Come, Let Me Take You Home 8

No. 008 Smiling Through It All

After finishing my ginger tea and washing the dishes, I returned to my computer.

Three new messages blinked on the simple, black DOS interface:

“Greetings. This is Long Teng, CEO of Heavenly Fire Network Technology.”

“Can you truly resolve our current crisis?”

“Hello, are you there?”

It had been less than three minutes since I sent the password. Even accounting for the time it took them to verify it, receiving three messages in such a short time spoke volumes about this “Long Teng” and how much he valued his company.

Well, it was one of the top three tech giants in the country ten years from now.

“Hello, I am.”

I deliberately avoided using any honorifics. I knew I couldn’t appear weak or desperate. They needed my help, not the other way around.

“Thank you. The password is correct.” A reply came quickly. “However, our files are still encrypted…”

“That’s why I want to make a deal.”

I took a deep breath and brushed my hair away from my eyes.

“What kind of deal?”

He seemed hesitant, adding quickly, “As you know, we are a legitimate company. We cannot condone any illegal activities or anything that violates our company’s values and ethics.”

“Don’t worry. My request is simple. I’ll tell you how to decrypt the files, and in return, you will send your son to a different school outside of this city within a week.”

Silence.

It was clear that my request had given this “Long Teng” pause.

He was probably trying to figure out my relationship with Long Fei. Or perhaps, Long Fei was right beside him, watching this unfold?

I wasn’t in a hurry. I opened my QQ and browsed through my friends list, a list of familiar strangers.

VoidBug, the gaming prodigy who would become a top streamer in six months. Hmm, I’ll deal with him later.

Qing Lan… My childhood friend. He had deleted me after entering high society in 2020. I never heard from him again, not even after I died. I didn’t expect to see his name here.

BigIronPillar… I remembered him. He was someone Yi Yao had met online. He always called me “bro” despite my gender and was terrible at games. But he was a good person. He apologized sincerely whenever he made a mistake and always invited me to play whenever I was online.

Perhaps I should tell him the truth when I had the chance.

“Do you have some sort of grudge against my son?”

Five minutes later, Long Teng finally replied.

“You could say that.” My fingers danced across the keyboard. “A friend of mine has a relative who’s been skipping school and going to internet cafes because of your son. He asked me to take care of it.”

This was the excuse I had prepared beforehand.

I wasn’t stupid enough to say, “I’m your son’s girlfriend, and I want him gone.”

“Are you sure you’re not his enemy?”

“No. I don’t care where you send him, as long as he leaves this city. Once that’s done, my job is complete. If you agree, reply with a ‘1.’ I’ll send the decryption method to your email within one minute.”

Honestly, even if I didn’t help them, they would be able to resolve this crisis on their own in a day or two. I was simply exploiting their desperation.

On a normal network, direct communication like this would easily expose my IP address. But I wasn’t worried. The technology fifteen years from now offered countless ways to mask one’s IP. The current internet security was, in my eyes, as flimsy as a child’s toy. I could probably write a more secure operating system myself if given enough time. Hiding my IP address was child’s play.

More silence.

Finally, Long Teng caved and sent a single digit: 1.

As promised, I sent the decryption method and a few preventative measures to his private email address.

“Remember our agreement.”

“Of course. May I know how to address you?”

“Just call me ‘bee.'”

“The mysterious expert who wreaked havoc on our forum yesterday?”

“You’re free to interpret it however you like.”

“Heh, my apologies for not recognizing your expertise sooner. Then, it’s a pleasure doing business with you.”

“The pleasure is all mine.”

I ended the conversation, stretched, and stood up.

Just then, the front door opened.

Dad had returned with a bag of groceries. He frowned when he saw me. “Playing on the computer again? Your exams are next week, and you’re not even worried? I swear, you’re hopeless.”

“I…”

“Your mother is on her deathbed, and all you care about is playing games? Are you trying to give me a heart attack so you can have this house all to yourself?”

He looked at me with such resentment, as if I were his worst enemy.

Anger, despair, disappointment.

“…”

In the eyes of many, this was what children were: burdens.

Children with bad grades were bad children.

Children who brought shame upon their families were worthless.

“I’m sorry.”

I knew explanations were futile. I shut down the computer, walked over to him, and picked up the bag of groceries he had dropped on the floor in his anger.

That’s when I noticed another person standing by the door.

My cousin, Yi Qiansheng, my uncle’s son.

Both in this life and my past life, I had never been close to my cousin, who was only a month younger than me. I glanced at the bespectacled boy and looked away, not bothering to greet him.

“What’s this? Ignoring your own cousin?” Dad shoved me angrily. “He ranked third in his class in the last monthly exams. Look at you! When will you ever be half as good as him? Then, I wouldn’t have to pray to your ancestors for a miracle.”

And yet, this “outstanding” cousin of mine would, in five years, collude with my uncle to seize our house and savings, leaving my family bankrupt and driving my father to an early grave. I would spend years after graduating from university living on the streets, struggling to repay their debts, barely scraping by.

I looked at my furious father, then silently gathered the scattered fruits and placed them on the table.

“How’s Mom?” I asked, my voice devoid of emotion.

There was no waking someone who was determined to stay asleep.

No one believed in the future, and no one would accept it.

