Xie Ci was enjoying the peace and quiet, watching Gu Yu Feng’s honest demeanor as he tucked his tail between his legs, and found it quite amusing.

On Wednesday morning, Fang Si Ze returned to the office with several stacks of test papers to hand out to the class representatives for each subject.

“Where did Old Zhang go?”

Jiang Chen Yu leaned against the windowsill next to Xie Ci and chimed in, “He went to deliver breakfast. Just put it on his desk; he should be back soon.”

“Deliver breakfast?” Gu Yu Feng asked casually.

Jiang Chen Yu lowered his voice excitedly, “His girlfriend! He usually doesn’t let us mention her, but he often brings her breakfast and treats. They used to go to and from school together, but now that they’re living on campus and training every day, they haven’t seen each other much lately.”

Gu Yu Feng replied, “Why deliver breakfast? Is his girlfriend starving?”

“Romantic!” Jiang Chen Yu said as if it were obvious. “Don’t you think delivering breakfast to someone you like is a happy thing?”

Gu Yu Feng didn’t understand, “Not really. Why bother someone just to have breakfast? Where’s the romance in that?”

Jiang Chen Yu straightened up and seriously sized him up, “Old Zhang always says I don’t get it, but I think your symptoms are even worse, Old Gu.”

Xie Ci looked at the math problems Fang Si Ze had sent over, scribbling the solution process on a piece of draft paper, nearly laughing out loud.

Gu Yu Feng was completely in an adult mindset, unable to grasp the hazy feelings of high school love. Plus, Gu Yu Feng was an extremely rational person; his views on love were conditional and reserved. If he deemed something “useless,” he would absolutely not engage in it.

In the second period of math class, Xiang Hai Bin walked into the classroom cheerfully, placing his lesson plan on the podium and looking at everyone, “Before we start class, I want to say something.”

Everyone tensed up, thinking they were about to have an impromptu quiz. The old man had done this more than once or twice.

Xiang Hai Bin announced, “The results of the math competition are out. Our class has two first prizes: one is Fang Si Ze, and the other is—Xie Ci.”

The crowd looked in disbelief towards the back row. Fang Si Ze winning first prize was expected, but no one anticipated Xie Ci to be so impressive. After two years of decline, he still had this kind of strength!

The previous quizzes, monthly tests, and final exams were all periodic assessments. As long as they focused during that time, their grades wouldn’t be too bad. But the math competition was different; its value couldn’t be compared to periodic tests. The range of knowledge was vast, and if anyone could casually train for a month or two to win first prize, then the whole class would be first prize winners.

“Wow, wow, wow—!”

Jiang Chen Yu and the others led the cheers, and the entire class followed suit with applause.

It was rare for Xiang Hai Bin not to stop them, smiling with a face full of wrinkles.

“Do you have any insights or suggestions for the other students? Xie Ci—never mind, you don’t need to say anything. Fang Si Ze, you come.”

Xie Ci: “…”

Gu Yu Feng turned to look at him, “Your deskmate won a provincial first prize; shouldn’t I show some appreciation?”

Xie Ci: “Are you going to force a kiss on me again?”

Gu Yu Feng: “…”

Thinking back to that day at Old Li’s stir-fry, where Xie Ci had him pinned down, Gu Yu Feng always felt a sense of defeat.

He had never won in his past life, and in this life, his ex-husband was only seventeen; he still couldn’t win.

“Not as flirty as you, is that okay?”

Gu Yu Feng asked irritably, “What reward do you want?”

Xie Ci thought seriously for a moment, “I haven’t had Fu Ji’s soup dumplings in a long time.”

Gu Yu Feng: “… Just that? You have the chance to make me suffer, and you don’t appreciate it at all.”

Xie Ci looked at him leisurely, “You can buy it, then talk.”

Recalling that Xie Ci had mentioned that the soup dumplings from that place were very popular and hard to get, Gu Yu Feng dismissed it, “I’ll buy it for you tomorrow morning. Even if I have to climb over the wall at midnight to queue, I will fulfill your humble wish.”

However, Gu Yu Feng received a call that afternoon and had to rush back to D Country.

The news of Xie Ci winning the first prize in the math competition quickly spread throughout the school, with some official media in the city giving it prominent coverage. In no time, Xie Ci’s glorious achievements from middle school were brought back to light.

The name “Xie Ci” made a strong comeback after two years of silence, reappearing in mainstream media with all positive and uplifting content.

On Friday afternoon, in Xiang Hai Bin’s office.

