On the afternoon of the parents' meeting, all the first and second-year high school students were engaged in free activities on campus. About two thousand people were scattered throughout the playground, small shops, cafeteria, and library.

Outside was noisy, like the break between classes. Inside the classroom, the students sat quietly as a group of parents listened to the teacher's lecture.

After the parent-teacher meeting ended, school was dismissed. Tang Shan went home directly with his father. Lin Jinglei also came down from the field, bought some water at the convenience store, and then went back to the classroom to take a look.

His seat remained unoccupied, just as it was when he left. Principal Lin had not yet arrived. Leaning against the hallway wall, he gulped down water. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a suspicious figure lurking near the entrance of an office on the other side of the hallway.

I turned my head to see You Zhaoyu, who was leaning against the door, bending his waist and legs, eavesdropping on the conversation inside the house.

Lin Jinglei found the cautious appearance of You Zhaoyu quite amusing. While watching, he walked downstairs with a water bottle in hand, accompanied by two male classmates.

The first thing he did was to run to the parking lot to see if his uncle's car was there. After seeing that familiar car, he even gave the front wheel a kick.

Last night, despite seeing his uncle and Teacher Ming together, he did not react to Lin Tai and his aunt. He even lied, saying that everything was normal.

He didn't know if doing so was right or wrong, but he knew that his uncle's actions were definitely wrong.

Lin Jinglei never wanted to ride in his uncle's car, but today he really wanted to go home with Principal Lin.

He sat leaning against the front of the car, waiting without knowing why it seemed so long. It felt like a long time had passed, but when he looked at his watch, only two minutes had passed.

In a well-lit office, two men were talking. One of them was Yu Zhaoyu's dad, who had followed the teacher back to the office after the parent-teacher meeting.

"Zou teacher, is there any way to help my son improve his grades faster? I want him to at least get into a decent university, so he won't end up like me, uneducated. Should I enroll him in tutoring classes or hire a private tutor? I'm willing to spend however much money it takes."

Zou Jing politely smiled as he sat on the office chair, without immediately giving a response. Such parents were rare to come across, genuinely concerned about their child, but a bit blinded in their approach. As soon as their child's grades dropped, their first instinct was to solve the problem with money. Why couldn't they search for the reasons within the child's own abilities?

"I don't recommend the two methods you mentioned, many parents have this misconception, thinking that extracurricular tutoring is beneficial to improving their children's grades. Actually, it's not the case. Usually, many children, after receiving extracurricular tutoring, become inattentive during regular classes and miss out on acquiring knowledge. The focus shifts solely on extracurricular tutoring, often resulting in more harm than good..."

Zhaoyu could clearly hear through the door panel. This old teacher is really long-winded, and his dad couldn't understand him either.

Zou Jing pondered as he spoke, "Based on my understanding of him, he has weak foundations in cultural courses. If he wants to get high scores, he basically needs to start from scratch. He has a hot temper and is not suitable for studying diligently. For him, it would be too difficult and a waste of time if he can't achieve the desired results."

"Crap," muttered Zhaoyu under his breath, "does this motherf***er think I'm stupid?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Gang's expression grew anxious as he said, "What should we do?"

"I suggest that he can consider taking the sports specialty exam. With his excellent physical fitness, he will have an absolute advantage. In this way, he won't need to have excessively high standards in academic courses and can still get into a desirable school."

Yu Gang hesitated, "That would be very tiring, right?"

Zou Jing laughed, "It's definitely exhausting as it tests both physical strength and endurance. Many of the students I used to tutor, even those with poor grades, would choose this path and have achieved good results by persevering. However, they usually start training in the second semester of their sophomore year or when they enter their senior year. If Zhao Yu starts training now, it will be relatively easier for him."

Zhaoyu couldn't hear any sound from inside the room, and he guessed that his dad was making a decision. He really hoped that his dad wouldn't make the same mistake as those seniors in their second and third year of high school who were constantly exhausted from running around the playground like dogs. How would he be able to eat, drink, skip class, and play games if that happened to him?

"Alright."

After hearing his father firmly affirm, You Zhaoyu was dumbfounded. He bent his elbow, and forcefully pushed open the unclosed door.

Youghang was sitting with his back towards the door, so he did not see his son who appeared at the doorway. However, Zou Jing, who was facing the door, clearly saw the young man clenching his teeth, glaring, and swinging his arms. In the instant when his dad changed positions and crossed his legs, he quickly pulled back half of his body.

Yan Zizheng played football with his senior in high school for the whole afternoon on the soccer field. When he was riding his bicycle and getting ready to go home, he spotted Lin Jinglei squatting on the front of a black car in the opposite parking lot.

That kid, I don't know what he's thinking. He's lowering his head and randomly doodling on the car's surface, looking agitated. His aura suggests that he's not in a good mood. The gloomy sky and the falling leaves are like a backdrop to his emotions.

Yan Zizheng slowed down the bicycle speed a little and rode over. He had the urge to say hello, but didn't know what to say as an opening line. When he arrived, the words he hadn't planned came out abruptly and turned into a sudden loud cough.

