Brother! This is the adoption certificate. I don't want your sister-in-law!

Coming to her senses, Su Wan Ning quickly froze the expression on her face again.

She wouldn't let him know that she had been daydreaming.

She adjusted her backpack strap over her shoulder, looked away, and her tone returned to its usual indifference.

"Pay attention in class, and don't get last place in the next exam. I can't bear the embarrassment." After she finished speaking, she turned and walked towards the teaching building, her steps faster than usual.

Su Wanning's senior year (1) class is on the second floor of the teaching building. The top class occupies the whole floor. The corridor is quiet, and no one makes a fuss even during breaks.

Su Xiao's senior year (12) class is on the fourth floor of the teaching building. It is a regular class. Above the fourth floor is the rooftop, and below it is the stairwell.

Don't ask him how he knows it, because he knows this route like the back of his hand when he skips class.

Su Xiao stood on the open ground downstairs, watching Su Wan Ning's figure disappear around the corner on the second floor. He touched his nose and smiled.

His sister told him to pay attention in class, but she wouldn't even say goodbye, though she did flick her ponytail quite decisively.

But he noticed that when she reached the corner of the stairs, her steps slowed down and her head tilted slightly, as if she wanted to turn back.

But in the end, he didn't reply.

Su Xiao hummed a little tune and followed them up to the fourth floor.

The stairwell was filled with the unique scent of the morning.

The damp smell of the mop, the dry smell of chalk dust, and the scent of floral water from some unknown class were all mixed together.

He climbed up the stairs by instinct, and paused for a moment when his left foot touched the third step.

Then, as if regaining his memory, he habitually skipped over a loose tile.

He had forgotten this habit, but his body still remembered it.

Senior 3 (12) class is an ordinary class, and he is the worst of the ordinary.

He was notorious for being the worst student in his class, consistently ranking in the bottom ten of the grade, though he could occasionally slip up to the bottom three if he had a bad day.

Teachers from all subjects shook their heads when they mentioned him, saying that the child was not stupid, but just didn't work hard.

Actually, the teachers' evaluations were quite polite.

What does it mean to not work hard?

It's completely useless!

Sleeping in class, skipping class to go online, and fighting with troublemakers from other classes—these prohibitions in the school rules were nothing more than daily tasks for him.

Su Xiao walked to the fourth floor, turned the corner of the stairs, and looked up at the door number.

High school (12) class.

He pushed open the door, glanced inside, and froze.

There were about twenty people scattered around the classroom; some were eating steamed buns, some were doing their homework, and some were taking a nap at their desks.

The desks were the same ones, the podium was the same podium, and the blackboard had eight big characters on it: "Diligence, Pragmatism, Unity, and Progress." It was cut from red cardstock, and one corner was sticking up—exactly the same as I remembered.

But as he looked at those faces, his mind went blank.

I don't know any of them.

He stood at the doorway, with one foot inside and one foot outside, looking somewhat bewildered.

He no longer recognized anyone in his class.

That's right, we lost contact after graduating from high school in my past life.

More than a decade has passed, who still remembers what their high school classmates look like?

He couldn't even remember his homeroom teacher's last name, let alone his classmates.

He went back, took two steps back, and looked up at the class sign above the door frame.

The white background with blue lettering reads "Senior Three (12) Class".

That's right, it's Class 12.

He leaned in halfway and peeked inside, wondering to himself where he was supposed to be sitting.

Just then, a loud voice suddenly rang out from the last row by the window, so loud that everyone in the classroom looked up: "Brother Su!"

Su Xiao looked in the direction of the sound.

A boy stood up from the last row by the window and waved at him.

He was tall, at least 1.85 meters, with broad shoulders like a wall, and dark skin. There was some kind of dirt on the sleeve of his school uniform, making it look black.

He has a buzz cut, small but bright eyes, and a bright smile that reveals a set of white teeth. He exudes a kind and honest aura that says, "I'm a great fighter, but I'm a nice person."

His waving motion was so large that it almost swept a stack of books off the table next to him onto the floor.

Su Xiao's eyes lit up instantly.

Fang Yu.

Everyone has a "best buddy" during their student days.

He may not be the smartest, nor the most handsome, but he is definitely the most loyal.

Fang Yu is Su Xiao's best buddy.

The two were deskmates, inseparable, climbing over the wall together to go online, being chased by security guards together, fighting together, and getting punished together.

When Su Xiao got into a fight, Fang Yu never tried to stop her; he would simply roll up his sleeves and help her fight.

When Fang Yu was bullied, Su Xiao didn't ask who was right or wrong; he just helped his brother get revenge first.

The two became friends on the first day of school. Their friendship began when Su Xiao handed Fang Yu a bag of spicy strips during military training, and Fang Yu reciprocated by giving him a bottle of iced cola.

They've been inseparable ever since.

Last time Su Xiao was caught by security guards for climbing over the wall, Fang Yu, who had already climbed out, climbed back over to be scolded along with him.

Last time Fang Yu was cut in line at the cafeteria, Su Xiao threw the person's tray to the back of the line and said, "You go to the back of the line."

The result, of course, was a fight between the two sides, and then the head of the teaching department punished them.

Because they had been disciplined and warned together, Su Xiaofang and Yu's relationship was one of "life-or-death bond".

Su Xiao remembered that this friendship would continue into adulthood.

