The Growth Story of Chenxi Boy

In September, the sun in Zhangcheng was still scorching, like a giant archer shooting down the sky, baking the playground until it was steaming hot.

Xu Yi looked at the spot where the jump rope used to be, now completely empty. Chen Tao's somewhat handsome face was filled with shock. He gritted his teeth and said, "Gone again? This is the second one! Each jump rope costs 40 yuan. If this keeps up, I'm really going to go bankrupt!"

Chen Tao, Xu Yi's classmate, had a long, well-defined face flushed red from the sun. Beads of sweat trickled down his temples, and he habitually wiped them with the back of his hand, revealing a hint of youthful arrogance. He was a typical spirited young man from a small town—abstract and talkative, fond of giving people nicknames, loyal to his brothers, and always the first to carry out any mischievous idea someone suggested.

Chen Tao scratched the back of his head, his talkative nature instantly kicking in: "Damn, does this thief have a grudge against our jump rope class? Yesterday Zhang San's and Li Si's were gone, and now they're back again. Are they targeting our class?"

"Wait for the rabbit to run into the tree stump." Xu Yi interrupted him, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. "We'll just stand under the tree and pretend to chat. We can keep an eye on the equipment box and slack off openly without having to stand at attention in the sun. It's a huge win."

Chen Tao slapped his thigh, his voice so loud it almost startled the sparrows in the tree: "Brilliant! This idea is even more insidious than ambushing in the bushes in King of Glory!"

The next day, the two stood under a camphor tree, one with his arms crossed, looking deep in thought, the other swinging his legs and looking around, looking just like two old men chatting at the village entrance. Before five minutes had passed, the homeroom teacher's leather shoes clattered over.

"Xu Yi, Chen Tao, why aren't you two going to military training?" The homeroom teacher pushed up his glasses, his eyes carrying a hint of "I know, but I won't say" mockery.

Xu Yiqing cleared her throat and said seriously, "Teacher, our jump ropes have been stolen twice. We suspect someone is deliberately causing trouble, so we plan to stake out here and catch the thief."

The homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow and casually remarked, "Are you sure you can catch them like this?"

"Absolutely!" Chen Tao patted his chest, almost coughing from the effort.

The homeroom teacher didn't ask any more questions, and slowly walked away with his hands behind his back, leaving the two boys under the tree to continue their "catching the thief while slacking off" act.

The sun was so bright it made everyone's eyelids droop, and Chen Tao's talkative nature kicked in again. He went on and on about everything from the new hairstyle of the girl in the next class to the portion size of braised pork in the cafeteria, spitting all over Xu Yi's face. Just as Xu Yi was about to fall asleep, a skinny boy, as thin as a monkey, furtively reached for the equipment box. His hand had just touched the jump rope bag—

"Gotcha!"

Chen Tao yelled and pounced like a hungry tiger, grabbing the boy by the back of his collar. Xu Yi also snapped to attention instantly, flanking him from the side. The two of them, one on each side, held the rope thief like a criminal awaiting trial.

The moment Chen Tao shouted "Got you!", the skinny boy froze, pulled his hand back as if he had been burned, and his face turned as white as a freshly steamed bun from the cafeteria.

This kid always liked to take advantage of others in class. This time, seeing that everyone was too busy with their equipment boxes during military training, he got the idea to steal. He stole two the first time and no one noticed, so he got bolder. The second time, he was caught red-handed by the two "gatekeepers" squatting under the tree as soon as he reached out.

"Let's go! Let's go see the homeroom teacher!" Chen Tao said proudly, looking just like a constable who had just performed a meritorious service.

His ears were ringing, and only one thought remained in his mind: He was doomed; he was going to be infamous throughout the entire grade. He tried to struggle, but Chen Tao's hands gripped the back of his collar like iron clamps, choking him until he couldn't breathe. He wanted to beg for mercy, but the words turned into a sob: "I...I just took the wrong one...I didn't mean to..."

