Chapter 1: The Heartbroken Cousin
At a small street food stall, Chu Feng was accompanying his younger cousin, Chu Anzhi, who had just gone through a breakup, eating skewers.
Chu Anzhi barely touched the food, but chugged down several bottles of beer, crying his eyes out.
Chu Feng focused on eating, letting his cousin’s wailing pass in one ear and out the other.
“Brother Feng, I want to die. She left me. My world is now without sunshine.”
Chu Feng thought: Isn’t no sunshine a good thing? This brat doesn’t even like sunlight anyway.
“Brother Feng, we were together for three years, and she just dumped me like that. So heartless.”
Chu Feng: This kid is how old again? Already been in a three-year relationship? That means he started dating right when he entered high school! Ridiculous—early romance always ends badly.
“Brother Feng, it feels like my heart has been stabbed hundreds of times.”
Chu Feng: That’s got to be an illusion. One stab to the heart and you’d be in the morgue. There’s not even enough space in there for hundreds of stabs!
“Say something, Brother Feng!” Chu Anzhi protested when he saw Chu Feng focused only on the skewers.
Chu Feng blinked innocently. Comforting people isn’t really his thing.
“Why did she break up with you? There’s got to be a reason.”
With a choked voice, Chu Anzhi said, “She’s in Tier 1 university, I’m in Tier 2. She said we’re not on the same path.”
Chu Feng nodded, “A Tier 1 and a Tier 2… yeah, there’s quite a gap.”
Chu Anzhi snapped, “You’re discriminating based on academic ranking! Tier 1 or Tier 2, they’re both university! And anyway, I was only one point below her! Blame the guy who set the cutoff!”
Chu Feng rolled his eyes. This kid’s unlucky—only one point short. If the gap were bigger, maybe he’d accept it. But being off by just one point is extra frustrating.
“If you’d spent your dating time on studying, maybe you’d be in the same tier now,” Chu Feng said.
Chu Anzhi gave him a wounded look, “How can you say that to someone who’s heartbroken? Have you ever dated? Do you know what heartbreak feels like?”
Chu Feng: “…” Right on the mark. Truth be told, he had never been in a relationship.
Looking at Chu Feng, Chu Anzhi said sadly, “Cousin, you’ve never loved anyone. No wonder you don’t understand.”
Chu Feng: “…” This little brat’s going too far. Okay, fine, he hadn’t dated, so maybe he didn’t get it—but still, did he have to say it out loud? Now everyone nearby was staring.
“You’re still young. One day, you’ll look back and realize how silly all this is,” Chu Feng said.
Chu Anzhi sobbed, “You’re the silly one. You’ve lived this long and never had a girlfriend.”
Chu Feng: “…” This damn kid! No wonder he got dumped with a mouth like that. In fact, Chu Feng was only 25—not that old. But since he dropped out after high school and started working, the villagers saw him as a problematic leftover bachelor.
“Alright, eat up. I’ll take you home after this.”
Chu Feng thought: This kid’s being dramatic—I’d better make sure he gets home safely so I can report back to his family.
The bill came to 400 yuan, and Chu Feng winced a little.
Chu Anzhi had ordered a lot of skewers, but ended up drinking more than eating.
Not wanting to waste food, Chu Feng packed up the leftovers.
As they were leaving, they overheard someone at the next table comment:
“The ones who should be dating don’t, and the ones who shouldn’t are all over the place. Kids these days—so rebellious.”
Chu Feng couldn’t help but blush.
When he dropped Chu Anzhi off, they ran into his aunt, Yan Ping.
Seeing Chu Anzhi with red, puffy eyes, she sighed and said sarcastically:
“Crying like that? Honestly, Tier 2’s not that bad. Not everyone can get into Tier 1. Still better than vocational school.”
Yan Ping’s son had gotten into a Tier 1 university a few years back, and she’d been bragging about it ever since.
Gu Jia (Anzhi’s mother) came out a bit awkwardly and said, “Xiao Feng, thank you for the trouble.”
Chu Feng smiled, “You’re too kind, Auntie.”
Gu Jia shook her head, “He’s been moody ever since the exam results came out. Even if he didn’t score well, it’s no reason to cry like that!”
Chu Feng thought to himself: That’s not it. This brat isn’t crying over grades—he’s bawling because he got dumped.
“Auntie, I’ll be heading back.”
Gu Jia nodded, “Alright.”
Chu Feng had dropped out after high school. His grades had always been good, but during his senior year, both his parents died in a car crash. The accident happened in a remote area, the driver fled, and they got no compensation.
Their deaths hit him hard. It affected his performance in the college entrance exam, and he ended up with a mediocre score.
He could’ve gotten into a Tier 2 university, but his family couldn’t afford the tuition. His third uncle’s family was struggling too, and while his eldest uncle’s family had money, they didn’t want to help.
Worried about being judged by the village for ignoring their late brother’s orphaned son, Aunt Yan Ping went around telling people that Chu Feng wasn’t good at studying and that he only got into vocational school anyway—implying even if he went to college, it’d be useless.
Yan Ping talked so much that the villagers really believed he wasn’t cut out for studying.
But Chu Feng knew very well that there was another reason she was badmouthing him everywhere. Before his parents passed away, his grandfather and uncle had gone to his parents asking for a loan. At the time, his uncle’s family wanted to buy a car, and Grandpa had helped them borrow 30,000 yuan from Chu Feng’s parents.
Back then, his family had just built a new house, and that 30,000 yuan was basically their entire savings.
His mother had been unwilling to lend the money, but she couldn’t withstand the emotional blackmail of Grandpa and Grandma crying, making a scene, and even threatening suicide.
After his parents died, neither Grandpa nor Grandma ever brought up the loan again, and Chu Feng didn’t know how to ask for it back either.
Grandpa had three sons in total. His eldest uncle’s family was the most well-off, and his grandparents were obviously biased toward them. There was no IOU or written agreement for the loan. Chu Feng knew he wouldn’t get that money back, so he never brought it up.
