I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

The following day, June 24, was sunny and bright.

Shen Kang rode his old-fashioned bicycle to Yangcheng No. 13 Middle School, Class 5 of Senior Three, around 9 a.m.

There were already quite a few students in the classroom, gathered in twos and threes to discuss filling out college applications.

When Shen Kang entered, some people glanced over from time to time with strange looks.

Shen Kang didn't even need to ask; Yin Mingyang, who was chatting with Chen Song, immediately came over as soon as he saw him and whispered the information.

"I don't know who spread these rumors about you, saying that even in the summer you only shower once a week, that you smell bad, that you don't throw away tissues you've used to wipe your nose and keep using them, that your old shirt was yellowed because of your snot, and that you're really sleazy..."

Not far away, Zou Jiajia and two female classmates were chatting absentmindedly, occasionally glancing over here, her feelings were complicated: she didn't know how the rumors had become so outrageous.

Of course, the fact that these rumors could spread and be believed was also related to Shen Kang himself.

As an orphan who grew up in a welfare home, Shen Kang was special in this class. In addition, Shen Kang was rather introverted and not good at socializing, which resulted in him having very few friends, only Yin Mingyang, Chen Song and a few others.

Many classmates, after two years, didn't really know Shen Kang. They only knew that there was an orphan in the class who was quite handsome and had decent grades, but they didn't know anything else.

Now that some rumors about Shen Kang have been circulating, they have naturally been believed by everyone.

After all, Shen Kang was indeed an orphan and very poor. To save money, he probably rarely took a bath. Moreover, Shen Kang's shirt was indeed yellowed, making people subconsciously reluctant to get close to him... All of this seemed to make sense.

Rather than attributing the problem to Zou Jiajia's rumors, it's more accurate to say that these descriptions catered to people's stereotypical image of Shen Kang.

And that's how it turned out.

Shen Kang, who had always been a nobody in the class, finally became the focus of the class in a unique way at the last moment of high school, shining brightly!

"...That's basically it."

After Yin Mingyang finished telling him all the information he had gathered, he still seemed unsatisfied. "I'll tell you if I hear anything else."

Shen Kang was both amused and exasperated. "Don't you think there are enough rumors already?" he said, and then sat down.

Yin Mingyang was a little confused. "Wait, Lao Shen, aren't you going to explain this to everyone?"

People only believe what they want to believe.

Shen Kang didn't care. "Besides, it's easy to spread rumors, but it takes a lot of effort to refute them. I don't have that kind of time. As for what they think of me, we weren't close to each other anyway. We haven't seen each other since high school graduation, so why should I care what they think of me?"

Yin Mingyang paused for a moment, then remarked with feeling, "Old Shen, I've noticed you're really different now; you have this inexplicable air of nonchalance."

While the two were chatting, a pair of eyes were silently watching Shen Kang.

It's You Kexin.

She had a deep impression of what happened with "Young Master Shen" that night. She felt that her classmate Shen Kang was mysterious and wanted to tell others what she had seen.

However, Mr. You solemnly warned her not to tell anyone.

"That car costs over a million! What kind of family can afford a car like that? And to call him a 'young master'... I bet his orphan status is fake. This isn't just about being rich, it's about being powerful—an absolutely wealthy family!"

"Since your classmate doesn't want others to know, you shouldn't go around spreading rumors. Otherwise, you might offend someone and it could end up being traced back to you, which could cause trouble."

You Kexin didn't take it too seriously at the time, saying, "Dad, it's not as serious as you're making it out to be."

Father You's expression became even more serious: "You really shouldn't disbelieve me; these wealthy families are hard to talk about."

As he spoke, he recounted several related stories he had heard at the dinner table, the veracity of which he could not discern, and finally gave a concluding speech.

"Anyway, it's better to avoid trouble. Just pretend you didn't see anything that night and don't go around saying anything! Xin Xin, better safe than sorry, this is my experience from so many years!"

You Kexin was a little frightened by the stories her father told her, and she was skeptical, but she did not tell anyone about what happened that night.

"So who exactly is he?"

You Kexin watched silently, and when she realized that Shen Kang seemed to have noticed her looking at him, she quickly looked away and pretended to be chatting with someone else.

Shen Kang also looked away, a little puzzled, wondering if he had seen wrong. But he didn't think about it anymore, and after chatting with Yin Mingyang for a few more minutes, he went to his old teacher to fill out his college application.

Aside from becoming the focus of the entire class in a unique way at the end of high school, his college application day in this life was not much different from his previous life, and both were equally unremarkable.

But a simple life is good; a simple life is a blessing.

Shen Kang pondered to himself, then left the east building and walked all the way to the west building.

The west building houses the first-year high school students, and classes are still in session. The final exams are in a couple of days.

Shen Kang silently ascended the west tower alone, his destination the geography office for the first-year high school students.

Just as I reached the third floor, my ears suddenly twitched, and I heard a somewhat familiar sound coming from the toilet next door.

Shen Kang tiptoed over, and the dog crept closer, hearing the conversation even more clearly.

"...I already said, the housing quotas are allocated based on seniority. I've only been at this school for a few years! So many people are ahead of me in the queue, what am I supposed to do to compete for a quota?...Yes, I'm not capable enough, then you should find someone more capable to apply!...No, that's not what I meant, I was just saying that out of anger!...Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. I'll treat Director Li to dinner after get off work today...That's settled then."

