Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1367 - 18: The World Burns in My Colors (9)

Chapter 1367: Chapter 18: The World Burns in My Colors (9)

The white rabbit lay on the ground, fluffy and was a toy.

Under the dim streetlight, four or five students surrounded a frail female student, kicking and punching, the white rabbit stained with blood.

"...She’s the one who reported us to the teacher, causing me to lose my poverty aid." They pointed fiercely at the girl.

"Hit her! Quick!"

"She looks so disgusting, tear up her face!"

Laughing, they kicked the girl, her face covered in a web of bruises and purple marks.

Shen Xue did not participate in this bullying; she stood at the other end of the alley, watching.

Su Ming’an remembered this scene from when he was 17. What happened next had a huge impact on his entire life.

At that time, he would...

"—Stop!"

The 17-year-old Su Ming’an turned on a flashlight, its glaring light illuminating the damp alley, shouting as he pointed at his left wrist: "I’ve recorded your actions with my smart watch. If you bully her again, I’ll make sure the teachers see your faces! Moreover, my smart watch is connected to the internet; if you dare come near me, I’ll immediately upload the video!"

In an instant, these students ceased their kicking and punching, looking at him with fear and resentment.

Su Ming’an didn’t have the money for a smart watch; it was just a regular broken watch, but it scared off these students.

"...Let’s go." The leader covered his face with a sleeve and left quickly, followed by the others.

Su Ming’an entered the alley, squatted down, and looked at the bullied female student—a classmate named He Zhizhen. Due to several large purple bruises on her face and her reticent nature, she was always alone in class.

"Are you okay?" Su Ming’an asked.

"..." He Zhizhen raised her head, with purple bruises spread across her skin, her body covered in scars.

"Thank you..." she mumbled, getting up to leave.

"I’ll walk you for a bit so they don’t come back." Su Ming’an caught up with her.

At this moment, Shen Xue was still standing at the alley entrance; she hadn’t participated in the whole incident.

As Su Ming’an walked past her, due to the rules of the Story Domain, he couldn’t attack her without reason, and she couldn’t either. Their eyes met, and Su Ming’an saw an obsession and excitement in her gaze.

She really liked him, didn’t she?

Willing to give up everything just to stand before him.

But doesn’t she understand? He precisely hates people like her.

...

Next scene, Su Ming’an was called to the office.

"Let me check your watch." The stern female teacher reached out.

Su Ming’an knew; it was likely those students had made a report, wanting the teacher to confiscate his watch. After all, his high school prohibited watches connected to the internet, and this teacher was related to one of the students and would certainly cover up for them.

"Here." Su Ming’an handed it over.

The teacher checked it and found it was just a regular watch, after a silent moment, she let Su Ming’an go.

"Hey, why did the teacher call you?" Back in the classroom, Bolong patted his shoulder: "What happened?"

"Saved someone last night." Su Ming’an recounted the events.

"He Zhizhen? That’s our classmate." Bolong frowned: "Hey friend, next time you encounter something like this, don’t intervene. If she’s being targeted, there must be a reason."

Su Ming’an said: "Victim blaming?"

Bolong waved:

"Hey... I mean, if it doesn’t concern us, don’t bring trouble onto yourself. Look, even if you saved her, there’s no benefit, instead, you’ve got people hating you for no reason."

"Last night you were clever, managing to use a regular watch to scare them off, but what if you were exposed? Would they let you go? If you were really beaten to death, what would happen to your Uncle Zhao?"

"Rescuing people fearlessly leaves endless regret for relatives."

"We’re just ordinary people, not martial heroes. Just take care of yourself. Remember, there are family members behind us who care about us."

After hearing Bolong’s words, the 17-year-old Su Ming’an immediately wanted to refute, but at that instant, Bolong’s words reminded him of his father.

Rescuing people fearlessly leaves endless regret for relatives...

But his father only taught him the first half.

The first half was indeed fulfilled by his father, but the one who bore the second half was himself. If it came to him to fulfill the first half, then who would bear the second half?

"I understand, I’ll be cautious next time..." Su Ming’an said.

"Right, friend, think about it." Bolong nodded:

"I’ve known you for so long, I understand your nature. Now you’re listening because you have Uncle Zhao, because you think of him waiting for you at home."

"But let me say something unpleasant; if one day you have no one behind you, you might just recklessly charge forward, using yourself as fuel."

"Friend, take care of yourself, it’s the most important thing."

Bolong patted his shoulder and sighed.

That evening, Su Ming’an was blocked by those students.

