"People like us will have no future." The greasy-faced director of the Entrepreneurship and Innovation Department said as he walked. The students privately gave him a nickname, "Fatty Intestines". When Xu Xilin just planned to apply for the school's entrepreneurship project, his counselor and senior sister told him to "answer" Fatty Intestines correctly. Xu Xilin listened to her, and everything went smoothly after that.

Now it seems that it’s not that Xu Xilin has any skills, it’s just that the threshold for making fat intestines is low.

Feichang took him to the person in charge of the education supermarket to sign a contract. He was panting after walking a few steps, and he was still mumbling: "The world outside will be left for you to explore in the future. I accept and send off so many students every year. I feel that you are different from other students. You are smart, sensible, and have a quick mind. Your counselor... that little girl, praises you to me every time she sees me... Hey, Teacher Wang is here!"

Not far away stood a middle-aged man, who was said to be the general manager of the campus education supermarket of the six dormitory areas.

"This is the student I told you about," Feichang patted Xu Xilin on the back and pointed at the middle-aged man and said, "This is your teacher Wang."

For the first time in his life, Xu Xilin knew what it felt like to "want to laugh but can't, and have to laugh even though he can't." For a second, he really wanted to imitate Dou Xun and scratch anyone he didn't like.

How can a man who runs a convenience store be considered a "teacher"?

Fei Chang added calmly, "Teacher Wang is also an old member of our school. He is the younger brother of Vice Principal Wang. His wife also works in our school, in the Academic Affairs Office. Next time if you have any classes that you can't schedule and want to apply for exemption from classes or exams, just tell Teacher Wang. You don't have to go through so many application procedures."

Xu Xilin: "...Hello, teacher."

Teacher Wang smiled at him modestly and praised him condescendingly: "Children nowadays are different. They have more ideas than when we were young."

Then the two middle-aged men familiarly exchanged cigarettes with each other, and started chatting about middle-aged and elderly men in front of Xu Xilin as if no one was around. They spoke to Xu Xilin every five minutes on average, indicating that they still remembered such a person.

Xu Xilin had a tasteless meal with them. After they had eaten and drunk their fill, and his face had turned as red as Harbin red sausage, Teacher Wang then took out the "cooperation agreement" that he had been delaying signing for several days.

He took a pen from the table as if he was marking students' homework, waved at Xu Xilin, and scribbled on the agreement: "Student, I've read your agreement. It's good overall, but many parts are not written professionally. I suggest you take it back and revise it carefully... For example, this part is inappropriate, 'Party A shall not grant authorization within the scope of this agreement to a third party without the consent of Party B'. This request is really rude and seems like an unfair clause - do you know that there is a concept called 'unfair clause' in law?"

Fat Intestine burped: "Hey, he's not from the law school."

"Oh! Then this agreement is pretty good." Teacher Wang smiled "tolerantly". People who didn't know the truth might think he was a professor of law. He made drastic changes to the cooperation agreement and finally said to Xu Xilin with a sense of satisfaction, "Next time, it's best to change the font to Fangsong. Many official documents are written like this, which will look much more professional. So, take it home and revise it carefully, make the sentences smoother, and pay attention to the writing style. Send it to my office tomorrow afternoon... after two o'clock, and I'll take a look."

Feichang laughed beside him: "Teacher Wang is willing to teach you, learn more from him, young man, don't miss the opportunity."

Xu Xilin thought, if Xu was here, he would definitely slam the words "unfairness" and "literary style" in the face of this shameless person.

However, even though he was about to crush the hotel's water glass, Xu Xilin still agreed: "Okay."

Because Xu Jin also told him something - if you don't want to pretend to be a grandson, don't pretend, but since you have to pretend, you have to pretend to the end. Don't be timid at the beginning and then let people see that you are swallowing your anger and full of resentment.

Xu Xilin gritted his teeth and pretended to be his grandson. He squeezed out a sentence with all his heart: "Thank you, teacher."

