The newspaper article started by detailing how the three siblings met.

The three of them had met at the internet addiction school. Unable to endure the beatings and abuse, they had gone through immense hardship to escape.

After getting out, they each returned home. It was then that Xu Shuhao’s grandmother fell on a rainy day and was discovered sometime later, having already passed away from a brain hemorrhage.

With no more ties, Ah Hao was free. Zhou Bingrong and Zeng Xiaoyi had seen too many students repeatedly sent back to the school. They harbored extreme distrust towards their parents. In their eyes, parents were on the same side as the principal and instructors of the internet addiction school.

The three of them put their heads together and secretly boarded a boat to Hong Kong.

Life in Hong Kong wasn’t easy. Having smuggled themselves in, the three had no education or skills. Plus, they were young. Easy jobs were out of the question, so they could only find work that was both hard and exhausting.

The three supported each other as they navigated life in the unfamiliar Hong Kong. To pay for Zeng Xiaoyi’s medical treatment, Xu Shuhao and Zhou Bingrong joined a triad and became “gangsters,” earning a living through fighting and violence. Once she recovered, Zeng Xiaoyi also joined them.

Because Xu Shuhao was ruthless, Zhou Bingrong was clever, and Zeng Xiaoyi was beautiful, the three of them climbed up the ranks from the very bottom. Their endeavors became increasingly successful, and their positions within the triad rose higher and higher.

The glamorous life in Hong Kong made the three siblings realize the importance of money. To acquire more wealth, the financially savvy Zhou Bingrong proposed starting a trading company, which they named Yihaorong.

They sold goods from Hong Kong to the mainland at high prices and vice versa, maximizing the price difference to make a profit. To earn even more money, they ventured into smuggling. They even started doing business overseas.

By chance, they encountered former classmates from the internet addiction school. They learned what had happened after they had escaped and even found out about their parents’ frantic search for them after they left.

However, the three of them remained unmoved. Years of struggling in society had long worn away any expectations they had for family affection. They harbored nothing but hatred for their parents.

They always felt that the internet addiction school was a turning point in their lives, that it had changed their entire existence. Because of their childhood experiences, even after entering society and becoming wealthy, they were unwilling to start families or have children.

In the year that Zhou Bingrong, the youngest of the three, turned thirty-one, the Yihaorong Company was investigated. The once influential corporation, both in Hong Kong and the mainland, collapsed overnight.

Due to the massive scale of their smuggling operations, the three were not only fined but as the company’s bosses, they were each sentenced to fifteen years in prison.

However, after their arrest, the good deeds they had done were also brought to light.

They had been consistently funding the education of children in mountainous areas for years. The employees of the Yihaorong Group were mostly students from various “problem youth schools” and people with disabilities.

They had also established youth psychological counseling centers across the country, catering to children aged 12 to 18. For just the price of a cup of milk tea, they could receive professional psychological guidance.

Furthermore, whenever disaster struck, they were always the first to donate money and supplies. Ah Hao, Zhou Bingrong, and Zeng Xiaoyi had even personally gone to disaster areas to participate in relief efforts.

Overall, the Yihaorong Group was a very contradictory enterprise. They started in the underworld and engaged in smuggling, but their employees were people whom normal companies in society would not hire. Not to mention their decade-long commitment to funding children in mountainous areas and the unprofitable youth psychological counseling centers.

Their disaster relief donations also far exceeded those of other companies.

It was precisely because of these contradictions that the moment the news broke, it sparked heated debates online. Some people felt that because they had done so many good deeds, a fine would suffice, and imprisonment was too harsh.

Others argued that the law was the law and could not be trampled upon. No matter how much charity they had done, they had committed crimes, and there was no way to excuse that. At most, their charitable acts could be taken into consideration during sentencing.

Because their case was so controversial, they were covered and interviewed by countless media outlets. The central media even made a documentary about them.

In the documentary, someone asked Zeng Xiaoyi if she regretted getting involved in the smuggling business with Xu Shuhao and Zhou Bingrong. After all, after their imprisonment, the two men had unanimously taken all the blame upon themselves, attempting to downplay Zeng Xiaoyi’s role in the company.

However, Zeng Xiaoyi presented evidence of her involvement in the smuggling case, and as a result, she was sentenced to fifteen years as well.

The woman, who was still strikingly beautiful even without makeup after being imprisoned, smiled when she heard the reporter’s question. In that instant, it was as if peonies in May were blooming before her eyes. She said, “When I was seventeen, I experienced the darkest time of my life in the internet addiction school. At that time, Ah Hao and Ah Rong pulled me out. From the moment they lifted me out of that hell, I decided to follow them and do anything.”

