[Urban] Campus Maple Leaves in Full Bloom (Complete) - 31-33

Chapter 3: I Saw It All (8)

"Old Li, how did the check-up go this afternoon?"

Old Li had just finished explaining the details of his feud with Dr. Zhang when Xiao Zhu's fourth aunt, Juanzi, came in. She greeted Fei'er's mother and then asked about Old Li's check-up results at the hospital that afternoon.

"Well, the check-up this afternoon went very well. I think I can be discharged in a day or two."

With a minor bone fracture, good physical condition, and timely treatment, Old Li really didn't want to stay in the hospital any longer. So when Juanzi asked him about the check-up, Old Li also wanted to arrange his discharge.

"It's the recovery period for the bone fracture now, so you can't do strenuous exercise. If there are any issues, it's convenient and timely to have a check-up at the hospital. So let's stay in the hospital for a few more days. There's no rush to discharge him." As

soon as Old Li finished speaking, Fei'er's mother immediately chimed in, and with just this gentle conclusion, she extinguished Old Li's newly emerging idea.

"Yes, it takes a hundred days to recover from a broken bone, Lao Li, even if you're recovering well, you can't be careless! I think you should wait until you've recovered further before being discharged."

Juanzi wholeheartedly agreed with Fei'er's mother's arrangement for Lao Li, but while she verbally agreed, a thought unconsciously crossed her mind: Look at how

Lao Li's in-laws treat him, like a mother caring for her son! Heh, it's no wonder Juanzi had such thoughts. To Fei'er's mother, Lao Li is practically a son, and even when he's older, he still has to listen to his mother!

Lao Li grew up with his grandfather; his parents' faces and voices are only distant and blurry shadows in his memory. Such memories would leave a slight or strong sense of incompleteness in anyone's heart.

The love parents give their children is irreplaceable, because it is unique.

Fei'er dedicated her life to a man who could be her father. No matter how difficult it was for Fei'er's mother to accept this reality, her care and protection for her pregnant daughter was stronger than ever before.

This extraordinary care and protection encompassed everything around her daughter, including Old Li, a man Fei'er's mother disliked intensely. Although

this care and protection was like a thorn in her side, a form of torment, deep down, Old Li seemed to crave it. Because within this seemingly thorny torment lay an indescribable maternal instinct, a maternal instinct that represented a deep-seated regret in Old Li's life—a regret that came from the very core of his being. Upon seeing Fei'er's mother, Old Li subconsciously felt the urge to escape, but if he were to actually run far away, he would be drawn back step by step by the regret in his heart, returning to Fei'er's mother's presence.

The torment of the thorns, the attraction of the regret—was the pain of the thorns greater, or was the sweet anticipation of being cleansed by the heart stronger? Even if Old Li weighed them on a scale, he probably wouldn't be able to reach a conclusion.

Perhaps one explanation is plausible: everything originates from the heart.

Fei'er arrived, bringing dinner for Old Li and his mother, who was caring for him at the hospital. However, regardless of how happy Fei'er was to see Old Li, or how excited Old Li was to see Fei'er, with Fei'er's mother present, Old Li and Fei'er could only carefully suppress their overflowing emotions, communicating through a glance, a gesture—all seemingly ordinary, yet deeply profound.

It was the woman in the cheongsam who drove Fei'er there. Fei'er had come to deliver dinner, but the woman brought a laptop to Fei'er's mother.

Having delivered everything, Fei'er and the woman in the cheongsam didn't linger and hurried away.

"Go wash your hands,"

Fei'er's mother said to Old Li without looking up as she set out the dinner.

"Okay,"

Old Li replied, getting up to wash his hands in the bathroom.

Drinking soup before dinner was a rule Fei'er's mother had established for Old Li's family after arriving, taking the initiative, because Old Li's family were true northerners, and traditionally, northerners always enjoyed soup last in their meals.

Seeing that Old Li, after washing his hands, habitually reached for his chopsticks instead of his soup spoon, Fei'er's mother instinctively pointed the chopsticks forward. For some time now, especially during Old Li's hospital stay, he had developed a conditioned reflex of being hit on the hand by the chopsticks while eating. So, Old Li's outstretched hand shifted, and he gripped the spoon handle instead.

One bowl was for Fei'er's mother, and the other was placed in front of him. While Old Li sipped his soup, Fei'er's mother served him rice and placed it in front of him.

Habits become natural. After dinner, Old Li and Fei'er's mother strolled almost side-by-side, without saying a word, along the path around the lawn outside the hospital ward.

The Jiangzhong City Workers' Gymnasium was the main stadium for the Qingjiang Provincial Middle School Basketball Tournament, primarily hosting the opening and closing ceremonies and the quarterfinal matches.

Today isn't the opening day of the competition, but after all the teams have arrived and checked in, the organizers convened a briefing here with all the team leaders and coaches.

The group stage schedule has already been given to each team, and the group draw was completed this morning. The purpose of this briefing is to inform each team that they will be taking their teams to their respective group stage venues to familiarize themselves with the training and match facilities, and to reiterate the various rules and requirements for the competition to the players.

As the representative team of the host city, the No. 33 Middle School team is seeded in Group F (the fifth group in this round of group stage draws). According to the competition rules, the top three teams from each of the five groups will directly advance to the Round of 16, while the three best third-place teams from each group will also advance to the Round of 16.

The basketball court of Jiangzhong No. 5 Middle School is one of the best basketball courts in the entire Jiangzhong City middle school. It is not only the venue for No. 33 Middle School's group stage matches, but also the place where all the No. 33 Middle School personnel participating in the competition will eat and stay. This was Ya Rou's alma mater. Returning to her alma mater, she felt the warmth and familiarity of being back, and like an excited tour guide, she enthusiastically showed everyone around the campus, calling out "Coach!" to her teammates.

Among the middle schools in Jiangzhong City, No. 3 Middle School was considered to have the best academic standards, so students there tended to aim for top universities across the country. In contrast, No. 5 Middle School, with its distinctive educational approach and in-depth holistic education, stood shoulder-to-shoulder with No. 3 Middle School, becoming another towering institution in Jiangzhong City's secondary education system.

Standing on this campus, Principal Li truly understood why, even at its peak, No. 33 Middle School couldn't compare to No. 3 and No. 5 Middle Schools in people's minds.

Whether in terms of scale or cultural heritage, No. 33 Middle School lagged far behind those two schools in every aspect. To use a somewhat inappropriate analogy, it's like saying that No. 33 Middle School is one of the best among the lesser-known schools, while No. 3 and No. 5 Middle Schools are already established within prestigious institutions and have the right to look on with a calm and collected attitude.

School size and campus culture are things that require time to accumulate and be passed down. Even if No. 33 Middle School were to take another ten or twenty years, it's unlikely it could surpass those two schools. It's better to focus on improving the less prestigious aspects than to completely change everything to fit the image of a prestigious institution.

Indeed, the struggle between high-ranking and low-ranking students can easily lead to losing what is rightfully one's own. In this world, if everyone strives to be a general, many will be squeezed dry and end up with nothing.

Regardless of your position, give yourself a realistic sense of place and a goal to strive for. Because the world is vast, the saying "the extent of our reach depends on the size of our thoughts" requires careful consideration from each individual before making a decision.

Lacking ambition, Old Li felt even the school he managed was stagnating. With a slight smile and a shake of his head, he turned his somewhat wandering gaze back to Ya Rou, whose face still held a hint of excitement. Ya Rou, holding the hand of the dark-skinned girl, stood only two steps away, looking at him curiously.

"Hehe...it's you two! Why are you the only two here? Where did Coach Xie and the others go?"

With his gaze returning to his team, Old Li relaxed. Seeing his two teammates, he greeted them with a smile.

"Hmph! Coach Li! You're so undisciplined! We all followed the organizing committee, how come you sneaked off here all by yourself? And you're asking us what happened? Coach Xie was worried you'd get lost, so she sent us to find you!"

She had been enthusiastically introducing her alma mater to her teammates, but in the blink of an eye, she realized her team leader was missing! So Ya Rou, whose interest had been interrupted while she went out to look for someone, heard what Old Li said and began to scold him without any politeness.

"Hehe... It was wrong of the teacher to leave the group without permission, and the teacher now sincerely apologizes to you two."

Old Li, despite being scolded by Ya Rou, had a big smile on his face. He not only admitted his mistake verbally, but also smiled and solemnly put his hands at his sides, bowing to the two little girls two steps away, saying sorry one after another.

"Teacher Li...you...you...haha..."

They had seen Teacher Li's approachable nature many times, but today's Teacher Li, who had suddenly changed his attitude, really surprised the two little girls, and they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

The two girls were laughing heartily, one doubled over with laughter, while the other, though trying hard to suppress it, couldn't help but chuckle. Old Li, having finished bowing and apologizing, smiled and walked over to them, saying, "I've already admitted my mistake. Would you two like to lead me to Coach Xie and the others?"

"Teacher Li... hehe... Coach Xie and the others are currently washing up in their assigned rooms. What do you mean by going there to find them now?" The

girl, panting, forced back her laughter, trying her best to maintain a serious expression as she questioned Old Li.

"Oh... I see! Then I'll go see Coach Xie and the others in a little while. But now, could you two tell me how to get back to our team's accommodation from here?"

Giving the girl a look of sudden understanding, Old Li quickly and humbly asked for her help.

Of course, at least half of what she meant by asking Lao Li for help wasn't a joke, because the campus of No. 5 Middle School was really quite large. If Lao Li were to find his way back from the high school campus to the junior high campus that the organizing committee had arranged for him and his group, it would actually take some effort.

"Alright then, I need to discuss something with Hei Ya'er (Hei Ya'er isn't just called Hei Ya'er because of her healthy dark skin; those who know her well also know that her nickname is Xiao Ya'er) and we'll be leaving in a bit."

Ya Rou gave Lao Li a deep look out of the corner of her eye, then quietly whispered in Hei Ya'er's ear.

In terms of physical age, Ya Rou was about the same age as Lao Li; at seventeen, she really was a little girl. Yet this little girl, standing over 1.9 meters tall, required Old Li to crane his neck to look her in the eye and speak to her. Her body, now significantly lighter, was more toned and upright than before, radiating a youthful energy that permeated her slender frame.

A glance from her revealed a girl's playful and uninhibited nature, never concealing her true feelings. But beneath that playfulness and uninhibitedness lay something else entirely. Although Old Li couldn't fully decipher its true meaning, it stirred something within him, causing his heart to skip a beat. His heart skipped a beat for no reason; even

at his age, Old Li felt a moment of distraction. When he regained his composure, Ya Rou, who had been whispering in the little girl's ear, said, "Let's go," and pulled her hand, leading the way.

In the vast campus of No. 5 Middle School, Old Li followed Ya Rou and the little girl along a tree-lined path. Elegant and tranquil—this feeling, even in a campus environment rarely disturbed by the outside world, is a rare and precious state of mind.

Passing through a round archway, several rows of three-story Western-style buildings came into Old Li's view.

Each row consisted of five units with small courtyards. When Ya Rou and Hei Yatou, who were in front, opened the courtyard door of the innermost unit on the west side of the front row, Old Li, following behind them, hesitated slightly as they entered the courtyard.

"Teacher Li, come in!"

As if knowing Old Li would hesitate upon arriving, Ya Rou reached out from the courtyard door and pulled him inside.

"The environment here is so nice!"

The hesitation was outside the door; once inside, Old Li looked around at the furnishings of the courtyard and exclaimed in admiration.

"Tch—don't be so insincere! The environment here is much better than most places, but compared to someone's huge detached house, this is nothing!"

Yuan Yuan, who had just come out of the Western-style building, heard Old Li's praise and, for some reason, got into a huff, picking on his words with a sharp retort.

"Hehe...you little rascal! What's the comparison? Come on, let me show you around."

The girls' inexplicable tantrums were the result of pent-up energy that had been building up inside them. Old Li, who understood the girls' emotional fluctuations well, wouldn't argue with them. He walked straight to Yuan Yuan, affectionately ruffling her hair as he spoke to her.

The affectionate kisses and growing closeness subtly melted away the prickliness in her restless emotions. Yuanyuan smiled slightly embarrassedly, pulled Lao Li's large hand, which was affectionately draped over her head, into her arms, and walked towards the building entrance with her arm around his.

The three-story Western-style building had each floor exceeding 150 square meters, but the interior of the room Yuanyuan led her into had a distinctly Chinese style.

Before Lao Li could fully appreciate the nuances of the Chinese style, half of the girls from the sports team had already gathered around him from various locations upstairs and downstairs.

The girls chattered amongst themselves, and Lao Li, being the head of the household, didn't want to interrupt their enthusiastic chatter. So, once their high spirits subsided a bit, they surrounded Lao Li and began to explore all the rooms.

The top floor of the third floor has only four rooms, the largest of which is almost seventy or eighty square meters. Both in terms of decor and practical use, it's best suited as a small gathering place.

"Yuanyuan, why didn't Coach Xie and the others come?"

While watching the other girls exploring the room, Old Li finally had time to ask Yuanyuan, who was clinging to his arm.

"Hehe... Teacher Li, you're really something! You sneaked out and then didn't care about anything? We can't just ignore the organizing committee's rules and all run away from the accommodation, can we? Sister Xie and Coach Mi will stay at the accommodation and make arrangements. We just came to check on things; some people will have to go back later."

Taller than Old Li, Yuanyuan could not only whisper in his ear but also hugged his arm tightly, letting it rub against her comfortably.

On one side, Yuanyuan was rubbing her firm arms against his, and on the other, the dark-skinned girl, who hadn't spoken and wasn't pressed tightly against him, was holding his hand. Hearing Yuanyuan's reply, Old Li said nothing more, but gently, yet tenderly, used his large hand, which Yuanyuan held in her arms, to squeeze and knead Yuanyuan's plump, elastic belly.

The warm hand, the man's intense breath so close to his nose, and the clear, clear tenderness conveyed on his upper and lower abdomen—he couldn't suppress the emotions surging in his heart. Yuanyuan quickly, almost imperceptibly, kissed Old Li's cheek with her soft, even more tender lips.

Bold, passionate, and with the tenderness of a young girl, subconsciously, as Old Li slightly turned his head to return Yuanyuan's kiss, he gently pulled away the hand that the dark-skinned girl had been holding, and in the moment of her slight surprise, naturally wrapped it around her supple waist.

Chapter 3: I saw it all (9)

The black girl, held tightly in Lao Li's arms, was as taut as a bowstring. On the other side, Yuan Yuan, who had originally wanted to give Lao Li a surprise with a kiss that no one had seen, was now being held tightly in Lao Li's arms and kissed by him with the most passionate kiss. A girl's lips always have a coolness to them, and they are always uniquely delicate. There is always a sweetness in a girl's lips that makes people addicted and never want to wake up.

