Gu Xiao hated science.
Of course, for a reason.
Before anything else, he was not someone with loose screws in the head. He was a normal person. It was just that he was in elementary, while he was at least average in every other subject, science seemed to be something out of his league. Only in that subject would he always have a failing grade, thus breaking his wish to remain at least average in everything.
There was once an instance when he tried pouring all his attention to it, but the result did not change. As a result, he started disliking the subject. How could he have a good impression of something that never failed to depress him?
His attitude was that of a sore, ignorant loser who could not excel in anything? F*cker! Of course, he was aware of himself.
But Gu Xiao still carried his aversion over the subject even after stepping into university. He especially wondered if its curse would be attached to him for life.
Anyway, when he graduated from high school, he went to college and took a Math Education course.
Unfortunately, he had to repeat his first semester. Why? Oh, due to failing Biology!
The failing of a semester was really lamentable as it further cemented in his mind was that science hated him and so he should hate it as well.
But apart from this, there was actually one more thing that made this issue more heartbreaking.
The girl he had been crushing on made a bet with him, his passing of this accursed science class the subject of the wager. If he passed, she would be his girlfriend. If he lost... he would have to take another route every time they saw each other. It was very simple. All he had to do was do all his best and pour his soul into studying science this time.
But with this said and done... he actually lost...
"Now I can't approach Zhi Ruo. I really really hate that fat Biology professor for doing this to me!!!" Gu Xiao cried in his drunken stupor.
As the failure of a student that he had become, he turned to alcohol to vent some of his frustration. He would normally not do this as reading and writing online novels were his normal pastimes. However, that night the heartache was just too much, so he let himself be dragged by his friends in a local bar.
His friends were the usual average guys with very little merits but these guys took some time off of their busy schedules to bring him to a table full of alcohol after knowing a friend of theirs was wallowing in heartbreak.
"Gu Xiao," his fairly fat bespectacled friend poured him a drink and pushed the glass to him. "My bro, here. Drink more since I know only alcohol is what you will dare to take to forget."
"… I feel like you're mocking me for not taking something stronger than alcohol," the depressed guy glared at him. As a prim and proper nerdy guy, he never thought of turning himself to drinking, much less something more intense, like drugs. Today was a special circumstance as his frustration had just been too much.
"Hehe, I was just joking."
"Oh. So you're really mocking me."
The fatty was one of the few sober ones at the table since he was eating more than drinking, which was no surprise given this person's hobby and inclination. So towards Gu Xiao's resentful gaze, the fatty only shrugged and took a bite of his snacks.
"You know, bro. I really sometimes can't help but wonder if you have some special constitution that wards off even luck towards your most hated subject. Professor Bai is one of those lax professors in our university who even allows students to openly copy from one another during exams. How the hell did you fail?"
"I don't know!"
"Hmmm. It must be that you copied wrongly, or you copied from the wrong person."
"I worked hard in this, alright?! I am not you! I didn't cheat! Because… because of the bet, I, I specially studied hard this semester. But…"
Gu Xiao made a very painful expression before chugging on the glass as if its content was water. The drinking session ended not long after, with the young man reduced to tears from being barred to approach his goddess until they graduate. He was such a mess as he buried his head in his palms.
His four friends looked at him disdainfully as if he was gay.
"Gu Xiang. It's only a woman. There are many of them in the world," said one of his friends to him before all of them passed out. The same guy patted him on the shoulder.
"Actually you should not be pessimistic about the matter. After all, it's doubtful whether a school romance can last until graduation. Look, how many couples from our campus remained as couples after graduating? I bet less than 5 percent! We are all limited in our views because all we see are people in the university or neighborhood. But once we're out there, working, we won't be limited by any boundaries anymore."
"Yeah. We will meet and interact with countless people which will broaden our horizons, especially once we have the ability and post to earn money,' another guy preached him in a serious manner while having a face red from drinking too much alcohol. The ones quoted above were already fixed and free from the slurring and stutters.
Gu Xiao's heart warmed up a bit from being comforted. His friends who were sometimes terrible in character probably sympathized so much with him that they looked up some breakup tips for him.
And it meant a lot especially when one was in some period of their lives.
However, it was still a fact it wouldn't be easy to get to normal due to the two blows.
He was still feeling low.
'Ah… I really hate the fact that science hates me.' The brokenhearted student taking up a math course which was still technically science separated with his friends and flagged a taxi.
"Keep safe, bro. Don't turn to weeds if the heartache acts up again and becomes too much to bear."
"..."
"I know a few good girls for a blind date."
On that night, that somehow became the last thing he remembered hearing from the fatty. From the others, it was the mocking laughter that brought no harm physically but was quite emotionally scarring, if not annoying.
Anyway, that really became his last conversation with them.
Because… Well, due to some extra stroke of bad luck, the day apparently became his last day on Earth.
The guy who began to hate science with a passion died from an unfortunate car collision with a huge yellow dump truck.
When he woke up later, no longer drunk due to the pain from the car crash, he was dumbfounded for a long time because he found himself stuck in a primitive world.
…