How the Bad Guy Was Made

In the 1990s, in the corridor on the first floor of No. 2 Middle School in City J, two teenagers with colorful dyed hair cornered a slender student named Xie Wendong against the wall. "Hand over all your money!" the taller one demanded. Xie Wendong lowered his head and replied softly, "I don't have any." With a "slap," the tall teenager hit him in the face. "Damn it, don't be a wimp. Hurry up!" The short, chubby teenager beside him then said, "Don't beat him too hard. He's the top student in my class." The tall one sneered at Xie Wendong, "What's the use of being good at studying? Lao Fei, check his pockets." Lao Fei went over to Xie Wendong. "Let go of your pockets," he ordered. But Xie Wendong held his trouser pockets tightly. Enraged, Lao Fei kicked him in the abdomen. Xie Wendong hit the wall hard. Lao Fei then took a wrinkled five - yuan bill from his pocket and gave it to the tall one. They left, laughing and mocking him. Xie Wendong was a third - year junior high school student. He studied hard and ranked first in the school. However, he was introverted and had few friends. His small build made him an easy target for bullies. The school's management was loose, and there were often young hooligans from outside coming in. They would pick on weak students and ask for money, seeking a sense of power. After standing in the corridor for a while, Xie Wendong picked up his schoolbag and left the school. On the way home, he was in tears, asking himself why he was always the one being bullied. When he got home, he wiped his tears before entering. He didn't want his parents to know. His family was ordinary. His father worked on the railway, often doing night shifts, and his mother was a laid - off worker who did some small business. They were not rich, but they always gave him money when he needed it because of his good grades. The next day, Xie Wendong got up at 5:30 as usual. After studying for a while, he ate something, took ten yuan from his mother, and went to school. His home was close to the school, just a short walk away. When he arrived at the classroom, it was empty. He sat in the first row because of his good grades. In many schools in City J, students with good grades sat in the front, and those with poor grades sat in the back. Xie Wendong started reading. Soon, his classmates came in, and the classroom became noisy. Some were talking about TV shows, some about new songs, and some girls were exchanging stickers. The noise got louder and louder. Then, the fat guy who had robbed him yesterday entered the classroom. He walked over to Xie Wendong and asked, "Did you bring money today?" Xie Wendong shook his head, saying he didn't. The fat guy reached for his pocket, but Xie Wendong blocked his hand, saying he needed the money for lunch. The fat guy got angry and slapped him. Xie Wendong's deskmate, a girl named Xu Na, couldn't stand it. She said to the fat guy, "Li Shuang, you're going too far. Why are you hitting him?" Li Shuang told her to mind her own business. Xu Na argued with him, but other classmates tried to stop the argument, saying the teacher would come soon. Li Shuang then threatened Xie Wendong and went back to his seat. Xu Na told Xie Wendong not to be afraid and suggested he get his older brother to teach Li Shuang a lesson. Xie Wendong thanked her, but she was still angry and ignored him. After school, Xie Wendong was afraid to leave because he thought Li Shuang might be waiting for him. Finally, only he and Zhang Qiang, the student on duty, were left in the classroom. Zhang Qiang asked why he hadn't left. Xie Wendong said he was still working on a geometry problem. After Zhang Qiang left, Xie Wendong waited a while longer. Then he thought Li Shuang might have left, so he packed his things and left the classroom. (The teaching building of No. 2 Middle School was a five - story building. The first three floors were classrooms, and the fourth and fifth floors had laboratories and other rooms. Xie Wendong's classroom was on the second floor.) Most students had left the school by then. The corridor was dimly lit. Xie Wendong walked to the first - floor corridor, a place he feared. Suddenly, Li Shuang and a few others came out of a classroom. They surrounded him. Xie Wendong was scared. He apologized, but Li Shuang demanded money. When Xie Wendong said he had no money, Li Shuang and the others started beating him. Li Shuang told them not to hit his face. After a while, Li Shuang stopped the beating. He grabbed Xie Wendong's hair and demanded ten yuan for the next day, threatening to beat him again if he didn't bring it. Xie Wendong was in pain and humiliation. After they left, he crouched on the ground, crying. He hated his weakness and his inability to protect himself. He decided that he couldn't go on like this. It was raining outside when Xie Wendong left the school. He walked slowly in the rain, feeling sad and frustrated. He just wanted an ordinary life, but it seemed so hard to get. This day was a turning point for him. He made up his mind to become strong and never be bullied again.