Chasing this coolness, feeling this delicacy, and savoring the sweetness that makes him addicted, Lao Li's tongue gently swept across Yuan Yuan's slightly parted teeth and slowly moved into her mouth.

When his tongue touched Yuan Yuan's tongue, the tender little thing seemed to dodge and dodge, showing its own shyness and temptation.

Even for girls of the 1960s, like Wei Hong, who recklessly pushed Lao Li onto the earthen bed for love, the conservatism and shyness ingrained in their blood were indelible in their final moments. For girls of the 1970s

, like Ya Rong, deeply influenced by Western education, once they shared a bed with Lao Li, Lao Li still held the dominant position in the bedroom.

In the 1980s, when Fei'er squeezed into Lao Li's bed in this way, having experienced the thoroughly conservative Wei Hong and the gradually progressing Ya Rong, when the allure of these women blossomed freely on Lao Li's eight-step bed, Lao Li was captivated in that brief moment of shock.

The 1990s quietly arrived for Lao Li. As tradition and shyness were left behind with the passage of time, the girls, seemingly shedding all constraints overnight, became unrestrained, blazing flames, burning themselves and igniting those who entered their hearts.

Lao Li, who had boarded the train of the late 1960s, still believed that the passage of time hadn't eroded the values held by his generation, stumbled upon the girls born in the 1990s by chance.

Lost in Fei'er's charm, ignited by her blazing flames, Lao Li's arms tightened around Yuan Yuan's waist, and his large fingers, without hesitation, grasped and kneaded one of Yuan Yuan's pert breasts.

Her body, which had been taut like a bowed figure, relaxed slightly after a while. The black girl, who was about to scream and leap out of her skin, was suddenly gripped tightly by Old Li's other arm, which was half-encircled around her abdomen and chest. The fingers of Old Li's other hand, feeling her growing tension and rapid, undulating breathing, seemed to probe and rhythmically rotate around the edge of her breasts.

With her head half-lowered, Yuan Yuan, whose lungs had been nearly drained of air by Old Li, watched the novel performance with a soft, panting breath as he stopped kissing her. She watched as Old Li released his large hand from her and instead pulled the dark-skinned girl's shoulders and back, forcefully pressing her into his arms. In the dark-skinned girl's somewhat frightened eyes, and as she desperately pushed at Old Li's cheek, he held her shoulders and back, stabilizing the back of her head, and without any hesitation, kissed her small mouth, which was about to scream.

Mmm—mmm… The sound left in the air by the dark-skinned girl's open mouth was just a vague, inexpressible sound.

Her face was deathly pale, her eyes blazing with terror and resentment. The dark-skinned girl, held tightly in Old Li's arms, couldn't move an inch no matter how much she struggled. As Old Li sucked on her tightly closed lips, making soft, smacking sounds, tears silently streamed down her face.

The girl, seemingly numb, appeared oblivious to the fact that Old Li was kissing a girl who had lost her soul. He was as close as if watching a curious Yuan Yuan, and all the girls scattered around. At this moment, whatever they had been focusing on, as they silently watched Old Li kissing the wooden girl as if she were still unconscious, the smiles that had just graced their faces vanished.

Aside from the sounds of Old Li's tireless lips kissing the girl's lips, even the breathing of the other girls in the room was barely audible. No one knew how much time had passed. With soft footsteps, one girl after another quietly linked hands, glancing back at Old Li and the dark-skinned girl, and silently retreated from the room.

Her face was still deathly pale, her eyes, devoid of tears, held only a lifeless stillness. Even though Old Li's grip on her hands had loosened, even though his forceful kisses had left her lips, her body remained frozen, stiff and lifeless. In the silence,

Old Li unzipped the faded zipper of his well-worn tracksuit, the hissing sound piercing the eardrums. Underneath the

open tracksuit, a plain women's vest with a few scattered floral patterns—the kind you'd almost find in a rural area of the 1970s—was loosely revealed.

With a casual grab at one sleeve of the tracksuit, like peeling bark from a tree stump, Old Li ripped off the black girl's tracksuit top. It was

a plain floral women's vest. Old Li pulled out the hem tucked into her tracksuit bottoms, and with a sudden, forceful pull, instead of the expected sharp tearing sound, the already ruined vest snapped in two with a muffled thud.

He also tore off the waistband of the tracksuit bottoms, leaving them and the bottoms hanging down to the black girl's feet.

It was rather rough; the black girl, with her torn vest on top and her ripped tracksuit bottoms crumpled at her feet, was slumped onto the sofa a few steps away, Old Li holding her by the waist.

As he walked towards the black girl lying lifelessly on the sofa, Old Li, who was also pulling down his own pants, had a bead of sweat on his forehead.

The sweatpants and shoes, crumpled at her feet, were tossed aside. The dark-skinned girl, lying face up in the middle of the sofa, now had her legs spread wide, almost folded in half by Old Li.

Her sparsely haired vulva, now bulging high from the fold, seemed to be testing the hardness of his penis, or perhaps needing further stimulation. Old Li used one hand to quickly stroke his own penis a few times, then, using that free hand to guide it, he folded the girl's vagina, which hadn't undergone any foreplay, and with his eyes almost closed, he thrust in forcefully.

The wooden-like girl, whether from the force of the penetration or the intense, dryness of the insertion, felt an unparalleled pain; her body twitched slightly before tensing up.

With a muffled groan through gritted teeth, Old Li, now inside the girl's folded body, large beads of sweat dripped down his back.

Slowly, Old Li gently placed the folded legs of the dark-skinned girl on either side of his body. He reached out and gently smoothed the hair on her forehead, looking at her tenderly as he leaned down and whispered in her ear, "You've been..."

Sobbing... As Old Li's words fell, the dark-skinned girl, who had been as still as a statue, burst into tears, pounding on Old Li who was pressing down on her.

The outburst of tears wasn't entirely because of what Old Li had just done to her; it was because she felt a complete sense of relief.

On the day Yuan Yuan sprained her ankle, the dark-skinned girl and Ya Rou went to the hospital together. Of the dozen or so girls on Old Li's team, it was the dark-skinned girl, who should have been the least noticeable, who caught the attention of Dr. Sun, who was on duty in the emergency room.

It was a morning around four o'clock three years ago. Dr. Sun, who was on duty in the emergency room, was resting in the emergency room doctor's break room when a commotion mixed with crying woke her up.

A female patient, covered in injuries, had just been lifted onto a stretcher by nurses. Beside her was a little girl crying and calling out, "Sister, sister!"

The injured woman on the stretcher had been in a deep coma before being placed on it. But just as the nurses were about to push the stretcher towards the operating room, perhaps because of the crying and shouts of the girl beside the stretcher, or perhaps because she had something important on her mind, the woman who had been in a deep coma suddenly opened her eyes and reached out to grab the girl beside the stretcher tightly.

The injured woman, refusing to let the nurses push her into the operating room and clinging tightly to the girl's hand, stared intently at her and said, "Sister, I'm afraid... I'm afraid I won't make it this time. I'm afraid I'll have to... take care of you from now on. But... I'm still so happy to see you this time! Sister, listen to me!"

Stopping her sister's urgent urging and pleading, the older sister continued, "I can't protect you anymore. Everything... you'll have to rely on yourself. Remember, you must study hard and not think about anything else. Never... never be like me!"

Looking at her sister on the stretcher and listening to her words, the younger sister, also tightly gripping her sister's hands, could only nod frantically and choke out her responses, her face streaked with tears; all she could do was express her utter helplessness.

“Sister, my life… my whole life has been ruined by a man! Sister, you must remember, never… never trust a man so easily! And never give yourself to a man so easily!” The

older sister, still gripping her younger sister’s hand tightly, stared intently at her as she spoke.

“Sister… sister… sob… sob… sister, sister, don’t… don’t worry, you’ll… nothing will happen, I’ve promised you everything, please… please get the doctor…”

The younger sister, sobbing, nodded frantically, anxious for her sister to receive immediate treatment.

“You… you can really do what I say?”

“Yes! Yes! Sister, I can definitely do it! Don’t worry, sister! Nurse! Quick, please take my sister in!”

The younger sister answered without hesitation, trying to pry her sister’s hand off, urging the nurse to push her sister into the operating room.

Suddenly, the older sister gasped for breath, seemingly about to faint again. Her younger sister pried her hands off, but before the nurse could even push the stretcher away, the older sister, her face even paler with each breath, gasped again and gripped her younger sister's hands tightly.

Through her rapid breathing, the older sister stared intently at her younger sister and said, "Sister...sister...there's...a bank card in my...rental place. The...password is...your...birthday. All I can...give you...is...this much."

The older sister, who had been lying there critically, suddenly sat up. She looked at her younger sister with great seriousness and said, "Sister...sister! From now on, you...you'll live alone...and I...I can't bear to leave you! You...you swear to me! Never...never easily...trust men, okay? Ah—"

A vow was made by the younger sister at that moment, but the content of her vow was far more demanding than her older sister's. The gist of her vow was: "I will never give myself to any man again... Unless I am taken advantage of, no man will..."

This vow didn't bring her the peace of mind required to be wheeled into the operating room for treatment. Before she could finish the vow, she collapsed on the stretcher, her face contorted in extreme, convulsive spasms, staring intently at her younger sister.

Emergency treatment couldn't save her. The younger sister, who hadn't finished her vow, didn't shed a tear after emerging from the operating room and learning the outcome. She sat blankly in the hospital corridor for the entire morning.

The older sister's body was covered in wounds. Although Dr. Sun, who had been in the operating room for emergency treatment, wasn't a professional forensic doctor, her years of experience in surgery told her that these wounds were the result of severe violence and abuse.

While helping her sister prepare her body for the afterlife on the operating table, Dr. Sun took photos of all the wounds on her sister's body with her phone. She also carefully collected the bodily fluids from the man that were stuck to her sister's body and preserved them as samples. She did this for one reason only: the younger sister absolutely refused to report it to the police, but Dr. Sun firmly believed that what she had done would one day help the girl. That

afternoon, a teacher from the Third Municipal Middle School came and helped the girl with her sister's funeral arrangements before taking the girl away.

On the day Yuanyuan was injured, Dr. Sun noticed a large group of beautiful girls and took notice. After arguing with Xiaozhu's stepmother, she stood at the door of the nurses' office and quietly observed each of the girls.

It was this quiet observation that made Dr. Sun's heart leap into her throat when she saw the most inconspicuous dark-skinned girl standing at the very edge of the group.

Three years had passed. Even though the girl who had sat in the hospital corridor all morning had grown much taller, Dr. Sun recognized her at first glance.

The next day, Dr. Sun contacted Old Li and confirmed that the dark-skinned girl now training at Old Li's school was indeed the same girl from three years ago. She recounted everything she had seen back then to Old Li without missing a single detail.

From that day on, Old Li, who had always cared about the dark-skinned girl, became even more attentive to her situation.

After all, he was a grown man, and even if he cared about a girl, he couldn't be too overbearing. So, after much thought, Lao Li told Xie Xin and a few other girls on the team about Hei Yatou's situation. Lao Li just hoped that through these people, Hei Yatou could have a better living environment.

Yuan Yuan seemed to be the least talkative person on the team, but those who truly knew her knew that this girl was actually quite carefree about small things, and if you wanted to hear even a single extra word from her on important matters, you'd really have to be skilled.

Yu Lian was a bit of a wild child, but when it came to sisterly affection and care for her teammates, few could compare to her.

As for these two girls, one of them took over from Hui Min and slept next to Hei Yatou after Hei Yatou started living in the dorms and was able to return to training due to her foot injury. The other girl always stayed in the same group as Hei Yatou during training, eating and washing up at the same time.

In this clear division of labor, yet without showing any obvious traces, Lao Li and Xie Xin also gained a general understanding of Hei Yatou's past life through various channels.

Chapter 3: I Saw It All (10)

Hei Yatou and her deceased sister were four years apart in age. When Hei Yatou started elementary school, her widowed mother, who had been living in the countryside, was introduced to Hei Yatou and her two daughters and married Hei Yatou's current stepfather. The stepfather was a middle-level cadre in a state-owned enterprise in Jiangzhong City. He was twelve years older than Hei Yatou's mother and also had three sons.

After Hei Yatou's mother married into this family with her two daughters, whether the family treated Hei Yatou and her mother well or badly, neither the family's neighbors nor other people could tell anything from the surface. Moreover, Hei Yatou and her sister never told outsiders. It was only when Hei Yatou started junior high school that her sister found a job and moved out of that family with Hei Yatou.

The older sister rented an apartment, while the younger sister lived at school. This situation continued until Hei Ya was in the second year of junior high school, around the time her older sister's accident occurred, and it didn't change much.

Hei Ya was not only academically gifted but also athletically talented. Therefore, while focusing primarily on her studies during school hours, she also balanced her studies with sports training. During school holidays, as a registered student at the city's sports school, she would participate in various sports competitions arranged by the school. In other words, after her sister's death, aside from no longer frequently visiting her sister who lived in the rented apartment, Hei Ya's life remained largely unchanged.

No one knows how much savings her sister left her, but everyone close to Hei Ya knows that from that day on, she, who was already extremely frugal, became even more so, becoming increasingly quiet and reserved, almost entirely silent in her daily life.

No one knows why the two sisters moved out of their home to live separately. Similarly, no one knows why the older sister, on the day she was taken to the hospital, insisted on making her younger sister make that vow, even if it meant refusing treatment. And how the fatal wounds that took the older sister's life were inflicted remains a mystery.

The more Old Li, Xie Xin, and the other young girls on the team learned, the heavier their hearts became. Whether it was sympathy or a desire to help, it was truly difficult to know where to begin with the girl who lived her life behind a silent, cold, and hard shell.

However, it wasn't entirely hopeless. At least, with everyone's silent and focused attention, the girl's life, still dominated by silence, was slowly changing. At least she was no longer alone; at least she could now eat with everyone in the restaurant, and Yuan Yuan could sit by her bedside and exchange a few words with her at night.

The dark-skinned girl was gradually integrating into the team. It was during this time that Yuanyuan noticed something that left everyone puzzled. The most striking example was that the dark-skinned girl, always the last to enter the bathroom, hadn't noticed Yuanyuan still inside.

Just as Yuanyuan was about to greet her, the dark-skinned girl, having taken off her clothes and neatly folded them, was pinching her own shoulder and back while muttering to herself, "I told you not to let him lean on me! I told you not to let him touch me again..." Yuanyuan had secretly witnessed the dark-skinned girl behaving this way when no one was around a couple of times. Initially, Yuanyuan was not only shocked but also couldn't understand it. Even a girl who had experienced hardship in life didn't need to be so cruel to herself!

She had quietly discussed this with Xie Xin and the others, but no one could offer a reasonable explanation for the dark-skinned girl's behavior. Therefore, everyone's unanimous advice to Yuanyuan was to be more attentive and not let the dark-skinned girl be too harsh on herself.

