Xiàng Hǎibīn’s workstation was already surrounded by people early in the morning.

“Teacher Xiàng, I heard from a friend living in the bustling area that Xiè Cí kicked his aunt’s family out of their home. Is that true?”

“You didn’t hear the whole story. That house belongs to Xiè Cí’s family; it was lent to his aunt.”

“I heard there was a huge fight yesterday, and they even got into a brawl. They moved out three big trucks of stuff!”

“Everything was cleared out, and the front door was locked with two chains. How could they be so ruthless?”

“What kind of conflict is this? Just suddenly kicking someone out—where are they supposed to live? This is going to create a grudge!”

Xiàng Hǎibīn was buzzing from their chatter and made a gesture for silence: “Stop asking. Xiè Cí didn’t do anything wrong in this matter, and his dad was there at the scene. Everything was decided by the adults.”

“His dad?”

A teacher from the physics group asked curiously, “What does his dad do? I’ve never heard him mentioned before. I always thought Xiè Cí’s parents were gone.”

Another teacher chimed in, “I remember someone mentioning that his dad doesn’t have a proper job; he’s a drifter. After the divorce, he couldn’t take care of the kid, which is why Xiè Cí was fostered by relatives.”

Xiàng Hǎibīn was organizing the lesson plans he needed for the day when he heard them mention Xiè Qiān, and he couldn’t help but recall the middle-aged man he saw yesterday.

He looked refined but slightly gloomy. Although he had long hair and looked a bit scruffy, his demeanor didn’t seem like that of a thug. The car that picked him up was a luxury vehicle, so he probably wasn’t lacking money to raise a child; there might be other reasons.

Suddenly, the phone in the corner of the desk rang. Xiàng Hǎibīn saw it was a call from the principal’s office and immediately picked it up: “Principal?”

On the other end, the principal said, “Hǎibīn, are you free right now? Come to my office; I want to understand the situation with Xiè Cí’s family.”

Xiàng Hǎibīn replied, “Okay, I’ll head over now.”

In Class One.

During the break, Gù Yùfēng noticed many gazes directed at him, and he didn’t need to guess what they were talking about.

He turned to look at Xiè Cí, who was flipping through a physics textbook for the second year of high school, which he had borrowed from Fāng Sīzé.

Lately, whenever Xiè Cí had free time, he would read physics, as if he was really interested in it.

“How’s your dad doing since you got back last night?” Gù Yùfēng casually asked while flipping through an economics foreign language book.

Xiè Cí replied, “He took his medicine and stabilized.”

After last night’s self-study session, he had called Yáng Lè.

Yáng Lè said that his dad seemed to have taken quite a hit; after returning home, he didn’t say a word, didn’t go to the studio, and just sat in the living room in a daze.

In the end, it was Xiè Cí who asked Yáng Lè to take Xiǎo Fāng over, which successfully brought him back to their place.

Gù Yùfēng asked, “What are you planning to do with that house? Sell it or rent it out?”

Xiè Cí said, “Let’s leave it for now; this matter isn’t over yet.”

Yè Yǔróu and her husband had been scheming for years, so how could they just give up? If they dealt with the house now, it would bring unnecessary trouble.

A slight vibration came from the drawer. Xiè Cí glanced out the window and took out his phone to unlock it.

It was a photo sent by Yáng Lè.

In the photo, Xiè Qiān was painting in the studio, and Xiǎo Fāng was squatting by his feet, keeping him company.

Yáng Lè texted: 【The teacher opened the curtains a bit today so that Xiǎo Fāng could get more sunlight.】

Xiè Cí replied: 【I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on my dad’s behavior during this time. Contact me if there are any issues.】

Yáng Lè responded: 【Got it.】

“Are you looking at some inappropriate website again? You’re grinning so creepily.” Gù Yùfēng rested his chin on his hand, lazily sizing up Xiè Cí.

Xiè Cí said, “……”

Again? Creepy?

Xiè Cí raised his head and showed his screen to Gù Yùfēng: “What’s inappropriate about it?”

