Chapter 17

When Lu Yan saw the headline in the newspaper about Wu Qiang and Zhao Shen being arrested, she was momentarily stunned.

The newspaper reported that the arrests were made after an anonymous tip-off from the public, with a recording made on a tape recorder capturing Zhao Shen confessing to the crime, which led to his arrest along with the evidence.

Wu Qiang, the main culprit, initially denied everything, stubbornly refusing to admit his guilt. However, Zhao Shen couldn’t hold out and confessed to the arson the very night he was caught.

After Lu Zhen and Liang Ting saw the newspaper, they naturally felt a great sense of relief and satisfaction, thoroughly enjoying the justice served.

Lu Zhen kept repeating, “The net of heaven is vast and wide, and nothing escapes it. The eyes of the people are sharper than ever, and those criminals are now caught in the great sea of the people’s war. They’ll get their consequences.”

But Lu Yan felt that things weren’t as simple as they seemed. What kind of ordinary citizens would use a tape recorder to capture Zhao Shen’s exact words? It was just too coincidental.

A tape recorder was quite an unusual device. Besides students, who would still use one?

Later, Lu Yan visited the entertainment street a few times. The karaoke lounge had been shut down due to its involvement in the crime, and she heard that Shen Kuo was now selling things under the overpass.

In the evening, after school, Lu Yan went to the underpass.

There were many street vendors setting up stalls, selling all sorts of things—underwear, socks, men’s and women’s shoes, clothes, bags… a wide variety of items.

Curious, Lu Yan wandered around and saw Shen Kuo at the far end of one of the stalls.

He was wearing a dark T-shirt, crouching on a stone, with his long fingers holding a half-burned cigarette.

Beside him was a red three-wheeled cart, and the back of the cart was open, displaying a variety of colorful CDs.

Lu Yan strolled over, adjusted her skirt, and squatted down to examine the colorful CD covers curiously.

CDs were something she had only seen when she was younger, on her father’s DVD player beside the bed. Later, with the rise of the internet and resource sharing, these things had become obsolete.

When Shen Kuo saw her approaching, he stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and walked toward her.

“What’s up?”

“I heard Uncle Shen is doing business here, so I came to take a look. By the way, how’s your hand? Is it better?”

“It’s fine…”

Before he could finish, Lu Yan, as though very familiar with him, grabbed his hand and pulled up his sleeve to check.

The wound had been re-bandaged, but the dressing was done very carelessly.

Lu Yan’s delicate brows furrowed. “This won’t do. I’ll help you re-bandage it later.”

Shen Kuo pulled his hand back. “No need.”

“Don’t be polite with me, Uncle Shen.”

Shen Kuo relaxed his brow and reached out to pat her on the head. “Stop calling me ‘uncle.'”

Lu Yan tilted her head to avoid his hand and smiled. “Lu Zhen is my dad, so of course you’re my uncle.”

Shen Kuo played along with her words. “Lu Zhen couldn’t have a daughter like you.”

“Why not?”

He teased her like he was talking to a child, speaking lightly. “Because he’s too ugly.”

Lu Yan’s smile widened. “Lu Zhen isn’t ugly! He’s very popular at school.”

Shen Kuo’s smile, already rare, faded away. “It’s because of his identity as the young master of the Lu family, not because of him.”

“That’s not all of it. If you got to know him more, maybe you’d like him too.”

“That’s never going to happen.”

Lu Yan shrugged, dropping the topic. She knew she couldn’t resolve the conflict between Shen Kuo and Lu Zhen with just a few words.

She asked him again, “The anonymous tape recorder you handed over to the police—was it yours?”

“It wasn’t me.”

“It’s definitely you.” The little girl looked at him seriously with her dark eyes, utterly certain. “You can’t fool me.”

Shen Kuo continued to organize the CDs, stubbornly insisting, “It wasn’t me.”

Lu Yan knew that Shen Kuo was just being stubborn. Besides him, no one else would have done such a thing.

“Uncle Shen, you’re really a good person.”

“A good person?”

A hint of absurdity flashed in Shen Kuo’s eyes.

For all these years, others’ opinions of him had mostly been negative. Both male and female students at school generally avoided getting close to him.

He had too much of an aggressive aura, but it wasn’t like Lu Zhen’s open and violent temper. His aura was sharper, the kind of sharpness that came from years of hardship, a blade honed by the difficulties of life.