Through careful observation, Yuanyuan noticed that Hei Yatou only behaved this way after intense physical training sessions. After regular training, Hei Yatou rarely exhibited similar behavior.

Intensive physical training? Could the intensity of the training cause Hei Yatou to develop some kind of rebellious attitude? No way. Even Yu Lian, the team's former best stamina player, genuinely admired Hei Yatou's stamina. If Yuanyuan herself could endure such intense training, then Hei Yatou would certainly be able to as well. After ruling out this possibility, Yuanyuan began to analyze every detail of each high-intensity physical training session…

These details, in fact, focused on a few key factors: Old Li always led the training; each session always included intense physical contact; and after each session, Old Li personally provided a massage for relaxation – a routine that was always essential.

Combining these factors, and considering the self-reproach Yuanyuan had overheard from Hei Yatou, Yuanyuan finally understood. Hei Yatou's behavior stemmed from physical contact with Lao Li during training. Knowing Hei Yatou came from the countryside, Yuanyuan realized that even from a rural background, Hei Yatou shouldn't be so conservative about physical contact between men and women.

If she were overly conservative, she would have been very resistant to it during training. However, no matter how carefully Yuanyuan observed, her conclusion was that Hei Yatou didn't show any aversion to physical contact with Lao Li; in fact, she seemed to actively accept it.

But what happened after the contact? With each subsequent contact, Hei Yatou became increasingly harsh on herself. In other words, deep down, Hei Yatou not only accepted the physical contact, but it also seemed to hold a strong attraction for her. However, after the contact, for some reason, she was forced to punish herself against her inner conscience whenever that reason was brought into play.

Yuanyuan discussed her observations with Xie Xin. Knowing that Hei Yatou had made a vow to her sister in the hospital, Xie Xin was basically certain of Hei Yatou's motives. She then suggested to Lao Li that the team's physical reserves were already sufficient. Lao Li should either come to the team less often, or when he did, he should only offer technical and tactical guidance and avoid excessive contact with the female players, including Hei Yatou.

Originally, Lao Li and Xie Xin's intention was simply to allow the female players to focus more on training. However, the fact that the female players trained more diligently because Lao Li visited less often led to a surprising result: they seemed to be holding their breath, pushing their physical reserves to the point of exhaustion.

Excessive physical reserves need to be used up in a planned way during training. It's not that having too much physical reserves is bad, but rather that excessive physical strength can directly affect the players' mentality during the game. It can cause the players to be too excited during the game, which can lead to a decline in the implementation of tactics and physical training plans throughout the game.

If it weren't for Lao Li's injury and hospitalization, the work of balancing the team's physical reserves would have proceeded smoothly. But since Lao Li was hospitalized, Xie Xin and Coach Mi took over his responsibilities. Previously, with the teams they coached, they were always worried about insufficient physical reserves and would find ways to get the players to practice more. But now, to burn off excess energy from the players' bodies, Xie Xin and Coach Mi discovered that this task was even more challenging than before.

Take Ya Rou, for example; the more they tried to balance her physical reserves, the more her stamina seemed to increase. Although she had managed to control her emotions relatively well these past few days, the two coaches knew that once the intense atmosphere of a match arrived, Ya Rou was very likely to lose her composure.

What troubled the two coaches most was that the girl, who was usually the least of their concern in this regard, had, during the period when Lao Li was less frequently with the team, quietly and unobtrusively pushed her already formidable physical abilities to an even more terrifying level. In other words, this quiet little girl is on the verge of exploding, both physically and emotionally. She'll be the first to lose control once she's on the field.

To be honest, Old Li doesn't have a good solution to this new discovery, because adjusting both physically and mentally in just a day or two is unrealistic. But now, Hei Ya and Ya Rou have become the team's absolute mainstays, and judging from the group stage draw, Old Li's group is basically a group of death.

This means that if the players aren't in top form before the match, their opponents won't give them any time to adjust. The match starts the day after tomorrow, and Old Li…

for some reason, has a surge of internal heat within him. Besides manifesting in his physical characteristics (such as male virility), his mental state will also be directly affected, leading to insomnia, irritability, and a short temper. When an individual accumulates excess energy, it affects both their physical and mental well-being. However, in terms of mental impact, besides irritability and short temper, the uncontrolled excitement and increased aggression caused by excess energy are even more troublesome.

Guiding the release of excess energy without damaging necessary energy reserves is like regulating rising internal heat—it should be done slowly, not hastily. Whether it's cooling down or releasing semen, rushing might save time, but the unforeseen consequences could be devastating.

With only two days left, Old Li had ways to relieve the excess energy in these dozen or so young girls, but such methods weren't suitable for all the girls in the team. It's not really appropriate to use this method on all the girls on the team, which stems from Old Li's sleazy, unsavory thoughts. For example, one solution that popped into Old Li's mind was to have the girls play together, or at least play two games in a controlled manner, which would solve all the problems quickly.

However, while this solution is unsavory, the main issue is that players like Ya Rou, Hei Ya, the power forward from Tiancheng Women's Basketball Team, and several other girls who joined the No. 33 Middle School girls' team later—if Old Li were to shamelessly say to these girls, "To adjust everyone's competitive state and for our team to achieve excellent results in this competition, well... how about I... you and I do it twice?"—

wouldn't these girls take off their super-elastic sports shoes and slap Old Li's... well, you know, knocking out all his teeth?

I know such thoughts are filthy and vulgar, and I know that if I were to express them, I would definitely be beaten to a pulp. But humans are like that; it's hard to say whether they're base or what. When they encounter something urgent, no matter what solution comes to mind (let's not even discuss whether the solution is filthy or vulgar), unless there's a truly better solution that moves or forces them to give up, this solution will cling to them like a ghost, stubbornly occupying their consciousness and making all their thoughts revolve around that thought.

Old Li, you could say he's not exactly a coward, but if you're going to call him a true hero, he seems to lack some kind of support. So, you know, people are like this: either you're a coward to the end, or you're a man of principle with your head held high. Being stuck in this limbo makes it easy for someone to have lewd and vulgar thoughts, while in reality, they hesitate and try to put on a facade of righteousness.

In other words, Old Li followed behind those two young girls, and along the way, looking at their tall figures, especially their two plump, swaying buttocks, Old Li's wildly growing heart was filled with desire, his mind racing with countless fantasies about those two fleshy buttocks. But once he entered Ya Rou's house, the heart-fluttering Old Li was still thinking of putting on another act of righteousness.

Perhaps it was that on that day, whether it was the shy, dark-skinned girl or the uninhibited Ya Rou, in that unique atmosphere, without taking the final step, they had an intimate encounter with Lao Li. It was this intimate encounter that Lao Li kept replaying in his mind, subconsciously anticipating its recurrence.

Perhaps it was the thought that popped into his head to solve a problem, like a virgin always remembering her first man, that dominated Lao Li's thinking, unconsciously leading him to always proceed in this way. For example, now, with only the two newcomers to the No. 33 Middle School girls' team, the dark-skinned girl and Ya Rou, together with several former members of the No. 33 Middle School girls' team, the scene almost identical to that day was before Lao Li's eyes again, and he couldn't help but hope that scene would repeat itself.

Perhaps, after gradually learning about the almost tragic experiences of the girl with the dark complexion, a voice inside Lao Li kept telling him that this time, he should help this helpless girl without regard for the cost.

However, just as Lao Li approached the girl and quietly reached out to help her, the information relayed by Yuan Yuan's discreet observation revealed that Lao Li knew his actions in helping the girl had touched upon something deep within her heart, making his help a burden for her. Therefore, Lao Li reluctantly chose to distance himself from the girl with the dark complexion and all the girls on the team.

The most obvious change was that Lao Li visited the team less often and spent far less time there. However, whether it was the dark-skinned girl or any of the other girls, Old Li only maintained a slight distance from them, yet he felt a deep sense of longing. This longing intensified after he had bravely helped the girls out shopping that day.

Perhaps when Old Li first slept in the same bed with most of these girls, he felt more self-reproach and remorse. But as he slept in that bed repeatedly, he didn't realize that he had not only accepted these girls into his heart, but a growing affection had filled every corner of his soul.

Perhaps, only when feelings reach their peak and then fade can Old Li better manage the flow and expression of this emotion. But now, Old Li had only just allowed this emotion to be fully ignited in his heart these past few days—a flame that, catalyzed by external factors, suddenly burned brightly, potentially igniting something in his hair.

Perhaps, given Old Li's experience and his way of handling things, the chance occurrence of one of the many factors would have given him a real chance to steer things in a more reasonable direction. But this is like when someone's thoughts suddenly veer off to one side while writing; it's hard to say when things might completely spiral out of control. So, it wouldn't be hard to understand if Old Li did something surprising, would it?

Her fine white teeth bit down hard on the muscles of Old Li's shoulder. In her sobbing, she finally let out all the sorrow and repression that had been buried in her heart for so long. Old Li's big hand gently stroked and combed the black girl's somewhat disheveled hair, and let the tears that were scattered like beads flow and vent like raindrops into her heart...

11-15

Chapter 4: Walking Over (1)

With one hand on the armrest of the sofa, he gently stroked the black girl's smooth hair, letting her vent to her heart. He carefully supported his body, afraid that if he was too heavy, he would hurt the little girl who was crying. So Old Li concentrated almost all the weight of his upper body on the hand that was supporting him on the armrest of the sofa.

Old Li, who could do hundreds of push-ups without a care in the world, could easily support his upper body weight with just one hand for a short while. However, this fracture in his shoulder blade was a painful reminder not to hold on for too long.

Pain mingled with his overflowing love and tenderness, and the little girl's fine white teeth, which had been clenched tightly around her shoulder muscles, loosened at this moment.

The numb muscles after the excruciating pain now burned like fire, causing even Old Li, a rather masculine man, to involuntarily twitch his lips. Completely ignoring Old Li's feelings, the little girl, having released her grip on his shoulder, wrapped her arms, regaining feeling and elasticity, around his neck, draping half her body over him, sobbing and whimpering as her endless tears soaked his shoulder and chest.

The little girl, who had always lived a strong but lonely life, finally let go of the burden she couldn't bear, yet had to, and truly became a little girl again, crying freely. Life had a new beginning.

The hand that had been stroking her hair slid down her neck, gently encircling her shoulders and back. Her little head, which had been shifting between Old Li's shoulder and his during her sobs, was now gently secured beneath his shoulder.

Like a gentle pat to lull someone into a dream, like a soothing venting finding a smoother outlet, the light pats, like comforting caresses, gradually shrunk the little girl's sobs, clinging to Old Li, to only occasional sobs.

"Does it hurt?"

The time between their gazes seemed endless. The little girl, her eyes fixed on the deep crescent-shaped red welt on Old Li's shoulder, and Old Li, his eyes softly fixed on hers, both asked the same short question during their first exchange that night.

They both paused briefly at this same question, then a blush quickly spread across the little girl's cheeks. She whimpered and nestled back under Old Li's shoulder, her hands, still wrapped around his neck, scratching and kneading with a mixture of resentment and shy unease.

A tender smile spread across Old Li's lips. His hand, which had been bracing itself on the sofa armrest and conveying a slight pain, suddenly wrapped around the little girl, pulling her tightly into his arms. Old Li then laid her down on the sofa.

The little girl's face, hidden beneath Old Li's shoulder, was gently but firmly pulled out. As Old Li's warm breath and gentle caresses of his face rubbed against her cheek and neck, the little girl shifted slightly, trying to adjust. Her fingers, with utmost care, traced the edge of the deep red crescent-shaped mark on Old Li's shoulder.

His breath brushed against her ear, and his lips and tongue occasionally touched her cheek and earlobe. A ticklish, tingling sensation, like being slightly electrocuted, swept over her. The little girl, increasingly agitated by this sensation, not only gave up touching the crescent-shaped mark on Old Li's shoulder, but also could only writhe her body, tightly wrapped around Old Li's neck with both hands, amidst faint moans.

(The moderator's review is very strict, and they have a very ruthless approach to such narratives. Old Mu was just warned, so of course he won't challenge the moderator's policy. However, if this continues, what Old Mu wants to narrate will inevitably conflict with the moderator's policy. Therefore, Old Mu can't guarantee that "Maple Leaf" will end here hastily on some cloudy afternoon. But don't worry, after the maple leaf falls here, Old Mu will still send the rest of the narrative to everyone, but Old Mu will not be on QQ anymore 'for reasons I explained before'. Please leave your contact information, and Old Mu will send the rest of the content.

Summer nights are always too short! Especially such a beautiful night when the flower buds are just beginning to bloom, it gives people this impression even more. Just as the sky in the east was fully bright, Old Li opened his eyes and looked at the curtains that were dyed by the morning glow, and sighed like this. The naked black girl was still holding him tightly like this, and the one who usually looked at him...) Ya Rou, who usually seemed carefree and uninhibited, revealed a different side of herself last night—a shy, almost nauseous girl when faced with real intimacy.

Looking at Ya Rou, who insisted on covering herself with a thin sheet before going to sleep, and then at the other girls sprawled out, also completely naked and fast asleep, Old Li gently kissed the dark-skinned girl in his arms, then quietly withdrew his hand from under her body. He got up.

The butterfly flowers in the small courtyard of the apartment building swayed in the morning breeze, releasing their delicate fragrance. Old Li, who was doing his warm-up exercises, suddenly froze.

Xie Xin's ambiguous smile was one thing, but why was Fei'er, who also had an ambiguous smile, here? But Old Li couldn't really worry about his questions right now, because these two women were also from the same apartment building. What Old Li needed to do was probably explain what had happened last night.

"Old Li, Fei'er and I are leaving first. Don't forget to tell those little girls to go home when they wake up."

Explanations require careful wording, so while Old Li was organizing his thoughts, Xie Xin, with a half-smile, spoke first.

"Ah! Leaving already! You two..."

Old Li, caught off guard by Xie Xin's words, had only managed to say half of his question when Fei'er, still smiling, interjected, "Xin'er and I came here last night on a whim, but we arrived a bit late, so we didn't want to bother you. We slept in the room downstairs. Mom and Wei have to go out, so I need to get Xin'er to drive me home quickly. Don't worry about it."

"Alright, alright, Lao Li, stop explaining all that nonsense. I really need to get back right away! Oh, right, Xiao Zhu told me yesterday afternoon that she and two of her classmates are coming to watch the competition tomorrow. I think the environment here is nice, so let Xiao Zhu and the others stay here. That way, they won't have to travel so far back and forth."

Seeing that Lao Li was about to start talking again, Fei'er decisively pushed him aside, and while talking to him, she pulled Xie Xin away in a hurry.

"Hehe... I'm telling you, Lao Li, Fei'er and I haven't thought much about what happened last night. You, don't overthink it! I think you should hurry back and take care of those little girls. Fei'er and I are leaving now."

Just as Lao Li was about to say something more to Fei'er and the other two women, Xin'er turned around and, while pushing Lao Li back, also said something to reassure him.

