Originally, Lin Jinglei was supposed to walk home with Tang Shan after school, but they were informed that the flag bearers from each class were to gather in the fifth floor gymnasium. Lin Jinglei wanted to change his mind, as delaying his journey home from school had never been a good thing.

After the dismissal bell rang, he watched as the classroom gradually emptied, hesitating about whether to stay or leave.

"Can't a guy do it?" Bai Xiuyuan, who had finished packing his backpack, saw through Lin Jinglei's unwillingness. She draped her coat over her shoulder and walked over, humming, "The words you say are like a joke."

If someone else said these words, Lin Jinglei wouldn't care at all. But it happened to be a girl who looks very tough. Not only does she look more handsome than boys, but her words and actions are also more efficient than boys'. She doesn't even let boys have a chance to live. He glanced at Bai Xiuyuan's back and decided to go to the gathering and see the situation before making a decision. If he really feels unhappy, he will just leave. Who can stop him anyway?

Just as the publicity committee came to the blackboard bulletin board behind, wanting to use his chair, Lin Jinglei stood up accordingly.

The corridor was no longer crowded. Inside the open doors of each classroom, there were students on duty coming in and out, cleaning. Only the front and back doors of Class 17 were tightly closed. People were walking really fast. Lin Jinglei inadvertently peeked inside from the window on the door and to his surprise, he saw people sitting in their seats.

In my impression, Class 17 was never the type to study late for dinner. They were the most disciplined class in the entire year group, and many students from other classes envied them for having a male class supervisor who had a straightforward approach. I wonder what happened to them today.

Lin Jinglei approached and, upon getting closer, saw Zou Jing standing on the podium. Without waiting to examine further out of curiosity, the front door opened. In order to avoid being hit by the swinging door, he took a big step back.

Not everyone left school together; only one person came out.

It's Yan Zizheng.

He glanced at Lin Jinglei outside the door, then closed it and turned to walk towards the stairs.

Lin Jinglei saw Yan Zizheng walking in front of him, and he had a rough idea that this person was probably also a prominent figure reported in the news.

Their teaching building is opposed to the three-story building in front of it, with a total of six floors. The first, second, third, and fourth floors are classrooms for first and second-year students, as well as corresponding teachers' offices. The fifth and sixth floors are various indoor activity rooms and the school leadership offices. Normally, if there is nothing special going on, they basically go downstairs and rarely go upstairs.

Sure, here is the translation of the paragraph: "Sure enough, after the two of them went up to the fifth floor, they both finally headed towards room 507."

At the entrance, you take a glance at me, and I take a glance at you, while both doors on either side are pushed open by them simultaneously.

Inside the room, apart from the incoming first-year high school students, there were also several senior students from the second year. Although they couldn't call out their full names, the younger students were all very familiar with them.

It's impossible to not be familiar with them. These people are constantly active in organizing events and maintaining discipline, making a strong impact and having many important scenes.

The short-haired senior sister standing by the window picked up the pen and notebook on the windowsill and looked up, smiling as she asked the two people who entered, "What are your names and which class are you from?"

Yan Zizheng stood at the door without moving, eyebrows slightly raised, and spoke with a confident tone, "Grade one, class seventeen, Yan Zizheng."

Lin Jinglei walked over to the chair inside and sat down without being invited: "Gao Yiyi, Lin Jinglei."

Fifteen minutes after school let out, all the students from Class 17 of the first year were still seated in their classroom. The noise outside was gradually subsiding, while inside, around fifty to sixty people were in silence.

Zou Jing slowly paced back and forth on the stage, not urging or asking, patiently waiting. Some students in the audience were already anxious to go home, but they were hindered by the fact that no one in the class was moving, so they had to suppress their impatience.

Time passed minute by minute, and the majority of innocent students who couldn't grasp what was happening started to feel increasingly difficult to endure.

Zou Jing observed the expressions and reactions of others. Taking advantage of the opportunity, he discreetly pushed open the door and left to retrieve something from his office. He hoped that in the two minutes he was away, someone in the class would be unable to withstand the pressure imposed on the entire class and stand up to confess when he returned.

As expected, when he returned to the classroom, someone stood up.

He was a particularly honest and top-performing male classmate in the class, named Feng Yi. Zou Jing was deeply impressed by him because his approach to solving math problems was always peculiar and different from others. He was usually very introverted and had no interest in interacting with his classmates. Whenever there was a group activity, he would always be the first to evade it. Zou Jing couldn't believe that such a studious student, who only seemed to bury his head in books, could do something as daring as disassembling the teacher's chair and then putting it back together just to sit and watch the commotion.

Zou Jing frowned and, despite knowing what had happened, still asked, "Why did you do this?"

Feng Yi was caught off guard, clearly indicating that the person who forced him to stand up did not tell him how to answer.

"Why are you doing this?"

The stern voice of the class leader made many of the students sitting below tremble, while Feng Yi, who was standing there, lowered his head even more so, seemingly unwilling to answer.

Zou Jing remained silent for a while. His fingers, resting on the lectern, quietly crushed two pieces of chalk without any change in expression. Finally, he raised his head and spoke in a calm tone, "Feng Yi, stay. The rest of you can leave after school, including the class monitor."

