Why say it’s rumors and gossip? Amidst a chorus of praise, there’s also a trace of discordant insults, such as “hypocrite,” “show-off.” Even a ragged gambler burst out of the crowd, grabbing the young man’s clothes and cursing vehemently.
“Why did you save people? Why not let those useless folks kill each other? Do you know how much money your meddling cost us? I’ve lost my entire fortune!”
Some irrational parents also rushed out, shouting, “You saved students from Class 1 and 2. Why not be more charitable and save those from other classes?”
Although these gamblers who disregarded human life and irrational, purely venting parents hadn’t shouted for long, the police swiftly took them away. With the assessment concluded, the righteous crowd wouldn’t tolerate their interference.
Later, the students vaguely learned the truth because the microphones surrounded them, posing sharp questions: “Student XX, you were a complete liability in the regular assessment, with no outstanding performance, yet you survived. What are your thoughts on this?”
“Student XX, have you ever considered matricide or patricide?”
“Student XXX, you initially wanted to showcase your skills and vent your frustrations by killing during the assessment, but your actions were hindered by Student Yin. Do you harbor resentment towards him?”
“Student XX, considering the anonymous messages on your social media account, your prominent businessman father expressed disappointment in you. He wagered a fortune in a casino, betting that you wouldn’t survive seven days. However, you managed to live through it. How do you feel about this situation?”
The innocence guarded so diligently, once shattered, can never be fully restored.
Classmates mused in a daze, realizing the feeling of being protected. The half-month life in the misty forest, despite being surrounded by constant fear, brought an indescribable sense of ease and happiness. Suddenly returning to the urban setting felt more like destruction after the utopia.
They wished to go back, behind Classmate Yin, and have a good cry.
The death toll is too high, and everything is at a standstill.
The city held a century funeral for the unfortunate students who lost their lives in the assessment, and the city television screens turned black and white. The entire city mourned collectively.
As for the young murderers who had once taken the lives of their fellow students, they were gradually brought to trial after the funeral. Indignant and brainless defending parents, articulate and cunning lawyers, and a group of jurors with indifferent expressions and hidden thoughts, however, were part of another story.
In any case, there has never been an unsolvable deal in this world, only an unattainable price.
There is also a group of irrational parents holding signs in front of the government, questioning why the government representative, in a month-long assessment, never appeared even once. Isn’t Young Hero N supposed to be the protective umbrella of the people? Why didn’t he appear in time to save people from danger? His behavior of standing by without taking action is far from deserving the title of a hero!
It can be considered a large-scale fan backlash scene. Some are also cursing the government as a group of incompetent individuals.
“This matter was beyond our expectations; it’s a pity he isn’t omnipotent,” sighed the government representative, regretting the situation. His original intent was to sow discord, shift blame, and try to bring Young Hero N out to block the public’s criticism. Little did he know that this statement, when posted online, stirred up a thousand waves.
Especially the government representative, in order to divert the blame more effectively, didn’t forget to use the currently popular good-natured representative, Yin Minglu, as an example. He lavishly praised Yin Minglu’s actions, attempting to belittle Young Hero N. It’s as if the severe casualties in the assessment occurred because Young HeroN didn’t step forward, completely forgetting what Young Hero N had done before the assessment. The ugliness of human nature was laid bare.
【Seriously, is this how people talk? Unbelievable】
【They may not want to admit it, but that doesn’t mean we can pretend to be uninformed】
【Idiot representative, definitely hasn’t even watched the live broadcast of the virtual images, a proper corpse-position diner, just choke to death】
Then a post titled “He has always been guarding, never absent” spread across the internet, comparing the highly praised Saint Father classmate Yin Minglu with the currently controversial urban hero, Young Hero N. The post pointed out various similarities between them.
For example, both have black hair without any dye; similar height and body type; the same black backpack, matching clothes, and shoes; and a mysterious, powerful aura. In short, the similarities are so numerous that it leaves people speechless. However, the parties involved keep a low profile and are unwilling to bear a dual prestigious title, so most people choose to remain unaware.
With the emergence of this post, parents of students shifted their criticism and condemnation towards the government.
As night fell once again, the young man set down his bowl and burped, saying, “Dad, I’m full.”