Chapter 4: Coming Over (2)

The group stage was unprecedentedly intense. The No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team, with three wins and three losses, ranked first in the group after the final score calculation. The team that was generally considered to be the weakest in the group before the competition suddenly became the biggest dark horse in the entire group. While the participating teams that qualified for the group stage were surprised, they also turned their wary eyes to this team.

The players' technical characteristics and the team's overall tactical style are now being studied intensively by all teams that might potentially face the No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team in any stage of the knockout rounds. This room, formerly a meeting room at No. 5 Middle School that could accommodate forty people, now features a huge rear-projection wall-mounted screen displaying live footage of the girls' basketball group stage matches.

All the coaches and players of the No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team are sitting here, watching the game and discussing it under Coach Mi's guidance. This is the last match of Group A, in which Wushi Experimental Middle School defeated their opponent to advance, becoming No. 33 Middle School's opponent in the quarterfinals after the ranking changes.

The image on the wall-mounted screen freezes intermittently, and as Coach Mi circles the screen, the key players of the Wushi Experimental Middle School girls' basketball team are identified. Coach Mi explained the technical characteristics of these players and emphasized the points to note when facing them in offense and defense. Xie Xin then followed up with Coach Mi's explanation, analyzing the opposing coach's main tactical arrangements based on these players' characteristics from a holistic perspective.

Among the team, Hei Ya Tou (Black Girl) has the best ability to break through and score in the guard position, but Yu Lian and Lü Na are better at defense and coordinating the team's offense. After all the players discussed Xie Xin's tactical arrangements, Lao Li, the team leader who hadn't spoken since entering, called together the three core guards.

Perhaps life had given Hei Ya Tou a somewhat aloof personality, and this manifested on the court as a habitually solitary player when controlling the ball. Undoubtedly, with this solitary approach, Hei Ya Tou's individual ball control and scoring ability are among the best in the team.

Old Li called the three of them together, not elaborating on how Hei Yatou should coordinate with her teammates when she's playing solo. He spoke more to Yu Lian and Lü Na, emphasizing the need to boldly create opportunities for Hei Yatou to work independently during crucial moments. In

critical times, someone needs to step up. When someone dares to stand up in such a situation, they need not only the courage to take responsibility but also the unwavering support and trust of their teammates. It's not that we don't need teamwork; we also need responsible individuals to lead the team to meet challenges. It's

just that not everyone can be that responsible person most of the time. Because stepping up might mean facing a failed attack, we can't let that failure shake our support and trust.

Miracles happen more often because the game isn't over yet, and we maintain that support and confidence. Old Li isn't someone who idolizes heroes, and that's why he'll never become a hero in his life.

However, Lao Li didn't care whether he could be a hero or not. He did know one thing, though: no matter when or what, everyone needs to take responsibility, no matter how insignificant it may seem. When it's your turn to take responsibility, you must.

By extension, Lao Li, who didn't know what made a hero, understood the importance of taking responsibility in life, and therefore deeply respected those who stepped forward to do so. Things in life that could truly destroy you are rare. Thinking about it, if someone doesn't care about taking on trivial matters, wouldn't they likely wet their pants more often when faced with a truly devastating situation?

After talking with the three team members, the two-hour usage time for the meeting room, as stipulated by the organizing committee, was up. The team members walked out in small groups, chatting and laughing. Lao Li, who had been the last to leave the meeting room for the past few days, glanced at Fei'er's mother sitting next to him out of the corner of his eye.

No wonder, from the group stage matches onwards, whenever Old Li was involved in anything related to the No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team, and whenever he was involved in anything related to her, Fei'er's mother was always there beside him.

Frankly, Fei'er's mother was practically inseparable from him. Aside from a sense of dread towards her, Old Li couldn't bring himself to face her calmly. However, it wouldn't be accurate to say he utterly loathed her constant

presence. Yet, seeing her brought a certain fear, while not seeing her brought a deep longing, though not to the point of intense emotion. Old Li himself found it difficult to articulate his feelings. This fear was very clear in his heart, yet it also came and went subtly. Old Li realized that within this daily, subtle feeling, there was something else, almost imperceptible.

It was so faint, so faint you could almost ignore its existence. But it was precisely this unintentional faintness that made Old Li unable to say whether it was because of his daily experiences that he had unconsciously become accustomed to it, or whether accepting something so faint yet clear wasn't as agonizing as he had imagined. So, as it came, Old Li maintained a clear awareness tinged with fear, just as it was about to leave, he would send it off in his own way.

The fork in the road led to two places: east was the parking lot, and south-southwest was the small garden square in front of the teachers' dormitory area.

For the past few days, Fei'er's mother had always taken the east-facing fork in the road when she left. But today, like every day before, Fei'er's mother left without saying a word to Old Li, and as dusk fell, she took the south-southwest fork in the road.

A few scattered starlight points, and occasionally, figures stroll leisurely in the evening breeze. Fei'er, who had disobeyed her mother and taken it upon herself to pick her up from No. 5 Middle School, stood at the end of this south-southwest fork in the road, watching the two figures walking in the evening breeze.

Perhaps, ever since she saw those two figures strolling in the twilight in Old Li's garden, something had subtly remained in Fei'er's heart.

Old Li, who was old enough to be Fei'er's father, didn't look very old, so even though a young woman like Fei'er walked side by side with him like a couple, it didn't feel out of place. In fact, this made Fei'er feel very relaxed, and she enjoyed strolling with Old Li like this.

But ever since she saw her mother and Old Li strolling so peacefully in the twilight, Fei'er realized that whether it was herself, Tian Rong, or Tie Yi, who was closer in age to Old Li, when they walked with Old Li, there was nothing that touched them.

This wasn't because her mother and Lao Li were Fei'er's closest people, nor did Fei'er have any other thoughts. It was because Fei'er saw something...

yes, something called charm, that touched her heart. These two figures, strolling gently in the evening breeze, their arms slightly apart, no whispered laughter carried on the wind, no verbal communication, not even a single word exchanged during their walk that evening. But there was a charm, a charm that only comes with the accumulation of years, a charm of quietly savoring the evening breeze and the setting sun, that touched you subtly.

It was the accumulation of time, a serenity after the relentless passage of years. It belonged only to the marks of time, and only to these two figures strolling gently, savoring those marks.

Time, those marks—these are things no one can deliberately replicate, yet this subtle charm of time touched Fei'er time and time again. Free online novel reading

Chapter 4: Coming Over (3)

"Mom, did you just go for a walk?"

In the gentle evening breeze, when the two figures became roughly clear outlines in front of her, Fei'er said as she walked towards them.

"Yes, the weather is very nice tonight, so we came out for a walk."

Seeing her daughter, who was a little heavy, coming to pick her up despite her stay-at-home order, Fei'er's mother complained in her heart, but because Old Li was there, she didn't scold Fei'er.

"Yeah, Mom, I thought the weather was really nice tonight, so I wanted to come pick you up and we could go for a walk together. But I rushed here and I'm still late! You never even gave your daughter a chance to be filial."

Her mother's words were calm, but Fei'er understood the reproach in her eyes. So Fei'er took her mother's arm, speaking affectionately with a touch of coquetry.

"You! You're just trying to fool your old mother! Tell me, I've raised you since you were little, how many days have had better weather than tonight? And I've never seen you, you silly girl, come and be filial to me, walk with me!"

The mother was mercilessly exposing her daughter's affectionate, slightly mischievous, and always coquettish behavior, but anyone could see how much her daughter's intimacy pleased her.

"Hehe... Mom—look at what you're saying, your good daughter has always been busy! Think about it, when I was little, I was always learning this or that, studying hard all day long. Now that I've just left school, I'm looking for a job and..."

A few stars shone, a crescent moon hung in the sky, Cifei'er was holding her mother's arm on the right, and Old Li, who didn't say much, was walking on the left. On this short path, soft whispers and cheerful voices drifted in the evening breeze...

Today was the day of rest after the group stage ended. Old Li, Tian Rong, Old Xu, Tie Yi, and Geng Ju, the director of logistics and infrastructure projects at the school, were having a meeting in the small conference room of No. 33 Middle School.

The meeting's content was not complicated. It mainly involved a report from Logistics Director Geng Ju on the progress of several infrastructure projects at No. 33 Middle School and the upcoming branch acceptance work. The remaining meeting agenda was the school's new academic year enrollment plan, which had already received approval from the Beicheng District Education Bureau. In particular, the expansion plan for both junior and senior high school classes, from two classes each to six classes each, was also approved by the Beicheng District Education Bureau.

Due to the increased enrollment, the Beicheng District Education Bureau also transferred fourteen teachers to No. 33 Middle School, which had previously lacked sufficient teachers, to bolster its teaching staff and alleviate the shortage of teachers.

These fourteen new teachers transferred from the Beicheng District Education Bureau came from two main sources: five from subordinate districts and counties, and one from other middle schools in the city. These six teachers were considered from different backgrounds, as at least four of them held intermediate-level teaching titles, and the remaining two held intermediate-level titles.

The other eight teachers who were transferred were from similar backgrounds. One, Gong Xinping, initially graduated with a degree in early childhood education and obtained a mid-level professional title. The remaining seven each had a middle school teacher's qualification certificate. Three of them were recent college graduates who responded to the province's call to go directly to remote mountainous areas for a two-year teaching stint.

Their biggest commonality was that their original household registrations were all from various townships. These six teachers from similar backgrounds, in terms of both qualifications and experience, should be familiarizing themselves with the new teaching environment and quickly getting the hang of their assigned tasks. What about the remaining eight? This one, Xiang something…

oh! Her resume is quite detailed. This…

she even has a pentathlon award certificate from the provincial games, at the master level! With her running and jumping abilities, will she lead the children astray in their physical education classes?

This Gong… Gong… Xinping, is she an early childhood education graduate? Early childhood education? Ah—it seems like she could manage teaching some kids to draw and write, at least if she were to substitute for an art class, the students could at least distinguish the seven colors… Ke… cough! cough cough!

This surname is really rare! She's passed Grade 5 in piano, so at least she won't sing 123 off-key, so she could teach the kids music theory…

Looking at the resumes piled up beside him, Old Li, who was being hit on the head with bitter gourds one after another in his office, would hold his head in his hands for a while, his head aching.

A slight knock on the door, and Tian Rong and Tie Yi quietly walked in one after the other. Seeing Old Li's head swollen from being hit by a pile of bitter gourds, the two women exchanged a helpless chuckle. Tian Rong walked towards Old Li, and as Tie Yi closed the door, she gently locked it as well...

Slumped into the office chair, Tian Rong didn't want to move. She genuinely admired Tie Yi, a woman of similar stature, for her resilience. Tie Yi, half-squatting and half-kneeling on the other side of the sofa, used her even smaller mouth to meticulously and gently clean between Old Li's half-open legs...

He'd been hit on the head by a pile of bitter gourds, but these bitter gourds had all received official permits from the North District Education Bureau to come to No. 33 Middle School. Perhaps they'd actually met these people in person. Without a proper assessment, it wouldn't be fair to just throw them into the bitter gourd patch based on their resumes.

"Alright, let's put these worries aside for now." Old Li, Tie Yi, and Tian Rong lingered in the office for a while longer before getting up to head to the training grounds of their school's girls' basketball team at the Fifth Middle School in the city.

Fei'er's mother's car was parked in front of the Thirty-Third Middle School. Old Li, who had also driven out, hesitated for a moment, then drove back to the school, told the gatekeeper he would give the car keys to Principal Tie or Secretary Tian, and walked out of the school gate.

As if she hadn't seen Old Li drive out and back, Fei'er's mother waited for him to get in the car, then started the engine and drove off without a word.

In the history of the European Cup, Denmark replaced Yugoslavia as the last team to qualify for the finals, but at the last moment, they took home all the cakes of that grand feast.

The Wushi Experimental Middle School girls' basketball team, having secured an eight-point lead in the finals, displayed a relaxed mindset and a winning mentality, much like the Danish team during the European Cup, where only three players seemed capable of playing basketball. However, after several surprise attacks to gain an eight-point lead, they maintained this advantage until the final two minutes and forty seconds. With

a five-point deficit and two minutes and forty seconds remaining, Coach Xie of the No. 33 Middle School girls' team gestured to the referee to call a timeout as Yu Lian prepared to inbound the ball.

The No. 33 Middle School players were showing signs of impatience, eager to close the gap in the remaining time. Meanwhile, the Wushi Experimental Middle School players, along with their coach, who had already been performing exceptionally well, were now focused on maintaining their five-point lead through relentless defense.

One team was striving to catch up and even surpass their opponent, while the other aimed to extend their lead to the end of the game through tight defense. The timeout was a crucial test of who could make the most of the limited remaining time.

Yuanyuan, Zhang Nan, Ya Rou, Hei Ya Tou, and Yu Lian were the lineup Xie Xin had reorganized during the timeout. This was because the Experimental Middle School's center, in terms of both height and physical strength, had withstood the repeated attacks from Ya Rou and the power forward from Tiancheng Middle School. Of course, the success was primarily due to the combined efforts of the Experimental Middle School players.

While Yuanyuan's height and physical strength were relatively weaker, her footwork was almost comparable to that of a small forward. By having Ya Rou draw the opposing center out from under the basket, Yuanyuan could disrupt the game with her agile footwork, creating scoring opportunities for Hei Ya Tou's drives and Zhang Nan's long-range shots.

Xie Xin and Coach Mi quickly and concisely outlined the specific tactics. The five players about to take the court listened silently, some sitting and some squatting. As the timeout was about to end and the players got up to return to the court, an arm holding a water bottle was extended in front of Yu Lian, who had just stood up. It was...it was Xiao Zhu!

The cheerleaders' youthful and energetic outfits had been changed. Now, a jersey they'd somehow acquired—even the smallest size on the team, without a number—looked like half a robe on her. After a moment of stunned silence, Yu Lian burst out laughing.

Laughing, she took the water Xiao Zhu offered, gave her a high-five, and then gulped down the bottle. All the teammates who had stood up after Yu Lian laughed as they took the water from Xiao Zhu. Just as everyone was drinking the water Xiao Zhu offered and entering the competition area, Xiao Zhu's conspicuously obvious and flawed disguise was spotted by the sharp eyes of the match's officiating supervisor a few steps away.

Watching the off-court supervisor stride up to Xiaozhu, his stern questioning remarkably serious, and seeing Xiaozhu's conspicuous yet flawed outfit, looking utterly embarrassed and disheveled under the supervisor's harsh questioning, the players of the No. 33 Middle School girls' team, after another moment of suppressed laughter, felt a sense of relief as they began the final three minutes of the game. A

relaxed mindset is beneficial for performance, and at this moment, the No. 33 Middle School girls' team's lineup was their strongest offensive force, one they had never displayed before.

