At the same time, Zhang Nu had already tracked down the rebellious young man from before.
He saw the boy quietly sneaking out of his house and followed him at a distance. The youth didn’t seem to notice at first, but the next moment, he slipped into a narrow alleyway—and then disappeared from sight entirely.
Zhang Nu immediately understood: the boy had realized he was being followed.
When he turned around, the teenager was already standing behind him.
“Who are you? Why were you following me?”
Zhang Nu smiled at the question. “Just a traveler passing through your village,” he said. “You can call me Zhang Nu. I came looking for you because I’d like your cooperation. I want to reignite the fighting spirit in my friend.”
The boy looked at him in surprise, as though hearing something completely unheard of.
And in a way, he was. Everyone who ever came to their village ended up embracing the same quiet, docile way of life. He never understood how those people could go through the same motions day after day and still smile so contentedly.
Every step of their lives had been predetermined and orchestrated. There was no need to think, no need to act—just exist.
It was this that frustrated him most. This, he refused to accept. Perhaps every teenager goes through a rebellious phase, a yearning to prove they are different.
“Why haven’t you become like the rest of them?” he asked. “Everyone who comes here eventually settles down, says this village is peaceful and perfect. Don’t you want that too?”
Zhang Nu laughed softly.
“Honestly? I almost did. If it hadn’t been for Lin Xiao, I might’ve stayed. But after he made me see things clearly, I realized that this village erodes your will. And at our age, when we should be burning with ambition, that’s the last thing we need.”
The boy nodded in agreement. He was about the same age as Zhang Nu, maybe a year or two younger. How could he possibly be satisfied with such a life?
“You’re right,” he said. “At our age, we should be full of fire. Living ... I can’t take it anymore. I’ll help you wake your friend up.”
“But in return, when you leave this place, you have to take me with you.”
Zhang Nu fell silent for a moment. He wasn’t sure why, but hesitation flickered in his mind. He already had a small group around him now. Would Lin Xiao and the others easily accept someone new?
Besides, he still didn’t know who this boy really was.
“I’ll need to talk it over with my companions first,” Zhang Nu said. “But before that—can I have your name?”
“Of course,” the boy replied. “You can call me Zhao Yang.”
Zhang Nu nodded. The name fit him—Zhao Yang, ‘shining sun.’ Someone who is always chasing the light, refusing to be swallowed by the shadows around him.
“I’ll return soon,” Zhang Nu said. “If they agree, I’ll come and tell you.”
Zhao Yang nodded and let Zhang Nu go.
Left alone, he whistled a cheerful tune and wandered around the village, full of anticipation. Deep down, he was sure Zhang Nu would say yes.
Because really, who else could help them escape this place? No one else was still awake like he was.
Zhao Yang didn’t know why, but ever since he was young, he had always remained clear-headed. Even as his childhood friends slowly followed the paths their parents laid out, he stayed defiant, refusing to surrender.
He once had a brother who’d dreamed with him of exploring the outside world. But even that brother eventually gave in, choosing the safe, still life this village offered.
Zhao Yang had tried—he’d tried to awaken them, to drag them out to see the world. But every time, he failed.
He didn’t understand how his people could all reach such a lifeless state—no desire, no ambition. It was as if they’d already made peace with death, as though nothing in this world was worth wanting anymore.
So Zhao Yang had stopped trying. Now, he only wanted one thing: to leave this place and see the world for himself.
Back at Big Sis’s house, Zhang Nu soon returned and, seeing that no one else was around, prepared to tell Lin Xiao what he had just learned.