Chapter 21.1

Here’s how it all happened. After Lu Nong entered the school, Pei Zheng followed her in, along with Han Lu and a few others who trailed behind him.

The group of them hid behind a building outside the school, but once they entered, they were directly exposed to the glaring sun, making them quite noticeable.

Additionally, they were suspiciously following someone, which aroused the curiosity of the passing security guard. He wondered how there could still be such brazen troublemakers.

He suspected that Pei Zheng, who was holding the child and acting stealthily in front of him, was a human trafficker who stole the child.

He also thought that Han Lu and the others, who were following Pei Zheng sneakily, were delinquents working with the trafficker to cause trouble at the school.

However, before the security guard could approach and ask them any questions, the supposed traffickers and delinquents ended up fighting each other. Surprisingly, Pei Zheng, while holding the child, managed to hold his own against the group of delinquents.

Seeing this, the security guard quickly went back to get another guard, who had military experience, to help break up the fight and apprehend both groups.

After hearing the full story, Lu Nong felt utterly embarrassed. She really wanted to say she didn’t know any of them—not even the one who had run off to chase a dog.

Yes… the little puppy had been running wild in the room and passed by Gu Xiaohuai, Gu Xiaohuai, who had been hugging his mother’s thigh for a short while, immediately let go and chased after the dog.

If only time could be reversed, she would never have agreed to follow the security guard to the security office.

Lu Nong struggled to explain, “What he said is true. His name is Pei Zheng, and I’m his stepmother, Lu Nong. This child is indeed my son, Gu Huai. Here’s our household registration, you can take a look.”

Fortunately, she had brought the household registration with her today. Otherwise, she didn’t know how long this would go on.

The security guard took the household registration and, upon checking, found that everything matched. The family was indeed listed together, with the head of the household being Pei Ji’an, a soldier. The guard thought, no wonder that Pei Zheng kid had military-style skills—his father had clearly taught him well.

Having been a soldier himself and having a natural fondness for military families, the guard closed the household registration and gave Lu Nong a salute.

Lu Nong quickly took the registration with both hands.

“Can I take them with me now?” she asked.

“Of course,” the guard replied, turning to call out, “Pei Zheng, you can go with your stepmother now.”

Pei Zheng, looking somewhat dazed, stood up. Being over six feet tall, he was quite imposing. As he stepped forward to leave, he found himself unable to move. Looking down, he saw Han Lu tugging at his pants, trying to hold him back.

Pei Zheng: “…”

“……You can’t leave! What are we supposed to do if you leave?”

Although it is embarrassing to ask for help from your mortal enemy, waiting here for the old man’s guards to come and take him away is not something that can be resolved by embarrassment. You have to know that the old man’s belt never has eyes.

“……”

Pei Zheng really wanted to kick Han Lu away. Why did it matter to him? A bunch of psychopaths followed him for no reason, causing him to fail to accomplish his task and also making him lose face in front of his stepmother. He didn’t know how to face his stepmother in the future. Pei Zheng swung his legs and said, “Get lost.”

“I won’t,” Han Lu insisted, refusing to let go. “Unless you tell them that we know each other and this was all a misunderstanding, just say we were joking and let us go.”

Song Yang and the others, who were squatting on the ground, eagerly nodded along.

Pei Zheng took a deep breath and called out to the security guard, “Comrade, I have something to tell you…”

Han Lu and the others heaved a sigh of relief when they saw this, but before they could feel happy for a second, they heard Pei Zheng say:

“I don’t know these people. I got followed for no reason, and that’s why we ended up fighting. Please make sure to investigate their identities and don’t let any bad people go.”

Pei Zheng quickly finished speaking without a stutter and even emphasized the words “investigate their identities” with a little extra emphasis. Then, with a swift move, he slipped out of the circle, distancing himself from Han Lu and the others.

“!? Pei Zheng!!” Han Lu stared at him in disbelief and gritted his teeth, saying, “You little rat, I’ll never forgive you!”

Pei Zheng rolled his eyes, “Did we ever agree on anything?”

Han Lu was momentarily at a loss for words, which only fueled his anger.

Pei Zheng ignored him and walked over to Gu Xiaohuai, scooping him up. “You little ungrateful brat, your brother got caught, and you’re still chasing after dogs. I’m going to spank you!”

“Guo Guo, dog…” Gu Xiaohuai pointed at the little dog wagging its tail on the ground to show Pei Zheng.

Pei Zheng pinched his little face, “You’re just a dog. I’ve loved you for nothing.”

In fact, Gu Xiaohuai wasn’t without Pei Zheng’s support. Before the little puppy showed up, he had been clinging to his brother’s pants, calling out “Guo Guo,” but unfortunately, the guard was too vigilant. He worried that Gu Xiaohuai was too young to understand and might shout “Guo Guo” at anyone, so he didn’t listen to Pei Zheng’s explanations.

When Pei Zheng was asked to squat down, Gu Xiaohuai thought his brother was playing a new game and followed suit, squatting down as well. This was so adorable that it amused the guards and even summoned another cute pet—the little puppy.

As soon as the little puppy appeared, Gu Xiaohuai forgot all about his brother Pei Zheng and ran after the puppy.

The two of them engaged in a lively chase around the small security office.

