One second, he was full of vigor.
The next second, he was incredibly unlucky.
Such things happen often.
So, he needed to settle the lottery issue as soon as possible and secure the winnings; only then would Bai Zihao truly feel at ease.
Taking advantage of a break between classes, he decisively sneaked out.
But what frustrated him was that he unfortunately ran into some thugs collecting protection money!
"Hey, kid, why aren't you handing over the protection money when you see us?"
A tall, red-haired thug surrounded him with his lackeys.
But he couldn't help but notice that their faces were all bruised and battered.
It seemed they had been beaten up pretty badly before this.
"Brothers, I didn't bring any money today. How about next time? I'll give you double next time!"
Bai Zihao said with a forced smile.
Having been through many ups and downs in society, he had long learned how to deal with such troubles.
Now, as a frail teenager, it was clearly a bad idea to confront them directly.
The best choice was to paint a big picture and stabilize the situation first.
As long as he could escape, he had plenty of ways to make these thugs regret it!
But what he didn't know was that the red-haired thug had already made up his mind to cause him trouble under Mu An's "financial pressure"!
"Next time?"
"Yes, next time I'll give you double!"
Bai Zihao patted his chest and said earnestly.
"Hehe, if you don't pay now, next time it'll be a hundred times!"
The red-haired thug sneered.
The surrounding lackeys moved in closer.
"A hundred times?!"
Bai Zihao's face turned ugly, and an unnamed anger simmered in his eyes.
Did they really think he was a soft persimmon that could be bullied at will?
"Not paying? Then we'll beat you until you do! Go, brothers!"
With a signal from the red-haired thug, his lackeys, who had been waiting eagerly, immediately pounced on him.
Bai Zihao didn't even have time to react before he received several hard slaps, and his cheeks instantly swelled up.
His youthful blood surged, and his eyes reddened.
But reason told him that once he made a move, he would be in the wrong!
Moreover, two fists couldn't fight against four hands!
To fight or not to fight, that was the question!
If he fought back, it would be mutual brawling!
If he didn't fight back... would he just take the beating?
But the red-haired thug and his gang didn't care what he thought.
They just kept hitting him hard.
Perhaps it was the protagonist's halo at work.
Coincidentally, Su Zhirou, who was passing by, saw the scene and quickly called for a teacher and security.
Soon, everyone was taken to the police station.
"Now, tell me, what's going on?"
A middle-aged male police officer looked at them with a blank expression.
Public fighting was not just a small scuffle among friends.
This matter could be big or small, mainly depending on the attitudes and subsequent "operations" of both parties.
"Officer, this guy stole our brother's money, and not only did he not return it, but he also attacked our brother first!"
The red-haired thug took the initiative, throwing dirt on Bai Zihao without hesitation.
After all, that location was relatively remote, and there were no cameras; whatever happened was up to him to say.
Bai Zihao, with a bruised face, struggled to widen his eyes, but pulling at his wounds made him grimace in pain.
Me? Steal your money?
How come I didn't know about this?
Clearly, they were the ones who started the trouble!
Bai Zihao was furious and wanted to curse.
"I don't believe it! I know Bai Zihao; he wouldn't steal your money, nor would he attack you first!"
"And any normal person wouldn't provoke a group of you alone!"
As a witness, Su Zhirou said firmly.
Bai Zihao looked at her gratefully.
As expected of Su Zhirou, who had been his classmate for six years.
What she said truly resonated with him!
"Oh, how do you explain this?"
The middle-aged police officer raised an eyebrow.
A group of thugs and two students... sometimes first impressions really matter.
He was leaning more towards Su Zhirou's account.
It seemed more likely that the red-haired thug and his gang were the ones looking for trouble!
"I have evidence! That bastard stole a hundred bucks from my brother, and it should still be hidden on him!"
"And I remember that the upper right corner of the bill has my personal mark, the letters S and B!"
"So whether it exists or not, you can just check that kid!"
The red-haired thug continued to shout angrily.
It seemed he was just short of tattooing the words "victim" on his forehead.
Indeed, in the chaos, he had already secretly stuffed the prepared hundred bucks into Bai Zihao's pocket!
If nothing went wrong, that money was basically like mud in his pants now.
Not that it was nothing, but it was definitely something!
Meanwhile, everyone's gaze shifted to Bai Zihao.
Bai Zihao had an inexplicable bad feeling in his heart.
"Wo... mei... you... (I don't have it)"
He instinctively took a step back, enduring the pain as he spoke with difficulty.
However, a red bill just happened to fall out of his pocket.
The upper right corner just happened to have the two prominent and elegant letters 'S' and 'B'...
Bai Zihao looked as if he had seen a ghost, incredulously widening his eyes.
It was as if those two glaring letters were not just letters.
But had transformed into demons that were mocking him incessantly!
Yet he had no idea where that hundred bucks had come from!
Could it be from the fight just now...
Bai Zihao's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot.
For a moment, the air in the arena fell silent.
"Look! I told you this little brat is so poor that he went crazy, daring to steal our money, and when caught, he still refuses to return it!"
"If it weren't for that, we wouldn't have fought with this little brat!"
"Hiss~ Look at us, we are covered in injuries from his beating! If he doesn't pay for our medical expenses, it really wouldn't make sense!"
Red-haired guy was the first to break the silence, filled with righteous indignation, and didn't forget to follow the plan to squeeze out some medical fees.
The other lackeys chimed in, putting on a victimized expression.
Su Zhirou: "..."
Middle-aged officer: "..."
"Bai Zihao, do you have anything to say?"
With preliminary evidence laid out, the middle-aged officer leaned on the table, frowning as he looked at Bai Zihao.
Stealing is something that everyone despises.
Now he was just waiting to see if the other party had any way to prove his innocence.
"Wo, zhen...de...mei...you... (I really didn't)"
Bai Zihao waved his hands repeatedly, trying to prove his innocence.
But most of his injuries were on his face, making his speech unclear, somewhat slurred, and... drooling.
"Bai Zihao, I didn't expect you to be this kind of person!"
"If you were short on money, you could have borrowed from me, but you chose to steal, which is your fault!"
Su Zhirou looked at him with disappointment.
Even the school beauty Su misunderstood him, Bai Zihao was about to cry.
He really didn't steal the money!
He didn't hit anyone either!
The other party was already injured before they arrived, and he didn't even fight back when he was being beaten!
Clearly, someone was framing him!
But he just couldn't produce strong evidence to prove his innocence!
How could things that happened after his rebirth deviate so far from his planned expectations?!
Clearly, he was the favored child of destiny!