LABMY CH36

After the Spring Festival, more than half of the winter break had passed, and Jian Yuanbai felt that Wei Zhenge hadn’t stayed at home for long before it was already time for school to start.

On the first day of the second semester of senior year, Jian Yuanbai personally sent Wei Zhenge to school. He only accompanied him to the school gate and watched as he walked in. Jian Yuanbai was no longer worried that Wei Zhenge would be bullied at school.

Because everything related to the Fu family in this school, from shares to influence, had been completely wiped out by him.

When Wei Zhenge entered the classroom, the entire class fell silent for a few seconds, surprised yet not entirely so.

Before school started, everyone had heard the news that the grade director had been dismissed, Fu Pengyi had dropped out, and even the school’s major shareholder had changed. All those who once posed a threat to Wei Zhenge were gone, so his return was no surprise.

Even without official confirmation, some people speculated that this was related to Wei Zhenge.

Among the students in the class, the one who knew the most about the situation was Tong Lerong, whose family background allowed her access to more information.

She walked up to Wei Zhenge and was momentarily stunned. Although it had only been three or four months since they last met, seeing him now made her feel a bit dazed.

He seemed different, though she couldn’t pinpoint exactly how. However, she knew she had something to say to him.
“How have you been lately?”

Wei Zhenge nodded politely, “I’m fine. No need to worry.”

Tong Lerong smiled, “I figured you’d be doing well, but hearing it from you makes me feel more at ease.”

Her words felt intimate, leaving Wei Zhenge unsure how to respond, so he fell silent.

Tong Lerong noticed his discomfort and changed the subject.
“Did you know Fu Pengyi dropped out?”

Wei Zhenge replied, “I didn’t know, but I’m not surprised.”

Seeing that he was unaware, Tong Lerong simply shared all the news she had heard over the past few months.

With Zhenge Group holding absolute dominance in the chip industry, other phone companies collaborated with them to produce phones with unique designs, lightweight bodies, and textures that matched their appearance. As a result, the Wei family’s business became increasingly difficult.

The Wei family was barely surviving, relying on their years of foundation. Meanwhile, the Fu family, which had been living off their success, completely collapsed.

The Fu family’s goods couldn’t be sold, piling up in warehouses. With cash flow cut off, the Fu family’s financial chain broke. Under the deliberate suppression from Zhenge Group, the Fu family’s downfall was faster than anyone had imagined.

Not only did they go bankrupt, but Fu Pengyi’s father also ended up with massive debts.

The middle-aged man, who had lived a smooth and comfortable life, couldn’t accept the reality. He turned to alcohol, drowning himself in booze to numb the pain.

Tong Lerong sneered, “Neither of the Fu father and son were good people. I heard Fu Pengyi was transferred to a terrible high school. Honestly, he got off easy. At least he still has a school to attend.”

Wei Zhenge looked at her and said, “Thank you for telling me all this.”

He wasn’t some saint with a kind and forgiving heart. Hearing that the person who bullied him was now suffering didn’t make him feel guilty. Instead, he felt an immense sense of relief.

Standing up, Wei Zhenge glanced at his classmates who were secretly observing him and said seriously,
“Thank you all for being willing to testify for me when I was nearly expelled.”

The class exchanged awkward glances, remaining silent. Wei Zhenge didn’t expect a response and simply smiled as he returned to his seat.

Suddenly, someone spoke up,
“To be honest, we didn’t really help much.”

A boy scratched his head awkwardly and added,
“Sorry… for not standing up for you when you were being bullied.”

With one person breaking the silence, others began to speak up as well. The once tense atmosphere in the classroom warmed up.

The room was soon filled with laughter and chatter, filled with the youthful energy of seventeen and eighteen-year-olds.

However, this laughter couldn’t reach another corner of the city.

In a crowded, old residential area, buildings stood tightly packed, and the air was filled with a heavy, oppressive aura.

Electrical wires tangled chaotically on the rooftops and in the corners of the neighborhood. Clotheslines crisscrossed the narrow pathways, with layers of laundry hanging, looking like eerie ghostly figures with outstretched arms from a distance.

The air reeked of various odors — the sour stench of leftover food, the cheap scent of shampoo, the foul smell of low-quality cigarettes, and an underlying, decaying stench of death.

Fu Pengyi sat up from the bed and looked through the narrow window, seeing everything outside once again. These were all his feelings. He didn’t like this place, even hated it, but he had nowhere to go.

The overwhelming smell of alcohol in the room made him feel even more disgusted. His gaze fell on his father, who was sleeping on the other bed, his face unnaturally flushed, looking like a dead pig.

Fu Pengyi’s eyes were filled with hatred. His father was once his greatest pride. It was because of his father’s status that he could act superior to his peers. But now, he hated him so much that he even wished for his death.

