Ms. Xu Jin's study is tidy to the point of being almost serious, which is a little inconsistent with her sometimes talkative personality. She sorts all the used documents and paper materials into different categories, and the neatly arranged books and various legal classics in the bookcase are arranged with a bit of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Xu Jin sat behind the desk, separated from Dou Xun by a large solid wooden table, as if he was receiving a client.

"Sit down," Xu Jin put on her glasses with a light degree and looked at the boy through the thin lenses. She couldn't figure out what kind of accident had happened when the genes of Zhu Xiaocheng and Dou Junliang collided to give birth to such a child. "I heard about what happened yesterday from your teacher and your mother."

Seeing that she was about to give him another round of familiar whipping, Dou Xun immediately lowered his head in boredom, put on an "I've made up my mind" attitude, and pretended to be dead.

Unexpectedly, Xu Jin said nonchalantly: "Generally speaking, the postponement of the college entrance examination is not as serious as they think. I have roughly understood the situation. It is a pity that the extra points cannot be used. However, those who think that an extra ten points in the college entrance examination can change their fate, I guess this is all they can achieve in this life."

After hearing this unorthodox comment, Dou Xun glanced at her, but still did not let his guard down - the expression method of first praising and then criticizing is also commonly used by teachers and parents.

"I also heard your teacher Zhang complain. She said you had no legitimate reason to give up the college entrance examination and it was purely willful." Xu Jin said calmly, "But I think everyone has their own internal logic, especially people of your age, who have more ideas. It's just that you don't want to tell us, right?"

"Since you don't want to tell others, you probably don't want to tell me either, so I won't ask any more questions." Xu Jin said calmly, "You signed up for it yourself, and now you've decided to give up the exam. Dou Xun, it's a good thing that you can make your own decisions. It means that you matured earlier and won at the starting line before others. But as an adult, I still have to remind you of one thing. Since you want to make your own decisions, you have to take responsibility for yourself. Why does your teacher think you are willful and why does she call around to complain? It's because she thinks you can't take responsibility. Do you understand what I mean?"

Ms. Xu Jin is not much like Xu Xilin. She looks very smart when she doesn't wear glasses, but seems a little stern with them. At first glance, she has a very professional and cold look. I don't know how she gave birth to a son like Xu Xilin who is so lively.

"You are not young anymore. In the past, in poor families, you were old enough to set up your own household. But you are very immature, which is why the adults don't let you act on your own," said Xu Jin.

No young person would remain indifferent after hearing this. Dou Xun opened his mouth and was about to retort.

Xu Jin: "Your political teacher should have taught you this, right? 'The economic base determines the superstructure.' Are you financially independent? Of course, you are in middle school, so the objective conditions do not allow it. But what about subjectively? Have you ever thought about this? You have helped your classmates to work shifts in fast food restaurants, so you should know how much a day's shift earns. Think about it yourself, can you, who are used to a life of luxury, survive on this meager salary? If one day Dou Junliang's conscience is completely eaten by dogs and he no longer gives you living expenses, what are you going to do? Have you thought about it?"

Dou Xun was speechless.

"After financial independence, there is also the issue of spiritual independence," Xu Jin said. "Have you thought about what kind of person you want to be, what kind of life you want to live, and what kind of path you want to take? It's okay if you haven't thought about it. It's normal. No one will say anything to you because you are still young. Teachers and parents still have the responsibility to take care of you. We will help you plan your future within our own cognition and ability. In order to ensure a smooth process, we ask you to be obedient and cooperate, and don't repeatedly challenge the problem-solving ability of us mediocre adults. You can understand this, right?"

Dou Xun hesitated for a moment and nodded slowly.

Xu Jin: "The exam is in a week. If you really know what your goal is, have a clear reason for giving up the exam, and can bear the consequences of this, then you can make your own decisions from now on. If you don't think clearly and just do whatever you want, then it won't work. This rule is simple, right? If you want to have the right to speak like an adult, you have to act like an adult. It won't work if you act spoiled and willful. Go back and think about it carefully."

Dou Xun had never received a decent education since he was a child. He was upset by Xu Jin's words. He was filled with anger and guilt. He stood up and walked away with a heavy heart. At the door, he met Xu Xilin who was pouring herbal tea for the empress dowager.

Xu Xilin asked Dou Xun quietly, "What happened? Did you get scolded?"

He had just secretly taken a sip of Xu Jin's tea, and there was a layer of water on his lips. Dou Xun glanced at it and was immediately startled. He blinked hard and shook his head randomly.

Then Dou Xun walked around Xu Xilin, went to the refrigerator, got a bottle of iced black tea, and started thinking about life.

Xu Jin: "Xiao Linzi, come in!"

"Xiao Linzi" poked his head out and asked, "Mom, what do you want me to do? Qilixiang... Ugh, Teacher Zhang - are you also complaining about me for the buy one get one free offer?"

"They say you are restless and can't concentrate on your studies." Xu Jin knocked on the table, "Why did you take Dou Xun to such trouble last night?"

Xu Xilin's eyes wandered around, and he muttered vaguely: "...going out to play with classmates."

"Going out with classmates" can be said so guiltily, he must have done something bad. Xu Jin stretched out his hand and tapped him: "Be careful, don't let me grab your pigtails - have you met Zheng Shuo?"

Xu Xilin: "Zheng Shuo? Who?"

Xu Jin looked at his heartless appearance and sighed deeply.

