The younger generation, starting from where the wind blows...

Chapter 325: Lies won’t hurt, the truth is the sharpest knife
Hotel entrance.

Chen Jingdian was taken to a police car by two men wearing hats.

Zhang Guangzheng, Shao Xingchi, and Wang Niulang, who was on duty, all watched from the side, their expressions varying.

After seeing Uncle Hat off, Sun Guangting turned around.

"Okay, let's all disperse."

After saying that, he walked into the hotel.

Zhang Guangzheng glanced back at the direction the police car had driven away, then turned to Wang Niulang and asked:
"Master, should I have tried to persuade Chen Jingdian again just now?"

"Should I call you a car so you can chase after him to the police station and try to persuade him?" Wang Niulang complained irritably.

Zhang Guangzheng's lips moved, but he hesitated to speak.

Wang Niulang didn't give Zhang Guangzheng another chance to speak.

"Since you called me master, I'll give you one more piece of advice... Put aside your desire to help others and respect their fate!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a girl was seen running towards the hotel entrance.

After seeing the other person's face clearly, Wang Niulang immediately turned around and called out to Shao Xingchi, who was already preparing to return to his dormitory.

Shao Xingchi looked at Xia Fenghua, who had run all the way to him before stopping, and asked in confusion:

"Fenghua, what's wrong?"

Xia Fenghua clutched her chest.

"I was so scared! When I came here, I saw a police car leave, and the person sitting in the back looked like you. I thought something had happened to you."

"The one who was taken away was one of my colleagues... Are you off today?" Shao Xingchi changed the subject.

"Siyi is in the store. I came here specifically to find you."

After speaking, Xia Fenghua looked past Shao Xingchi and raised her hand to greet Wang Niulang and Zhang Guangzheng behind her.

Wang Niulang immediately chimed in, "Xingchi is on the night shift today, he's free during the day."

Xia Fenghua nodded, her gaze returning to Shao Xingchi's face.

"Let's go find a place to sit for a while."

After watching the two leave, Zhang Guangzheng said with a sigh, "Master, what was that sentence you just told me?"

"roll!"

Wang Niulang raised his hand, as if to strike.

This eldest apprentice is getting bolder and bolder, even daring to make fun of himself casually.

After inviting Shao Xingchi out, Xia Fenghua didn't choose a coffee shop or milk tea shop. Instead, she found a convenience store near the hotel, bought two drinks, and sat down with Shao Xingchi in the rest area near the entrance.

Xia Fenghua told Shao Xingchi about Ma Siyi's plan to retake the college entrance examination.

After listening, Shao Xingchi remained silent for a few seconds.

"What, you also want to persuade me to take the exam again?"

Do you want to take the exam?

"What good will it do to take the exam?"

Xia Fenghua was stumped by the question.

Shao Xingchi's grades in high school were similar to hers. Even if she took the exam again, she could only get into a junior college at best.

Sometimes Xia Fenghua couldn't help but wonder if Shao Xingchi tore up his exam admission ticket to get revenge on his father, but actually to escape the brutal college entrance examination.

Among the students in Huajie, Ma Siyi, Xie Wanghe, Zhou Haikuo, and Chen Rui consistently rank in the top fifty of their grade.

I and Shao Xingchi were both at the bottom of the class in terms of grades.

Rather than failing the exam and being ridiculed by everyone, it's better to find a reason not to take it at all.

The result is the same anyway.

Xia Fenghua sighed and started talking to Shao Xingchi about something else.

"I saw a news report in Shanghai a couple of days ago about a girl from Southeast University—"

Before he could finish speaking, Shao Xingchi interrupted him.

“I’ve seen that news. You really don’t need to try to persuade me anymore. I will never take the college entrance exam again, no matter what.”

Xia Fenghua raised her head.

"Will you go back to Flower Street in the future?"

Shao Xingchi wanted to say that he would go back after he made something of himself, but the words suddenly got stuck in his throat.

He has to pull strings to even get a job as a doorman at a hotel, so how can he expect to make something of himself in the future? Isn't that a joke?
Xia Fenghua then realized that her question had inadvertently touched on Shao Xingchi's sensitive pride, and hurriedly explained:

“You misunderstood. What I wanted to tell you about was the other female protagonist in that news story. She could have gotten into Tsinghua University with her college entrance exam score, but her family forced her to attend a publicly funded teacher training program. Coupled with the fact that she was treated differently by her parents since she was a child, she began to doubt that she was not their biological child, so she and her second brother went to get a kinship test.”

"Then she discovered that she was her parents' biological child, and that her second brother was the bastard child born from her mother's affair."

Shao Xingchi spoke for Xia Fenghua, saying, "I saw this news too. Why are you telling me this?"

Xia Fenghua glanced at Shao Xingchi cautiously:
"Didn't you have any thoughts when you saw this news?"

Shao Xingchi gave a cold snort, clearly annoyed.

