The school is close to home, so he usually goes back to eat, but today, even if he goes back, there probably won’t be any food.

Originally planning to head home, Jiang Chenyu turned back upon hearing this: “Then I’ll go too.”

Zhang Ruochuan said, “Isn’t your family driver already waiting for you at the school gate?”

“If you all go and I go home alone, it makes me look like I don’t fit in.”

Jiang Chenyu put his arm around Xie Ci’s shoulder, “It’s the first day of school, I’m happy, and I’ll treat everyone to lunch.”

Zhang Ruochuan turned around and waved to Fang Sizhe: “Hurry up, Jiang is treating us to lunch, we can finally eat meat!”

Fang Sizhe was organizing his study materials and quickly got up: “Coming!”

In the end, eight people went, and they all swiped Jiang Chenyu’s meal card.

There were just too many people, and while they were in line, they got separated. Fang Sizhe ended up at the back, while the others found seats and sat down, and he had just gotten his food.

“Don’t worry about the soup, we already got it for you!” Jiang Chenyu stood up and waved to Fang Sizhe.

Fang Sizhe was about to go over when two boys from his class came up from behind, inviting him to eat with them.

“No thanks, I’m with Lao Xie and the others.” Fang Sizhe politely declined.

The boy named Yang He, with a buzz cut, immediately looked unhappy: “Why are you still hanging out with Xie Ci? That kind of person can easily become a social failure if you’re not careful. If your parents find out you’re hanging out with him, they’ll definitely be unhappy.”

Fang Sizhe had already taken a step forward, but upon hearing this, he stopped and turned to look at Yang He.

His dad and Yang He’s dad were colleagues, and they often gathered for activities, so because of their parents’ relationship, he and Yang He were somewhat familiar with each other.

Another boy named Xu Chao chimed in: “Yeah, class monitor, he’s not like us. He’s already given up on everything. If you get too close to him, it will affect you.”

Fang Sizhe felt a bit helpless: “Why do you guys have such a strong dislike for our classmates? We spend more time in the same classroom than with our parents. Don’t you think we should understand each other’s character by now?”

“But he often gets into fights. Who in our class is like him?”

Yang He was even more annoyed to hear Fang Sizhe defend Xie Ci. “We’re in the experimental class, the best students in the whole senior year are in our class. People like Xie Ci should be transferred to a sports school to have fun. Staying here is just a destabilizing factor that affects others’ studies!”

“Yang He, don’t casually criticize others.”

Fang Sizhe adjusted his glasses, his expression serious. “If you can’t stand him, just keep your distance. There are so many people in this world; you don’t have to be friends with everyone.”

Yang He shot back, “So you can stand him?”

Fang Sizhe replied, “I can, I find him quite comfortable.”

Yang He: “……”

Damn.

Not far away, Zhang Ruochuan and the others were watching the scene unfold with interest.

“I bet the topic is definitely about Lao Xie,” Zhang Ruochuan said, munching on a rib, looking all gossip-y.

Jiang Chenyu, with his mouth full of oil, added, “Old Fang is really tired of it. Why do people always go to him to stir up trouble?”

“Because Aze is a big shot.”

A girl with a high ponytail and a tall figure came over with a plate and sat down next to Jiang Chenyu. “They just can’t stand seeing the people they admire mixing with those they dislike.”

Xie Ci glanced up and vaguely remembered the girl was from the cheerleading squad. They would often see each other during basketball games, so they had some interaction.

Jiang Chenyu looked at her: “Weiwei, even you know?”

Wang Wei poured a spoonful of chili into her rice: “I know all too well. My family lives two doors down from Aze’s, and our parents are quite familiar. I often see Yang He’s group talking bad about Xie Ci at gatherings.”

Jiang Chenyu thought for a moment and pretended to be delicate, saying, “Is it that kind of ‘Why can he be friends with that kind of person but not with me? Hmph!’?”

Wang Wei rolled her eyes at him: “Very vivid, old sister.”

This made everyone at the table laugh.

Xie Ci listened to their casual chatter in a good mood, reminiscing about his high school life.

This was different from eating with subordinates; he didn’t have to think about any interests involved and could completely relax, immersing himself in the conversation.

“What are you all so happy about?” Fang Sizhe came over and sat down next to Zhang Ruochuan.

The group tacitly changed the topic, and Wang Wei started a new conversation: “The basketball league is just over a month away. How are you all preparing?”

“Do I even need to say?”

Fang Sizhe nodded towards Xie Ci, “With Lao Xie as our anchor, we can’t lose.”

Wang Wei replied, “But you can’t rely too much on him. The teams from the sports school are very strong and are our competitors for the championship. If you guys don’t perform well, even Xie Ci won’t be able to win.”

“Don’t worry,” Zhang Ruochuan chimed in, “We won’t hold Lao Xie back.”

