Upon Xu Yin’s words, Xu Ling seemed to shut down like a machine, tears instantly ceasing. Not only did he dare not shed a tear, but he also refrained from breathing, wide-eyed, trembling in extreme fear.
Even Wang Yuqi and Xu Qunzhi were left bewildered, swallowing nervously. It was then that they suddenly noticed… has Xu Yin changed?
Previously brooding and explosive at home, he now remained calm from start to finish, even smiling.
Both Wang Yuqi and Xu Qunzhi were uncertain and exchanged puzzled glances. Xu Yin raised an eyebrow at Xu Ling, prompting him to scramble to his feet in a panic.
The situation finally stabilized, and the two teachers breathed a sigh of relief. They exchanged glances, shook their heads, utterly speechless. At this point, some questions were clear to discerning eyes.
Why did Xu Ling shift the blame to Xu Yin? Because he dared not reveal the truth about “Mr. Huang.”
Of course, when questioned by classmates about Wu Qing, he could have concocted various excuses, but he chose to lie repeatedly, escalating the situation to a standoff between two classes. As far as Teacher Liu knew, this wasn’t the first time Xu Ling had implicated Xu Yin in such matters. As a teacher, there were things she couldn’t say in front of students, but leaving it for Xu’s father to handle – could that be managed well? This father was blatantly biased. If he were a competent parent, Xu Yin wouldn’t have undergone such a drastic change and decline in performance.
Teacher Liu sighed and said, “We can’t let lying become a habit.”
Xu Ling trembled, his face turning pale.
Wang Yuqi snapped back to reality, forcefully extracting herself from the shock of Xu Ling dating an older man. She asserted, “Xiao Ling has only made this mistake once! He surely knows he was wrong! Maybe, it’s just about him, being nervous, not a habit!”
Teacher Liu asked Xu Ling, “Is this the first time, Xu Ling?”
With reddened eyes, Xu Ling vividly remembered Xu Yin’s earlier threat. He quickly swallowed back his tears, maintaining silence – a tacit admission understood by all.
Wang Yuqi staunchly denied, “Absolutely not! I’m Xiao Ling’s mother! I know him better than anyone. He doesn’t lie!”
Xu Qunzhi, visibly frustrated, grasped the situation. Despite everything, he realized something, his gaze flickering.
Regardless of how many lies Xu Ling had told, causing distress to Xu Yin, Xu Qunzhi didn’t care. He cared more about saving face. Worried about how much more embarrassment Xu Ling would bring upon him, he decided to end the topic, pulling Xu Ling away, saying, “Enough, let’s go home, you don’t need to attend class!”
Suddenly, Xu Yin calmly remarked, “Xu Ling, I’ve collected your tears. Do you need help clearing your throat too?”
Xu Ling remained silent, trembling even more.
With a smile, Xu Yin continued, “Speak.”
“Xu Yin!” Xu Qunzhi widened his eyes, “Let’s not discuss this any further!”
Ignoring him, Xu Yin insisted, “Speak.”
“You!” Xu Qunzhi protested.
Trembling like a sieve, Xu Ling stammered, “No…”
Tilting his head, Xu Yin pressed, “Louder.”
Unwilling to be involved with Xu Ling’s family, Xu Yin found himself dragged into their mess. Since they had blamed him and disrupted class, he saw no reason to let them go back comfortably without addressing certain matters today. Despite his impatience and the need to return to class, Xu Yin wasn’t one to tread lightly.
For some reason, Xu Yin hadn’t physically touched Xu Ling throughout, yet he managed to instill fear in him.
His mind went blank, and he trembled, saying, “No…”
Xu Yin’s voice was calm, “No what?”
This time, Xu Ling truly felt like crying.
But in the one moment he genuinely wanted to cry out of fear, he had to endure it. He broke down, saying, “…I-It’s not the first time…”
Xu Qunzhi was infuriated, nearly falling backward. Wang Yuqi’s expression soured, and she rushed up, standing in front of Xu Yin, questioning, “What are you doing to your younger brother now?”
Long Xiaolong and his young brother stood by, arms crossed, watching coldly, not wanting to disturb Xu Yin as he dealt with it himself.
Yan Ningchuan stood behind Xu Yin, squinting at Xu Ling, and said slowly, “Xu Ling, do you always intend to hide behind your parents?”
