Jiang Yuan had a clear grasp of the situation.

He had no legitimate claim to anything here. Every crude, violent thing he did would be twisted out of context and blown out of proportion.

If he dared talk back, people would say this:

“He’s already cursing people? I can’t even imagine what he’ll do in the future. Just execute him right now!”

If he dared fight back, it’d be even worse. People would have even more reason to kick him while he was down.

They’d start claiming he had violent tendencies, that he was mentally ill—one accusation after another—painting him as a violent lunatic with something wrong in his head. And in the end, they’d conclude that he should just be executed.

“You really know how to keep your temper. As the saying goes, if you can’t endure the small things, you’ll ruin the big plans. You’re so calculating—you’re obviously someone destined for great things. I just don’t know whether they’ll be good or bad.”

Yi Nanye smiled as she pointed out what was “suspicious” about Jiang Yuan. His thinking was far more mature than that of others his age, and his way of dealing with people was almost flawless. She’d thought she was mature for her age, but next to Jiang Yuan, she felt as innocent as a child.

“Either way, I’m going to look suspicious. I’d rather choose the kind of suspicion that’ll shut most people up!”

As the saying goes, if someone wants to pin a crime on you, they’ll find an excuse. There was no way for him to defend himself. The only thing he could do was resist in a gentler way. Showing weakness was humiliating, but it worked!

“But some things aren’t as simple as you think. You’ve probably noticed that yourself.”

Yi Nanye’s words carried a pointed meaning. Jiang Yuan stayed silent. Of course he knew his classmates’ bullying was still at the level of kids messing around. It would only keep getting worse from here.

At school, someone could be ostracized and bullied by the people around them over the smallest things. If the bullying could earn them money—or even let them claim the moral high ground—then it would grow much worse, much faster.

Soon, he’d probably be getting beaten up every day, or even treated like an ATM.

Even so, was he still going to school?

Yi Nanye was right. If he kept going to school, he was just asking for trouble.

“I’ll find a way to deal with it.”

“What way? I’ll make sure you stay alive. Other than that, I’m not getting involved.”

Yi Nanye didn’t believe Jiang Yuan had any way to stop his classmates from bullying him. No one would take his side. Even Qin Xin knew what she should and shouldn’t do.

As they talked, Jiang Yuan’s stomach suddenly growled. Yi Nanye chuckled, said nothing, and turned to leave the classroom.

“I’ll go to the school store and get you something to eat. Wait here, and don’t go anywhere. If you’re in any danger, I’ll be there in three seconds.”

“Okay…”

Jiang Yuan nodded. He hadn’t expected Yi Nanye to offer to bring him food. It seemed last night’s dinner had helped a little after all.

A little while later, Yi Nanye came back carrying several bags of bread and two bottles of mineral water.

She sat down in front of Jiang Yuan. Instead of handing him the bread, she started inspecting the food.

Before long, her brows furrowed.

“At your school store, do you usually pick out what you want and then have the owner hand it to you?”

“Yeah. There are too many people for the owner to keep track of everything.”

“Hmm… The owner tampered with this bread and these water bottles. There are needle holes in the bottle caps and the wrappers. They probably injected something.”

“Huh? They really did poison it!”

Jiang Yuan froze for a moment. He’d expected this might happen, but actually encountering it was another matter.

“There’s a very faint smell of bitter almonds. It’s probably cyanide, like potassium cyanide.”

Yi Nanye sniffed the mouth of a bottle. Jiang Yuan took it and sniffed too, but all he could smell was ordinary mineral water. Clearly, his sense of smell wasn’t nearly as sharp.

“Shouldn’t we call the police and have them arrested?”

“It’s almost impossible to file a case. That guy only has to say he was trying to poison you, and he’ll immediately have the support of people all over the world. If he accidentally poisons someone else, then sure, the normal legal process applies. But who cares that you have no human rights at all right now? If he poisoned a dog, he’d still go to prison for a few years.”

“But if he poisons you, he won’t just get away with it—he could even make tens or hundreds of millions.”

Yi Nanye had just stated a brutal fact: Jiang Yuan’s status was now worth less than a dog’s. At least animal protection groups would speak up for a dog.

“Fair enough.”

Jiang Yuan helplessly spread his hands. Whoever managed to kill him would be hailed as a hero for the history books. The rich could gain fame, while the poor could get real money—enough to get rich overnight and change their lives.

People who needed money for medical treatment.

People whose lives had become difficult because of money.

People who didn’t lack money but were driven by greed.

People overflowing with a sense of justice, trying to protect the world.

They’d keep trying to kill Jiang Yuan, one after another.

“So if you ask me, you’d be safer just going into a military zone and living under supervision. Is this little bit of freedom worth risking your life for?”

“Do you care about me?”

“I can’t help it. I’m too kind. You can wait and let time prove everything. If you really are innocent, then as someone who’s more or less normal in mind and body, I can’t help feeling a little sorry for you when I see you being bullied like this.”

On a personal level, Yi Nanye could understand Jiang Yuan and sympathize with him. But her position wouldn’t allow her to act on it.

“That’s enough. It means a lot that you care.”

“I don’t even know what you’re holding on for.”

Yi Nanye was at a loss. To her, Jiang Yuan was persisting for no reason.

“Of course I have to keep going. What if I really am Codename Jiang? If I know I’m going to lose my way, why can’t I change?”

“I watched the footage from the future again. I saw your pale face and your mutilated body after you died. Do you know what I was thinking?”

“I was thinking, why can’t I be the one standing in front of you, the one who can shield you from those monsters? I want to see the look on your face when that day comes—and see how the people who wanted me dead will apologize to me!”

Jiang Yuan spoke with conviction. True resistance wasn’t about giving up and going astray. It was about making everyone feel so ashamed of what they’d done that they couldn’t even show their faces!

“You…”

Hearing Jiang Yuan say all that left Yi Nanye momentarily at a loss for words. After all, a prodigal’s return is worth more than gold—and Jiang Yuan hadn’t even gone astray yet. Maybe she should trust him a little more.

“All right. It’s not like I can predict how I’ll react myself. But if that day really comes, you won’t be disappointed.”

Yi Nanye considered herself someone who stood by her actions. No matter how convincing Jiang Yuan sounded now, it was all just words. She still wouldn’t change what she was doing, because she knew all too well that changing history wasn’t easy.