LABMY CH16

“Yi-ge, that kid Wei Zhenge still hasn’t come to school today.” A student, who practically wore the same pants as Fu Pengyi and acted just as sycophantic, reported to him.

Although still a student, this one carried a certain air of cunning and worldliness.

Fu Pengyi sneered, “He dared to do it, but now he doesn’t dare to come to school? Damn it, he embarrassed me so badly. Does he think he can escape just by not showing up?”

At first, Fu Pengyi hadn’t planned to force Wei Zhenge to drop out. However, he overheard his father talking to a subordinate about how to deal with an opponent: “If you’ve offended someone, you have to crush them completely, so they can never rise again. Otherwise, you’ll be planting a seed for future trouble.”

That’s when Fu Pengyi got the idea to ruin Wei Zhenge’s reputation and get him expelled. It just so happened that he wanted to get back at Jian Yuanbai for recording a video that humiliated him in front of the whole school.

His plan had been flawless. He could have labeled Wei Zhenge a thief and made him unable to lift his head again.

But then, Jian Yuanbai interfered.

Fu Pengyi’s face twisted with rage. Because of the incident, his family had to pull him out of the police station, and his father gave him a brutal scolding.

The more he thought about it, the more humiliated he felt. He stood up abruptly, stuffed his hands in his pockets, and stormed out of the classroom, ignoring the clueless lackey trailing behind him.

He marched straight to the dean’s office, knocked on the door, and pushed it open without waiting for permission. “Director, Wei Zhenge hasn’t come to school for days. Is that really okay?”

Fu Pengyi casually sat in the chair in front of the dean, crossed his legs, and leaned his hand on the desk. “He’s still a student, right?”

The dean looked at him, clearly troubled. “After what happened last time, it’s understandable that he needs a few days.”

Fu Pengyi had no patience for this. “Then call him. Tell him if he skips class without reason, he’ll be expelled.”

“It’s only been a few days. The school has to be reasonable,” the director said helplessly.

Fu Pengyi sneered, “If you don’t want to do it, fine. There are plenty of people who would love your job. They wouldn’t just make the call; they’d be more than happy to take over your position.”

The dean’s expression darkened. “Student Fu, even if your dad is the school’s biggest shareholder, he can’t just replace a dean that easily.”

Fu Pengyi tapped on the director’s phone. “So, are you going to make the call or not?”

Jian Yuanbai, who was swamped with work, picked up an unfamiliar call. Before he could speak, the voice on the other end questioned, “Are you Wei Zhenge’s guardian? He hasn’t attended school for several days. If he doesn’t come back soon, we will consider expelling him.”

Jian Yuanbai frowned and asked incredulously, “With my Little Pillow’s grades, does he really need your school? He can still take the college entrance exam without being enrolled.”

“Expulsion, right? Get the paperwork done immediately. If you need a signature, come find me at Zhenge Corporation. I’m very busy, you understand?”

Before hanging up, Jian Yuanbai politely added, “By the way, when are you planning to get a brain scan? You clearly need one.”

Fu Pengyi’s face turned ashen when he heard the response. Before he could speak, there was a knock on the door. He turned to see Tong Lerong, her eyes filled with disdain as she stared at him.

“Before you plot something evil, you’d better close the door. Or do you lack the brains for that too?”

Her words dripped with mockery. “You just got pulled out of the police station and have already become the laughingstock of the social circle. If you don’t want your father to abandon you completely, I suggest you behave for now.”

With a sweet smile, she added, “After all, your family has quite a few illegitimate children, right?”

She turned and left, ignoring the loud crash of a chair being kicked over behind her.

Tong Lerong remembered clearly that in two days, it would be Wei Zhenge’s birthday. She didn’t want Fu Pengyi causing trouble and ruining it for him.

A glimmer of anticipation flashed in her eyes. It had been days since she’d seen Wei Zhenge. His birthday was the perfect excuse.

She didn’t know where he lived now, but she had overheard the man on the phone mention “Zhenge Corporation.”

The name even contained one of Wei Zhenge’s characters. Tong Lerong couldn’t help but be curious about this guardian who had appeared out of nowhere.

The days passed steadily.

Without going to school, Wei Zhenge’s daily life was not much different from before. His time was filled with lessons, practice papers, and exercises. In fact, with six teachers focusing solely on him, he was even busier than at school.

But if Wei Zhenge was busy, Jian Yuanbai was even busier. He left before dawn and often didn’t return until late at night. Though they lived under the same roof, they barely spoke a few words each day.

Wei Zhenge knew Jian Yuanbai ran a company, but he never asked about the details. The 50,000 yuan transfer he had refused was brushed off with the excuse that he still had some money.

Since Jian Yuanbai was genuinely busy and saw that Wei Zhenge didn’t lack money, he didn’t press the issue.

That night, Wei Zhenge finished his studies early. It was only ten o’clock, an hour earlier than usual. He closed his workbook and walked into the living room, sinking into the sofa.

The empty living room was dark. Through the large floor-to-ceiling window, he could see the lights from the surrounding buildings, but the space around him felt cold and lonely.

Yet, this quiet darkness felt far more comforting than the bright but suffocating atmosphere of the Wei family home.

He didn’t turn on the lights. The only glow came from the TV playing some ridiculous soap opera. Wei Zhenge leaned back on the sofa, his face hidden in the shadows, making it hard to read his expression.