Gù Yùfēng leaned in a bit closer: “I didn’t expect your scruffy old man to have such a romantic side. And that’s just his dog beside him; what breed is that fat one?”

“I found it; it’s a mutt.”

Xiè Cí put away his phone. “It was in good shape, but after being sent to my dad’s place for less than half a month, it got chubby.”

Gù Yùfēng teased, “A precious son sends a dog over; of course, it’s going to be overfed!”

Xiè Cí thought about it and found it quite reasonable.

He needed to adjust Xiǎo Fāng’s food intake when he went home this weekend.

The class bell hadn’t rung yet when the English teacher came in with the test papers, stood at the podium, and clapped his hands, saying to everyone, “Class, the next lesson will be a surprise test, so please move your desks.”

“Ah—”

A chorus of wails erupted in the classroom.

Ever since Xiè Cí scored full marks in math, it was as if a switch had been flipped, and all the subject teachers started getting restless. They had just had a biology test yesterday, and now they were having an English test today.

After the English teacher counted the papers, the class bell rang.

He distributed the test papers and looked at Xiè Cí in the last row: “Today’s test was made by me, and I don’t believe you can score full marks again.”

The students in the front row passed the papers back and, upon hearing this, seemed to catch on and asked, “Teacher, he didn’t get full marks in biology yesterday, did he?”

“Yes.”

The English teacher, with his hands behind his back, grinned mischievously, “Your biology teacher, Mr. Mǎ, was so upset while grading that he cried, doubting his own question-setting skills. He’s part of the question-setting team.”

Yáng Hè hurriedly asked, “How many full marks were there?”

The English teacher replied, “Just Xiè Cí. Don’t you have biology class in the afternoon? You’ll see the scores then.”

Yáng Hè: “……”

The students in Class One: “……”

Old Xiè, just go back to being a slacker; we won’t mock you anymore.

Xiè Cí took a quick glance at the paper and casually said, “Then you should prepare some tissues in advance.”

The English teacher paused, and after understanding the implication of his words, he straightened his face and said, “Don’t speak too soon; let’s see how you do on the test!”

Xiè Cí glanced at the “foreigner” next to him and added, “Prepare two packs, okay?”

For Gù Yùfēng, whose native language was English, this kind of test wasn’t about intelligence; it was about patience. Whether he could score full marks depended on whether he had the patience to finish writing.

The English teacher: “……”

Arrogant little brat.

He would definitely not lose!

After lunch, Xiè Cí went to practice with a few boys from the basketball team, while Gù Yùfēng got into the Range Rover parked at the school gate and started dealing with the pile of work he had accumulated.

Lóubó Sēn pulled out a small notebook and turned to Gù Yùfēng in the back seat to report, “The matter you asked me to check is done. Chén Xìnhóng works at a foreign trade company under Kàngmáo Group and has been in the industry for nearly twenty years. He is now a business manager.”

“Kàngmáo Group?”

Gù Yùfēng felt it sounded familiar and asked, “Is the boss’s surname Hè?”

Lóubó Sēn quickly searched through the notebook in the passenger seat: “That’s right; the current chairman of the group is called Hè Yàoróng.”

Gù Yùfēng seemed to have thought of something and didn’t continue to ask. Instead, he inquired, “Have you found out about Chén Zhànpéng’s school?”

Lóubó Sēn flipped to the next page: “The school that accepted Chén Zhànpéng is a private high school called Xīndé. The tuition is very expensive, considered a prestigious school. It’s said that the environment and facilities are excellent, with dormitories that are double rooms equipped with air conditioning and private bathrooms. Each floor has cleaning staff who help students tidy their beds and clean, and they even do laundry.”

As he read this, Lóubó Sēn couldn’t help but ask Gù Yùfēng, “Why didn’t you go to this prestigious school back then? You’re stuck in this rundown school, living with five or six boys, and the dorm smells like sweat and stinky socks, and you have to wash your own underwear—”

Before he could finish, he received a warning look from Gù Yùfēng and immediately shut up.