"Take the wrong one?" Chen Tao scoffed, shaking the jump rope bag he was clutching. "You can take the wrong one two days in a row? And you specifically target our class's section, do you think we're stupid?"

Xu Yi added insult to injury, her tone chilling: "Come on, let's go see the teacher and let him judge whether it was a mistake or theft."

The boy's legs went weak instantly, tears welling up in his eyes. He glanced around furtively—several students from the military training camp had gathered to watch the spectacle, their pointing and laughing like needles pricking his back. He wanted to hide, to crawl into a hole in the ground, but Chen Tao and Xu Yi supported him on either side, like escorting a prisoner, inching him toward the teaching building.

On the way, Chen Tao didn't forget to "spread the word," patting the boy on the shoulder whenever he met someone: "See that? This is the thief who stole our jump rope! Anyone who dares to touch our things again will end up like him!"

The boy kept his head down, wishing he could hide his face in his collar. Even the tips of his ears were bright red. He cursed Xu Yi and Chen Tao eight hundred times in his heart: If he had known that these two slackers were so cunning, he would never have been greedy for those few broken jump ropes.

Upon arriving at the homeroom teacher's office, Chen Tao shoved the boy towards the door, his voice booming, "Teacher! We've caught him! He's the one who stole both of our jump ropes! And he stole someone else's too!"

The boy's legs went weak, and he almost knelt down. Tears finally streamed down his face: "Teacher, I was wrong... I'll never do it again... I just saw that no one was around, and I was confused for a moment..."

The homeroom teacher put down the red pen in her hand, glanced at him, then looked at Chen Tao and Xu Yi standing to the side with their hands on their hips, and sighed: "It's good that you know you were wrong. Go and return all the stolen jump ropes, and write a self-criticism. Which class are you in? I will tell your homeroom teacher, and you will have to come over tomorrow and read it in front of the whole class."

The boy felt like he had been granted a pardon and ran out as fast as he could. When he passed by Chen Tao, Chen Tao deliberately tripped him, and the boy almost fell flat on his face.

Chen Tao dusted off his hands and winked at Xu Yi, "See? Our 'Demon Ball Duo' succeeded on their first mission!"

Xu Yi leaned against the door frame, watching the boy's retreating figure, and couldn't help but smile: "Alright, don't be so smug. Hurry up and go back to military training, or our teacher will give us trouble later."

That afternoon, the entire Class 7 was in an uproar—Xu Yi and Chen Tao, who were slacking off under the tree, not only escaped being punished by the homeroom teacher, but also caught the thief who stole the jump rope. This achievement made them legendary in the class.

As soon as get out of class ended, a group of people surrounded the two of them in the middle of the desk:

"Tell me quickly! How did you manage to squat down like that?"

Did the thief cry when he was caught?

"Tao-ge, I could hear you shouting from the other end of the playground!"

Chen Tao patted his chest, spitting everywhere, and boasted about the "waiting for the rabbit to run into the tree stump" strategy as if it were a high-level ambush tactic in King of Glory, making everyone burst into laughter.

And just like that, the two became complete brothers. Whenever Xu Yi had free time, he would chat with Chen Tao about A Dong's embarrassing past—getting punished for trying to have fun, getting punished for pretending to be a big brother, stealing someone's electric bike and daring to ride it back to the scene of the crime, slamming the keys on the table, drinking milk tea, playing games, and singing, only to be found by the owner...

Chen Tao's eyes widened in astonishment, and he slapped his thigh, laughing, "Damn, this kid's got something! I have to meet him! This 'Pokémon' is definitely mine, Brother Tao!"

Earth Online Zhangcheng Character Introduction: Chen Tao, Rating T1, a spirited young man from the county town, loves to tease others and give them nicknames. He is very loyal to his brothers and often keeps Xu Yi chatting during class, preventing Xu Yi from sleeping. Whenever someone comes up with a funny idea, he will immediately agree and carry it out, which has led to many hilarious and amazing deeds. Later, because he often punishes A Dong, he leaves A Dong with some trauma, hence the rating T1.