Xu Ling was on the verge of losing it. He suddenly raised his head and shouted, “No, it’s not my first time lying, okay?!”
Wang Yuqi exclaimed, “Xiao Ling!”
Breathing heavily, face flushed, Xu Ling stared at Xu Yin, who smiled.
Looking at Xu Ling, Xu Yin continued, “In the first semester of our sophomore year, on the third Saturday after school started, you cried. Why? Did I bully you?”
The original host always remembered that day because it marked the beginning of his life falling apart. On that day, returning home from a classmate’s house, he received a slap from his father.
At this moment, facing Xu Yin’s questioning, Xu Ling completely broke down. He shook his head with red eyes, “I don’t remember!”
Xu Yin gently said, “Do you need me to help you remember?”
Clutching his fists, Xu Ling shouted, “I just want to cry, okay?!”
“Oh, that’s strange,” Xu Yin said slowly, “Why is it that every time you cry, without you saying anything, others suspect it’s because of me?”
The expressions of both Wang Yuqi and Xu Qunzhi changed.
How could Xu Qunzhi forget that day? He had discovered Xu Ling secretly crying, and upon asking him the reason, Xu Ling shook his head, unwilling to speak. Then he asked, “Is Xu Yin bullying you?”
Upon hearing the question, Xu Ling choked up, momentarily frozen. Then he slowly curled up, emanating an aura of pity.
Why did everyone suspect the original host every time Xu Ling cried? Could it be traced back to Xu Qunzhi?
As the biological father, he was the first to thoughtlessly step on the original host. Later individuals merely followed in his footsteps, trampling the original host further into the mud.
Xu Qunzhi felt a bit dizzy.
Teacher Liu, Teacher Zhang, and even the students like Long Xiaolong noticed Xu Qunzhi’s reaction, speculating that what Xu Yin mentioned was likely related to him.
Teacher Liu, having a clearer understanding, knew that the time Xu Yin mentioned was the first conflict between him and Xu Qunzhi over Xu Ling.
In Xu Yin’s words, “others” included Xu Qunzhi.
Feeling the disdainful glances around, Xu Qunzhi’s nerves jumped.
With the discussion at this point, he couldn’t simply evade it.
Breathing heavily, he asked Xu Ling, “Wasn’t it Xu Yin bullying you that time?”
Xu Ling swallowed and found himself in complete confusion, torn between fear and impulsiveness.
He stiffly shook his head. Xu Qunzhi forcefully pulled him over, his face turning red with anger. “Then why didn’t you say anything when I asked you back then? What were you silently acknowledging?”
Today, he truly lost face because of this mother and son!
Wang Yuqi quickly rushed over, trying to separate them. Shivering, she said, “Xiao Ling is frightened! Qunzhi, let him go first. Xiao Ling is frightened!”
“Uncle, you should have an idea in your heart. Why bother asking?” Long Xiaolong, bored, commented, “No matter how much you ask him, it won’t conceal your favoritism.”
While Xu Ling was genuinely acting and framing Xu Yin, those who baselessly speculated that Xu Yin was involved were either biased or naive.
Furious, Xu Qunzhi pointed at Long Xiaolong and exclaimed, “You!”
“Enough!” Teacher Zhang intervened.
With things reaching this point, almost everything became clear.
Speaking quietly to Xu Qunzhi, Teacher Zhang said, “Mr. Xu Yin, I understand that you are usually busy with work. However, both of your children are in their final year of high school. As their father, you still bear some responsibility. Your family situation is… unique, with some conflicts. We outsiders can’t interfere, but if you, as a parent, don’t handle it properly… both of your children may be ruined.”
Xu Qunzhi’s face turned black.
Seeing his current state, Teacher Zhang felt as though all her words might be in vain. She felt a sudden sense of powerlessness, unsure of how Xu Yin ended up with such a father.
At this moment, a knock on the door echoed.
Teacher Zhang quickly called out, “Come in,” and Xu Qunzhi and Wang Yuqi immediately stood firm, adjusting their expressions, though it was evident they were uneasy and still breathing heavily.
Entering the room was another teacher from the same office. Behind him, several students peeked in curiously, and it wasn’t clear how long they had been eavesdropping.
This teacher exchanged a glance with Teacher Zhang and Teacher Liu, asking, “Is it over?”
Teacher Zhang hesitated, feeling there was seemingly nothing more to say. She replied, “Almost.”
