Chapter 3

Chapter 1: The Young Shepherd!

Some people said Li Muyang was a good-for-nothing.

This made Li Muyang particularly angry. How could the family secret, which should have been kept confidential, be leaked and become known to everyone?

A warm breeze blew, the grass was green, and the flowers were red.

Here and there, young people ran and jumped in the grass, some singing and dancing, others wrestling and playing games. Laughter and joy filled the air, unrestrained and exhilarating.

The college entrance exam was approaching, and every student was on edge, striving to get into their dream universities.

With one month and seven days left until the exam, the school organized this lake excursion to help students relax and then charge forward with full energy to achieve success.

At the corner of the Sunset Lake, a dark-skinned young man lay in the grass, sound asleep.

Even in his sleep, his facial expressions were rich and varied. First, there was joy, then shyness, followed by hesitation and embarrassment...

A month ago, he had a delightful conversation with Xu Shirui, the long-legged beauty from Class 9, over a seafood buffet at the revolving restaurant in the Imperial Capital Hotel. Half a month ago, Zhang Xinqi, the elegant goddess from Class 3, invited him to review their lessons together after school, and he happily agreed. Just a moment ago, Cui Xiaoxin, the all-around genius from Class 1, stopped him and said she wanted to watch "Titanic" with him that evening. He said he would think about it, but deep down, he wasn't planning to refuse...

Li Muyang only wanted to tend to one sheep; he never thought about tending to a whole flock.

Therefore, the numerous romantic entanglements troubled him greatly. He didn't want to become a playboy.

Clang!

A loud metallic sound echoed.

A half-old iron bucket was kicked into the lake by someone, causing ripples on the surface before it sank with a "gulping" sound.

Li Muyang suddenly opened his eyes, looking bewildered at the few classmates standing in front of him.

"Li Muyang—do you think you should be called Li Muyang, or should you be called Li Dead Pig? You sleep in class, sleep after class, and even sleep during the class trip. Are you even more of a sleeper than a pig?" A handsome boy with a Rui Feng hairstyle said mockingly, deliberately raising his voice to attract the attention of the surrounding classmates.

"Zhang Chen, don't you dare insult pigs? Pigs may be lazy and sleep all day, but at least they are fat and have white skin, looking cute and silly—look at Li Muyang, black and skinny, like a piece of burnt charcoal—how can he compare to a pig?" The muscular Yang Jun said sarcastically, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"Li Muyang, weren't you supposed to go fishing?" The flat-headed, chubby boy picked up a simple bamboo fishing rod by the lake and said with a smile, "It looks like you didn't catch anything. The bucket is empty, not a single fish. What a pity, everyone was saying that Li Muyang would have a good catch after fishing all afternoon, and we could have a fish feast tonight. You've really let us down."

Li Muyang rubbed his eyes and secretly wiped the water from the corner of his mouth with his sleeve.

This action drew even more laughter from the onlookers.

"What's wrong?" Li Muyang looked puzzled. "What do you want?"

"Li Muyang, we just wanted to see you—see how well you're sleeping." Zhang Chen brushed his long bangs aside, looking down at Li Muyang sitting in the grass. "Did you sleep well today?"

"Pretty well." Li Muyang nodded honestly. The sleep was indeed comfortable, but the unresolved question was making him anxious—should he go to the movies with Cui Xiaoxin?

"What did you dream about?"

Li Muyang's black face turned red, and he lowered his head shyly. "I can't say."

"Tell us." Zhang Chen had a cat-playing-with-a-mouse look. This was a game they often played; they were the cats, and Li Muyang was their designated mouse. "Don't worry, we won't laugh at you."

"I can't say." Li Muyang shook his head again.

"Did you dream about our class beauty, Cui Xiaoxin?"

From the back of the crowd, a pretty girl with long hair and a white floral dress raised her eyebrows slightly, clearly not liking the fact that they were dragging her into this.

Li Muyang looked at Zhang Chen thoughtfully and said, "You're immature."

"What?" Zhang Chen's eyes widened in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Is this guy on the wrong medication?