Their height advantage, coupled with their rapid movement and positioning, caught even the Experimental Middle School girls' basketball team, who had been adept at defending the second and third tiers for the first thirty minutes, off guard. Despite the Experimental Middle School's almost entirely successful defense, a gap was torn open in their otherwise unprepared defense.

In two minutes and forty seconds, the No. 33 Middle School girls' team had scored nine points, while Wushi Experimental Middle School had also scored two points before the final moments. With a two-point lead, the No. 33 Middle School girls' basketball team advanced to the quarterfinals.

Among the crowd celebrating the victory, Xiaozhu was conspicuously absent. For a serious competition like this, no one unrelated to the game was allowed to be present, not even in the athletes' rest area. Xiaozhu not only violated the rules by being in an inappropriate place, but also by handing the athletes on the court items related to food and drink, which are subject to stricter regulations. Therefore, it was inevitable that she would be questioned.

To be honest, even if Xiaozhu's behavior were an occasional occurrence at a provincial middle school sports meet, the organizing committee would not have treated her this way. However, even though it was later proven that she was merely trying to boost the morale of the lagging No. 33 Middle School team, out of a sense of fairness and responsibility to both sides, Xiaozhu was still called in and thoroughly questioned by the organizing committee after the game. It seemed that even every bottle of water she handed to the No. 33 Middle School players was scrutinized by the organizing committee.

When his daughter suddenly appeared at his school's competition venue, Old Li was surprised but also relieved. He was somewhat taken aback by the organizing committee's serious attitude afterward. For the winning No. 33 Middle School girls' team, Xiao Zhu's actions were positive. However, for the losing Wushi Experimental Middle School girls' basketball team, perhaps Xiao Zhu should have thought more deeply about her actions. For example, was the water Xiao Zhu handed to the players approved by the organizing committee?

If not, could the water contain some substance that could enhance the athletes' performance? After all, this competition was held in Jiangzhong City, and the No. 33 Middle School girls' team was representing Jiangzhong City. From both a moral and practical standpoint, Jiangzhong City, as the host, should avoid leaving such a lingering problem.

This one violation—walking onto the court to cheer on her father's team—led the organizing committee to carefully consider and restrict Xiao Zhu's qualification as the on-court cheerleading leader. Fortunately, the organizing committee only said that Xiaozhu wouldn't be allowed to continue performing as a cheerleader, but they didn't say she couldn't watch the game if she had the means.

So, Xiaozhu, who was picked up late by Fei'er's mother and brought to Ya Rou's apartment building in the Fifth Middle School compound, was a little disappointed because she couldn't participate in the cheerleading performance. However, here, with her father's big hand gently stroking her hair and the girls from the other teams lining the way to welcome her, Xiaozhu's low spirits instantly lifted.

The celebration, though guided, was restrained and didn't last very long. The girls' basketball team, whose quarter-final match wasn't until the day after tomorrow, had all gone to rest early. In the largest room on the third floor of the apartment building, Fei'er's mother, Tian Rong, Lao Li, and several members of Xiaozhu's cheerleading team who had come to comfort Xiaozhu and celebrate the victory of the Thirty-Three Middle School girls' team, remained.

Even though her daughter's disappointment at not being able to continue performing in the cheerleading squad had lessened considerably, a girl her age couldn't simply let go of everything so easily. So, at that moment, Old Li naturally asked his daughter about her cheerleading rehearsals.

The cheerleading performance her daughter was currently performing was only part of their planned routine; apparently, the more exciting routine would be revealed as the competition progressed.

"Then, after your sister Zhang Nan and the others finish their competition the day after tomorrow, you and your friends can come here and perform for them,"

Old Li said, even though his daughter tried her best to hide it, a fleeting hint of disappointment in her eyes still caught his eye. So, Old Li naturally extended an invitation to his daughter and her friends.

"Okay, Xiaozhu, after Zhang Nan and the others finish their competition the day after tomorrow, let's come back here and perform the show we choreographed for them!"

Before Xiaozhu could answer, the classmate who had been staying at Lao Li's house with Xiaozhu during the holidays, and who was now Xiaozhu's teammate in the cheerleading team, excitedly took over Lao Li's words and agreed.

Chapter 4: Walking Over (4)

Lao Li, who was acting as a member of the infrastructure inspection team for the first time in his life, walked into the three-story faculty office building of No. 33 Middle School, which was under renovation, led by the person in charge of Xinrui Infrastructure Team.

Lao Li was also mostly an outsider when it came to a series of specific construction quality issues such as renovation and reconstruction. As for the materials and craftsmanship used by the construction party in the renovation and reconstruction, Lao Li could still know that generally, the more expensive materials would be of better quality than the cheaper ones. As for the craftsmanship, the smooth and neat decoration effect on the surface is probably not bad, right?

Based on his limited understanding of renovation and reconstruction, Lao Li largely delegated the inspection work to Geng Ju and Da Mei, who were in charge of infrastructure at the school, and recommended two professionals. Lao Li himself simply followed along, observing the process.

The main area for renovation was the first floor of a three-story office building, as the six new classes that No. 33 Middle School planned to enroll this year would be housed there. Because this renovation involved some of the building's load-bearing walls, Lao Li had to pay close attention, both for the sake of the students who would be attending classes there and for the school's own responsibility.

The two construction professionals recommended by Da Mei were highly skilled. Having followed the project's progress since its inception, they raised various questions during the inspection, which Lao Li only partially understood. However, the Xinrui Company representatives answered these questions with considerable patience and detail.

The tall figure, whether by sight or by standing side-by-side with Lao Li for a moment without intending to compare, made Lao Li unconsciously remind himself that this slender and elongated man was indeed taller than him.

Why would someone be so concerned about another person's height for no reason? Just as Old Li was about to ask himself this question, the slender and tall figure stood shoulder to shoulder with him again, half a step away.

Watching this figure talk to the people from Xinrui Company, both sides took turns signing off on the acceptance items. It was this slender, tall figure who, while signing, slightly lowered his shoulders, as if trying to escape something, and that something would inevitably try to get close. During this short signing period, Old Li found himself once again being swayed by appearances, using his own shoulder height to measure the other person's shoulder height.

Stimulated, perhaps? Old Li, already unable to find an explanation for this subconscious thought, touched his nose with his index finger. Just then, both parties who had finished signing turned to look at him.

Ah…yes, the signatures on-site were verification of the specific items in the acceptance process. The next step was for the supervision company, represented by the slender, tall figure, to issue its final supervision opinion, which would then be jointly signed by the contractor, the acceptance team (comprising the No. 33 Middle School), and the supervision company.

The No. 33 Middle School was the inspection team, but only Geng Ju, who was in charge of the infrastructure project, had some understanding of construction. However, it was impossible for her to oversee every aspect of the project alone. Frankly, the No. 33 Middle School didn't even have enough teachers to teach on the front lines. Including the logistics and infrastructure work, there were only three official staff members. Therefore, for this renovation and expansion project, besides the project supervision (recommended by Da Mei), the specific construction work was also handled by people Da Mei found.

Old Li trusted Da Mei and had no doubts about the people she recommended, but as a precaution, the No. 33 Middle School also hired another company to oversee each project.

Now, the main renovation work is complete, and the interior decoration is nearing completion. Therefore, all the units related to the renovation and expansion of the No. 33 Middle School are once again gathered together.

The No. 33 Middle School was represented by the contracting party, with the supervision company and the third-party project planning and design company seated on either side. Once the representatives from the contractor, Xinrui Construction Company, were also seated, the acceptance process for the main renovation project officially began.

Xinrui performed admirably, and the supervision and third-party companies also approved, resulting in a smooth acceptance process. The same parties then signed contracts for the commercial development of the new teaching building for No. 33 Middle School and part of the land previously used as a vocational school training factory.

While the foundation work for the new teaching building had already begun, the formal contract was only signed today, primarily due to the unresolved issue of who would ultimately acquire the development rights to the land previously used by the vocational school. The signing of this new teaching building construction contract signified that the dust had settled.

Qingyu and Damei, having pooled their resources, should have secured what they needed in this turbulent situation. But the question remains: what about the others who also participated in this upheaval? Did they all receive what they were entitled to?

Regardless of what happens in the future, the expansion project of the new teaching building at No. 33 Middle School will no longer be on the minds of those who received the appropriate benefits and those who didn't.

The vocational school, Jiangzhong City Vocational School, whose initial founding philosophy was to be based in the industrial area of the northern district and aimed to become a first-class vocational school for the entire province and even the country, left behind its school buildings, now adorned with swallows' nests, and a campus large enough to build a large racetrack, standing silently next to No. 33 Middle School, silently gazing at the industrial road where heavy trucks shuttle back and forth. The

silent vocational school campus, in its final darkness, is tinged with an unforgettable crimson. Even as resentment and pain still flow in some hearts, the immense benefits contained within its vast campus have already attracted countless expectant eyes.

The fervent gazes cast upon the black and crimson campus, still tinged with resentment and pain in some hearts, seemed to have forgotten everything that had happened there. However, these countless focused gazes were simply too intense and urgent. Old Li himself couldn't stop them, nor could the 33rd Middle School, and even those at a higher level than Old Li and the 33rd Middle School couldn't stop them.

But one thing Old Li was clear about: regardless of whose gazes were fixed here, in a place brimming with immense profit, maximizing that profit was what every one of those gazes desired.

In other words, whoever would dominate this place, whether it ultimately became a commercial district or a high-end residential area, everyone hoped to reap greater profits with minimal investment in basic infrastructure.

This included supporting medical facilities, convenient transportation, schools, kindergartens, and so on—all necessary infrastructure investments to maximize profits. Even if

the 33rd Middle School wasn't the best school, a proper investment to improve it would be far less costly than building a new school. Moreover, not only did No. 33 Middle School find the most suitable position for itself in this turbulent situation, it also chose to invest in the infrastructure that should rightfully belong to the soon-to-be-dominated area.

The vocational school's land was a large cake, and No. 33 Middle School swiftly sliced it into two pieces, one large and one small. The smaller piece, which served both No. 33 Middle School's own interests and allowed other beneficiaries to expand their gains, was one that No. 33 Middle School would keep if it wanted to. The larger piece, No. 33 Middle School simply placed it at the table where everyone was seated: this belongs to you, and you can decide how to divide it.

Old Li, from the day he was born, was destined not to be the one standing at the table to dominate and divide the cake. In other words, Old Li never imagined he could become such a person.

Unable to stand tall and upright, according to 21st-century values, Old Li was an unsuccessful person. Like many powerful figures who, after a few drinks, travel back to their past lives—an era where they could rise to power and dominate—they wielded their longest-handled swords, freely slicing and chopping at the vast pie of profit, drawing lines in their hearts for everyone else.

Old Li, however, would probably be drenched in Buddha's foot-washing water and still not have the chance to travel back. So, Old Li consoled himself: "In this life, you're a coward; wouldn't you be even more cowardly in your past life?" Cowards like us are the majority in both past and present lives. Since that's the case, it's better to be someone who isn't the most cowardly, but at least someone with some responsibility.

Heh, Old Li is dreaming. Hopefully, those who have traveled back to their past lives, and those who have already done so, won't blame a dreamer.

Chapter 4: Approaching (4th part)

Not far away, Da Mei was smiling broadly. Beside her was Qing Yu, whose eyes also held a playful smile, yet she was also glancing up and down at Lao Li with a probing gaze.

"Da Mei! Qing Yu!"

Realizing that there must be some story behind Qing Yu's playful and probing gaze that she was unaware of, a slightly hoarse voice, quite captivating, rang out. A figure walked down the steps behind Lao Li and approached Da Mei and Qing Yu.

The figure was thinner and taller, still wearing the work uniform of the supervision company that showed a few taut curves around the waist and hips. However, the safety helmet that had been on his head even during the meeting and signing in the conference room was no longer on his head. Thus, without the protection of the safety helmet, his long, black hair, like a waterfall of silk, almost reaching his waist, shimmered with a smooth luster in the flowing sunlight.

My heart was instantly stirred. As if in an instant, a small, long-forgotten figure, a mere outline in his mind, overlapped and intertwined with this thin, slender figure in Old Li's dazed vision.

"Xiao Fan! When did you get back?"

Her dazed vision cleared instantly, and she saw three people walking towards her hand in hand, laughing and talking. Old Li smiled slightly and called out to the one in the middle with certainty, asking her a question. Not only was the one in the middle taken aback when Old Li called her name with certainty, but Qingyu and Damei on her left and right were also stunned by the call.

"You damn Mei, didn't you say that even if I told Teacher Li my original name, she wouldn't recognize me? You brat, look! I listened to you, and I've been seeing Teacher Li for so long, hiding and trying to be stern, but she still recognized me right away! You damn Mei, it's all your fault..." The girl

in the middle, momentarily stunned, suddenly turned her head, her voice hoarse yet crisp as she complained about Mei. Finally, she resorted to a little girl's private revenge tactic: one of them, seemingly fierce but actually not, stretched out her hands and scratched and clawed at the other's armpits and ribs.

"Hehe...haha...ah! No...no...it's...ah!haha..."

While being verbally teased, and with her most ticklish spots being pinched by delicate fingers, Da Mei, barely able to protect her armpits and ribs from the tickling sensation, couldn't withstand the onslaught of ten slender fingers despite her attempts to dodge and huddle. She burst into a fit of laughter, almost suffocating from the tickling.

Was it ten years ago? Or fifteen years ago? In a hazy vision, Old Li seemed to see scenes from his old family compound, a few small, blurry figures chasing each other, laughing and playing... After the laughter and play, those small figures from back then now stood gracefully before him.

Xiao Fan, whose name was Yu Tong back then, added a character to her name during her second year of university—the name Old Li, the supervisor, saw on his signature: Yu Yetong.

In one classroom, if someone called out "Xiao Tong" from the doorway, two girls would immediately stand up and answer. Meanwhile, downstairs in a dormitory building, someone called out to a row of windows—"Xiao Tong, come down!"—and different windows opened, and heads popped out from three or four windows to reply: "Who's looking for me?" Thus, four girls, each with a homophone in their name, met by chance and forged a deep friendship.

This friendship, forged after their initial connection, was commemorated with a lasting testament by inscribing a single character in each of their names. Yu Tong, the only one among the four with a two-character name, changed her name to Yu Yetong.

During summer vacation, in the Li family courtyard, on a stone bench beneath the swaying bamboo groves, Xiao Zhu's third aunt, Tie Yi, sat on one side, while Old Li and Fei'er's mother sat on the other. The spring water gushing from the stone well filled the small lake in the garden, which had been dry for many years, until it was perfectly still, like a mirror. Blooming lotus flowers and koi carp occasionally rippling the surface of the lake, while Fei'er, Qingyu, Damei, and Xiaofan chatted softly.

