It probably won’t take until tomorrow for this matter to spread throughout the entire neighborhood.

Auntie is the most concerned about her reputation. Her feelings of inferiority from being born in the countryside, combined with her inherent selfishness, make her treat maintaining this family as a career. She can’t stand anyone saying anything bad about it.

In Auntie’s mind, as a housewife, taking good care of her husband and children, helping her husband earn more money, and ensuring her children have bright futures is her greatest success. Just now, he exposed Chen Zhanpeng’s shortcomings in front of others, so Auntie must be furious right now.

As Xie Ci went upstairs, he ran into Chen Zhanpeng coming down.

“How dare you come back?”

Chen Zhanpeng stood on a higher step with his hands in his pockets, blocking Xie Ci’s way.

Xie Ci replied, “This is my home. Why should I feel embarrassed to come back?”

Chen Zhanpeng recalled what happened in the alley and spoke with a bad tone, “If you want to keep living in my house, you better behave.”

Xie Ci asked, “Are you threatening me?”

Chen Zhanpeng retorted, “Do you believe that with just one word from me, I can kick you out of this house?”

Xie Ci raised an eyebrow, stepped up the stairs, and pushed past Chen Zhanpeng, saying, “Then go ahead and try.”

Chen Zhanpeng sensed the sarcasm in Xie Ci’s expression and tone, feeling confused and angry. Why does Xie Ci always look unbreakable? Where does an orphan get that kind of confidence?!

“Pengpeng, come down! I need to ask you something.” A voice came from downstairs; it was Ye Yuru.

Chen Zhanpeng impatiently went downstairs, thinking of finding some excuse to ask his mom for money.

Ye Yuru frowned, looking quite upset, and asked in a hushed voice at the stairway, “Did you borrow money outside of school?”

That one sentence infuriated Chen Zhanpeng, who questioned sharply, “Who told you?! Was it Xie Ci?!”

“Did you really borrow money?”

Ye Yuru was so angry she felt suffocated. “Restricting your pocket money was to prevent you from going online outside! And you went and borrowed money! How old are you? Do you know how dangerous those street kids are?”

“Isn’t it because you cut off the internet? Otherwise, would I need to go to an internet café?!”

Thinking about being pressured for debt by those people from the sports school, Chen Zhanpeng got even angrier. He turned around, ready to rush upstairs to hit Xie Ci. “Not only does he not help me pay it back, but he also reports me! I’ll kill him!”

“Come back!” Ye Yuru grabbed Chen Zhanpeng’s arm. “No more borrowing money from others, got it? If you don’t listen, you won’t get any pocket money in the future!”

When Chen Zhanpeng heard this, he exploded. The already pitiful amount of pocket money would be gone? He shouted angrily, shaking off Ye Yuru’s hand and kicking over a potted plant in the corner. “So annoying! Get lost!”

On the third floor, Xie Ci heard a crash from downstairs, followed by the sound of shattered porcelain, Chen Zhanpeng’s terrifying roar, and Ye Yuru’s suddenly softened voice trying to calm him down.

It was the first time Xie Ci saw Chen Zhanpeng go crazy, and he even thought that this wasn’t a sound a normal human could make; it sent chills down his spine.

He had no interest in the mother-son quarrel drama, so he walked to his bedroom and opened the door.

The familiar setup in the room instantly pulled him back to that difficult seventeen.

The room was small, less than ten square meters, with only a bed, a desk, and a wardrobe—just the necessary furniture.

Extracurricular books and test papers were piled high, filling the entire desk, and a few open books occupied the last bit of space, covered in dense notes.

On the wall hung a calendar, with every date crossed out with a marker, up until today.

Back then, he counted the days every day, hoping to grow up quickly and leave this place. Looking back after so many years, it still felt torturous.

This calendar was proof of that weak self’s inability to resist reality.

Xie Ci took it down, closed it, and opened the rightmost bottom drawer of the desk, stuffing it inside.

His head still hurt. He took off his jacket and lay down on the bed, falling asleep shortly after.

He woke up hungry, glancing at the time—it was seven in the evening, and outside it was completely dark.

In this season, the temperature difference between day and night in Lanhai City was significant, and a cool breeze wafted in through the slightly open window, carrying a faint scent of osmanthus.

Xie Ci went to the bathroom to splash his face, opened the door, and went downstairs, where it was pitch black.

The broken potted plant on the first floor had already been cleaned up, and the dining room and living room were cold and empty, with no one around.

Xie Ci wandered around the kitchen, confirming his suspicions.

Auntie was unhappy with him in the afternoon, so the three of them went out for dinner that night, of course, without inviting him.