Gù Yùfēng continued working, thinking that watching his ex-husband wash underwear was much more interesting than going to any prestigious school.

On Friday night, the Gù family held a business banquet.

Xiè Jǐnlín came along with his dad, Xiè Chéng.

Xiè Chéng found Gù Yǒng’ān, the vice president of the Gù family, in the crowd and quietly instructed, “You go find your little friends to play. Be on your best behavior and don’t act recklessly.”

“I understand.” Xiè Jǐnlín waved his hand, “You go ahead; I’m off.”

Xiè Chéng raised his glass and exchanged pleasantries with Gù Yǒng’ān, testing each other’s attitudes while chatting.

Xiè Chéng asked quietly, “Gù Zǒng, is there any progress on the project at the West City Technology Park?”

Gù Yǒng’ān smiled, “This is a key project for this year; the board is still discussing it. However, the Gù family has always preferred to work with reliable old friends, so I hope you can take care of us this time.”

Upon hearing this, Xiè Chéng’s smile deepened as he clinked glasses with Gù Yǒng’ān: “No, it’s us who should be asking for your help, Gù Zǒng.”

While they were talking, they noticed that everyone around was looking in one direction.

It was Gù Yǒngnián bringing his son, who had just returned to the country.

From a distance, Xiè Chéng looked at Gù Yùfēng, who was simply dressed in a white shirt and long pants, without any extra accessories. His face was the most eye-catching decoration, and with his tall figure, he moved through the crowd like a spotlight, truly outstanding.

“That’s your nephew, right?”

After asking, he didn’t hear a response. When Xiè Chéng turned to look, he saw Gù Yǒng’ān’s smile freeze, and his expression darkened.

Rumors about the discord between the Gù family’s uncle and nephew were indeed true.

The joys and sorrows of the Gù family brothers were not shared; over there, Gù Yǒngnián was overjoyed, thrilled that his son was willing to attend the banquet, eager to show him off to everyone.

Gù Yùfēng was led around by his dad, like walking a dog, making several rounds. He finally showed a bit of a smile when he noticed a few bosses from the cooperating parties coming over to greet him.

After Gù Yǒngnián introduced the identities of these people, Gù Yùfēng looked at Hè Yàoróng from Kàngmáo Group: “Mr. Hè looks kind and gentle, just like my grandfather.”

Hè Yàoróng was taken aback and quickly smiled, “It’s my honor!”

Everyone present was from the same circle; who didn’t know that Gù Yǒngnián had married the daughter of a financial magnate from Country D? He could hold the top position in the Gù family thanks to his father-in-law’s support.

In comparison, although Gù Yǒng’ān was also in a business marriage, his father-in-law’s influence was far less.

Gù Yùfēng said, “I often hear my dad praise that Kàngmáo Group does an excellent job in terms of corporate culture and that we should learn from others’ strengths.”

Being praised in front of a group of old acquaintances made Hè Yàoróng stand a bit taller, grinning from ear to ear: “Not at all; it’s the Gù family that does well.”

Gù Yùfēng pretended to be puzzled: “But there’s one thing I don’t understand. Why would you hire someone with a history of domestic violence? Is that part of your group’s corporate culture?”

Hè Yàoróng’s smile suddenly stiffened: “Domestic violence history?”

Gù Yùfēng innocently nodded: “A classmate of mine has been abused by his relatives for a long time, and I heard that relative works at Kàngmáo Group.”

Hè Yàoróng’s expression completely fell.

The atmosphere became a bit tense, and the others, seeing this, subtly changed the subject.

Gù Yǒngnián watched this unfold and suddenly understood.

His son agreeing to attend the banquet tonight was just to set up this scene, right?

What kind of classmate could make this carefree kid so concerned?

Having achieved his goal, Gù Yùfēng patted his backside and slipped away.

On his way, he ran into Xiè Jǐnlín, who was looking for food.

Seeing Gù Yùfēng glance over, out of politeness, he walked over to greet him: “Hello, I’m Xiè Jǐnlín.”

