The divorce comeback system arrived right after I was born.

The last rays of the setting sun were swallowed up by the buildings, and the smell of cooking oil wafted through the stairwells.

Lin Wanwan, carrying her schoolbag, kicked a pebble as she slowly made her way to the bottom of her building.

At the entrance of the building, Chen Zhi's mother was taking out her keys while carrying a bag full of vegetables and fresh meat.

"Aunt Zhang." Lin Wanwan immediately stood up straight and greeted her politely.

Zhang Guifang turned around and saw Lin Wanwan; a smile immediately bloomed on her face. She glanced behind Lin Wanwan; it was empty.

"Wanwan, why are you all alone? Where's that brat Chen Zhi?"

Zhang Guifang was holding a live fish in her hand, its tail still thrashing about inside the plastic bag.

Lin Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.

We can't exactly say that guy went to an internet cafe to play shooting games, can we? If Aunt Zhang finds out, Chen Zhi's legs might not be saved tonight.

"He...he's on duty today." Lin Wanwan blinked, lying without batting an eye. "The teacher asked him to wipe the bulletin board at the back of the classroom and rearrange the desks and chairs. It'll probably take a while."

"That rascal, he never even picks up a fallen broom at home, but he's quite enthusiastic at school." Zhang Guifang chuckled and scolded, not suspecting anything. "Wanwan, why don't you come to Auntie's for dinner tonight? Your mom just called to say she has to work overtime, and your dad isn't coming home either, so there's probably no one at home."

Lin Wanwan hesitated for a second.

Going to Chen Zhi's house for dinner means facing Aunt Zhang's relentless questioning about why Chen Zhi hasn't returned yet. The lie will only get bigger and bigger, and it will be easy to be exposed.

"No need, Auntie." Lin Wanwan waved her hand and tightened her grip on her schoolbag strap. "I have a lot of homework. I want to go back and do my worksheets first. There are frozen dumplings in the freezer. I can just cook some."

"This child is so sensible," Zhang Guifang sighed, raising an eyebrow. "Alright, then come knock on the door anytime if you get hungry."

After saying goodbye to Zhang Guifang, Lin Wanwan took out her keys and opened her front door.

The house was quiet, except for the motion-sensor light in the entryway, which flickered on briefly before going out.

A sense of desolation permeated the air.

She threw her schoolbag on the sofa and sank into the soft cushions.

There's no homework right after the sports meet, and I don't really want any frozen dumplings.

She took out her phone; the screen was blank, with no new messages.

That bastard, he was so engrossed in playing that he forgot all about time, huh?

Lin Wanwan grabbed a cushion from the sofa and punched it twice, as if she wanted to flatten someone's face.

"That stinky Chen Zhi, all he knows is to go off and play."

In the empty living room, the girl's complaints sounded particularly clear, tinged with a hint of grievance.

……

At this moment, in the back alley of the commercial street.

Three figures emerged from the dimly lit internet cafe.

It was completely dark outside, and the streetlights cast long, yellow shadows.

"Hey, Zhi-ge, why are you getting off the plane so early?" Li Zihan rubbed his hands together, looking constipated. "I was just getting into the swing of things, getting ready to dominate with my sniper rifle!"

Chen Zhi walked ahead, stretched, and his joints cracked all over.

"If you keep playing like this, your mom will come with a rolling pin and grab you." Chen Zhi didn't turn around, just waved his hand. "Besides, the smoke here is too strong, it's choking."

Li Zihan was about to retort that you're usually quite good at staying up late, but she swallowed the words back.

He secretly glanced at Pei Ningxue, who was walking at the back.

Although Pei, the school beauty, didn't say anything, her clean school uniform was indeed stained with a lot of tobacco smell. She wrinkled her nose slightly, clearly not used to this environment.

"Come on, I'll take you to get something good to eat." Chen Zhi stopped and pointed to a barbecue restaurant across the street.

Li Zihan swallowed hard; her earlier gaming addiction was instantly replaced by a craving for food.

"Really? Zhi-ge, you're treating?"

