Chapter 13

In the southwest corner of the map of this largest heavy industrial city in the north, there is a place called "Workers' Village," covering an area of ​​only about one square kilometer, yet it contains dozens of red brick buildings. These are all dormitories for dozens of factories of varying sizes, including two buildings belonging to Huaxing Machinery Factory. Two streets away is a car repair shop. A month after his release from prison, Li Junsheng, through the introduction of Secretary Jiang, came to this repair shop and began a new job.

Because of his extensive knowledge and experience in mechanical principles, Li Junsheng quickly established himself at the auto repair shop and became a key member of the team. However, Li Junsheng didn't want to live in his old dormitory anymore. Firstly, the room of less than 20 square meters was too cramped for the three of them, and secondly, he didn't want to have the chance to face his former good friend Xu Zhenguo again. Therefore, he preferred to live in the auto repair shop's workshop, while Qiao Kexin and her daughter had no choice but to remain in their old room. For a month after his release from prison, Li Junsheng stayed at his eldest sister's house…

Li Muxue successfully entered the third grade of junior high school and continued to study diligently. Every day after school, she would go to the auto repair shop to talk to her father, and then go back to the red brick building to be with her mother. Although life was still hard, at least her parents were by her side, which was the greatest happiness for Li Muxue. She had waited for such a life for six years.

The only thing that made her uncomfortable was that, in junior high school, she was once again inexplicably assigned to the same class as Xu Chen...

Now, Li Muxue is taller than her mother, and her face, having lost its baby fat, appears even more delicate. A pair of black-rimmed glasses sits atop her high, pretty nose, and behind the lenses, her deep brown eyes remain as bright and lively as ever. Her long, flowing hair has been replaced by a low ponytail, tied with a sky-blue rubber band, and the shallow dimples at the corners of her lips still reveal a touch of innocence.

In these six years, everything has changed, but the only thing that hasn't changed is Li Muxue's deep hatred for Xu Chen. Whether at school or in the dormitory, as soon as Xu Chen appears in Li Muxue's sight, she always tries to get away from him as quickly as possible, like an angel seeing a devil...

On a sweltering summer night, the buzzing of the electric fan beside his bed kept Xu Chen awake. He got up to go to the balcony for some fresh air, but he overheard a conversation between his father and stepmother, coming from just one wall away in Xu Zhenguo and Luo Mei's bedroom.

It was less of a conversation and more of an argument, or rather, Luo Mei's one-sided emotional outburst. It started with her stepmother, Luo Mei, incessantly complaining: "Can't you show even a little bit of guts? This time the factory held an election for the new factory director, and you didn't even dare to sign your name?! Seeing your pathetic state makes me furious! Are you satisfied after being deputy factory director for two years? Why are you still as timid and hesitant as you were six years ago?! Six years ago you were nothing! If I hadn't relentlessly encouraged you to expose Li Junsheng's corruption, even giving you advice on how to embellish the story, and then going to Secretary Jiang to flatter you, would you, Xu Zhenguo, be where you are today? The current deputy factory director might just be Li Junsheng! How can you be so content with your small fortune and have no ambition…"

Xu Zhenguo listened obediently, without even trying to refute, like a wilted eggplant.

Actually, there was no need to hear Luo Mei's words. Xu Chen had, at some point, already possessed a clear understanding of the entire situation. Luo Mei was simply giving Xu Chen a definitive conclusion, which deepened Xu Chen's resentment towards his father. At the same time, he vowed in his heart that if he ever had the chance, he would make amends to Li Muxue, no matter what method he used…

(To be continued)