Not having food to eat was one of Auntie’s ways of expressing her dissatisfaction, and he had long gotten used to it.

Xie Ci opened the fridge, took out some ingredients, and made himself dinner.

With a soft click, Xie Ci turned to look at the window, where a dog’s head was resting, its bright eyes staring at the meat on his table.

He walked over, opened the window, and patted the stray dog’s head.

“Xiao Fang?”

The stray dog whimpered, happily rubbing against his palm. After getting permission, it jumped into the dining room, wagging its tail and squatting down next to the dining table.

Xie Ci picked up a piece of rib and gave it to the dog.

Xiao Fang was a stray dog he found on his way home from school when he was thirteen. At that time, it was probably just a few months old, small and skinny, bullied by other bigger dogs, unable to find food.

He wanted to take it home, but Auntie absolutely refused, so he could only bring it some leftover food from time to time, which was the only thing that could heal him during that dark time.

After buying a house in college, he had come back to look for Xiao Fang, but unfortunately, he couldn’t find it anymore. He only heard from nearby neighbors that it seemed to have been hit by a car.

After finishing dinner, Xie Ci was about to get up to clean the dishes when the front door opened from the outside, and Auntie and her family came in, chatting and laughing.

When Ye Yuru saw the situation in the dining room, the smile on her lips froze.

“Xiao Ci, did you cook this yourself?”

Xie Ci replied, “What else would it be?”

“Are you really eating a whole table of dishes by yourself?” Chen Zhanpeng leaned over to take a look, his tone sarcastic. “You really don’t treat yourself as an outsider, huh? Eating whatever is in the fridge? And you even brought this dirty stray dog in.”

“The fridge isn’t locked.”

Xie Ci put down his chopsticks and stood up, beckoning to Xiao Fang. “Xiao Fang, let’s go. Time for a walk.”

Ye Yuru exclaimed, “And the dishes are just left like this?”

“You just got back, didn’t you?”

Xie Ci walked outside, “If you won’t clean up, why should I?”

Ye Yuru was so angry she could hardly breathe.

“Don’t go too far! Do you think my mom is your maid?!” Chen Zhanpeng shouted at Xie Ci’s back.

“Forget it, forget it.” Ye Yuru stopped him and went to get an apron to silently clean up the dishes.

“Mom! You spoil him too much!”

Chen Zhanpeng was filled with frustration and turned to the silent Chen Xinhong, saying, “Dad, what did I say? We should have sent him away earlier; otherwise, we won’t have a good life!”

Chen Xinhong and Ye Yuru exchanged glances, and for a moment, no one spoke.

---

The next morning, Xie Ci was awakened by the alarm clock.

Only when he was fully awake did he remember he had to get up and go to school.

At seven in the morning, the entrance of the First High School was crowded with vehicles picking up and dropping off students.

As Xie Ci passed by a breakfast shop, he casually bought a steamed bun.

“Xie Team!”

Before Xie Ci could turn around, someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.

“I heard you missed the exam yesterday and made Old Xi really mad? You’re quite brave.”

The boy said, waving to the owner of the bun shop, “Boss, six meat buns in two bags, and two cups of soy milk!”

“Okay!”

The boss quickly packed them up and handed them over. “Bringing breakfast for your girlfriend again today?”

The boy took them, smiling a bit shyly, “She hasn’t agreed yet.”

His face looked a bit youthful, and when he smiled, his eyes curved, with a dimple on his left cheek, making it clear he was the kind of person with a good temper.

Xie Ci recalled that this boy was named Zhang Ruochuan, the center of the school basketball team.

He had heard from Fang Sizhe that Zhang Ruochuan studied law and worked as a legal advisor at the city government.

Before Xie Ci could respond, Zhang Ruochuan continued talking to himself, “Has Old Xi talked to you? I hope it won’t affect this afternoon’s training.”

Xie Ci asked, “Training?”

Zhang Ruochuan replied, “Basketball training, of course. I knew you must have forgotten.”

“Xie Team, Old Zhang, good morning!”

A Mercedes-Benz slowly passed by them, and the lowered backseat window revealed a boy with a hedgehog hairstyle, waving at them.

Zhang Ruochuan said, “Old Jiang, you live nearby, and you get picked up in a luxury car every day. Be a person.”

“Well, my family doesn’t have an ordinary car either.”

The boy called Old Jiang signaled the driver to stop.

Xie Ci watched him get out of the car and walked with them toward the school gate.

This boy was the rich second generation mentioned by those from the sports school, named Jiang Chenyu, the shooting guard on the team. His family was in real estate, and among their group, he had the most pocket money, often treating everyone to meals.

