The Eleventh Year After My Death Chapter 148

It had been over a week since Shen Ji'an moved from the slums to a villa.

He still hadn’t received a reply from Huang Mao.

The two had met at a basketball court.

The slums didn’t offer much entertainment—just a large basketball court donated by Mr. Xie.

But with so many kids in the area, securing a spot on the court was a fight.

Frequent brawls broke out over it.

Shen Ji'an, with his exceptional fighting skills, had beaten every challenger in the slums.

Now, whenever he showed up, people would clear the court for him.

He wasn’t one for conversation, so he usually played alone.

Until one day, a boy with dyed yellow hair approached him. "Boss, let me play with you!"

Boss?

Shen Ji'an was baffled. He wasn’t some gang leader.

Back then, before high school, no one had ever called him that.

The first time Huang Mao approached, Shen Ji'an ignored him. Then came the second and third attempts.

Huang Mao was persistent, and eventually, Shen Ji'an gave in just to shut him up.

From then on, Huang Mao stuck to him like glue, following him all the way to Third High School.

Since Huang Mao kept calling him "Boss," and after Shen Ji'an beat up the principal, the nickname spread.

Huang Mao often worked odd jobs with him and even handed over his earnings.

Shen Ji'an refused, so Huang Mao secretly gave the money to Auntie Zhen instead.

Now, with Huang Mao ghosting him, Shen Ji'an worried something had happened.

After tutoring ended, he headed straight to the slums to find him.

At Huang Mao’s house, his father said he hadn’t been home for days.

Huang Mao’s dad worked at a small diner in the slums.

But after his wife left, he drowned himself in alcohol, neglecting Huang Mao—so long as the kid didn’t starve, he didn’t care.

Shen Ji'an turned toward the basketball court.

The court had night lights for evening games.

Under the glow, he spotted a group beating someone up.

Fights were common in the slums, and Shen Ji'an usually stayed out of them.

But then he saw the victim’s bright yellow hair.

He sprinted over and knocked one attacker out with a single punch!

By the time Second Brother called, Shen Ji'an had already taken down the whole group.

He recognized the guy on the ground—someone who’d once tried to befriend him.

But Shen Ji'an had ignored him after catching him stealing.

Now, with Shen Ji'an gone, this guy had turned on Huang Mao.

He kicked the thug one more time for good measure.

Shen Ji'an reached a hand down to Huang Mao, who was bruised and sprawled on the ground. "Get up."

Huang Mao could hardly believe his eyes. "Boss… is that really you? Am I dreaming?"

Just last night, he’d dreamed of Shen Ji'an riding a rainbow-colored pig to rescue him!

Yanking him to his feet, Shen Ji'an frowned beneath his long bangs and flicked Huang Mao’s forehead. "What have you been doing these past few days?"

It stung.

So this wasn’t a dream!

Huang Mao wiped his bloody nose with the back of his hand, smearing his face like a messy kitten, and grinned. "I’ve been busy fighting for justice!"

Shen Ji'an raised an eyebrow. "You? Where?"

Huang Mao laughed. "In a game!"

Shen Ji'an: "…"

At a small night market stall in the slums, Shen Ji'an took a bite of fried potatoes and frowned. "You dropped out of school?"

Huang Mao had been crashing at an internet café for days, only leaving when he ran out of money—straight into that ambush on the court.

The thugs held a grudge against Shen Ji'an, and with him gone, they took it out on Huang Mao instead.

Starving, Huang Mao shoveled a huge mouthful of fried noodles. "Yeah, I quit. I only went to Third High to hang with you. Without you there, what’s the point? You know I can’t focus in class."

His attention span was nonexistent—school had always been a waste of time.

The only reason he’d made it into Third High was because he’d crammed all night just to keep following Shen Ji'an.

Even then, he’d scraped by with the lowest possible score, perpetually ranked last.

His mother, seeing no future for him, had left.

He didn’t blame her. She deserved a better life.