The teacher opened the door, and Xu Qunzhi, Wang Yuqi, and the head-lowered Xu Ling slowly walked out. The red handprint on the faces of the latter two startled the students gathered near the office door.
The discussions in the corridor grew even louder.
Many students, who had been eavesdropping for quite a while after the first class, were well aware of the commotion caused by the loud voices in the office. The entire grade knew about it. So, after the next two classes ended, students flocked to the office door, pressing their ears against it.
In fact, even during class, the two classes near the office had vaguely heard a lot. Now, with the aftermath, everything has spread.
In summary, the bruise on Xu Ling’s face was not caused by Xu Yin; it was inflicted by someone named Huang Li in a bar. Moreover, Xu Ling had falsely accused Xu Yin!
It seemed that this wasn’t the first or second time. Even during the beginning of their sophomore year, some students who understood the situation knew that the first conflict between Xu Yin and Xu Qunzhi over Xu Ling was intentionally misled by Xu Ling!
This truth was striking to those in Class 7 who had previously believed in Xu Ling.
All this time, they had never believed Xu Yin’s words, assuming he was intentionally lying because he disliked his father’s new wife. They had protected Xu Ling like some pure, fragile object. Some even got hot-headed easily. But now, these people, wherever they went, were met with the strange gazes of students from other classes, whispering to each other.
“Wasn’t Xu Yin quite popular in the class initially? But none of them believed what he said?”
“Xu Yin’s dad is biased, and they’re just plastic brothers, right…”
“No, it’s foolish!”
“Although Class 12 has a lower average score, their people seem to have more normal intelligence…”
“Does Xu Ling like guys? It’s strange that a guy needs so many other guys to protect him. I always thought something was weird about those guys in Class 7…”
The faces of those from Class 7 turned red, feeling embarrassed and awkward, almost wishing they could disappear. When they heard the last statement, their expressions changed dramatically, a mix of guilt and fear. At this moment, they wished they were far away from Xu Ling.
Ye Xunran stood behind the crowd, watching Xu Yin, Xu Ling, and Yan Ningchuan walk out, seemingly in a daze.
Teacher Zhang thought of something and said to Mr. Xu, “Um, Mr. Xu!”
Xu Qunzhi, halfway through walking, stopped upon hearing the voice, his tone unpleasant, “What?”
Teacher Zhang cleared her throat and said, “Although Xu Yin is already 18 years old, he is still a high school student, preparing for the college entrance exam. Considering your family’s financial situation isn’t that exceptional, it’s really not appropriate to distract him with money matters at this critical time. The law only stipulates the baseline for how one should treat others. After all, you are Xu Yin’s father…”
Yes, theoretically, parents only need to support their children until they turn 18. However, in normal family conditions in China, how many parents completely stop caring for their children at the age of 18?
The law is the law, and common sense is common sense. It’s not about having a grudge or living in extraordinary times. The reality is, many children, when they turn 18, are in the crucial period of the college entrance exam!
If today Mr. Xu was so impoverished that he couldn’t make ends meet. Teacher Zhang wouldn’t hesitate to ask her to contribute money for Xu Yin’s education.
However, that wasn’t the case today.
Today, it was a husband who had married a stepmother and completely neglected his eldest son. To be precise, for a full year, when Xu Yin was 17, he paid for his own living and tuition expenses. This, in itself, was already a severe parental neglect.
Of course, if Mr. Xu completely turned his back on Xu Yin today, Teacher Zhang would have nothing to say.
Teacher Zhang lowered her voice, but a few students nearby still overheard, and the discussion became even louder.
“What does this mean? Xu Yin’s father doesn’t want to spend money on his education?”
“Damn, that’s harsh!”
“Isn’t Xu Yin’s family in business…”
“I heard before that Xu Yin’s dad’s company originally belonged to Xu Yin’s mom…”
“Huh? Now that Xu Yin’s mom has passed away, the company belongs to his dad, and yet he married another woman and wants to abandon Xu Yin?”
“This is impressive; truly a real adult!”
Hearing the voices around him, Xu Qunzhi stiffened, as if turned into a stone.
Wang Yuqi and Xu Ling also wore displeased expressions.
Xu Yin originally didn’t want to get involved in money matters with Xu Qunzhi. However, just now in the office, Xu Qunzhi was the one who brought up the issue of money. Therefore, now that Teacher Zhang was speaking up for him, Xu Yin raised an eyebrow but remained silent, just looking at Xu Qunzhi.
