Chapter 16: After School

“Teacher, sorry to trouble you!” Zhang Yin bowed deeply to Wen Xulai.

Wen Xulai waved his hand and shook his head. “No trouble at all, it’s my duty.”

Then he looked toward Wen Xiao and Song Jingbai, rubbing his brow. “Luckily, you were found this time. Why couldn’t you two classmates just have your chat in the classroom? Why did you have to go upstairs and end up locked inside? Thankfully, you were found and nothing serious happened.”

“I’ve already informed your subject teacher about your situation. Since you were locked in the classroom and not deliberately skipping class, you don’t need to write a self-criticism this time. Just apologize to the teacher next week. The exam is coming soon, so make sure to study hard, alright?”

Wen Xiao wanted to rebut the phrase “chatting,” but thought better of it. Why bother being so particular? If the homeroom teacher asked him the reason, he wouldn’t be able to give a proper answer anyway.

Zhang Yin opened the umbrella and said to Wen Xiao, “Young master, let’s go home.”

Standing under the umbrella, Wen Xiao listened to the raindrops pattering on the canopy. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw someone standing on the steps of the teaching building, waving at him.

An autumn rain brings a chill; Wen Xiao felt cold and tugged at his school uniform. His gaze shifted to the figure, just in time to see Song Jingbai’s departing back.

Squinting, Wen Xiao scrutinized the figure with what he thought was a critical eye. No matter how he looked, it was just a child.

A little taller than the others coming and going, standing straighter in the crowd, looking thinner and more fragile.

Song Jingbai lives in the dormitory, but he would still go home on weekends.

Wen Xiao had just gotten into the car when Zhang Yin said, “Master knows about this too. He’s coming home for dinner tonight and might ask about it.”

Upon hearing that, Wen Xiao tightened his grip on his clothes.

His father was coming home tonight, meaning they would meet.

His impression of his father was faint; the man always wore a stern, unsmiling expression. In his previous life, whenever Wen Xiao acted out, his father would scold him for being reckless. He repeatedly warned him not to provoke the protagonist or constantly oppose him.

But at that time, Wen Xiao was just a pawn manipulated by the plot, incapable of heeding such advice.

He even felt his father was like those others, all protecting the protagonist while disregarding his own son.

Now, back ten years, Wen Xiao’s mind held no memories of past family interactions, as if his memory was confined to the brief few years depicted in the story.

“Oh,” Wen Xiao responded indifferently.

“Master had a meeting in the neighboring city today. When he learned you were missing at school, he immediately bought a ticket and rushed back,” Zhang Yin said as he drove on.

“Master, madam, and young master Yu are all very concerned about you. After all, you are family, young master.”

Wen Xiao nodded, but inside he felt that the concern Zhang Yin spoke of lacked any genuine warmth.

He watched the car cross the familiar suspension bridge, gazing at the gloomy sky and the dull-colored sea, suddenly feeling that every day returning home was a repetition of the same scene.

From Slant School to home, and from home back to Slant School.

It was as if he had never escaped the environment of his previous life, trapped forever in the curse of living inside a book.

If his world was a book, and all the stories occurred in a fixed setting, what would happen if he stepped beyond it?

If he ventured into places his “character” might never visit, could that prove he was breaking the narrative?

A world not fabricated by the book, but one of infinite extension, infinite possibilities, and no boundaries.

“Uncle Zhang, I want to go somewhere,” Wen Xiao said, clenching his fists, feeling he was making a bold attempt.

He wanted to step outside the “story” to explore things that would never happen in the book, to make difficult decisions according to his own will, and to leave his mark on the world as much as possible—only then could he say he was truly alive.

---

Beautiful raindrops tapped against the car window, splashing as they fell, and Wen Xiao’s mind echoed with the melody he had just heard in the music room.

He suddenly felt that the piece suited rainy days perfectly.

Zhang Yin replied, “Not going home? Young master, where do you want to go?”

“Uncle Zhang, can I borrow your phone to look something up?”

Wen Xiao lowered his head. He didn’t have a phone yet because his family hadn’t given him one, and he never asked for it.

Parents usually give their children phones for easy contact when they are outside, but he rarely went out, so he didn’t need one.

Zhang Yin pulled over and handed his own phone to Wen Xiao. “Young master, no need to be polite about using a phone!”

Wen Xiao tapped on the screen. Zhang Yin curiously leaned over and said, “Young master, your pinyin is quite good!”

Wen Xiao gave him a look as if he were a fool.

Though the body was only seven years old, he was seventeen in his previous life. Being praised for good pinyin felt more like mockery.

It was like a sprint champion being surrounded and told, “You’ve only taken a small step, you’re really amazing!”

It gave him goosebumps all over.

Wen Xiao cleared the search history and returned the phone to Zhang Yin. “I want to go to Jiaoxi District.”

