painfully aware he was about to become someone else's stepping stone.

The commotion outside finally subsided. A thin trail of blood seeped from his temple, staining the cheek he'd wiped. He blinked, the muddled vision slowly clearing. He was still in the old classroom. The cracked黑板, the dusty desks lined up in neat rows, and a faint scent of chalk – everything was undeniably real.

"Still here?" A gruff voice shattered his thoughts.

Li Chen looked up. Wu Yang, the same class monitor he'd bumped heads with countless times, leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed. His eyes held a mocking glint. "See? Couldn't even pass the physical exam. Good riddance to bad rubbish."

Beside Wu Yang stood several classmates, their faces a mixture of smugness and indifference. They were the ones who'd laughed at his misfortune, the ones who'd thrashed him during PE classes. Now, seeing him like this, they felt a perverse sort of satisfaction.