The day before school started, Xu Shaojie arrived in Xilin City and settled into his dormitory. He then went directly to the construction site. Upon entering the office, Xu Shaojie found that it was very clean, a big difference from before. When Xu Yijie was alone in the office, it was often not very clean. Xu Shaojie had mentioned this before, but it had no effect, so he stopped saying anything about it later on.

  A girl came in, looking very delicate. The girl saw Xu Shaojie and felt a bit embarrassed. Soon, Xu Yijie came in. Xu Yijie's appearance had changed greatly, the gloom between his eyebrows was almost invisible, and his face had regained its youthful color. Xu Shaojie quickly understood.

  "Little brother, you've arrived! Why didn't you want me to pick you up? Big brother and Yan Jie have gone out."

  Xu Yijie tightly hugged Xu Shaojie in front of him. Soon, Xu Yijie came to his senses.

  "Let me introduce you, this is Liu Xiaomei, and this is my younger brother, Xu Shaojie, a university student at Xilin University."

  Xu Shaojie smiled at Liu Xiaomei, he already knew that Liu Xiaomei was Yan Jie's distant cousin. Whether she was a cousin or not wasn't important, this Liu Xiaomei gave Xu Shaojie a very good first impression, such a sister-in-law wasn't bad.

  "You haven't eaten yet, I'll go cook."

  Liu Xiaomei finished speaking and turned around to leave.

  "Brother, this is great! You must hold on tight to this sister-in-law. A good sister-in-law like her is hard to find anywhere."

  "Shao Jie, don't say anything more, it's just that I'm worried I won't be a good match for them."

  "Brother, what are you saying? Treat others well and don't get angry for no reason."

  "I already know this, no need to remind me, I always feel that I'm not good enough for others, where's the temper?"

  "That's good, I've already told mom, two years later, mom will come to the provincial city, mom is mainly worried about you, wants you to bring your wife back during Chinese New Year, mom wants to take a look."

  Xu Yijie nodded.

  Liu Xiaomei's cooking is not bad, Xu Shaojie was a little surprised. The girls in the countryside are not simple. They have just graduated from high school and can cook well. Thinking of his sister Xu Lan, apart from studying, she hasn't even washed her own clothes. The difference between them is quite big. Xu Shaojie's mood is good. A sister-in-law like this will surely be liked by his mother. Xu Shaojie seemed to see his mother's satisfied smile.

  Back in the dormitory, all roommates came, everyone hugged and greeted each other, very warm.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, we all have to learn from you, joining the party, having a girlfriend who's the school flower... if I could achieve just one of these, I'd be satisfied for this lifetime."

  "Du Yuxin, I'm listening to this and it sounds so sour. Everyone take a look, the little Shanghai man is back, our education has no effect. From now on, we still need to strengthen Du Yuxin's education."

  Du Yu Xin made a bitter face, ready to speak, this education is too harsh, drinking should be the most, cleaning up hygiene is also the most, anyway, just have to do more things, indicating the result of reform is good.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, during the holiday, I didn't get any good cigarettes. You're the one who brought out the bad ones. I'm going home now. The inferior cigarettes are always unpleasant to smoke."

  Sun Yong's broken gong hasn't changed, it's still so loud. Xu Shaojie smiled and pulled out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes that Xu Yijie had given him earlier, the previous one having been smoked long ago. In the dormitory, no one showed any surprise on their face, everyone was already used to it, anyway Xu Shaojie always had good cigarettes on him.

  In the dormitory, everyone quickly started chatting and laughing, but this peaceful scene was soon disrupted by a schoolmate from next door who came in.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, someone is looking for you outside, at the dormitory entrance."

  The classmate didn't mention the person's name, Xu Shaojie found it a bit strange and didn't ask. He stood up, and Ma Jianhua and others habitually followed behind Xu Shaojie. The group quickly arrived at the door.

  Liu Hong and Tan Lingli stood at the door.

  Seeing Liu Hong, Xu Shaojie felt a bit strange. Why didn't they go inside the dorm to talk? But seeing Tan Lingli beside him, Xu Shaojie understood that girls were not allowed to enter boys' dorms.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, I'm here to tell you that Zheng Yu Xin and I are now friends. Tan Ling Li will fill you in on the details."