Shen Ji'an wasn’t surprised Huang Mao had dropped out. He just asked, "Why didn’t you reply to my messages?"

Huang Mao paused mid-bite. "My phone… ran out of fuel. I mean, credit."

Shen Ji'an immediately pulled out his phone and topped up Huang Mao’s number with 200 yuan.

Huang Mao’s eyes burned.

Even after moving back to the wealthy district, Shen Ji'an still remembered him—even paid his phone bill!

"Boss, I’ll pay you back someday."

As soon as he said it, his phone chimed.

[Alipay notification: 50,000 yuan received.]

Huang Mao’s jaw dropped. "Boss, why’d you send so much?! I can’t take this—I’ll never pay it back!"

His dad’s monthly earnings barely covered their basic needs.

Shen Ji'an kept eating his fried potatoes, unfazed. "No need to return it."

Huang Mao was overwhelmed. "Boss! I love you!"

Shen Ji'an shuddered. "Don’t. I’m straight."

Huang Mao hastily clarified, "Me too, Boss! But I still love you!"

Shen Ji'an hadn’t abandoned him! Not at all!

In the end, Huang Mao only kept 10,000 yuan, insisting he’d repay the rest someday.

With Huang Mao safe, Shen Ji'an’s worries eased.

He headed home soon after to avoid making Auntie Zhen and Second Brother anxious.

The next day, Lin Mo woke up for school as usual.

Chef Li prepared breakfast.

Two maids filled her water bottle and tucked coffee-flavored candies into her backpack.

School passed quickly.

Before she knew it, Friday arrived.

After class that afternoon, Zhao Ziling texted, inviting her out for dinner.

At a packed hotpot restaurant, the four of them sat around a table—Zhao Zixin and Shen Ji'an had joined too.

Zhao Ziling, who hadn’t had hotpot in ages, nibbled on greens and asked Lin Mo, "Teacher Xu’s throwing a birthday party tomorrow night. Did she invite you?"

Xu Yali came from one of Jingnan’s most prominent families.

After living in Jingbei for nearly a decade, she’d become a socialite there too.

Lin Mo nodded. "She messaged me two days ago, asking if I was free Friday night. I told her I had evening self-study, so she insisted I keep Saturday night open for her birthday."

Zhao Ziling’s eyes gleamed. "I bet Teacher Xu wants to convince you to keep dancing. She even scheduled her party around your availability."

Now that Lin Mo no longer had her brother’s financial burden and only a year of high school left, she could resume dancing after the college entrance exams.

Lin Mo shrugged. "Not sure. Why? Do you want to go too?"

Zhao Ziling smirked. "You know me too well! I didn’t get an invite, so you’ll have to sneak me in."

Lin Mo figured the teacher might be testing Zhao Ziling’s commitment to dance. "Fine. Pick me up tomorrow night."

The following evening, they arrived at the address Xu Yali had provided—her luxurious villa in Jingbei.

The sprawling Suzhou-style garden glittered with elegant lights.

A cello’s melody floated through the air.

As soon as they entered, Zhao Ziling scanned the crowd and murmured, "Everyone who’s anyone in Jingbei is here. Huo Tingshen and Xie Guanyan will probably show up too."

She prayed Huo Tingshen wouldn’t—she couldn’t stand seeing him!

Lin Mo added, "The ‘Buddha of Jingbei’ got an invite. Wonder if he’s arrived yet."

They headed toward the villa’s main hall to deliver their gifts.

But at the entrance, someone blocked Lin Mo’s path.

"What are you doing here?"

Shen Jing gaped at Lin Mo, dressed to the nines.

This was her stepmother’s 55th birthday party.

Hosting such a grand event was clearly meant to introduce her and her father to Beijing's high society.

Lin Mo was currently nobody in Beijing's elite circles—what right did she have to be here?

"Do you have an invitation? Please show it!"

Shen Jing took a step back as she spoke.

She didn’t dare get too close, afraid Lin Mo might suddenly slap her.