He wasn’t watching the TV, though. His gaze was fixed upward, staring at the clock on the wall, watching the seconds tick away.

Compared to the dramatic twists of the TV show, the slow movement of the clock hands seemed far more captivating.

When the clock struck 11:45, the sound of a key turning in the lock echoed from the door.

He can’t quite explain why, but Wei Zhenge’s heartbeat quickened for a moment. He didn’t get up; instead, he sat on the sofa and watched Jian Yuanbai walk in.

Jian Yuanbai saw him and was about to speak when he yawned from exhaustion. “Why don’t you turn on the lights? Watching TV in the dark is bad for your eyes.”

As he spoke, he turned on the living room light, instantly brightening the room and turning it into one of the countless glowing lights in the city.

Wei Zhenge was stunned for a moment before replying, “I was about to go to sleep, so I didn’t turn on the light.”

Jian Yuanbai also sat on the sofa, his expression unable to hide his fatigue. Yet, he still chatted with Wei Zhenge casually, “How have things been at home these days? Any issues with your studies or life?”

Wei Zhenge replied, “Everything’s fine.”

Looking at the exhausted Jian Yuanbai, Wei Zhenge suddenly blurted out, “Are you very tired? I can give you a massage.”

Jian Yuanbai turned his head to glance at him and declined, “No need. I don’t want to waste your time. Rest early so you can study well tomorrow.”

On the surface, he spoke calmly and maturely, like a responsible guardian. However, inside, he was crying out to the system, “Wuwuwu, Tiantian, he cares about me!”

“My little one is so considerate. I’m so tired, Tiantian. I just want to lie down on the bed right now.”

The system responded coldly, “If you’re so tired, why are you still sitting on the sofa talking to him?”

Jian Yuanbai replied cheerfully, “You don’t understand. I’m more exhausted than a donkey every day. If I couldn’t come home and see my adorable little Zhenge, I would have quit a long time ago.”

Every time he came home and saw Wei Zhenge curled up on the sofa, his bright black eyes watching him, Jian Yuanbai always felt that someone like Wei Zhenge deserved better treatment.

Although it was never spoken aloud, Jian Yuanbai knew that Wei Zhenge was waiting for him to come home.

This was the reason Jian Yuanbai could keep going. Even though everything he did seemed smooth and effortless, building a company from the ground up still required a lot of mental and physical effort.

He cried to the system about being tired, but in front of Wei Zhenge, he never showed any sign of it, always appearing calm and reliable.

After being rejected, Wei Zhenge stood up from the sofa but didn’t leave. Instead, he sat down on the coffee table in front of Jian Yuanbai. “Thank you for hiring the teachers for me. They’re all very skilled.”

After a few days of lessons, Wei Zhenge had realized that these teachers were top-notch. Getting them for one-on-one tutoring must have cost a fortune.

Jian Yuanbai smiled helplessly and ruffled his hair, “I’m your guardian. There’s no need to keep thanking me.”

With his hair messed up, Wei Zhenge looked even cuter. He was already good-looking, and since he was still in high school, he had some baby fat on his face. Under the light, his fair skin seemed to glow, and his soft cheeks, combined with his messy hair, triggered a protective instinct in others.

His beautiful eyes curved slightly as he smiled and asked, “I’ve never asked before, but why are you so good to me?”

Jian Yuanbai was momentarily stunned by his smile and only replied sluggishly after a few seconds, “You’ve asked before.”

“Because you’re good-looking.”

Wei Zhenge’s smile froze. He had asked before, but he never took that answer seriously. He didn’t believe that someone would care for another person just because of their looks. Besides, he wasn’t a girl, so he didn’t trust that reason.

With a serious face, he asked again, “I’m being serious. I want to know why.”

Jian Yuanbai furrowed his brow, looking a bit fierce. But by now, Wei Zhenge somewhat understood him and knew that expression only meant confusion. Then he heard Jian Yuanbai respond, “I’m being serious too. You’re really good-looking.”

Jian Yuanbai carefully observed Wei Zhenge’s expression and noticed the faint traces of insecurity and doubt beneath his calm face. What was he doubting?

Jian Yuanbai believed he was being completely sincere. If it were someone he didn’t find attractive, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.

So, it must be…

Jian Yuanbai suddenly smacked his forehead, “Who told my little Zhenge that he’s not good-looking? It must be someone talking nonsense that made you doubt yourself!”

Angrily, he said, “Tell me who it is, and I’ll go confront them.”

Wei Zhenge expressionlessly stood up, expressionlessly walked away, and expressionlessly closed the door.

Leaving Jian Yuanbai, who was completely bewildered, to ask the system, “So, what he means is that he doesn’t believe he’s good-looking, right?”

The system remained silent.

Jian Yuanbai pressed on, “I didn’t misunderstand, did I?”

As the city’s clock tower struck midnight, Wei Zhenge’s phone received a message from Tong Lerong: “Happy birthday!”

“Classmate Wei, I’ll come find you during the day to celebrate. You wouldn’t refuse to share a slice of your birthday cake with me, right?”

The message was playful and cute, with a hint of testing the waters. However, Wei Zhenge simply replied, “Thanks, but no need.”

A moment later, he sent another message, “I don’t celebrate my birthday. Please don’t tell anyone I’ve turned eighteen.”