A Young Woman's Heart

"Let's go inside, it's cooler there."

"Why? It's a mess inside." Mo Xueyao said reluctantly, "A lot of people fight there all the time."

"Haha, it's alright, don't worry about it."

"Tsk..." Mo Xueyao glanced at him a few more times, but finally followed him inside.

As the fruit shop behind them gradually disappeared into the distance, Old Chen finally spoke up: "Actually, Chen Cheng is my son."

"Oh? Hmm... really? But it seems like you two don't have much interaction? No, it's more like you never run into each other, right? What's wrong? Why doesn't he live with you?"

"Him? He lives at home..."

"Then why don't you live at home?"

"Haha... He won't let me stay."

"What?!" Mo Xueyao shouted angrily, "He won't let you stay, so you just stay? What a spineless father you are! Besides, that house is yours, you have the right to live there. I thought he was a playboy back in school, but I didn't expect him to be this awful."

This actually contains a little bit of bias.

"No...no, actually, there's been some misunderstanding."

"Ok?"

"Back then... well, I was a bit of a playboy. Because of some things, the business my father inherited went bankrupt. And I was too proud to admit it." He seemed more carefree as he said this. "Because I was in too much debt, I was likely to be arrested by the police as a deadbeat. So I transferred the house to his aunt, who was his mother's sister, and let him live in it. I would transfer it to him again when he came of age."

"how about you?"

“In the first few years, I was really arrested. In order to prevent my wife from incurring debt, I divorced her and let her go to work in Shanghai while I stayed in prison. I basically gave her all the living expenses I earned while working in prison. She then gave all the money to our son. After I got out, it relieved some of her pressure, and we could share the burden of two people.”

"Can't you just tell Chen Cheng the truth?"

"Ha... In the past, I was concerned about saving face, and because of some things, I felt that he wouldn't understand even if I told him, so I just thought that it would be enough to make sure he lived a good life."

How much do you get per month?

"We gave him a total of two thousand yuan for living expenses."

"So much!?" Mo Xueyao's eyes widened. "No wonder he's so generous. He's just wasting money. I have two close friends, twin sisters. Their parents passed away, and they live together, relying on each other. At their poorest, their combined living expenses were only three hundred yuan! And that includes rent!"

"..." Old Chen remained silent for a long time, only letting out a deep sigh.

"So it's that simple? And now there's a misunderstanding?" Mo Xueyao continued for him, "Does Chen Cheng think that you two divorced and no longer want him, so you're just giving him money, which is why he resents you?"

"Yes……"

"I think I can understand how he feels now. What he really wants might not be money, but your love..."

"But if I really tell him, then I'll be a father who's been to prison..."

"What's the big deal!"

"I think, I think... you're all the same age, you might get along well, and some things, some things... maybe..."

"Tsk, okay, I'll give it a try. Actually, I'm not that close to him..." Mo Xueyao felt that now that she knew, she couldn't just sit idly by. Although she wasn't close to Chen Cheng, she was close to Zhuang Lianlian. This poor girl deserved a more stable life. "By the way, his girlfriend is actually disabled."

"what?"

Would you mind?

"Of course not... what right do I have to mind?" Old Chen said with a wry smile.

……

Chapter 107 How to Start

Although she agreed very readily, Mo Xueyao was in a dilemma when it came to actually doing it.

How should I talk to him about this?

Or perhaps, should we really have Zhuang Lianlian speak for us?

Sometimes, liking someone too much can make you lose your ability to judge.

What if she knows the truth but still lets Chen Cheng do as he pleases?

Moreover, if she really tells the truth, and if she doesn't explain it clearly, it might cause a rift in her relationship with Chen Cheng.

Although she often felt envious of couples in junior high school, she never had the malicious intention to break up other people's relationships.

Perhaps she should speak about this herself.

During the walk, she asked about some other details, and it was clear that Chen Cheng's father felt very guilty.

Even though his son now dislikes him so much, he doesn't seem angry; instead, he regrets his past.

But he has had enough time to reflect. After all, he is Chen Cheng's father. Now that he has been released from prison, the family should be reunited.

There is nothing happier than living together as a harmonious family—such days, even if difficult, will not lead to despair.

"That's about it. If I hadn't been so arrogant back then, and if I had been more cautious, the whole company wouldn't have gone bankrupt."

"Business always involves profits and losses. You didn't gamble away all your money, so there's no need to blame yourself so much." Mo Xueyao touched the mole on her collarbone, thinking about many things, but hesitated to speak.

"Actually, when I was young, I was somewhat of a spoiled brat. This arrogant personality was developed when I was young. Later, I took over my father's business, but I felt that the family company was so big that I could never lose it all in my lifetime, so I boldly invested. At first, I got a lot of returns, but later, it was like gambling..."

