Born in the 1980s, she was remarried and became a stepmother; a cold, rough man doted on her, pinchi

Chapter 144 A Father with a Tendency to Commit Domestic Violence
Ever since Chen Yu helped them drive away those blond-haired thugs who were causing trouble for Shi An, Shi An and Shi Ning have been grateful to him and have been hoping to find an opportunity to thank him in person.

However, as the days went by, Chen Yu seemed to have vanished into thin air and never showed up at school again.

Shi An and Shi Ning were filled with doubt, but had no way of finding out, so they could only silently cherish this kindness in their hearts.

That day, Shi Ning was walking home alone.

The last rays of the setting sun cast long shadows on the ground. A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees along the roadside.

Suddenly, a commotion ahead broke the tranquility.

Shi Ning's heart tightened, and she quickened her pace to get there. She saw several thugs surrounding a person, hurling insults at him.

Upon closer inspection, Shi Ning realized that the person surrounded was none other than Chen Yu, whom they had been searching for.

At this moment, Chen Yu's face was gloomy, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes revealed a fierce look, just like when he usually kept to himself at school.

Shi Ning's heart jumped. She instinctively wanted to rush over to help, but then she remembered that she was outnumbered and no match for these thugs.

Moreover, Shi An went to participate in a competition today, so she has to face this difficult situation alone.

After much hesitation, Shi Ning decided to outsmart them. She quietly hid to the side, took a deep breath, and then shouted at the top of her lungs, "The police are here! Don't move!"

The sound was particularly loud on the quiet street. Upon hearing this, the thugs' faces instantly turned to terror. They looked around, and seeing that things were not going well, they immediately took off running and disappeared without a trace in the blink of an eye.

Chen Yu looked at Shi Ning, who had suddenly rushed in, with a grim expression. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes before he coldly asked, "Was it you who scared them away?"

Shi Ning was startled by his cold tone, but she still mustered up her courage and nodded, saying, "Yes...yes, Chen Yu, are you alright?"

Chen Yu did not answer her question, but instead looked her up and down with a scrutinizing look in his eyes.

Shi Ning felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze and quickly explained, "Chen Yu, you helped my brother before, and we've been wanting to thank you, but you haven't come to school yet."

Chen Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this, seemingly uninterested in her words.

He turned around, dusted himself off, and prepared to leave. "Chen Yu, wait a minute!"

Shi Ning quickly chased after them, "Are you really alright? Why did those people cause you trouble?"

Chen Yu stopped, turned around, and said coldly, "My affairs are none of your business."

Shi Ning felt a little disappointed when she saw his indifferent expression, but she still said with a glimmer of hope, "But... we are really grateful to you. You have helped us so much, we should do something for you."

Chen Yu looked into Shi Ning's sincere eyes and felt a slight stirring in his heart, but he quickly regained his indifference.

He was silent for a moment, then said, "No need, just stay away from me from now on."

After saying that, he turned and strode away.

Shi Ning stood there, watching his departing figure, her heart filled with doubt and disappointment.

She didn't understand why Chen Yu, who had clearly helped them, was so resistant to their approach.

After returning home, Shi Ning told Shi An about it. Shi An was also very surprised to hear it.

"Why was he surrounded by thugs? Could it be because of the time he helped us?"

Shi An guessed. Shi Ning shook her head and said, "I don't know either. He wouldn't say anything and told us to stay away from him in the future." The next day, sunlight filtered through the dappled leaves and dappled the paths on campus.

Shi An and Shi Ning walked into the campus side by side, their eyes filled with anticipation, hoping to see Chen Yu in their familiar classroom.

However, even after the school bell rang, the familiar yet unfamiliar seat remained empty. Shi Ning stared at Chen Yu's seat, her heart filled with worry.

She excelled academically, often vying with Shi An for the top three spots on the grade leaderboard. At this moment, however, the glory of her achievements no longer mattered to her.

After class, Shi Ning walked towards the homeroom teacher's office without hesitation.

In the office, the homeroom teacher was grading homework with her head down.

Shi Ning tiptoed over, politely knocked on the door, and said, "Teacher, I'd like to ask you about Chen Yu. Do you know anything about his family situation? He hasn't been to school for many days."

Upon hearing this, the homeroom teacher looked up, a hint of wariness flashing in her eyes, and asked worriedly, "Why are you asking about his family situation? Don't get too close to him; puppy love is bad for you."

Shi Ning frowned slightly and quickly explained, "Teacher, I know, don't worry. It's just that Chen Yu saved me before, and a few days ago I saw him being surrounded by some thugs. It looked like he was beaten up. I'm a little worried about him and wanted to give him some medicine as a way of thanking him."

Upon hearing this, the homeroom teacher's wariness instantly turned into surprise and concern; he hadn't expected such a thing to happen.

"Oh, I see. It seems the teacher misunderstood you."

The homeroom teacher smiled apologetically and continued, "Chen Yu's family situation is indeed not good. His mother ran away with someone else a few years ago, and his father has a tendency to be abusive. This child has had a difficult life since he was a child."

As Shi Ning listened, her heart ached. She never imagined that Chen Yu, who was usually a loner, had such a past.

"Teacher, could you tell me his home address? I'd like to go visit him with Shi'an."

Shi Ning asked eagerly. The homeroom teacher hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded: "Okay, you must go with Shi An, and be careful on the way."

As he spoke, he wrote down Chen Yu's address on a piece of paper and handed it to Shi Ning.

Shi Ning took the note and carefully put it into her schoolbag, as if she were guarding a precious secret.

"Thank you, teacher. We will be careful."

After saying that, she left the office. Back in the classroom, Shi Ning told Shi An everything she had learned from the homeroom teacher.

Upon hearing this, Shi An frowned deeply. "I didn't expect Chen Yu's life to be so difficult. We must go and help him."

Shi Ning nodded vigorously, her eyes filled with determination. After school, Shi An and Shi Ning set off to find Chen Yu, following the address on the note.

The two remained silent throughout the journey, both thinking about Chen Yu.

As soon as Shi An and Shi Ning arrived at Chen Yu's house, they heard a loud argument coming from inside.

Immediately afterwards, with a "bang," Chen Yu was thrown out and fell to the ground.

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, his clothes were disheveled, and his eyes were filled with anger and resentment.

Upon seeing this, Shi An and Shi Ning were shocked and hurriedly went forward to check on them.

"Chen Yu, how are you? Are you alright?"