Zhou Rui was unsure about the effectiveness of his brick, so, to prevent the thief from getting up again, he pulled off his belt and awkwardly tied the man up. It wasn't a professional knot, just something haphazard and tight enough to make it uncomfortable.
Too bad in his previous life, instead of learning useful things, he had been too distracted by the heroine in movies. If he had known better, something like a "tortoise-shell binding" might have worked better here.
Meanwhile, Han Zinyin was beginning to recover from her shock. Exhausted and emotionally drained, she collapsed onto the ground, her delicate skirt forgotten as her tears flowed like streams. Soybean-sized droplets rolled down her cheeks as she tried to steady her trembling breaths.
Zhou Rui glanced at the crying girl and reminded her flatly, "Call the police."
He silently cursed himself for surrendering his phone earlier in exchange for snacks. What a stupid trade.
Han Zinyin, still trembling, fumbled with her elegant folding phone and finally managed to dial the police. Her fingers shook so much that she almost dropped the device.
Luckily, they hadn't yet reached the dark depths of the alley. The commotion had attracted some curious passersby—several elderly men and women peered cautiously into the scene.
When they looked in, what they saw shocked them—a crying girl on the ground and a boy pulling up his pants.
Zhou Rui quickly adjusted his belt and glanced at the cheap electronic watch on his wrist. He was running late to meet Li Wenqian. Seeing more people gather, he casually said, "Explain to the police yourself. I've got to get to school."
"Wait, don't leave!" Han Zinyin suddenly cried out, her voice filled with desperation.
For some reason, this strange boy had become her anchor. His presence gave her a strange sense of safety that the growing crowd of strangers couldn't replicate. But Zhou Rui wasn't about to stick around.
He reached down, checked the back of the thief's head, and confirmed there was no serious injury. Satisfied, he disappeared into the morning like the wind.
In this era, society's moral fabric was still relatively strong. The chances of being sued for performing a heroic act were slim. Even if scumbags wanted to file a lawsuit, they'd have no support. It was a far cry from what would come years later.
If this had happened in 2023, Zhou Rui thought wryly, he'd probably have been sued for "medical expenses" by now.
At this moment, he thought he had merely prevented a petty theft and perhaps a potential assault. Little did he know, he had intervened in a far darker chain of events.
According to the original timeline, Zhou Rui would have arrived at the alley fifteen minutes later due to oversleeping. By then, the tragedy would have already played out in the shadows. Han Zinyin, stabbed several times, would have been left to die slowly, her cries for help going unanswered.
Zhou Rui's rebirth had unknowingly saved her life and rewritten her fate.
As Zhou Rui jogged away, Han Zinyin called out one last time, "What's your name?!"
Without turning around, he waved dismissively and said, "Just a good man passing by!"
This small act of bravery filled Zhou Rui with an unexpected sense of pride. When he met Li Wenqian five minutes later, the corners of his mouth were still tugged into a small smile.
Li Wenqian raised an eyebrow. "You seem unusually cheerful today."
Zhou Rui grinned and ruffled her mushroom-shaped haircut. "You're observant as always. Hey, did you finish the physics paper? Let me borrow it to copy."
She nodded silently, used to Zhou Rui's antics. The difference was that she skipped homework because of laziness, while Zhou Rui skipped it because he genuinely didn't know how to do it. Her top-notch academic performance had earned her the signature hairstyle of a true study master.
Zhou Rui didn't bother finding a proper seat to work. He leaned against the wall, used his books as a makeshift desk, and started copying the paper. What might take him an hour to do on his own could now be finished in mere minutes. Efficiency at its best.
This was why he had rushed to meet her earlier—to copy homework.
The pair walked to school as usual and parted ways at the gate. Zhou Rui headed to his class and, for once, arrived early. Rather than wasting time, he cracked open his textbook and attempted to absorb some knowledge. Every bit of experience counted.
The "class beauty," Tong Xin, approached him with a stack of papers. "Zhou Rui, hand in your math homework," she said.
Zhou Rui handed her the test paper he'd filled out independently the night before. It was riddled with mistakes—he guessed no more than 30% of the answers were correct.
Third-year high school was all about endless papers. Teachers, overwhelmed with work, rarely graded them and instead explained the answers during class. The students were left to check their own work. But to ensure everyone at least attempted the assignments, the papers were collected beforehand.
Tong Xin glanced at his paper before looking at Zhou Rui curiously. "Are you wearing contact lenses?"
Zhou Rui blinked. "What? No. Why?"
Tong Xin hesitated. Zhou Rui's eyes seemed deeper and more striking than before, radiating a mature charm she couldn't quite describe. His entire demeanor had shifted subtly—still familiar, yet strangely compelling.
But Zhou Rui dismissed her. "I'm not wearing anything. My eyesight's fine—only a 100-degree prescription."
He returned his focus to his book, ignoring Tong Xin's puzzled expression. Used to attention from the boys in class, she wasn't used to being brushed off like this.
Oddly, Zhou Rui's indifference only intrigued her more. She left with the papers, her thoughts swirling, while Zhou Rui remained oblivious to her growing curiosity.
If this had been Tong Xin a few years later, Zhou Rui might've enjoyed the attention. Who doesn't like a little eye candy, after all? But for now, studying was the top priority. They were all just students, and visual distractions weren't worth the detour.
Zhou Rui immersed himself in the "ocean of knowledge," determined to drink its bitter waters. But before he could, a loud commotion erupted from a corner of the classroom.
Turning to look, he saw a tall boy, Guo Sheng, shoving the plump Song Bin into a corner.
"Stand there like the idiot you are!" Guo Sheng sneered, pointing to the filthy corner where the brooms were kept.
Song Bin stumbled but didn't retaliate. Humiliation burned his cheeks red as Guo Sheng slapped him hard across the face.
"Who do you think you are, talking back to me? You're lucky I don't beat you harder!" Guo Sheng barked. The students who had initially looked over quickly turned back to their own business, unwilling to intervene.
Song Bin clenched his fists, his frustration and anger rising. In his hand, he gripped a "Hero" pen tightly. The cap had fallen off, leaving the sharp tip exposed.