Lin Wangye got pulled sideways by the force of that tug, bumped heads with Lin Shen, and laughed as he said happily, “I guarantee it! He’ll pay it back!”
Lin Shen let out a small grunt, released him, and went back to eating without saying anything else.
“What’s the password? Your birthday?” Lin Wangye asked again, picking up the card.
“Yeah, 104000. My birthday backwards,” Lin Shen replied.
“Awesome!” Lin Wangye raised the card high in the air, reading that long string of numbers on it again and again, his heart pounding with excitement and a wave of relief washing over him.
But after years of grinding hardship, Shi Yuan had long gotten used to that kind of choking, oppressive weight.
He had to stay standing.
No matter how tough things got, he had to be unbreakable.
At least, that’s how it had to look.
So even though the biggest problem had finally been taken care of for now, there was no way he could relax like Lin Wangye—not even for a second. His nerves were still stretched tight.
Four hundred grand wasn’t a small number. Even for a relatively well-off family, coughing up that much money wasn’t easy.
And Lin Shen was still just a student.
So when Lin Wangye first said he’d ‘find a way,’. Shi Yuan pretty much guessed right away—he must’ve gone to Lin Shen or Lu Chengxuan for help.
His whole world had always been different from Lin Wangye’s.
Lin Wangye grew up completely sheltered and loved, pampered from all sides. Most of the time, the world seemed bright and beautiful in his eyes. The only thing that might’ve been missing was a father figure while growing up.
But even then, that fatherly love never really left him—it was always there, just not in the room.
Meanwhile, Shi Yuan basically started life in hell. Ever since he was old enough to understand the world, everything he experienced came with pain.
An irresponsible father was bad enough. But a gambling addict? That was a whole new level of nightmare. A man worse than a beast, tearing the family apart and dragging everyone down with him—it was just too easy for someone like that.
What Shi Yuan saw the most growing up were his mom’s helpless tears and his grandparents’ quiet, hopeless sympathy.
And then there were the strangers, always avoiding him like he was trouble.
Just making it out without getting swallowed by all that mess had already taken everything he had.
After a long while, Shi Yuan finally spoke to Lin Shen, his voice low and hoarse.
“…Thanks. I’ll pay you back, no matter what.”
“No big deal.” Lin Shen smiled casually, clearly not too bothered. He said seriously, “If I can’t trust the top student in Class A at No. 7 High, then who can I trust? If it were someone else, I might’ve had to think twice.”
“Hahaha, you’ve got good taste!”
Lin Wangye beamed and praised his dad proudly. Then he placed the card in front of Shi Yuan and reminded him, “Hurry up and keep it safe. Make sure your dad doesn’t find it. You should probably change the password too—just in case he tries to find out at school! It’s not easy to guess, but still, better safe than sorry!”
After thinking for a second, he nodded and added, “Actually, just change it to my birthday! No one knows it anyway!”
At the orphanage, unless a kid came in with a personal record, their birthday was usually made up.
Some got June 1st—Children’s Day.
Some got the day the orphanage was founded.
For Lin Wangye, after he got adopted by the Lu family, his birthday on the official papers was June 1st. It hadn’t been changed after he was registered, so none of the people here actually knew his real birthday.
“Your birthday? You actually know when you were born?” Lin Shen looked surprised. “When is it?”
Lin Wangye grinned. “November 11th—Singles’ Day. Heh.”
Lin Shen couldn’t help but laugh. “Seriously?”
“Totally serious!” Lin Wangye really had been born on that day in his past life. He had no proof now, but all he could do was talk people into believing him. “I swear it’s true!”
Lin Shen nodded half-heartedly, like he was just humoring him. “Okay, okay, got it. Not like being born on Singles’ Day is something to brag about anyway.”
Shi Yuan thought about it for a bit, then pushed the card back toward Lin Wangye.
“You hold on to it.”
“Huh?” Lin Wangye blinked, pointing at himself. “Me? Why me?”
Shi Yuan explained slowly, “If my dad gets out of lock-up and finds out Suihe’s in the hospital, he’ll know I have money. It’s not safe with me. If he gets his hands on it, we’re screwed.”
