Chapter 35: Bowing Down Willingly as an Old Ox in the Fields

"You have no idea what I've been through lately!"
At school, Harry sat beside Sun Ye, pouring out his misery.
High school was about to end, yet he barely had time to prepare for his studies and college applications. Instead, he spent most of his days enduring brutal training in the trial grounds.
"They're all obsessed with turning me into New York's Iron Man—you know? Every day, it's either training or injections. I feel like I'm turning into some kind of cyborg!"
Harry didn't hide anything from Sun Ye. Some secrets, if kept inside, were just too hard to bear.
Sun Ye propped his head up, looking exhausted—clearly, he hadn’t slept well the night before.
It wasn’t his fault. He never expected Gwen to have such stamina; if not for the Spider-Man gene alterations, he would have been no match for her.
He’d really gotten the short end of the stick!
(Why did they delete a whole section on me…)
Hearing Harry’s complaints, Sun Ye rolled his eyes in boredom. "But you obviously enjoy it. Just look at your face."
"Huh? Really? Is it that obvious?" Harry quickly tried to compose himself, attempting to look reluctant, but within three seconds, his smile broke through, impossible to hide.
"Alright, you caught me. Yes, it’s cool, isn’t it? I’m about to become Iron Man—just like Spider-Man, a hero of the city!"
"Then, I’ll be able to save the city—maybe even the world—with Spider-Man. Too bad they say I’m the only one without allergic reactions to those serums; otherwise, you’d be right there with me."
"Honestly, instead of Spider-Man, I’d rather team up with you. Imagine the legend we’d leave behind as the ‘Yellow and White Duo’ in this city! Isn’t that awesome?"
"Ahem!" Sun Ye nearly choked on his own thick saliva.
"No! You can’t just come up with group names on the spot. That idea is terrible, utterly awful, borderline disgusting. Didn’t I tell you when you were learning Chinese back in Dragon Country that this phrase can also refer to excrement?"
"Really?" Harry looked instantly revolted.
"Chinese is truly profound. Lesson learned. I’ll think of a new name."
Sun Ye shook his head. "Don’t think about me. Focus on you and Spider-Man—when you meet him, just tell him directly."
"Right!" Harry’s eyes lit up. "Let’s name the duo—Spider-Man wears red and black, and my suit will be white. How about…"

Harry clapped his hands, "Red and White Celebrations! That sounds auspicious, doesn’t it?"
Sun Ye’s face was full of black lines. Please take out the 'auspicious' part—what a mess!
He had no hope for Harry’s naming skills anymore.
Anyway, if he ever dared to approach him as Spider-Man and suggest forming the ‘Red and White Celebrations’ duo, Sun Ye swore he wouldn’t beat him to death.
It didn’t matter if his father was disabled; Sun Ye would make him truly understand what paternal love meant—if he didn’t pound him until he pooped, it meant he was clean.
"By the way," Harry suddenly changed the subject, glancing at Gwen’s empty seat.
"What’s up with Gwen? She’s been out for two days—is she sick? Should I have MJ go visit her?"
Heh, Sun Ye sneered inwardly. Did you think Spider-Man’s reputation was just for show? I’m vigorous and quick to recover; you want to drain me? Impossible!
But his face remained calm. "She’s got a cold these days. No need for MJ—wouldn’t want her to catch it. I’ll visit Gwen after school."
"Aren’t you afraid you’ll catch it?" Harry asked, puzzled.
Sun Ye replied firmly, "Until victory is decided, I won’t get sick!"
"Victory?"
"Never mind, I’m taking a nap. Wake me when school’s over."
After school, Harry left to continue his training, while Sun Ye, fully recharged, headed energetically to Gwen’s house.
Mr. Lu once said, there are no bad fields… Ahem, that’s disrespectful to the sages. The original phrase was: ‘With fierce brows, defy all; with bowed head, serve as a willing ox.’
Sun Ye’s task now was to be that ox—plowing until the earth splits and the mountains flood.
Just as he left school, his phone rang—a call from Mai Shiranui.
Seeing her name, Sun Ye’s mind conjured an image from a famous painting:
A tree, two pigeons perched on its branches, and below, a sheep—a dead sheep.
"Hiss!" Sun Ye drew a sharp breath. Truly, the wise see wisdom, the lustful see lust. His ongoing struggle with Gwen had muddled his mind with unhealthy thoughts—not good, really not good.

"Compassionate Bodhisattva, practicing deep wisdom, sees all five aggregates as empty, and thus relieves all suffering. Sharira, form is not different from emptiness, emptiness is not different from form; form is emptiness, emptiness is form…"
He silently recited the Heart Sutra, calming his mind before answering the call.
"Hey, Mai, missing me?"
His voice was a bit sleazy, full of desire—he couldn’t calm himself at all!
"Sun Ye, you sound strange. Are you sick?"
"Uh, no," Sun Ye adjusted his tone. "Did you need something?"
"Oh, you’re out of school, right? Can you come to the dojo? Someone’s looking for you."
"Someone’s looking for me?" Not you, right? Sun Ye thought again of that painting…
Soon, Sun Ye drove to the Shiranui dojo, in a secondhand car bought with his underground boxing winnings.
Before entering, he spotted someone inside—a tall, muscular figure wearing a red baseball cap and red vest, with a white five-pointed star on the back.
Seeing the familiar outfit, Sun Ye’s brows tightened.
‘As expected, what must come has come!’
Inside the dojo, Dong Zhang stood in the training area, beckoning to the newcomer.
"You look like a real fighter. Come on—since Sun Ye’s not here yet, let’s spar!"
Dong Zhang was a troublemaker and hyperactive—he couldn’t go a day without stirring something up. Seeing a strong opponent, he couldn’t resist.
Yet, no matter how he provoked, the newcomer simply stood quietly, unmoved.
This only made Dong Zhang more dissatisfied—he was almost compelled to mock him.