"Oh!" Xu Xilin finally reacted, "I see. Your ex-husband?"

Xu Jin: “…”

Xu Xilin jumped onto the chair like a big monkey, leaned his upper body on Xu Jin's desk, and twisted his knees on the swivel chair: "He was the one who came to me. The Jade Emperor and Chairman Mao swear that I have not committed treason and have not even taken the enemy's sugar-coated bullets!"

Xu Jin leaned back and frowned at her baby son. Since Xu Xilin had met Zheng Shuo, he must have known that she had deliberately blocked Zheng Shuo from contacting him for so many years, but she didn't even mention it. This kid has a bunch of cleverness in every hair, and he is so good at acting cute, and his mind is not serious at all. He looks exactly like Zheng Shuo when he was young.

"Your father has saved an education fund for you to use when you take the college entrance exam next year," Xu Jin said. "He also said that if you are willing to study abroad in the future, he can take care of you."

Xu Xilin raised his eyebrows: "I don't lack...well, it's you who don't lack money, why do you need him?"

Xu Jin asked expressionlessly, "What if I'm short of money?"

Without blinking, Xu Xilin changed his words: "What's money? It's easy to get a lot of money, but it's hard to find a beauty. Who would leave a beautiful woman behind and live with an old man with wrinkles all over his face? Besides, there is more than one beauty in our family. My grandma can be worth two big villas with a flick of her sleeves."

"You..." Xu Jin wanted to say something with a stern face, but he broke down and laughed.

She couldn't help but recall Zheng Shuo of those days.

He was a born romantic, handsome, sweet-talker, and had so many tricks that no one knew where he came up with them. No matter how poor he was, he could dress himself up elegantly and satisfy all the fantasies of girls. He naturally knew how to make others pamper him without hesitation.

Unfortunately, the glass bottle is not for making soy sauce, and the playboy is not for making a living.

What butterflies are fascinated by are the colorful flowers. You are just one of them. After the season is over, it will go to look for the next round of beauty and you will not be able to keep it.

"I didn't like you having too much contact with him before, because..." Xu Jin paused involuntarily. She admitted that everyone has the right to choose how to live, but no matter how tolerant she is, as a mother, she is selfish after all.

She didn't want Zheng Shuo's irresponsible and playboy qualities to influence Xu Xilin, even though her son, who had been influenced by her for so many years, still had a tendency to develop in that direction.

"I understand." Xu Xilin interrupted her.

Xu Jin was stunned: "What do you understand?"

Xu Xilin said with a playful smile: "All decisions made by my fairy are wise, and we mortals firmly support them."

This flattery is natural and comes naturally to me.

If I had grown up with Zheng Shuo, I don’t know what kind of person I would have become.

Xu Jin: "What the hell, you look more and more like that Zheng guy... Oh, you better kneel down and pay your respects."

Xu Xilin didn't like this evaluation very much. His impression of Zheng Shuo was still "pretentious" and "irresponsible". He felt that he was scolded by Xu Jin, but it was not easy for him to protest openly. Xu Jin himself didn't say anything bad about Zheng Shuo. As a son, it didn't make sense for him to interfere in this matter. So he had to run away in anger.

Dou Xun's back stiffened involuntarily when he heard Xu Xilin's footsteps. As his hair stood on end, Xu Xilin pushed the door open and came in.

There were two chairs in Dou Xun's room, one he sat on and the other was piled with a lot of things. Xu Xilin glanced at his tidy bed without a wrinkle, and knew that Dou Xun didn't like others messing up his things, so he planned to sit directly on the floor.

As soon as he pulled up his trouser legs, Dou Xun seemed to have predicted his move and said, "It's okay, just sit on the bed."

Xu Xilin looked at him in confusion, feeling that Dou Xun's change of character came without any warning.

Dou Xun glanced at the foot of the bed in an attempt to cover up his mistake, pretending that he was not staring at the other person.

"What did the old Buddha tell you?" Xu Xilin asked as he sat on the bed. "Are you going to take the exam next week?"

Dou Xun: “Probably.”

The literal meaning of Ms. Xu Jin's words was "let him think about it carefully", and the implication was "don't make trouble unreasonably".

After Dou Xun calmed down from his anger and impulse, he admitted that his behavior of giving up the exam was purely unreasonable. Nostalgia was one of the reasons, and he also wanted to gain some sense of presence in front of Dou Junliang and Zhu Xiaocheng.

After sitting for a while, Xu Xilin forgot that this was someone else's bed and resumed his habit of rolling around. He fell on the bed with his legs spread out and said inexplicably melancholy, "If you get into college, do you have to move to the school and can't live in our house anymore?"

Dou Xun always keeps the curtains drawn in his room, and only turns on a small table lamp with low wattage, so he can never tell the difference between day and night. All the lights in the room are squeezed together, forming just a small cluster of light. From Dou Xun's perspective, it seems that this cluster of light was all pulled away by Xu Xilin and hidden in his eyes.

His eyes seemed to be able to focus light and ignite fire. Dou Xun felt a burning sensation in his chest, which almost destroyed his previous calmness.

Unexpectedly, Xu Xilin turned sideways and muttered again: "But then again, even if you take the exam again next year, we probably won't be able to get into the same school, and we will still have to separate next year."

The tiny spark suddenly went out.

Dou Xun stared at him for a while, and suddenly he realized that he was not nostalgic for his boring high school life, but for Xu Xilin.