“Fair point,” Lin Shen nodded, then turned to Lin Wangye. “You take it.”
Lin Wangye scratched his head, looking troubled. The card ended up back in front of Lin Shen like a hot potato. “How about you keep it? I lose stuff all the time—I might misplace it without even realizing.”
“No way.” Lin Shen threw it back like it burned, “I might not be able to resist topping up my game credits.”
And so, the card with over four hundred thousand yuan in it made a full circle… only to end up exactly where Lin Shen had first put it.
A few seconds later, six pairs of eyes all turned to look at Lu Chengxuan.
Without a word, Lu Chengxuan set down his spoon, reached out, grabbed the card, and stuffed it into his pocket.
Lin Wangye clapped enthusiastically in sync.
“Knew we could count on you, Brother Lu!”
“You’re a real man of honor,” Lin Shen added with mock seriousness, giving him a respectful fist salute.
Shi Yuan turned his head and gave Lu Chengxuan a look of thanks. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Lu Chengxuan replied politely, picking up his spoon again and going back to his ice jelly.
Now that the biggest problem was finally dealt with, Lin Wangye was riding a high. He was buzzing with energy, chattering nonstop—first gushing about how cute Xu Suihe was and how she taught him to fold paper stars, then going off on a tangent about how people used to tease him about his birthday. Eventually, he landed on zodiac signs.
“We all have different signs, right? I’m a Scorpio, Lin Shen’s an Aries…” As he spoke, he realized he’d never asked Shi Yuan about his birthday in this life, so he turned to him, asking even though he kind of already knew, “What about you?”
“Libra,” Shi Yuan answered.
“Ohh.” Lin Wangye nodded, then looked at Lu Chengxuan. “What’s your birthday, Brother Lu?”
“July 10th,” Lu Chengxuan said.
“July 10th…” Lin Wangye leaned on his hand, thinking it over. Then he said, “Cancer. Water sign. People born under Cancer are usually really chill and kind.”
Lin Shen laughed, teasing him, “Since when are you into this stuff? That horoscope junk’s all nonsense.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Most of the time it’s actually really accurate.”
Lin Wangye had just finished his ice jelly and wasn’t backing down, looking righteous and full of conviction. “I used to think you were nothing like an Aries. But now I get it.”
As he spoke, he gave Lin Shen a meaningful pat on the shoulder.
“You’re pure Aries. Textbook Aries.”
“I’m really not—”
“Wait a sec.”
Lin Shen was about to argue when Shi Yuan suddenly cut him off mid-sentence.
Shi Yuan set down his spoon and stood up, staring toward the entrance of the shop.
“That girl—isn’t she in your class?”
The moment he spoke, the other three all turned to look in the same direction.
Outside the dessert shop, five or six young guys were strolling past. They looked decent on the surface—clean clothes, styled hair—but their vibe screamed wannabe gangsters.
In the middle of them, a girl walked with her head down, looking like a helpless lamb surrounded by a pack of wolves.
A closer look—turns out, it was Fu Xuexue.
The guy on her right had bleached yellow hair, a cigarette between his fingers, and a thick gold chain swinging around his neck like some wannabe rich guy. He raised his voice and said, “Man, you weren’t lying. You kept bragging about how your sister’s hot and always scores top marks. I thought you were full of it! Since when are pretty girls smart, huh? Haha! But damn—she’s actually both!”
“Of course!” The chubby guy with yellow hair on her other side quickly chimed in, brown-nosing like crazy. “My sister’s got high standards, you know. I wouldn’t introduce her to just anyone. But someone like Young Master Chen—you’re a perfect match!”
“Chen Shao,” as they called him, looked pleased and nodded approvingly. He turned to Fu Xuexue and said, “What’s your name again? Xuexue, right? Come on, let’s get to know each other. I’m tight with your brother—so basically, we’re like family. I just opened a ski resort outside the city. Come hang out this weekend?”
Fu Xuexue tried to move away, but her brother, Fu Yongping, blocked her.