This place had been a playground for children during every school holiday since Old Li came to teach at the military district primary school. Now, those who used to treat it as a playground, like Xiaofan and her generation, have already left behind their carefree and innocent childhood. And generation after generation of children, even though Old Li has been away from the military district primary school for almost ten years, still frequent this place for children in the military compound and those from the surrounding area who are now attending the military district primary school. It

's not because Old Li is old that he views children with his own limited perspective. For example, Old Li, who is somewhat forward-thinking in some ways, built a small extreme sports training ground for the children on a vacant lot in his backyard a few years ago, when extreme sports became popular. They can rollerblade, ride BMX bikes, and the children especially love the eight-meter-high artificial stone wall with safety ropes, where they can also experience rock climbing.

Previously, badminton, table tennis, jump rope, hula hoops, and a half-court basketball hoop accompanied Xiao Fan and her generation as they grew up. Now, the more diverse extreme sports area has become quite popular among the neighborhood children. Half a lifetime has passed quickly. Old Li, who has always worked in education-related fields, perhaps finds his greatest achievement in this courtyard: watching generation after generation of children come and go.

In fact, the parents familiar with Old Li's compound feel quite comfortable letting their children come here. This is because, besides having a lot of fun, many children have developed self-disciplined study habits under Old Li's consistent, subtle guidance.

Playing is a way for the children to interact and get closer, but the main task for these children is to consciously settle down and review their textbooks.

To be honest, Old Li himself isn't a good teacher. Few of his students excel in any one subject, and it's extremely rare for him to produce students with outstanding overall academic performance. At best, this less-than-perfect teacher has produced a large group of students who are slightly below average academically, but not quite as good as the really good ones.

While their own child wasn't the most outstanding student, their academic performance was consistently and reliably among the top tier. Crucially, their child was also well-behaved and easy to manage. Therefore, aside from the parents themselves having a strong sense of self-improvement and applying the same standards to their children, and thus limiting their children's visits to Old Li's yard, most parents didn't restrict their children's visits to Old Li's compound.

Old Li didn't really care whose children often came to play in his yard, but wherever there are people, countless invisible yet definitely traceable circles will form. For example, there were Qingyu, Damei, and Xiaotong, the children who grew up together... Chapter

4

: Walking Over (5 Part 1)

Qingjiang Province is located in the heart of the Central Plains, and its important economic and cultural center status in the Central Plains is beyond doubt. When the Central Plains Military Region, one of the four major military regions in China, also established its headquarters in Jiangzhong City, the capital of Qingjiang Province, it was enough to illustrate the strategic significance of Qingjiang Province in the Central Plains.

Old Li's house has been his neighbor across the street from the Central Plains Military Region since the day it was established. What's more, the site of the Central Plains Military Region's headquarters compound was formerly Old Li's East House. During the Cultural Revolution, the military region also temporarily requisitioned the compound where Old Li now lives for more than ten years.

Old Li clearly remembered that in 1984, his grandfather and the military region officials formally completed a donation procedure for his family's house, a donation that was over thirty years late. Based on this, the military region also paid the Li family rent for thirty-eight years. The already harmonious neighborly relationship, built on the foundation of a thirty-eight-year landlord-tenant relationship, deepened even further after Old Li was specifically transferred to the military region's primary school.

When Qingyu and Xiaotong were studying at the military region's primary school, their fathers were just beginning to rise to the rank of regimental or battalion commanders in the military compound, while their grandfathers' generation, as founding fathers of the Republic, were now among the highest leaders of the country.

So, when Qingyu was in first grade and Xiaotong was in third grade, a group of children playing in Old Li's courtyard, after a quarrel over a trivial matter, gradually drew several small circles among themselves. Surprisingly, these small circles, perhaps unintentionally drawn in the heat of youthful impulsiveness, remained clearly imprinted. And as time passed, as these innocent children grew into adults, each member of their respective small circles not only rarely interacted with those in other circles, but some even reached the point of never speaking to each other again. Birds of a feather

flock together; people are grouped by their kind. This observation, made by the ancients after seeing through the complexities of the world, is indeed insightful. Groups of children came and went, and these circles, some large, some small, some clear, some vague, gradually formed in Old Li's courtyard. In the comings and goings, Old Li never thought about why these circles existed in the first place, nor did he consider trying to mediate and help them blend together a little.

Don't assume that older people can understand everything that happens in the children's world. Human relationships are both simple and complex, and one can never fully comprehend them in a lifetime. Rather than relying on others to enlighten us, it's better to let those involved discover and experience it for themselves. Growing up isn't just about increasing height and weight; it's about understanding the simplicity and turmoil of life—perhaps only then can we say we're no longer children.

Xiao Tong and Fei'er walked towards a group of little ones coming out of the backyard. One of them, still wearing her rollerblading protective gear, pointed at a chubby little boy with his head down, glaring at him and scolding him.

As everyone in the distance, like Old Li and his group, watched with smiles as the little rascals had their little squabble, a slightly larger and taller boy—even bigger than the chubby boy who had been shrugging his head—suddenly rushed out from the group, shoved aside the little girl who had been scolding Qingyu, and walked away with his head down. Fei'er, standing

next to Qingyu, tried her best to avoid the little boy who was bumping into her, but in her haste to dodge, her pregnant body, now much heavier, didn't manage to avoid him completely. "Ah!" With a startled cry, Fei'er, losing her balance and being pushed to one side by the little boy, fell to the ground.

Suddenly, a group of people surrounded the fallen Fei'er. By the time Old Li and Fei'er's mother's group rushed to Fei'er and the others, Fei'er had already stood up with a smile, supported by Qingyu and the little girl.

Old Li, carefully observing Fei'er's pulse, breathing, and heartbeat, and confirming that her slightly pale complexion was due to the fright she had experienced when she fell, breathed a long sigh of relief, his heart finally at ease. Fei'er's mother, her face ashen, silently helped Fei'er up, ignoring the cacophony of apologies from the group of children, and walked away.

After a brief silence, the children who had been apologizing loudly suddenly surrounded the slightly chubby boy who had bumped into Fei'er, and a chaotic, yet equally loud, accusatory outburst began.

It's no wonder the little ones were so angry. In the nearly five years since Fei'er came to Old Li's house, the beautiful and generous Fei'er has gradually become familiar with these children, some calling her "sister," others "auntie." Their relationship is exceptionally good. Just now, the slightly older chubby boy, in a fit of anger, bumped into Fei'er and knocked her over. Even though the children are still young, they know the serious consequences of a pregnant woman falling, so their agitation is understandable.

After Old Li and the other adults intervened, the children who had been attacking the chubby boy stopped verbally attacking him, but they all grumbled and ignored him. Old Li's biggest worry right now was Fei'er's mother, who had silently helped Fei'er away. Yes, Old Li's mother-in-law already disliked him, and if something like what just happened happened, the situation Old Li would face... He

couldn't just stand there feeling uncertain. So, after quickly comforting the children, Old Li, under the urging gazes of Qingyu and Tian Rong, steeled himself and headed towards Fei'er's room. He carefully checked Fei'er's pulse again, and quietly inquired about any adverse reactions. Even though Old Li had been incredibly attentive to Fei'er, Fei'er's mother, who hadn't even glanced at him since he entered the room, acted as if he didn't exist, not even giving him a second glance.

Even if someone spits at you, curses at you, or even slaps you across the face, it at least shows that you exist in their eyes and can affect their emotions. However, if someone ignores you like you're invisible, you'd think it would be better if they spat at you or cursed you!

Fei'er closed her eyes slightly, seemingly feeling sleepy. Old Li, sweating profusely, seeing that Fei'er's mother still didn't seem to notice him, silently walked out of Fei'er's room.

The little girl in protective gear saw Old Li, covered in sweat, walking heavily out of Fei'er's room. Her face suddenly turned pale, and she turned and ran away...

Chapter 4: Coming Over (5 parts)

In Old Li's opinion, even if the slightly chubby boy had knocked Fei'er down, anyone could see that he hadn't done it on purpose. Therefore, Old Li didn't blame him at all.

Even though Fei'er wasn't physically harmed, the children immediately associated the incident with the word "trouble."

The group of children were already anxious, and the little girl who had volunteered to find out what was going on, seeing Old Li being ignored by his "mother-in-law," added to their already heavy hearts. She assumed something was wrong with Fei'er, so she didn't even bother asking Old Li. Instead, she ran to inform the group of friends waiting there, convinced that something serious must have happened to Fei'er.

The children were alarmed by the little girl's assumption. Indeed, aside from the possibility of them still being able to play there if something happened to Fei'er, the deep affection they had for Fei'er, who had always treated them like an older sister, was what made it even harder for them to accept.

The complaints and accusations had already been said, and now, the group of little ones, a bit panicked, couldn't help but mutter complaints and accusations, mostly saying the same thing: "What should we do?"

The slightly older chubby boy, who would be a teenager in another three or four years, realized he had brought this upon himself, and it was more of a disaster than a blessing. He pulled out his phone from his bag and dialed his mother's number.

Since the Li family compound had become a playground for children, both Grandpa Li and Grandpa Li himself, in their interactions with these generations of children, had always guided them with the same idea:

Since they were children, they would inevitably make mistakes, and the best approach wasn't to make them bear the burden of those mistakes. What they should do most is to tell the adults who trust them what has happened, and under the guidance of the adults, face together things that children cannot face alone.

For growing children, teaching them to face every aspect of life honestly is sometimes more important than anything else, because honesty is the foundation of life. This is how generations of children in Old Li's compound have influenced each other. So, when these children encounter problems they can't solve, many of them, like the slightly older chubby boy, will truthfully tell their parents what happened.

The military compound and Old Li's compound are just across the street, so within minutes of the slightly older chubby boy talking to his mother on the phone, his mother and grandmother rushed over.

Although the neighbors in the military compound rarely visit Old Li's compound, they all know who lives there. Old

Li, who was in his room thinking about Fei'er's mother's expressionless face, saw a woman in military uniform and an old lady walking towards the slightly older chubby boy, and he immediately realized what they were there for.

"Grandma Tan, why did you have to be disturbed?"

Old Li hurried forward, supporting the old woman who was pulling the little fat boy, and ushered her into the house while asking.

"It's all because of this disobedient brat! Little Li, tell Grandma quickly, how is Fei'er doing?"

The old woman spoke with a strong Hunan accent, but her voice was surprisingly robust despite her advanced age.

"Grandma Tan, please sit down. Let's talk about Fei'er here, shall we?"

The old woman was very old, but she was a direct relative of the Tan family, one of the founding generals of the Republic. Considering her status and the decades-long friendship between her and Old Li's family, Old Li was extremely careful around the somewhat agitated old woman.

"Little Li! Don't be so polite with Grandma. Grandma just wants to know if Fei'er is alright. Tell Grandma the truth!"

The old woman, who didn't appreciate Old Li's fuss, refused to sit down and insisted he explain.

"Grandma Tan, I'm not being polite at all! Fei'er is really fine, you don't need to worry."

Old Li, sweating, carefully explained, not daring to let go of the old woman's hand.

"Xiao Li, you're just trying to fool Grandma. Xiao Song just told his mother everything. I asked that brat, and he said he was the one who bumped into Fei'er. You're saying Fei'er is perfectly fine after being knocked down by Xiao Song, even though she's so heavy! Xiao Li! If you don't tell Grandma the truth, she'll get really angry!"

Old Li was giving a truthful explanation, but Grandma Tan believed her great-grandson was telling the truth, so she stubbornly pressed Old Li for answers.

"Grandma Tan, look at what you're saying! I would never lie to you! I just saw Fei'er come out; it's true that Xiao Song bumped into her, but Fei'er is really alright. She's resting inside with her mother right now. Why don't I have her come over so you can see her and see if she's really okay? Is that alright?"

The stubborn old woman was so persistent that even Old Li, who was practically an old man himself, had to resort to swearing and cursing to persuade her.

"Little Li, is Fei'er really alright?"

"Grandma, Fei'er is really alright."

"Alright, then Grandma will go see the girl. Honestly, it's only been a few days since I last saw her, and she's already caused this mess..."

The persistent old woman left Old Li and Xiao Song's mother with a helpless exchange of glances. They helped the still-nagging old woman to visit Fei'er.

After talking to the somewhat apprehensive Fei'er for a while, the old woman, supported by Lao Li and Xiao Song's mother, finally left, still turning back to give Fei'er some instructions.

While working at the foundation, Fei'er's mother handled a donation of extraordinary significance. The significance lay in the fact that the donors were all elderly people over seventy, and more importantly, these elderly people were carrying the last wishes of the deceased founders of the Republic to complete this donation.

Among these elderly people was Grandma Tan. However, when Fei'er came to Lao Li's house, before her husband Hongmian led her to visit several elderly people in the district compound, her husband Hongmian hadn't mentioned their identities, simply treating them as elders and giving them a polite visit. Afterwards, Grandma Tan, who seemed to take a liking to Fei'er, would always hold her hand and talk to her for a while whenever she saw her.

Over time, this kind old woman truly gave Fei'er the feeling of seeing her own grandmother.

Later, while Old Li only visited the elderly women during holidays, Fei'er would frequently go to see them.

Even now, Fei'er still treats these elderly women as her own kind grandparents; she doesn't fully understand what their identities mean to the country.

As for Old Li, although he occasionally hears Fei'er mention the elderly women—one is feeling better today, another is in good spirits tomorrow—he still considers them elders and hasn't asked them about their identities.

Because in Old Li's view, life is mostly about the ordinary, so let's live our lives simply, without letting anything untoward taint our otherwise ordinary lives.

Chapter 4: Coming Over (Part 6)

Living in a unit-style apartment building with guards and orderly in the military compound, even though Fei'er hadn't intentionally sought to know the identities of the elderly women, including Grandma Tan, it didn't mean she was unaware that these women held rather unusual social positions. Now, as Fei'er subtly inquired about how her mother had come to know Grandma Tan, her mother's increasingly serious expression piqued her curiosity.

So, while telling her mother how she had met Grandma Tan and the other elderly women, driven by curiosity, Fei'er asked her mother to confirm the identity of Grandma Tan, whom her mother valued so highly.

Having worked in journalism for several years, and having even encountered mayors and provincial governors, Fei'er's heart still pounded when her mother truthfully revealed the identities of Grandma Tan and the other elderly women. Fei'er, who usually maintained an elegant and composed demeanor when interviewing high-ranking officials, was genuinely taken aback.

Yes, such an elderly woman, holding your hand, whom you call "Grandma," is just an elder in your eyes. But in the blink of an eye, this kind and gentle old woman holding your hand can also make your heart flutter.

Perhaps, in a country, provincial governors and mayors are only a very small minority, but as long as the country continues, even these few provincial governors and mayors will continue like an ironclad camp with ever-changing soldiers.

However, for a country, some people, like Grandma Tan, may never have served as provincial governor or mayor in their lives. Yet, in the face of history, some people, in a specific historical period, shouldered the responsibility of carrying forward the development of history. These people, regardless of how later generations view and write this historical process, are the creators of this history.