Looking at his son’s small face, Yin Baiquan hesitated for a moment before advising, “When you go out, be careful… no, just go to bed early at night. Don’t stay up too late.” He wanted to say, “Be careful when you go out,” but he swallowed those words, pretending not to know and just instructed his high school son to go to bed early at night, the implication being to come back early. The unspoken message was that Dad would always keep the door open for you.
The young man obediently said, “Okay.”
When Yin Baiquan opened his son’s room, he indeed only saw the wide-open window and an empty room. He felt both proud and melancholic—his son had gone out to do good deeds again.
That night, the escaped murderer, who had just breathed fresh air after breaking free, was about to undress in his lodging when the door was suddenly knocked by a room service attendant.
The problem is, he didn’t call for any service at all. Just as he became wary and reached for his gun to escape, he was directly knocked unconscious from behind. As a belated gift, he was bound and sent to the prison.
Yin Minglu was accustomed to entering through windows, so when he visited someone else’s home, he moved stealthily like a cat. First, he jumped onto the balcony and then politely and adorably knocked on the window.
Ah Xiu, Ah Xiu, are you there?
Fu Jinxiu was reading in his room when he suddenly heard the sound of glass knocking. His heart skipped a beat, thinking he might be dealing with a thief. However, when he opened the curtain, he was greeted by a bright smiling face.
The other person said, “Surprise!”
Fu Jinxiu: “…” No joy, but definitely surprised.
Especially this uninvited guy, who pursed his lips and naturally lectured him, “Ah Xiu, why doesn’t your room have protective bars outside? It’s dangerous; thieves might easily come knocking.”
He almost couldn’t hold back his expression, “You’re overthinking it. My home is on the sixty-sixth floor; where would thieves come from?” Thieves who can scale walls and roofs haven’t been born yet.
“What are you here for?” Fu Jinxiu asked. The young man, choosing the window instead of the door, gave off a secretive vibe, reminiscent of Romeo coming to meet Juliet.
Thinking about this, Fu Jinxiu’s expression became somewhat unnatural. After all, having grown up, no one had ever entered his room so intimately, stepping into his territory.
“Today is your birthday, and I’m taking you out to play! I’ve bought a car now.” Yin Minglu showed off the keychain in his hand. If it weren’t for his upright demeanor, this move of the young man really resembled a playboy in a bar inviting a girl out.
Although his car wasn’t a Bentley Maybach or a Lamborghini Ferrari, but a cool little electric scooter. Still, he was part of the vehicle-owning club1This was actually car-owning club but I just changed it to vehicle since you know Minglu has a scooter not a car now, with the capital to pursue someone. That alone was enough to outshine about sixty to seventy percent of the nation’s single men.
Fu Jinxiu’s face showed a hint of surprise. He didn’t expect Yin Minglu to remember his birthday.
“You… wait a moment.” The usually aloof young man’s face blushed slightly, prompting Yin Minglu to turn around. Fu Jinxiu changed out of his home clothes into something suitable for going out.
“Ah Xiu, why did you want me to turn around? I’ve seen your figure several times. Do you need to change your underwear even to go out?” Sitting on Fu Jinxiu’s large bed, Yin Minglu asked with confusion, and even wiggled his buttocks a few times.
Fu Jinxiu said, “Shut up.”
Then he walked out of the room with the young man. Faced with his surprised mother, he didn’t know how to explain and awkwardly said, “A classmate brought me homework, so I’m taking him back.”
Unexpectedly, Mother Fu was also a fan of the young man. Delighted at the sight of the handsome face, she waved goodbye and stuffed several apples into his hands.
“Goodbye, Auntie.” Yin Minglu gave face, took a bite of the apple with a crisp sound. His face was rosy, and eating the apple, he looked particularly pleasing.
“Sure, Classmate Yin, come and visit another day.” Mother Fu warmly sent him off, resembling a mother-in-law bidding farewell to her son-in-law. She even shooed her own son away, saying, “Don’t come back tonight.”
Fu Jinxiu: “…”
After descending the stairs, Fu Jinxiu saw the car Yin Minglu mentioned—a three-digit priced little electric donkey—parked in the upscale affluent district’s garage, indescribably shabby.
But Yin Minglu seemed to cherish his scooter. After mounting it, he handed Fu Jinxiu a safety helmet, then patted the rear seat of the scooter, inviting, “Come on, Ah Xiu, this is your exclusive seat.”
