The next day, Gu Chenshi woke up early and boiled the dumplings his mother had made the night before.
Jing Lan complained verbally that Gu Chenshi was disobedient and didn’t sleep a little longer, but in her heart, she felt that her son seemed to have suddenly grown up, becoming particularly sensible.
Jing Lan was pressed into a chair by Gu Chenshi, who forbade her from helping, then turned back to the kitchen. Shortly after, he brought over two bowls of dumplings.
Overjoyed, Jing Lan unconsciously spoke her true feelings: “My son is so wonderful. Whoever becomes my son’s wife in the future will surely be very fortunate.”
Gu Chenshi flattered her: “That’s all thanks to your excellent upbringing, Mom.”
Jing Lan couldn’t stop smiling, feeling a little proud: “I love hearing that. You’re so outstanding, and of course, it’s closely related to your outstanding mother. Even your dad has to take a backseat.”
Gu Chenshi took a bite of the dumpling—pork and cabbage filling, rich in flavor and extremely delicious.
Every bite was filled with a strong sense of happiness.
“Mom, when will Dad be back?”
Gu Chenshi missed his father.
In his previous life, because of his accident, his father rushed back anxiously from his business trip to the hospital.
In his memory, his father, who was usually stern and rarely smiled, was in tears but held his hand tightly, smiling and comforting him: “Son, Dad is here. You’ll be fine. Dad will protect you…”
“Your dad just left two days ago. It’s still early.”
Jing Lan answered casually. At first, she didn’t think much of it, but later, she felt something was off.
Since her son had grown up, he had his own social circle and wasn’t as clingy to his parents as before.
But starting yesterday, her son seemed different from before.
He actively helped her make dumplings, woke up early to boil them this morning, and now he was concerned about his father, who was away on a business trip…
Jing Lan put down her chopsticks and looked at Gu Chenshi suspiciously: “Chenshi, are you out of money?”
Gu Chenshi was baffled: “No, I have money!”
Jing Lan asked again: “Then did you do something wrong?”
Gu Chenshi shook his head.
Jing Lan felt relieved.
She believed there was nothing wrong with her son’s character.
“Mom, it’s getting cold. Call Dad and tell him to dress warmly.” Gu Chenshi thought for a moment and couldn’t help but add.
Jing Lan looked at her son. Once a tiny, hairless little monkey, he seemed to have grown into a handsome and warm young man in the blink of an eye.
Her eyes suddenly felt a little sore, and the happiness in her heart overflowed, making her feel warm all over in the cold November weather.
“Damn, Old Gu, are you serious? You’re grinding so hard early in the morning? Please, leave some room for us slackers to survive.”
Zhou Xiangyu sauntered into the classroom, casually scanning the room. He noticed many people had arrived, most of them chatting and laughing noisily, but his good friend was silently reading.
He tiptoed over to take a look and was greatly disappointed—Gu Chenshi was actually reading a textbook, not a novel!!
Ahhh!!
Zhou Xiangyu instantly felt suffocated. Why was he studying? Studying so early in the morning? What had gotten into him?
Gu Chenshi smiled faintly: “I wasn’t joking around yesterday. Zhou Xiangyu, let’s work hard together and take responsibility for our own lives.”
In his previous life, after Zhou Xiangyu learned about his situation, he went to Lin Ranran to stand up for him.
Two days later, on his way to visit Gu Chenshi, he was beaten up by a group of people without any reason.
Although the police were called at the time, the perpetrators seemed to have planned it in advance—choosing a remote, unmonitored location with no one around to strike, then vanishing without a trace after the assault. With no leads, the case was eventually dropped.
Zhou Xiangyu was rushed to the hospital in time. Though his life wasn’t in danger, he suffered multiple fractures and spent a month bedridden, later performing disastrously in the college entrance exams.
Speculations ran wild about who the attackers were.
Some believed the Lin family had secretly orchestrated it, as Zhou Xiangyu had tarnished Lin Ranran’s reputation to the point where she could barely show her face on campus.
Others guessed it might have been one of Lin Ranran’s admirers seeking revenge for their goddess, rallying a group to beat Zhou Xiangyu.
Regardless of the theories, all pointed back to Lin Ranran.
In Gu Chenshi’s previous life, he had harmed himself and his parents, and dragged down his good friend along with them.
Now, reborn into this life, Gu Chenshi vowed to cherish what he had and make up for all his regrets.
Zhou Xiangyu plopped down in the seat next to Gu Chenshi’s, quickly scanning the room and noticing that the seat of the campus belle, Lin Ranran, was empty—she hadn’t arrived yet.
Lowering his voice, he said, “Old Gu, what’s really going on? If there’s anything, tell your brother. I’m your emotional trash can—dump all the garbage you’ve got right here! If Lin Ranran went too far, I’ll go set things straight for you!”
Gu Chenshi shook his head.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about it—he simply couldn’t be bothered. Besides, Zhou Xiangyu had a somewhat impulsive nature, and Gu Chenshi didn’t want him getting involved in his personal affairs with Lin Ranran.
Most importantly, it was over between him and Lin Ranran… or rather, his one-sided infatuation with her had come to an end.
“I suddenly realized that being a simp isn’t as interesting as studying. Simping might leave you with nothing in the end, but studying enriches my soul and paves the way for a brighter future. That’s all.”
Zhou Xiangyu frowned. “So, Old Gu… you finally realized you were a simp?”
“Yeah,” Gu Chenshi nodded, then paused. “You always thought I was a simp?”
Zhou Xiangyu replied, “Wasn’t it obvious?”
Gu Chenshi: “…”
Well, what else could he have been?
“To be honest, I never really thought you and Lin Ranran would work out. She has too many admirers. But every time I saw how hard you tried for her, I’d think maybe one day you’d win over the campus beauty and get the girl… Still, I’m really glad you woke up sooner rather than later!”
Gu Chenshi pulled a pork floss bun and a carton of milk from his desk drawer. “You didn’t eat breakfast, did you? Here.”
Zhou Xiangyu’s eyes lit up as he snatched them. “Old Gu, you’re practically psychic!”
Gu Chenshi rolled his eyes.
Psychic? More like he knew this guy too well.
Zhou Xiangyu loved hiding under the covers to play games, often staying up until one or two in the morning. Naturally, he’d oversleep and skip breakfast.
Watching Zhou Xiangyu wolf down the food, Gu Chenshi silently wondered if he’d been kicked in the head by a donkey in his past life.
Who needed a campus beauty? Having a true friend who genuinely cared for him was far better than any school belle!
When Lin Ranran walked into the classroom, she instinctively glanced toward Gu Chenshi’s seat.
Perhaps she hadn’t even realized it, but before this, she had never paid any attention to Gu Chenshi on her own—because whenever she appeared, his eyes would automatically follow her.
Gu Chenshi was chatting with Zhou Xiangyu about something, laughing happily.
For a moment, she felt strangely disoriented.
Why had she never noticed before that Gu Chenshi’s smile could be as dazzling as the sunlight outside?
Watching Gu Chenshi and Zhou Xiangyu being so close, Lin Ranran suddenly felt very uncomfortable inside, though she didn’t quite understand why.
Gu Chenshi even reached out and gently brushed away the breadcrumbs that had fallen on Zhou Xiangyu’s school uniform collar.
Lin Ranran found it a bit hard to believe.
She had stood at the classroom doorway for several seconds, yet Gu Chenshi’s eyes hadn’t even glanced her way!