Wang Wei looked at Xie Ci: “Xie team, are you okay?”

Xie Ci leisurely finished his food: “There might… be a bit of a problem.”

Although he had been keeping up with his exercise, he hadn’t played basketball in a long time.

Wang Wei: “……?!”

Fang Sizhe and the others: “……?!”

Zhang Ruochuan: “What problem? Don’t scare me.”

Xie Ci picked up his soup bowl and took a sip: “We’ll take it one step at a time.”

The whole table: “……”

Don’t say it so lightly!

After finishing their meal, Wang Wei went to find her classmates, leaving a group of boys discussing going to the old street behind the school for street food.

As high school boys who couldn’t wake up without food, the cafeteria’s portions were simply not enough for them. Plus, after being cooped up at home during the summer vacation, they couldn’t help but salivate at the thought of street food.

Zhang Ruochuan occasionally glanced at Xie Ci, tentatively asking, “Lao Xie, do you want to join us?”

Unexpectedly, Xie Ci readily agreed, which surprised Zhang Ruochuan.

Xie Ci had never participated in such activities before.

Fifteen minutes later, Xie Ci was squatting by the roadside with a box of octopus balls, chatting and eating with Zhang Ruochuan and the others.

At a height of 1.9 meters, squatting down made him look quite impressive.

Many students passing by couldn’t help but glance over.

It was just too rare.

Xie Ci was appearing on the old street, and he wasn’t fighting!

Squatting by the roadside, while others looked like labor camp inmates, he still looked so handsome.

Besides Xie Ci, four main players from the school basketball team were gathered, creating a stunning sight.

“They say being handsome is a feeling, and I think I kind of understand it now,” Jiang Chenyu said, looking at Xie Ci thoughtfully.

“The rate of people turning their heads is just too high.”

Zhang Ruochuan leaned closer to Xie Ci and whispered, “Lao Xie, how about we find a place with seats?”

Xie Ci didn’t care about the onlookers: “Don’t you usually eat like this?”

Zhang Ruochuan replied, “Yeah, street food is best eaten while squatting; that’s the vibe.”

“Then let’s squat,” Xie Ci said casually.

The early autumn weather was a bit hot under the sun, but the breeze was cool, carrying a fresh floral scent. At that moment, Xie Ci felt an unprecedented sense of relaxation.

In his previous life, he had desperately expanded his business empire, like a fast train racing ahead, leaving others far behind, with no time to appreciate the scenery along the way.

The train’s destination wasn’t poetry or distant lands, but a dead silence of thick fog and an unfathomable cliff.

By the time he wanted to stop, it was already too late; he couldn’t turn back and could only watch himself rush toward a dead end.

Gu Yufeng wasn’t wrong; he had indeed been too self-centered, focusing only on himself and completely ignoring the people around him.

Today, whether it was Jiang Chenyu treating everyone, Fang Sizhe defending him, or the group going for street food, they were all accommodating him in an unspoken way, helping him, but he had never noticed before.

Since he had been given a second chance, it was time to slow down.

Even a gentle breeze should be savored.

In a parked Land Rover, Gu Yufeng sat in the back seat, a notebook on his lap, handling work documents sent by his mom.

Roberson pulled out a small notebook to report: “I found out that Chen Zhanpeng and the troublemakers from the sports school are meeting at an internet café near the old street this afternoon.”

Gu Yufeng’s long fingers tapped on the keyboard without looking up: “Give him a lesson; people like that won’t learn unless they get hit.”

Roberson sincerely asked, “To what extent? Break a leg or drown him?”

“……” Gu Yufeng looked up, giving him a look as if he were an idiot, “This is in the country; what you’re suggesting is illegal.”

Roberson replied, “I don’t know what kind of beating isn’t illegal.”

Gu Yufeng said, “Go find my mom and settle your salary.”

Roberson: “…… Don’t worry, I’ll handle it and make sure you’re satisfied.”

Just as Gu Yufeng was about to continue working, he caught sight of a group of boys diagonally across the street and couldn’t help but look again.

Roberson, still shaken by the fear of unemployment, noticed his boss’s face darken, looking like he wanted to break the law.

“Squatting by the roadside eating junk food, no wonder they’re malnourished.”

Gu Yufeng waved Roberson away and got out of the car, walking toward them.

Xie Ci was chatting with his teammates about the basketball league when suddenly, a person appeared in front of him.

“Is this what you’re eating for lunch?” Gu Yufeng stared at the half-eaten octopus ball in Xie Ci’s hand, trying to control his temper, but his tone still revealed his displeasure.

Seeing it was Gu Yufeng, Xie Ci’s gaze drifted past him to the Land Rover nearby with its door still open, then he calmly looked back.

“Have you eaten?”

Gu Yufeng replied, “No.”