  Liu Hong's voice was loud, and many people heard it. He had just entered his second year of high school, and it was not a trivial matter to talk about having a girlfriend so openly. Xu Shaojie didn't react for a moment, looking at Liu Hong without speaking. Tan Lingli's expression looked somewhat embarrassed, as if she didn't want to face Xu Shaojie.

  "Liu Hong, what do you mean by this? Where is Zheng Yuxin now?"

  "Haha, Xu class monitor, I'll tell you, Zheng Yuxin and I are dating now, how could we meet with you? Besides, Yuxin's father is the deputy director of the municipal finance bureau, she's an official's daughter, you're probably out of her league, better have some self-awareness, it's a frog trying to eat swan meat, that kind of thing doesn't happen."

  Xu Shaojie is now sober, today Liu Hong came here to humiliate him, Xu Shaojie would not believe Liu Hong's words, he turned to look at Tan Lingli, Liu Hong's words, he temporarily had no time to care.

  "Tan Lingli, what's going on?"

  "Xu, Xu class monitor, Liu Hong said it's true. Zheng Yuxin and Liu Hong's relationship has been confirmed, both families have agreed, Zheng Yuxin won't see you."

  At this point, Tan Lingli suddenly remembered something and took out a letter from her body.

  "This is a letter from Zheng Yuxin to you, take a look yourself."

  Ma Jianhua and others behind Xu Shaojie had already changed their faces, they glared with anger, if they hadn't seen Xu Shaojie still calm, they would have surrounded him and taken action.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, I know you have connections and can find someone to teach me a lesson. But I'm also prepared. If you want to take action, I'll be waiting for you. Let's see what the outcome will be."

  Liu Hong left with his head held high, Tan Lingli glanced at Xu Shaojie and hurriedly turned around to follow him.

  At this moment, Xu Shaojie's mind was a complete blank. He still hadn't understood what had happened. His first love with Zheng Yuxin was something he took very seriously and considered one of his greatest accomplishments in the past year. Who would have thought that just as school started, he'd suffer such a blow? Xu Shaojie was stunned earlier, otherwise Liu Hong wouldn't have left so easily.

  Xu Shaojie didn't say a word, turned around and went back to the dormitory. Ma Jianhua and others didn't speak either, but they all didn't go back to the dormitory. At this time, Xu Shaojie needed quietness, everyone was very indignant, mainly towards Liu Hong's attitude, snatching Xu's girlfriend, and still being so shameless.

  Xu Shaojie had already read Zheng Yuxin's letter twice, he understood that today's matter was true. At this moment, a fire of anger was burning in Xu Shaojie's heart, he really wanted to find Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin, ask them clearly, what was going on, why such a thing happened. In the face of emotions, Xu Shaojie found it hard to control himself.

  "Xu Ban Zhang, this afternoon I'll treat you out for dinner, let's discuss the big matter after we eat."

  Sun Yong came in and directly pulled Xu Shaojie, Xu Shaojie was like a wooden stick, without any reaction, he followed Sun Yong out of the dormitory. Because of Liu Hong's boasting, not many people already knew about this matter, everyone looked at Xu Shaojie with some strange eyes, Xu Shaojie didn't feel it, he was still thinking about Zheng Yuxin's letter.

  At dinner time, Xu Shaojie didn't say a word and quietly drank wine. Ma Jianhua, Du Yuxin, and Sun Yong knew Xu Shaojie's mood. Sun Yong suggested finding Xu Shaojie's older brother Xu Yijie, fearing that if things went on like this, something bad would happen to Xu Shaojie. Sun Yong took the initiative to run to a nearby phone booth and called Xu Yijie.

  Xu Shaojie quickly got drunk, this was the first time everyone saw Xu Shaojie get drunk, he didn't eat anything and just kept drinking cup after cup, it's impossible not to get drunk like that. So everyone quietly ate their meal without saying a word. Just as everyone was preparing to carry Xu Shaojie back to his dormitory, Xu Yijie arrived, Xu Yijie thanked everyone and carried Xu Shaojie into the car.

  "Damn it, Ma Jianhua, Du Yuxin, Liu Hong this son of a bitch, thinks he's all high and mighty just because he's the leader, but he's actually nothing. He's so arrogant, it's like he's asking to be beaten up. Tomorrow we'll find an opportunity to teach him a lesson, get revenge for Xu Ban Zhang, and take Zheng Yuxin back."

