The early morning sun dyed the morning mist into a light red veil, covering up the sin and troubles of the city.
On the way to Gotham City High School.
"Master..." Alfred raised his head several times and glanced at the rearview mirror in the car, but hesitated to speak.
"Afu, what do you want to say?"
On the spacious leather seat at the back, Bruce Wayne was holding his schoolbag, somewhat absent-mindedly.
The index finger of his right hand gently pressed a red envelope the size of a mung bean on his left cheek.
That is the mark that all miserable years cannot escape.
acne.
Even if he is the prince of Gotham, the future Batman will still have acne when he gets old.
And this little red bean is bulging and has a white spot as big as a pinhole in the center.
"Don't crowd!"
Seeing the young master clasping his two fingers together, as if he was about to make some kind of decision that would make him feel "painful and comfortable", Alfred frowned and quickly spoke to dissuade him.
“Wounds are prone to bacterial infection and may leave acne marks and pits afterwards.
Moreover, yours is not yet ripe, so nothing will come out except blood and pain."
Seeing that the young master was still hesitant, he added: "Believe me, you won't want to go to school with a swollen and bleeding hole."
Thinking of his classmates who often said weird things about him behind his back, Master Xiaobu was convinced.
"It makes me uncomfortable!" he said irritably, putting down his hand.
"Ignore it, and it will disappear naturally in two days. When you get home in the afternoon, you can ask me to apply some ointment for you, and you will get better faster." The housekeeper comforted you.
In addition to the family business of Wayne Group, Thomas Wayne also has his own profession as a doctor.
"Even if I don't squeeze it, if they see this pimple on my face, they will point fingers behind my back."
Bruce turned numbly to the window. At this time, the Gotham neighborhood was like a giant beast that had awakened, stretched out its arms and legs, and started today's activities. The streets were its blood vessels, and the crowded people and vehicles on the streets were the blood in the blood vessels.
"That's exactly what I just wanted to say."
Alfred glanced at the rearview mirror again and said thoughtfully: "My lord and my wife are very worried about you.
Master, you are not very social at school.
In the four years since I entered middle school, I have never invited any classmates or friends to Wayne Manor, and I almost never attended other students’ parties..."
The red light turned on, and the migrant workers at the intersection swarmed up. Alfred stepped on the brakes, and the Bentley behind him was like an obedient cat, making no noise, and stopped lightly and docilely outside the zebra crossing.
"You can invite some classmates to play at home. I will help you prepare game consoles, ice coke, barbecue grills, sports magazines, a newly changed swimming pool, tennis courts... You can also put the party venue on the yacht.
Or an island villa to the west?
I think we have something for everyone and everyone is happy to accept Wayne's invitation."
Bruce looked impatient, shook his head and refused: "Forget it, I don't want to say they are too naive, because I know that I am not mature enough either.
But the things they like and the topics they talk about are not interesting to me, and even disgust me. I feel like there is a world between me and them."
Ah Fu thought for a while and asked: "What about classmate Quinn? You often play table tennis with her. In order to improve your skills, the manor also specially hired a retired singles Olympic champion from China."
Bruce's eyes fell on the schoolbag in his arms, with a pair of table tennis rackets stuck tightly in the side pockets.
"I have met her several times. She is a very cute and smart girl." Ah Fu focused part of his mind on the young master's expression in the rearview mirror.
The young master's face with acne turned slightly red, and he said calmly: "Harley is very good, but she and I are just ordinary classmates. Except for playing ball, she rarely comes to see me..."
At the end of his speech, his tone was low, and there was obvious loss and dimness in his blue eyes.
Ah Fu understands that the young master has a certain admiration for Shao Ai, but others have no interest in him at all.
"Master, have you ever tried to find her?" the housekeeper asked.
"What are you looking for her for?"
"Invite her to do things that enhance the relationship, such as watching movies, attending book clubs, going to the amusement park to eat cones, or going to Wayne Manor to ride horses, go boating, or go hunting... There is always something that can impress her.
."
"This..." Bruce's face turned red again, and the pimple was literally shining.
...
The wall of Gotham High School is more than three meters high, and it's like two worlds are separated at once.
The street market outside is like a gray concrete jungle, while the classical manor-style campus inside is full of bright and lively colors, like an oil painting describing spring and sunshine.
This middle school is full of the second generation of the rich and powerful, with all kinds of expensive sports cars coming in an endless stream, but there is only one student picked up by a British-style tuxedo butler.
Bruce didn't like being pointed out by his classmates, so Bentley didn't come directly to the teaching building.
After entering the school gate, he parked on the tree-lined path between the wall and the lawn. He carried his schoolbag and walked towards the main building two hundred meters away.
"Look, am I right? 'Baton' can only be popular for three months. That's what I said at the time. Now look, the cross-dressing hero didn't even last a month..."
Jimmy closed the door of the red Ferrari supercar, waved a copy of the Gotham Gazette and said to Kendi.
Kendi turned over and jumped out of the back seat, and said unconvinced: "Not sure yet, Maroney only got a baton, who knows who it belongs to?"
And, what drag hero hasn’t lost his weapon? I’d say he has at least a dozen batons in his house.”
