Jax and Zora went to the same middle school, but they never spoke to each other. Even when circumstances forced them to, their exchanges were so cold and detached that no one would suspect they were related, except for those who knew the truth—like Liam, who also attended the school. Liam's house was close to the Thorn family's, and he knew Zora. Sometimes, he would tag along behind Jax to greet her.
The school had built a new five-story dormitory building. Boys and girls shared the same building, with the boys on the first and second floors, and the girls occupying the upper floors. There were two separate stairwells—one for boys and one for girls.
Jax lived on the first floor, while Zora's dorm was on the fourth. They often ran into each other in the hallway, sometimes in the cafeteria or on the sports field. Jax played basketball and soccer every day, sneaking off to internet cafes after evening study sessions. By then, he had grown into a tall, lanky teenager, his pants hanging loose around his ankles, his limbs long and awkward. His voice had cracked, his Adam's apple was noticeable, and he smoked in secret. Rumor had it that the PE teacher wanted him to join the sports team and eventually attend sports school, though he never ended up going for reasons unknown.
In the third year of middle school, which was also the year of graduation, the school focused on improving its exam pass rate. Jax, while generally avoiding trouble, seemed to do little more than drift through his days. His class advisor, Mr. Li, a short, stout middle-aged man, was his saving grace. It was Mr. Li who had helped Jax stay in school, even vouching for him when he was almost expelled in the second year. Every semester, Mr. Li would personally ensure that Jax returned to school, even contacting Leo for his tuition fees. Jax's grades weren't at the bottom—he once managed to score in the top ten of his class, thanks to a bet with his classmates. They all bet money that he would fail, but Jax shocked them all by winning over a thousand yuan, which led to a public reprimand from the school.
He was quite popular at school, especially when it came to sports events. He had a crowd of onlookers whenever he played. Sometimes, Zora overheard older girls gossiping about him, talking about how cool and handsome he was. His eyes were sharp and intense, but his smile was devilishly charming, exuding a bad-boy vibe. Even the school's most popular girl secretly had a crush on him. Zora never quite understood how so many strange words could be used to describe a boy. What she remembered most about Jax was the way he looked when he was beaten up or sleeping.
Zora had grown taller in middle school and her skin had become fairer, but she still looked childish. Since washing her hair at school wasn't convenient, she cut it short, resembling the character "Chibi Maruko-chan." Her cheeks still had some baby fat. When she passed by Jax and his group of boys, she would lower her gaze and sidestep them. Her eyelashes were long and curled, her figure thin and delicate, and her demeanor shy and quiet. Some of the boys would look back at her, saying she was cute and they wanted to chase her. Jax, walking nonchalantly, would sneer, "You guys are into elementary school girls? If you're sick, go to the hospital. Don't make a fool of yourselves here."
The boys burst into laughter, and Zora scowled inwardly, frowning in displeasure.
Both of them were boarders, but at home, things were chaotic. Megan, with nothing to do at home, had found a job working at a tea house. She hadn't gotten pregnant in the past few years, and it seemed like she could never fully integrate into the core of the family. Leo, on the other hand, was immersed in stock trading and online gaming, chatting up strangers online. Though the power plant he worked for had great profits and generous bonuses, Megan had never been able to secure control over the family finances. Even when it came to things like playing mahjong, she had to scrape together money herself.
Megan and Leo started arguing loudly, but after living in Vine City for so many years, the relationship was hard to end. Her hometown was far behind her, and after all these years of free food and housing, and with her child attending school, Leo, though not generous, hadn't been too harsh. It was a relationship like a chicken rib—unappealing to eat, but too wasteful to throw away.
Zora was aware of their arguments. Megan worked every day and, despite Zora being on edge around Leo, she still came home once a week to get the living expenses. She only stayed for a day—Saturday mornings she would leave, and by Sunday afternoon, she'd be back at school. As for Jax, in his third year of middle school, he rarely returned home. He would occasionally come back to grab a few things, and his living expenses were a mystery to everyone. Maybe he had found some way to make money on his own.
Every Sunday afternoon, the boarders returned to school with their living expenses. The streets outside the school gates were crowded, and Zora and her dorm mates would often wander around, buying stationery or snacks.