Xie Qian sat at the conference table, feeling a bit awkward and somewhat uneasy.

He had suddenly received a call from the homeroom teacher and hurried over, dropping everything he was doing.

Xiang Hai Bin poured hot water and placed it in front of Xie Qian, sitting down beside him, “I called you here today to talk about Xiao Xie’s studies.”

Upon hearing this, Xie Qian thought back to when Xie Ci had gone to KTV with his classmates not long ago, and how he had been living poorly at Ye Yu Rou’s house, neglecting his studies. He assumed that Xie Ci had been criticized at school and quickly said, “Teacher Xiang, I won’t force him to study. No matter how Xiao Ci’s grades are, I hope he can follow his heart and do what he likes.”

Xiang Hai Bin was taken aback, thinking he was just like Ye Yu Rou, saying he didn’t care but actually wanting to spoil the child.

However, after some conversation, Xiang Hai Bin realized that this unreliable dad genuinely thought that way.

“He’s just a high school student; how can he have any judgment? At this age, it’s easy to go astray. As a parent, you must steer and protect his life.”

Xie Qian’s expression was serious, his tone low and firm, “I’ve known what I like since I was young. I believe he knows too. Even if he goes astray, as long as he doesn’t do anything dangerous, I can support him for a lifetime.”

Xiang Hai Bin was left speechless.

He thought to himself that Xie Ci not growing up with this biological father might not be a bad thing.

A hundred percent indulgence and trust is a double-edged sword. In his view, there are times when strict discipline is necessary.

Xiang Hai Bin didn’t continue discussing parenting with him and got to the point, “Xiao Xie may not have told you, but he has been first in all his recent periodic tests and just won the provincial first prize in the math competition.”

This time, it was Xie Qian’s turn to be stunned, unable to process the information.

“I—I haven’t heard him mention it.”

“He’s not the type to boast about his good grades. I guess you didn’t know either,” Xiang Hai Bin continued. “His grades have been steadily improving, and he’s maintaining a good state, so I don’t want any negative factors interfering with his studies.”

Xie Qian picked up on the implication and asked in confusion, “Who is bothering him?”

Xiang Hai Bin recounted how Ye Yu Rou had come to the school multiple times and had been loitering at the school gate.

“These are adult matters that shouldn’t be faced by a child.”

The more Xie Qian listened, the darker his expression became. “Thank you for the reminder; I will handle it.”

After class, as soon as Xie Ci walked out of the classroom, he saw Xie Qian waiting for him at the end of the corridor.

“What are you doing here?” Xie Ci quickened his pace to greet him.

“Your homeroom teacher called me,” Xie Qian said as they walked downstairs, briefly summarizing the conversation. A rare smile appeared on his face, “Winning the first prize in the math competition isn’t easy; you’re much stronger than I was back then.”

This was the first time Xie Ci heard him mention his childhood, so he followed up with a question, “Did you participate in competitions in high school too?”

Xie Qian replied, “I participated in the math league and won third prize.”

As they walked and talked, students passing by frequently turned their heads.

Xie Ci had recently become a hot topic at school, and the sudden appearance of a handsome uncle attracted a lot of attention.

The uncle was about the same height as Xie Ci, with long hair and a beard. The resemblance between them was noticeable, leading many to guess that he might be Xie Ci’s father.

Zhang Ruo Chuan and a few others followed them toward the school gate, overhearing many discussions about Xie Qian along the way.

“I didn’t expect Xie Ci’s dad to be so artistic; I thought he would be more domineering.”

“Didn’t we hear before that his dad was a good-for-nothing street punk? He certainly doesn’t look like a typical office worker.”

“Who wears layered cloth shoes to work? That’s a bit shabby.”

“Maybe they sent Xie Ci to live with relatives because they couldn’t afford to raise him?”

At the school gate, after Fang Si Ze and Jiang Chen Yu said their goodbyes, they each got into their respective cars.

Xie Ci looked at Zhang Ruo Chuan, “You don’t have anyone to pick you up, right? I’ll give you a ride.”

Zhang Ruo Chuan waited with him by the roadside, watching as a familiar Maybach pulled up in front of them, his eyes widening in surprise.

So that car parked in the courtyard back then belonged to Old Xie, his dad?!

Xie Ci opened the back door and nodded at him, “Get in.”

Many students around were left dumbfounded.

A Maybach for pick-up?! What kind of family is this?!

“Didn’t they say Xie Ci’s family was poor?” a student whispered.