"Looking for thrills?"

"Pretty much, haha..."

"By the way, what about your father?"

"Oh... him? He's long gone."

Mo Xueyao fell silent.

That's true. If Old Chen's father were still alive, he wouldn't have let him ruin the company like that back then.

"The main problem is that I met the wrong people. I didn't know how to judge people back then. It wasn't until I went bankrupt that I realized that most of the people around me were just fair-weather friends and no one I could rely on. Well, your father was one of the few good ones, but unfortunately he didn't have much money back then."

"My dad seemed to gamble a lot back then."

"Ahem." Old Chen coughed apologetically as he said this, "Actually, when he first came to Hangzhou, I was the one who introduced him to gambling... uh, I was just showing him around, but I never expected him to become so addicted."

"Forget it, it's all in the past." Mo Xueyao shook her head, indicating that she had no interest in the topic.

At this moment, the two had reached the end of the path.

The technical school was located right in front of them.

The school gate is quite impressive, but it's a bit dilapidated and looks like it hasn't been maintained for a long time.

There were a few small shops nearby, and three pool tables were set up outside, where several high school students dressed in flashy clothes were playing pool.

Several people were arguing, and it looked like they were about to come to blows.

The shop owner seemed unfazed, sitting at the counter smoking until someone swung a pool cue at him, at which point he finally stood up.

However, instead of trying to break up the fight, he said in a weak and listless manner, "You have to pay for the broken pool cue."

"Don't worry, boss, you won't be shortchanged!" The boy in the lead smiled at the boss, then rushed forward without looking back.

A group of students got into a brawl, and passersby quickly moved to the side of the road to avoid getting caught in the fray.

Although the two sides were roughly equal in number, the situation quickly became one-sided because one side clearly had several strong and burly guys. A boy with a backpack, a student-style haircut, and neat clothes, who looked out of place among the group, stood aside and watched for a while, but was suddenly shouted at by one of the guys: "What are you looking at? Get lost!"

The boy shuddered, then walked past with his head down. A guy saw him walk by and maliciously kicked him in the butt: "You idiot, you like watching the show."

As a child who grew up in a civilized environment, Mo Xueyao felt extremely uncomfortable at this moment.

"How could these people be like this..." she muttered in a low voice, "Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?"

"As long as they don't kill or maim, who cares? They're all veterans. Even if they hit hard, it's just superficial injuries. Those guys rolling on the ground are only in too much pain."

"How do you know so much about this?" she asked Old Chen curiously.

"Ha... When I was young and had money, I would hire some petty thugs like that to do some low-class things." Old Chen laughed self-deprecatingly. "The lower class and the upper class are actually connected in some ways. Relatively speaking, the most peaceful and happy people are the middle class like you."

"Are we considered middle-class?"

"I'd say that's middle level, or at least lower middle level."

Mo Xueyao nodded silently, and saw that the guy who had been standing aside watching the show had been kicked again and fell to the ground.

He didn't dare to resist, and the other victors walked away laughing.

The others who lost the fight only dared to stand up after these people left, and they helped each other escape.

However, some malicious people would take their anger out on that person. Even though he had already walked a long way away, some people would still come over and kick him in the butt to vent their anger.

"You like watching a good show! Hmm?"

"Sorry……"

"Don't talk, damn it." After all, these people had lost the fight and felt extremely embarrassed, so they didn't stay there for long and ran away.

"What a dark corner." Mo Xueyao shook her head and sighed. She quickly walked over and helped the boy who had been kicked to the ground up. She patted his shoulder and asked, "Hey, are you alright?"

"Ah...no, it's nothing..." The boy, who looked both well-behaved and naive, quickly shook his head.

The other person's age should be similar to Mo Xueyao's.

Vocational schools are actually at the same level as high schools.

"Does your vocational school still have classes during summer vacation?"

"Uh... tutoring..."

"Oh..." Mo Xueyao nodded without saying anything more.

After all, he was just a stranger, and all she could do to help him up was to assist him.

"Thank you." He scratched his head, his face as red as a roasted duck, and stammered, "Uh, I um..."

"Since you're living in this kind of environment, don't stay here so stagnant. Everyone else is afraid of getting into trouble and has left, but you still dare to stand still and watch."

"I...I didn't...I didn't look!" he stammered. "I was just...standing there, spacing out!"

"Hmm, really? Then what are you thinking about?"

"Things I want to learn..."

"If you like studying so much, why do you go to a school like this?" Mo Xueyao curled her lips in disdain. "Alright, alright, if you have nothing else to do, hurry home, or you'll get beaten up again."