All I could do was become the “ideal child” they envisioned.

“She’s not dead yet, thanks to you.” Dad turned to my cousin, his expression softening. “Come in, Xiaosheng. Make yourself comfortable. If your sister bullies you, just tell me, okay?”

“Okay, Uncle.”

My cousin walked in without a hint of hesitation, kicking off his shoes. He turned to me and flashed a mocking smile, his tone saccharine sweet. “Good afternoon, Yi Yao Jie.”

“Yi Yao, your cousin is greeting you!”

“Oh.” I nodded curtly. “Good afternoon.”

“You’re a disgrace.” Dad snorted and turned away. “I’m going back to the hospital. Xiaosheng will tutor you this afternoon. I expect to see some improvement when I get back tonight.”

What?

Before I could protest, Dad had already left, slamming the door shut behind him.

“Well, well, well.” My cousin grabbed an apple from the table, took a bite, and chuckled. He was nothing like the well-behaved child he pretended to be in front of my father. “So, you and your dad aren’t on good terms, huh? Bombed another test?”

“None of your business.”

“How is it not my business?” He pulled out two crisp red bills from his pocket and stood up, waving them in my face. He leaned in close, his voice a mocking whisper. “Your dad gave me this. Two hours of tutoring, two hundred yuan. Two. Hundred. Yuan.”

His hot breath tickled my ear.

“What are you trying to say?”

I had no recollection of my family being this dysfunctional in my past life. If it weren’t for Yi Yao’s memories, I would have thought my cousin was just messing with me.

“Nothing much. I just wanted to let my dear cousin know that I can earn my own money now. One hundred yuan per hour. Heh, how long are you planning to leech off your parents?” He tossed the half-eaten apple into the trash can and sauntered towards my room. “Now, let’s see what kind of abysmal grades my dear sister has gotten this time.”

“Stop right there.”

“Didn’t anyone teach you it’s rude to enter someone’s room without permission?”

“All I know is that your dad told me to tutor you, and your test papers are in your room.”

He ignored my protest and barged into my room. I had no choice but to follow.

“Whoa, 39! You got a 39 out of 150 in math? Not bad, not bad. Still better than that kid with polio in our class. He only got a 40.”

His voice echoed through the room.

“Wow! 51 out of 100 in physics? That’s practically a passing grade! You’re getting there. Only forty points away from my 98. Not bad, not bad.”

He was clearly doing this on purpose.

“Oh, your Chinese isn’t too shabby. You actually passed! Let’s see… ‘If I Had a Brother’? What kind of a title is that? And you got 48 points for this? Is the teacher blind?”

I lay down on my bed, waiting for him to finish his little performance. “Are you done?” I asked flatly.

“Yes, I am.” He turned away from my messy desk and looked at me, a smug grin on his oily face. “My conclusion is this, Yi Yao Jie: your grades are beyond saving.”

“Do you honestly believe,” I asked, fixing him with a calm smile, “that grades are everything?”

“Not really. But in our family, they are.” His playful smile vanished as he tossed my test papers onto the desk. “You know, Yi Yao Jie, there’s one type of person I despise the most: those who come from poor families yet can’t even be bothered to study hard… Honestly, you’re a disgrace to the Yi family.”

Oh really?

If bad grades were considered a disgrace, what would they call themselves five years from now?

“Huh? You’re not even angry?” He sounded surprised.

“Angry?”

“Well, yeah. Anyone with a temper would have reacted to what I just said.”

“Why should I react? Because of a few snide remarks your dad taught you?”

I rolled over and propped my chin on my hands, looking at him with amusement.

There was no way a sixteen-year-old would say such cruel things to his own cousin unless he had been instructed to do so.

“Haha, you’re right. My dad did tell me to say those things. But I meant every word.” He walked over and patted my shoulder condescendingly. “Let me tell you a secret, Yi Yao Jie. My new house is almost finished. We’re having a housewarming party in two weeks, and we’re inviting all the relatives. I can’t wait to see the look on your and your dad’s faces then.”

As if I cared.

“Is that so?” I sat up. “Let me tell you a secret too. You won’t be laughing then.”

“Hahaha, that’s the funniest joke I’ve ever heard.”

“Believe what you want. But since my dad is paying you, shouldn’t you start tutoring me, my dear, intelligent cousin?”

Two could play at this game.

He might have been instigated by his father, but his attitude still rubbed me the wrong way.

I wasn’t a saint. I remembered kindness, but I wouldn’t hesitate to fight back against those who wronged me.

“Ugh… fine. Since you’re so eager to learn, I’ll grace you with my knowledge.”

Perhaps unnerved by my confidence, my cousin behaved himself for the next two hours, diligently explaining the test questions.

Time crawled by in a haze of boredom.

…

After my cousin left, I decided to visit Liang Zhenyi at the hospital.

“Xiaoyao.”

Liang Zhenyi seemed to be in much better spirits.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier.” I sat down beside his bed.

I had let my emotions get the better of me, influenced by my parents’ situation.

But if given the chance, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it again. I had no regrets about standing up for my friend.

“It’s okay. I was being weak.” He struggled to sit up. “Xiaoyao, Hua She told me about your mother…”

“I’ll take care of it,” I interrupted, not wanting to discuss it.