There were eight desks in the dormitory, arranged in two rows and placed together in the corridor between the beds.

Xie Ci casually put his books on the desk near the window and noticed out of the corner of his eye that a student diagonally across from him was secretly moving his things a bit further away, as if he was genuinely afraid of him.

“Bro, you don’t want this desk anymore? Then let me have it.”

Zhang Ruochuan happily moved his books to the desk diagonally opposite Xie Ci. “After we come back from evening self-study, we can all sit together and study. I’m really looking forward to our dorm life ahead.”

Jiang Chenyu chose the spot opposite Zhang Ruochuan, which was to Xie Ci’s right.

“This is going to be intense; I’m already prepared to be crushed by you guys.”

Zhang Ruochuan replied, “Come on, who doesn’t know you’ve been secretly attending tutoring classes behind our backs? You ranked in the top thirty of the grade in the recent entrance exam.”

Jiang Chenyu shot back, “You’re the one who’s in the top sixteen! How dare you talk about me? I’m still far behind you.”

Zhang Ruochuan shrugged, “What do you mean by ‘big shot’? Lao Fang is the real deal; he always gets first place and has never missed.”

Jiang Chenyu said, “He lives right across the hall, right? Let’s get him over to help us with our studies. While others have to line up to ask questions, we’ll have a top student at our service.”

The two of them got more and more excited, grinning as they high-fived.

Two roommates from another class were intrigued by their conversation and came over to chat, hoping to hitch a ride on their enthusiasm.

“I’m Zhang Zhijie, and this is Ye Juncheng. We’re both from Class Five.”

The tall, skinny boy said as he turned around, opened a container, and handed it to them. “These are salted peanuts I brought from home, made by my mom. They’re really good.”

“They smell great, thanks!”

Zhang Ruochuan grabbed a handful and casually shared some with the more distant Xie Ci, introducing them to the two new roommates. “I’m Zhang Ruochuan, this is Jiang Chenyu, and this is our team leader, Xie Ci. You should know him; the one over there packing his things is our new transfer student, Gu Yufeng.”

A group of them snacked on peanuts and chatted, finally breaking the initial awkward atmosphere.

Seeing Gu Yufeng not coming over, Zhang Zhijie took the initiative to approach him. “Bro, come eat some peanuts.”

Gu Yufeng was squatting on the floor organizing his suitcase, tossing clothes onto Xie Ci’s bed. He casually declined, “No thanks, I don’t eat.”

Zhang Zhijie’s face stiffened.

He wasn’t an outgoing person, and it was rare for him to take the initiative, only to be rejected. He felt like he wanted to find a hole to hide in.

Xie Ci noticed the boy’s awkwardness, looking like a shivering little hamster, and explained for Gu Yufeng, “He’s allergic to peanuts and can’t eat them.”

“Oh, I see.”

Zhang Zhijie sighed in relief and then realized that Xie Ci actually considered his feelings, seeming not as fierce as the rumors suggested.

Thinking this, the boy mustered his courage to ask, “Are peanuts good?”

Xie Ci nodded, “Auntie’s cooking is really good.”

Xie Ci rarely had the chance to eat homemade food like this; the ingredients were ordinary, but it was the thought that counted.

Zhang Zhijie grabbed another handful and placed it on Xie Ci’s desk. “My mom has started making persimmons; I’ll bring some for you to try later.”

As he turned to go back, he exchanged a glance with his companion, both feeling a bit excited.

The roommates seemed easy to get along with, and the big stone in his heart finally dropped.

When the boy returned to pack his things, Gu Yufeng looked up at Xie Ci. “How did you know I’m allergic to peanuts?”

“Isn’t it common for foreigners to be allergic to peanuts?”

Xie Ci pulled out a chair and sat down, glancing at the messy clothes on his bed. “Put your stuff on your own bed.”

“I’m on the upper bunk; what’s the problem with letting me put it here?”

Gu Yufeng continued tossing things out of his suitcase, casually tossing a cloth bag to Xie Ci. “Just some junk I picked up; consider it a thank-you gift.”

Xie Ci caught it, puzzled as he opened it to find a pair of new sneakers, just his size.

“How did you know my shoe size?”

“I just happen to have a pair of eyes.”

Gu Yufeng deliberately dragged out his voice, “I know the size of every part of your body.”

Xie Ci: “…”

This kid was getting more and more inappropriate.

Thinking back to how Gu Yufeng flirted in the bar, that heart-stopping feeling came back.

Who taught him to be like this?

After finishing up, it was almost time for lunch. Gu Yufeng had something to do and left first, while Xie Ci and Zhang Ruochuan went to the cafeteria together, discussing basketball training for the afternoon on the way.

Jiang Chenyu casually looked down and saw the sneakers on Xie Ci’s feet, gasping.

