Zhang Ruochuan and Jiang Chenyu followed Xiang Haibin over and, upon seeing the situation, also went with Gu Yufeng to Xie Ci’s side.

Xie Ci took out his phone, wanting to contact the lawyer he knew from his past life, but then he thought about it—he was just a high school student now, and that big-shot lawyer might not even bother with him.

For such a small case, the other party probably wouldn’t be too interested either.

Before he could decide on a lawyer, Gu Yufeng snatched the cigarette from his lips.

“You’re still so young and already smoking?”

The cigarette twirled between Gu Yufeng’s fingers as he glanced at the label, wrinkling his brow in disgust. “It’s still low-quality tobacco. Are you trying to kill yourself?”

Xie Ci didn’t have a strong addiction to smoking; he only lit one up when he was feeling agitated.

Things like smoking, drinking, clubbing, and even gambling were bad habits he picked up after starting work. For others, they might be hobbies, but for him, they were just simple social tools.

He could smoke to achieve a goal, and he could also quit smoking to achieve a goal—nothing more than that.

Gu Yufeng looked towards the living room and quietly asked, “Have you made up your mind? You won’t back down halfway?”

Xie Ci watched Xie Qian’s back, his eyes cold as ice. “If I back down, my dad will be finished.”

Perhaps artists were naturally emotional and sensitive; otherwise, they wouldn’t suffer from depression, and the influence of Ye Yuru and her husband couldn’t be overlooked.

He originally didn’t want to disturb his dad. First, his dad was sick, and second, he had no interest in seeking revenge for the past. He didn’t want to waste time on people who weren’t worth it.

But now that the situation had come to this, he might as well end it decisively.

Dragging things out wasn’t his style.

Gu Yufeng was lost in thought, habitually bringing the cigarette he had pinched between his fingers to his lips, but he noticed Xiang Haibin glaring at him fiercely from the corner of his eye.

That deadpan face paired with that deathly stare was practically a smoking cessation tool.

Gu Yufeng recalled the thousand “解” characters he had just written and silently reminded himself not to stoop to the old man’s level. He held back his temper, extinguished the cigarette, and leaned against the dining table, listening to the conversation over there.

He had been watching this family drama unfold from the beginning, and his disgust for the so-called “relatives” had reached its peak.

He had relatives too, but he usually kept his distance from them. Only when there were interests involved would he engage. Once they violated his principles, he could turn on them without hesitation.

But Xie Ci’s situation was different; the interests were mixed with the gratitude of being raised.

As a child, Xie Ci had no choice but to passively accept it.

From Xie Ci’s attitude towards this family, Gu Yufeng was sure that he had feelings for them. Otherwise, with Xie Ci’s temperament, he would have dealt with them harshly long ago.

But Ye Yuru and her husband didn’t; they exploited that gratitude for profit, stirring up trouble between Xie Ci and his father, completely disregarding others’ lives, treating it all as a business.

Gu Yufeng suddenly understood why Xie Ci was only focused on himself.

Because when he was still a boy needing protection from the outside world, he had been deeply backstabbed and hurt by those so-called family members, making him no longer trust anyone.

“Old Xie, are you looking for a lawyer?” Zhang Ruochuan asked quietly while sitting at the dining table.

Xie Ci replied, “Yeah.”

Zhang Ruochuan excitedly said, “My dad is a lawyer, the best one at his firm! I’ll call him tonight and have him take your case for free!”

“You really are a filial son, getting your dad free work.”

Jiang Chenyu leaned closer to Xie Ci, lowering his voice, “If Zhang is doing the work, then I’ll pay for the legal fees. I’ll cover the costs for this lawsuit!”

Xie Ci replied, “Thanks, but someone will pay for it, no need to worry.”

“Eh? There are so many people here.”

Suddenly, a middle-aged man walked in through the door, and Xie Ci and the others, along with everyone in the living room, turned to look.

“Who is he?” Jiang Chenyu wondered, seeing that the man’s clothes were a bit shabby. He thought, could he be here to collect scrap?

Xie Ci replied, “My uncle.”

With everyone staring at him, his uncle felt a bit uncomfortable and explained, “I saw the door open, so I came in.”

As he spoke, he looked at Ye Yuru and raised the bag in his hand. “Yuru, these are the vegetables I just picked. I’ll put them in the kitchen.”

Ye Yuru had a stern face and didn’t respond.

His uncle came out of the kitchen, glanced at Xie Ci, and sensed that today’s atmosphere was off, so he quietly sat down in the living room to listen.

Ye Yuru’s expression was not good. “We’re discussing serious matters; you should go back.”

“I just heard you mention Xie Ci at the door. How could I not listen to his matters?”

Saying this, his uncle took out a cigarette box from his pocket and offered it to Chen Xinhong, only to notice the injuries on the latter’s face. “What happened to you? Who hit you?”

Chen Xinhong sat there with a grim face, ignoring him.

His uncle then offered a cigarette to Xie Qian. “Long time no see.”

“I don’t smoke,” Xie Qian declined, his expression serious.