Another student suddenly realized, “That pair of worn-out cloth shoes must be the new style from the XX family! I knew it had a unique design! So trendy!”

Others looked over, “…”

You weren’t saying that just now.

Xie Qian had reserved a table at a high-end restaurant, insisting on celebrating Xie Ci.

On Sunday noon, the father and son arrived at the restaurant on time, guided by the waiter to a seat by the floor-to-ceiling window, from which they could see the iconic old clock tower in the distance.

Xie Ci felt a bit dazed.

On the day of his rebirth, he never imagined that one day he would sit down calmly with Xie Qian to have a meal, nor did he think he would never have the chance to see Gu Yu Feng again in this life.

Even if he encountered the young Gu Yu Feng, the regret remained. No one could replace that person, and perhaps it was precisely because he saw the young Gu Yu Feng that he missed the Gu Yu Feng who had accompanied him for five years even more.

This feeling, so close yet separated by two lifetimes, unable to touch or express, tormented him greatly.

Thinking about the speculations regarding Gu Yu Feng’s identity, Xie Ci took out his phone to light up the screen. Aside from group messages, there were no new notifications.

Across from him, Xie Qian watched Xie Ci’s table manners, calm and composed, growing more satisfied. Noticing him glancing at his phone from time to time, he asked, “Is there something urgent?”

Xie Ci put down his phone, turning the screen face down on the table, “Nothing.”

The message he sent to Gu Yu Feng last night still hadn’t received a reply by today, indicating that he was indeed very busy.

Xie Qian asked, “Is there anything you want?”

Xie Ci: “…”

Not this question again.

Just a few days ago, Gu Yu Feng had asked him the same thing.

That kid really might be treating him like a son.

Xie Ci thought about saying he didn’t want anything, but worried that this emotionally fragile old man would overthink it, so he casually mentioned the title of a book.

“What a coincidence.”

Hearing this, Xie Ci saw a man in a suit walking over; it was actually Xie Cheng from the Xie family.

Who was he greeting?

In the next moment, Xie Ci noticed Xie Qian’s hand on the table suddenly tighten, and his expression turned cold as he looked at Xie Cheng.

Xie Cheng’s gaze swept over Xie Ci before landing on Xie Qian, “It’s been a long time. How have you been? Why haven’t you replied to my messages?”

Xie Qian ignored him, picking up his coat and standing up. He said to Xie Ci, “Xiao Ci, let’s go.”

“You still like this restaurant so much.”

Xie Cheng blocked Xie Qian’s path, looking at Xie Ci, “Is this child your son? He’s all grown up; why have I never heard you mention him?”

“Are you done yet?!”

Upon hearing Xie Cheng mention Xie Ci, Xie Qian suddenly lost control of his emotions, grabbing Xie Cheng’s tie tightly, “I’ve given up everything; I have nothing to do with you! Why can’t you let go of me?! Do you want everyone to die together before you’re satisfied?!”

Not to mention Xie Cheng, even Xie Ci was startled and stood up to try to calm Xie Qian down.

“Dad, calm down.”

Xie Qian threw his coat aside, forcefully pushing Xie Cheng onto the dining table, shouting hysterically, “What do you want from me?! Just say it!”

Xie Cheng awkwardly sat down at the table, also a bit angry, “What are you going crazy for?! Let go of me!”

Dishes fell to the ground, making a loud noise.

The commotion attracted the attention of others in the restaurant, and the restaurant manager was about to step in but was stopped by Xie Cheng’s people.

Xie Qian’s expression was fierce, his tone sharp, “Don’t send me any more messages! Don’t show up in front of me again! How many times do I have to say it?!”

Xie Cheng held onto Xie Qian’s hand, his attitude equally firm, “Is it necessary to be like this?! How many years have passed, and you still can’t let go?!”

Xie Qian’s grip tightened further, “You, the perpetrator, have no right to ask me to let go!”

Noticing that Xie Qian’s hand was slightly trembling, Xie Ci knew he couldn’t let this go on any longer. He had just recovered from being sick, and now he was being triggered again.

“Dad!”

Xie Ci stepped in front of Xie Qian, “There’s no need to get angry over unrelated matters.”

“Unrelated, a passerby?”

Xie Cheng impatiently adjusted his crooked tie, staring coldly at Xie Qian, “Are we unrelated people?”

Xie Ci’s heart skipped a beat, and his expression darkened.

Xie Cheng didn’t say it outright due to the presence of outsiders, but he had basically guessed it.

