The chilling memory of Teng’s dark, predatory threat from the night before continued to ring sharply inside Jow’s mind as he stood frozen near the wide main entrance of the elite academy.
He kept his long eyelashes lowered, his pale porcelain face completely expressionless under the bright morning sky as he nervously waited for the billionaire heir to arrive.
His entire fragile frame was still aching with severe physical exhaustion from the grueling shifts at the commercial grocery shop and the lingering pain across his slender ribs, but the suffocating terror of his grandmother’s safety forced him into absolute compliance.
He had quietly resolved to accept this humiliating vulnerability as his inevitable destiny, knowing that a single slip of his tongue would instantly destroy his hidden family sanctuary.
Within minutes, the sleek black Mercedes glided to a halt across the gravel road, and Teng stepped out of the luxury vehicle with a slow, imperial grace, followed closely by the remaining members of his arrogant gang.
Teng’s dark, calculating eyes locked firmly onto Jow’s waiting figure, a slow, sinister smirk playing at the edge of his lips as his massive ego thoroughly enjoyed the delicious sight of the boy’s total submission.Teng marched directly toward the entrance, his tall frame casting a long, terrifying shadow that completely blocked out the morning sunlight before Jow’s feet.
Without offering a single word of greeting, Teng lazily unslung his heavy, expensive designer leather bag from his shoulder and carelessly tossed it directly at the transfer student’s chest.
“Take this, Jow,” Teng commanded smoothly, his voice dropping into a smooth, sinister hiss that froze the quiet morning air around the gate.
Jow caught the heavy leather bag against his bruised chest, his breath catching slightly in his throat from the sudden physical weight, but his bright, innocent eyes remained clear and calm as he looked directly into the predator’s gaze.
“Teng…
why aren’t you carrying your own bag?” Jow whispered softly, his polite and humble making his voice sound remarkably steady despite the immense emotional pressure.
Teng didn’t raise his voice, nor did his handsome features move with any irritation; he simply leaned forward slowly until his cold breath brushed past Jow’s burning cheek, his dark eyes narrowing into sharp slits.
“Jow…!” Teng growled chillingly, delivering an unwritten, brutal reminder of his absolute power over the boy’s hidden sanctuary.Jow’s heart instantly plummeted into a cold despair, the terrifying reminder of his fragile grandmother’s safety utterly neutralizing his final trace of resistance.
He lowered his head in complete surrender, his long eyelashes casting soft shadows over his pale cheeks as he tightly gripped the heavy leather straps.
Seeing his total compliance, the remaining members of Teng’s arrogant gang let out a collective, mocking chuckle, each one carelessly tossing their heavy uniform bags directly into Jow’s slender arms.
Jow bore the crushing physical weight without uttering a single word of complaint, his silent disgust becoming an impenetrable fortress around his soul as he turned on his heel to face the grueling task.
He slowly dragged his aching body up the long,grand staircases of the academy, his steps heavy and painful as he carried the entire gang’s load all the way up to the fifth floor.
From the main balcony, Teng watched his slow, agonizing progress with a slow, victorious smirk, thoroughly satisfied with his absolute psychological dominance, completely blind to the reality that beneath this quiet roof, the invisible strings of his control were already slipping away.A few hours later, the afternoon academic schedule shifted abruptly, and the class teacher announced that all students were required to head down to the campus sports complex to assist with cleaning the grand swimming pool area.
However, Teng lazily declined to join the activity, remaining behind in his private VIP lounge with a cold, imperial indifference that thoroughly shielded him from the grueling task.
Jow quietly followed the rest of the elite students down to the massive pool venue, his slender frame trembling slightly from the severe physical exhaustion of carrying the heavy designer bags up five flights of stairs.
He kept his long eyelashes lowered, his pale porcelain face completely expressionless as he picked up a cleaning cloth and began carefully wiping down the wet tiled pavement near the deep end of the water, bearing his hidden physical pain in total, heartbreaking isolation.Suddenly, Jay stepped forward from the quiet shadows, a malicious amusement dancing across his handsome features as his massive ego thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to torch the scholarship boy in Teng’s absence.
Without offering a single warning, Jay violently thrust his heavy hand directly against Jow’s rigid shoulder, executing a brutal, unprovoked push that sent the fragile transfer student flying completely off the slippery tiled edge.
Jow didn’t even have a split second to breathe or brace himself; his entire frame plunged instantly into the freezing, deep blue water, creating a massive, chaotic splash that echoed cuttingly through the quiet sports hall.
Jow didn’t know how to swim, and the sheer terror of the freezing liquid instantly paralyzed his compromised nervous system, sending a suffocating wave of pure panic directly through his chest.He frantically flailed his slender arms, struggling desperately to claw his way back up to the surface, but his water-logged uniform and his bruised ribs made his movements completely weak.