After returning home with the unrecognizable agreement in his pocket, Xu Xilin stood at the door, raised his hand and put it down three times in a row. The shiny door handle reflected his dark face. Xu Xilin caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye, then put it down dejectedly. He stood stiffly at the door for a while with his hands in his pockets - there were only his grandmother and Dou Xun at home, and he didn't want to bring this face home.

Xu Xilin casually fumbled in his pocket and felt the bicycle key. He simply threw his schoolbag over his shoulder, jumped on the bicycle, and rode out aimlessly.

Xu Xilin is better at speaking and handling things than his peers, but he still cannot be considered "smooth-toned" in the traditional sense.

Because he was just a child before, no one took him seriously, and no one argued with him. In his twenty years of life, he seldom met people who were malicious towards him. The friends around him were all friends. Xu Xilin was willing to take care of their different temperaments and reconcile minor conflicts.

But that doesn't mean he will compromise, nor does it mean he can remain calm and say "If you can't kill me, we can do business next time" - most young people who are full of vigor and vitality can't do that.

This was the first time that Xu Xilin had to swallow the rules of this world and the first time he was forced to compromise.

He originally thought that those who were vying for administrative admission to graduate school, those who were chasing after teachers to curry favor, those who were trying to get in touch with graduate school supervisors, and those who had to consider the other party's family conditions before looking for a boyfriend or girlfriend... were all very materialistic.

Now I understand that even if students are materialistic, their materialism is only naive and simple.

Xu Xilin rode faster and faster as if to vent his anger, and the bicycle turned into a hot wheel under his feet. Suddenly, an off-road vehicle that was also driving very fast turned around the corner. Xu Xilin hurriedly pulled the brakes, but even so, he still couldn't dodge in time, and the handlebars got caught on the opponent's rearview mirror. The bicycle modified from a broken racing car was light to begin with, and he was thrown out. Xu Xilin's elbow hit the wall, rubbing off a piece of flesh.

The car owner stopped and yelled, "Did I delay your takeoff? You are asking for trouble!"

Xu Xilin almost couldn't stand up, and half of his body was numb from the fall.

The owner angrily reached out and wiped the scraped paint on the door, then cursed as he took the bicycle hanging on the rearview mirror and threw it aside: "It's my bad luck!"

Then he drove away.

He did not ask how much the last coat of paint cost, or how much it cost to knock off a dollar from the rearview mirror - because the car owner himself knew that he should give way to non-motor vehicles and pedestrians, and it was his responsibility to drive fast in the alley.

Everyone knows that they should give way to pedestrians and compete fairly, but no one follows them. The crooked handlebars and inflexible pedals taught Xu Xilin one thing - you can bully others by taking advantage of your power.

If only this world could be as peaceful and rewarding as Jin Yong's world, where a young man just starting out would wander around with his sword and books, reading at night at the Twenty-Four Bridges, grinding leftover tea, traveling along mountains and rivers, and taking up arms against injustice. It would be enough for him to have a loyal heart, and he would not have to bow to anyone, nor to bend for anyone.

Xu Xilin walked home at dusk and passed by the supermarket, where he bought a week's worth of vegetables, milk, and a bottle of soy sauce for his family, as if he was carrying a dangerous life.

Dou Xun was frying rice at home. Xu Xilin came in and asked calmly, "Do you have any more eggs? I bought new ones."

Dou Xun: "I used the last two."

Xu Xilin responded, poured himself a glass of cold milk, drank it in one gulp from the refrigerator, swallowed all the grievances, turned around and his expression returned to normal.

He took out a spoon and scooped a spoonful directly into Dou Xun's pot, crying out in pain from the burn.

Dou Xun learned to cook for three years, but made no progress except learning how to make fried rice - golden egg fried rice, Yangzhou fried rice, curry fried rice, he could cook them all just like the examples in the New Oriental classroom. Dou Xun proved with his own experience that "knowing a thousand tricks is not as good as knowing one new trick". Every time his grandmother thought of this, she would say to Xu Xilin: "What you cook is not tasty, just let Xiao Xun make some fried rice."

