My three years of university underworld career

In the summer of 1999, with a bit of disappointment from the college entrance exam results, I entered the worst full-time university in Shanghai - Zhonghai College (the school's name was changed by one character, as for what school it is, you can guess).

The school was located in Minhang District of Shanghai. Now, this place has become a university town. The wasteland opposite the school has now turned into East China Normal University's postgraduate college. The nearby Jiaotong University Minhang campus has also become larger. But that year, I followed the school's admission notice from home, first taking the subway for half an hour to Meilong station on Line 1, then taking the famous No. 729 bus. The interval between No. 729 buses was about 50 minutes. Since it was already the start of the semester but not yet the time for freshmen registration, there were hardly any people waiting for the bus except for a few who looked like students. My legs got sore standing at the bus stop, and then I sat on the hard bench until my butt hurt. Finally, when I was starting to doubt if I was at the wrong place, the No. 729 bus finally arrived.

At that time, most buses in Shanghai had been replaced with air-conditioned ones, even the worst were single-section buses. However, the broken-down double-decker bus that came over was from the early '90s. The condition of the vehicle was terrible; the sponge in the seats had torn open.

Meilong was the second stop for No. 729. Besides the passengers who boarded at the terminal, most seats were still empty. Perhaps because they had waited too long, the people waiting for the bus became impatient. Before the bus had fully stopped, they rushed forward and clung to the doors, pushing and shoving each other to grab seats.

"Shit! You're squeezing me to death!"

Someone in the crowd shouted loudly. I turned around and saw a short person who had just been pushed aside by three guys with dyed yellow hair.

"What? Are you dissatisfied, little punk?"

One of them, who was dark-skinned and a bit fat, turned back, holding onto the door and glaring at the short person.

"There are so many people, why do you have to push?"

The short person argued.

"Fuck, even if I squeeze you, what are you going to do about it?"

A tall thin guy with yellow hair pushed him. The short person grabbed the tall thin guy's hand, and it seemed like they were about to fight.

I thought if they really started fighting, the short person would definitely be at a disadvantage. So I thought I might as well help him.

"What's all the fuss about? It's such a hot day, let's get on. You're blocking everyone behind."

The people behind me who couldn't get on took the opportunity to shout.

"Yeah, yeah, hurry up."

"Fight somewhere else, don't block other people's way!"

The three guys with yellow hair looked at the people behind them, probably realizing it wouldn't be worth making a big deal out of it, so they let go of the short person.

"You little punk, consider yourself lucky today!"

The three guys with yellow hair rudely got on the bus, occupying the last row of four seats. As soon as they got on, they took out cigarettes and started smoking. The driver glanced at them but didn't say anything, directly starting the broken-down bus and driving away.

On the way, the scenery was quite nice, purely pastoral landscapes, nothing but farmland after farmland, with a few farmers' houses scattered here and there. The further the bus went, the colder my heart became. Alas...my gaming room, my internet cafe, my KTV...

I happened to be sitting in front of those guys with yellow hair. The bus was driving slowly and bouncing badly, plus the heat, making me feel drowsy.

Just as I was half asleep, I seemed to hear the guys with yellow hair muttering quietly behind me.

"Damn, today wasn't pleasant. That small guy dared to challenge us. If there weren't so many people, I would've beaten him up already."

This voice sounded like the dark-skinned guy from the beginning.

"There are so many people on the bus. If something goes wrong during a fight, it could cause trouble. You already have a disciplinary record for probation, and it wouldn't be worthwhile if anything happens."

The tall thin guy with yellow hair said.