Chapter 45

After the guard closed the door, the prisoners naturally didn’t keep standing there; some sat, some lay down, most of them watching the two newcomers with amused curiosity, including Gui Zhilun. Yang Bo seemed to already know some people here. After putting away his belongings, he quickly blended in with the group.

An Xiaohai held his things and headed toward the bed assigned to him. There were 27 prisoners in Dorm 27, and Bed 27 was located in a corner at the very back. This made An Xiaohai furrow his brows slightly; normally, a spot like this wouldn’t fall to him. Even though inmates at First Prison couldn’t pick their beds freely, they could submit requests, and a corner bed like this would normally be a hot commodity, unlikely to be left unclaimed.

Did Yang Yuanbing help him out? Probably not. Yang was a senior officer, and the minor favor he did was likely the best he could offer. Changing the bed on top of that seemed unlikely.

An Xiaohai glanced around. The nearby prisoners were looking at him with mocking expressions, which was clearly not a good sign. But now wasn’t the time to overthink; he’d have to wait and see.

As soon as he finished setting up his bed, the door to the dorm opened again. This time, a familiar face walked in—it was Peng Yuangui, his former cellmate! Seeing Peng enter with a timid expression, An Xiaohai’s frown deepened.

“What’s going on? Could the people pulling the strings be at it again?”

Peng Yuangui’s bed was close to An Xiaohai’s, and he noticed An right away. For a brief moment, a faint glimmer seemed to flash across Peng’s eyes. Fortunately, Peng wasn’t foolish and didn’t rush over to greet An; he probably wanted to get a feel for the situation first.

Just then, a skinny guy who looked like a monkey scurried over with a sly smile, starting to arrange An Xiaohai’s things for him.

An Xiaohai was about to refuse when the guy suddenly whispered, “Hey there, buddy, this bed you’re on belonged to my big bro’s close friend. He’s saying you’re fine putting your stuff here, but if you actually dare to sleep on it tonight, well…” He chuckled ominously.

Monkey glanced in another direction. An Xiaohai looked over and saw a guy a few beds away glaring at him with red-rimmed eyes that radiated menace.

An Xiaohai began to understand why this desirable bed had been left vacant. Apparently, it belonged to a condemned prisoner, who had likely already been executed. Otherwise, that fierce guy wouldn’t be so agitated.

This was a headache. An Xiaohai frowned. In a place like this, filled with violent criminals, kindness and weakness had no place. If he showed any weakness now, he’d face endless bullying.

In his previous life, when he was completely hopeless, An Xiaohai had been submissive to the extreme. Except for maintaining his last boundary, he had accepted almost everything thrown his way. But his submission never won him sympathy or understanding—only endless ridicule and violence.

If he didn’t give in, he’d face endless conflicts. He wasn’t afraid of physical or mental suffering, but he was worried about the guards’ response. If they decided to brush off the conflict and punish both sides equally, his sentence might be extended.

Maybe he should comply for now and figure something out later?

As soon as this thought surfaced, An Xiaohai dismissed it. He lifted his head and gazed at the ceiling, his eyes seemingly piercing through the concrete and steel to the sky beyond.

The heavens had given him a second chance. Was it so he could live weakly, as before?

No! It was not! An Xiaohai shook his head. Deep down, he knew his past self had been weak by nature; the fear of an extended sentence was just a perfect excuse he’d given himself. Had his submission lessened his punishment? Not at all! He had served twenty years for a ten-year sentence. Trying to survive here through retreat and compliance was futile.

Prison was a dark jungle with its own survival rules. Trying to navigate it with conventional morals and values would get him nowhere.

Just recently, he’d turned down Wang Tiejun’s training, saying he didn’t want to be bound by the rules of the police. And now, here he was, binding himself with conventional values instead.

That was laughable.

In prison, he needed to abide by prison rules. He was a prisoner here, serving time for manslaughter. If he wanted his time here to be easier, he’d have to adopt the mindset and values of a convict.

“Forget it,” An Xiaohai murmured. “You’re no longer a student. You’re just an ordinary convict in First Prison, serving time for manslaughter.”

Exhaling deeply, he felt a strange sense of relief wash over him. *Let go.* That was the word he needed.

Only by letting go could he truly be reborn. His gaze sharpened, and a slight smile crept across his lips.

“What are you smiling at, punk? Did you hear what I just said?” Monkey’s confidence wavered as he saw An Xiaohai stare at the ceiling and begin to smile. He took a cautious step back, still threatening him with a hint of doubt.

An Xiaohai ignored him, stopped unpacking, patted his clothes, and walked over to the so-called boss who had been glaring at him.

The boss continued to glare, flanked by his lackeys, who began to jeer.

“Look at that! He’s coming over!”

“What’s he coming over for? To pick a fight? Bold of him!”

“Bold? Look at him! He’s here to grovel for forgiveness, I bet!”

“He’s got the right look for it, too. We’re a bunch of rough men here—he’d fit right in!”

“Man, you’re such a creep. I love it!”

…

An Xiaohai ignored the chatter and walked up to the boss, boldly taking a seat on the bed across from him.

“What do you think you’re doing, kid? Did I say you could sit?”

“Get up before we make you!”

“Hey, big guy,” An Xiaohai said calmly, “can we negotiate? My health isn’t the best, and I can’t handle sleeping on the floor. How about we swap? You take this bed your friend used, and I’ll take yours?”

The boss seemed taken aback by An Xiaohai’s offer, momentarily stunned.

“Are you joking with me?”

An Xiaohai’s suggestion felt even more ridiculous than if he’d simply refused to move. Sleeping on the bed of an executed prisoner was considered unlucky; the boss would rather leave it empty than sleep there.

“So, there’s nothing to discuss, then?”

“What do you think?” the boss sneered.

“Yeah, I think we’re done here,” An Xiaohai said. His words barely left his mouth before he shot a hand forward, lightning-quick, aiming a hard push toward the boss’s nose.