Time flows on, and the creators of history are either now resting in peace or twilight in their twilight years. However, whether deceased or the last remaining creators of history, their place in people's hearts is incomparable to that of today's provincial governors and mayors. Fei'er's

heartbeat gradually calmed. Thinking of her interactions with Grandma Tan and other elderly people, she fell silent.

Her daughter was quietly lost in thought. Fei'er's mother, not wanting to disturb her, turned her gaze to the window. In her wandering thoughts, Old Li, the man whose face never lacked that gentle, warm smile, flashed clearly and vaguely…

A man as clear as she was, his gentle smile always appearing unexpectedly. Such a smile, such gentleness, is like the warm afternoon sun in winter—not dazzling, and its intensity is hard to perceive; even if you are surrounded by it, you wouldn't particularly notice its presence.

But when the wind blows, when your lonely footsteps echo in the dark alley, and you inadvertently turn around, you'll be reminded of a warm, sun-drenched afternoon.

A man as ambiguous as you are, a man who always has an unfathomable side. For example, a man whose conduct, speech, and actions reveal a traditional side etched into his bones.

Yet, this very man, so steadfast in his traditions, does certain things…

for example, in his relationship with Fei'er… he actually… this… is this something a traditionally minded man could do?

For example, he possesses such a large fortune, wealth that Fei'er says could last several lifetimes, yet judging from his food, clothing, and possessions, his life… can be described as remarkably simple.

Legend has it that a key characteristic of a traditional man is to be humble in character but ambitious in action. In other words, one should be reserved and not arrogant in character, and in action, one should have lofty goals while remaining grounded in reality.

Old Li, you know, at his level, if you say he's not a low-key person, then there are very few people who can be called low-key. However, in tradition, being low-key has basic requirements, such as: cultivating oneself, managing one's family, and bringing peace to the world—the traditional expectations for a man.

But Old Li has learned and verified this traditional concept of a low-key life to a very high standard. For example, if Fei'er hadn't told her mother who the head of the entire mansion was after Fei'er's mother's visit, Fei'er's mother would still have thought that this large, antique-style mansion, including the ten rooms Old Li lived in and the ones he gave Fei'er, belonged to Old Li's family, only after she had repeatedly confirmed with Fei'er during her first visit, and that it wasn't temporary housing provided to Old Li by some park or cultural relics bureau.

In other words, it wasn't just Fei'er's mother who knew the general outline of Old Li's vast fortune; Fei'er, who had lived under the same roof with Old Li for almost five years, had only known about it for a relatively short time.

It's possible Old Li was intentionally hiding something from someone, but judging from his usual behavior, it didn't seem like he was doing so intentionally. But if Old Li wasn't deliberately hiding something, why didn't he explain it to Fei'er sooner?

Such questions are understandable. However, Fei'er herself said that even her ex-husband, Old Li's son, didn't know that this huge mansion belonged to the Li family.

You know, they're so 'low-key' that they didn't even tell their own son, who's over thirty, the truth. Even if your daughter-in-law is a newlywed, they've already explained everything clearly; shouldn't we be satisfied? But things aren't quite like that. No matter how 'low-key' you are, there's no need to keep things completely secret from your family!

Real estate is one aspect, and according to Fei'er, the Li family's assets, both liquid and cash, would take generations to manage. Fei'er also said that her ex-husband never told her about this. This means either her ex-husband was playing dumb like his father, or his father was simply being 'low-key' and hadn't told her the truth. However,

judging from the current situation, Fei'er's ex-husband was completely unaware of these things. Otherwise, why would he abandon such a large fortune and run off abroad instead of returning? Could it be that he really has the ambition to build an even larger fortune abroad than the Li family now?

All of that is in the past, and things are as they are now, so let it be. But you know, Old Li's second wife, Ya Rong, divorced him, but judging from the current situation, he gets along quite well with the rest of his second wife's family. Whether you consider her sister-in-law, brother-in-law, or mother-in-law, they all treat Old Li and his daughter as family. Putting

that relationship aside for now, Old Li's brother-in-law is now a member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee and the Minister of the Provincial Propaganda Department. You know...

Chapter 4: Coming Over (6)

Let's not talk about Old Li's second wife's family. It's just that during the time Old Li was injured and hospitalized, he was taking care of and supervising his mother, Fei'er, in the hospital. Suddenly, he made a new discovery.

That's because Old Li, who usually doesn't seem to interact much with outsiders, suddenly finds himself surrounded by people who rarely visit, all wanting to help him when he encounters trouble. The

majority of those visiting Old Li in the hospital are ordinary people, but even among them, seemingly to match Old Li's low-key style, some individuals of considerable status and influence appear in his hospital room at what they deem appropriate. These include business leaders

, corporate celebrities, and numerous representatives from various levels of government and leadership positions at the provincial and municipal levels. However, the group that most annoys Fei'er's mother are the neighbors from the large compound across the street from Old Li's house.

Because when others come, after inquiring about Old Li's condition, they simply learn what happened, exchange a few words with Old Li or others, and then leave. But when it came to Old Li's neighbors from just across the street, they came in groups of three or five, shouting and yelling. They sat there for at least an hour, and unless someone, including Fei'er herself or medical staff, intervened to get them to leave, they wouldn't leave for who knows how long.

To be honest, everything Fei'er's mother discovered during that visit to Old Li's house made her increasingly unable to understand what kind of person Old Li was.

Yes, he had a large fortune yet lived a simple life; he had sophisticated and deep interpersonal relationships within easy reach, yet he had lived most of his life without achieving anything significant in his career.

What kind of person was he? Her daughter had pinned her hopes for the rest of her life on him—was that a blessing or a curse? A jumble of chaotic thoughts swirled in Fei'er's mother's mind…

"Uncle Li, I also want to watch your school's basketball game. Can you take me?"

The little girl talking to Old Li, according to their actual generational hierarchy, should more appropriately call him "Grandpa." However, this little girl, still wearing protective gear, only reluctantly addressed Old Li—a man much older than her parents—as "Uncle" from the day she met him, when she needed to discuss things with him.

"Ha! It's all because of you, little girl, lying about military matters today that you even alerted your Grandma Tan! Instead of going home to reflect on your actions, you expect your uncle to take you to a basketball game? You can't expect all the good things to happen to you!"

Old Li's relationships with his neighbors in the military compound mostly stemmed from his grandfather. Although Old Li himself didn't particularly care about being addressed in a way that lowered his generational status like this little girl, he was happy to indulge in displaying his elder's authority in front of these children.

"Hmph! Let Grandma Tan scold those fatsoes! Uncle Li, you have no idea, those two fatsoes are not only incredibly clumsy, but every time we have a roller skating competition, they shamelessly insist on going on stage to embarrass themselves, causing us to lose every time! This time, it's them again..."

Old Li wanted to use his seniority to intimidate the little girl, but this little girl knew exactly how to avoid the main issue. Sure enough, she veered away from the topic Old Li had brought up and began to berate the two fatsoes with utmost contempt.

A child's clear, crisp voice is very pleasant to hear, but if that voice were to burst forth like a small machine gun, even something beautiful could become dizzying. Just like every time Old Li, the adult, faced the little girl, he not only surrendered with his hands raised high, but also had to do the arduous task of asking the little girl's mother for leave.

Asking her mother for leave was relatively easy; after all, the little girl had been living in Old Li's yard for several years, and it wasn't the first time Old Li had had to ask her mother for help. The difficult part was that the little girl said she was afraid of going to the game alone without anyone to talk to, so she wanted Old Li to ask the friend who was going to the game with her to get leave from her parents as well.

This was a little girl named Jun'er who rarely visited Old Li's yard. Old Li had only seen her parents a few times when they came to pick her up. Given this situation, it would be difficult for Old Li to ask her for leave under the pretext of inviting her to a basketball game.

However, Old Li had no choice but to comply, because this little girl, still covered in protective gear, had pulled a small, silver-white cell phone from her bag and called Jun'er's family.

She had personally told Jun'er's family about the invitation, making a series of small promises before handing the phone to Old Li.

On the other end was Jun'er's mother. From her polite tone, Old Li knew that Jun'er's mother considered him her guarantor for Jun'er's leave. Fortunately, on the phone, Jun'er's mother expressed a subtle trust in Old Li, the guarantor, and also said she felt at ease letting the little girl, fully padded with protective gear, go out. Jun'er's mother then politely mentioned a few points to Old Li regarding Jun'er's leave of absence, and then hung up.

Seeing Old Li nod and convey Jun'er's mother's message, the little girl, fully padded with protective gear, cheered and ran towards the pond in Old Li's garden, leaving Old Li behind.

Jun'er visited Old Li's garden less often than other children, but she loved flowers and plants very much. She usually spent her time either busy tending to the lush flowers and plants in the yard, or sitting quietly by Old Li's pond, watching the thousand-petaled lotus leaves float on the water, and the koi occasionally bubbling on the surface.

In the direction the little girl, fully padded with protective gear, ran off to, on a small stone bench by the pond, sat a slender and quiet figure once again.

Tomorrow is the round of 16 final, and the girls in the team are all resting and recuperating at the training camp. In the apartment building of No. 5 Middle School, besides Xiaozhu and her two classmates, there is also the girl who can't sit still for a moment, who is finally not covered in protective gear, and Jun'er who is always with her.

Seeing that it is all children's world, Old Li, who felt that he had nothing to do, turned to a room and saw the computer. He couldn't help but think of the game that he had given back to his daughter during the holidays.

Chapter 4: Walking Over (7)

As soon as the game interface was opened, a series of flashing emergency contact signals, accompanied by beeping urging sounds, surprised Old Li.

Yes, Principal Li had been playing this game for his daughter for some time, but this was the first time he had encountered such urging contacts as soon as he logged in. With a small sigh in his heart, Principal Li opened the contact mailbox unhurriedly.

Yes…

a string of over twenty emergency contact messages, all from the same three people to Lao Li. These three were Lao Li's three most familiar in-game friends, besides Tan Liang, the student who helped him level up.

After reading the incomplete messages from the three "little girls" who often followed his character leveling up (because these three were Lao Li's in-game friends, and their characters were all uniformly female—but in games, where there's always drama, you never know if behind those pure, beautiful girls might be a leopard-headed, burly, shirtless man picking his stinky feet, with a head full of delusional fantasies…), Lao Li roughly understood why these "little girls" were contacting him so urgently. Baihua

Palace was one of the few players in the game with a sufficient level… This is a game sect they founded themselves. Legend has it that this sect, called Hundred Flowers Palace, is entirely composed of female players.

Tianxiang Garden, Plum Sword Palace, and Youlan Valley are three branches under Hundred Flowers Palace. Two of the three "little girls" who urgently contacted Old Li belong to Youlan Valley, and one is from Plum Sword Palace.

A few days ago, the two "little girls" from Youlan Valley, while leveling up, accidentally and incredibly luckily obtained the token to open the gates of the Ancient Tomb Sect in the game. Those familiar with the world of Chinese martial arts know what opening the gates of the Ancient Tomb Sect means for a player in a martial arts game.

The world of martial arts... In this world of martial arts, the rules of survival must be followed. That is to say, if something everyone dreams of appears in the game, its ownership isn't determined by who gets it first. Domination is guaranteed by overwhelming force.

For example, when the token for entering the Ancient Tomb Sect appeared, even though the two "young girls" heeded Old Li's advice to keep their identities a secret, this incredibly exciting news alerted most of the game's players to use their keen eyes and ears. After a thorough analysis and search, the two "young girls" who wanted to keep this earth-shattering secret had nowhere to hide.

Fortunately, although the sects the two girls belonged to were "all" women, their sense of loyalty in this matter was no less than that of men. The Hundred Flowers Palace declared: the token is with us; if you want it, you'll have to be removed from the game. For

a sect that was slightly weaker than a top-tier but stronger than a second-tier sect in the game to make such a statement, many of the top-tier sects, while tempted, couldn't bring themselves to forcibly seize it. Therefore, these major sects, at least on the surface, didn't explicitly say they would intervene in the issue of the token's ownership.

While there are quite a few other factions in the game with some backbone, the number of those eager to participate is astonishing.

Tonight at 9 PM, simultaneously in the game, a coalition of several factions, along with an unknown number of unaffiliated individuals, forming what appears to be a ragtag group, issued a challenge to the Hundred Flowers Palace. The battle would begin in an hour.

Supporting others is an essential element in the martial arts world, so while the Hundred Flowers Palace mobilized all its forces to fight this battle, it also actively invited anyone it could to come and lend their support.

Thus, the three "little girls" contacted Old Li so urgently, wanting him to come and support them in an hour.

Old Li had seen his fair share of fights and brawls in the game, but the number of times he had personally participated in one was extremely limited, only when unavoidable. He didn't like people constantly getting into fights or brawls, but that didn't mean Old Li wouldn't do it. After basically figuring out what was going on, Old Li, while replying to messages to the three "little girls," began preparing for the upcoming battle.

He logged in with all four of his alt accounts, browsed through all the weapons, items, and medicines stored in various warehouses, and started making selections…

Fifteen minutes before the battle, Old Li's game character appeared in front of the heavily guarded gates of the Hundred Flowers Palace. The three "little girls," who had been waiting for him at the gates, complained about his late arrival while hurriedly leading him to report to the sect leader.

With fifteen minutes until the battle, the large-scale defensive manpower arrangements were already in place. Old Li, whose character level was partially concealed, currently appeared to be level 41, roughly equivalent to a slightly stronger second-tier player in the game.

One more helper like this wouldn't make a difference, nor would losing one be a significant loss. After politely thanking Old Li, the person in charge immediately assigned him the task of assisting: to go with the three "little girls" to defend the relatively weaker Youlan Valley and await further orders.

In the game, the Hundred Flowers Palace is built on Cuiping Mountain in Zhongzhou. Tianxiang Garden and Meijian Palace are strategically positioned halfway up the mountain, guarding a dangerous location. Further in, the deep, misty valley stretches into the heart of the Hundred Flowers Palace—Youlan Valley.

Cuiping Mountain is high and steep, with lush trees. A stream flows down the steep cliffs, and above the stream, on the cliffs, stand Meijian Palace and Tianxiang Garden, built on either side of the mountain.

The water acts as a natural barrier, and Meijian Palace and Tianxiang Garden on the high cliffs offer a panoramic view of everything below. The game's graphics are exquisite; it's a great place to enjoy the scenery when you have some free time. However, the tense atmosphere before the battle creates a sense of impending doom, a chilling feeling of impregnability lingering between the mountains and the water.

The sun slowly sets behind the western mountains in the game's visuals. As the first candle is lit, Old Li, who has been reassigned a second mission by the leader of Youlan Valley, stands with the three "little girls" at their assigned post for the night.

At the very end of Youlan Valley lies the edge of a sheer cliff. In modern warfare, armed helicopters or J-10 fighter jets could easily traverse such a height. But the game simulates the era of cold weapons hundreds of years ago; wouldn't traversing such a height be a bit too difficult?