"What thoughts could I possibly have? I can't even bear to pity myself, how could I possibly have the time to pity others?"

After hesitating for a moment, Xia Fenghua finally decided to tell Shao Xingchi the truth.

"When I saw that news, a sentence came to mind: There is no hatred without a cause, nor is there love without a cause. Your dad treated your mom that way, do you think there might be other reasons?"

"Oh!"

Shao Xingchi slammed his hand on the table and stood up.

"Xia Fenghua, what do you mean?"

"Xingchi, don't be angry, I was just saying it casually—"

Before he could finish speaking, Shao Xingchi interrupted him sharply.

"Is this something you can just say carelessly?"

After saying that, he left Xia Fenghua, who was still stunned in her seat, and turned to leave.

Back in the hotel's basement dormitory, Zhang Guangzheng was helping Chen Jingdian pack his things.

It was Sun Guangting who instructed him to do it.

Once Chen Jingdian arrived at the police station, he became obedient, not only confessing everything but also agreeing to accept the hotel's punishment.

He only asks that the hotel not sue him.

Otherwise, having a criminal record will make it difficult to register for postgraduate entrance exams later.

Sun Guangting was a man with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and in the end, he decided to let Chen Jingdian off the hook.

He called Zhang Guangzheng and told him to pack up Chen Jingdian's things first.

After Chen Jingdian returned to the hotel, paid the fine, grabbed his luggage, and got out of there immediately, not allowed to stay a minute longer.

Why did you come back?

Zhang Guangzheng stopped what he was doing and had just finished asking when he saw Shao Xingchi silently take off his shoes and climb into bed.

He didn't say anything, just lay flat on the bed, staring straight at the ceiling.

Zhang Guang watched for a while, not daring to ask or say anything, and could only secretly send a text message to Wang Niulang.

Upon receiving Zhang Guangzheng's text message, Wang Niulang immediately found a colleague to cover his shift and rushed back to his dormitory.

As soon as he entered, he saw Zhang Guangzheng secretly winking at him and gesturing towards Shao Xingchi's bed.

Wang Niulang walked to the bedside.

"Xingchi, what happened?"

Shao Xingchi lay on the bed without making a sound.

Zhang Guangzheng gestured the mouth shape to Wang Niulang.

—What do we do now?
Wang Niulang ignored Zhang Guangzheng and continued to say to Shao Xingchi, "If you really encounter any trouble, or if you are not feeling well, I will cover your night shift tonight."

After saying that, he gave Zhang Guangzheng a wink and went out first, leaving Shao Xingchi alone in the dormitory for a while.

Just then, Zhang Guang was about to take Chen Jingdian's luggage upstairs, so Wang Niulang left with him.

It wasn't until 6 p.m. that the two returned to the dormitory, bringing food for Shao Xingchi.

After Wang Niulang's patient persuasion, Shao Xingchi finally sat up in bed and took the lunchbox.

I picked up my chopsticks and took a couple of bites, but as I chewed, tears started streaming down my face.

Seeing this, Wang Niulang and Zhang Guangzheng finally realized that Shao Xingchi was truly in trouble.

Zhang Guangzheng couldn't help but ask, "Xingchi, what exactly happened?"

Shao Xingchi wiped away his tears and continued to eat heartily from his lunchbox.

Zhang Guangzheng wanted to ask more questions, but Wang Niulang stopped him.

Let Shao Xingchi eat first.

In no time, Shao Xingchi finished all the food in his lunchbox.

He forced himself to swallow it.

This was all so as not to waste the good intentions of Wang Niulang and Zhang Guangzheng.

After putting down his lunchbox, Wang Niulang handed him a bottle of mineral water.

Shao Xingchi shook his head and got up to get down from the upper bunk.

Zhang Guangzheng glanced at Wang Niulang first, and after obtaining his consent, he asked Shao Xingchi what had happened.

This time, Shao Xingchi did not remain silent and recounted his conversation with Xia Fenghua verbatim.

Zhang Guangzheng had never seen the news about Su Mingyu and was completely confused.

On the contrary, Wang Niulang frowned.

"So you suspect you're not your father's biological child?"

"It's not a doubt."

Shao Xingchi covered his face with his hands, his voice filled with despair: "I've never looked like my dad since I was little. The neighbors all say I look like my mom, and I never thought much about it. Now that I think about it, I suddenly feel really stupid."

Wang Niulang couldn't help but advise:

"Xingchi, isn't it too hasty to draw conclusions based on mere speculation?"

Shao Xingchi shook his head in anguish.

“Every time my dad gets drunk and beats my mom, she never fights back. Afterwards, she hugs me and says, ‘Don’t blame my dad. This is what she owes him.’”

“I always thought he was just upset at work and took it out on my mother when he got home, so I hated him more and more.”

Shao Xingchi's head drooped limply, his hands clutching his head, his fingers digging deep into his hair.

"I only realized now that I've been misunderstanding him all along."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Guangzheng's masculine spirit, typical of Northeastern men, immediately flared up.

