The Growth Story of Chenxi Boy

Time flies, and another year has passed quietly. This year's life was as bland as a glass of plain water, without any waves or surprises, just the daily routine of going to and from school, quietly repeating the joys and ordinariness of youth in the simple time of a teenager.

A-Dong no longer frequented Wu Zhengjing and Xu Yi's side like before, and their interactions gradually faded, dissipating into the ordinary mornings and evenings. Until the end of the year approached and the winter vacation quietly arrived, those past events, diluted by the mundane days, were gently turned a page in the year-end wind.

These past two days, A-Dong had just received some gold coins from home and his New Year's money. And with the King of Glory skin shop having a sale, A-Dong thought, "This year's New Year's money can buy three skins! Great! One legendary and two epic. I'll buy the Miyamoto Hellscream skin I've always wanted." As A-Dong imagined himself using the new skin and galloping through the Rift, an uncontrollable smile crept onto his face.

He thought for a moment, then realized, "Wait a minute, my WeChat account isn't verified, so I can't make payments. What should I do?" A-Dong racked his brains, thinking of a few friends, and suddenly remembered Xu Yi. "That's right," he thought, "he seems to have WeChat Pay. I can ask him to top up my account, and I'll give him a free epic skin as payment." No sooner said than done, A-Dong excitedly grabbed his phone and headed to Xu Yi's house.

A-Dong decided to go to the strategist's house, which was closer, to see what he was up to. As soon as he arrived, he saw the strategist lounging at home, watching TV with his legs crossed, looking quite content. He knocked on the window and called out, "Wu Zhengjing, stop watching TV and come out for a second!"

The strategist heard a noise outside, turned around, and saw it was Ah Dong. He put down the TV remote and leisurely walked to the door: "Ah Dong hasn't come to play with me in so long, what brings you here today?"

"It's the New Year, so I'm just wishing you a Happy New Year," Ah Dong said with a laugh.

"Spit it out. You said you'd let me play on my phone all day, did you actually keep your word?"

"Didn't I go to your house later and let you play with my toys?"

"How can that be the same? You promised a whole day."

A-Dong didn't want to dwell on the past, so he cut straight to the point: "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that. I'm asking you, can you pay with WeChat? There's a discount on King of Glory skins, and I want to top up my account."

Wu Zhengjing's eyes lit up, and he said with a hint of teasing, "Not bad, you got a lot of New Year's money, didn't you? You're even willing to spend it on in-game skins."

"It's alright, not much. Are you even capable of doing it?"

"I can't," Wu Zhengjing shook his head, "but Xu Yi can."

"Okay, then I'll go find him."

A Dong immediately took out his phone and dialed Xu Yi's WeChat number. Xu Yi was originally just lazing around at home, wanting to lie down and watch TV and go out to set off firecrackers later. He wasn't really keen on moving around, but when he heard A Dong say that he would give him an epic skin for free, his laziness instantly vanished. He quickly got ready and rushed over.

Upon meeting, Xu Yi greeted him with a smile: "A Dong, long time no see! You've brought me a wonderful gift."

"It's no big deal," Ah Dong waved his hand dismissively, "You just need to deposit the money into my account."

Xu Yi nodded, but then paused, her tone softening and revealing a seriousness that was difficult for others to detect: "Let me ask you one more question—does your grandmother, your family, agree to you spending money like this?"

Xu Yi recalled his visit to A Dong's house and the sight of A Dong's grandmother. It wasn't the glamorous skin he saw in the game, nor the carefree generosity he displayed, but rather the cramped, simple, and slightly messy little home, the grandmother who had been running the household for years, and the parents who had been absent for years and separated long ago. He understood that A Dong's "it's alright" and "we're not short of money" were mostly just a young man's forced facade. His life was far from as easy as it appeared. The brokenness of his family, like an invisible scar, quietly hid deep within his personality, making him exceptionally concerned with his image, and exceptionally craving to be valued, surrounded by attention, and treated as someone "not in need." He relied almost entirely on his grandmother for food, clothing, and shelter; his parents only sent money occasionally. His parents had long since divorced, and this was what shaped A Dong's current personality.

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way. In this small county town, how many families are like Adong's, or even more unhappy than Adong's?

Don't worry, my grandma knows I took the money and she allows me to spend it.

"That's good." Xu Yi didn't ask any more questions. "Give me the money, and I'll help you exchange and top up your account. Just don't forget the skin you mentioned."

After a moment of silence, Xu Yi casually asked, "By the way, what have you been busy with this past year? I hardly ever see you after school."

I went straight home after school. I went to a friend's house to play. He has a computer and a game console, and we played games together on our phones. He's really nice to me. When I'm broke, he'll lend me money and treat me to food. Sometimes when the teacher confiscates my phone, he'll lend me a new one to play with.

"Who's being so nice to you?" Xu Yi asked curiously.

"Sigh, you don't know me," A-Dong said casually.

Xu Yi smiled and said: "Only a philanthropist would treat you so well, right?"

Earth Online Zhangcheng Character Introduction: Chen Renzhe: Rating T3, nicknamed "Philanthropist." Although he doesn't have many achievements or notable accomplishments, he's always willing to help A Dong when he's desperate, essentially A Dong's safety net. But how does A Dong treat this kindness? He's friendly when taking money, but distant afterward, borrowing money and not repaying it, then turning a blind eye. In the end, Chen Renzhe simply says in the group chat: "Never mind, consider it charity."

That bit of kindness was taken lightly, was wasted, and hidden away in a corner where no one could see it. He didn't say it, but his heart was not without turmoil. It was just that the pride and vanity of youth were like a thick shell, covering all his guilt and unease, making him unwilling to bow his head or admit it.

A skin treatment, a phone call, a few casual words—seemingly light and ordinary—but beneath lies the struggles, dignity, hidden pains, and a silent life that no one delves into.