Many things have traces to follow; perhaps at the time, it didn’t seem significant, but all the details connected would only lead to one result.

Xie Ci recalled when Gu Yu Feng said that Xie Jin Lin resembled him during the group matches, and his suspicions were further confirmed.

“Mr. Xie.”

Xie Ci stood in front of Xie Qian, looking calmly at Xie Cheng, “Please transfer the portion of assets that my dad deserves to his name before trying to build a relationship. Otherwise, all actions will be considered harassment, and I can report it to the police.”

Xie Cheng’s face darkened, “How can you speak to your elder like that?”

Xie Ci replied, “If you want to force the issue, I could also claim to be your ancestor. Why haven’t I seen you kneel and greet me?”

“You—!”

Xie Cheng was about to speak when Xie Ci interrupted him, “My dad dislikes you; can’t you tell? If you weren’t born with a bad character, you should restrain your words and actions and stop bothering him.”

After saying that, Xie Ci didn’t wait for Xie Cheng’s response, picked up the coat from the ground, and left with Xie Qian.

Xie Qian was emotionally unstable, and Xie Ci was worried about driving issues, so he hailed a taxi by the roadside.

They returned to the studio in silence. Xie Ci signaled Xiao Fang to accompany the agitated old man and went to the kitchen to brew coffee, placing it in front of him, “Feeling better?”

His memories of Xie Qian were few; most of the time, he was taciturn. Aside from that confrontation with Ye Yu Rou and her husband at the bustling place, this was the first time he saw this old man so emotionally charged.

“I’m sorry you had to see that kind of scene.”

Xie Qian absentmindedly patted Xiao Fang’s head, “Today was supposed to be a celebration for you, but I messed it up.”

“We ate, and the view was nice; you arranged everything well. As for encountering a mad dog—”

Xie Ci leaned back against the sofa, taking a sip of coffee, “If a beast insists on pouncing, can you predict it in advance? If you’re really angry, just kick it a few times; if you beat it up, it won’t dare to bark next time.”

Xie Qian looked up at him, hesitating to speak.

Xie Ci remained silent, waiting for him to say it himself.

After a long silence, Xie Qian finally said softly, “If he bothers you at school, remember to tell me, and also, don’t get close to him. Don’t believe anything he says.”

Xie Ci replied, “Okay.”

Xie Ci stayed with Xie Qian for the entire afternoon, only packing up to return to school after confirming that he was emotionally stable.

On the other side, Xie Cheng left the restaurant with a stern face. Once in the car, he calmed down, replaying the three encounters with Xie Ci in his mind, and some things gradually surfaced.

The Xie family would lose the technology park project, and his older brother Xie Qian’s paintings would lose their market value—all of it was related to this young man.

At just over ten years old, he could treat everyone as pawns, playing them at will.

Xie Cheng said to the secretary in the car, “Help me investigate that young man from earlier, and also look into Lei Qi Liang’s methods of securing the project. Find a chance to leak it to Gu Yong Nian.”

The secretary replied, “Understood.”

At four in the afternoon, Xie Ci returned to the dormitory.

It was still early; usually, Zhang Ruo Chuan and the others would time their return to school, heading straight to the classroom for evening self-study.

He thought there wouldn’t be anyone in the dormitory, but as soon as he opened the door, he saw his bed was bulging, clearly occupied by someone of considerable size.

Xie Ci placed his backpack on the desk and bent down to see half a face hidden under the blanket. It was indeed Gu Yu Feng.

“Why didn’t you say you were back? I could have picked you up on the weekend.”

The person on the bed was sleeping soundly, his skin flushed, and his forehead glistening with fine sweat. Xie Ci sensed something was off and reached out to check his forehead, which was burning hot.

“Old Gu?”

Xie Ci sat on the edge of the bed and patted Gu Yu Feng, but the sleeping person only fluttered his eyelashes slightly, not waking up.

Frowning, Xie Ci brushed aside the damp hair on his forehead and leaned closer, tentatively calling out, “Yu Feng?”

The person on the bed blinked, as if using all his strength to open his eyes, looking around without focus for a moment before finally spotting Xie Ci.

“Xie Ci?” Gu Yu Feng’s voice was hoarse and heavy with sleep.

“You’re running a fever—”

Before Xie Ci could finish, the person on the bed suddenly hugged him, burying his face in Xie Ci’s shoulder, his arms tightening around him.

A sudden wave of heartache hit Xie Ci, a prickling pain coursing through his fingertips.