His bright, innocent eyes rolled back slightly as the cold weight of the deep pool relentlessly dragged his fragile body down toward the dark bottom, small chaotic air bubbles escaping his pale lips as his breath caught entirely in his throat.
Jay stood at the edge with a twisted, smug smirk, assuming his cruel psychological game was a supreme victory, entirely blind to the dangerous reality that he had just crossed a fatal line.
Just as Jow’s vision began to fragment into suffocating dark spots and his spirit was about to slip completely into a dead void, a few powerful senior boys who were practicing nearby noticed the drowning boy’s desperate struggle.Without a single moment of hesitation, the senior students aggressively dove straight into the freezing deep water, their strong strokes slicing through the currents as they rapidly swam toward Jow’s sinking frame.
They locked their arms securely around his limp waist, forcefully lifting the porcelain boy’s water-logged body back up to the surface and pulling him out onto the warm concrete pavement.
Jow lay completely motionless on his side, violently coughing up the swallowed water as his shallow breath returned in trembling gasps, his dangerous disgust now permanently mixed with a profound physical horror.
The seniors wrapped a dry towel around his shivering shoulders, glare-fixing their angry eyes on a suddenly panicking Jay, while the unwritten countdown toward a catastrophic psychological explosion within Teng’s inner circle officially hit zero.Within moments, the chaotic pool incident ended, and all the elite students returned to the heavy atmosphere of the classroom for the next lecture.
Teng was already seated at his grand desk, his dark, calculating eyes lazily scanning the lane until he carefully noticed Jow’s pale frame sitting stiffly in his wet uniform shirt.
Seeing his prey back inside his domain, Teng’s handsome features tightened into a slow, sinister smirk.
Right at that second, Jay quickly marched over to Teng’s bench, a sick thrill of excitement dancing across his features as he leaned in closer to the billionaire heir.
“Bro, do you even know what a massive thing happened today?” Jay whispered mockingly, a twisted smile on his lips.
“I forcefully pushed Jow directly into the deep freezing pool!” Hearing this brutal revelation, Ray silently lifted his head from the quiet shadows near the rear pillar, his dark eyes instantly locking onto them with a heavy, dangerous tension flaring deep within his soul.Teng didn’t offer a single trace of mercy to the shivering boy; instead, his predatory eyes flashed with a twisted, chilling madness as he looked back at his childhood friend.
“How did you manage to pull off such an immense prank without even telling me first, hmm?” Teng growled smoothly, his voice dropping into a smooth, sinister hiss.
“You honestly should have told me beforehand so I could witness his pathetic cowering myself.” Jay let out a low, dark chuckle, thoroughly validated by his boss’s psychopathic approval, and within seconds, the entire room of wealthy heirs burst into a loud, collective mocking laughter that cut cuttingly through the heavy silence of the hall.
Jow kept his long eyelashes lowered, his heart completely freezing as he accepted the humiliating cruelty as his inescapable destiny, refusing to let his trembling lips show a single tear to the corporate monsters ruling the school.Suddenly, the heavy classroom doors creaked open aggressively, and those powerful senior boys marched directly into the quiet hall, their intense faces hardened into an absolute, protective fury.
They bypassed the teacher’s desk entirely and walked straight toward lane number four, their heavy boots clicking loudly against the concrete floor until they stood right in front of Teng’s bench.
The leader of the seniors slammed his hand against the wood, drilling his angry eyes directly into Teng’s smug expression with a profound wave of unwritten authority.
“Teng, don’t you dare cross your limit inside this campus!” the senior roared angrily, his freezing tone cutting cuttingly through the rich students’ laughter.
“Tell your entire arrogant gang to keep their hands to themselves.
Bullying can be tolerated under this roof, but remember this in your mind—it should never be done by gambling with someone’s life!”Teng’s jaw clenched tightly, his handsome features instantly hardening into a dangerous, dark calmness as the senior’s bold warning directly challenged his absolute dominance before his gang.
He didn’t raise his voice, maintaining a freezing, silent gaze, but the cold aura emitting from his tall frame made the entire room feel suffocatingly tense.
The seniors ignored his toxic fury entirely, turning around to face Jow’s wet, shivering posture with exceptionally gentle, supportive expressions.
They reached down and placed a few advanced fever medications and water packs neatly onto his history notebook.
“Take these medicines right now, Jow, and don’t let these monsters shake your spirit,” the senior whispered softly, giving his shoulder a firm, protective pat before they turned on their heels and slowly walked out of the room.
Jow looked at the medicine packs with a dead, vacant gaze, completely blind to the reality that beneath the heavy silence of the class, the invisible strings of his living hell were already tightening for a massive storm.Teng stared blankly at his desk with a dangerous loathing as the seniors left the hall, completely blind to the reality that beneath the quiet roof, the invisible trap of his absolute control was already slipping away.