The original host’s mother used to run a business at home. After her father-in-law gave her the company, he quickly passed away. As she didn’t understand business and had no cunning, after marrying Xu Qunzhi, that company was gradually devoured by him.
Even so, back then, the family’s expenses were mostly covered by the savings of the original owner’s mother, who used to say, “Don’t you have enough money? If it’s not enough, ask me.” This was how Xu Qunzhi had spoken to the original host’s mother.
Therefore, the fact remained that, from childhood to adulthood, Xu Qunzhi had not spent much money on Xu Yin. From the day he married the original host’s mother, he considered everything she had as his own.
The students’ disdainful gazes grew stronger, and Xu Qunzhi couldn’t withstand it any longer. He regretted not giving Wang Yuqi another slap back then!
He managed to hold back, took out his phone, and transferred a sum of money to Xu Yin. Due to the surrounding discussions, his hand trembled, and he ended up transferring a larger amount. Immediately regretting it, he couldn’t face retrieving it on the spot, so he gritted his teeth and swallowed the bitter pill, saying, “Money’s transferred, let’s go, let’s go!”
Wang Yuqi and Xu Ling quickly followed with bowed heads.
As they showed intentions to leave, the students became even more unrestrained in their discussions, openly expressing their opinions.
“He’s still so harsh…”
“He really doesn’t see Xu Yin as his son…”
“Poor Xu Yin, having such a father…”
The three of them couldn’t bear it and hurriedly left.
After they left, the bell for the next class finally rang.
Teacher Zhang shook her head, patted Xu Yin’s head, and said, “Don’t think too much, let’s go to class.”
Xu Yin smiled, “Don’t worry, teacher.”
These things couldn’t affect him.
With the matter resolved, Long Xiaolong was ready to slip away.
Before leaving, Xu Yin stopped him.
Long Xiaolong, looking expectant, asked, “Big brother, do you have any other instructions?”
Xu Yin smiled, “Dye your hair black and go back to school to attend classes properly.”
Long Xiaolong: Ah.
His young brother snickered, and Long Xiaolong, although weak-looking, wouldn’t defy his big brother’s words. So, he weakly said, “I got it…”
Watching him leave dejectedly, Xu Yin raised the corners of his lips, finally showing a bit of genuine amusement in his eyes.
“Let’s go, time for class,” Yan Ningchuan said beside him.
Xu Yin nodded, turning around to enter the classroom. When he saw the bright red banner hanging on the back wall, his smile froze.
Class 12 students were currently relaxed and in high spirits. Wang Feifei and Lin Jia even had the mood to cheer, “Big brother is back!”
“Big brother!”
“Big brother is mighty!”
How could they not pay attention to the commotion in the office? Although the process was messed up at the beginning, the outcome pleased them. Now, they were all excited and making a ruckus.
Teacher Zhang walked into the classroom, saw the banner, and her mouth twitched. The whole class burst into laughter.
Teacher Zhang immediately put on a serious face, “Alright, it’s time for class. Be quiet!”
Xu Yin smiled, a smile devoid of any emotion, “Teacher Zhang?”
“?” Teacher Zhang caught Xu Yin’s hint, glanced at the banner, then back at the class, and cleared her throat, “Good deeds and good people, consider this banner a model for everyone!”
Xu Yin: “…”
The entire class erupted in cheers: “Teacher Zhang is mighty!”
Yan Ningchuan smirked, leaning into Xu Yin’s ear, “Go back to your seat, big brother.”
Xu Yin turned his head abruptly, silently, expressionless, staring at him.
Yan Ningchuan: “…”
Yan Ningchuan: “I was wrong.”
Xu Yin took a deep breath, coldly returned to his seat.
Yan Ningchuan also sat down seriously.
Teacher Zhang walked to the front of the podium, picked up the papers from the recent monthly exam, and started speaking. Under the desk, Yan Ningchuan lightly tugged at Xu Yin’s clothes.
Xu Yin, resting his cheek on his hand, ignored him.
Yan Ningchuan slipped a chocolate into Xu Yin’s pocket.
Xu Yin cast a sidelong glance.
Yan Ningchuan pursed his lips, smiling.
