Chen Yansen ran out of Beiyi Lane—only to realize he had left his bicycle at the internet cafe entrance.
Damn it. That was his only ride. With a sigh, he gritted his teeth and walked back.
"Huh? You're back again?"
Wang Ziyan, just stepping out of the internet cafe, greeted her older brother with a playful smirk.
"Hello, it's Ziyan! You've really grown up so much," Chen Yansen said, forcing a grin.
"But you came to my house for dinner yesterday."
Wang Ziyan pouted her pink, glossy lips, feigning anger.
"Haha, really?" Chen Yansen replied casually while unlocking his bicycle.
He planned to keep a respectful distance from Wang Ziyan—too close, and things might get complicated.
"Brother Sen, I'll definitely handle the two things you asked me to do perfectly," Wang Zihao said, standing to the side.
Chen Yansen didn't even look at him—he understood. The other wanted to invest money and join the MP3 and MP4 reselling business.
"Okay, see you tomorrow," Chen Yansen waved goodbye.
"Brother, what did Chen Yansen ask you to do?" Wang Ziyan asked after he disappeared from sight.
"Nothing," Wang Zihao said quickly, shaking his head. His eyes darted away.
If Chen Yansen got caught taking money for business, he'd be in big trouble. Loyalty came first—he couldn't even tell his own sister.
"Is that so?"
Wang Ziyan narrowed her almond-shaped eyes, staring him down, her smile teasing yet sharp.
"Believe it or not," he muttered, stiff under her gaze.
She was smarter than him—always. Quick thinking, solution-oriented, and capable of solving complex problems in a snap.
He had stayed up late just to get into Chun Shen No. 2 Middle School. She? No tutoring, yet top of her grade, admitted to Chun Shen No. 1 Middle School.
The difference stung. He knew better than to say more.
"Don't try to hide it from me," Wang Ziyan muttered, snorting.
…
Chen Yansen rode his bicycle, weaving through streets, stopping at a noodle shop on North Street for a quick bite. Then, leisurely, he pedaled into an alley.
Three hundred meters east, a familiar bookstore appeared: Guobin Bookstore.
He stopped at the entrance, staring blankly at the middle-aged man carrying books inside.
Old Chen was aging. At forty, half his hair had turned white, and his once-upright posture was now slightly hunched.
"Have you had lunch?" Chen Guobin asked, arranging the latest issues of Reader and Youth Digest.
Chen Yansen's bangs were gone, replaced by a clean short haircut. He bore some resemblance to Chen Guobin, but even more to his mother.
"A bowl of noodles, two ounces of potstickers, and I brought you some too," Chen Yansen said casually, hiding the tangle of feelings inside him.
"Ah? Thank you, son," Chen Guobin replied, surprised. He instinctively accepted the food, sensing that his son had… changed.
His stubborn nature kept him from saying anything sentimental. He handed Chen Yansen a hundred-yuan bill.
"Old Chen, I want to learn to drive," Chen Yansen said bluntly, sitting across from him.
"Learn to drive?" Chen Guobin paused mid-chopstick, then nodded slowly. "A man should know how to drive."
He had suggested the driving test before, but Chen Yansen had been too focused on internet cafes, billiard rooms, and Zhou Keyuan. The argument ended in a stalemate.
"How about I call your third uncle?" Chen Guobin asked, frowning.
"Is there only one driving school in Chun Shen?" Chen Yansen countered, sharp. He knew asking for help could trigger disapproval—better to keep it simple.
"Okay, I understand," Chen Guobin said, relieved.
Since his wife's death, visits to the Liang family had been rare. Words of blame and misfortune hung in the air. Relationships had improved slightly, but only during brief New Year visits.
"Huizhen, seems our son has finally matured," Chen Guobin muttered, a warm feeling settling in his chest.
"Old Chen, can I discuss something with you?" Chen Yansen asked cautiously, waiting until his father finished his noodles.
"What is it?" Chen Guobin straightened up, alert to his son's serious tone.
"You're only forty this year—don't you want a companion? At the last parent-teacher conference, Meng Jun's mother praised you as mature and stylish… scholarly, like John Lone."
Chen Guobin froze. His mouth opened, dumbfounded.
"You don't like Meng Jun's mother? Actually, Zhang Li, our homeroom teacher, is also interested. She's only thirty-three—still able to have children!"
Chen Yansen quickly switched recommendations, assuming his father wasn't fond of the plump type.
"You little bastard! I'll beat you to death!" Chen Guobin shouted, face red, swinging a ruler.
"Old Chen, do you have any conscience? I introduced you to a wife, and this is how you treat me?!" Chen Yansen yelled, terrified, and bolted from the bookstore.
The tender father-son moment hadn't lasted ten minutes.
"Old Chen, your son is so filial!"
"Hahaha! Finding himself a stepmother, what a unique scorpion!"
"Brother Bin, what Yansen said makes perfect sense!"
Nearby shop owners peeked out, laughing and joking.
"You brat, get in here!" Chen Guobin barked, stern.
"Old Chen, our homeroom teacher really can have children. I wouldn't mind a younger brother or sister," Chen Yansen shouted from the doorway, daring him.
"Chen Yansen, what did you just say? Repeat that!" Zhang Li, clutching her lesson plan, scowled.
Chen Yansen turned with an awkward, polite smile. "Hello, Teacher Zhang. Goodbye, Teacher Zhang."
Without asking for driving school tuition, he hopped on his bicycle and sped off.
"Teacher Zhang, the child was just being silly, please don't take it to heart," Chen Guobin muttered, rubbing his hands and forcing a bitter smile.
"It's alright, it's alright," Zhang Li murmured, equally embarrassed, leaving without a glance back.
Please read on...