Near the school gates, there were small restaurants, stationery stores, and boutique shops. If you walked a bit further toward the residential area, you'd find hidden internet cafes, game rooms, and pool halls. The girls in Zora's group often gossiped about how the boys from their class sneaked off to play games here. The local gang leaders often hung out in this area, too, and people would steal curious glances. The storefronts were open, with roller shutters only halfway down. You could hear the sounds of people talking, see the green pool tables, and hear the booming sounds from the game halls.
The girls didn't dare go in, but they found the whole thing intriguing. They'd continue walking, avoiding the alley, when they saw a group of boys gathered outside, either sitting or standing, exhaling cigarette smoke arrogantly. They would stop two of the girls, talk for a moment, wave them off, and then stop the passing boys, who reluctantly handed over something from their pockets.
"They're extorting money from people," one of the girls whispered.
"What should we do? Should we keep walking?" another girl asked nervously.
"Let's take a different route. I'm scared…" Zora said, backing away quickly with her friends.
Suddenly, someone shouted from behind, "Where are you going? Come here!"
A few of the girls froze, hesitant, their heads turning slowly as they moved forward.
The voice belonged to a dark-skinned boy in a denim jacket, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, holding a wooden stick. He scanned the girls from head to toe. "Where are you planning to go?"
"Back… back to school," one of the girls stammered.
"Back to school? Are you planning to tell the teacher or call security?"
"No… we're just going back to study."
"If you dare tell on us, you're dead. Got it?"
"Got it…" they muttered, looking down.
A fat white boy walked over, eyeing the snacks they were holding. He knew they had money on them. "How much money do you have? Show me."
"Nothing… not much," the girls nervously responded.
"Jax said not to rob girls, it's bad for his image," the dark-skinned boy muttered, hitting his chubby companion with his stick. "Let them go. Girls are the ones who complain the most."
"Fine, fine," the fat boy said, eyeing one of the girls' student ID in her pocket. "First-year, Class 5. If anyone finds out about this, you're in for trouble."
The girls, trembling with fear, hurriedly walked away, heads down, their footsteps quick and disordered.
Meanwhile, a buzz-cut boy, who had been sitting on the ground, casually flicked his cigarette to the ground, stretched lazily, and stood up. He tucked his hands into his pockets, leaning against the wall with a relaxed air. His long legs stretched out, blocking Zora's path.
His voice was languid, almost lazy. "You—"
His dark eyes circled around her, and noticing she was holding a skewer of fried meatballs, his stomach rumbled. Without warning, he grabbed the skewer from her hand. Zora was startled and instinctively jerked her hand away, stepping back. He smirked at her reaction, his eyes narrowing with mockery. "Scared?"
He devoured the meatballs in one bite, throwing the stick to the ground. He clapped his hands and, without any restraint, continued his little extortion on the shy girl. "How much money do you have? Hand it over."
Zora's heart raced. She glanced at Jax, her lips pressed tight but said nothing.
He was wearing clothes she had never seen before—a black hoodie and jeans, slouching with a lazy, rebellious air. His jawline was faintly scarred, and his eyes were sharp, with an almost oppressive intensity. He was the picture of a delinquent, one who didn't care about anything.
Zora's fingers clutched the hem of her uniform, her brow furrowed slightly, her lips trembling. She looked like she might speak, but couldn't find the courage.
Jax looked at her angry yet helpless expression, his brow lifting slightly. He unfolded the pocket knife in his hand, wiped the blade with a cloth, and spoke in a cool tone, "Where's the money? You want me to search you?"
A group of students stood nearby, eyes fixed on Zora, none daring to make a sound. Zora, her eyes fixed on the cold, silver blade, swallowed nervously, and slowly pulled a roll of bills from her pocket, handing it to him.
"How much?" he asked.
"…Ninety-eight…" Zora muttered.
She lived on campus and didn't need to buy any daily necessities, as she used the welfare provided by Leo's workplace. Her weekly allowance was only one hundred yuan, covering meals, the bathhouse, water, and stationery, and the rest was for pocket money. She'd spent two yuan earlier to buy two skewers of meatballs, one she had eaten, and the other Jax had taken from her.
Jax nodded, pocketing the money and closing the knife. He gave her a light shove on the shoulder, "Go."
Zora stumbled forward, one of the girls helping her up. The group watched as she darted away.