"No salt was added..." Dou Xun looked up and saw his embarrassed look, "How did you do that?"

Xu Xilin turned around to get him the salt shaker, avoiding his gaze and said nonchalantly, "He fell from a telephone pole."

Dou Xun frowned as he took the salt jar and said, "You can fall like this even when riding a bicycle. You should never drive a car again."

"I won't open it now. It's not profitable anyway. Shipping them a bunch of toilet paper isn't even enough to pay for the gas." Xu Xilin said as he hurried away, fearing that if he continued talking about this topic with Dou Xun, it would bring up the discomfort that he had suppressed with great difficulty.

He ran through the living room like a gust of wind and received a complaint from Grandma Xu, but he did not dare to stop. He rushed upstairs in two steps to prevent his family from noticing anything unusual.

Xu Xilin went back to the room and changed his dirty clothes. He cleaned the wound himself and applied iodine on it.

A thin layer of dust fell on Xu Jin's photo, and Xu Xilin didn't even raise his eyelids, as if the photo frame had become an ordinary decoration on the table. Then his eyes slowly turned red under Xu Jin's gaze, and when he was about to cry, Dou Xun cleaned up the kitchen and went upstairs. Xu Xilin heard the voice, raised his head quickly, and tried hard to hold back the tears.

"Give it to me." Dou Xun took the cotton swab from his hand, his eyes fell on his face, he turned his chin as if startled, and asked carefully, "Does it hurt?"

For a moment, Xu Xilin wanted to hug him and pour out all the words in his heart, saying "I don't want to do this anymore. This world is too fucked up by idiots. I don't want to play with them anymore". But when the words came to his lips, he took a deep breath and swallowed them all back into his stomach.

Why tell Dou Xun all this? Will he know what to do?

So Xu Xilin deliberately grinned and said, "I accidentally applied too much, and it hurts when I poke it."

"You're so stupid." Dou Xun couldn't help but imagine what he said, and as if a large ball of iodine had stabbed his wound hard, he shuddered and complained unhappily, "The brain is already like this, and the cerebellum is shrinking along with it..."

Xu Xilin gasped exaggeratedly and said with a smile, "In two years, he will be too demented to recognize people. He might even hug your thigh and call you his son. Why don't you call him 'Dad' in advance?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the grey parrot downstairs suddenly let out a long cry, and then the doorbell rang. Grandma slowly stood up and opened the door: "Xiao Xun, your father is here."

Dou Xun: “…”

Xu Xilin made a face and took the small medicine bottle from him: "Look at my bad mouth, I have attracted your real father. Come on, go quickly."

Dou Junliang looked like he had just gone bankrupt, and his temper almost overflowed from his small side-parted hair. Perhaps out of consideration for the old man, he tried his best to remain calm. He glanced at Dou Xun grimly, and waved at him with a gloomy face: "Dou Xun, come here, I want to talk to you."

Dou Junliang had never stood up straight in front of his son. Over the years, it was always Dou Xun who gave him the cold shoulder, but today the situation was reversed.

Grandma Xu looked at his face and said with some concern: "It's almost time for dinner. If you have anything to say, please wait and talk."

"Oh, we have something to do in our hometown," Dou Junliang put his hands in his pockets and looked down at his toes, "Well, Auntie, I'll take him away right away, don't delay your meal."

Xu Xilin heard Dou Junliang constantly urging Dou Xun, and quickly fixed his arm, put down his sleeves, came out and greeted, "Uncle."

As soon as he showed up, Dou Junliang's gaze instantly shot up and fixed on him like a needle. Xu Xilin was puzzled for a while, and suddenly an ominous premonition surged in his heart.

Dou Junliang nodded stiffly at him: "Well - Dou Xun, hurry up."

Dou Junliang drove the car directly into the community without even locking the car chain. He parked the car in front of Xu's door with the door wide open, walked out with big strides, and pushed Dou Xun roughly when he got into the car.

Before Dou Xun could sit still, he had already stepped on the accelerator and the car flew out. Dou Xun was almost thrown out by inertia, and he grabbed the handrail above his head, thinking that Dou Junliang had taken the wrong medicine.

