Once the dust-covered, gloomy memories were unveiled, they brought with them an overwhelming sense of despair and oppression.
In his previous life, the simple-hearted youth Yu Shulin held resentment in his heart. Moreover, from Yu Xiu's descriptions, the father who had been absent for over a decade was portrayed as a greedy, despicable, hypocritical, and irresponsible villain. Back then, he was filled with disappointment and anger, thinking only that since the position of 'father' had been vacant for over ten years, it might as well remain empty after his mother's death. It was this mindset that made him ruthlessly extinguish his last sliver of hope for his father. He signed the papers decisively, handing over his guardianship to his uncle, Yu Xiu—the "only person in the world who would truly care for him."
The pain of losing his mother, the father figure that was utterly different from his imagination, Yu Xiu's repeated brainwashing, and the confines of a dark, gloomy room—all of this weighed heavily on the fifteen-year-old Yu Shulin's heart, making him grow more silent and more depressed with each passing day.
So, what do you do when you can't bear it anymore?
Forget it.
If you don't remember, it won't hurt anymore.
And so, he forgot. Every time he tried to recall, the memories of that period were hazy. He only remembered that his guardianship had, as a matter of course, been given to his "sincerely caring" uncle.
Thinking back on it now, Yu Xiu probably never intended to let him meet or communicate with the person sent by his father's side in the first place. The signing was scheduled for the afternoon, and it was only at noon that Yu Xiu brought up the other party in such a negative way, taking advantage of Yu Shulin's disorientation right after finishing his high school entrance exams... What scheming... tsk.
Now, having been given a second chance, those past events he was unwilling to remember were replaying directly upon him, leaving him no room for escape. The memories became vivid once again. That oppressive, gloomy emotion from back then churned within his heart, gradually settling and twisting into indifference. He clenched his fist, yet a faint smile appeared on his face.
It's good to remember. Only by remembering can the situation avoid becoming a dead end.
Baiwei Xuan, private room on the second floor.
Seeing her husband enter with Yu Shulin, Zhou Mei quickly stood up with a smile, welcoming them. She affectionately ruffled his hair and asked warmly, "Are you hungry? Your aunt ordered lots of your favorite dishes. Come, have a taste."
Yu Shulin obediently let her lead him and sat down next to Yu Bo, who was sprawled over the table.
Zhou Mei, Yu Xiu's wife, originally worked as a teacher at City First Elementary School. Later, Yu Xiu spent money and pulled strings to get her transferred to Chenghan High School as a teacher. And Chenghan was precisely the high school Yu Xiu recommended for Yu Shulin to attend.
Chenghan... He chewed on these two words, gradually spacing out.
He studied at Chenghan for three years, and Zhou Mei was his homeroom teacher for all three. The constant verbal attacks and emotional neglect made his high school life utterly miserable. Yet, Yu Xiu's brainwashing had been so successful that the seventeen or eighteen-year-old Yu Shulin never once felt he was suffering psychological abuse. He simply believed he wasn't trying hard enough, wasn't excellent enough, wasn't obedient enough, which was why his teacher, classmates, and aunt all disliked him.
With such a terrible learning environment and poor mental state, it was easy to imagine how abysmal his grades became. He thought that was tragic enough, but he never expected that just before the college entrance exams, his homeroom teacher Zhou Mei would "accidentally lose" his exam admission ticket.
Without the admission ticket, his college entrance exams naturally fell through. Yu Xiu was "full of self-reproach" over this matter, pulling Zhou Mei to kneel and beg for his forgiveness, asking him not to pursue it, otherwise Zhou Mei's teaching position would be lost.
No matter how obedient he was, he found this hard to bear. What Zhou Mei lost wasn't just his admission ticket; his future, his dreams, were all ruined. But what could anger do? What could resentment do? Faced with the pleas of his only remaining relative, he compromised. He made the only request he had ever made since moving into his uncle's house: send him abroad to study.