In the instant the house exploded, the floor was filled with students getting up and tidying their belongings. The sound of tables and chairs colliding, books falling to the ground, created chaos akin to a bustling market before dinner.

Yu Zhaoyu was the fastest to leave. He had agreed with Yan Zizheng that whoever finished first would go pick up Yan Ziqing. Yu Zhaoyu couldn't be bothered to go to the front row, so he quickly grabbed the backpack Yan Zizheng had asked him to carry and swiftly left through the backdoor.

Gradually, there were only two people left in the room. Zou Jing was still standing there, watching Feng Yi, who never looked up. "By taking care of the daily duties, you will be punished for lying," Zou Jing said.

The teacher's insight made Feng Yi even more uncomfortable, causing him to hesitate before heading towards the restroom.

Zou Jing also stepped down from the podium and headed straight to the last table in the north, bending over to retrieve a large screwdriver from a pile of used paper towels and snack wrappers.

Yan Zizheng descended from the fifth floor, the entire teaching building was empty, only a small group of people remained behind him.

He quickly went downstairs and turned back to his classroom. The door was locked, but his schoolbag was still on his seat with his wallet and cellphone inside. He kicked the door and silently cursed Yu Zhaoyu, that unreliable bastard.

Fortunately, he had his keychain with him, otherwise he would have had to walk home.

In the campus at this time, the activities are all for the senior students who need to stay in school. The free time before evening self-study occupies everything that the first and second-year students had during the day. When Yan Zizheng came out, he encountered several senior students whom he was familiar with. They greeted him and invited him to play soccer together. He smiled, waved his hand, and jogged towards the bicycle shed.

The bicycle shed is located on the west side of the teaching building, arranged according to class positions. The large area, filled with parked bicycles, is now empty, with only a few scattered ones left either unwanted or still belonging to someone.

Before Yan Zizheng could even approach, he saw Lin Jinglei bent over unlocking the car. With his movements, a faint glimpse of his waistline appeared between his short sleeves and jeans, revealing the edge of his black underwear.

Lin Jinglei heard someone pushing a cart behind him, so he stood up and turned around to take a glance.

After Yan Zizheng straddled the bicycle with long legs, he glanced past Cong Linjing Lei who was beside him and said, "The money is about to fall out."

Lin Jinglei immediately reached out to feel his back pocket, and sure enough, a coin was sticking out. He quickly pushed the coin back in with two fingers, without saying thank you. Instead, he wrinkled his nose in annoyance and retorted, "Talk less."

Yan Zizheng was still worried about Yu Zhaoyu going to pick up his sister. After leaving the school gate, he rode his bike all the way towards the Second Elementary School to find her. It would be the best if he could run into her, but if he couldn't, he would just consider it as taking a detour back home. Not far behind him, Lin Jinglei continued on the same route until the fourth intersection before turning in the opposite direction.

The newly painted zebra crossing gleams brightly under the sunlight. Yan Zizheng slows down his car and looks back, squinting his eyes at the figure of the person pushing a bike, making sure they safely cross the road.

The boy's serious distraction almost caused him to collide with the person coming from the opposite direction. His timely dodge startled the girl and she ended up stumbling, her high heels caught in the curb and causing her to fall to the ground.

"You're sick! Riding a bike without looking at the road!"

Yan Zizheng was a bit stunned by the reprimand. He held onto the brakes and propped one leg on the ground, observing the girl who was getting up from the ground after the bike made a half-circle turn in front of her.

The girl was wearing heavy makeup that didn't match her age, chewing gum while swinging her earrings. She had on a tank top with straps, and a pair of shorts that barely covered her buttocks. After seeing the person who caused her to fall, her angry face became much calmer, even her tone weakened: "I almost fell to my death."

Yan Zizheng looked up and down at the girl before raising an eyebrow, "Anything wrong?"

The girl shook her head and said, "It's nothing."

As the handsome guy was about to adjust his car and leave, she added, "I injured my knee. How about you buy me a band-aid?"

The money Lin Jinglei almost managed to sneak out was intended to buy a birthday gift for his aunt.

To him, his uncle's wife shouldn't even have the "uncle" title. Only his birth mother can be called that. That woman has engraved all the kindness she showed to him into the passage of time. Although fragmented, Lin Jinglei remembers it deeply.

However, he had been pondering for two days already, and still couldn't decide what to buy this year. The money remained in his pocket and had never been taken out.

After arriving home, he went back to his own room and placed the money on the table, intending to take it out only when he was certain about what he wanted to buy. If it weren't for Yan Zizheng's reminder, which he impulsively blurted out, he might have actually lost the money today.

After rummaging through boxes and cabinets, he opened the door and shouted, "Aunt! Where are my camouflage boxer shorts?"

"I washed it for you."

"Why bother washing if you're not dirty?" muttered Lin Jinglei as he pulled his head back and casually put on a pair of pajama pants.

Barefooted, he unknowingly stepped on something sticky. Thinking it was feces from a wheat ear, he looked down and exclaimed, "What the hell is this?"