On the podium, Teacher Zhang said, “Now, let’s directly look at the modern Chinese reading section of this exam, and…”
At the back row, Yan Ningchuan fell silent for a moment, then said, “You will have a new home.”
Xu Yin paused.
Sunlight streamed in from the window.
Bathing in the sunlight, Yan Ningchuan’s stern face was tinged with a warm glow, his pitch-black eyes reflecting Xu Yin’s figure.
“So, don’t be afraid.”
Xu Yin was never afraid.
He wasn’t afraid of death in the past, and now he wasn’t afraid of life.
He wasn’t afraid of anything else.
Luckily, there was someone willing to accompany him on this journey.
He smiled.
Under the desk, the hands of two boys quietly intertwined.
Throughout the whole week, Xu Ling hadn’t come to class.
The school’s gossip continued, but Xu Yin paid no attention.
His focus returned to studying, particularly in completing his task: [Rank in the top fifty of the midterm exams, earn 2000 points.]
Xu Yin reevaluated his first monthly exam report…
Chinese and English were both above 120, but the entire science section suffered. After a week of diligent efforts, he managed not to plummet to the bottom of the grade, but with over five hundred students, a ranking of just above one hundred and fifty left Xu Yin dissatisfied.
To improve from just above one hundred and fifty to the top fifty…
He rubbed his eyes and began planning his study schedule again.
On the other hand, as he gradually restored his health, his study routine stabilized. Nowadays, whenever he had time, he would go to the playground to run, aiming for at least an hour every day.
His computer and tablet were brought to school. The school allowed students to bring electronic devices, but there was no internet. Xu Yin accepted orders and only drew when he had spare time after studying.
However, Wang Feifei and Lin Jia were stunned. Xu Yin never allowed himself to stop, doing something every moment—either studying or exercising. He was like a machine!
On Friday night, after Yan Ningchuan finished showering, Xu Yin had just completed a set of push-ups.
He was panting, sweat covering his forehead and neck.
After this period of training and dietary adjustments, Xu Yin’s body was no longer as frail. His physique began to show signs of improvement.
Yan Ningchuan averted his gaze, feeling like the shower might have been a bit too hot.
After finishing the exercise, Xu Yin stretched and then continued to sit at the desk. Yan Ningchuan walked over to take a look.
Xu Yin was earnestly contemplating a multiple-choice chemistry question, jotting down notes.
Yan Ningchuan circled to the other side to observe.
As Xu Yin wrote, a voice suddenly came from behind, “You made a mistake here.”
His pen paused, and Yan Ningchuan picked up another pen from the desk, uncapped it, and began correcting the chemical equation Xu Yin had just written. He explained softly while writing.
Xu Yin listened attentively, nodding, and continued solving the problem following Yan Ningchuan’s guidance.
Suddenly, Yan Ningchuan asked, “Want to come to my house this weekend?”
Xu Yin was startled, raising his head, “No, I can’t keep bothering your parents.”
Seeing Yan Ningchuan’s furrowed brows, Xu Yin persuaded, “Really, staying in the dormitory is enough.”
“What about the National Day? And New Year’s Day, and the Spring Festival?” Yan Ningchuan continued to gaze at him.
After these, there were more holidays, during which most students would go home to reunite with their families. However, for Xu Yin, going home was clearly not as good as staying in the dormitory.
But is it really okay to be alone like this?
Xu Yin just smiled, “I’m fine.”
Even before the fatal accident, he had already grown accustomed to this kind of life.
Yan Ningchuan stared at him for a while…
“Then stay in the dormitory on weekends and come to my house during statutory holidays. I’ll talk to my parents about it.” He insisted.
Xu Yin opened his mouth, but Yan Ningchuan didn’t give him a chance to speak. With a stern face, he said, “It’s settled.”
Xu Yin looked surprised, but the class leader had already turned away, apparently not willing to continue bargaining with him.
After Xu Yin snapped back to reality, he felt both helpless and amused.
He whispered, “I understand, thank you.”
…
The next Monday, Xu Ling returned to school.
Apparently, even the students from Class 7 hadn’t expected him to come back. Many thought that after causing such a big fuss, he might transfer schools, even risking it during this critical time of their senior year.
Early in the morning, he lowered his head, carried his backpack, and walked into the classroom under the gaze of many. He sat down at his desk, took out his Chinese book, and quietly read the text, seeming much more low-key.