The boys were wide-eyed, mouths hanging open. They couldn't help but ask, "Jax, didn't you say you wouldn't extort girls? Why'd you pick on the prettiest one? No mercy at all."
"She's different," Jax shrugged indifferently, pulling his gaze away. "Come on, let's go eat. I'm starving."
The girls in the dormitory were all worried after Zora was robbed by the gang. "What should we do? Should we tell the teacher? Or call home?"
Zora sat on the edge of her bed, looking down, defeated. She didn't want to tell Megan, afraid Leo might hit someone again, and she wasn't sure if Jax would bully her like he used to when they were kids.
Zora borrowed thirty yuan from a classmate. With twenty left on her meal card, she had just enough to get by for the week. But she had already paid fifteen for class fees, leaving her with less than thirty yuan for food. For the next few days, she had to survive on steamed buns—morning and evening, and one simple vegetarian dish for lunch. She was growing faster, so the hunger gnawed at her constantly. Every day, the school held physical exercises during breaks, and there were two PE classes each week. After running two laps on the track, Zora often felt dizzy and weak.
She didn't want anyone to know about her dire situation. With an English book as a cover, she would sneak out to the garden bench to eat her bun in secret.
But one day, a stone came flying out of nowhere, hitting her arm before rolling to her feet. She turned around and saw the familiar figure hiding behind a bush, holding a cigarette. His dark, rebellious eyes stared through the smoke, but he didn't look at her directly.
Looking down, she noticed the stone had a piece of food stamp wrapped around it—a large paper stamp from the cafeteria.
"Don't know how to ask for money back home?" His voice was raspy but not unpleasant. "You're really stupid if you let yourself starve."
Zora was used to his tone. "Where did this come from?" she asked, flattening the food stamp, which offered a set meal at the cafeteria—one meat and two vegetables, a total of twenty tickets.
"Did you steal this?" she asked.
Jax snorted, dismissing her, "Mr. Li gave it to me… as a prize."
He didn't explain what kind of prize it was, just took another drag from his cigarette, crushing the butt into the ground before turning to leave.
Zora tore off a portion of the ticket, rushing to the cafeteria before it closed to get a meal.
When Zora returned home for the weekend, she stayed the night. The next day, after lunch, she put down her bowl and said, "I'm heading back to school."
Megan pulled out a red bill from her wallet, handing it to Zora, who obediently accepted it. Just as she was about to leave, she paused and casually asked, "Mom, what about Brother's living expenses?"
Megan and Leo both froze mid-bite. Leo set his chopsticks down and looked at Zora, smiling gently, "What's the matter? What happened to your brother?"
"No, nothing... It's just that he's been busy with school. He hasn't been home for months, and I'm wondering if his living expenses are enough," Zora's voice was barely a whisper, "He's grown taller, his pants are too short now."
Leo stared at her for a while, then smiled softly, "Really? He's been gone for so long, you should ask him to come back for a couple of days when he has time."
Before Zora left, Leo went to his room and took out a thousand yuan, handing it to Zora for Jax's living expenses. Zora carefully placed the money in her bag, and as she was about to leave, Megan gave her a quiet poke on the forehead.
A thousand yuan was a lot of money, and Zora didn't want to carry it around too long. She searched for Jax all day but couldn't find him. After the evening study session, she waited outside the dorm building, hoping to catch him before curfew. It was almost lights-out when Jax finally jumped over the wall, walking quickly and brushing past Zora without a word.
"Bro," Zora called out to him.
Jax stopped, looking at her in confusion.
She handed him the stack of money. "Uncle gave you living expenses. A thousand yuan."
Jax's gaze lingered on her face for a moment, then shifted to the money in her hands, and back to her face. His expression darkened slightly, and a flicker of annoyance crossed his usually calm demeanor. He sneered after a long pause, "Thanks, my good sis."
He took the money from her hands, and the air between them grew heavy. Jax turned, striding off, leaving Zora trailing behind, watching his figure grow smaller against the brightly lit dormitory.
The thousand yuan was spent by Jax within two days.
After spending more time at school, Zora got to know Jax's gang members. Apart from Liam, the one who had blocked her on the street was Shen, the dark-skinned boy, and Max, the plump one—both from the same gang. There was also Aiden's crew, but the two groups didn't interfere with each other. They were notorious at school but kept to themselves, avoiding conflict with regular students.