“Old Xie, you changed your sneakers?!”

Xie Ci replied, “Yeah, just got these hand-me-downs.”

“Holy crap! Hand-me-downs?!”

Jiang Chenyu craned his neck to take a few glances, unable to resist squatting down to take a closer look. “No way, it’s this pair! The latest limited edition! I used all my cash and still couldn’t get them; where did you get them?”

Seeing him so shocked, Fang Sizhe and Zhang Ruochuan curiously looked over.

Who loves basketball and doesn’t love sneakers?

Zhang Ruochuan exclaimed, “This pair is priced over thirty thousand on the official website!”

Jiang Chenyu added, “They’re already being sold for over a hundred thousand! The key is, they’re impossible to buy!”

Jiang Chenyu looked at Xie Ci’s shoes, gazing at him pitifully. “Old Xie, come on, take me to get a pair.”

Xie Ci replied, “… Gu gave them to me; wait until he comes back and ask him.”

“Old Gu?!”

Jiang Chenyu jumped up excitedly. “He actually has this kind of connection!”

“Old Gu looks like a rich kid; he might even be richer than your family.”

Zhang Ruochuan recalled the night of the gathering, driving home in a Land Rover, and running into his dad who was out for a walk at the entrance of the community. That expression was quite something.

Fang Sizhe adjusted his glasses and continued, “The new teaching building where our class is located was donated by Old Gu’s family.”

As the class monitor, Fang Sizhe knew a bit about everyone’s family situation.

He had known about Gu Yufeng’s transfer on the first day, but there was no need to spread it around.

Zhang Ruochuan and Jiang Chenyu were shocked. “What kind of background does Old Gu have?”

Fang Sizhe replied, “The top wealthy family in Lanhai City with the surname Gu, that’s the one.”

Zhang Ruochuan and Jiang Chenyu stared wide-eyed, dumbfounded.

Compared to the Gu family, the Jiang family’s wealth was nothing.

Seeing the two of them with their worldviews shattered, Fang Sizhe reminded them, “At school, we’re all just students; there’s no need to worry about status and act distant.”

“I know that.”

Zhang Ruochuan snapped back to reality. “When Lao Jiang just entered high school, he was ostracized because his family was rich.”

Back then, they didn’t know each other, and Jiang Chenyu had wanted to treat the whole class to a meal, only to be mocked by many for showing off. But after getting to know him, they realized he was just a bit clueless.

“Stay calm, stay calm.”

Jiang Chenyu muttered to himself, pulling at his hair in frustration. “It’s not that easy! My family has business dealings with the Gu family; if I cling to Old Gu’s leg, can’t I just coast through life without effort?!”

His words drew laughter from the others.

While getting food, Fang Sizhe privately asked Xie Ci, “Did you know about Old Gu’s background all along?”

Xie Ci replied, “No matter what his background is, he’s the same in my eyes.”

Just a mischievous, flirtatious little brat who tells lies.

Until evening self-study, Gu Yufeng still hadn’t returned.

For many, today was the first day of living on campus, and everyone was a bit excited, making the evening self-study quite lively.

Xiang Haibin walked around with a thermos, standing by the window near the corridor, silently watching them. His gloomy face had a terrifying effect, scaring a whole class of students.

He glanced at the back row and saw Xie Ci quietly reading, hesitating to disturb him.

There were many things to verify with Xie Ci, but nothing was more important than his peace of mind while studying.

“Old Xiang.”

Xiang Haibin hurried over when he saw Director Qian.

“Are you on duty tonight?”

Director Qian nodded, signaling him to go to the office.

“Have you talked to anyone about that matter?”

“Not yet, but I visited his relatives.”

Xiang Haibin invited Director Qian to sit down and made him a cup of tea.

Director Qian took it, rubbing his slightly cold hands. “Why did he go to work?”

“I want to talk about something else.”

Xiang Haibin sat down in his seat, lowering his voice. “I suspect Xie Ci has been abused at his relatives’ house for a long time.”

“What?!” Director Qian’s brows furrowed, gripping the cup so tightly that water spilled out.

Xiang Haibin recounted what he had heard from Lao Wang at the barbecue stall. “I went to his relatives’ house for a home visit today, and when we talked about these things, the couple’s eyes darted around, and their expressions were unnatural. It was clear they were hiding something. When I asked for Xie Ci’s parents’ contact information, they actually said they didn’t know.”

Director Qian exclaimed, “How could they not know? How did that child end up at their house?”

“I thought the same.”

Xiang Haibin sighed lightly. “I heard Xie Ci has a grandmother in the countryside; I plan to visit her this weekend.”

Director Qian pondered for a moment. “How about this: since he’s already living on campus, let him focus on his studies and not let his family matters affect him. We’ll investigate his family situation first, and if you need any assistance, just let me know.”

