"Tell me, how did you two meet?" Several classmates asked Li Qianqian curiously.

"Don't ask anymore. We just know each other. What's so strange about that?" Li Qianqian said proudly, then she put on her backpack and left, leaving her classmates with disappointed faces.

Li Qianqian walked out of the school gate, and her mood suddenly became heavy. Because she saw the two people she least wanted to see. They were standing there, and the indifference and hostility revealed in their eyes made Li Qianqian feel a chill.

"Didn't I tell you we're done? Why are you here?" Li Qianqian shouted at them angrily. There was a hint of despair in her voice; she knew these two people wouldn't let her go easily.

"Are you crazy or something? You think you can get rid of us so easily?" One of the girls said sarcastically. Her eyes were filled with anger and resentment, as if Li Qianqian owed her a lifetime debt.

Li Qianqian's heart tightened. She didn't know when she had owed them money. She tried hard to recall the past, but her mind was blank. She knew they were framing her, but she couldn't refute it.

"What do you mean? You're not going to follow me forever, are you? I don't owe you any money, so why are you following me?" Li Qianqian said disdainfully, and continued walking towards home. Her steps became firmer, she didn't want to be entangled by these two people anymore.

Two girls followed her slowly. One of them said, "You owe us money. Pay us back and we'll be even." Her voice was full of threats and provocation.

Li Qianqian was startled. She knew these two people wouldn't give up easily. Her heartbeat quickened, and cold sweat broke out in her palms. She didn't know what to do or where to go.

Just then, a warm voice reached her ears. "What are you doing? Why are you bullying her?" A boy appeared before them. He was handsome, his smile, bathed in sunlight, was incredibly warm. But he had a certain scoundrel air.

"Yu Yang?" The girls were shocked to see the boy and called out his name. The boy ignored them and walked straight to Li Qianqian.

He looked at Li Qianqian and asked, "What happened?"

Li Qianqian didn't appreciate it: "Nothing, I want to go home." Then she walked around the boy and went home

Yu Yang looked at Li Qianqian's petite and hurried back, a dark light flashed across his eyes and then he turned and left.

The two girls saw that their plan for today had failed. One girl said unwillingly, "We were about to succeed, but suddenly someone like Cheng Yaojin showed up. What bad luck."

"What is there to be afraid of? She goes to such a good school. If she is not afraid of being embarrassed, we will go to the school gate to harass her every day. We are not afraid that she will not compromise." Another girl said with an evil smile.

Li Qianqian walked into the large courtyard where her family lived. The sounds of the elderly women and men from various households were constantly chatting. Their voices merged into a cacophony of background noise, like the buzzing of countless bees in her ears. These voices were mixed with all sorts of family gossips: some complained about the hardships of life, some discussed the gossips of neighbors, and some were just idle chatter. Li Qianqian felt like her head was about to explode. She just wanted to get home quickly, away from the intrusion of this noise.

She crossed the yard and saw her low-slung home. It was old, and its exterior looked dilapidated. The walls were covered in mottled marks, and the glass in the windows was broken in several places. The steps at the door were covered in moss, as if telling of the vicissitudes of time.

Li Qianqian pushed open the door and was greeted by a foul odor. It was a suffocating mix of dampness, mold, and decay. She frowned, thinking her paralyzed father must have urinated in the bed again. She hurried into the house, first drawing back the curtains and opening the window, then going to check on him.

The father looked at his daughter busying herself with an apologetic look. He wondered why he didn't die earlier. He thought that people like him didn't deserve to live in this world and be a burden to his wife and daughter.

Seeing all this, Li Qianqian resolved that nothing would stop her from studying hard. She was determined to escape this miserable life. She knew that only through study could she change her fate. She would study hard, get into a good university, find a good job, leave this dilapidated compound, and live the life she wanted. She wanted to free her parents from worrying about their lives and fill her future with hope.

She first cleaned her paralyzed father and then cooked for them.

"Qianqian, how is your new school?" Her father's caring voice brought a little comfort to her busy life.

"Dad, the new school is great. I've been admitted to the top class. I will study hard and get admitted to a good university." Li Qianqian brought the food to the bedside and chatted with her father about school while eating.

"My daughter will definitely get into college," Li Qianqian smiled at her father, then turned and went back into the kitchen. She expertly tied her apron and began to clear the pots and pans. Her father watched her busy figure, his heart filled with emotion and comfort. Though this family was poor, it was filled with love and hope.

Li Qianqian's mother worked as a street vendor every day to make a living. While her income was barely enough to support the family, it was a very hard life. Furthermore, to earn more money, she often came home late. Therefore, the burden of caring for her father fell on Li Qianqian's shoulders.

After dinner, Li Qianqian cleared away the pots and pans and returned to her room. Her room was small, barely big enough for a small bed and desk. Yet, it was Li Qianqian's safest haven. Here she studied, rested, and pondered her future. She knew that only through her own hard work could she change her family's destiny.

In this small room, Li Qianqian spent countless days and nights studying hard and striving for her dream.

Despite the hardships of life, Li Qianqian never gave up on her dreams. She believed that as long as she worked hard, she would be able to get into university and bring a better life to her family. She also believed that as long as the family worked together, they would be able to overcome all difficulties and move towards a bright future.

Li Qianqian doesn't know yet that her careless choice of friends will get her into a lot of trouble and bring unbearable disaster to this already shaky family.