Countless literary works were created based on their story, and their deeds were made into a movie.

At the end of the newspaper article was one of the few group photos of the three of them. In the photo, the three were very young, looking naive and bewildered, their expressions stiff and unnatural as they faced the camera.

Lin Shuyue released the newspaper in her hand, and it dissolved into specks of starlight that scattered throughout the room.

Lin Shuyue’s heart felt heavy as if a large, immovable stone was lodged in her chest.

She never would have imagined that Ah Hao and Zhou Bingrong would have gone down this path, and Zeng Xiaoyi too. She was the girl Lin Shuyue remembered most vividly from the internet addiction school. Even in that hellish place, she insisted on taking care of herself and keeping herself neat and tidy.

Lou Fengqin called Lin Shuyue for breakfast, and Lin Shuyue washed her face before going out. After eating, she went to work. As soon as she entered the newspaper office, Li Mingfang approached her, holding a newspaper in her hand.

“Shuyue, this is the content of today’s Pengcheng Entertainment News. Someone is taking indirect shots at you again.”

“Let me see what these maggots are saying now.” Lin Shuyue’s reply made Li Mingfang burst into laughter.

She thought Lin Shuyue’s description was perfect. Weren’t these people who were defending internet addiction schools just like maggots in a toilet?

“Look, I’m going to be busy. The advertising department is in talks for a milk powder advertisement, and they need us to come up with an advertising plan. It’s been crazy busy these past few days.”

“Okay, go ahead. Let’s go out for coffee together after lunch.”

“OK OK.”

After Li Mingfang left, Lin Shuyue picked up the newspaper she had brought. Her eyes immediately fell on the bold, square-shaped characters: 《Should Problem Youths Be Sent for Rehabilitation?》

In the article, the author used subtle and indirect language to convey his viewpoint. He argued that the current education system was too lenient, which was why the problems of these problem youths were difficult to manage.

He also said that while internet addiction schools might employ some radical methods, their intentions were good. Their teaching methods were effective, and students who graduated from internet addiction schools were indeed much more well-behaved. He even subtly criticized Lin Shuyue for exposing these schools, claiming that she was depriving children of a path to improvement.

Lin Shuyue was infuriated by his idiotic remarks. Even though the government had already introduced policies to rectify these schools, there would still be idiots defending them.

Especially one sentence in the report: “Children are like blank sheets of paper. Because there are too many temptations they encounter during their growth, various problems arise. These include rebellion and running away, difficulty communicating with parents and teachers, introverted personalities, low self-esteem, social withdrawal, reluctance to study, being overly playful, early romance, extravagant spending, and so on.”

“As parents and elders, we should help them navigate every step of the way. For these bad habits, it is only natural for parents to seek external help to correct them.”

This sentence made Lin Shuyue so angry she felt like her soul was leaving her body.

Thinking of Ah Hao’s parents and Zhou Bingrong’s parents, Lin Shuyue recalled something the writer Kotaro Isaka had said: “The thought that one doesn’t need to pass an exam to become a parent is truly terrifying.”

Opening a new document, she began to edit the article with the title:《What If Parents Had to Take an Exam? How Many Would Pass?》

In this report, Lin Shuyue compiled the stories of the parents who had sent her letters, presenting their actions in the article. She sent it to Wang Mingzheng, who, upon receiving it, immediately placed the report on the front page of today’s noon entertainment news.

After receiving confirmation, Lin Shuyue washed her hands of it. She knew that her report would definitely hit a lot of unqualified parents where it hurt, but so what? She was fearless.

And she no longer planned to reply to these reports.

After all, in her previous life, the highest level of provocation was to state your opinion, attract a bunch of trolls, and then disappear without responding.

After work, Lin Shuyue and Li Mingfang ate in the cafeteria and then went out to buy a cup of coffee. When they returned, she saw familiar figures downstairs again.

Ah Hao, Zhou Bingrong, and a girl with her back to her were standing at the entrance.

Lin Shuyue told Li Mingfang and walked towards them.

“Ah Hao, Ah Rong,” Lin Shuyue called out softly.

The two boys straightened up, and the girl who had been facing away from Lin Shuyue turned around.

Lin Shuyue had just seen this face this morning, on that newspaper from the future.

“Sister Yue,” Ah Hao and Zhou Bingrong called out to Lin Shuyue in unison.

Ah Hao stepped forward first. “Sister Yue, this is Zeng Xiaoyi. She also came from that place. We have many other friends who came out of that school. After they found out you’re my friend, they insisted we represent them to thank you.”

The news about internet addiction schools was the hottest topic lately, discussed by almost everyone on the streets. Zhou Bingrong and the other students from those schools had also learned the true identity of the cafeteria auntie who had led their resistance against the principal and instructors.