Xiang Haibin replied, “Sure, that’s what I was thinking.”

Director Qian added, “Keep an eye on him for a while. If he has any difficulties in life, I’ll privately support him.”

“No need, no need.”

Xiang Haibin quickly waved his hand. “I have enough money for this; I’m just afraid that kid won’t speak up. He’s as stubborn as a mule, preferring to work part-time rather than ask for help.”

In the classroom, Xie Ci had no idea that the two teachers were huddled together, discussing how to give him money.

He was quickly flipping through his old textbooks.

After graduating from high school over a decade ago, he had forgotten most of what he learned back then. Chemistry and physics were particularly weak spots, as he used them the least and forgot them the most.

“I don’t even know where I left off.”

Yang He came back from getting water and disdainfully glanced at Xie Ci’s desk. “Now you know to flip through books? Where were you before? Can you even understand it?”

“Yang He, are you sick?!”

Jiang Chenyu, sitting in the second-to-last row of the fourth column, saw Yang He picking on Xie Ci and immediately retorted, “Old Xie didn’t provoke you; why are you always picking on him?!”

“How did I provoke him? I’m just stating facts!”

Yang He had only intended to make a casual jab, but after being scolded by Jiang Chenyu, he felt a bit annoyed. “The one with the worst attitude towards studying in our class is him!”

Jiang Chenyu shot back, “What’s it to you? Mind your own business!”

Yang He replied, “I love to meddle; can you stop me?”

Xie Ci, a thirty-something adult, really couldn’t be bothered to argue with a teenager.

But studying was really boring, and he wanted to find some fun.

Xie Ci turned to look at the bulletin board behind him, where the results of the recent entrance exam rankings were posted.

“Yang He, class ranking twenty-six, grade ranking sixty-seven.”

When Yang He heard his score being read out, he turned to glare at Xie Ci, provocatively asking, “So what?”

Xie Ci replied, “You have the nerve to mock others with that score? You’re quite confident.”

Yang He was stunned.

Being mocked by the bottom student in the class for his grades?!

“You’re the last one; what right do you have to mock me?”

Xie Ci rested his chin on his hand and thought for a moment. “How about this: if my score is better than yours in this Friday’s exam, you’ll be my class monitor for a semester. What do you say? Want to compete?”

His light-hearted words were like thunder on a clear day, startling the entire class.

Jiang Chenyu and Zhang Ruochuan jumped up from their seats, their excitement hard to contain.

After waiting for two years, Old Xie was finally standing up for himself?!

“Let’s compete! Of course, we should! Yang He, don’t be a coward; compete with him!”

Many students in the class started cheering.

Yang He felt a bit anxious for some reason, but he was already in too deep and could only nod stiffly. “I’m scared of you! If your score is worse than mine, you’ll be my class monitor for a semester!”

Xie Ci nodded, “Sure, I’ll have my deskmate help you.”

Yang He asked, “Which subject?”

Xie Ci replied, “Any subject, pick one you’re good at.”

Saying such arrogant words in a calm tone ignited the entire class’s atmosphere.

If it were basketball, there wouldn’t be a match for Xie Ci in the whole school, but now they were competing in academic subjects, and Xie Ci was still this confident. This was going to be a good show!

When Xiang Haibin came over, the classroom was as lively as a festival, making him so angry that he handed out two extra math papers to everyone.

Now the whole class quieted down.

Gu Yufeng returned to school late at night, and the dormitory lights were already out.

He had never lived in a collective dormitory in his two lifetimes and felt quite unaccustomed to it, tossing and turning in bed unable to sleep.

Half-asleep, he got up to use the bathroom. As he walked to the edge of the bed and was about to climb the ladder, he caught a glimpse of Xie Ci on the lower bunk, who was sleeping soundly. His sleeping face looked more mature than he remembered, but it was still the familiar look he knew.

Perhaps too tired, his brain had checked out, and by the time Gu Yufeng realized it, he had naturally laid down on Xie Ci’s bed, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep.

But the height, angle, softness, and size of the bed were all different from what he remembered, giving him a vague sense of discomfort.

This discomfort peaked a few seconds later, and Gu Yufeng suddenly woke up.

Wait, why was he sleeping in this bed? Was he crazy?

Just as Gu Yufeng was stealthily preparing to get up, an arm suddenly crossed over beside him.

Xie Ci, in his sleep, instinctively wrapped his arm around him, feeling something was off and sensing a contradiction that someone should be there, yet also shouldn’t be.

When he finally realized what was happening, he was fully awake.

That restless kid on the upper bunk was causing trouble on the first night, climbing into his bed in the middle of the night.

Since it had come to this, shouldn’t he take it upon himself to teach this little brat how to be a proper young man?

After all, he was his ex-husband from a past life, so rounding it off, he could be considered half a guardian.