"Nonsense, take it or leave it."

"Eat, eat, eat! I'd be a fool not to eat!" Li Zihan immediately fawned over him and rushed to the front to clear the way.

The three of them found a seat by the window and sat down.

Chen Zhi picked up the menu and, without asking the other two, directly called out to the waiter, "Boss, twenty skewers of lamb, twenty skewers of beef, and twenty vegetarian skewers, two bottles of iced cola, and one at room temperature."

Li Zihan was stunned.

Is this still the same Chen Zhi who was stingy and would even try to get a bite of spicy snacks from him when buying a bag of spicy snacks?

"Brother Zhi, you've struck it rich?" Li Zihan asked cautiously. "That must be a lot of money, right?"

Chen Zhi pushed the bottle of room-temperature cola in front of Pei Ningxue, then tossed an ice-cold bottle to Li Zihan, opened one for himself, and took a big gulp.

"Stop talking nonsense. Can't you shut up if you have food to eat?" Chen Zhi glanced at him sideways. "The class funds are left over, might as well spend them."

"You can't be a corrupt official, Brother Zhi."

"Just kidding, you idiot."

Soon, the sizzling, oily meat skewers were served, sprinkled with cumin and chili powder, and smelled delicious.

Li Zihan had already grabbed two skewers like a hungry wolf, eating them with both hands until her mouth was greasy.

In contrast, Pei Ningxue was much more refined.

She wrapped the bottom of the skewer with a tissue, took a small bite of meat, and chewed it slowly.

This was the first time she had ever eaten this kind of food at a roadside stall.

The housekeeper used to always say that food from outside was unhygienic, the oil was bad, and the meat wasn't fresh.

But at this moment, the cumin flavor bursts on the tip of the tongue, its spiciness stimulating the taste buds, making it far more delicious than the delicate but cold food at home.

Chen Zhiyi observed Pei Ningxue discreetly.

The girl ate very attentively, her cheeks puffing out slightly.

Pei Ningxue, who always had a cold face and exuded an aura of unapproachability, finally showed more of the vitality that comes with her age.

"How is it? Is it delicious?" Chen Zhi suddenly asked.

Pei Ningxue paused, swallowed the food in her mouth, and nodded: "Mm."

"As long as it tastes good." Chen Zhi smiled and handed her a skewer of grilled mantou slices. "Eat more, you'll have the strength to fight the world when you're full."

Pei Ningxue paused for a moment, then looked up at Chen Zhi.

Confronting the world?

These four words, spoken by a junior high school student, sound somewhat immature and ridiculous.

But for some reason, she couldn't smile.

The meal was eaten very quickly.

Half an hour later, all that remained on the table were a small mountain of bamboo skewers and empty Coke bottles.

Li Zihan let out a loud burp, slumped in his chair, and patted his round belly: "Awesome! So awesome! Brother Zhi, from now on you're my real brother!"

Chen Zhi checked the time; it was almost time to close the net.

He stood up, went to the front desk to pay the bill, and then walked back and kicked Li Zihan's chair leg.

"Alright, you've eaten and drunk your fill, now you should get out of here."

Li Zihan was taken aback and jumped up from her chair: "Huh? It's over already? Aren't you going to look around a bit more? The night market up ahead seems to be open."

"Stop wandering around," Chen Zhi retorted mercilessly. "Didn't you just say you hadn't done your homework? Hurry up and go back, or you'll be standing in the hallway as punishment again tomorrow when Old Wang checks your homework."

"But we don't have any homework," Li Zihan said, glancing at Pei Ningxue. "Isn't School Beauty Pei still here? Shouldn't we see her off together?"

"Do you think it's on the way to someone living in a villa area like you, with your old, run-down apartment?" Chen Zhi grabbed Li Zihan's backpack and shoved it into his arms. "Get lost, don't be a third wheel here."

Although Li Zihan sometimes doesn't think things through, she can still understand the meaning of the word "third wheel".

He glanced at Chen Zhi, then at Pei Ningxue, a lewd smile on his face that said, "I understand."