Uncle Zhao’s home was remote, surrounded by unfinished buildings, sparsely populated, providing an opportunity for these people.

In the alley, they formed a circle around Su Ming’an, holding clothes poles, sticks, iron rods, and other items.

"Looks so well-behaved, yet managed to fool us all last night! That watch definitely wasn’t connected to the internet!" The leader with a crew cut pointed at Su Ming’an.

"Hit him! Get him!"

They rushed forward together, raising their weapons.

Out of the corner of his eye, Su Ming’an noticed Shen Xue hiding in the alley gap, probably intending to stage a "heroine saves the hero" scenario.

Back then, the 17-year-old Su Ming’an faced the exact same situation. But there was no Shen Xue to help him then, he was utterly alone.

As the shadows of the sticks fell, the angry faces of the students grew closer, Shen Xue was ready to strike.

However, a stumbling figure ran from afar.

"Get—get away!!"

Suddenly, one after another, stone-like things were thrown over.

Upon closer inspection, these projectiles were actually grass-woven toys.

A middle-aged man with a complexion like red clay ran over, clutching a pile of grass-woven toys, throwing them at the students, sending them scurrying in panic from rocks stuffed inside.

"—Get lost! Don’t touch my son!!" The man shouted, his eyes fierce like a wild wolf.

Su Ming’an turned around, the light shining on the man’s broad cheeks, on one was a palm print.

Zhao Zhuozhong, an obstinate, verbose person, afraid of stepping out of line, a meticulous person who wished for lifetime tranquility, terrified of trouble. He didn’t dare support Su Ming’an pursuing the arts, didn’t dare support Su Ming’an chasing dreams, solely advising him to return to mediocrity.

He lived carefully his whole life, cautious and submissive to everyone. Always the one being hit, never hitting back. Even when cheated at the market, he was the first to back down.

Yet he rushed over, without hesitation, wildly punching these students.

"I won’t let you bully my son—I won’t let you bully my son!!!" He was like a wounded wild wolf, recklessly punching these students, ignoring how many times he was hit with a stick.

The young students immediately pushed him, he fell hard onto the ground, still madly throwing grass-woven toys.

"Damn it, let’s go! He’s crazy!" The leading student took a punch, spat:

"Quick, go, go..."

"Isn’t he an orphan? He never has anyone at parent-teacher meetings, yet he has a dad..."

The alley lights flickered, tonight had a hazy moon.

The cobblestone pavement was filled with water; Zhao Zhuozhong gasped heavily, watching the students run off, retrieving his lost gaze, sweat dripping from his forehead.

Holding a deformed grass-woven toy.

"...Why are you here."

"Just came back from the night market, couldn’t sell a single thing, got chased away by city management, thought of finding another spot to sell, didn’t expect to see you. Did you offend someone?" Zhao Zhuozhong wiped his damp face.

"No, they came on their own. What’s with your face?"

"Got slapped by the local bullies... It’s none of your business, just focus on your studies. Don’t get involved in any mess that would affect your studies."

"Let me take you to the hospital, you got hit several times."

"It’s okay, I was careful, just superficial wounds."

"The woven grass toy got smashed."

"If it’s broken, I’ll fix it tonight. I’ll pick you up from school these days, so those punks don’t bully you."

"..."

"Ming’an."

"Hmm?"

Zhao Zhuozhong hesitated for a moment and handed him the only woven grass toy he had left.

"For you, a gift. When you passed by the showcase at school, didn’t you look at that crystal piano for a long time? I made a replica..."

Su Ming’an lowered his gaze.

In the man’s hand was a small woven grass piano, very rough, even deformed, compared to the exquisite crystal piano in the showcase, like an ugly duckling.

But Su Ming’an gently took the woven grass piano and tucked it into his embrace.

"Right now, I can’t give you the material life you want. I know you envy other kids... But trust Uncle, one day, I will give you a good life!" Zhao Zhuozhong clenched his fists, his eyes full of seriousness.

In the distance, there was a rumble of thunder. The weather forecast said there would be thunderstorms today.

Fine raindrops fell on Su Ming’an’s forehead, his vision blurred into a golden haze, and he turned his head as if seeing his father standing at the alley’s entrance.

...Father, do you know? You don’t have to worry about me anymore.

There is someone who loves me, I am no longer alone.

Those days and nights just after losing my father, when the meals were only steamed buns soaked in water, that New Year’s Eve spent alone wrapped in a quilt...

The brilliant gold unfolded in his eyes.