"What do you mean by wrongly accusing someone? No matter what, hitting a woman is wrong. In my hometown, everyone would think that only a coward would do that."

Before he could finish speaking, Shao Xingchi suddenly raised his head.

His eyes were fixed on Zhang Guangzheng.

"If this woman cheated on you before marriage, and you couldn't expose her for the sake of your reputation, but instead had to raise her son, would you be willing to accept that?"

"I--"

Zhang Guangzheng was speechless for a moment.

If he were to encounter this situation, Zhang Guangzheng felt he would most likely choose to get a divorce directly.

As an atypical Northeasterner, Zhang Guangzheng certainly couldn't stand this humiliation.

Shao Xingchi saw the answer in Zhang Guangzheng's eyes and continued with a wry smile: "If my dad had abandoned my mom back then, she definitely wouldn't have been able to support me on her own. Even if she could, it would have been very difficult for her as a woman raising a child like me in those days."

"She can take you to your biological father!"

Zhang Guangzheng spoke too quickly and regretted it immediately afterward.

If Shao Xingchi's mother could be with that man, why would she marry Shao Xingchi's father?

There must be a reason why she would rather endure domestic violence for so many years than let Shao Xingchi know the truth.

Zhang Guangzheng was at a loss for words when Wang Niulang's voice rang out from the side.

"Your family has urban residency, so you can only have one child?"

Shao Xingchi nodded weakly.

Wang Niulang suddenly realized, thinking, "No wonder."

At this moment, Zhang Guangzheng couldn't help but speak up again: "In the end, it's still your father's fault. Since he was willing to accept your mother and you, and knew that you were not his biological child, he still treated your mother like this. I certainly couldn't do such a thing."

Wang Niulang sat to the side, saying nothing.

Don't persuade others to be kind to others without suffering.

There's a saying that every pitiful person has something hateful about them, referring to Shao Xingchi's mother.

Conversely, even the most hateful person has a pitiable side, which refers to Shao Xingchi's father.

Upright officials can hardly break housework.

Wang Niulang didn't know how to comfort him, so he could only pat Shao Xingchi's shoulder forcefully.

-

Cainiao Post Station at Yanjingmao Pedestrian Street.

Xie Wanghe and Zhou Haikuo hurriedly entered the store, and Ma Siyi, who was sitting in front of the computer, immediately stood up.

"Siyi, where are Dahuazi?"

Ma Siyi looked at the figure behind the innermost shelf in the store.

"She's calling Xingchi."

"Did you get through?"

Ma Siyi shook her head.

Xia Fenghua had already called Shao Xingchi seven or eight times, but either no one answered or the call was hung up on.

"Tell her to stop calling. It's a waste of battery. If I were Xingchi, I definitely wouldn't answer her call."

After Xie Wanghe finished speaking, he took out his phone to call Shao Xingchi.

Zhou Haikuo reached out and stopped Xie Wanghe.

"Stop hitting, let me do it."

Xie Wanghe then realized that he and Shao Xingchi were no longer the good friends who used to get into trouble and play together.

The college entrance examination is like a watershed moment, turning former friends into people from two completely different worlds.

No matter how much Xie Wanghe tries to make amends, their relationship can never go back to what it was before.

In comparison, although Zhou Haikuo and Shao Xingchi's relationship wasn't particularly good before, at least they can still talk normally now.

Zhou Haikuo took out his phone and dialed Shao Xingchi's number in front of Xie Wanghe and Ma Siyi.

Two seconds later, Zhou Haikuo reluctantly put down his phone.

"Busy".

Xie Wanghe was stunned for a moment, then realized that Xia Fenghua was still calling Shao Xingchi.

Xia Fenghua attacked first, so Zhou Haikuo naturally couldn't get through.

Without saying a word, Xie Wanghe rushed into the store, snatched the phone from Xia Fenghua's hand behind the shelf, and hung up the call.

"Xie Wanghe, what are you doing?"

Xie Wanghe ignored Xia Fenghua and turned to give Zhou Haikuo outside the shop a wink.

Zhou Haikuo picked up his phone again.

It's working now.

Seeing this, Xia Fenghua quickly ran out and asked Zhou Haikuo to give her his phone so she could explain to Shao Xingchi.

Zhou Haikuo gestured for him to wait a moment and continued listening to the phone call.

When Xie Wanghe came out of the store, he overheard Zhou Haikuo telling Shao Xingchi on the phone that Xia Fenghua wanted to talk to him.

He then handed the phone to Xia Fenghua.

"Xingchi, I—"

As soon as Xia Fenghua put the phone to her ear, there was no sound from the receiver.

Shao Xingchi had already hung up the phone.

Zhou Haikuo shrugged helplessly and looked at the others to explain:

“Xingchi said he was fine and told us not to worry… Regarding his background, he hoped we wouldn’t tell our families or his parents, and that we would keep it buried in our hearts forever.”

(End of this chapter)