Zhang Yin was stunned, holding the phone and confirming once again, “Young master, you’re sure?”

“Absolutely. I want to go to Jiaoxi District,” Wen Xiao said firmly, staring at Zhang Yin.

“If you really want to go, I have to tell master and see if he allows it...” Zhang Yin began dialing, wondering why the young master suddenly wanted to go to that place.

Wen Xiao’s heart sank at Zhang Yin’s words.

If his father was asked, it was basically hopeless, since he would never agree.

Zhang Yin glanced at Wen Xiao while making the call, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll talk to master.”

Hearing that, Wen Xiao knew his father had refused.

He somehow found strength to take Zhang Yin’s phone.

Countless faces flashed through his mind: bruised Huo Zhanyan, Leng Shucheng claiming a kitten, Wei Nanxing blocking his path, and Song Jingbai playing violin on the podium.

Zhang Yin’s words echoed: “After all, young master, you are family.”

In truth, he was now living by his own will. What happened to him was already a story beyond the “plot,” events that had never occurred in the previous life.

Since he was given a second chance, why shouldn’t he change things?

He would no longer fear rejection or neglect from his family.

Wen Xiao’s grip on the phone tightened as he thought about how children of this age should address their father.

“Dad...”

Just as Wen Tianhe stepped out of the airport, he froze at the sound.

The voice was innocent and clear, hesitant yet earnestly expressing feelings and wishes.

---

“I want to go. Is that okay?” Wen Xiao asked, his heart pounding rapidly, imagining his father’s stern refusal, ordering him to stay home and stop wandering outside.

Wen Tianhe paused for a long time. The assistant walking beside him noticed the sudden stop and the silence over the phone.

“If you want to go, then go. But don’t leave Zhang Yin.”

Wen Xiao’s eyes widened. Even after returning the phone to Zhang Yin, he was still stunned.

The father who had always opposed and rejected him actually agreed to this request, though his voice remained stern.

Wen Tianhe put the phone away, his mood unsettled after hearing the word “Dad” so unexpectedly.

Their overprotection over the years had made their youngest son reluctant to speak, refusing communication.

He felt it had been many years since Xiao Xiao called him “Dad.” Though he vaguely knew where the problem lay, he had no idea how to fix their relationship and wasn’t good at it.

Originally, he would never have agreed to Xiao Xiao’s wish to go to Jiaoxi District, but he couldn’t refuse such a rare initiative.

He feared that refusal would plunge their relationship back into ice-cold silence.

The driver in the front seat turned and asked, “Mr. Wen, are we going to the company now?”

“Home,” Wen Tianhe replied.

---

When they arrived at Jiaoxi District, it felt like entering a completely different world.

Wide roads narrowed progressively, turning into alleys branching in all directions. Tricycles were parked by the roadside. On the balconies of dilapidated residential buildings, rusty wires were strung up casually, with faded clothes hanging.

Buildings were generally low-rise. At night, some colorful signs lit up, advertising internet cafes and hotels.

The so-called hotels were really just small inns accessible by narrow, dim staircases where one could pay to stay.

Yellowed walls and streetlamp posts were plastered with various small advertisements. Some vendors still had their stalls set up, sitting on folding chairs scrolling through phones or calling out to passersby.

At the alley entrances stood half-height trash bins, with murky water seeping from beneath, flowing into drains and sometimes onto the street.

Children occasionally ran out chasing one another from the alleys, their parents opening windows and shouting from balconies, “Get back inside for dinner!”

Zhang Yin stopped the car by the roadside, rubbing his nose. “The rain’s just stopped, young master. Do you want to get out? It’s cold outside now. Maybe we should just go home first?”

Wen Xiao had never seen such a place in his previous life. Ten years later, Jin Hai City had already renovated this area. Even if he lived in a basement, it was kept tidy.

Hearing Zhang Yin’s question, he hesitated.

But this was a rare chance he had fought for, so Wen Xiao decisively opened the car door. After stepping out and walking a few steps, recalling how he had nearly ended up homeless before, he felt there was nothing he couldn’t adapt to.

“You haven’t been here before, right, young master?” Zhang Yin smiled.

Wen Xiao frowned. “Have you been here?”

Zhang Yin crossed his arms and followed closely like a diligent bodyguard, chuckling, “Of course I have. When I first came to Jin Hai City to make a living a few years ago, I stayed in this neighborhood.”

“But the security here is bad. Items get stolen often. Master doesn’t want you to come here for your safety. But you can trust me when I’m with you. Don’t underestimate me as just a driver—I can take on five men at once!”

As they talked, people occasionally glanced at them from a distance, curious but keeping their distance.

Wen Xiao walked further and stood under a streetlamp. He felt as though he was standing in a place the book would never mention—a rundown, impoverished corner within the bustling, glittering Jin Hai City.