Chapter Sixty-One
"Tsk."
The principal's tsk made the homeroom teacher even more undecided. Expelling him was not an option, nor was not expelling him. What exactly did the principal want to do?
The homeroom teacher carefully chose his words, "Let him go home and reflect on his actions. He can come back to school in a few days... in a while, but he can't fall behind in his studies. I'll ask a classmate to bring him test papers and workbooks." As he spoke, he kept an eye on the principal's expression. Seeing the principal nod in satisfaction, he then went on to say something else.
The principal stood up and patted the homeroom teacher on the shoulder, and the homeroom teacher quickly bent down.
"I have to say you're quite perceptive. As a teacher, you can't be too inflexible, or you'll end up with nothing but ashes."
The homeroom teacher nodded repeatedly in agreement, and only after walking out of the principal's office did he gradually straighten his back.
The principal's words just now made him think. He actually knew one teacher who ended up with nothing left.
Zhou Mo's father, Zhou Qinian.
Although the authorities had blocked the news, Zhou Qinian's case had long been a topic of conversation among the teachers, who would bring it up from time to time to remind themselves. It wasn't out of schadenfreude, but the old man's example made them have to be careful and think about their future choices.
The homeroom teacher didn't waste much time. She went to the classroom, called Yu Xi to the office, and subtly expressed her wish that Yu Xi could return home to study for the time being.
He thought Yu Xi would be angry and dissatisfied, and would give him a fierce glare or a disgruntled "tsk".
None of the scenarios the homeroom teacher had imagined occurred, and Yu Xi calmly accepted being forced to go home.
The homeroom teacher wanted to say a few more words of advice, but seeing Yu Xi's expression, she silently swallowed her words.
But as soon as he swallowed it back, he spat it out again. How could a teacher not worry about that?
"Study hard when you get home. I'll have someone deliver the test papers to your house. Yu Xi, I have high hopes for your college entrance exam results. Study hard and don't think too much."
Yu Xi nodded, but still didn't say anything.
"Okay, go back and pack your things first, then you can go straight home after school."
"Um."
The homeroom teacher watched Yu Xi's departing figure until she was out of sight, then took off her glasses and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
"Why……"
Huyang District welcomed a guest who was not unfamiliar to them.
After school, Yu Xi didn't go home at all. Instead, she went to the No. 3 treatment room first. As soon as she entered, she saw Yu Ning holding a book and reading it. Her two thin eyebrows were furrowed, like a pretzel.
Hearing the noise, Yu Ning looked up and saw that it was Yu Xi. She immediately waved to Yu Xi and said, "This question is so hard, I don't know how to do it."
Where did this workbook come from?
Yu Ning was puzzled. "Didn't you give them to me, brother? When I woke up, there were these workbooks and a note at the door saying that you would come to check my homework."
Yu Xi asked Yu Ning to take out the note. When she saw the handwriting on the note, Yu Xi felt as if her heart had been exploded, feeling swollen, warm, and bittersweet.
"Brother, what's wrong?"
"This workbook was given to me by a bad guy?! I don't want it anymore." Yu Ning said, about to throw the workbook away. Yu Xi grabbed the edge of the workbook, and her fingertip was cut by the sharp paper. Blood gushed out immediately. Yu Ning hurriedly went to find a tissue.
Yu Xi felt nothing; she wiped her fingertip on her fingertip, and the blood disappeared.
"Brother, did I do something wrong again?"
"No, study hard and wait for her to come back so she can check your homework."
"Her?" Although Yu Ning is young, he is quick-witted. The only person who could make his brother so distracted is probably Sister Zhou Mo.
Sister Zhou Mo not only thought of him and asked him to leave Huyang District, but also gave him a workbook. Could it be...?
Yu Ning opened her bright eyes and asked, "Brother, does Sister want me to go to school?"
"Can I go to high school like my brother?"
"Can I wear the same blue and white school uniform as my older siblings?"
Yu Ning asked many questions, and the little girl was overflowing with surprise and joy.
Yu Xi patiently answered the questions, then patted Yu Ning's bottom and told him to go back to doing his homework.
He then went out and headed straight for Huyang District.
Many people in Huyang District are familiar with Yu Xi. When Yu Xi was in the business, he often came here to cause trouble. For the people of Huyang District, Yu Xi is synonymous with trouble.
So when Yu Xi, this troublesome person, came again, everyone who knew him went home and closed the door.
Yu Xi sat alone in a somewhat dilapidated area. The alleys here were quite different from other areas. In other areas, you could see the sky when you looked up, but here, all you could see when you looked up were a dense network of power lines and clothes hanging out to dry from each household.
Even with the doors closed, sounds from other households can still be heard through the non-soundproof walls.
There were sounds of people scolding and beating their children, criticizing their husbands, and the clattering of mahjong tiles. All sorts of sounds gathered in Yu Xi's ears, and he took a deep breath.
When she opened her eyes again, she was still that unfathomable and terrifying Yu Xi.
