What? You're a notorious bandit? What a coincidence, me too!

There was a small piece of paper on the ground.

His years of being on the run instilled in him a habit.

Every time I go out, I place a neatly folded piece of thin paper in an inconspicuous place behind the door, with the edge of the paper fitting perfectly between the door and the door frame.

This piece of paper is very light; it will fall to the ground as soon as someone opens the door.

Now, the paper lies quietly on the ground behind the door, its surface slightly crumpled from being stepped on.

Someone has been in his house!

Lin Chang'an's eyes sharpened instantly. He slowly raised his hand and turned on all the switches on the wall.

The lights came on, illuminating the small living room. The furnishings looked exactly the same as when he left; the tables and chairs were neat and tidy, with no signs of being disturbed.

He moved around the room quietly, carefully checking every corner.

My third uncle has a key to his house, but he is an honest man and would never enter his house unless there is an emergency. In addition, he would call him in advance every time he came.

Fang Qingzhu also has a key, but she's at work today and won't be coming over.

He walked to the wardrobe, opened a hidden compartment inside, where money and some documents were kept.

He counted carefully and found that nothing was missing, and all the documents were still there.

He checked the house again but found no trace of any strangers.

The door lock was old, and there were no signs of it being pried open.

After pondering for a long time, he still couldn't figure it out. Perhaps... he was being too sensitive? Maybe the wind blew the paper away?

Although he still had doubts, he was exhausted from days of running around.

He yawned, stopped thinking about it, washed up, and went to bed.

Before falling asleep, he deliberately placed a kitchen knife under his pillow.

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Lin Chang'an woke up.

He quickly washed up, ate something, and then rode his motorcycle to his third uncle's house.

The door to his third uncle's house was ajar. He pushed it open and went inside, where he saw Lin Shengnan sitting on a stone bench in the courtyard, his brows furrowed and his expression somewhat agitated.

Clearly, she already knew about Lin Hongbin's situation.

He glanced at Lin Chang'an as he entered, but said nothing.

"Chang'an is here."

Third Aunt came out of the kitchen, still holding a spatula in her hand, looking somewhat tired. "Come in and sit down, breakfast will be ready soon."

Lin Chang'an nodded and went into the house.

Lin Jianguo was sitting on a chair in the main room, smoking a cigarette, and his face didn't look good.

"Third Uncle, how was Hongbin last night?" Lin Chang'an asked.

Lin Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette and sighed, "It's alright. Last night I tied him to the bed, and the kid did hold his own. He didn't cause much trouble, just huddled there crying and said he knew he was wrong."

Lin Chang'an breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. It seems his infection isn't too severe, and there's still hope."

"Let's eat, Chang'an."

Third Aunt came in carrying a bowl of porridge. "I cooked some millet porridge, steamed buns with pickled vegetables. It's a light breakfast."

At this moment, Lin Shengnan also walked in, silently picked up the bowl, and said, "Dad, I'll take a bowl of rice to Hongbin."

"It's none of your business, your mother gave it to him," Lin Jianguo said in a deep voice. "Even if he goes hungry for a few meals, he deserves it."

Lin Shengnan pursed her lips and didn't say anything more.

Lin Chang'an didn't stand on ceremony and picked up the steamed bun to eat.

After finishing his meal, Lin Jianguo rode his motorcycle to the school to process Lin Hongbin's withdrawal from school.

Lin Chang'an went to Lin Hongbin's room to check on the boy's condition.

Pushing open the door, Lin Hongbin was sitting on the edge of the bed, his back against the wall, his hair messy, his eyes somewhat unfocused, and he was clearly lacking in energy.

But things are much calmer than yesterday.

When he saw Lin Chang'an enter, his body stiffened slightly; the events of yesterday still lingered in his mind.

He originally thought his cousin Lin Chang'an was just a street thug, but he didn't expect the other party to be so fierce, daring to beat up even those people.

Although things have temporarily come to a halt, he still has some worries.

"How are you feeling?"

Lin Chang'an walked up to him, smoking a cigarette, and asked in a calm tone.

"Thankfully, I can hold back!" Lin Hongbin said, raising his head and gritting his teeth.

"That's good. Your addiction isn't too strong. If you can get through ten days or half a month, there won't be any major problems," Lin Chang'an said, based on his experience from his previous life.

Lin Hongbin nodded, his eyes filled with hesitation as he looked at Lin Chang'an, as if he had something to say but couldn't bring himself to speak.

"Speak your mind, or shut up," Lin Chang'an said, sitting in his chair.

Lin Hongbin hesitated for a long time before finally stammering, "Brother... I was thinking, you beat up those people yesterday and got the money back, do you think they'll retaliate against us?"

Before Lin Chang'an could speak, he hurriedly added, his tone full of unease:

"That Bao-ge knows where I go to school and even knows my name... What if he comes to my house?"

Seeing Lin Hongbin's panicked eyes, Lin Chang'an slowly said, "Alright, stop overthinking and scaring yourself. You don't need to worry about these things."

"But……"

Lin Hongbin was about to speak when the door was pushed open and his third aunt came in, so he immediately shut his mouth.

"Alright, stay home and don't go anywhere."

Lin Chang'an patted his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look: "Auntie, I'm leaving now."

After leaving the house, Lin Shengnan came out of the kitchen after washing the dishes.

Lin Chang'an gave her a smile. This little girl always had a long face, as if he owed her money.

Um, it seems I owe her 'money'.

"How's the arrangement for repeating a grade going?" Lin Chang'an asked proactively.

Lin Shengnan was somewhat surprised that the other party would ask her this question.

Lin Chang'an stared at her for a long time without saying a word. "Are you mute?"

"You're the one who's mute!"

Lin Shengnan snorted, but then her expression became somewhat hesitant: "I... don't plan to repeat a year."

"What?"

Lin Chang'an looked at the other person with confusion, "Why? Didn't you want to repeat a year? Or is it because of money...?"

"no!"

Lin Shengnan quickly interrupted him: "It's me who doesn't want to study anymore. I... I've thought about it. I took the exam three times and failed each time. Maybe I'm just not cut out for school."

Lin Chang'an squinted; there was nothing he could do about it.

In his past life, Lin Shengnan missed out on university because of money, and perhaps he resented his cousin for the rest of his life.

But now that the money problem is temporarily solved, this girl doesn't want to continue her studies.

That's how women's minds are; they're hard to fathom.

"So what are your plans?" Lin Chang'an asked.

"I have a few friends working in Dongguan. They said there are many opportunities there, and they called me a few times to ask me to come over," Lin Shengnan said.

Dongguan City?

Dongguan-style service?

This was the first thing Lin Chang'an thought of.

He frowned and shook his head, saying, "That place is too chaotic; we can't go."

Lin Shengnan was taken aback, her fingers interlacing, clearly unsure of what to do.