Fang Yu was later tricked into going to Myanmar and almost had his kidneys cut off. He spent hundreds of thousands of yuan to ransom him.

When he went to pick up Fang Yu, the burly man, who was 1.85 meters tall, hugged him and cried like a child, saying, "Brother Su, I knew you would come."

What puzzled Su Xiao was that although the two of them skipped classes and fought together, Fang Yu's grades were actually quite good, ranking in the middle of the class. He also got into No. 1 High School through entrance exams, unlike her who got in through bribery.

So this kid really has a talent for learning?

Fang Yu only got into a second-tier university, and Su Xiao even wondered if she had led him astray during his three years of high school, otherwise he could have gotten into a 985 or 211 university.

Su Xiao walked over and looked at Fang Yu, whose face was still full of honesty and simplicity, with a feeling of "long-lost relatives finally reunited".

He reached out and patted Fang Yu's shoulder, the force just right to make that thick shoulder tremble slightly.

"Fang Yu".

Fang Yu grinned at him, waiting for him to continue.

"Promise me one thing."

Fang Yu's smile faded slightly, replaced by a more serious expression.

Su Xiao rarely speaks in this tone.

"Brother Su, what's the matter?"

"Don't travel abroad in the future."

Fang Yu's serious expression froze.

He blinked twice, his eyes becoming blank.

"Brother Su, what's this about traveling abroad?"

"When you grow up and visit those adult websites, don't click on those sites. All those pictures of beautiful dealers and online card dealing are fake..."

Su Xiao smiled mysteriously.

That smile carried a profound meaning that only he himself understood.

He can't exactly say, "You'll be attracted to guys on small websites and end up being tricked into going to Myanmar and almost becoming a human organ supplier," can he?

He patted Fang Yu on the shoulder, then patted him again, and walked around him to sit in the seat next to him.

Fang Yu still didn't understand and scratched his head.

Small website? What small website? Don't they all go to internet cafes to play games?

Two people sat at the same table in the last row by the window.

My memories are slowly coming together.

Fang Yu felt that Su Xiao was different today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what was different.

He didn't ask any further questions. After sitting down, he suddenly thought of something else, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

He leaned forward, lowered his voice, and asked tentatively, "Brother Su, how are things with your parents?"

Su Xiao paused for a moment as she rummaged through her schoolbag.

He didn't tell any of his classmates about his parents' death.

Only Fang Yu knew.

"Everything's taken care of." Su Xiao pulled a pen out of her bag, twirled it between her fingers, and smiled.

Fang Yu stared at his face, momentarily stunned.

Everything has been taken care of.

Just these five words.

There was no trace of sadness on his face; in fact, there was even a slight smile on his lips.

His eyes weren't red, his eye bags weren't swollen, and his voice was frighteningly calm.

How do other people react when they lose their parents?

Fang Yu didn't know.

But he thought that he would probably cry his heart out, be in unbearable pain, and take a week off to stay at home and not go out.

But Su Xiao didn't.

He came to class as usual on Monday, acting as lively and energetic as if nothing had happened.

Brother Su truly lives up to his name.

Fang Yu secretly gave a thumbs up in his heart.

What a filial act!

Filial piety breeds strength! Filial piety brings forth elegance!

He paused for two seconds, then reached into his school uniform pocket and rummaged around for a while before pulling out a wad of crumpled banknotes.

There were red, green, and blue coins; hundred-yuan, fifty-yuan, and ten-yuan notes; and some loose coins mixed in, clanging and jingling.

He arranged the money on the table and pushed it in front of Su Xiao.

Five hundred yuan.

In 2005, five hundred yuan was neither a small nor a large sum.

It's enough to feed a high school student for a month, enough to buy several cartons of good cigarettes, and enough to pay for several months' worth of internet cafe memberships.

But Su Xiao knew that Fang Yu's family wasn't exactly wealthy.

His father was a taxi driver, and his mother sold vegetables at the market; they lived a very frugal life.

"Brother Su," Fang Yu pushed the money over, his voice low and his eyes serious, "I don't have much money, just this five hundred yuan. It's a token of my and my parents' appreciation."

Su Xiao paused for a moment, looking at the crumpled stack of money on the table.

Fang Yu pressed his fingers on the banknotes, with a bit of black dirt still embedded in his fingernails.

It probably got on him when he was helping his mom move the vegetable basket this morning.

Su Xiao was suddenly a little touched, but he didn't show it. He just raised an eyebrow and asked, "Why is it your parents' wish?"

Fang Yu opened his mouth, a hint of guilt flashing across his face.

He looked around to make sure no one was paying attention, then lowered his voice to a level where only the two of them could hear: "Because the money was stolen from my parents."

Su Xiao's smile froze.

He looked at Fang Yu.

Fang Yu looked at him, his expression sincere and his eyes open, without a trace of joking.

Su Xiao slowly, very slowly, pushed the money back: "Your parents will call the police if they find out five hundred yuan is missing, right?"

"No," Fang Yu pushed the money back, "I told them the school needed to pay for materials. They scolded me, saying why did I have to pay again, but they still gave it to me."

Su Xiao looked at the stack of crumpled banknotes on the table, then at Fang Yu's dark and honest face, and remained silent for several seconds.

Then he reached out, picked up the money, folded it, put it in his pocket, and patted Fang Yu hard on the shoulder.

"Don't steal your parents' money again."

"Then, Brother Su, if you need anything..."

"I'll steal it myself if I need to."