When it was finally time to leave, Gu Xiaohuai sat in his brother’s arms, staring intently at the little puppy. The puppy, now without anyone chasing it, squatted on the ground, whimpering as it watched Gu Xiaohuai leave.

A boy and a puppy played out a scene of deep emotional parting.

Guard, Pei Zheng and Lu Nong: “…”

“Why don’t you take Xiao Bai with you?”

The guard couldn’t bear to see the puppy’s pitiful, wet eyes. Besides, the little one was so well-behaved, not crying or making a fuss, which only made it more heart-wrenching.

As soon as those words left the guard’s mouth, Gu Xiaohuai seemed to understand, and his eyes lit up.

Seeing the reluctant expression on the puppy’s face, Lu Nong also felt unable to refuse. She turned to the guard and thanked him, saying, “Thank you, comrade. We will take good care of Xiao Bai.”

The guard picked up Xiao Bai and handed him to Lu Nong. Gu Xiaohuai immediately reached out, saying, “Hook, hook.”

Lu Nong placed Xiao Bai in Gu Xiaohuai’s arms, and the two of them, one boy and one dog, looked bright-eyed and sat in Pei Zheng’s lap, melting the hearts of the adults around them.

Meanwhile, Han Lu was still struggling, stubbornly refusing to reveal who his parents were. “I really know Pei Zheng. We used to be classmates. I was just following him to play around. He got mad at me and said he didn’t know us.”

“Be honest, he says he doesn’t know you. Tell us your family background honestly, otherwise I will send you to the police station.” The guard became even more suspicious of him when he saw that he refused to reveal his family information.

Seeing that the guard was really planning to send them to the police station, Han Lu became anxious. He failed to get into college and would be joining the army this fall. If he went to the police station and asked the old man to rescue him, the old man would beat him to death.

“Pei Zheng! If you leave like this, just wait and see—what happened today will be all over the compound tomorrow.” Since he had no shame left, he figured Pei Zheng wouldn’t get away unscathed either.

Pei Zheng: “…”

Now it was Pei Zheng’s turn to clench his teeth. He turned to look at Han Lu, who glared back at him defiantly. Their gazes locked in a fierce standoff, neither wanting to back down.

At that moment, a timid voice piped up, “Uncle Guard, I can testify that Pei Zheng and Han Lu really know each other. They are classmates from the same high school.”

“Han Lu and Pei Zheng often have quarrels, but they are good friends.”

Who was this person, making false claims with their eyes wide open? When did he and that bastard Pei Zheng/Han Lu become good friends?

Pei Zheng and Han Lu both shot annoyed glances at the speaker.

Lu Nong also turned to look at the girl who had spoken, noticing her delicate features. Her slender eyebrows and soft features conveyed a sense of simplicity.

This look matched her name perfectly—Lu Qing.

Lu Nong recalled the lines of poetry that inspired Lu Qing’s name: “Only when it’s extremely pale does one know that flowers are even more beautiful.”

The poem was beautiful, elegant, and lofty, making it an ideal description for a beauty. However, Lu Qing seemed to embody that poetic imagery in a rather literal sense, appearing quite plain.

In contrast, her friend Qian Yu was striking and poised.

But why were they here too?

Realizing what Lu Qing’s words implied, Lu Nong understood that she, Pei Zheng, and this group of troublemakers were classmates.

Thinking back, Lu Qing seemed to be three years younger than her, and if she was nineteen this year, she could indeed have graduated high school with Pei Zheng.

The guard eyed Lu Qing suspiciously and then glanced back at Pei Zheng and Han Lu.

Pei Zheng appeared indifferent, while Han Lu scrutinized Lu Qing, asking, “Who are you?”

“Never mind, it doesn’t matter. Uncle Guard, you heard her—we are classmates, and we’re not lying. Please let us go,” Han Lu urged.

Song Yang and the others quickly nodded in agreement.

When Lu Qing heard Han Lu say he didn’t know her, her eyes dimmed instantly.

The guard wasn’t foolish. After watching for so long and hearing the girl testify, he began to realize that these young men probably really did know each other.

Oh, so they had teamed up to mess with him. The guard’s expression soured immediately.

“That won’t work. Even if you know each other, you can’t come to school and cause trouble or play around. If you don’t want your parents called and sent to the police station, then write a reflection right here. You can leave when you finish!”

Han Lu, Song Yang, and the others: “…”

Pei Zheng retreated calmly towards the door of the guard room.

Unfortunately, the guard was too angry to let the Pei Zheng off the hook. “You have to write it too!”

Pei Zheng: “…”

Pei Zheng pressed his lips together and reluctantly said, “I have…someone come pick me up. Didn’t you say that those who have someone pick them up don’t need to write?”

He looked at Lu Nong, and the guard turned to her as well.

Haha! Lu Nong chuckled inwardly, reveling in Pei Zheng’s misfortune. “I have no objections. You should write.”

The guard nodded in satisfaction, while Pei Zheng’s face turned green.

With no choice, Pei Zheng let go of Huaihuai and returned to the table, waiting for the guard to hand him paper and a pen for the reflection.

Han Lu mocked him, “Ha! In the end, you’ll be writing a reflection with us. What’s there to be so proud about?”

Pei Zheng ignored him.