She bit her lip hard and lowered her head, speeding up her steps, clearly just wanting to get home as fast as possible.
Seeing this, Chen Shao immediately grabbed her arm and leaned in with a sleazy grin. “What’s the matter? Don’t wanna talk to your big brother?”
“Get the hell outta here! Who the f**k do you think you are?!”
A voice suddenly roared from nearby. Before Chen Shao even realized what was happening, someone shoved him hard. He stumbled back several steps and almost fell—he would’ve hit the ground if the guys around him hadn’t caught him.
Still frozen in shock, Fu Xuexue suddenly felt someone grab her wrist and pull her forward.
Then her wrist was let go, and when she looked up, she saw a very familiar back standing in front of her.
Fu Yongping snapped out of it and rushed forward. “Who the hell are you?! That’s my sister! Think you’re some knight in shining armor? Get lost!”
“Who the hell do you think you are?” Lin Wangye yelled back, voice full volume. He turned and tugged at Lin Shen. “Let’s go!”
“Aw hell no—”
Fu Yongping looked like he was about to explode, but before he could chase after them, Chen Shao grabbed his arm and held him back. He kept his eyes fixed on the retreating figures, face unreadable.
“Let them go.”
Fifty meters away, Lin Wangye kept glancing over his shoulder until he saw the group wasn’t following. He finally let out a breath and thumped his chest in relief, then immediately clung to Shi Yuan’s arm like a scared kid. “Dude, I thought I was gonna die back there! What if they whipped out nunchucks or something?!”
Shi Yuan gave a low chuckle and reached out to brush Lin Wangye’s cheek with his fingers. “It’s fine.”
“What’s going on?” Lin Shen turned to Fu Xuexue. “Why’s your brother introducing you to those sketchy guys? Didn’t you tell your parents last time?”
Fu Xuexue lowered her head and mumbled, “I did tell them. They didn’t care. They even said…”
Lin Shen frowned. “Said what?”
Clearly embarrassed, Fu Xuexue hesitated for a long time before whispering, “They said… I’m going to get married eventually anyway, and since my brother knows the guy, it’s better to get to know him early…”
“F**k…”
Lin Shen took a deep breath, his vision going dark for a second. He looked like he really wanted to curse out loud but forced himself to hold back, considering these were someone else’s parents. He looked both pissed and amused. “They’re seriously okay handing you over to some two-bit thug? What, did they hit their heads or something?”
“They’ve always thought like that,” Fu Xuexue gripped the straps of her backpack tightly, tears threatening to spill but held back. “They say girls are gonna marry out eventually, and they don’t expect much from me. I know it’s wrong, but there’s nothing I can do… My brother’s been spoiled rotten since he was little. Whatever he says, my parents listen. They don’t care about how I feel.”
“…”
Lin Shen opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
Because that exact mindset? It was identical to his father, Lin Pengcheng’s.
That deep-rooted, old-school preference for sons over daughters—it was nearly impossible to change.
When his little sister had just turned eighteen, Lin Pengcheng had already arranged her engagement behind her back, saying it was a ‘good match.’
That kind of feudal, patriarchal thinking was like a cancer—so deeply embedded it couldn’t be cut out.
And even Lin Shen, who was technically a beneficiary of this outdated belief system, couldn’t do anything to stop it.
Lin Wangye, on the other hand, just couldn’t wrap his head around it. “How could parents be like that? You’re so smart, why wouldn’t they expect anything from you? Aren’t girls supposed to be the treasure of the family?!”
“Hah.” Lin Shen gave a cold laugh. “If I ever have a daughter, I’m wiping out every yellow-haired punk within a five-hundred-meter radius.”[mfn]Author’s Note: This is just a heated rant, not actual criminal intent or advocacy.[/mfn]
Right after he said that, Lu Chengxuan quietly turned his head and looked at him.
As if sensing something, Lin Shen’s number one fanboy, Xiao Lin, immediately leaned in.
“Wait wait wait, what’s that supposed to mean? What do you mean by that?!”
Picking up the signal, Lin Shen added irritably, “Alright, alright, chill out. Today’s just not a good day for blondes, okay?”