"Hi, Bruce." Seeing the young master approaching, Jimmy and Kendi stopped their previous conversation and greeted politely.
"Hi!" The young master smiled and nodded in response.
He didn't stop.
Jimmy and Kendi continued to hold newspapers and talk about the life and death of the cross-dressing hero "Baton".
"Sally, where did you get your hair done? It's so cool!"
There are a row of parking spaces under the teaching building and a row of expensive cars. Next to Jimmy's Ferrari, there is a pink Rolls-Royce. Several girls are chattering around the rocket-headed black girl in the driver's seat.
"Hi, Bruce." The girls put down their afro hair, smiled and waved to the young master.
In Gotham City High School, even if the young master is not very gregarious, no student dares to bully him, or treat him coldly or isolate him.
No one would refuse to be courted by the Prince of Gotham.
In fact, it was the young master who gave them the cold shoulder, rather than their rejection of him.
However, the young master has a very good tutor and is not like those fake "young masters" from "F4" who make a fuss around Mazda and label their style with coldness, pretentiousness and arrogance.
He smiled politely to everyone.
When others talk to him, he is not perfunctory, listens carefully, and answers seriously.
"Look, the 'Queens' are here, and Dotty has dyed her hair blonde! Did Emma do a starry sky crystal manicure? It's so beautiful. I don't know where it was done. I want to try it too."
"Serena has a really strong sense of fashion. It's also a school uniform. Her brown and blue plaid skirt might be in Vogue, but mine reminds me of my grandma's rag."
"How come Dotty's breasts are so big even though they are all in high school..."
Just as Bruce was packing the lockers, the men and women in the corridor suddenly fell silent for a moment, and then they all looked at the three girls walking side by side, chattering about their makeup and new gossip.
The three girls have pretty faces, delicate facial features, and confident smiles. Their customized school uniforms further accentuate their youthful and energetic figures.
What's more important is the temperament and aura. She is like a proud princess, an unapproachable flower of the mountains, wearing brown sunglasses, with a full aura, as if she has an invisible realm of her own.
They are like fashion queens on the catwalk, almost comparing the girls on the corridor to country girls.
As usual, every day when the queen group came on stage, they easily held the audience!
There was admiration and amazement in the eyes of the male students, while the female students were whispering, discussing their hairstyles, outfits and bags.
Gradually, some female classmates who imitated their appearance and behavior volunteered to become followers and joined the team of the three girls.
Well, follow them like my little brother.
Following their example, he took out a pair of sunglasses from his bag and put them on himself.
At this moment, they seemed to have become them, becoming the focus of the world's attention.
"Hallee, I watched TV and you were amazing. God, you were amazing!"
A scream at the door of the teaching building disturbed the atmosphere of "Three Queens Touring the Kingdom".
The girl was so excited that she was almost incoherent and just kept shouting "Awesome".
Soon, the cluttered sounds of other people, men and women, suppressed her screams.
"Congratulations, Harley, you are a well-deserved Smile Queen!"
"Hallee, I also went to the Met last Saturday. I watched the whole process of the competition and saw you lifting the championship trophy. You are the future queen of gymnastics in the United States... no, the world!"
"SQ, I am Raymond, the editor-in-chief of the school newspaper. Please take some time and let me do an exclusive interview!"
"Harry, there is a party at my house this Friday, you must come!"
"Harley, when will your 'Roaring Satan' band hold another concert?"
"Harry, I heard that officials from the Women's Baseball League are looking for you..."
"Hallee..."
The hustle and bustle was like a wave, starting from the fountain pool outside the building and spreading along with Harley to her locker.
The young master is too small. He is almost seventeen years old and only about 1.6 meters tall. He is squeezed among a group of tall American high school students. He is like a sheep in a herd. He can only stand on tiptoe.
I saw a tall and slender girl carrying a satchel on her left shoulder, chatting and joking with others while walking towards her.
Her heart-shaped face is as big as a palm, with fragrant cheeks and peach cheeks, which are bright and charming. Her pair of big, round blue eyes are as clear and transparent as the clear sky. They seem to come to life when they turn, with a very energetic look.
Like everyone else, she was wearing a school uniform, a dark green Western-style jacket, a brown cashmere vest, a high-collared white shirt, a thick brown and blue plaid skirt, and black tights from the bend of her legs down.
But her legs are extra straight and long, and her slender height of 1.73 meters still shows beautiful golden proportions even if she wears flat-soled round-toe boots.
It's strange, the smile on her face is obviously easy-going and generous, but at this moment, the aura of the three girls in the queen group is suppressed by her alone.
It's like she is a light, destined to illuminate the whole place once she arrives.
The young master turned around and looked around, and saw that the followers of the Queen's group had all taken off their magic mirrors and poured into the crowd. With smiles on their faces, they congratulated and said hello to Harley in the center.
Serena, Dottie, and Emma all looked gloomy for a while. After chewing "Bichi" a few times, they smiled, pushed aside the crowd, and walked up to the central figure.
"Hey, Harley, you are so awesome. In two years there will be an Olympic champion in our high school!" Serena said with a natural expression as she moved her blond hair from her forehead.