His uncle observed everyone’s reactions and then smiled at Xiang Haibin, deliberately probing, “This is Xie Ci’s teacher, right? Our little Ci is in trouble again?”

“No, he’s doing well.”

Xiang Haibin looked at Ye Yuru and continued, “Since we’re all relatives, let’s continue discussing. You should know that abusing minors is against the law, right?”

“I didn’t!”

Chen Xinhong suddenly exploded.

Xiang Haibin’s expression turned serious. “I learned from an informant that Xie Ci was beaten by you when he was fifteen, forced to escape home in the middle of the night for safety. Since then, his grades have plummeted from first in the class to the bottom! A good student like him has been tortured to this extent by you. How do you explain that?!”

Xie Qian’s hand, resting on his leg, tightened suddenly as he looked at Chen Xinhong in disbelief.

Chen Xinhong, feeling nervous, choked out, “Who said that? This is slander!”

Xiang Haibin replied, “There were more than one person who saw Xie Ci get hurt. It’s useless for you to deny it.”

Chen Xinhong retorted, “What they say is what it is? Show me the evidence!”

Xiang Haibin said, “Let’s not go far; just recently, your son Chen Zhanpeng was caught borrowing money and fighting. In front of the police and the school, you dared to shift the blame onto Xie Ci. I saw it clearly; not a word you two said is credible!”

Chen Xinhong shouted, “What we said is all facts!”

The two of them argued back and forth for a long time.

Xie Ci was too lazy to listen any longer and casually interjected, “The Central Hospital has my medical records from when I was eight. That time, I was hit on the head with a stool by Chen Xinhong and almost died. The scar on my forehead hasn’t completely faded even now. After that, every time I was beaten, I would go to Dr. Li’s clinic. He took pictures for me and would testify if necessary.”

Xie Ci looked at the pale-faced Chen Xinhong. “Is this evidence enough?”

As a child, he had no awareness of rights, but it was Dr. Li who taught him to always keep a backup.

“You hospitalized Xie Ci?!”

Xie Qian suddenly stood up, grabbing Chen Xinhong by the collar. “What did he do to deserve such harsh treatment? Speak!”

Chen Xinhong broke free from his grip. “I didn’t!”

“I said Xie Ci wouldn’t just want to kick you out for no reason.”

His uncle, furious, threw the cigarette to the ground, stomped on it, and pulled Chen Xinhong over, cursing, “How could you lay hands on a child! All these years, you still dare to pretend to be a good person in front of us!”

His uncle was used to rough work, with muscles all over, and his fighting ability was on a completely different level than Xie Qian.

Chen Xinhong couldn’t shake him off, and his words became increasingly harsh.

His uncle loudly questioned the silent Ye Yuru, “You’re Xie Ci’s aunt! You just let your husband hit the child without doing anything?! All these years, you never mentioned it in front of us, always saying Xie Ci was naughty and unmanageable, taking so much money from Xie Qian, yet crying poor every day, not even willing to buy him a piece of clothing. Are you even human?!”

Ye Yuru cried out in grievance, “Am I really as terrible as you say?!”

His uncle pointed at her, furious, “I must have been blind to have delivered vegetables to you two heartless bastards for so many years!”

Chen Xinhong shouted, “Who are you cursing?!”

The two went from cursing to pushing each other, quickly escalating into a fistfight.

His uncle cursed as he dragged Chen Xinhong out into the yard.

At this time, many people in the neighborhood had finished dinner and come out for a walk, stopping outside the yard to watch the commotion.

Seeing so many people outside, Ye Yuru felt extremely embarrassed and rushed out to try to get them to stop.

But her uncle didn’t listen to her at all, his loud voice like a trumpet, broadcasting the couple’s misdeeds to the neighbors.

Xie Ci saw that the time was about right and called the moving company.

In less than half an hour, three large trucks arrived and parked at the gate.

The workers entered the yard and, under the watchful eyes of everyone, loudly asked, “Who called the moving company? What needs to be moved?”

“What moving?!”

Ye Yuru panicked, no longer caring about her image. “No one is moving, get out!”

“I called.”

Xie Ci stepped out, standing on the steps, glancing at Ye Yuru and her husband in the yard, and told the workers, “Everything in this house, every single item, must be moved out.”

Ye Yuru shouted, “Xie Ci! Are you crazy?!”

Xie Ci waved to the workers, signaling them to start working.

Ye Yuru’s face changed drastically, and she finally began to feel scared. She hurriedly ran to find Xie Qian. “Brother-in-law, are you just going to let him do whatever he wants?! If there’s a misunderstanding, we should sit down and talk it out. How can we just move out like this?!”

Xie Qian, with a serious face, pulled his hand away from Ye Yuru’s grip and said to Xie Ci at the door, “The furniture in this house was bought by me.”

Xie Ci replied, “Even if it stays, it will be treated as garbage. Consider it a farewell gift for them.”

Seeing that Xie Qian’s tone was off, Ye Yuru panicked and ran back to Xie Ci, crying and begging, “Xie Ci, even if it’s your aunt begging you, please don’t make a scene. Where are you going to take our things?”