"Oh—" Li Zihan drawled, winking at Chen Zhi, "Alright, alright, I'm leaving. I won't disturb your enjoyment. Good luck, Zhi-ge!"

After saying that, he grabbed his backpack and disappeared in a flash.

Only Chen Zhi and Pei Ningxue remained at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant.

The evening breeze swept by, swirling up a few fallen leaves from the ground.

"Let's go." Chen Zhi put his hands in his pockets, gestured with his chin towards the school, and said, "I'll take you home."

Pei Ningxue did not refuse and silently followed beside him.

The two walked slowly along the sidewalk.

The streetlights stretched their shadows long, overlapping and then separating.

"Why didn't you answer the phone just now?" Chen Zhi broke the silence.

While at the internet cafe, he saw Pei Ningxue's phone screen light up several times before she finally turned it off.

Pei Ningxue lowered her head, looking at her toes: "I don't want to catch it."

"Did you have a fight with your dad?" Chen Zhi asked tentatively.

"He's not home." Pei Ningxue's voice was very soft, almost inaudible in the wind. "Only that woman is there."

That woman.

They won't even mention names, so the relationship seems even more strained than I imagined.

Chen Zhi felt more confident.

The core of the "Save Your Ex-Girlfriend" mission in the task system lies in Pei Ningxue's family background.

"Don't you want to go back?" Chen Zhi stopped and turned to look at her.

Pei Ningxue also stopped.

She looked up, and the glow of the streetlights reflected in her pupils, flickering on and off.

"I don't want to," she answered honestly.

"You have to go back whether you want to or not." Chen Zhi shrugged, breaking the brief somber atmosphere. "You're still a minor. If you run away from home, the police will send you back."

Before they knew it, the two had arrived at the school gate.

At this time, the school gates were closed, with only the security room lights still on.

On the side of the road opposite the school gate, there was a black Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan parked.

A woman with exquisite makeup was standing next to the car, clutching her phone, her face so gloomy it could drip water.

Upon seeing Pei Ningxue appear, the woman's gaze instantly sharpened.

"Pei Ningxue!"

A woman's voice rang out.

Pei Ningxue stiffened for a moment and subconsciously took half a step back.

Chen Zhi didn't move an inch, and even took a step forward, blocking Pei Ningxue's way.

Liu Yi rushed up to the two of them, her chest heaving violently, clearly furious.

"Where did you go?! Why was your phone off?! Do you know how many times I called?!"

Liu Yi pointed at Pei Ningxue's nose, spitting everywhere.

"Are you trying to drive me crazy? Is this how you treat the eldest daughter of the Pei family?"

Pei Ningxue kept her head down, not saying a word, her fingers gripping the strap of her schoolbag tightly until her knuckles turned white.

After Liu Yi finished scolding Pei Ningxue, he turned his gaze to Chen Zhi, who was blocking his way.

She looked Chen Zhi up and down.

The ordinary school uniform still carried a cheap barbecue and smoky smell.

Liu Yi frowned, covered her nose in disgust, and took a step back.

"Who are you?"

Her tone was full of contempt and disdain.

"I'm her classmate," Chen Zhi replied calmly, not intimidated by the other party's imposing manner at all.

"Classmate?" Liu Yi sneered. "I bet you're just some petty thug. You reek of cigarettes, what kind of appearance do you look!"

She turned to look at Pei Ningxue, her tone even more cutting.

"Pei Ningxue, you're something else. Instead of studying properly, you've learned to hang out with these shady characters?"

"Let me tell you, stay away from this kind of low-level thug! Don't let him tarnish the reputation of the Pei family!"

Liu Yi's words were like knives, each one more offensive than the last.

Pei Ningxue suddenly raised her head, her clear, cold eyes now filled with anger.

"He's not..."

"What? You want to talk back?" Liu Yi didn't give her a chance to speak, interrupting her directly, "Get in the car now! I'll deal with you when we get back!"

As she spoke, she reached out to grab Pei Ningxue's arm.

Just then, a hand reached out and blocked Liu Yi's wrist.