Busty bully Dotty looked down at her own coconut, and then at the girl opposite's small melon. She felt better and the smile on her face became more confident.
"SQ, let's go to the stadium to practice swimming together in the afternoon!" she said.
Bruce noticed Harley looking towards him.
I saw her smile brightly, and for a moment, the bright sun seemed to rise in the slightly crowded and dark corridor, and the space seemed brighter.
"I made an appointment with Bruce to practice table tennis for two hours every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. No kidding, I plan to conquer the world in the 2008 Olympics!" Harley said seriously.
"Ouch!" The students around him took a breath first, and then whistles, applause and admiration rose up in confusion.
After saying hello, the students quickly dispersed. The three fashionable girls from the Queen's Group walking away at this time seemed no different from the others.
"Bruce, what's wrong with you?" Harley took off her helmet, and her thick waist-length blond hair poured down like a waterfall.
She didn't have a car and came here by bicycle.
The young master looked at her red face, and his own face felt a little hot.
"Are you serious, you want to participate in table tennis singles in the Beijing Olympics?" he asked.
"Have you forgotten how I got the Martha Genius Grant?"
Harley stuffed the helmet into the locker, and an imperceptible desperation flashed through her big blue eyes.
Table tennis player was her profession in her previous life.
However, China is full of talented people, and because of his father who is a big boss in the Provincial Sports Commission, he was lucky enough to go to the national team a few times.
She is just a sparring partner for the big guys, and she will never be able to get a spot in international competitions.
Now reborn, with more than ten years of technological advancement, and even more exaggerated physical fitness, Hallie felt that she could possibly defeat the men's singles champion.
In fact, it was because of her astonishing feat of destroying the entire Tianchao team by herself at the China-US Youth Exchange Competition two years ago that the reputation of "All-Around Athlete Harley Quinn" spread in the United States.
Afterwards, Gotham High School, which is backed by the Wayne Group, gave her an offer for "special talents".
I have talents, and 2008 was the highlight of the Great China Dynasty. If I didn’t go home and show off to my “seniors”, I would be sorry for my previous life.
As for whether being an athlete in the DC superhero world would be too futile...
If she were given superhuman abilities, she would definitely be willing to be a superhero, but she doesn't...
Olympic champion is her current life goal.
After becoming famous, you can get endorsements, shoot commercials, appear in variety shows, invest and make money, and improve your "money making ability".
She didn't ask Bruce to play table tennis because she wanted to have a relationship with Batman. In fact, in the United States and in this high school, the only person who could be her table tennis partner was the athletic, "small and nimble" Batman.
To put it bluntly, the young master is a tool man, the best experience stake.
"What else do you want?"
There were history and biology classes in the morning. Harley took out her textbook, closed the small cabinet, and found that "Young Batman" was still standing there, with a twitchy expression, as if he was struggling with something.
"Harry, there is a party at Wayne Manor this weekend, do you want to come?" Sweat dripped from Bruce's clenched fists.
"There are ice cokes and barbecues, as well as game consoles and swimming pools." He quickly added.
Harley blinked her big eyes a few times and asked curiously: "Is the weekend a special day?"
"Special day?" Bruce was stunned and shook his head: "Just an ordinary weekend."
Harley raised her eyebrows and asked, "Who did you invite?"
Bruce lowered his head and hesitated: "You are the only one."
"This..." Harry had some realization, but wasn't sure what he was thinking.
Seeing her hesitation, Bruce returned to his senses and suddenly felt stupid.
How do two people have a party?
"How about we go to Wayne Playground on Seventh Avenue to eat ice cream? Or, if you like Kobe, there will be a game between the Lakers and the Knicks this weekend. We can take a photo with Kobe."
After saying this, Bruce stared at the girl opposite.
After a while, Harley said: "If I don't misunderstand, do you want to date me?"
If this is the first time she faces this situation, she may be shy, embarrassed, or even blush and change the subject, racking her brains to talk it out.
But now...
Is the young master the 20th, or is he the 30th?
Growing up, there were too many, but now she can handle them with ease.
"Is that okay?" Bruce looked at her expectantly.
She looked down at the young boy opposite.
He was half a head shorter than her, with a small oval face, handsome features, and a thin body, like a bean sprout.
——This guy is even smaller than me, can he really become the Batman who can overwhelm the simple Gothamites?
She had some doubts.
Then, she turned her attention to the pimples on his cheeks, which were shiny white and a little itchy.
After a long time, Harley said: "Sorry, Bruce, you are a good person, but..."
She shrugged, expressing a subtle but clear rejection with her eyes and expression.
"Oh!" Bruce's cheek muscles twisted, turned around and left quickly.
"Hey, wait!" Harley stopped him.
The young master paused in his footsteps and felt a glimmer of hope in his heart.
Harley stretched out her finger and tapped on her smooth and fair face.
"Just now, when your cheek muscles twitched, you pinched the pimple, and a white pimple came out...it's still bleeding," she reminded.
At this moment, Bruce's face was congested with blood, his limbs and bones were all congested, but his heart felt like he had been stabbed. He was bleeding, but he wanted to cry.