He looked at her and said calmly, “Don’t be too full of yourself. I’m not the person you think I am.”

“Whether you admit it or not, I still need to thank you.” Lu Yan looked at him sincerely, every word coming from the heart. “Thank you, Shen Kuo.”

Shen Kuo shrugged indifferently. “It’s nothing. It’s just a favor that was handed to me.”

Lu Yan smiled generously. “It’s a favor, so it’s yours. If you ever need anything, just let me know. I’ll do my best to help you.”

Shen Kuo raised the corner of his mouth, thinking that although this little girl seemed clumsy and adorable, she was actually quite clever.

At this moment, someone suddenly shouted loudly, “The urban management is here!”

Shen Kuo acted swiftly, quickly packing all the discs into the back of his cart and pushing it to leave.

The scene around them became chaotic, and Lu Yan almost got hit by a man riding a motorcycle. Fortunately, Shen Kuo quickly pulled her into his arms.

Lu Yan was caught off guard and was wrapped in his embrace. Her body stiffened. “Huh?”

All the cells in her body seemed to be awakened by the warmth of his body, and her skin where he had touched felt strangely empty.

Her mind went blank.

In just a few seconds, he released her.

The urban management vehicle swept through, and Shen Kuo didn’t have time to say much. He immediately picked up Lu Yan, threw her into the back of the tricycle, then turned and hopped onto the bike, pedaling away quickly.

“Uncle Shen…”

 “Uncle” Shen didn’t have time to respond, quickly pedaling the bike and speeding off.

Lu Yan watched his back as he rode into the sunset, his broad shoulders and muscular frame moving with strength under his T-shirt, the muscles in his shoulders flexing with every push of the pedals.

Having worked in the entertainment industry, Lu Yan was used to seeing pretty boy idols who wore makeup and eyeliner. But men like Shen Kuo, with such a strong, masculine presence, were rare.

She turned her head and looked back at the gradually receding underpass.

The vendors were packing up, some pushing carts, some running away, and of course, there were many who didn’t manage to escape in time and were caught, having to hang their heads in defeat.

“Uncle Shen, what happens if they get caught?”

“They’ll confiscate everything, and they might have to pay a fine.”

“Doesn’t that mean they’ll lose everything?”

“Yeah.”

In her previous life, Lu Yan’s life had been glamorous and far removed from the hustle and bustle of the streets. She rarely even went to supermarkets, so she had never witnessed such a chaotic scene before.

It wasn’t until today that Lu Yan slowly began to understand the hardships and struggles of Shen Kuo’s life.

Not everyone in this world was like her, born with a ^[1]“Born with a silver spoon in their mouth” means someone was born into a wealthy or privileged family, where they didn’t have to struggle for basic needs or opportunities. It’s … Continue readingsilver spoon in their mouth, not having to worry about making a living and being able to chase their dreams without any concern, doing whatever they wanted.

Lu Yan looked at the colorful discs around her, feeling a little uneasy. She finally understood why Shen Kuo had managed to catch up with Lu Zhen in just ten years.

While Lu Zhen was still recklessly causing trouble, Shen Kuo had already started planning for his future with everything he had.

So, Lu Zhen would never be Shen Kuo’s match.

Lu Yan crawled over the pile of discs and sat in the front of the cart. She rested the back of her head against Shen Kuo’s hard back and let out a soft sigh.

“Lu Yan, don’t feel sorry for me.”

Shen Kuo was very sensitive and noticed her change in mood.

“I’m not.”

She wasn’t sure what had happened, but she suddenly felt down. “Uncle Shen, don’t sell discs anymore. You should do something with computers.”

“Hmm?”

“You can make a lot of money in game programming.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean…” Lu Yan thought for a moment and said, “This is an emerging industry with great prospects for the future. Things like CDs and tapes will be eliminated, and internet resources will be the mainstream. You should look into it.”

“Oh.”

Although Shen Kuo didn’t completely understand, he found what she was describing quite intriguing.

After saying this, Lu Yan felt a little regretful.

In her previous life, Shen Kuo had made his fortune in computer software and game programming. He developed a very popular social software, and then used that as a foundation to dominate industries like gaming and video, eventually creating the Shen Group’s ecological industry chain.

