“When you’re the one getting hit, you won’t think like that,” I muttered, looking at those two still fighting in the back. I shrugged it off since it wasn’t my problem.

A little while later, a familiar face boarded the bus. It was Tai Long, that old rascal showing up here at the same time as me. Tai Long and I had been tight buddies from freshman to senior year. Actually, a big part of why I ended up at the police academy was because he’d be here too. He was a tough fighter, trained in Muay Thai from a young age. Back in high school, he could take on five people without breaking a sweat.

Seeing me on the bus, Tai Long looked surprised. He came over and gave me a hard punch in the chest, saying, “You’re here too, huh? What a coincidence!”

I coughed from the blow, clutching my aching chest. This guy’s idea of a greeting was to slam his fist into people’s chests. It was all right for the guys, but he’d gotten into the habit. Once, back in sophomore year, he accidentally greeted a female classmate like this. She ended up transferring schools out of embarrassment.

I rubbed my chest and pointed to Brother Xiang beside me, saying, “This is my buddy from home, Brother Xiang. We’re brothers now.”

“This is Tai Long, my friend of three years.” As soon as I finished the introductions, Tai Long raised his fist, ready to slam it into Brother Xiang’s chest. But Brother Xiang quickly extended his right hand, saying, “Greetings, I’m Li Xu Xiang. People on the street call me Brother Xiang.”

Seeing Brother Xiang offer his hand, Tai Long held back his punch and shook hands instead. “Just call me Tai Long.”

The bus soon started moving, taking us to the academy.

The police academy was as strict as they come. Once we arrived, our advisor came to greet us and told us which dorm we’d be staying in. I told him we’d rented a place off-campus. I mean, who wouldn’t prefer the comfort of the previous house over a cramped dorm room?

Our advisor’s surname was Liu, a middle-aged guy in his forties. None of us called him “Teacher Liu,” just “Uncle Liu.” He was pretty energetic. When he heard we’d rented a place, he said, “Maybe at other schools, but not here!”

It turns out the police academy has all sorts of rules—no staying out overnight, no skipping classes, and so on. Uncle Liu said that breaking these rules wasn’t like at other schools where you’d just lose points. Here, especially in Criminal Investigation, you’d get a beating with a stick first, then lose points. The other departments weren’t much different.

Hearing that, my heart sank. Well, there goes the rented place!

On the bright side, the campus was spacious with a nice, quiet atmosphere. Our dorm room was in the male dormitory, room 520. We pleaded with Uncle Liu to put the three of us together, saying we were like brothers.

Fortunately, Uncle Liu was a decent guy and arranged for us to share a room.

We settled in. The dorm was actually pretty nice. It even had air conditioning, though we weren’t allowed to use it. But hey, at least it was there for us to look at and feel slightly better about.

Tai Long and Brother Xiang hit it off right away. They had complementary personalities—Tai Long was straightforward and not much of a talker, but when it came to fights, he’d be the first to jump in. Brother Xiang, on the other hand, was a smooth talker who’d promise anything under the sun. He’d tell people, “If anything happens in XX, just say my name.”

Once, a guy got into trouble and, remembering Brother Xiang’s promise, mentioned his name. The guy who had been planning a little scare suddenly called in ten people, nearly leaving the poor guy in tatters.

But Brother Xiang wasn’t a bad guy; he just loved to brag a bit. If things got rough, he’d duck behind others, not out of fear but because he knew his limits. If it was someone he could take on—like an elementary schooler—he’d charge in like Zhao Zi Long at Changban.

Anyway, the two of them were getting along great. Just as we were debating whether to go out for a drink that night, the dorm door opened, and a chubby guy walked in.

The chubby guy wore grayish-white clothes, small glasses, and a black backpack. He grinned at us, saying, “Hey everyone, I’m Du Zi Tong. Just call me Little Fatty. Looking forward to your help!”

“Hi there, I’m Chen Hui. This is Tai Long, and this is Li Xu Xiang.”

After introducing ourselves, we all went out for drinks. Outside the campus, you could find anything, especially restaurants. We picked a Sichuan place, ordered two cases of beer, and  got drinking.

Little Fatty initially said he couldn’t drink, but Brother Xiang gave him a dismissive laugh, raised his glass, and said in a serious tone, “Fatty, we’re men, real men. How can you say you can’t drink? A man never says he can’t. Here, let me show you how it’s done!”

With that, Brother Xiang sat next to Little Fatty and started drinking with him. Meanwhile, Tai Long and I focused on the food, leaving the two idiots to their drinking contest.

It turns out Little Fatty was a dark horse in drinking. At first, he was shy, sipping bit by bit. But soon, he was downing bottles like water.

Brother Xiang measured his drinking by glasses, but Little Fatty counted by the bottle. Seeing them drink so much, Tai Long and I joined in. Of the two cases, Tai Long, Brother Xiang, and I finished half, while Little Fatty polished off the other one and a half by himself.

They say men bond over drinks, and by the time we stumbled back, Brother Xiang was yelling about becoming sworn brothers. He’d only had two bottles but was already sprawled out on his bed, drunk and insisting on a brotherhood ceremony.

Tai Long, Little Fatty, and I were also pretty wasted. Somehow, Brother Xiang found a bowl, poured Sprite into it, and made us kneel down, saying, “Alright, let’s become sworn brothers. Come on, everyone.”

He was already slurring, holding a small knife, trying to cut his finger like in the movies, but no blood came out no matter how hard he pressed.

Little Fatty stammered, “Bro… Brother Xiang, you’re not bleeding. Maybe try an artery?”

“Got it,” Brother Xiang said, ready to slash himself. I panicked, thinking he was about to kill himself over this ceremony, and quickly stopped him, saying, “No need, just become brothers, alright? Be good.”

“Alright then. Heaven above, earth below…” He hadn’t even finished when Little Fatty interrupted again, “Brother Xiang, there’s only a lightbulb above and a cement floor below, no heaven or earth here.”

“Oh, right. Sixth floor above, fourth floor below, I, Brother Xiang…”

“Sixth floor and fourth floor don’t have the right vibe. Let’s stick with heaven and earth.”

We were all too drunk to finish the ceremony, but thinking back on it, it was pretty hilarious.

The next day, we were all dead to the world. I only managed to crawl out of bed at noon. Looking around, I saw the other three guys tangled together on Tai Long’s bed, fast asleep in nothing but their underwear.

These idiots. I rubbed my temples, and just then, Uncle Liu walked in. He saw the three of them, half-naked and in that awkward position, and cleared his throat, saying, “Young men, have some self-respect.”

“Tell them, once they wake up, that tonight we’re gathering on the field and heading to the military camp for a month-long training.” With that, Uncle Liu seemed to head off to inform the others.