Li Muyang was the oddball in the class. Because of his dark skin, which made him look like a piece of charcoal, everyone called him "Black Charcoal" or "Blackie."

Moreover, because Li Muyang was a heavy sleeper, sleeping in class, after class, and even during outings, everyone gave him the nickname "Sleeping God."

Because of his dark skin and long sleep duration, Li Muyang became a celebrity in the school. Everyone who saw him would say, "Hey, that's the school's Black Charcoal," "He can sleep from the first class in the morning to the fourth class, and even the teacher breaking the blackboard eraser couldn't wake him up—"

Li Muyang was the class treasure, the mascot.

When people were in a good mood, they would tease him; when they were in a bad mood, they would bully him.

Today, Zhang Chen was in a bad mood because he had secretly confessed to Cui Xiaoxin just now, but she rejected him. With only a month left until the college entrance exam, the students in the class would soon go their separate ways. If he couldn't establish a normal relationship with Cui Xiaoxin now, he would have to watch her drift away from his life like a flower in the wind.

The more he thought about it, the more he felt lost and sad. Zhang Chen wanted to find something to vent his anger, and he happened to see Li Muyang, who was sleeping soundly in the corner.

But even this little mouse dared to fight back and mock him? This was something that had never happened before.

"You're immature." Li Muyang repeated his words, though simple, they were incredibly hurtful.

Zhang Chen's face darkened, and he looked at Li Muyang with a fierce gaze, saying slowly, "Do you want to die?"

Li Muyang rubbed his messy hair, which had been disheveled from sleeping, and said, "You casually throw out such threats—I have a question to ask: how many people on the Naihe Bridge have you personally sent over?"

"Beat him up."

Zhang Chen roared loudly, leading the charge toward Li Muyang.

Standing at 1.78 meters tall, with a strong and athletic build from playing basketball, Zhang Chen looked formidable as he ran, as if a single collision could send the skinny and dark Li Muyang flying.

Everyone thought the same thing.

At this moment, Li Muyang seemed like a small boat tossed in the sea, a trembling lamb before a tiger. A single wave, a single pounce, and he would be shattered and destroyed.

Li Muyang stood still, looking as if he were scared stiff.

The whites of his eyes, surrounding his dark pupils, began to fill with dense blood vessels.

Initially, they were faint and hard to see, but soon they connected and became more visible and terrifying.

At a glance, it seemed as if his pupils were enveloped in red ink. The dark pupils were like a black hole in the sky, surrounded by a vast expanse of red blood.

Li Muyang's clenched fists had a thin layer of scales growing on the back, like a transparent fish scale. The scales shimmered with a purple glow, turning the small patch of black skin on his knuckles to a purplish red.

Li Muyang's heart was filled with a violent rage, as if there was some pent-up frustration that needed to be released, some immense grievance that could not be expressed.

Zhang Chen ran closer and threw a punch at Li Muyang's face.

Smack!

Li Muyang raised his hand to block.

"Ah—"

Someone gasped, and others closed their eyes in fear.

How could Li Muyang's thin arms and legs possibly block Zhang Chen's powerful punch?

Zhang Chen's face was filled with a smug smile, looking down at the black face he despised, full of disdain.

"This poor little mouse—daring to play with the cat?"

At the moment of impact, Zhang Chen's smile froze, and he felt a powerful force surge into his fist.

Unable to resist, he had no strength to fight back.

Bang!

Zhang Chen's body flew high into the air and landed heavily in the grass far away.

The entire scene was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping, except for the gentle swaying of the willows in the distance and the indifferent chirping of insects.

Did Li Muyang actually punch Zhang Chen and send him flying?

(PS: Last night, I was writing in the study, and Liu Xiafan came in to play. I scolded her and sent her out. A while later, she tiptoed to the door, stood there, and said sorry. She said, "Dad, aren't you bored working alone in the study? I want to come in and keep you company." I felt so guilty that I almost cried.

Writing is a lonely task. It requires you to isolate yourself in a separate space and enter another world, feeling the joys and sorrows of every character. Only when you feel it can you perfectly convey it.

Fortunately, I love her, and I love every story I tell!

And I carefully hope that you will like it too!)

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