“My exclusive seat?” Wearing the helmet, Fu Jinxiu coldly chuckled, picking up a strand of hair from the rear seat and questioned, “Then whose hair is this?”
He felt he was just asking casually, but to others, it might sound like he was being sour and jealous.
Looking at that bright yellow hair, Yin Minglu couldn’t say for sure. His little brain was desperately trying to recall, “Was it my dad? Or the elderly lady downstairs with leg problems, or maybe Aunt Wan Yu from our neighborhood? She was running late for the bus this morning, so I gave her a ride…”
The candidates seemed too many, and he lost count on his fingers.
“Drive.” Fu Jinxiu was too lazy to listen anymore. After all, if he wanted to like the helpful young man in front of him, he had to tolerate these things. The boyfriend of a hero has always had a tough time.
“Okay, hold on to me,” the young man said, twisting the handle. The car started to rumble.
They arrived at the fountain square just in time for the music fountain every Friday. Countless young couples leaned on each other, and some people clasped their hands together, devoutly tossing coins into the fountain.
Yin Minglu looked at it and was also very interested: “Ah Xiu, today is your birthday. Why don’t you make a wish at the fountain too?”
Make a wish? He’s not a little girl. Before Fu Jinxiu could say anything, he saw the young man patting his pockets up and down, unable to find coins. However, he noticed a 1 yuan QR code next to the fountain and quickly took out his phone.
Fu Jinxiu: “…”
Especially when the young man took out his phone, the phone seemed too slow, and he couldn’t scan it for a while. Fu Jinxiu couldn’t stand it, took out his phone, scanned two 1 yuan QR codes, and made a wish for himself.
“Thanks, Ah Xiu,” Yin Minglu said. Ah Xiu actually didn’t forget to scan for him. Indeed, he’s a really good person. Although he always felt like he was a poor boy pursuing a rich girl, he was constantly in the illusion of embarrassing himself.
Hoping for days like today every year, with this guy by his side in the future. Fu Jinxiu made a simple wish, then took the young man to a nearby phone store. He instructed the clerk to pick the latest model, and before Yin Minglu could see the price of the phone, the clerk had already packed it.
“Your old phone must be a vintage relic produced years ago, probably obsolete in the market. As a token of appreciation for you celebrating my birthday today, I’ll get you a new one,” Fu Jinxiu casually said. Under the gaze of the young man’s black and bright eyes, his ears unexpectedly turned red.
In truth, there was a selfish motive behind him getting a new phone for the young man. He had wondered before why the youth always replied to his messages, enduring the lag on that outdated phone for up to a minute. He had no other thoughts; he just wanted this guy to respond to his messages faster in the future.
Yin Minglu pondered for a moment. “Thank you, Ah Xiu, for your generosity. As a reciprocal gesture, I see that your phone screen protector hasn’t been changed in a while. I’ll take you to the square to apply a new one. They have those unbreakable tempered glass protectors, only ten yuan each.”
Oh, saying these words indeed gives a feeling of a financially struggling couple accommodating each other and trying to do good for one another.
Fu Jinxiu was momentarily choked. He thought about his phone, which cost several thousand, having a ten-yuan screen protector applied. But considering it’s a gift from the youth, he reluctantly accepted it.
“Hahaha, I was just teasing you, Ah Xiu.” Seeing his reaction, the young man couldn’t help but laugh and couldn’t resist puckering up his lips to give a playful kiss on his friend’s handsome face.
It’s apple-flavored, with a hint of sweetness.
Fu Jinxiu was momentarily stunned, feeling the warmth of the young man’s breath on his face. His heart raced, and instinctively, he wanted to return the kiss but found himself kissing the air.
Because the familiar shy and hesitant expression appeared on the youth’s face again, the one that Fu Jinxiu had been familiar with before. This time, of course, he wouldn’t think the other person was in a hurry to go to the bathroom.
Although it was both funny and exasperating, he still cleared his throat and said, “If you want to go, go ahead.”
From now on, he wouldn’t lose patience just because someone stood him up. As a grateful response to his understanding, the young man jumped up again andgave him an apple-flavored “tsup2A kiss sound” sweetly
T/N: 5
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