Xie Ci replied, “You’ve been in Lanhai City for so many years. Haven’t you bought a house? If not, then it can only be sent back to your husband’s hometown.”

Chen Xinhong blocked the doorway, not letting the workers in.

The neighbors watching thought that Xie Ci and his father were trying to kick out Ye Yuru and her husband, and they began to discuss among themselves.

His uncle, hearing this, shouted loudly to explain, “This house originally belongs to Xie Ci! They are just borrowing it!”

As they waited for the workers to start moving things, the neighbors began to understand the situation.

“Living in someone else’s house, taking their money, and still abusing their son—what a heartless thing!”

“They seemed like a good couple usually, but who knew they were like this.”

“Just look at their son’s character, and you can tell what kind of people they are!”

“She can say whatever she wants about her adopted son. I never liked dealing with her; she’s not sincere at all.”

Hearing the neighbors’ discussions, Ye Yuru collapsed to the ground in despair.

With the house gone, the money gone, and her reputation gone, what would she do in the future?

Chen Xinhong couldn’t stop it at all and could only watch helplessly as their home was gradually emptied. He wanted to confront Xie Qian but was stopped by his uncle and took several punches.

Xie Ci and Gu Yufeng watched coldly.

When Yang Le arrived, Xie Ci signaled for Xie Qian to go back first.

Xie Qian hesitated, wanting to say something.

Xie Ci noticed his hands starting to tremble slightly again and whispered, “The past isn’t all your fault. When I go home this weekend, we can sit down and talk it out. For now, focus on your health. Remember to inform Brother Yang when you go out. I don’t want to worry about your safety while I’m in class.”

Now wasn’t the time to talk, but Xie Qian couldn’t leave this mess for Xie Ci to handle alone, so he waited with Yang Le on the side.

Gu Yufeng asked, “Since the things are moved out, shouldn’t we change the locks?”

Xie Ci thought about it and had Jiang Chenyu and Zhang Ruochuan help him buy two chain locks.

The sky was completely dark, and the moving was finished.

The crying Ye Yuru and her husband had no choice but to leave after the trucks drove away.

Before leaving, Chen Xinhong declared that this matter wouldn’t end like this, while his fierce uncle chased after him, cursing him all the way.

Xie Qian was sent back to the studio by Yang Le, and the onlooking neighbors dispersed.

Xie Ci stood in the empty living room, looking around this familiar yet strange home.

While driving that couple away, he also freed the younger version of himself who had been trapped here.

But the freedom he gained after so many years wasn’t as joyful as he had imagined; instead, it felt hollow.

Gu Yufeng watched Xie Ci for a long time at the door, then slowly walked over and brushed his hair off his forehead. “Is this the scar he gave you?”

Xie Ci replied, “Yeah.”

The scar was close to his hairline, hard to notice unless looked at closely.

Outside, Xiang Haibin’s voice urged them to return to school.

Just as Xie Ci was about to turn around, Gu Yufeng suddenly leaned in, wrapped his arms around Xie Ci’s head, and kissed the spot of the scar, as forceful as ever.

Xie Ci was momentarily stunned, and when he realized what this guy had done, he pushed him away. “Be good, don’t get handsy.”

“Now it’s a kiss from me.”

Xie Ci looked at the boy standing in front of him, backlit, with an incredibly serious and focused gaze.

For a moment, he saw the familiar shadow of Gu Yufeng in those eyes.

Out of nowhere, it made him a bit nostalgic.

“Old Xie…”

Jiang Chenyu’s abrupt voice broke the subtle atmosphere.

Xie Ci came back to his senses and saw Jiang Chenyu walking over with teary eyes, hugging his head. “I want to kiss too! So when you think back on this, it won’t just be about the stool hitting you, but also our love—”

“Get lost.” Xie Ci pushed his face away and walked off without looking back.

Jiang Chenyu: “……”

Was it really necessary to be this disgusted?

On the way back to school, Xiang Haibin, riding his electric scooter, talked a lot to Xie Ci, who was walking beside him.

“If you really want to sue, I’ll help out. The school leaders will also step in to assist, so don’t worry too much. No matter what, it can’t affect your studies.”

Xie Ci responded half-heartedly.

Xiang Haibin continued, “But one thing is for sure, I can’t just pretend I didn’t see you smoking.”

Xie Ci’s eyelids twitched.

Xiang Haibin said, “You dare to smoke in front of me? Do you think I’m dead?!”

Xie Ci: “……”

Xiang Haibin grew angrier as he spoke, “Don’t think that just because you scored full marks, you can do whatever you want! Go home and write a thousand-word reflection, and hand it to me tomorrow!”

Xie Ci: “……”

Was smoking really that necessary?

Gu Yufeng laughed carefreely against the evening breeze. “The wheel of fortune turns, right, Captain Xie?”

Xie Ci replied, “You’re also part of this thousand-word reflection.”

Gu Yufeng said, “We’re just classmates; don’t make it sound so ambiguous.”

Xie Ci: “……”