It wasn't that he hadn't noticed Zhou Mei's dislike for him, Yu Bo's hostility, or his uncle's occasional coldness and disgust. But he was unwilling to lose this last shred of familial affection.
He was almost eighteen and could independently manage the inheritance his mother left him. High school life was so oppressive; he thought that maybe if he went farther away and broadened his horizons, he could live a little easier.
Yu Xiu agreed to his request. The admission ticket incident was also resolved perfectly after he explained to the school that he had carelessly lost it himself.
He had it all figured out. His mother had left him over six hundred thousand in savings and a house over two hundred square meters, plus the compensation from the accident back then. It was definitely enough for him to study abroad. To repay his uncle for the years of care, he had even secretly decided to leave a portion of the money for Yu Bo's future university education.
The dream was beautiful, but reality dealt him a heavy blow.
Yu Xiu told him the money wasn't enough and they needed to sell the house to fund his studies abroad. He agreed, and the house was successfully sold, but the money ended up in Yu Xiu's pocket. As for those savings and the accident compensation, they had long been squandered by Yu Xiu—the house his mother left him had only remained in his hands because it was registered under his name; otherwise, it would have been sold off long ago.
How did Zhou Mei, an unestablished elementary school teacher, get into Chenghan High School as a homeroom teacher? Where did Yu Xiu get the money to buy the luxury car he drove? Where did the tuition for Yu Bo's private, elite school come from?
Yu Xiu was just a minor civil servant in the education department. How could he possibly afford such lavish spending for the whole family? Moreover, for Yu Xiu to climb the ranks, he needed money for networking. Where did that money come from?
It was laughable how foolish and trusting he had been back then toward this so-called relative, never once sensing anything amiss.
After squeezing the last drop from him, the kind and gentle uncle tore off his hypocritical mask, revealing ferocious fangs. When Yu Shulin inquired about the study abroad arrangements yet again, Yu Xiu finally lost patience and no longer concealed his coldness and disgust, harshly berating him.
Yu Xiu locked him up, telling outsiders only that he hadn't done well on the college entrance exams and had gone traveling to clear his head.
Yu Bo, who had always been hostile toward him, gleefully told him the whole truth. Shocked and furious, Yu Shulin couldn't help but get into a physical fight with Yu Bo. Hearing the commotion, Yu Xiu rushed over. Seeing the two wrestling, he picked up a baseball bat and struck Yu Shulin relentlessly.
The last flicker of hope for familial love in his heart was finally extinguished.
The money was gone, but he could earn it again, no big deal... He couldn't continue his studies, no big deal... He was still alive. Everything his mother left him was gone, but the life she gave him remained. There was still hope in life.
Later... what happened later?
Under Yu Bo's hostile gaze, Yu Shulin slowly drank the soup Zhou Mei had eagerly served him, thinking with narrowed eyes.
"Xiao Bo, what are you spacing out for? Hurry up and eat."
Hearing his mother's words, the chubby twelve or thirteen-year-old boy snorted, glared at Yu Shulin, and viciously took a bite of a chicken leg.
"This child, what kind of attitude is that toward your brother! Is that how I taught you to behave!" Yu Xiu frowned and scolded, but when he turned to Yu Shulin, his face was all gentleness. He said softly, "Shulin, don't mind him. Your brother has been spoiled rotten by your aunt. Please don't take it to heart."
Yu Shulin tilted his head to glance at Yu Bo, who was buried in gnawing on a chicken leg, then turned to meet Yu Xiu's gaze. He smiled slightly. "No, of course I don't mind." Just a future murderer, after all. He was curious to see how, in this lifetime, without him to take the blame, this Yu Xiu would manage to protect his one and only precious son.
The meal was quite enjoyable for all parties involved. Yu Xiu and Zhou Mei desperately tried to express their goodwill at the table, and Yu Shulin cooperatively showed a trace of trusting, dependent expression.
Regarding this, the Yu Xiu couple were very satisfied, and Yu Shulin was also very satisfied. Their thoughts were the same—the issue of guardianship hadn't been settled yet. Now was not the time to tear off the mask.
