on the other hand, it was my grandmother's idea.

Because the Promise of Ten Years has arrived, I have to go to my grandpa's grave and take him as my master.