Lin Jinglei, who was engrossed in his thoughts, turned his head slightly in surprise upon hearing someone speak, furrowing his brows and asking, "What are you doing?"

Yan Zizheng did not get off the bicycle. He extended his legs and planted both feet on the ground, saying, "I thought you couldn't hear me."

Lin Jinglei retracted his gaze and said in a low voice, "Get lost."

Yan Zizheng raised an eyebrow and said, "If you ask me to leave, then I'll leave. But wouldn't that be very humiliating for me?"

Lin Jinglei stood up and was about to get off the front of the car, looking for trouble, huh?

As he jumped, the cellphone in his pocket jumped out first, and then his foot landed on the cellphone screen. It was too late for him to react when he heard the sound of shattering.

"Damn it!" Lin Jinglei immediately bent down to pick up his phone and checked it, with his distressed features gathered together.

Yan Zizheng saw this scene, not knowing whether to laugh or burst out laughing. He felt so stifled, so he turned the handlebars and rode the bike away.

He was suddenly grabbed, along with the car and the people inside.

"You're leaving already?"

Yan Zizheng turned his head and said, "Then what?"

Lin Jinglei roared lowly, "My phone screen is broken!"

"None of my concern."

"You don't need to talk to me."

Yan Zizheng pointed up and said, "You stepped on it yourself. Why don't you go and check the playback?"

Lin Jinglei didn't let go, tightly gripping the edge of Yan Zizheng's bicycle. He firmly believed that if Yan Zizheng didn't come over to show off to him, he couldn't hastily jump off and accidentally step on his own cellphone.

"Let go."

"Not letting go."

Yan Zizheng jumped off the car and said, "Why didn't you let me go? Did you step on it yourself?"

"If you don't compensate me for the screen, don't even think about leaving."

These two people, one wanting to leave and the other refusing to let go, tug the bicycle back and forth with their opposing forces.

After hearing the sound of a car unlocking nearby, Lin Jinglei knew that Principal Lin had arrived at the battlefield. He issued his final ultimatum: "You owe me."

Yan Zizheng looked at Lin Jinglei with a smile that was not a smile and said, "I can't accompany you, I still have to go home."

Lin Jinglei was taken aback, "I fucking meant compensate me for my phone screen."

After saying this, he saw Principal Lin coming over and waved his hand, saying, "Go ahead, consider me unlucky."

Yan Zizheng rode off, brushing against Principal Lin's shoulder. He glanced back at the young figure who had just entered the car, let out a sudden laugh, and quickly restrained himself. What strange things was he doing and saying?

"Where did you go last night since you didn't come back?" Lin Jinglei asked after sitting in the car.

Lin Guodong started the car and turned the steering wheel, saying, "I have a dinner appointment."

"Dinner gathering? Can you come up with a better excuse? What's the deal between you and Professor Ming?"

"Children should not inquire about matters pertaining to adults."

"Here we go again. You should at least act like an adult first," Lin Jinglei's gaze shifted from the window back to the driver's seat. "Do you even know what you're doing? Are you out of your mind?"

Lin Guodong frowned, unable to handle the nephew's reproachful question, and impatiently blurted out, "What do you know?"

Lin Jinglei said angrily, "At the very least, I fucking know that you can't start something and then abandon it!"

The car that had just left the campus abruptly stopped. Lin Jinglei, who was sitting in the passenger seat without fastening his seatbelt, quickly leaned forward. Before he could even sit up straight, his uncle gave him his marching orders.

Get off the car.

Lin Jinglei got off the car, slammed the car door heavily before watching his uncle's car drive away into the distance. He understood the situation clearly. Principal Lin tacitly approved of the affair within the marriage, which disgusted him. He didn't even want to go back to that home.

Autumn has fully arrived, and the scene before the dark night after dusk is filled with a sense of desolation on every street. Lin Jinglei walked slowly along the street until he finally stopped at Zheng Qiaoyin's cold drink shop.

He entered the store and ordered two beverages, emphasizing multiple times to add extra ice.

Zheng Qiaosheng's familiarity with Lin Jinglei was not solely due to his unforgettable appearance. It was also because of the incident where they nearly got into a fight the first time they met over ordering food. As he prepared a cold drink, he glanced at the young man sitting at a nearby table with a troubled expression. Leaning towards the back door, he whispered, "Your mixed-blood friend has arrived. He doesn't seem too happy, huh?"

After hearing that, Zheng Qiaoyin quickly ran out and glanced in the direction where Lin Jinglei had gone. She smiled at her brother and whispered, "Brother, next time he comes, immediately call me."

The sky started to darken. Just as he was about to leave, he thought of inviting Zou Jing to have a meal together. Firstly, he wanted to express gratitude for Zou Jing's patient answers to his questions. Secondly, he wanted to establish a friendly relationship so that this teacher would treat his son well in the future.

Yu Zhaoyu stood at the door and heard his father invite Zou Jing to have a meal. In an instant, he felt depressed. He would rather go home and play with the dog than dine with Zou Jing.

Zou Jing still shook his head, just like the last time when Gang left him at home to eat.