The first to rush in was Lin Tai, yelling, "What's wrong, bro? Didn't you see my little frog?"

Lin Jinglei slowly moved his feet, completely uncertain if the thing under his feet, which looked exactly like a frog, was still alive or just deformed.

"Ah, ah, ah!" Lin Tai squatted on the ground and picked up the thing. "You stepped on him! Ah, ah, ah!"

Lin Jinglei stood on one leg, feeling disgusted by the sticky and wet ground beneath his feet. He was annoyed by his younger brother's incessant calling out, "I didn't do it on purpose. It's your fault for not holding it properly."

Lin Tai was a fanatic of aquatic creatures. Bottles, jars, and boxes filled his room, containing all sorts of creatures from the water, ranging from plants to animals. Lin Jinglei was most reluctant to enter his brother's room, always feeling that a lingering smell of fishiness would follow him out once he left.

After arguing over the nearly dead frog, the two brothers went back to their respective rooms. One went crazy trying to save it, while the other went crazy washing his feet.

When he was about to change the third bowl of water, Lin Jinglei suddenly remembered that he had promised to watch Tang Shan's performance tonight. Realizing that it was almost time to meet, he didn't bother washing his feet or eating his meal. He quickly put on his clothes and rushed out the door.

The old security guard at the second gate told Yan Zizheng that Yan Ziqing was taken away by a little boy who was about the same height as him, but when he returned home, he didn't see his sister.

Ma Liangli also said that You Zhaoyu never came at all.

Yan Zizheng was not familiar with the newly changed phone number of You Zhaoyu, so he didn't remember it. Instead, he used Ma Liangli's phone to directly make the call.

As soon as he heard that the guy had brought his sister with him and was with Gong Yue, he was furious: "If you want to chase after girls, you should first send Xiao Qing back! Can't you handle things properly?"

Zhaoyu, realizing his own guilt, showed weakness saying, "I called you but you didn't pick up, so I sent you a text message. Didn't you see it?"

"Bullshit, my cellphone is in my backpack, and my backpack is at school."

Zhao Yu whispered, "I just happened to run into Gong Yue while she was shopping. It's like I planned this chance encounter. Xia Qing, I will send her back quickly."

Yan Zizheng was walking outside the courtyard while talking on the phone, saying, "Tell me the specific location, I'll come and pick you up."

Yan Zizheng encountered that girl again on his way back. They met at the corner of an alley not far from where they had separated earlier. She was surrounded by five or six young people, and it was unclear what they were talking about.

People asked him to buy band-aids, but he said he didn't have money. They wanted him to save their phone number, but he said he didn't have a phone. Yan Zizheng spoke the truth, just like when he clearly passed by that girl, but she treated him like a lifesaver, and he denied knowing her.

The young man with short hair and an indistinct tattoo on the back of his neck, who was leading the group, tilted his head and said, "Don't recognize me? Afraid and want to run away, huh?"

In the corner of Yan Zizheng's vision, several other people were pulling the girl closer. He didn't want to get involved and repeated, "I don't know her."

A boy wearing a floral shirt laughed and looked at Yan Zizheng with a mischievous smile as he asked, "Hey, buddy, are you denying it after sleeping with her? She said she knows you. Why don't you repay her debts then?"

Yan Zizheng frowned and looked at the girl who was being held by her clothes. Then, he glanced at the few people waiting for his answer and said coldly, "Let me repeat myself, I don't know her. Step aside."

Immediately, a displeased voice sounded, saying, "Your attitude is damn awful."

Yan Zizheng forcefully pushed the car out of the crowd, but was kicked by the man in front of the car onto the front wheel.

"Pay up before you leave!"

A conflict erupted as several people approached to grab and restrain Yan Zizheng, but they repeatedly failed and uttered curses and complaints, the voices blending with the sound of girls sobbing.

"Tianping ge! Stop, stop, stop!" A teenager, carrying a guitar on his back, ran over and shouted to stop someone: "Don't fight!"

Zang Tianping looked at the approaching person and said, "Tang Shan, what's the matter with you?"

Tang Shan smirked and said, "I just happened to pass by. If there's something to discuss, let's not resort to violence."

Mizi, with his chin tilted towards Yanzizheng, asked Tang Shan, "Do you know this kid?"

"Uh..." Tang Shan felt awkward for a moment, but still nodded. "My friend, give me some face and let it go."

"Give up? Damn it, you say we should just give up?"

These are all small ruffians who hang around in society. Although their ages vary, Tang Shan knows that each and every one of them is a ruthless character. When they get violent, they have no sense of restraint. He is not here to help Yan Zizheng, but rather that girl.

Just as they were about to turn the corner, Lin Jinglei suddenly ran over and, after figuring out the situation, laughed and said, "Hey guys, don't be angry. I gave Shen Ling's money."

"What did you give?"

Someone grabbed Tang Shan's arm and pulled him over, attracting the attention of everyone around.

Tang Shan pushed away that hand and said, "Leizi, this has nothing to do with you. Step aside."

Lin Jinglei ignored him and forcefully pushed Tang Shan away. He turned around and raised his hand, making a circular gesture. "You guys should fight on, keep going."