After being reborn, Lu Yan had quietly been plotting how to keep Shen Kuo away from the internet industry…

In the end, everything was for her father. No matter what grudges existed between him and Shen Kuo, as long as Shen Kuo couldn’t rise again, her family wouldn’t go bankrupt.

She had softened in the end.

—

During this time, Beicheng was evaluating its “Clean City” initiative. Beicheng No. 3 High School, as a national key school, was one of the first to undergo an inspection by the leadership. Back then, the school wasn’t like when Lu Yan was studying, where professional cleaning teams were hired to clean the campus every day.

Now, students were organized to clean the school in small groups after class.

Shen Kuo and Lu Zhen’s ex-girlfriend, Shu Mengfei, happened to be in the same group and were assigned to clean the public areas of the school’s small garden.

The public areas were often crowded and noticeable, and it wasn’t long before rumors started circulating throughout the school.

Whenever Lu Yan had lunch in the cafeteria or walked on the playground, she could overhear plenty of gossip:

“What is Shu Mengfei thinking? Lu Zhen is so good-looking, comes from a good family, and has everything. Why would she choose to be with Shen Kuo?”

“Shen Kuo is handsome and very manly, okay?”

“Yeah, but his family’s situation is terrible. His temper’s bad too, and he’s just full of ^[2]“Street smarts” refers to practical knowledge and experience needed to handle everyday life situations, especially in urban or challenging environments. It often implies being … Continue readingstreet smarts and has such a crude vibe. He’s so tacky.”

“Now, girls like Mengfei, who aren’t materialistic and aren’t interested in money, are really rare!”

“Are they together now?”

“Obviously! They’re cleaning the garden together every day. Shu Mengfei is the campus goddess. How can a poor boy like Shen Kuo refuse her?”

—

Every day, Lu Yan heard gossip about Shu Mengfei. Her classmates highly praised her decision to abandon a rich young master for a poor boy.

After all, back then, materialism was something that public opinion would absolutely condemn, and being wealthy was considered an original sin.

That afternoon, after finishing her cleaning duties, Lu Yan decided to watch a movie with her father.

Following the direction pointed out by her classmates, she found Lu Zhen in the flower bed area on the first floor of the teaching building.

Lu Zhen was holding a dark cloth in his hand, standing by the flower bed, staring blankly at the small garden ahead.

Lu Yan quietly walked up beside him and, with a “hey!” slapped him on the shoulder, trying to scare him.

However, Lu Zhen didn’t react at all. His gaze was fixed ahead, lost in thought.

Lu Yan followed his gaze and saw that in the small garden across from them, Shen Kuo was holding a broom, intently sweeping the yellowing fallen leaves from the ground.

He moved with careful precision, his expression focused.

Shen Kuo had always been a serious man. Whatever he did, he made sure to do it to the best of his ability.

Shu Mengfei, on the other hand, was holding a broom, lazily sweeping in large strokes. She seemed very anxious, occasionally glancing at Shen Kuo, her cheeks flushed, her emotions running high.

Her lips kept moving, though, because of the distance, Lu Yan couldn’t hear what she was saying.

Shen Kuo didn’t react. He didn’t acknowledge her, he just kept sweeping the ground.

Lu Yan turned to look at Lu Zhen. His hand, resting at his side, had clenched into a fist, tightly gripping it, still trembling slightly.

He looked so jealous, it seemed like he couldn’t let go of it.

“Dad, weren’t we supposed to watch a movie? Let’s go,” Lu Yan gently tugged at his sleeve, trying to pull him away.

Lu Zhen kept his eyes fixed on Shen Kuo, biting his lower lip so hard it looked like he might break the skin.

Lu Yan furrowed her brows. She knew her dad must be feeling hurt.

After all, Shu Mengfei had been his girlfriend for over a year and a half. It would’ve been one thing if they had broken up, but it had only been a few days, and she was already over there fawning over his rival.

It was a double blow to Lu Zhen.

Lu Yan glanced at the shy Shu Mengfei across the way and muttered, “Annoying.”

After saying this, she quickly marched over to them.

Seeing her determined stride, Lu Zhen realized it wasn’t a good situation. He quickly reached out to stop her, but his hand slipped and failed to catch her—

“Hey! Come back! What do you think you’re doing?”

“I’m so mad! I’m going to break them up for you!”