Dou Junliang didn't know who he was venting his anger on. He kept silent all the way, driving the car like a low-Earth rocket all the way back to his home. He slammed the brakes hard in the garage, and the car screamed as if it was going to peel off a layer of skin from the ground.

Then Dou Junliang let out a long breath, moved his tongue in his mouth, leaned back in his chair, and said in a slightly different tone: "Dou Xun, I want to ask you something, tell me the truth."

Dou Xun had been holding onto the handrails all the way until veins on his wrists were throbbing. He was already angry at Dou Junliang, and the driver's irritability was also contagious. He didn't say anything, but thought to himself, "Why?"

Dou Junliang was used to his non-violent and non-cooperative attitude, so he didn't beat around the bush and just hit Dou Xun in the face with a straight shot: "What's going on between you and that kid from Old Xu's family?"

Dou Xun: “…”

He was stunned for a moment, a little confused by Dou Junliang's question. He didn't know what Dou Junliang meant by specifically pulling him out of Xu's house to ask such a nonsensical question, so naturally he didn't know what to answer.

Dou Junliang slammed the steering wheel hard, and the car made a long beep.

"I'm asking you a question, are you fucking mute?" Dou Junliang yelled in frustration, grabbed a brown paper bag from the side, and smashed it on Dou Xun's head.

Dou Xun never treated him as a serious father. He instinctively raised his elbow to block and wanted to fight back immediately.

However, the brown paper bag hit his strong arm, and a dozen photos fell out of the unsealed bag like snowflakes. One very clear photo fell on his thigh - that was when Xu Xilin had just got his driver's license and was going to take him out for a ride. He was about to get in the car, and Xu Xilin was pulling the door beside him and putting one hand on the roof to prevent him from hitting his head. This action was very much like a hotel doorman, but Xu Xilin had an unmistakable gentle smile on his face, and the meaning of care was almost revealed from the paper.

The remaining dozen photos were taken secretly while following the boys. Whether the two were arm in arm or playing around, they were just like other boys, nothing unusual. Then Dou Xun saw a strange photo - the photo was of the Xu family's front door, just a proper house, nothing unusual.

But the person who took the photo seemed to be afraid that others would not notice it, so he drew a small circle on the photo with a fountain pen.

It was a half-open window on the second floor. It had just been wiped, and the light was so bright that it looked like a mirror when reflected by the afterglow. The angle was just right to reflect the two entangled figures in the room.

"What is this, Dou Xun, tell me what this is!" Dou Junliang's temples were throbbing wildly, "You..."

He wanted to rant about foul language, but when he remembered that this was his son, he swallowed it back, choking himself. Dou Junliang stared at Dou Xun for a while with red eyes, then said in a suppressed but tough tone, "Move back... I'll find you a house that's closer to your school. Once you get your diploma here, I'll send you abroad."

After Dou Xun sensitively heard the words "move back", Dou Junliang changed his words temporarily. The affair between him and Xu Xilin was suddenly exposed, and Dou Xun was shocked and felt a little guilty. But after hearing this, his anger burned away his guilt. He said in a rebellious way: "What do you think of me?"

Dou Junliang: "...what did you say?"

Dou Xun tilted his head and sneered, then threw the photo aside: "I say - what's your business with me? I'm a homosexual, so what? I was born that way. I was born with a mother but no father, that's it."

Dou Junliang almost made him fall over.

Dou Xun rolled his eyes at him, opened the car door and got out. Dou Junliang was furious, chased after him, grabbed Dou Xun by the shirt, and slapped him: "Fuck you..."

The man's grip was so strong that Dou Xun felt a buzzing sound in his ear and his teeth cut a hole in his mouth. The smell of blood immediately came up.

Dou Junliang saw that the child was like an enraged beast. He had just grown up, with sharp claws and fangs, and a face full of venom and murderous intent. Dou Junliang subconsciously let go and took a step back - thinking that Dou Xun was going to fight back.