I was the leader of the righteous path in high school.

I am indeed learning English, but would anyone really give me something like this as a gift?

Gu Yun instantly recalled a particularly annoying relative from his childhood Chinese New Year.

The reason I remember it so clearly is because that uncle actually gave him a huge red envelope and solemnly bought him a set of "100 Points for Final Exam Sprint".

Young Gu Yun's heart raced as he clutched the red envelope tightly, thinking to himself: This should belong to me now!

As expected, the parents did not confiscate it.

But the moment he opened it, he realized what it meant for "life's surprises to come in another form."

Seeing Gu Yun's seemingly petrified expression, Su Nianshan calmly said, "I saw you from the very beginning."

"You were memorizing vocabulary words back then, and after you abandoned them three times, that girl snatched your vocabulary book away."

"I'm hungry, stop talking..."

Gu Yun felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart.

He always started memorizing words with "abandon," but then he would quickly get distracted by other things, or simply lie down and go to sleep.

However, now that he has a mission, his enthusiasm for learning is high, and he will definitely not "give up" forever.

"Therefore, this version provides more detailed explanations and the example sentences are closer to the college entrance examination."

"Your grammar is weak, so you can focus on the long and complex sentences later on."

She spoke so naturally, so matter-of-factly, as if giving educational materials to friends was the most normal thing in the world.

Gu Yun clutched the plastic bag, a complex mix of emotions welling up inside him.

On one hand, there was a speechless silence, as if to say, "Are you kidding me? Someone actually gave me this as a gift?" On the other hand, a strange warmth of being cared for arose.

Does this count as having a bit of a "Xiao-style male chef" mentality?

Gu Yun thought to himself, feeling somewhat helpless.

He coughed twice and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Su Nianshan shook her head: "We are friends."

Feeling that wasn't quite right, he added, "It's a level above friends."

"You want to be my good brother too?"

After thinking for a moment, Gu Yun cautiously asked a question.

How come every girl is one of my best buddies?

Is the problem with him, or is it with others?

Gu Yun never engages in internal strife; if there's a problem, it must be someone else's problem.

"?"

Su Nianshan was shocked. Seeing Gu Yun's furrowed brows, she opened her mouth and asked, "Why would you think of this? Shouldn't I be your good brother?"

"...So, do you want to be my enemy?"

"……ill."

Su Nianshan flung her sleeves and left, looking as if she were fleeing in panic.

Gu Yun was happy to have some free time, his heart pounding.

He still wasn't used to having a half-sister by his side.

Even her father and mother are still dating, but they haven't gotten married yet!

All I can say is that dads who play rock music are unrestrained and wild; it's no wonder people entrust their daughters to them.

My own mother is really something else; could this be considered finding myself a child prostitute...?

It would be impolite to think about it any further!

So Gu Yun took the snacks and went back to the classroom. After eating them, he started studying.

He's now arguing with this book, "Core Vocabulary and Complex Sentences in High School English".

I estimate that this task will be completed naturally after I finish studying this book.

I'll study, study, study, study!

Gu Yuncai finally broke free from English after school ended in the afternoon.

I must say, English is actually a pretty simple subject.

Since improving his intelligence and concentration, he felt that English was now one of the easier subjects out of the six.

Mathematics and physics require you to have rational thinking and be able to formulate formulas; language arts require you to have language comprehension, or in simpler terms, to have knowledge and understanding.

It's all in English. They won't mind if you're not smart or don't have any ideas; you just need to memorize it.

Gu Yun estimated that at his current rate of memorizing 150 words a day, he could finish the task in about 20 days.

That's really not bad.

But now he can't focus all his attention on English.

The reason is that Chen Zhizhi made a move tonight.

After class, Gu Yun saw Chen Zhizhi suddenly stand up as if she had something on her mind, which startled her deskmate.

Chen Zhizhi's actions were so sudden that she quickly walked towards the door without even saying a word to her deskmate.

Gu Yun's heart skipped a beat. Almost reflexively, he grabbed the half-eaten bag of snacks and stuffed it into his stomach, then stood up.

Without hesitation, he caught up with Shen Yun, who was about to leave the classroom, and lowered his voice: "Teacher Shen, my stomach is not feeling well, I want to go to the infirmary to see a doctor."

"Could you write me a leave note? I'll be back if I'm free."

Shen Yun glanced at him, and perhaps the slight discomfort he had deliberately feigned had an effect, or perhaps it was her trust in the other's recent diligent studies, but she simply nodded:

"Go quickly and come back soon, be careful."

"I'll give you a leave slip right now. I happen to have one in my pocket. Here you go."

"Thank you, teacher."

Gu Yun took the leave slip and walked quickly out of the classroom, but Chen Zhizhi was no longer in the corridor.

He wasn't flustered. The campus was a chaotic mess at the end of the school day, but he knew that Chen Zhizhi was most likely heading towards the school gate.

He slowed his pace, blending into the sparse flow of people leaving the school, but his gaze swept sharply ahead.

Sure enough, at the corner of the main road leading to the school gate, he caught a glimpse of that familiar figure.

Chen Zhizhi walked very fast, almost running out of the school gate, without even going to the cafeteria for a meal.

You should know that there is usually only about half an hour between the end of the fourth period and evening self-study, so there is definitely no time to go home for dinner.

So, it really is today.

Should we go up and stop her from going?

It seems like a good idea, but it's a bit awful.

Who knows what will happen next? What if it's just a postponement?

Gu Yun didn't consider himself a good person, nor did he consider himself a busybody.

However, if you meddle in other people's business, you should resolve the matter yourself. You can't just take the reward and walk away; that would be too selfish.

Gu Yun zipped his school uniform all the way up, handed in his leave slip, and then hid half of his face behind the raised collar, peeking out from a distance.

After leaving the school gate, Chen Zhizhi did not head to the bus stop where she usually went home, but instead turned into another relatively quiet street.

The twilight cast a long shadow of hers, and Gu Yun used the trees along the roadside and the occasional passing vehicle as cover, her heart pounding in her chest.

This feeling is like being stalked...

Okay, that's it.

However, Gu Yun had his own reasons and wanted to save the girl from her predicament.

So he could only slow down, hide himself, and stay close behind the other person.

She walked faster and faster, passing through two small streets, and finally stopped near an old residential area.

The environment here is noisy, with low-rise buildings displaying various signs, and snack shops, barbershops, and general stores lining the streets. The air is filled with cooking fumes and a complex atmosphere of daily life.

Gu Yun hid behind a closed newsstand and saw Chen Zhizhi standing at the entrance of an alley, seemingly waiting for someone.

She kept glancing down at her phone, then anxiously looking up again, her fingers unconsciously twisting the strap of her backpack.

About five minutes later, a young man dressed in a somewhat gangster-like manner emerged from the depths of the alley and waved to Chen Zhizhi.

Chen Zhizhi immediately walked over and the two exchanged a few words in hushed tones.

The distance was too great for Gu Yun to hear clearly, but he saw Chen Zhizhi take a bulging envelope out of her bag and hand it to the young man.

The young man squeezed the thickness of the envelope, a satisfied smile appearing on his face. He patted Chen Zhizhi on the shoulder, leaned closer and said something, before turning around and disappearing into the depths of the alley again.

Chen Zhizhi stood there, head down, shoulders slightly slumped, as if lost in thought, or perhaps just relieved.

She looked at her phone, scrutinizing the address on it.

Then, he walked in the direction that Gu Yun was familiar with.