Jiang Shi had never seen Cheng Ye cook, nor did he think Cheng Ye’s cooking would be any good. The guy in front of him had a very aggressive face. Although he would sometimes act like a dog in front of Jiang Shi, most of the time he relied on his height advantage to look down on people, making others seem like the dogs. Compared to cooking, he seemed more suited to unleashing his hormones in a crowd.

Of course, if he wanted to cook, Jiang Shi wouldn’t refuse his kind offer. He watched Cheng Ye wash the pot and rice, then moved his chair to a corner, took out his phone, and planned to play a few games to pass the time.

Before he could even start a game, he received a message from Zhang Chi.

Zhang Chi: [Song Jian’an is in trouble.]

Jiang Shi immediately sat upright.

Jiang Shi: [What happened?]

Zhang Chi called him directly. Jiang Shi glanced at Cheng Ye, who had his back to him, and answered the call.

“Holy cow! Jiang Shi, you wouldn’t believe how exciting it is! Song Jian’an beat up Huo Ji!!”

Jiang Shi knew every word Zhang Chi said, but when put together, he couldn’t understand it at all.

“No? Are you saying Song Jian’an beat up Huo Ji? Song Jian’an? Beat Huo Ji?”

Zhang Chi had only just learned about it himself and was pacing around with his phone, much more agitated than Jiang Shi.

“Absolutely true, many people saw it. They say Song Jian’an punched Huo Ji right in the face in front of the whole class. Huo Ji probably didn’t expect him to hit him and just froze on the spot. By the time he reacted, Song Jian’an was already gone.”

Jiang Shi took a while to process. “No, why did he hit Huo Ji?”

“Ugh! Didn’t I tell you last time, to get information about you, Huo Ji pretended to be a good student for two days in front of him. That incident should have just passed, but then Huo Ji’s hangers-on, those people who always bothered you, pushed their luck and went up to Song Jian’an.”

“Song Jian’an’s mind works in a weird way; he doesn’t care about anything except studying. When he first transferred to Third Middle School, many people ridiculed him, but this guy just pretended not to hear it, and those people found it boring and gradually stopped bothering him.”

“But this time, they exposed the fact that Huo Ji tricked him and laughed at him for being stupid. We thought he’d ignore it like before, but he immediately went to Huo Ji’s class.”

Compared to the gratifying news of Huo Ji getting beaten, Jiang Shi was more concerned about another issue. “How is Song Jian’an now?”

At this, Zhang Chi fell silent for a moment. “Unclear. He was called back by the Song family and didn’t attend afternoon classes.” Jiangcheng’s education system was stricter than Lincheng’s, with classes still held on Saturdays.

The clay pot beside them was bubbling. Jiang Shi hung up the phone and watched Cheng Ye lift the lid and add ingredients. He gnawed on his fingernails, a little conflicted, wondering if he should send a message asking Song Jian’an how he was.

After gnawing for a few seconds, his fingers were pulled away by another hand. Cheng Ye looked down at him. “Jiang Shi, biting your nails isn’t a good habit.” Jiang Shi tried to pull away. As soon as he moved, the other person let go, and then Cheng Ye’s voice came. “Debating whether to ask? If you want to ask, just ask.”

Jiang Shi was startled. “You heard that?”

Cheng Ye said calmly, “The room is so small, and I’m not deaf. However, excessive sympathy isn’t a good thing.”

Jiang Shi wrinkled his nose. “But he hasn’t experienced any of this before…”

“That has nothing to do with you. These are his parents’ worries, not yours.” Jiang Shi felt sorry for Song Jian’an not having experienced these things, but who would feel sorry for him? The one who transitioned from heaven to hell was never just Song Jian’an.

---

The Song Family’s Turmoil

---

At the Song family’s house, the air in the living room was stagnant. Sun Wanyun and Song Bo sat on opposite sides, with Song Jian’an in the middle. Neither husband nor wife spoke. Song Jian’an propped himself up on the table and stood. “I’ve already explained clearly what needed to be said. If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to do my homework.”

Seeing him about to leave, Song Bo’s face turned ashen, and he barked, “Stop! Who told you to leave?”

Song Jian’an turned back. “You won’t let me go, and you won’t speak. Do you want me to sit here and waste time?”

“Presumptuous! Look at what you’ve done, and you still have the nerve to leave?”

Song Jian’an frowned, seemingly puzzled by his father’s rage. “I’ve already said, he deceived me first, and then he slandered my character behind my back. I know it’s wrong for a student to hit someone, and I can write a self-criticism, but I will never apologize to him. He was so excessive; he should be apologizing to me.”

He spoke with such righteousness that Song Bo was so angry he laughed. “Good! Very good! Truly my own son. All the lessons I’ve given you these past few days have been wasted. What kind of people are the Huo family, and what kind of person are you? Who gave you the guts to hit the Huo family’s only son?”

“Do you know that the relationship we painstakingly maintained with their family has now been completely ruined by you!”

Song Jian’an stood very straight. He was still wearing his school uniform, even the zipper was pulled up neatly according to school standards. Facing Song Bo’s accusations, he merely looked back calmly. “Dad, he lied to me, and his friends came to disrupt my normal life every day, even verbally abusing me.”

“Actually, I didn’t mean to hit him that day. I just asked him why he lied to me. He showed no remorse, even calling me stupid and saying I deserved it.”

“Your son suffered school bullying, and instead of helping me, you demand that I apologize to the abuser?”

“School bullying?” Song Bo sneered. “I told you, don’t be like Song Shi. You need to maintain good relationships with them at school. You didn’t listen to me, and you even went further than Song Shi. Violence? What violence could be more important than the Song family’s future?”

Song Jian’an felt incredibly disbelieving. “In your eyes, is a child a tool to exchange for money?”

“Jian’an…” Sun Wanyun, who had been silent, finally spoke. Her appearance was very gentle, and her voice was soft and mild when she spoke. “You just arrived, so you might not be very used to life in the Song family. Look at what you wear and use now, isn’t everything the best? Dad and Mom can buy you anything you want, but in return for getting these things, you will inevitably have to give something in return.”

She smiled, touching her bright red fingernails. “Xiao Shi, he’s different from you. He’s dumber than you, so dumb that he can’t learn anything. But you are very smart. The smarter you are, the more Dad and Mom can confidently entrust the Song family to you.”

“The Huo family is now dominant in Jiangcheng. Offending Huo Ji will only bring harm, not benefit, to our family. You, go with Mama and apologize to Huo Ji. Didn’t your cousin say there’s a new car model out? If you apologize nicely, how about Mama gets you a car?”

Song Jian’an stood straight. “I’m not the one who made a mistake. I won’t apologize.”

“This is simply…” Song Bo pointed at him. “Unreasonable! Stubborn! And to think I had such high expectations for you. Now it seems you’re not even as good as Song Shi.”

Song Jian’an asked, “Is Jiang Shi always like this at home?”

Song Bo and Sun Wanyun both froze, not understanding why he suddenly said that. Then they heard Song Jian’an sigh slightly.

“Then he must have had a very difficult life.”