He gripped the woven grass piano and softly said:

"I don’t need an extravagant life, nor a rich material existence."

"Uncle Zhao, someday I’ll give you a good life."

"There won’t be any local bullies daring to hit you, and you won’t have to be chased by city management. Our good days... are ahead."

At this moment, the rain sounded peaceful.

Zhao Zhuozhong’s gaze froze for a second, fists tightly clenched.

A moment later, unable to bear the silence, Zhao Zhuozhong scratched his head and burst into laughter:

"Haha! You kid, making vows like this. Good! Uncle believes in you!"

"—Our good days are still ahead!!!"

The rain blended with the dim light, though they were in a rundown building, it felt like they were in a golden sunflower field, each sunflower big and round, like those in a book Su Ming’an read called "Bronze Sunflower."

Sunlight poured down, and thousands of sunflowers turned collectively towards the sky.

"Sunflower" cried out in the voice of a silent little mute, one shout after another.

"...Uncle Zhao."

"Bronze" said:

"I really love you... love you all."

...

So I will preserve myself for you all.

And I will give everything for you all.

The first half of the sentence, the last half of the sentence.

I remember them all.

...

Final scene, as the semester was about to end, the school held a New Year’s Eve party.

Shen Xue finally appeared as the protagonist in this scene.

She wore a luxurious white dress, stepped on stage, and performed a swan dance.

One dazzling teenager after another stepped onto the stage, either singing, playing instruments, or dancing. The spotlight shone on them, as if they were the protagonists of the world at that moment.

Seventeen-year-old Su Ming’an sat below, as if looking across a distant world, watching his dazzling peers on stage.

"Buddy, aren’t you super good at the piano? Why don’t you go up there?" Bolong sat next to him.

"...The performance costume is too expensive, and I don’t like sitting in the spotlight," Su Ming’an said, shifting his feet, the stitching on his worn-out sneakers clearly visible.

"But participating gets you a certificate! And small gifts, supposedly an umbrella and a thermos cup."

"Thermos cup?" Su Ming’an thought of Uncle Zhao, whose thermos cup had long since broken but was too reluctant to buy a new one.

"And there’s a free performance section at the end, no costume or registration needed, just go up and perform!" Bolong encouraged, "You can’t miss it, you’re super talented!"

At seventeen, Su Ming’an already knew his limitations — he couldn’t chase dreams or think too far ahead. Finding a stable job and shouldering the family’s medical expenses was the most important thing to do.

As for becoming a full-time artist, a freelancer, a game streamer... those were out of reach. Hobbies are hobbies; they can’t be used as food. Kids from well-off families can chase dreams, but he can’t afford the cost of failure.

Yet at this moment, a spark ignited in his heart.

With Bolong’s encouragement, he walked onto the stage.

Compared to other students, his worn-out sneakers were particularly noticeable.

Sitting at the piano, his fingers descended, the first note sounded.

Then, the melody flowed like sweet red bean paste, spreading through the entire auditorium.

Moonlight, oh, moonlight.

The light fell on him, like the clear moonlight on the night his mother slit her wrist.

At that moment, the dream descended, as if he floated on the clouds, hazy and serene, everyone watching him.

A barren heart grew a black-and-white flower.

It was like a fragile dream.

"Played so well..." Students murmured:

"I didn’t know he was so good at the piano, he should apply to a music school."

"Oh my god, which class is he in? I’ve never noticed him before..."

Amidst the murmurs, the final note ended, applause thundered and lasted for a long time.

As he stepped down from the stage, he fell back into reality from the clouds.

A music teacher enthusiastically approached, repeatedly emphasizing his talent and talked about the benefits of choosing music, but he still declined.

Dreams are like a dazzling feast, but when the clock strikes twelve, reality will pull him back.

Today, he sparkles, adored by all. But tomorrow, everything will return to normal, as he continues down that already set life path, studying, exams, certifications, work, commuting... heading toward a foreseeable future.

Finally, a dance was held.

The system no longer required Su Ming’an to act according to his 17-year-old experiences, as this dance did not exist that year. Su Ming’an could finally exercise his free will.

Teenage boys and girls paired up, dancing the waltz.

Many had already found dance partners. At that moment, a female student in a white dress walked up to Su Ming’an.

Her black hair elegantly fell over her shoulders, her collarbones pale, adorned with a lovely little bunny pendant. Like the most beautiful princess under the lights, attracting numerous envious glances.

Her dark eyes were like a pair of lustrous glass beads.

"...MAY I?"

She extended her hand to him, slightly bowing, her face slightly flushed.