Fu Xuexue had been feeling down, but she couldn’t help letting out a small laugh before she could stop herself—even with a hand clamped over her mouth.
Every family has its own mess. Some things, you just can’t change.
“If you really can’t change your parents’ mindset, then don’t let it drag you down,” Shi Yuan said gently, turning to Fu Xuexue. “You’ve got the brains to get into a great university. Changing your fate isn’t that hard. And this is a society ruled by law—even your parents don’t have the right to force you into marriage.”
Lin Wangye nodded so hard his head almost came off. “Exactly! You’re a total genius!”
Without the pressure of being surrounded by those guys, Fu Xuexue finally began to straighten up. She tucked some loose hair behind her ear and nodded. “That’s what I plan to do. It’s just… my brother’s the worst. My parents won’t step in, and neither will the police. I don’t have much choice except to endure it.”
“Sigh… Yeah.”
Lin Shen let out a long breath and tried to lighten the mood. “It’s fine. You live pretty close anyway. From now on, I’ll walk you home after school—consider me your bodyguard.”
Fu Xuexue pressed her lips together, her cheeks and ears slowly turning pink.
She snuck a glance at Lu Chengxuan, and right as her eyes landed, he caught her looking. Dead on.
Startled, she quickly looked away like she’d been electrocuted and whispered to Lin Shen, “It’s… it’s okay, you don’t have to.”
“Don’t be shy,” Lin Shen shrugged, then casually reached into Lin Wangye’s pocket and grabbed a piece of candy, popping it into his mouth. “It’s not like it’s the first time. I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”
Fu Xuexue used the back of her hand to press against her face, trying to hide her expression, and quietly said, “Okay then…”
After what had just happened, of course they insisted on walking her home.
She lived in a neighborhood not far from No. 7 High School—not too far, but the entrance was down a narrow one-way street off the main road. There weren’t many people around at night.
The group chatted casually as they walked. But halfway there, they suddenly heard rapid footsteps behind them.
The next second, they were each grabbed from behind, and their phones were snatched from their pockets. By the time they turned around, they were surrounded—trapped against a wall by a group of grown men.
It happened so fast that none of them even had time to react.
Only the streetlights gave off any light, casting eerie shadows over the thugs, making them look even more menacing. Lin Wangye had never been in a situation like this. His heart was pounding like crazy, and without thinking, he clutched Shi Yuan’s arm.
Shi Yuan calmly stepped in front of him, shielding him without a word.
“What do you want?” Lin Shen didn’t show even a hint of fear. In fact, he even dared to taunt them, “What is this, the 90s? Still playing wannabe gangsters? You guys are pathetic.”
Feeling confident with his numbers, Chen Shao didn’t hold back. He gave a quick nod to the nearest guy beside him.
They didn’t dare attack back on the main street, so the moment they’d left earlier, they went to gather reinforcements. Now they were armed and back, facing a group of high schoolers in a blind spot with no security cameras. They weren’t worried at all.
The guy got the message—Chen Shao wanted to make an example. He stepped forward with a baseball bat and headed straight for Lin Shen.
Seeing this, Lin Wangye panicked and was about to rush forward, but Shi Yuan quickly shoved him back.
Just as Lu Chengxuan and Shi Yuan moved to step in, they were surrounded by four or five men.
Lin Shen didn’t flinch. He stood right where he was, unmoving, watching as the bat came swinging down toward him. At the last second, he dodged to the side, and his fist slammed hard into the thug’s jaw.
“You really think I’m some helpless pretty boy? You know why my dad signed me up for martial arts instead of piano or violin?”
As he spoke, he kicked the guy square in the chest, sending him flying.
“Because even my old man knew—I was born asking for trouble. If I didn’t know how to fight, I’d be dead by now.”
Author’s Note:
For reference,
Lin Shen’s birthday: April 1
Lu Chengxuan’s birthday: July 10
Lin Wangye’s birthday: November 11
づ￣▽￣ど Chairman Lin, you’ve got some schemes in that head of yours, huh?
Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters. (๑>ᴗ<๑)
