The intern taught a top-performing class, and the parents wanted to change the homeroom teacher.

Liu Mingchao was a little confused. He had just arrived and hadn't even been there for half an hour. Why was he being asked to leave?

"Tiger, what's wrong? Aren't we going to stick to the schedule this afternoon?"

The arrangements he mentioned were the entertainment activities they used to do together.

Go online, sing karaoke, play games at the arcade...

Why aren't we playing with him today?

He's in great form when playing billiards.

A gust of wind blew by, and Tiger squinted. His craving for a cigarette kicked in, and he couldn't resist. He went to the downwind side of Liu Mingchao's house, lit a cigarette, took a puff, and his expression became more relaxed, but his eyes were full of melancholy.

"call--"

The smoke that had just been exhaled was crushed by the wind.

"Chaozi is different now."

"What's different?"

"If you're still as bad at studying as before, then go ahead and hang out with us. Tiger will protect you. We can't let you fool around like an idiot and get taken advantage of." Tiger said calmly.

He was the one who had been exposed to society the earliest among this group of hooligans, and he had seen all sorts of messy things.

Singing, getting tattoos, drinking, playing billiards, going to arcades... I don't fight much anymore.

Just messing around.

No matter how much he neglects his duties and wastes his time, at least he won't lead his underlings astray completely, nor will he cross the line.

I may not be a model citizen, but I cannot be a parasite on society.

He had previously considered getting Liu Mingchao out of this circle, since he was attending a top-tier high school and was very different from them.

No matter how bad his grades are, he is still a student.

The younger brother is foolish, but the older brother can't be foolish.

But what if Liu Mingchao doesn't play with them and instead plays with other people and goes astray?

Although they weren't exactly good people either.

It wasn't until Liu Mingchao took out the report card just now that Tiger was truly shocked.

Holy crap, you've really mastered it!

A sense of relief welled up in my heart in an instant.

With good grades, I can go to university.

It's better not to hang out with them.

He noticed that Liu Mingchao was very polite when he first arrived, but after a short while, he started swearing.

That's not good.

Several of the underlings, knowing that Liu Mingchao's grades had improved, looked at him with obvious envy and jealousy, and their mouths were full of sarcastic remarks. Tiger could tell what they were thinking with just a glance.

Trying to drag people down with you? Go to hell!

A golden phoenix has emerged from the chicken coop; let's kick it out and let it fly!

The environment can truly change a person; Tiger Brother knows this all too well.

Tiger, with one hand in his pocket, said with a sigh, "Your studies have improved, so you're no longer suited to hanging out with us. It'll affect you."

Liu Mingchao exclaimed, "Huh? It can't be that bad, can it? We used to play together all the time!"

Tiger took another drag of his cigarette. "Because we were all the same before, but now you're getting better, you have a better future."

Liu Mingchao fell silent. He wasn't stupid, especially after he started studying, he enjoyed using his brain more and more.

He roughly understood what Tiger meant. He could also tell that those sarcastic remarks were made in the billiards hall on the second floor, but he didn't take them to heart, thinking that it was just a joke because they hadn't seen each other for a long time.

Seeing his silence, Tiger grinned and said, "It's not like we're going to never see each other again. Study hard, get into a great university, and then I can brag about it."

"Study hard, do well on the exam, and I'll be waiting for your graduation banquet."

"Alright, let's go. I'm going upstairs. Just don't answer their calls later."

Tiger finished his last puff of cigarette, patted Liu Mingchao on the shoulder, walked to the billiard hall, waved to him again at the door, and then went upstairs.

Liu Mingchao remained where he was, staring blankly at the billiard hall, and then left.

After Tiger went up to the second floor, the others saw that he was the only one who came back and immediately asked in confusion.

"Where's Chaozi?"

"Something came up, gotta go." Tiger tossed the cigarette he'd just swiped to the blond guy and added, "Don't ever look for Chaozi again, we just don't click."

Their tone was domineering and arrogant; anyone who didn't know better would think they had just had a fight.

The others looked at each other, wondering what had happened after they went out, and simply responded.

……

After leaving MixC Shopping Mall, Lu Qian didn't go home. Instead, he followed the navigation to a nearby food street.

After walking around for a while, I came out and saw someone who looked like Liu Mingchao not far away.

Upon closer inspection, it really was Liu Mingchao. I thought to myself, "I just came out for a stroll today and ran into two students."

However, judging from Liu Mingchao's appearance, he seemed absent-minded and unaware of what had happened, so he quickened his pace and walked over.

...

Liu Mingchao strolled aimlessly along the commercial street, feeling utterly empty inside.

We've known each other for two or three years, so why do we suddenly stop hanging out together?

Why does it feel like things have changed so suddenly?

He was perfectly fine before, although he didn't really like the smell of smoke back then.

Is this the price of learning?

Liu Mingchao was completely baffled; he felt he wouldn't be affected.

Just then, a shout came from behind me.

"Mingchao".

Liu Mingchao turned his head and looked at him with surprise, "Teacher Lu?"

"Why are you wandering around outside all by yourself?" Lu Qian asked as he walked over.

"I was out with friends," Liu Mingchao answered subconsciously, then remembered that he had just been kicked out by his friends, and sighed again.

Lu Qian raised an eyebrow. "Mingchao, you know what? Don't sigh all the time. It's bad for your brain and body. It gives your brain a feeling of depression. When you can't help but sigh, raise your pitch. That will make you feel excited."

"For example, hi~↗, hi~↗."

Hearing this strange sound, Liu Mingchao stared blankly at Teacher Lu.

Is it really that free to be on the street?

However, looking around, it seemed that no one was paying attention to the two of them.

Lu Qian: "Want to give it a try?"

Liu Mingchao nodded, took a deep breath, sighed twice to get a feel for it, and then suddenly raised his voice.

"Hi~↗, hehehe..."

Liu Mingchao lifted it up in one breath, which amused himself.

"One more time, hi~↗~"

Hi~↗~

This time, Lu Qian couldn't hold back either and burst out laughing.

Seeing that Liu Mingchao's complexion had improved considerably, Lu Qian raised the corners of his mouth and, after a moment, spoke.

"Okay, you're not feeling down anymore, so tell me what happened."

Liu Mingchao: "Teacher Lu, how did you know I was in trouble?"

Lu Qian pointed to his forehead, "You practically have 'I'm so worried' written all over your face."

"Is it that obvious?" Liu Mingchao touched his face, paused, and then said, "Actually, I went to see a friend off-campus just now, but..."

Liu Mingchao recounted the story. Actually, he wanted to hear other people's opinions, but he was so lucky to run into Teacher Lu.

He didn't know if Teacher Lu was the kind of person who was exceptionally intelligent, but he knew that Teacher Lu had a very insightful perspective on issues.

He was fascinated by the way they could solve problems with ease.

He still remembers Lu Qian stopping him from beating up Wu Bin that night and considers it a golden rule.

.

.