The Loyal Childhood Sweetheart

Chen Zhi didn't use much force, but he firmly blocked Liu Yi's aggressive movement. He leaned forward slightly, his gaze sweeping back and forth between Liu Yi and Pei Ningxue.

"Auntie, how come you are not quite like the people on TV?"

Liu Yi was taken aback by this sudden obstruction. She yanked her wrist back hard, but to her surprise, it didn't budge. Her delicate face was filled with astonishment, clearly not expecting this little punk to dare lay a hand on her.

"What are you doing? Let go!" Liu Yi scolded harshly.

Instead of letting go, Chen Zhi shook his head with exaggerated seriousness, his tone teasing. "This plot isn't right. According to TV drama tropes, shouldn't you throw a check in my face right about now and tell me to leave your daughter? Or..."

He paused, suddenly raising his voice so that everyone around could hear him clearly.

"Are you the legendary evil stepmother who wants to kick the original wife's daughter out of the house so you can hog the family fortune for yourself?"

As soon as these words came out, the air seemed to freeze for three seconds.

There was no use reasoning with these self-proclaimed upper-class people; what they cared about most was saving face.

So Chen Zhi went straight for the old-school tactic: regardless of the facts, just slap a label on her first.

Liu Yi's face instantly flushed a dark, liver-red. Trembling all over, she pointed at Chen Zhi's nose and cursed.

"You... what nonsense are you spouting! You uneducated brat!"

"Did I hit the nail on the head?" Chen Zhi feigned surprise, letting go of her hand and taking a step back. "It seems the old saying about the deep, dark waters of wealthy families is absolutely right. Classmate Pei, is this the kind of life you live at home? If you're being abused, remember to call the Women's Federation, or come to me, and I'll help you call the police."

This relentless combo of verbal blows completely short-circuited Liu Yi's brain.

She had prepared a bellyful of reprimands for Pei Ningxue, but now it felt like she had punched a ball of cotton. Not only was she unable to vent her anger, but her chest tightened with fury at this arrogant, ignorant punk.

"Pei Ningxue!" Liu Yi couldn't even be bothered to waste her breath on a lower-class thug like Chen Zhi. She turned her head and poured all her wrath onto her stepdaughter. "Look at the kind of trashy friends you make! Spouting absolute filth. If this is the kind of friend you make at school, it seems I should have had your father send you abroad to study much earlier."

Pei Ningxue kept her head lowered the whole time.

But the moment Chen Zhi stepped in front of her, a flicker of unprecedented panic flashed through her usually calm, unrippled eyes.

She wasn't afraid of Liu Yi scolding her; she had long gotten used to it over the years.

But she was afraid that Chen Zhi would be implicated.

The situation in the Pei family was far more complex than Chen Zhi could imagine. A woman like Liu Yi was narrow-minded and vindictive. Chen Zhi was just an ordinary student; if he became the target of this woman's grudge, he would face endless trouble in the future.

Pei Ningxue reached out and gently tugged at the corner of Chen Zhi's shirt, carrying a hint of pleading.

"You should go back first."

Her voice was very soft.

Chen Zhi turned his head, his gaze meeting the young girl's cold, clear eyes. The liveliness she had shown at the internet cafe earlier was gone, replaced only by a trace of worry hidden deep in her eyes.

"Alright." Chen Zhi understood what she meant and didn't plan to keep pestering them.

Besides, his goal for today had already been achieved.

"See you tomorrow then, seatmate." Chen Zhi grinned and waved his hand.

Pei Ningxue pursed her lips and didn't say anything. She bypassed Chen Zhi, opened the door of the black Mercedes-Benz, and silently got in.

Liu Yi glared viciously at Chen Zhi, her gaze looking as if it wanted to carve a piece of flesh off his body. She gave a cold harrumph, walked around to the other side, and got into the car.

With a loud bang, the car door slammed shut.

The Mercedes-Benz started up and quickly disappeared at the end of the street.

Chen Zhi stood in place, watching the two red taillights merge into the flow of traffic.

"Every family has its own share of troubles."

...

By the time he returned to his residential complex, it was already 8:30 PM.

Humming an off-key tune, he pulled out his keys and prepared to open his front door.

Right at that moment, a soft creak came from behind him.

