Chapter 34

Tang Xin shrugged. "Of course. And thanks to you too, Old Captain, for taking me in."

The captain merely smiled, then walked away.

After the cruise ship left the dock, Xue Chen put on his sunglasses. He did not want any acquaintances to see him. He went straight into a bank in Shenzhen, withdrew 10,000 yuan, and handed it to Tang Xin. "This money is for your enrollment. If it isn't enough, call me."

Tang Xin looked at the stack of bills with a complicated expression. "Aren't you afraid I'll take the money and run?"

The smile on Xue Chen's face grew wider, his tone gentle. "I don't think you'd try something like that so easily, right?"

For some reason, although Xue Chen was smiling at her, Tang Xin sensed an intense killing intent beneath it. She could only nod and thank him.

"I'm looking forward to your transformation. Impress me. Don't disappoint me." Xue Chen smiled, then turned and left.

After Xue Chen left, Tang Xin felt somewhat unsettled. She felt as though she might have boarded the wrong pirate ship.

Tang Xin glanced back at the dock. After hesitating for a moment, she still decided to leave. She put the money into her pocket and walked away from the dock.

Meanwhile, Xue Chen took the money he had just withdrawn from the bank and planned to buy gifts for his homeroom teacher and everyone else who had cared about him. After finding a medium-sized shopping mall, he went inside and picked out several shirts and pairs of leather shoes. It could not be helped—although modern traditional clothing was much brighter than before, the styles were still largely the same, so he finished choosing quickly.

"Xue Chen? It really is you!" A familiar female voice called out as Xue Chen was paying.

Chapter 34

"Xiao Chen, why did you bring so many things? Take them back, or someone will report me for accepting bribes from a student." Old Xu glanced at the things Xue Chen had brought over and put on a stern face.

"I met quite a few friends in Hong Kong Island this time. They found out I had several elders, so they specially bought these to show you respect." Xue Chen frowned, his eyes fixed on the chessboard before him as he muttered, "Besides, you taught me and helped me get into college. I brought you a little something to thank you. It's not like I'm asking you to do anything."

"Exactly, it's Xiao Chen's thoughtfulness." Old Xu's wife, Liu Mei, had just looked through the gifts. There were three or four cans of baby formula inside. Her daughter-in-law had given birth but had no breast milk, and although the baby ate some rice cereal, it still could not compare to breast milk in terms of nutrition. "You really are such a thoughtful child!"

Xue Chen smiled. "Not at all. My homeroom teacher and you have always taken good care of me. I also see you as my elders. Oh, and there are calcium supplements for mothers in there too. Giving birth takes a heavy toll on one's vitality."

Old Xu's son was also a teacher, though he did not live in the same city as them. Later, he married a female teacher from the same school. However, while saving someone one time, his wife fell and gave birth prematurely. With no breast milk as well, the child had been malnourished since infancy. Later, after they had money, they went to a large hospital and spent a long time restoring the child to normal health.

But later, due to an overdose of medication, the child developed other health problems.

Hearing Xue Chen's words, Liu Mei nodded. "Don't listen to your homeroom teacher. He's secretly delighted inside."

"Homeroom teacher, you've been staring at that move for ages. Are you going to make it or not?" Xue Chen merely smiled, but quickly turned his attention back to Old Xu.

"No, this game doesn't count." Old Xu waved his hand.

"Homeroom teacher, you're cheating again." It was the first time Xue Chen had realized his homeroom teacher could be so shameless.

"You little brat, you have no respect for your elders." Old Xu blew his beard and glared in anger.

Xue Chen smiled. "When have I ever disrespected an elder?"

"All right, you two, come eat already." Liu Mei came out of the kitchen carrying a bowl of soup.

Liu Mei looked at the sky outside. "It's already dark. Xue Chen, I think you should stay here tonight."

Xue Chen thought that would be inappropriate, so he said, "I'll just stay at a hotel tonight. I'll go back to school early tomorrow morning."

"Oh, you child, it's already this late. Why stay at a hotel? Stay here. It isn't safe to go home so late at night. You're not going back, and that's final." Liu Mei's attitude was firm.

Hearing her words, Old Xu smiled. "Right, right, listen to your teacher's wife."

"All right." Seeing that he could not persuade them otherwise, Xue Chen could only agree. Liu Mei smiled in satisfaction and called Xue Chen over to eat.

Early the next morning, after greeting Old Xu and Liu Mei, Xue Chen headed to Lin Ran's house. As soon as he rang the doorbell, Lin Ran's mother's face lit up with surprise. "Xiao Chen, you're back from your trip?"

"Yeah. I brought all these things back from Hong Kong Island. By the way, Auntie, where's Lin Ran?" Xue Chen looked around but did not see him.

"That brat has been holed up in his room playing games ever since the college entrance exams ended. It's all his father's fault for buying him a game console." Lin Ran's mother complained, then shouted toward one of the rooms inside, "Lin Ran, Xiao Chen is back!"

"Xiao Chen?" Hearing Xue Chen's voice, Lin Ran hurriedly ran out of his room and gave him a loving hug. Then he leaned close to Xue Chen's ear and said, "Do you know that while you were gone for the past month and a half, my mom nearly scolded me to death? She's already prepared all the things you need for college registration, so stop fussing around." Lin Ran pulled Xue Chen straight into his room.

Hearing that, Xue Chen turned back to look at Lin Ran's mother, who was tidying up in the kitchen, and warmth filled his heart. Ever since his parents died, no one had made plans for him again. He knew she cared about him, but the fact that she had done so much made it impossible for him not to take it to heart. "Auntie—"

"Go back to the room and play some games with that brat. I'll buy some groceries at noon, and we'll have a good meal." Lin Ran's mother pushed Xue Chen into the room, then casually turned around and went back to work in the kitchen.

Xue Chen and Lin Ran turned on the game console. It was Street Fighter, one of the most popular games of the eighties and nineties. Xue Chen had never played it before, mainly because the pressure of studying had been too great. His father had bought him a game console before, but he had never gotten the chance to use it. He had not expected to have the opportunity now.