Zeng Xiaoyi and Zhou Bingrong were chosen by their group of students as representatives to thank Lin Shuyue.

At this moment, Zeng Xiaoyi was just like in the photo, youthful and beautiful. The look in her eyes as she gazed at Lin Shuyue was grateful and shy. Her voice was sweet and soft as she thanked Lin Shuyue.

Lin Shuyue smiled at her and said she didn’t need to thank her, then said to them, “It’s hot today. Let me treat you to some sweet soup.”

“Okay, okay!”

There was a sweet soup shop near Dingsheng Building. The four of them walked into the shop. Menus were placed under the glass of each table. When the waiter came over to take their order, Lin Shuyue ordered a double-skin milk custard. Ah Hao and Zhou Bingrong both ordered green bean smoothies. Zeng Xiaoyi looked at the menu for a long time before ordering a sugarcane juice.

It was the cheapest item on the menu.

Seeing this, Lin Shuyue added another double-skin milk custard to the order.

After they ordered, the sweet soups were served quickly. Lin Shuyue picked up a cup of double-skin milk custard and placed it in front of Zeng Xiaoyi. “This is delicious.”

Zeng Xiaoyi looked at the double-skin milk custard in front of her. The pure white milk skin was covered with various toppings. The soft, sandy red beans looked sweet at a glance, and the preserved fruits and nuts looked fragrant and crispy. Her eyes slowly turned red.

Her family was wealthy. Her father rented two stalls in the commercial street next door, and people from all over the country came to buy goods every day. She had heard her parents say that their shop’s daily turnover, even in the off-season, was one or two thousand yuan.

However, having so much money at home had nothing to do with Zeng Xiaoyi.

A double-skin milk custard like the one in front of her was something her younger brother could eat whenever he wanted. He could even take a bite and throw the rest away. She, on the other hand, could only afford to step into a sweet soup shop and buy one to taste once in a while after saving up enough money.

The reason for this was that she was a girl, and she was naturally unloved. Her father often said that if she hadn’t been their first child, and needed to grow up to take care of her younger siblings, she would have been abandoned long ago.

From the time she could remember, she had to be sensible. Starting at the age of six, she had to stand on a stool to do household chores. By the time she was seven, she had to take care of her younger brother and sister. If they cried or made a fuss, it was always her fault for not comforting them properly, and she would be scolded.

Last month, when she returned home from school, she heard her father say that they weren’t planning on sending her to university. Once she finished junior high and got her graduation certificate, they would just find someone for her to marry.

Zeng Xiaoyi had been listening to these words for over ten years. She didn’t ask for much: to be full, not to be scolded, and to go to school properly. However, only her wish to be full had been consistently fulfilled since she was a child.

Going to school properly was also a luxury for her. Not being scolded was even more out of reach. She was scolded three times a day, more regularly than she ate.

That day, she stood up for the first time to argue with her parents. It was also on that day that her parents beat her together. Before she could even react, she was sent to the internet addiction school.

This was because her father had heard that they always had computer classes. He thought that all the kids nowadays had internet addiction, and her talking back to them must have been because she had learned bad things online.

After coming out of the internet addiction school, the beatings and scolding she received became even harsher. Her father no longer planned to let her go to school and wanted to marry her off.

Zeng Xiaoyi didn’t want to get married, so she ran away.

Lin Shuyue listened to Ah Hao and Zhou Bingrong exchanging jokes and then asked Zeng Xiaoyi, who was savoring the double-skin milk custard bite by bite with a reverent expression, “Xiaoyi, what are your plans for the future?”

Zeng Xiaoyi immediately put down the spoon in her hand and answered properly. This was a rule they had learned in the internet addiction school and also a habit Zeng Xiaoyi had developed since childhood.

She said, “I want to find a job first to earn some money. Once I’ve saved enough, I’ll go back to school. We’ve been looking for jobs these past few days.”

Zeng Xiaoyi really wanted to study, but she didn’t have any money. She had already decided that her main priority now was to earn money. Once she had enough, she would pursue her dream.

Lin Shuyue nodded and pondered for a long time.

She said she was going to the restroom and then called Lin Shuxi

ng.

Last night during dinner, Lin Shuxing had mentioned that their business was getting better and better, and they were so busy they couldn’t keep up. They were planning to hire someone to wash and cut vegetables and help pack lunch boxes.

Lou Fengqin had returned now, but the help she could provide was limited. For more than ten years, she has been working on construction sites. She had just arrived home and had already been called away again.

“Big sister, have you hired someone to wash and cut vegetables yet? I have a girl here I can introduce to you…”