Chapter 54

An Xiao Hai’s physical training plan did not stop because he had changed dorms. Every day, after finishing his work and returning to the dorm, An Xiao Hai continued to exercise.

Exercise is like that—once it becomes a habit, it can easily become addictive.

An Xiao Hai was now in this addictive state, watching his muscles become firmer every day. The pleasure was indescribable, and it even gave him the sensation of leveling up in a video game!

Squats, sit-ups, push-ups, pull-ups on the top bunk… any method he could think of, An Xiao Hai tried.

The noise from his exercise wasn’t particularly loud, but as long as he was exercising, there was always some sound.

The other inmates in the dorm were getting increasingly annoyed, but since the leaders didn’t speak up and An Xiao Hai dared to beat even Zhao De to death, no one dared to say anything. Their angry, frustrated, and resentful glares could almost swallow a person whole.

An Xiao Hai remained unbothered and ignored their stares.

Some inmates in Dorm 27, following the principle of “if you can’t beat them, join them,” also began exercising. They quickly realized it was a great way to pass the time!

As a result, physical exercise became all the rage in Dorm 27, which left the two responsible prison officers baffled.

“Ah Hai, why are you working out so hard?”

Guo Xiangshui was clearly starting to get fed up. He was older and didn’t want to go through all that trouble, but the young inmates around him exercised vigorously every day, leaving him with no peace. But he didn’t dare to stop them—after all, the younger inmates had finally found a way to pass the time. He couldn’t just stop them, could he?

“Health is the foundation of revolution! If I’m in better shape, I can run faster even if I can’t fight!” An Xiao Hai, panting, responded while holding his squat position and casting a glance at Zhao De.

Zhao De immediately lost his temper. This An Xiao Hai was getting more and more arrogant!

An Xiao Hai secretly found this amusing. After spending so much time with these people, he had slowly discovered an interesting pattern: if you want others to stop provoking you, try provoking them first. The more you do this, the more cautious they become, and their provocations and mockery will noticeably decrease.

However, this only works if both parties are evenly matched. If one side is clearly too weak, this approach would be suicidal.

“An Xiao Hai! Stop provoking Zhao De! He’s been pretty good lately, hasn’t tried to cause you trouble. It’s all in the past. We’re all fine now—sometimes, no fighting is the best way to get along.”

“Alright, I hear you!” An Xiao Hai said, stopping his workout and going over to his bed to pack up.

In 20 minutes, it would be news time, and every day at this time, Tian Qiaoguang would come to take An Xiao Hai to the reading room to write programs.

An Xiao Hai would use this opportunity to take a shower and grab a meal, so he needed to prepare in advance.

Just then, a loud, high-pitched scream suddenly echoed through the dorm. Everyone, caught off guard, was startled.

An Xiao Hai was no exception. From the sound, he thought someone had suddenly been attacked.

The screaming continued, and when An Xiao Hai looked back, he saw it was Lai Donglin. For some unknown reason, Lai Donglin had suddenly started screaming loudly from his bed.

“Damn you!” Zhao De, already irritated by An Xiao Hai and the others, lost his temper and immediately kicked Lai Donglin, sending him flying off his bed. Lai Donglin’s forehead hit the edge of the opposite iron bed, and blood immediately began to flow.

Lai Donglin seemed unfazed. After a brief gasp, he began screaming even louder.

“I’m so screwed!”

This time, the inmates in Dorm 27 finally lost it. Fists and feet rained down on Lai Donglin, but he kept shouting, stubbornly refusing to stop.

An Xiao Hai felt a jolt in his eyelids! Lai Donglin’s voice had already started cracking, and with each blow, his screams turned into painful howls.

“Are you all rebelling? Get back to your beds!”

Finally, the prison officer Mo Qinglian appeared, holding a baton and shouting at the inmates attacking Lai Donglin. He didn’t try to intervene directly, as this was a very professional move. If he rushed in carelessly, he might get attacked and have his weapon taken.

The inmates, of course, didn’t dare to confront the supervising officer. Most of them grumbled and stepped back, though a few took the opportunity to kick Lai Donglin a few more times.

“All of you! Back to your beds! Lai Donglin, stop screaming! Immediately!”