Gù Yùfēng looked at Xiè Jǐnlín meaningfully: “You’re also surnamed Xiè?”

Xiè Jǐnlín looked a bit confused: “Is there something wrong with being surnamed Xiè?”

Gù Yùfēng vaguely replied, “Not really, just thought you looked a bit like a friend of mine.”

Gù Yùfēng had no intention of making friends and was about to leave after chatting a bit when he noticed Gù Chùrán walking over, accompanied by a waiter pushing a food cart.

Gù Yùfēng was about to leave, but Gù Chùrán stopped right in front of him and raised his voice to address everyone: “Thank you all for attending tonight’s banquet. As a token of appreciation, I’ve prepared some surrounding toys, each priced at one million, available for a limited time of half an hour. All proceeds from this sale will be donated to the Gù family charity fund.”

After saying this, the waiter unveiled the white cloth covering the cart.

Everyone was curious about what kind of toy could be priced at one million, only to find it was just some poorly made teddy bear dolls that couldn’t have cost more than five bucks.

Gù Chùrán stood by the cart with a smile, looking determined, occasionally glancing at Gù Yùfēng, clearly indicating—what you can do, I can do too; it’s nothing special.

A group of big bosses around them chatted happily, but no one dared to make a purchase.

The situation was clearly Gù Chùrán actively provoking Gù Yùfēng; anyone who bought it would be aiding and abetting, openly opposing Gù Yǒngnián, which was simply asking for trouble.

Spending a million to be a fool was one thing; who knew how long they would be laughed at by people in the circle?

Seeing the situation was off, Gù Chùrán’s smile became increasingly stiff.

Why isn’t anyone buying?!

“Wonderful.” Gù Yùfēng raised an eyebrow slightly, smiling as he set down the drink in his hand and turned to leave.

Gù Chùrán felt a burning sensation on his face, standing there unable to save face. Gù Yùfēng’s mocking gaze clearly scolded him for not being able to learn even when copying, looking like a fool.

In the end, it was Gù Yǒng’ān who had someone remove the cart, angrily taking Gù Chùrán away from the banquet.

On Sunday morning, Xiè Cí was bombarded by group messages.

Jiāng Chényǔ was chatting excitedly in the group, and after scrolling through a lot of messages, Xiè Cí learned that Chén Xìnhóng had been fired.

Jiāng Chényǔ’s grandfather was friends with the president of Kàngmáo Group, and they attended the banquet together on Friday. Upon learning about Chén Xìnhóng’s domestic violence, the president was furious and fired him that very night.

Now, Chén Xìnhóng’s family had lost their house, and without the fixed income from their dad, they had lost their only source of livelihood.

But that wasn’t the end; the next day, Chén Zhànpéng’s transfer to another school also fell through.

During the morning self-study break, Fāng Sīzé and a few others gathered around Xiè Cí’s seat.

Fāng Sīzé whispered, “My dad is an old classmate of the principal at Xīndé Private High School. He said Chén Zhànpéng’s background check didn’t pass, and the enrollment process was halted halfway.”

Jiāng Chényǔ exclaimed, “Deserved it!”

“Good news.”

Gù Yùfēng flipped through the foreign language book in his hand, “A whole family of unemployed drifters—how could they afford the expenses of a prestigious school? Scum should go where scum belongs.”

Xiè Cí glanced at Gù Yùfēng.

Maybe it was because they had known each other for too long; with just one expression and tone from Gù Yùfēng, he could tell what the other was thinking and plotting.

Chén Xìnhóng’s unemployment and Chén Zhànpéng’s failed transfer were undoubtedly influenced by Gù Yùfēng’s actions.

This kid had always known how to bully others with his power.

Noticing the gaze Xiè Cí was throwing his way, with a hint of a smile in his eyes, Gù Yùfēng looked up from his book: “What are you laughing at?”

Xiè Cí withdrew his gaze and continued writing his homework nonchalantly: “Nothing.”