He quietly got out of bed, trying not to wake the other person in the room. Taking out his phone, he glanced at the date and suddenly remembered — today was the first day of school.

With no other choice, Fu Pengyi gently shook his father. Facing the man’s unfriendly gaze as he opened his eyes, Fu Pengyi nervously clenched the fabric on the sides of his pants and cautiously said:

“Dad, today is the first day of school… the tuition…”

Before he could finish, his father rudely interrupted him, “You still want tuition?”

His father grabbed a bottle of liquor from the bedside and hurled it at Fu Pengyi. The bottle shattered at his feet with a sharp crash.

His father spat, “Forget about going to school. I’ve found you a job at a construction site. Go earn money for me.”

“With your terrible grades, you won’t get into college anyway. And now, we have no money to send you abroad.”

Fu Pengyi felt his heart sink. He lunged forward, grabbing his father’s leg and crying, “Dad, I promise I’ll study hard this semester. Please let me go to school.”

“If I get into college, I can earn more money and support you, Dad.”

A slap landed on Fu Pengyi’s face. The drunk man spat venomous words at his son, “Study? From scoring 20 or 30 points to 40 or 50?”

“Support me? If it weren’t for you bullying Wei Zhenge at school, would our family have ended up like this?”

Fu Pengyi looked at him in disbelief, “Dad! You were the one who told me to suck up to Wei En!”

“You weren’t satisfied being a dog for Wei Chengye, so you forced your son to be a grandson to Wei Chengye’s son. Do you think I wanted this?”

The man, ignoring his empty stomach after just waking up, gulped down the remaining liquor in the bottle and smashed it to the ground, “Forget about school. If you don’t want to work at the construction site, I can sell you to an illegal brick kiln. Wanna try that?”

Fu Pengyi looked at the shards of broken glass at his feet and felt like his life had shattered along with it. His father kept cursing, insulting him, his dead mother, and calling him a bastard and a worthless mutt.

His mind went blank. Fueled by rage, he lunged forward and punched his father. The two of them started fighting in the cramped, alcohol-filled room filled with broken glass.

In the end, Fu Pengyi was knocked to the ground. His father kicked him in the stomach and legs repeatedly. Curled up in pain, Fu Pengyi couldn’t understand why his life had become like this.

He was supposed to be born superior to others.

Even at this moment, he felt no remorse for his past actions. He only hated that he hadn’t crushed any threats to his perfect life earlier.

…

Time slipped away under the countdown to the college entrance exam written on the blackboard, disappearing day by day until the number unknowingly reached zero.

On the day of the college entrance exam, it was raining lightly. The homeroom teacher stood by the bus, repeatedly reminding everyone to check their ID cards, pens, erasers, and other exam tools.

Even after the students responded several times that they had everything, the teacher still couldn’t help but ask again and again:

“Check your ID card again. Make sure you’ve brought your pens, erasers, rulers, and compasses for drawing auxiliary lines.”

“Don’t get nervous during the exam. If you can’t answer a question, move on and come back to it later, okay?”

“Once you finish one subject, don’t overthink it. Focus on the next one.”

Sitting on the school’s rented bus, Wei Zhenge listened to the teacher’s endless reminders. Even though it was the day of the exam, he didn’t feel too heavy-hearted. A little nervousness was inevitable, but that tension actually helped him get into the right mindset for the exam.

When the bus arrived, the homeroom teacher gave the final words of encouragement, “Good luck on the college entrance exam, everyone.”

As Wei Zhenge got off the bus, he saw Jian Yuanbai waiting at the entrance, standing out among the crowd of parents.

Jian Yuanbai immediately pulled him into a hug. Since there was still some time before the exam, it was actually Wei Zhenge who dragged him to a hidden spot behind some bushes.

“You said you’d take the school bus yourself. Why did you come?”

Jian Yuanbai sneakily glanced around like a thief before quickly planting a kiss on the corner of Wei Zhenge’s lips. “Just came to see you.”

He didn’t say “Good luck on the exam” or “Don’t be nervous.” Instead, he said, “A new authentic hot pot restaurant just opened across the street from home. How about we go for hot pot after the exam?”

Wei Zhenge’s eyes lit up. “Sure.”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t linger for long and watched as Wei Zhenge entered the exam venue. Outside the school gate, which served as the exam site, many parents stood or sat anxiously. Even after the students had gone in, they didn’t leave. Each of them stared toward the now-quiet school building as if they could see their children from afar.

Watching the parents around him, Jian Yuanbai felt a strange sensation in his heart. That feeling slipped out when the system, which hadn’t appeared for a long time, suddenly spoke.

System: “Wei Zhenge is going to college.”

Jian Yuanbai: “Yeah, in the blink of an eye, the kid’s already grown up.”

As the system fell into an eerie silence, Jian Yuanbai also shut his mouth.

Damn it.
That unshakable, fatherly feeling.