The school's bathhouse and water room were near the dorm building. The girls' dorm was on the higher floors, and at night, Zora could see the boys in their slippers and tank tops, chatting or running around in the courtyard. Jax was often among them, and many girls chased after him, although it was said he liked games and billiards more than hanging out with girls. The girls in the ninth grade were more mature, sometimes sneaking peeks at him as he came out of the shower, his broad shoulders and muscular arms almost spilling out of his tank top.
After evening study sessions, there was a line to get into the bathhouse. Zora preferred to go later, when it was quieter and the water pressure was better. She could also wash her dirty clothes. When the cleaning lady arrived to kick everyone out, Zora would change quickly, carry her little pink basin, and head back to the dorm. The lights in the classrooms and playground would be off, leaving the dorm the only place lit, and the evening breeze was especially refreshing and peaceful.
If not for the boys being ordered out of the building to be searched and the group gathering in the open space, it would have been a beautiful night for her.
She saw the dark figures of the boys ahead, realizing it was a surprise dorm check, part of the school's effort to clean up the atmosphere. She had to take the long way around to avoid them, but she didn't get far before hearing Jax's voice calling out.
"Zo." His voice rang out, and Zora stopped, uncertain if she had heard him right.
She had always been called Zora, and no one ever called her "Zo" except for him.
"Jax, stop! It's not your turn yet." The dorm supervisor shouted at him.
"My little sister." Jax waved toward her carelessly. He was wearing only a loose black T-shirt, hands on his hips, grinning playfully. "I've been looking for her. She's heading home tomorrow, so I'm asking her to bring something back for me."
"Just a minute, I'll be quick," Jax winked at the supervisor before taking a couple of steps toward Zora. "Sis, when you go home tomorrow, can you check my room for me? I need you to find something."
Zora stood in front of him, confused. His face was covered with a playful grin, but his eyes were dark, almost stern. He lowered his voice to a near whisper as his fingers ruffled her wet hair.
"You always catch a cold. Don't forget to dry your hair. It's cold out; you might get sick."
Zora froze, unsure of how to react, and then nodded slowly, "Got it, bro."
"Don't move. Let me dry your hair. You've always had a weak constitution, and catching a cold would be a pain."
He stepped closer, tucking the edge of his T-shirt into his hand. Zora caught a glimpse of his chest—a firm, honey-tan skin, his muscles faintly sculpted beneath the fabric. Before she could fully register it, Jax's towering frame loomed over her, his proximity making her heart race. She instinctively shut her eyes, overwhelmed by the sudden closeness. The faint scent of soap, clean skin, and a trace of tobacco mixed with the warmth of his body. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was enough to make her feel dizzy.
Then, without warning, the fabric of his T-shirt covered her head. His large hand ruffled through her damp hair, his touch unhurried yet firm.
"Hold on to it. Don't get caught," Jax whispered in a low voice, just loud enough for her to hear. With the same hand, he quickly slid something small and heavy from his waist and shoved it into her hands. The object, wrapped in cloth, felt warm and oddly solid.
"Stuff it in your clothes," he added sharply.
The moment was thick with tension. Zora's pulse quickened, and her hands instinctively pushed the object into the folds of her clothes, pressing it against her stomach, hidden from view.
The dormitory supervisor was just behind them, eyes fixed on the two of them. In those few seconds, Jax stepped back with a lazy grin, adjusting the small basin Zora was holding with a gentle nudge. He leaned in close to her, eyes locking with hers. His expression softened, the smile on his lips warm yet oddly distant.
"Go rest. It's late," he said, his voice light, but there was a strange weight to his words.
Zora felt a shiver run down her spine. She awkwardly held the basin, her legs stiff as she made her way down the stairs. Only when she reached the bottom did she dare glance back. Jax stood out in the crowd of boys, who were being checked by the male teachers, his gaze fixed on her, dark and intense.
Back in the dorm, the girls were all talking at once, gossiping about the boys' surprise room inspection. They'd heard rumors of iron rods and knives being hidden in the boys' rooms. The supervisor had just finished checking their rooms, and now they were all in a stir.
Zora couldn't help but shudder. She exhaled slowly, relieved yet still tense.
Two brand new, sharp knives, their sheaths glinting in the dim light, had been hidden against her stomach.