Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

"You brat, you even know how to call your grandpa?"

On the other end of the phone, an aged but powerful voice pierced through the electrical current and struck Li Chen's eardrums precisely.

Li Chen stood in the garden, a night breeze blowing, carrying a hint of coolness.

He held his phone, a smile involuntarily spreading across his face.

"grandfather."

"Hmph, don't call me that so affectionately." The old man on the other end of the phone didn't seem to appreciate the politeness. "You don't come here unless you need something. So, what trouble have you gotten into this time? Did you beat someone up and send them to the hospital, or did you get some girl pregnant?"

Li Chen's face instantly darkened.

"Grandpa, is this how you see your grandson?"

"Otherwise what? What else can you do besides these two things from childhood to adulthood?"

Li Chen was unable to refute.

He took a deep breath and decided to get straight to the point.

"Grandpa, I'm in love."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

It went on for so long that Li Chen thought the signal had been lost.

"...Which family's daughter?" The old man's voice sounded much more serious.

"She's from Linjiang, my senior, her name is Yan Xi."

"Oh," the old man responded, his tone unreadable. "How is he?"

"Very good." Li Chen's tone became extremely serious. "She... is the best girl I've ever met."

"Heh, you brat, quite the boast," the old man chuckled. "How many girls have you even seen?"

"So what trouble has this best girl run into? That you need to beg this old man like me?"

Li Chen's heart skipped a beat.

He had to admit that experience matters.

"She didn't run into trouble," Li Chen said. "It was I who did."

He succinctly recounted his plans to visit Yan Xi's home over the weekend, as well as the story he had overheard about Yan Xi's birthday and the promise made regarding the music box.

"...So, I'd like to ask you for some advice. What should I prepare for my first visit? Also, it's her birthday, and I want to give her a surprise to make up for the regrets she had when she was little."

There was silence on the other end of the phone once again.

This time, the silence lasted even longer.

Li Chen could hear the old man's steady breathing coming through the receiver.

He didn't urge him, but waited quietly.

He knew that his grandfather was thinking.

After a long while, the old man's voice rang out again.

"How long has it been since you practiced your knife skills?"

This question was completely different from any answer Li Chen had expected.

Li Chen was stunned.

"Huh? It's...it's alright, I didn't miss much."

"What about Jeet Kune Do? Have you practiced your stance training? Have you forgotten your inch punch?"

"I haven't forgotten either; I still go for a morning run to warm up every day."

"Hmm," the old man responded calmly, seemingly satisfied with the answer.

Then he asked an even stranger question.

"Why do you think I forced you to learn to cook and practice martial arts in the first place?"

Li Chen was stunned again.

He had always felt that his grandfather was a strange person.

Other children learn piano and painting.

He, on the other hand, had a kitchen knife in one hand and a fist in the other.

"No... so that I won't starve to death in the future, and so that I can protect myself?" Li Chen answered tentatively.

"That's one reason." The old man's voice, coming through the phone, carried a calm and insightful quality.

"More importantly, it's to make you understand a principle."

"In this world, the most reliable things are never the numbers in your bank account, nor are they your fair-weather friends."

"It's your own skill and your own fists."

"A skill can provide you with a livelihood and earn you respect."

"Fists can help you protect those you want to protect and hold onto what you should hold onto."

Li Chen stood in the night, listening quietly.

He'd heard these words since he was a child; his ears were practically calloused from hearing them.

But for some reason, hearing it again on the phone tonight felt like every word hit his heart.

"Grandpa, I understand what you mean," Li Chen said, "but what does this have to do with meeting the parents and giving gifts?"

"How can it be alright?" the old man retorted. "Do you think that girl's family is short of money?"

"...No, we don't need it." Li Chen thought about the Yan family's palace-like villa and answered with a wry smile.

"Then, no matter how expensive the gift you give them, what's the difference between it and a pile of waste paper in their eyes?"

"Do you think that girl needs you to spend money to make her happy?"

"...No need." Li Chen recalled Yan Xi's nonchalant demeanor when she swiped her black card.

"So, you've been wrong from the start, kid."

The old man's voice was like a heavy hammer blow.

Things are not distinguished by value; it is only the heart that matters.

"If you want to impress them and make your senior truly look at you differently, don't try to fool them with those empty platitudes."

"Show your sincerity and your skills."

"Truly... skillful..." Li Chen pondered these words.

"Don't you know how to tinker with that thing called code?" the old man suddenly said. "Although I don't understand it, I've heard people say that it's quite amazing."

"Go ask your ancestors if they can combine their skills with your new gadgets."

The craftsmanship of our ancestors... a new invention...

A flash of inspiration, like lightning, instantly swept through Li Chen's mind.

He seems to have... grasped something.

"Grandpa, I..."

"Alright, enough with me," the old man interrupted him. "I'll give you another clue."

"In the old town of Linjiang City, there is a lane called Xihuai Lane. Go find a carpenter surnamed Liu and tell him that I sent you there."

"He has a bit of a strange temper. Whether you can get him to agree depends on your own abilities."

"Beep...beep...beep..."

The phone call was abruptly ended.

Li Chen held his phone, standing still for a long time.

My grandfather's last few words kept echoing in my mind.

Craftsmanship... truly...

Code... Carpenter...

A bold and clear plan slowly took shape in his mind.

He looked up at the city lights in the distance, then looked down at his own hands.

This time, he was no longer confused.

He knew what he had to do.

He turned around and walked quickly back to the brightly lit villa.

When he reappeared in the living room, both Luo Yun and Yan Xi looked over.

"Xiao Chen, why have you been gone for so long?" Luo Yun asked with concern.

"It's nothing, Auntie, I just got a call from home." Li Chen's sunny and cheerful smile returned.

But Yan Xi keenly sensed that something was different.

The Li Chen before me was still smiling so brightly.

But there was something new in his eyes.

A light that was never before seen, bright and resolute.

Like a hunter who has found his target, or a hero who has received the ultimate mission.

She looked at him without saying a word, but subtly raised an eyebrow.

……

After saying goodbye to the enthusiastic Luo Yun and the still cold-faced Yan Zhen, Li Chen got into Yan Xi's car.

The car drove smoothly out of the manor.

"My mom didn't give you any trouble, did she?" Yan Xi asked as she drove.

"No." Li Chen smiled. "Auntie is a very nice person, but... she's too enthusiastic."

"She's after your looks," Yan Xi bluntly exposed.

"Really?" Li Chen leaned closer, deliberately bringing his face right in front of hers. "And you? What do you see in me?"

Yan Xi glanced at him but did not answer.

The atmosphere inside the car was quiet yet ambiguous.

As they approached the school, Li Chen suddenly spoke.

"By the way, Xixi, do you know Xihuai Lane?"

Yan Xi's hand, which was gripping the steering wheel, paused almost imperceptibly.

"I know, it's an alley in the old town. What's wrong?"

"Nothing much, I just heard that it's a pretty interesting place, and I'd like to go check it out."

Yan Xi glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

"I advise you not to go," she said.

Why?

"It's a mess there. It's full of decades-old workshops, all sorts of people, you name it." Yan Xi's tone was very calm. "It's not safe."

"Is that so?" A slight smile appeared on Li Chen's lips.

He looked at the night view rushing past the window and said softly.

"I think that places like this are more likely to hide real treasures."