Mo Qinglian roared, but Lai Donglin ignored him. After catching his breath for a moment, he continued shouting from the floor.

“I told you to stop! Do you hear me?”

Mo Qinglian’s face turned pale with anger. Seeing Lai Donglin ignore his orders, he furrowed his brows and prepared to step forward, but Lai Donglin suddenly sprang up from the floor and charged straight at him.

Mo Qinglian was startled and instinctively swung his baton, hitting Lai Donglin squarely on the forehead.

Blood sprayed! It was unclear whether it was from his previous wound or from the baton strike.

Lai Donglin twitched violently, falling heavily to the ground, his head hitting the floor with a dull thud that made everyone cringe.

“Why? Why are you doing this to me? My actuarial model is correct… the risks are inevitable, they’re relative… Hu, why won’t you let me go…?”

Lai Donglin was nearly unconscious, mumbling incoherently. After a while, he finally lost consciousness completely.

The scene was grim. All the inmates stood silently at their beds, heads lowered, except for An Xiao Hai, who stared intently at Mo Qinglian. His eyes seemed to burn with fire.

“An Xiao Hai, what are you staring at? What’s so interesting? Get your head down and stand properly! Want a taste of the baton too?” Mo Qinglian, his face smeared with blood, looked ferocious.

Mo Qinglian had been sprayed with Lai Donglin’s blood. His anger had already been largely subdued by the shock, but when he saw An Xiao Hai’s stare, his rage flared up again.

“Report, sir, I don’t want a baton!” An Xiao Hai replied loudly, his tone emotionless.

“I’ve had the baton before, right here!” An Xiao Hai pointed to his head. “A prison officer hit me with it. Someone tried to kill me, and when I fought back, his baton hit me. That time, I needed six stitches!”

“The officer who hit me was Qiu Peng. Afterward, he got promoted and is now the leader of the 4th team in the 1st ward.”

An Xiao Hai’s words hit Mo Qinglian like a bucket of cold water, and his anger finally subsided somewhat.

Inmates and prison officers generally have an unspoken understanding. Unless there’s a fundamental conflict of interests, both sides tend to give each other some leeway. If the guards go too far, who knows what these desperate men will do once they’re released?

Thus, maintaining balance is important—there’s no need to turn work into a personal vendetta.

Of course, this only applies if the inmate still has hope of getting out. If they have no chance of release or are already old, the situation is different.

For most inmates, this kind of hatred can usually only be resolved on their own. You can’t rely on outside help—the bonds of brotherhood break once a person leaves.

An Xiao Hai wasn’t in that situation. His sentence wasn’t long. If Mo Qinglian really went too far and openly clashed with him, he would either have to find a way to make sure An Xiao Hai never left or prepare for his eventual revenge.

“An Xiao Hai, what do you mean by that?” Mo Qinglian’s face twisted.

“Xiao Mo, forget about that for now. Let’s take care of Lai Donglin first. We’ll deal with everything else later.”

The older prison officer standing behind Mo Qinglian spoke up, pulling at Mo Qinglian’s sleeve.

Mo Qinglian finally calmed down. After giving An Xiao Hai a fierce glare, he ordered Guo Xiangshui and the others to lift Lai Donglin and quickly left Dorm 27.

“What a shame, you held back.”

An Xiao Hai sighed to himself.

Today had been a good opportunity. Mo Qinglian had been deliberately making things difficult for him, and An Xiao Hai had purposely provoked him. If Mo Qinglian had made a move, An Xiao Hai would have made sure he regretted it.

Unfortunately, the older prison officer had ruined his chance.

An Xiao Hai had acted this way for two reasons: one, the scene of Mo Qinglian hitting Lai Donglin had triggered his memories, and two, Lai Donglin’s words, as he faded in and out of consciousness, had intrigued him.

“Actuarial model! So you’re not just an ordinary accountant, you’re an actuary! Impressive!”

Actuaries are on a completely different level from regular accountants—it’s like the difference between a soldier and a general.

Accountants solve specific financial problems, while actuaries handle broader financial issues and are the real designers and managers.

In this day and age, becoming an actuary is incredibly difficult. There are only a few thousand actuaries in the country, at most.

An actuary

 works for Hu, huh? Which Hu could afford an actuary? Could it be Hu Haikong?