Yu Xi made his way through a maze of turns to a small hut. Before he could kick the door open, it was opened from the inside, and a drunken man emerged. He was Li Sang's nominal father, though not biologically. But the people here didn't believe in science; whoever raised him was his father. They disregarded the concept of birth and upbringing, and considered it the greatest sin to be unfilial.
"Who is it?! A good dog doesn't block the way. Are you trying to steal something at my doorstep?" The old man was drunk and thought he was his younger self. He was ready to fight if he was not convinced. In reality, he was swaying and could not even stand steadily. He was hunched over and looked like a goblin in front of Yu Xi.
"I'm looking for Yu Songjing."
A fleeting clarity appeared in the old man's muddled eyes, before he impatiently shoved Yu Xi away. "Get out of here! I don't know anyone named Yu Songjing! Get out, get out! Or I'll beat you with an iron rod!"
As he spoke, he reached for the wooden stick standing against the wall, raised it high, but did not bring it down.
Yu Xi neither dodged nor avoided the old man's cloudy, grayish-blue eyes. Seeing that the old man hesitated to strike, he decided to help. He grabbed the old man's wrist and forced him to smash the stick against his head. The old man was no match for Yu Xi's strength. He resisted and struggled, and finally released the wooden stick in his hand.
"you!"
Before the old man could finish speaking, Yu Xi interrupted, "Yu Songjing, I didn't come to see you pretend to be crazy. You have to do something for your son."
The old man's mouth was slightly open, and the smell of alcohol kept assaulting Yu Xi from this opening. Yu Xi seemed completely unaware; he had always accepted everything about this man without question.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have seen Yu Songjing cause trouble in Huyang District without exposing him; otherwise, he wouldn't have been angry when he saw Yu Songjing raising a boy as his son in Huyang District; otherwise, he wouldn't have been willing to take care of the boy named Li Sang even after Yu Songjing gradually turned into this monstrous state.
"My son? Li Sang? What happened to him? Did you cause him trouble?"
Yu Xi stared intently at Yu Songjing, then released his grip and took a few steps back. "It's me."
Yu Songjing's expression changed. "You're not my son, and I'm not Yu Songjing. You've mistaken me for someone else. Get lost! These days, there are all sorts of weird and eccentric people."
Yu Songjing muttered curses and turned to go back to his room, but Yu Xi didn't give him a chance. She kicked the door shut with a loud bang, and the wind from it slapped Yu Songjing's face like a hand, blowing his messy hair on his left cheek and revealing a large burn scar. It was fresh and still festering from lack of proper care.
"You scared her away from Huyang District, and you didn't hesitate to set fire again. Yu Songjing, you're hiding here, running away, watching Ning Xuzhi control my life. And to avoid seeing it and having trouble, you found Li Sang. Now you finally have a son of your own. And then what? Why don't you treat him well? Why don't you treat him the same way you treat me?"
Yu Songjing was completely broken down by Yu Xi's calm questioning. He took a step back, his back pressed tightly against the iron door. Only when he felt the support behind him did he have the courage to confront Yu Xi. "What do you know?! If it weren't for you! How could I have ended up like this today?!"
“If I didn’t have a wife and son, I would be the most perfect researcher. I could study any probability that I thought was possible without any scruples. I should be standing in front of thousands of people, talking eloquently and receiving everyone’s envious gaze.”
Yu Songjing bit his lip, and blood flowed into his mouth through the gap between his lips, dripping down his mouth and chin onto his dirty collar.
The collar was so dirty that even a drop of blood wouldn't cause any change.
"Only incompetent men blame everything on their families."
"What do you know?! What do you know?!" Yu Songjing rushed forward and grabbed Yu Xi's collar. He was too short now, and such a move only made him look ridiculous. Coupled with his angry expression, in Yu Xi's eyes, he was just an angry clown.
“Your mother was placed by Ning Xuzhi on purpose. From the moment Ning Xuzhi saw my first draft, I became a dog with its neck tethered. Your birth was a complete mistake.”
"If she hadn't died in childbirth, you and she would have been in that fire!"
"Do you feel pain? What you are going through now is just what I have gone through. Do you despise me for this? Let me tell you, Yu Xi, you will become like me one day. There is only one way to break this cycle."
“Kill Ning Xuzhi.”
"You'll be free if you just kill him."
"After you kill him, you can kill me too. Aren't you dissatisfied with me? You must hate me a lot, right? Or you can kill me first, then kill him, whatever you like."
Yu Songjing's eyes were filled with madness. He gripped Yu Xi's collar tightly, his actions changing from provocation to dependence. Yu Xi was his only support now.
Yu Xi stood still, ignoring Yu Songjing.
Yu Songjing continued to coax, "Yu Xi, do you remember when we were little? In the study, your favorite bouncy ball was under the desk. You were afraid of the dark, but when I asked you to get it, you went. It's nothing, the dark isn't a big deal, right? Killing someone isn't a big deal either. One stab and it's all over, the pain is over too."
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