  Sun Yong's proposal quickly received a response in the dormitory, and everyone came up with a plan to teach Liu Hong a lesson.

  In the middle of the night, Xu Shaojie woke up with a severe thirst. A cup of water was handed to him, and he drank it all in one gulp without thinking. It wasn't until then that he realized he wasn't in his dorm room. He was in a room on a construction site, which was surprisingly clean and had a pleasant fragrance. The lights were on, and Xu Shaojie looked up to see Zhang Shaocai and Xu Yijie sitting on the bed. Zhang Shaocai held Zheng Yuxin's letter in his hand. Xu Shaojie saw that Xu Yijie's eyes were bloodshot, and he was on the verge of a violent outburst. Zhang Shaocai, however, had an expressionless face.

  "Shao Jie, we all know what happened, what do you want to do?"

  "I don't accept it, I want to find Liu Hong and have a one-on-one talk. I don't believe it, I don't believe Zheng Yuxin would think this way. What's wrong with having a poor family background? Many people come from ordinary families, does that mean they have no future?"

  Xu Shaojie's heart ached even more, Zheng Yuxin's letter was a huge blow to Xu Shaojie's confidence. He had always thought that with his own efforts, he could sail smoothly and change everything. The things between Liu Hong and Zheng Yuxin made Xu Shaojie almost completely lose his confidence. Moreover, something happened at the dormitory entrance today, and Liu Yong's attitude was unbearable for Xu Shaojie. This is a typical humiliation, and as a man, he cannot bear it.

  "Brother, it's all because of me that you're implicated. Damn it, I'll go and take down Liu Hong. What's the big deal? I've been to prison, I'm a labor reform convict, but I'm still me, and you're still my brother. They look down on me, fine, from now on I won't see them anymore. How dare they humiliate people like this? Don't officials fear death? Fine, I don't want this life anymore. One life for one life. Brother, don't get involved in this matter, I'll take care of it myself."

  Xu Yijie suddenly stood up, rolled up his sleeves, and beside the chair, there was a knife. Xu Yijie had already picked up the knife in his hand, looking like he was about to rush out at any moment.

  Zhang Shaocai, who had been silent all along, suddenly flew into a rage and slapped the letter onto Xu Shaojie's face.

  "Two useless things, unfortunately I was blind to this. You go, take your knives and fight to the death, go chop off Liu Hong's head, go rescue Zheng Yu Xin back, how exhilarating! How heroic you are! Someone has humiliated you, your face is as big as the sky, how can you tolerate such humiliation? You are the sons of dragons!"

  Zhang Shaocai's sudden anger left Xu Shaojie and Xu Yijie unprepared, at this time, Yan Yuhuan and Liu Xiaomei both came in, Yan Yuhuan's eyes were a bit red.

  "Zhang Ge, don't get so angry, Shao Jie is still young, receiving such a blow, it's normal to be unable to think clearly for a while. Yi Jie has been humiliated, he must also be feeling terrible. Whatever you want to say, say it slowly, don't lose your temper, Shao Jie and Yi Jie are already suffering enough. You're the older brother, you definitely can't let them get into trouble or do stupid things."

  Liu Xiaomei walked to Xu Yijie's side, pulled Xu Yijie, and took the knife in her hand. Xu Yijie was still angry, but he couldn't vent his anger on Liu Xiaomei, so he sat down instead.

  "Yu Huan, I know, I'm just a bit fed up. Can't even withstand this little blow, and you're looking for death everywhere. How are you going to do great things in the future?"

  "Zhang Ge, sit down and talk slowly, emotional things are hard to explain. Shao Jie is young, it's his first time, he invested emotions, it's normal that he can't let go. What do you want to say, take your time."

  Xu Shaojie saw Yan Yuhuan's eyes slowly turning red, as if tears were about to flow out.

  The house was very quiet, already midnight, everyone didn't sleep, Xu Shaojie felt a bit guilty, for his own affairs, making everyone stay up all night with him. However, he still had an uncomfortable feeling in his heart, this anger hadn't dissipated yet. Although Zhang Shaocai had lost his temper, Xu Shaojie was still thinking of finding Liu Hong and beating him down. This matter must be done by himself, having his girlfriend snatched away was a great humiliation, such shame couldn't be tolerated. But he couldn't let his brother Xu Yisong take action, otherwise something big would happen, his brother can't have any trouble.