The sound was very quiet, but in the silent hallway, it sounded exceptionally clear.

Chen Zhi instinctively turned around.

The security door of Lin Wanwan's apartment was open, leaving a gap about two fingers wide.

The lights weren't on, and the crack in the door was pitch black.

By the moonlight filtering in through the hallway window, Chen Zhi saw a single eye pressed against the crack of the door, staring dead at him.

The look in that eye was resentful, indignant, and carried a trace of grievance.

"Holy crap!"

Chen Zhi jumped in fright, nearly dropping his keys on the floor. "It's the middle of the night, are you cosplaying The Grudge over here?"

The crack in the door instantly widened.

A pale arm reached out from the darkness, grabbed Chen Zhi by the collar, and yanked him over without a word.

"Hey, hey, hey, a gentleman uses his words, not his fists. Men and women shouldn't touch..."

Chen Zhi shouted this out loud, but his feet obediently allowed him to be pulled over.

Lin Wanwan was wearing a set of pink bear pajamas, her hair casually tied up into a bun with a few loose strands hanging by her ears. She pulled Chen Zhi into her entryway and backhanded the door shut in one smooth motion, clearly having planned this for a while.

The main lights in the living room were off. Only the television screen flickered with alternating bright and dim light, playing some boring soap opera.

Lin Wanwan pinned Chen Zhi against the wall. Although she didn't actually have the strength to hold him down, it was entirely the result of Chen Zhi's cooperation.

By the light of the TV, Chen Zhi got a clear look at the young girl's expression.

Her cheeks were puffed out, her lips were pressed tightly into a thin line, and it seemed like there were actual tears swirling in her beautiful large eyes.

"So you finally decided to come back?"

Lin Wanwan gritted her teeth, keeping her voice very low for fear of alerting Zhang Guifang next door, but this only made her sound more like a deeply wronged little wife.

"What kind of talk is that? It's not like I ran away from home." Chen Zhi raised both hands in a gesture of surrender. "What's going on here? Who made our Wanwan angry?"

"You!"

Lin Wanwan stomped her foot in anger, her slipper making a sharp smack against the floorboards.

"Do you have any idea what kind of sacrifices I made to cover up your lies!" She stuck out a finger and poked Chen Zhi hard in the chest. "When Auntie Zhang asked me where you went, I had to bite the bullet and make up some nonsense. I told her you were cleaning up at school, working on the bulletin board, and even said the teacher kept you behind for a talk!"

Chen Zhi looked down at her fierce yet entirely harmless finger, a wave of warmth rising in his heart.

Lin Wanwan was being so fiercely loyal that he actually felt a bit guilty.

"To keep Auntie Zhang from getting suspicious, I didn't even dare to eat dinner at your place!" The more Lin Wanwan spoke, the more aggrieved she felt, and her stomach cooperatively let out a long, loud rumble.

In this quiet entryway, the sound was practically deafening.

Lin Wanwan's face instantly turned red all the way to the base of her neck, and the aggressive momentum she had built up a moment ago completely collapsed. She clutched her stomach and turned her head away, wishing she could find a hole to crawl into.

"I'm starving to death..." she muttered softly. "There's no one home, and I've already eaten all the frozen dumplings."

Looking at her embarrassed yet adorable appearance, Chen Zhi couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"What are you laughing at?! Keep laughing and I'll knock your teeth out!" Lin Wanwan, flushed with embarrassment and anger, raised her small fist, pretending to strike.

Chen Zhi grabbed her fist in one hand.

The girl's hand was very soft, and a little cold.

"Let's go."

Chen Zhi stopped bickering with her, grabbed her hand, and led her outside.

"Where... where are we going?" Lin Wanwan froze for a moment, instinctively trying to break free. "I don't want to go out to eat, everywhere is closed anyway."

"Back to my place."

Chen Zhi opened the door and pulled her out without leaving any room for argument.

"I'm not going!" Lin Wanwan protested in a hushed voice, digging her heels into the floor. "I already told Auntie Zhang you were at school. If I go back with you now, isn't that just walking right into a trap? Auntie Zhang is definitely going to ask why we came back together. How are we supposed to explain that? What if she sees right through us?"

This girl's imagination was still as wild as ever.