Shen Kang waited for a while, and then a man came out from around the corner of the restroom.

The man was probably in his early twenties, with a square face and a kind of handsome look reminiscent of the last century, but he had a worried expression on his face, as if he had something on his mind.

The man was startled to see someone standing there, but he didn't say anything and tried to walk past Shen Kang.

Shen Kang smiled and said, "Hello, Teacher Kang."

This man was none other than his boss and friend in his later life, and the person he was looking for today: Kang Zhengyang.

"Hello."

Kang Zhengyang answered, looked at Shen Kang's face, and finally remembered, "You are... Shen Kang, right?"

"Yes. Teacher Kang, you have such a good memory. You only taught me for one semester in the first year of high school, and you still remember it all."

Kang Zhengyang smiled, "Your geography grades are very good, your teacher always remembers that." Actually, it was because Shen Kang was an orphan that he remembered, but that reason was obviously hard to say.

"You've graduated from high school too, are you here today to fill out your college applications? How did the exams go?"

"I did okay on the exam, I passed the second-tier university cutoff score, and I applied to Yangcheng University of Science and Technology. There shouldn't be any problems."

"Yes, Yangcheng University of Science and Technology is good. You must study hard after entering university and not think that you can relax just because you're in university. Only by studying hard in university and truly mastering knowledge and skills can you find a good job in the future."

Kang Zhengyang instinctively offered some words of encouragement for his studies, and then prepared to leave.

Shen Kang suddenly asked, "Is Professor Kang speaking from a moment of reflection?"

Kang Zhengyang paused, looked up, glanced at the student in front of him, and frowned slightly.

Shen Kang seemed oblivious, simply smiling: "Teacher, I overheard a bit of your phone call earlier. While teaching is undoubtedly a respectable profession, and teachers are the pillars of the nation, it's not suitable for everyone. At least, it doesn't seem to suit you, Teacher Kang. How about changing jobs? Jobs where you can hopefully afford a house, and where your family can be less troubled—jobs that are more suitable for you?"

Kang Zhengyang's expression turned slightly cold. "Shen Kang, what exactly are you trying to say?"

"I'm planning to start my own business, an O2O housekeeping platform, and I need a partner. I think you, Teacher Kang, are a perfect fit."

Kang Zhengyang shook his head, deciding not to pay any more attention to this rambling, crazy student. He walked past Shen Kang and prepared to leave, saying, "I need to prepare my lessons."

Shen Kang stepped to the side, blocking his way, and held up his phone to show the text message page.

"I'm not kidding, I have 28 in my account."

To convince Kang Zhengyang to trust him and work with him, his high school graduate status was a major obstacle. No amount of talking would be effective, so he might as well just demonstrate his abilities.

When Kang Zhengyang saw the text message from China Construction Bank on his phone and saw that string of numbers, his pupils suddenly contracted.

But then he suddenly realized something, sighed, and said, "Shen Kang, if you're bored after graduation, go find something productive to do. There's no need to make up these text messages to fool me."

How could a child have so much money? Especially since Shen Kang is an orphan! So it must be a fabricated text message; I was almost fooled.

Shen Kang was stunned for a moment, then laughed and cried at the same time: he never expected that Kang Zhengyang would think that he had made up the bank's service information.

Watching Kang Zhengyang leave and go upstairs, Shen Kang thought for a moment and then made a phone call.

……

Kang Zhengyang sat in his office, silently preparing his lesson, but his mind was elsewhere, thinking about the dinner he was going to invite Director Li to today.

He knew perfectly well that a single meal wouldn't change anything; Director Li wanted much more than that, something his family couldn't afford. But his wife kept urging him, so he had no choice but to go.

He was actually anxious about getting a housing quota, but he was like a fly trapped in a transparent box, and no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't get anywhere...

Just then, Kang Zhengyang's vision went dark as someone stood in front of him. Looking up, he saw it was Shen Kang, the crazy student who had been spouting nonsense earlier.

Kang Zhengyang frowned.

He was already very annoyed, and this student kept bothering him.

Just as he was about to reprimand her, Shen Kang spoke first: "Teacher Kang, I know you don't believe me, and I know you're very upset right now, but since you're free anyway, why don't you come with me to the school gate? I'll prove to you that I'm not talking nonsense. Maybe that will solve your problem."

"Anyway, you don't have anything to do right now. Going to the school gate won't take you much time, and it won't cost you anything. But what if? Maybe all your troubles will be resolved."

……

Kang Zhengyang felt he must be possessed, because he actually followed the student named Shen Kang downstairs and headed towards the school gate.

However, at the same time, a voice inside him kept saying: "Yes, he's right. There's no real loss anyway, but what if..."

Then Kang Zhengyang followed Shen Kang to the school gate.

"What are you going to show me?" Kang Zhengyang looked around but saw nothing, which made him feel even worse.

Sure enough, I got tricked. That kid is just bored out of his mind!

Shen Kang also looked around, then looked to his left and smiled.

"They're here."

At the same time, near the school, in front of an ice cream shop, many students were buying shaved ice; they had just finished filling out their college applications.

Four of them are students from Class 5 of Senior Three.