Xie Ci offered the box: “Want some?”

Gu Yufeng: “……”

Moments later, Gu Yufeng was squatting next to Xie Ci, eating the cold noodles Jiang Chenyu had just bought: “Is it better to squat like this?”

Xie Ci replied, “Cold noodles can only be eaten while squatting.”

Gu Yufeng said, “What kind of culture is this? I can’t understand.”

Xie Ci replied, “No need to understand; just get used to it.”

The others turned around, stifling their laughter. Jiang Chenyu almost shot noodles out of his nose, his shoulders shaking violently as he dared not make a sound, fearing Gu Yufeng would notice.

Although Lao Xie was being a bit dishonest, it seemed quite fun to tease Lao Gu, the little foreigner.

The last class of the afternoon was math, and Xie Ci noticed Gu Yufeng finally put away the foreign book he had been reading all day and started to listen to the class properly.

After basketball practice, Xie Ci returned home, only to find his aunt unusually prepared a feast, and the three of them were waiting for him to eat.

“Why are you sweating so much? Go take a shower and come down for dinner,” Ye Yuru said, trying to take Xie Ci’s backpack, but he dodged her.

In the dining room, Ye Yuru served Xie Ci a bowl of yam and pork rib soup: “Didn’t you say you wanted to live at school? I thought about it carefully; in senior year, you really need a space to study without disturbances. But I can’t rest easy letting you live at school, so I had your uncle find a place.”

Xie Ci asked, “A place?”

Chen Xinhong chimed in: “The school dorms have five or six students in one room; you definitely won’t be able to adapt. This place is a single room with a private bathroom. I went to see it; it’s quite clean.”

Ye Yuru added, “The house is in Meihua Community, very close. You can still come home for lunch and dinner, just like now.”

Meihua Community.

The houses there have been built for at least fifty years, poorly maintained, and now less than one-tenth of the residents remain, looking as dilapidated as a haunted house.

Xie Ci lightly put down his bowl and chopsticks: “Isn’t that bad?”

Chen Xinhong’s expression changed: “Are you not satisfied with the house?”

Xie Ci slowly replied, “Three people living in a single room is too cramped. Zhanpeng is already so big; we can’t let him share a bed with you.”

Chen Zhanpeng was taken aback.

Ye Yuru also didn’t react at first, but suddenly Chen Zhanpeng slammed his chopsticks down and stood up: “Are you saying we should move out? Are you out of your mind?!”

Xie Ci replied, “This is my dad’s house. If anyone moves, it will definitely be you guys. Am I supposed to move?”

Now even Chen Zhanpeng was dumbfounded.

“What nonsense are you talking?!” Chen Xinhong, realizing what was happening, shouted angrily and raised his hand to swing at Xie Ci’s face, but Xie Ci caught his wrist and slammed it down on the dining table, immobilizing him.

The dishes rattled, and soy sauce spilled everywhere.

Xie Ci looked at the old man, his face showing no emotion: “Whose house it is, just take out the property deed and you’ll know.”

“Dad!” Chen Zhanpeng rushed to the screaming Chen Xinhong’s side, “Let go of my dad!”

Ye Yuru quickly tried to mediate: “Everyone calm down and talk nicely! Honey, how can you hit Xiao Ci?!”

Xie Ci couldn’t be bothered with this drama, ignoring Chen Xinhong’s struggles, and coldly said, “I plan to live at school from now on. A house this big can’t just sit empty without anyone taking care of it. Even if I come home, I need someone to cook for me. But if you insist on moving out, I will respect your choice. Do you understand?”

“Do you think of us as servants?!” Chen Zhanpeng shouted angrily.

“Shut up!”

Ye Yuru scolded, her gaze flickering. After a moment of silence, she said to Xie Ci, “Okay, I agree to you living at school. Don’t hold a grudge against your uncle; he didn’t mean it.”

“I don’t need your permission for anything I do.”

Xie Ci released Chen Xinhong’s wrist and stood up, “My parents are just divorced, not dead. The role of a parent isn’t for you to take on.”

Ye Yuru’s face instantly turned extremely ugly.

Xie Ci ignored them and went upstairs to his room.

At eight in the evening, he was sitting at his desk flipping through his old physics textbook when suddenly, a vibration came from the drawer.

Xie Ci opened the drawer and found an old flip phone.

This was given to him by the boss at his part-time job, so they could stay in touch.

The screen displayed Fang Sizhe’s name, and Xie Ci pressed the answer button.

“Lao Fang?”

“Lao Xie, something happened! Chen Zhanpeng and the troublemakers from the sports school got into a brawl and broke a leg. The police found two knives in one of the students’ bags, and now they’re all being taken away!”

Xie Ci was slightly taken aback.

How similar history is; the only difference is that this time, he wasn’t involved.