“What has Laozi been busy with lately? He hasn’t come to training for a long time.” Zhang Ruochuan casually asked while eating his bun.

Jiang Chenyu replied, “I don’t know. My old man caught me and made me go to a closed summer camp. I came back a layer skinnier.”

Listening to the two chat endlessly, Xie Ci surprisingly didn’t feel annoyed.

At this time, the school gate was packed with students.

A girl in front tripped over someone else’s foot, stumbled backward, and almost fell.

Xie Ci reached out to steady her, saying, “Be careful.”

“Thank you.” The girl turned around, and when she saw Xie Ci, her ears turned red, and she disappeared into the crowd at a sprinting speed.

Jiang Chenyu and Zhang Ruochuan chuckled, and seeing Xie Ci looking confused, they lowered their voices to explain, “That girl confessed to you on the basketball court a few days ago. Did you forget so quickly?”

Xie Ci replied, “…”

Who remembers things from over a decade ago?

Zhang Ruochuan said, “You’re being a bit too much. If you don’t like her, don’t give her hope.”

Xie Ci replied seriously, “I won’t help anyone up again.”

This made Jiang Chenyu and Zhang Ruochuan laugh uncontrollably.

Xie Ci had already forgotten where his classroom was, but luckily, with them around, he just followed along.

When they got to the classroom, Xie Ci still hadn’t recalled his seat when a bald uncle with a sour face suddenly poked his head out from the back door of the classroom, pointing at him. “Xie Ci, come here!”

“Did Old Xi install GPS? He found you so quickly.” Jiang Chenyu couldn’t help but comment.

Zhang Ruochuan added, “I think he has a dog’s nose; he can smell Old Xie’s scent from far away.”

Xie Ci handed his backpack to Zhang Ruochuan. “Put it on my desk.”

Zhang Ruochuan took it. “Make sure to come back alive.”

Xie Ci replied, “…”

The office was at the far right of the hallway. When Xie Ci entered, three teachers were already there—one was watering plants, another was wiping tables, chatting and laughing, creating a harmonious atmosphere. Only Xiang Haibin sat gloomily in a corner, the surrounding air pressure noticeably lower.

“Teacher Xiang.”

Xie Ci walked over and stood by his desk. “Did you call me for something?”

Xiang Haibin adjusted his thick glasses, looked up, and glared at him. “Don’t play dumb with me! Where were you yesterday? You dared to miss my math exam? Are you trying to reach for the sky?!”

Xie Ci replied, “I had something come up.”

“What could be more important than an exam? Did you get into a fight again?”

Xiang Haibin angrily knocked on the desk. “I’ve told you countless times not to fight! You’re not like those delinquents; you have a foundation! If you just focus on your studies again, I believe you can achieve good results. Why do you want to give up on yourself?!”

Xie Ci said, “You’re right.”

Xiang Haibin rambled on for over half an hour, and when he saw Xie Ci’s attitude of admitting his mistake, he finally let him go.

On the second day after his rebirth, Xie Ci received an eight-hundred-word self-criticism and was sent back to the classroom.

“Wait.”

Xiang Haibin suddenly thought of something and called Xie Ci back. “I saw you submitted an application to not stay in the dorms. What’s the reason?”

In the third year of high school, the academic workload was heavy. As a key provincial school, First High School placed great importance on the graduation rate. They generally recommended that all third-year students stay in the dorms, but if there were special circumstances, students could submit an application to not stay in the dorms, which needed to be approved by the homeroom teacher before being reported to the political education office.

Xie Ci thought for a moment.

The reason for not staying in the dorms seemed to be that his uncle didn’t want to pay the twelve hundred for the accommodation.

Xie Ci asked, “Is the application still there? I want to take a look.”

Xiang Haibin rummaged through a stack of documents, pulled out the A4 paper with Xie Ci’s name on it, and handed it over. “Let me be clear, I won’t approve it unless it’s for an unavoidable reason! Don’t hold onto any hopes thinking that now that you’re in your third year, you can still go out and play like before—”

Xie Ci took it, glanced at it, and right in front of Xiang Haibin, he tore the application in half.

Xiang Haibin was momentarily stunned.

“I will stay in the dorms.”

Xie Ci threw the torn paper into the trash can. “Is there anything else?”

This left Xiang Haibin a bit dumbfounded. “No.”

Xie Ci nodded. “Then I’ll head back to the classroom.”

As he walked out of the office, Xie Ci inadvertently looked up and saw a young teacher coming from the opposite side of the hallway, followed by a tall boy.

The other party seemed to have noticed his gaze and looked over.

Their eyes met from a distance.

Xie Ci frowned slightly.

How could Gu Yufeng be here?