Chen Zhi stopped and looked back at her. He gave the palm of her hand a gentle squeeze; it felt delicate and warm.

"Even if the sky falls, I can't let my Wanwan go hungry. Come on, I'll get you something good to eat."

Looking at Chen Zhi's broad back, Lin Wanwan inexplicably stopped struggling and let him lead her through the door.

Chen Zhi took out his keys, smoothly inserted one into the lock, and turned it.

Click.

The door opened.

A rich aroma of braised pork ribs instantly wafted over, stirring up the gluttonous little bugs in Lin Wanwan's stomach and making it rumble all over again.

In the living room, Zhang Guifang was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, snacking on sunflower seeds and watching TV. Hearing the door open, she didn't even turn her head. "Finally decided to come back? I thought you got eaten by the blackboard eraser."

Chen Zhi changed into his slippers and casually pulled out a pair of pink guest slippers from the shoe cabinet, tossing them at Lin Wanwan's feet.

"Mom, you just don't understand. I was making a contribution to the class," Chen Zhi said, pushing Lin Wanwan from behind him to the front. "Plus, I didn't just come back alone. I also picked up a refugee in the hallway."

Zhang Guifang turned around and saw Lin Wanwan standing timidly at the door. Her previously stern face instantly bloomed into a huge smile.

Her face-changing speed could rival a master of Sichuan Opera.

"Oh my, Wanwan is here!" Zhang Guifang tossed her sunflower seeds onto a plate, clapped her hands clean, and hurried over to welcome her. "Earlier when I asked you to come eat, you said you weren't hungry. Are you hungry now? I knew you were just being shy."

Lin Wanwan clutched the hem of her shirt nervously, stealing a glance at Chen Zhi. Her eyes screamed, "What do I do?"

Chen Zhi blinked at her, then turned to his mom. "She was memorizing vocabulary in the hallway and just happened to bump into me coming back. Hey Mom, don't just stand there smiling, hurry up and get her something to eat. She's our family's top-priority protected target."

"Memorizing vocabulary? In the hallway?" Zhang Guifang cast a suspicious glance at the two of them.

The excuse was so lame that even Chen Zhi himself didn't believe it.

But Zhang Guifang clearly didn't care about logic; she only cared about the result.

"Alright, alright, memorizing vocabulary is good, she loves to learn." Zhang Guifang cheerfully took Lin Wanwan's hand. "The ribs in the pot are still hot anyway, I'll go boil some noodles for you two. Chen Zhi, go pour Wanwan a glass of water, you have zero situational awareness."

With that, Zhang Guifang bustled into the kitchen.

Lin Wanwan let out a long sigh of relief, slumping down like a deflated balloon.

"You scared me to death..." She patted her chest and glared fiercely at Chen Zhi. "This is all your fault. What kind of terrible excuse was that? Who memorizes vocabulary in the hallway late at night?"

Chen Zhi shrugged, walked over to the water dispenser, poured two glasses of water, and handed one to her.

"The excuse isn't important. What's important is the attitude."

He leaned against the cabinet, watching Lin Wanwan cup the glass and take small sips, looking like some startled little animal trying to soothe itself.

"Besides," Chen Zhi's lips curled up slightly, "as long as my mom sees you, even if I told her you were an alien sent to inspect Earth, she'd believe it."

Lin Wanwan blushed and didn't reply. She just lowered her head to drink her water, hiding the smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

The sound of the range hood and the rhythmic chopping of green onions came from the kitchen.

This noisy, warm atmosphere of everyday life made the wealthy family drama she had just experienced at the school gates seem incredibly distant.

"Hey, Chen Zhi."

Lin Wanwan suddenly put down her water glass, leaned in, and asked in a low voice, "What exactly were you doing today? Can you really play games until this late?"

Chen Zhi looked at her large eyes, which were filled with gossip and curiosity, and couldn't resist reaching out to flick her on the forehead.

Flick!

"Ah! That hurts!" Lin Wanwan covered her forehead, complaining with teary eyes.

"Adult matters. Kids shouldn't ask so many questions."

Chen Zhi smiled and turned toward the kitchen. "Mom, put in extra cilantro! Wanwan loves it!"

"I know! You talk too much!"

Lin Wanwan watched his back, rubbing her forehead, but the corners of her mouth curled up uncontrollably.