From just looking at it, it was clear that this young male teacher did not buy into the tricks he used to deal with people in society. Whether it was money or social events, even saying too many kind words seemed unnecessary. So he didn't push for it anymore and just patted his son's back before going downstairs, saying, "It's rude not to say goodbye to the teacher."

Zhaoyu turned his head to look at the man standing in the room, wearing an extremely reluctant expression to match his straightforward words, creating a rather discordant atmosphere. He said, "Goodbye, teacher."

Zou Jing was tickled by the contradicting words of the young man, and nodded with a smile, saying, "Goodbye."

As Zhao Yu turned and followed his father, he knew that his father taking time out of his busy schedule to attend his parent-teacher meeting meant that he valued him. However, he really didn't want to become an athlete.

He hoped there was still a chance to change his father's mindset. On the way home, he sat in the car and tried to persuade his father as much as possible. However, he didn't expect that his father had been completely brainwashed by Zou Jing and couldn't take in a single word he said. From then on, Zhao Yu dared not say anything more. From childhood to adulthood, whenever his father made a decision, he never escaped the inevitable outcome. Even if he resisted to the end, it would still be forcibly carried out.

Moreover, his father has three high-risk diseases, and he does not want to bring any misfortune to the only person in the world who is willing to provide him with a luxurious life.

Yan Zizheng's grades are declining so badly. I suggest that you minimize your interactions with him in the future.

"He didn't answer properly."

"You need to interact more with students who have good grades, you know? It will benefit your academic performance. Even in the future, these people will be more useful to you than those unreliable friends of yours."

What on earth is going on here? Yuzhou became even more frustrated. He gets close to someone because they get along, it's not that complicated.

When Luo Zeyu was a child, it was because Yan Zizheng excelled in his studies that his father allowed him to spend more time with him. Once they got to know each other, they became good friends. Yan Zizheng was not the type of child who only buried his head in books; he was not a bookworm at all. On the contrary, he had a rebellious streak, daring to do things under the aura of being a top student. This was similar to Luo Zeyu's personality.

"And also, I think your class advisor is not bad. It's fortunate to be assigned to him. Listen to him more, my son. High school is the most critical three years that can determine your future destiny. Look at your dad, having money alone is useless. Even training employees doesn't have any confidence. Many people look down on him behind his back. Knowledge is more useful than money. Learn more..."

Zhaoyu knew that his father's greatest wish was for him to study well, but he was just not cut out for learning. He had no interest in studying at all, maybe it was a gene that their family had always lacked.

When the car turned the corner, Zhao Yu saw Yan Zizheng in front of the bright display window of his family-owned beverage shop. Although the car was moving fast, he would never mistake the girl standing by Yan Zizheng's side - it was Gong Yue.

Yan Zizheng received a text message from Zhao Yu asking where he was. After hesitating for a while, he replied that he was at home. He couldn't express that he had come here with Lin Jinglei.

Without any response from Zhaoyu, Yan Zizheng put away his phone and planned to leave.

In the line of sight, Gong Yue, who had just met at the door, sat down diagonally opposite Lin Jinglei, chatting and laughing with two girls.

Yan Zizheng hadn't walked far from the school gate when he saw Lin Jinglei angrily climb out of the car. Lin Jinglei had been pushing the car from behind, keeping a distance, and Yan Zizheng wondered why he felt so strongly about doing this. When they arrived at this shop, he didn't go inside but instead stood by the window, watching Lin Jinglei drinking his beverage across from Zheng Qiaoyin's constant chatter.

After downing two large cups of cold drinks, Lin Jinglei got up and left. As soon as he stepped outside, his phone in his pocket vibrated. The shattered screen made it difficult to make out who was calling. He struggled to answer the phone, and it turned out to be Lin Tai's voice on the other end.

"Brother, we're going back tomorrow."

Lin Jinglei's eyes lit up, "Really? Then let's not leave anymore."

"Not me, it's my parents who want to go through with the divorce proceedings."

Lin Jinglei's gaze, which had brightened upon seeing the lit-up screen of his phone, dimmed again. He said, "I see."

Lin Tai, who had just been calm, suddenly choked up and said, "Who said there is always a way when the car reaches the foot of the mountain? Sometimes, there is simply no way. And if you don't turn or slow down, you will only end up in pieces. This is their love, no, their marriage. They have lost their love, I don't know when it happened, but our family is destined to fall apart."

Lin Jinglei was never good at comforting others, and at this moment, he was feeling uncomfortable himself. After saying a few words, he hung up the phone.

Stepping down the stairs and then looking up, Yan Zizheng stood in front of him. He was taken aback for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, not even bothering to enunciate his words clearly.

"Step aside."

Yan Zizheng pointed at the mobile phone that Lin Jinglei was holding and said, "The screen, I'll compensate you."

Repairing the mobile phone with the immovable treasure trove indeed temporarily diverted Lin Jing Lei's thoughts from his worries. He looked at Yan Zi Zheng and asked, "Is it true?"

Yan Zizheng nodded and went to push the bicycle parked aside, saying, "There's a repair shop nearby. If you want to go, hurry up."

In addition, Lin Jinglei happened to not want to go home, so he followed Yan Zizheng's pace.