From the moment they received their second assignment until they arrived at their assigned zone, the three "little girls" were dejected and constantly complaining about Old Li.

Yes, if Old Li hadn't arrived so late, those three girls, even those whose levels were slightly lower than Old Li's (whose level was hidden), would never have been assigned to guard a place so remote that even a mosquito couldn't fly over. Instead, they would have been like most of the sisters in the sect, standing at the forefront of the battle, fighting a bloody war against the invading enemy.

Perhaps it was a cliff so remote that even a mosquito couldn't fly over it, but the people in charge of the Hundred Flowers Palace were still very clear-headed. Excluding Old Li and his three companions who arrived later, they had arranged for a total of fifty people to guard the area, including the Valley Master of Youlan Valley and two other experts above level sixty.

Two level sixty experts led squads of thirty-eight people for the main defense, and one level sixty expert led nine people as a reserve support team. However, after Old Li and his group of four arrived, there were four more people in the reserve team.

Defense mainly relied on a reasonable formation and the necessary equipment. Three people form a group, and nine people form a triangular support formation, which is the main defensive formation here. Rolling logs, thunderstones, bows and arrows, various hidden weapons, and the weapons in everyone's hands are the main defensive equipment here.

Without explaining anything to the three little girls who were still muttering complaints about themselves, Old Li opened his equipment bag and, while talking with the reserve team captain, took out the defensive equipment he had selected one by one.

Four huge shields, eight spears about eight feet long, and when everyone looked at Old Li in surprise, he took out six two-foot-long cylindrical objects, which made the reserve team captain, who knew a lot about them, exclaim...

Chapter 4: Walking Over (7)

A repeating crossbow with five bolts per group has never been used more than ten times since the game started, and there are definitely no more than four people or sects that possess such powerful weapons. When the head of Youlan Valley finally received the crossbow and was certain it was the rare repeating crossbow, she couldn't help but look at the unassuming fellow her disciple had brought in with new respect.

The addition of four giant shields and spears led to some adjustments to the previously established defensive formation. Old Li, having distributed the defensive equipment, was now controlling his game character, scattering a powder no one had ever seen before on the cliff face, just two meters above and below…

A clear yet sharp whistle rang out from the foot of Cuiping Mountain, tightening everyone's nerves and signaling the official start of tonight's battle.

However, after the initial tension subsided, the fighting only centered around Tianxiang Garden and Meijian Palace on the front mountain of Baihua Palace. On the innermost cliff of Youlan Valley, after the initial tension of the battle, all that remained was an anxious and impatient wait.

Ten minutes…twenty minutes…A third of the agreed-upon three-hour battle had already passed. The “little girl” from the Plum Sword Palace, standing behind the giant shield with Old Li, muttered a few more words to herself in the voice chat before tentatively seeking the opinion of the Orchid Valley leader: “Should we send some people out to reinforce them now?”

Of the defenders at the foot of the mountain, about three hundred were from the Hundred Flowers Palace itself, but the number of people who came to help was more than four times that. Originally, the back cliff wasn't the primary focus of the defense due to its natural defenses, but out of caution and to prevent enemy attacks, a certain number of people were still assigned to defend it.

However, when the back cliff defense task was first assigned, most of the Hundred Flowers Palace members who were selected, though they didn't say anything, were clearly unwilling. Those who came to help were initially excited when they received the task, but their hearts sank when they saw the situation.

I'm here to support Baihua Palace, mainly to impress all those (real or not) beautiful girls gathered here. Maybe after this fierce battle, one of them will fall for me. After all, I'm not looking for my other half online, am I? Even if I don't find my other half in this battle, I'll still leave a lasting impression on all those girls. Finding a "sexy" person to chat and have some fun with while leveling up online isn't a bad thing, is it?

So, after some commotion, all the people who had come to help and were assigned to guard the back cliff went to the front lines to show their skills. Before Old Li, an outsider, arrived, the defense of the back cliff was entirely the domain of the Hundred Flowers Palace.

In the entire game, the top ten players were all over level 70, and the fact that the Hundred Flowers Palace had managed to send three level 60 experts to lead the defense of the back cliff showed that there were indeed people within the Hundred Flowers Palace who could see the big picture, and these people must have had a deep understanding of the concept of "better safe than sorry." This

surprised Old Li somewhat. Games are just something to play around with, after all. From what Old Li had heard and seen (he seemed to have only personally participated in this one truly large-scale online game), his impression was that it was generally just for fun. To put it bluntly, even if a guild or clan wanted to organize a group activity, it was basically a motley crew that came and went as they pleased.

Hearing the leader of Youlan Valley once again decisively reject the little girl from Meijian Palace's suggestion, and the little girl only muttering something under her breath before obediently complying, Old Li, who had grown up alongside real troops, suddenly felt a very familiar feeling—the unique feeling that could only be found in regular troops.

Old Li wasn't a bad person in principle, but when faced with a situation, he always tended to consider the worst-case scenario. While being stuck in this game was unbearable, Old Li also strongly agreed with the leader of Youlan Valley's opinion. If they had already taken precautions this far, they might as well continue to guard here obediently.

Almost everyone on the back cliff relaxed, because not only was the game's voice chat practically silent, but the players' characters were either motionless or wandering aimlessly in small circles. Exhausted and with nothing better to do, Old Li glanced at the dark cliff below the game screen... Before he could

even shout a cry of alarm through voice communication, several glowing figures leaped up from the darkness below!

Instantly, the three cliff-guarding players, their bodies exposed outside the giant shields, let out their first mournful cry and were instantly killed by the glowing figures!

While loudly warning his companions in voice communication, Old Li, without thinking, controlled his character and charged forward...

The initial melee was a pincer attack by Old Li and the three top cliff-guarding players against the glowing figures that had scaled the cliff. When two of these figures fell, the one in charge of Youlan Valley immediately began organizing the still-unrecognizable defenders, quickly forming a defensive formation.

Below the cliff was pitch black, except for the short distance where Old Li had sprinkled the powder, where a group of glowing figures suddenly appeared.

Only players skilled in ninja techniques could reveal their presence at such close range using special methods. The fact that so many of these rare characters had gathered at once left all the cliff-guarding players inwardly relieved, as they engaged in a fierce tug-of-war.

Giant shields, spears, whistling crossbows, and a hail of arrows and hidden weapons filled the air. Even after the ninja players unanimously threw out their other invisibility weapon—smoke bombs—their glowing light, clinging to them like leeches, only served to further expose them, turning them into moving targets.

The cliff, only a dozen or so meters wide, saw over half of the fifty-odd ninjas and nearly a hundred other players, also dressed in black but skilled in other techniques, fall in an instant.

Those who managed to scale the cliff and engage the guards were indeed skilled fighters in the game. However, while the smoke bombs thrown by the ninjas revealed their location, the thick smoke caused immense suffering for their companions following behind.

Indeed, they had just seen their own ninjas' glowing rear ends dancing and twisting in the smoke ahead, but they couldn't see a single enemy they were looking for!

The smoke finally dissipated, but of the hundred or so people who had stormed the cliff, only a dozen or so were forced into a corner and putting up a desperate fight against an enemy twice their size; the rest had all screamed and returned to their spawn points.

The clearing operation was being carried out by the three top experts from Youlan Valley, along with about twenty other people. Old Li led the other cliff guards, quickly rushing to the edge of the cliff. The large piles of logs and stones that hadn't been used in the earlier raid were being rolled down the dark cliff one by one by Old Li and his men.

A series of screams of agony echoed from the bottom of the dark cliff. After Old Li frowned, his game character withdrew from the one-sided slaughter of logs and stones.

These "women" are probably reincarnated bloodthirsty she-devils! Watching even the beautiful figure who had just finished clearing out the remaining enemies shouting and shoving as they carried logs and stones down the cliff, Old Li could only shake his head and sigh, viewing these beautiful figures huddled together in the game like this...

"What level are you hiding?"

When the game voice came through his headset, Old Li, who was already lost in thought, noticed the very beautiful figure next to his character.

"A dozen or so levels."

Since he was hiding his level, Old Li gave a general, insinuating number to answer the question.

"If your hidden level is fifteen, then you should be in the top thirty. How come I've never heard of someone like you?"

A light, questioning, almost accusatory voice came through the headset to Old Li's ears.

"Oh, is that so? I haven't really noticed."

Old Li didn't care much about the question or accusation, so he replied casually.

"That knife you just used, is it the legendary 'Listening to Spring Rain All Night in a Small Building' that the leader of the Demonic Cult once wielded?"

The voice was no longer light and casual, but rather a question.

Old Li had picked up this knife during a player fight, a piece of equipment dropped by a fallen player, before it had even been officially appraised. At that time, Old Li, already level 31, couldn't use it, so he asked Tan Liang.

Tan Liang, seeing the sample his teacher had painstakingly captured for him, didn't reveal what kind of knife it was, and simply told his teacher, "You're really lucky!" He then told Old Li that the knife could only be used at level 45 or higher, and he solemnly warned his teacher not to use it carelessly, as it would likely attract unwanted attention and have his equipment stolen. Furthermore, if he wanted to appraise it, he should go to a hidden appraisal location to avoid being detected by the system.

With such a serious warning from his student, Old Li, who didn't want to cause any more trouble in the game, naturally obeyed completely. When he reached level 45 and could use the sword, he had already appraised it. Tan Liang then told him that the sword had another characteristic: it could conceal its true appearance. Just like today, when Old Li used it, it looked completely unremarkable.

"It's this sword."

Since its true nature had been recognized despite being concealed, Old Li readily accepted it.

"Then..."

The question had barely been uttered when the little girl from Meijian Palace, who had been scrambling with the girls to push the last piece of thunderstone off the cliff, excitedly rushed into the middle of Old Li's conversation. Her chattering questions poured into Old Li's earpiece.

"Teacher Li...

" Having just answered the question about the powdery substance that had caused the ninja to appear, perhaps due to her excitement, she overlooked something. A title Old Li was very familiar with in real life, but completely unfamiliar in the game, slipped from the little girl's lips!

"You..."

Just as Old Li was about to ask a question after a sudden big surprise, not only did the little girl who called him Teacher Li suddenly go offline, but the other two little girls who had just come to Old Li's side also disappeared from the online world in a flash...

Chapter 4: Walking Over (8)

After putting all the equipment he had taken out during the battle back into the warehouse, under the urging of a subconscious intuition, Old Li didn't even bother to log off the game. He got up and went out.

There was a narrow gap in the half-open door of a room on the third floor. Even Old Li, who was very polite and would knock before entering anyone's room in the past, pushed the door open without thinking.

"Dad..."

"Teacher Li..."

"Li..."

The floor inside the room was covered with messy wires, and some of these wires were connected to three desktop computers. The rest of the wires extended along the inner door into the bedroom inside.

Whether it was Xiaozhu, who had stood up from her chair after calling Old Li "Dad," or the two classmates who were now awkwardly standing or sitting, all with slightly flushed faces, they looked at Old Li, who had suddenly appeared at the door, with their mouths half-open.

"Hey! Xiaozhu, what's wrong with you three?"

Just as Old Li was about to speak, a person in pajamas walked out of the bedroom from inside, speaking in a questioning voice. She didn't even glance at the doorway and continued asking her questions: "Hey! Hey—what's wrong with you three? Why did you log off without saying a word? Hey, and Xiaozhu, what's wrong with your dad? Why is he just standing there like an idiot in our Youlan Valley, ignoring everyone who talks to him? Hey, Xiaozhu, is your dad being...?"

"Cough! Cough cough—"

As the old saying goes, everyone talks about others behind their backs, and everyone is talked about behind their backs. However, Old Li, who is usually more easygoing and not used to gossiping about others behind their backs, was not reminding the person who had come out of the bedroom and started criticizing him after only a few words that the person he was criticizing was standing right behind him at the door. Rather, Old Li was using his cough to subtly suggest that there might be something he should...

With Old Li's somewhat abrupt cough, the person who had been criticizing him turned around in surprise and looked towards the door. However, the moment she glanced in his direction, she let out a cry of surprise and darted back through the door she had just come from.

Yes, wearing a onesie nightgown that barely covered his thighs was a bit better, but the slight inconvenience was that perhaps the bedroom was a bit warm, or maybe the tense atmosphere of the game had heightened his emotions. The nightgown, already low-cut and with straps, was now pulled down and opened up. Even if Old Li couldn't claim to be a gentleman, a cough to signal the woman looking towards the door was absolutely necessary when he shifted his gaze.

The three girls who had been frantically winking and making signals to the woman who had been scolding Old Li before his cough even sounded were now all huddled up, their heads bowed, desperately trying to understand. With a beard and a sword, he studied the wild grass and the falcon blowing the man's nose. He looked around and saw the beard and the wild grass stewing the sword. He looked around and saw the man's nose and the falcon blowing the

man's nose ...

Looking at the game characters standing there, equally bewildered and lost, watching the various figures controlled by players shift back and forth in his field of vision, a helpless yet seemingly resigned smile appeared on Old Li's lips. He gently shook his head, and the mouse cursor moved across the screen again. A

soft sound of a door opening and closing followed, and a tall girl in pajamas called out softly, "Teacher Li," before walking up behind Old Li.

"Teacher Li... Teacher Li."

"Hmm."

"That... that... that... that's... that's... that's Xiaozhu's... her moral education teacher at No. 3 Middle School."

What?! His daughter's... her moral education teacher at school? This? This? A teacher! And... teaching students moral... moral education? Leading students to stay up late playing the online games that parents hate most!

And then, without any restraint, gossiping behind their backs! What's most unbearable is...

you, a teacher, not only wearing clothes that barely cover you, but also half-naked without a bra...

parading around in front of the students!

Suddenly, as Old Li let out a long, furious sigh, the game character he was controlling was also infected, raising the peerless sword "Listening to Spring Rain All Night in a Small Building" high and slashing fiercely at the wall in front of him!

A whoosh—as dust billowed from the wall in the game screen, the sound of being instantly killed and resurrected rang out.

A peerless sword is indeed a peerless sword; when it unleashed its full power, an unexpected, truly unexpected, accidental injury occurred.

On the other side of the wall was a player-run area where they sold equipment. An innocent level 17 character, squatting by a stall, was instantly killed after the powerful attack of the legendary sword pierced through the wall. The residual force of the sword also instantly killed the character.

Killing in the safe zone is against the game rules, so not only did the safe zone guards apprehend the character, but other players at the stalls also rushed forward, cursing and swearing…

Old Li, now wanted by the system, controlled his character to escape back to his spawn point. Behind him, a tall girl's untimely exclamation, "Teacher Li, you're so amazing!" gave Old Li a

perfect outlet for his frustration. With a soft scream, the girl was pinned to the waist by Old Li's raging anger, and his raised hand slapped her plump, taut buttocks…

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