Chapter 39

Within a few sentences, Gu Xiu caught up as well. Seeing Huo Mingzhang pestering Gu Chen, he rushed over in anger and stepped between them. "What are you trying to do again, Huo Mingzhang? I'm warning you, don't bully my brother anymore!"

"I wasn't bullying him." Huo Mingzhang still had some patience for Gu Xiu. He glanced at Gu Chen, raised the breakfast in his hand, and explained, "I specifically bought breakfast for your brother—his favorite millet porridge and boiled eggs."

Huo Mingzhang's two childhood friends chimed in as well. "Yeah! Young Master Huo got up at the crack of dawn and lined up at the counter to buy breakfast himself. I've known him for years, and I've never seen him this proactive."

Gu Xiu gave a bitter, mocking laugh. "Unsolicited kindness always hides some scheme."

While the two of them were arguing, Gu Chen had already strode away.

Panicking, Huo Mingzhang reached out, moved Gu Xiu aside, and hurried after him.

Gu Xiu apparently hadn't expected Huo Mingzhang, who had always been polite and joking around him, to actually push him. He froze for a moment.

Jin Wei and Tao Jiang ran ahead to block Gu Chen, pleading on behalf of their friend. "Gu Chen, can't you just forgive Young Master Huo? He really didn't mean to run into you yesterday."

"I can vouch for him. He regretted it a lot last night. How about this? If you're still angry, just name your terms. How should Young Master Huo apologize? He can treat you to a meal, okay? We're all on the basketball team. We'll see each other all the time, so there's no need to make things this awkward."

"It's not a matter of forgiveness or not." Finding them too troublesome, Gu Chen said, "Can you stop bothering me?"

When he wasn't following the plot, Gu Chen genuinely didn't want anything to do with these plot characters. Having been given another life, he had no intention of wasting his precious time on them.

The three of them were left completely speechless by Gu Chen's retort. Under normal circumstances, if someone dared embarrass them like that, they would never let it slide so easily. But they were in the wrong over what had happened with Gu Chen. Huo Mingzhang was too embarrassed to make an issue of it.

Watching Gu Chen walk away, Jin Wei and Tao Jiang complained to their friend, "It's all because of you. We almost talked the master around. He was about to agree to teach us the fadeaway jumper."

Huo Mingzhang felt wronged too. "I didn't do it on purpose."

"Do you think Gu Chen believes you?" Jin Wei shook his head and said irritably, "Forget Gu Chen—I don't even believe you."

"We've known you long enough to know better." Tao Jiang said, "Gu Chen only said that last night to save you face. He probably didn't want to offend anyone, either. But we were standing right there and saw everything clearly. You got worked up! You were scared of losing!"

Huo Mingzhang felt utterly aggrieved. "I didn't deliberately run into him!"

"No one said you deliberately ran into him," Jin Wei said. "But you got heated, didn't you? When you hit Gu Chen like that, can you honestly say you had it under control?"

He clearly just couldn't stand losing. But Huo Mingzhang had always been like that when he played ball—competitive to a fault. It wasn't anything new!

Huo Mingzhang said nothing. Looking down at the breakfast in his hand, he only felt more irritated and unsettled. He casually tossed it into a nearby trash can.

His two friends could only shake their heads.

"Gu Chen?" Gu Chen was lining up at the counter to buy breakfast when he heard someone call him from behind. He turned around and saw Shang Rui.

The girl was wearing a cream-yellow dress today, her hair tied with a bow, with a pair of little white shoes on her feet. She looked fresh and cool, brimming with vitality.

"I just went to the gatehouse to pick up a package and saw that there was a letter for you, so I brought it back for you." Shang Rui smiled as she waved the envelope in her hand. Curious, she asked, "Was it sent by your family? So your hometown is Snow City. You really don't look like it."

Gu Chen stared blankly at the letter in Shang Rui's hand, unable to react for a moment.

"Gu Chen?" Shang Rui tilted her head and called again. "What's wrong with you?"

Gu Chen came back to himself. His palms were sweating as he reached out and took the letter. "Thank you."

Shang Rui quietly studied Gu Chen's solemn expression. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." Holding the letter, Gu Chen's thoughts were a mess. The negative emotions he had deliberately suppressed since his rebirth seemed to flare up like sudden flames, engulfing him completely. Scenes from his previous life flashed before his eyes one after another like a revolving lantern.

Gu Chen had no appetite for breakfast anymore. He gave his place in line to Shang Rui. "You take my spot!"

With that, Gu Chen hurried out of the cafeteria.

Shang Rui called after Gu Chen several times, but she couldn't stop him. She bit her lip, slightly worried.

After leaving the cafeteria, Gu Chen found a secluded corner and sat down. His eyes fixed on the envelope in his hands. Familiar handwriting came into view. It was Mother Gu's handwriting.

Before committing suicide in his previous life, Gu Chen had been overwhelmed by his company's broken cash flow. Banks, suppliers, and distributors had him running himself ragged. He had to deal with demands for shipments and debt repayments from both sides, while also facing pressure and attacks from all directions. His parents' car accident had been the final straw that broke the camel's back.

In this life, Gu Chen had even more troubles to face. Coupled with the complicated unease of being so close to home, he hadn't had the time—or really the courage—to contact his parents. He had kept putting it off until military training ended, never expecting Father Gu and Mother Gu's letter to arrive first.

Judging by the timing, Mother Gu had probably started writing the letter less than a week after Gu Chen and Gu Xiu left home.

Gu Chen took a deep breath and carefully opened the envelope.

The pristine white letter paper was filled from top to bottom. There was nothing especially important in it. Mother Gu simply reminded Gu Chen and Gu Xiu to take good care of themselves, study hard, and get along well with their classmates. Autumn had already arrived, and the temperature difference between morning and night was significant, so she reminded the brothers to change clothes in time and not catch colds. She was worried the food at the university cafeteria might not suit their tastes and that they wouldn't be used to it. She was also worried that City A's cost of living was high and the brothers might not have enough money, so along with the letter, she had transferred one thousand yuan to each of their bank cards and reminded them to check their accounts.

At the end of the letter, Mother Gu casually asked whether there was a phone in their university dormitory and told the brothers to call home and let the family know they were safe. They had gone completely silent after leaving for university, and the family was worried.

As Gu Chen read, his eyes began to sting and his nose turned sore. Tears streamed down despite himself. They fell onto the paper, blurring the fountain-pen writing. Gu Chen quickly held the letter farther away and wiped his tears with the back of his hand.