“My head hurts…” Gu Yu Feng mumbled against his neck, his voice muffled.

The person in his arms was as hot as a furnace, and Xie Ci couldn’t help but think back to that night in his past life when this person was just as hot, burning with fever yet still recklessly tormenting him, gripping his neck with a desperate intensity as if wanting to perish together.

Even when being affectionate, he was so fierce; it was rare for him to nestle obediently in Xie Ci’s embrace like this.

The warmth against his neck was astonishingly intense. Xie Ci’s fingers twitched slightly, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around him.

“Have you taken any medicine?”

Gu Yu Feng, still pressed against his neck, half-asleep, replied weakly, “I took some.”

Xie Ci doubted the truth of that statement, scanning the bedside and desk but finding no medicine. He asked softly, “Where did you take the medicine? How did you come back to the dorm alone?”

After he spoke, Xie Ci felt the person in his arms stiffen, raising his head to stare at him, as if confirming something.

After a brief moment of eye contact, Gu Yu Feng’s gaze dropped, unable to hide his disappointment. He pushed Xie Ci away and lay back down, seemingly avoiding the inappropriate action from earlier, covering his eyes with his hand and turning to face the inner side of the bed.

Xie Ci realized too late that he had mentioned “dormitory,” which had snapped this kid back to reality.

“Since I have evening self-study, I just came directly to school.”

Gu Yu Feng lowered his hand, his expression returning to normal, “This time, I really didn’t have the energy to climb up.”

Xie Ci observed the change in him, pretending to be nonchalant as he asked, “You’ve only been back for a few days; how did you end up like this?”

Gu Yu Feng rubbed his temples irritably, “I haven’t slept much these past few days.”

Seeing the fatigue on his face, Xie Ci decided not to press further. He filled a basin with cold water to help wipe away the sweat, changed the water, wrung out a towel, and placed it on Gu Yu Feng’s forehead. He then went to a nearby store to buy fever-reducing medicine, cooling patches, and light rice porridge.

Gu Yu Feng had no appetite at all.

“If you won’t eat from a spoon, do you want me to feed you with my mouth?” Xie Ci pulled back the spoon he had brought to Gu Yu Feng’s lips, pretending to eat it himself.

“Fine! I’ll eat!”

Gu Yu Feng struggled to sit up, cursing, “I’ve never seen someone more shameless than a rogue; I’m really impressed.”

Xie Ci looked at his pitiful state, finding it both adorable and funny.

“Your self-assessment is quite accurate.”

“Unlike some people who say they don’t like humans, yet they easily get hooked.”

Gu Yu Feng took the rice porridge and forced himself to eat a few bites, finding it not bad. He finished most of the bowl before handing it back to Xie Ci.

Xie Ci wiped the porridge off the corner of his mouth, licking it off in front of Gu Yu Feng’s glaring eyes.

By the time Gu Yu Feng grabbed his wrist, it was too late. He cursed under his breath, “What are you doing?!”

“Not liking humans is just a line to avoid confessing; do you really believe that?”

Xie Ci leaned closer, “Actually, I’m the most easily swayed person. Yet, despite warning you so many times, you still didn’t listen. Now, how do you plan to wrap this up?”

Gu Yu Feng looked incredulous, “Wrap what up?”

Xie Ci replied, “You hooked me in and just left me hanging?”

Gu Yu Feng laughed in anger, gripping Xie Ci’s chin as a warning, “I don’t fall for that; get away, I want to sleep.”

Xie Ci reminded him, “You’re lying on my bed right now.”

Gu Yu Feng replied, “You’ve already lent it to me.”

Considering his condition, Xie Ci didn’t continue to tease him. He got up to pour a glass of warm water and handed it to him along with the medicine.

Gu Yu Feng grimaced as he took the medicine, leaning back down with his hand on his forehead.

When Xie Ci went out to throw away the trash, he heard the person behind him muttering, “So infuriating,” and couldn’t help but chuckle.

When he returned, the person on the bed was already asleep, looking genuinely exhausted.

Xie Ci quietly pulled a chair to the bedside, spreading a physics textbook across his lap, but he couldn’t turn a single page for a long time, all his attention focused on the sleeping figure.

The instinctive reaction couldn’t be faked; when he realized Gu Yu Feng’s identity was off, the disappointment on Gu Yu Feng’s face was impossible to hide.

If before it was just a suspicion, now he could be a hundred percent sure.

Gu Yu Feng, you really have come back.