Locking away my heart and love! Going back to 2000 to be a top student again.

The two sisters came to plead for mercy, obviously at their father's behest.

The Zhang family runs a scrap metal recycling station, a small business that barely makes ends meet. But lately, people have been coming to the store to cause trouble, acting like fierce demons. Who would dare to bring scrap metal to sell now?

Xu Su's uncle is a cripple and can't find a proper job. If he can't even keep the scrap metal shop running, the family of four will really have nothing to live on.

Zhang Yingying and Zhang Tingting both attend the neighboring No. 2 Middle School. They didn't know the schedule of the advanced class. They came to the classroom several times and found it packed with people. They thought they were having a class and didn't dare to knock on the door. They looked so pitiful.

Xu Su had no intention of making things difficult for the two children, nor did she want to involve her aunt's family. After comforting them for a few moments, she turned around and told Zhou Mochen to stop.

Through the two Zhang sisters, Xu Su also learned about the Xu family's experiences over the past two months.

After resuming work after the Chinese New Year, Xu Weiping was reported by his employees. As the workshop supervisor, he discovered that the substandard materials were being put into storage but did not report it. Instead, he colluded with the purchasing staff to take kickbacks, which directly caused the factory to waste manpower and resources to weave a batch of unfinished fabric that could not be shipped, resulting in a loss of several hundred thousand yuan.

As a result, Xu Weiping lost his job, and the welfare housing he had been allocated was also taken back. Now, not only did they lose their new welfare housing, but they also lost their old two-bedroom apartment. The family of three had no choice but to return to the Xu family's old house and squeeze in with Xu Weiguo and his family.

Chen Shulan still has her job, but her monthly income of a few hundred yuan in logistics work is barely enough to make ends meet for her family of three. Xu Weiping can only continue to do manual labor, but his hand is injured and hasn't recovered yet, so he can't do heavy work and can only stay at home to recuperate.

Xu Weiguo wasn't much better off. He used to work in a dyeing factory, but he wasn't exactly a skilled worker. Somehow, he offended his team leader, who found fault with him and fired him. Now, he and his wife run a stall near the elementary school, selling pancakes and fried skewers, and occasionally do odd jobs.

Xu Su was unmoved by what she heard until she received a call from her maternal uncle's family a few days later.

Chen Shulan could no longer bear the changes that had occurred in her family. She was terrified of Zhou Mochen that night and dared not contact her daughter herself, so she finally thought of her own mother.

On the phone, Grandma Xu remained silent for a long time, and Xu Su's heart skipped a beat.

She finally realized that the Xu family could contact her maternal grandmother, and what they would say to her.

Xu Su gripped her phone tightly. She could ignore everyone's opinions, but she couldn't bear the disappointment in her grandmother's eyes, and she didn't want her grandmother to misunderstand her like the rest of the Xu family.

"Susu, is it true that your mom said you're going to get your dad sued and jailed?"

On the phone, Grandma Xu asked, "Your parents made a special trip back to the countryside. She hasn't been back for five or six years. She looks very haggard. Your father has a broken finger. They said... it was chopped off by your husband. Was it the one from the wedding banquet last time?"

“…No, that’s not him. The one at the wedding banquet was his friend, Grandma. After I finish my college entrance exam, I’ll bring him back to meet you, okay?” Xu Su stood in the corridor, looking at the students running on the playground in the distance, and said in a stiff voice, “As for the finger, they’re right. My boyfriend had someone chop it off.”

Grandma Xu sighed, "I raised you myself, I know what kind of person you are. You're stubborn and seem aloof, but you're actually very soft-hearted. You wouldn't treat your dad like that for no reason. Tell Grandma, did your dad hit you?"

"Um... I was hit." Xu Su's nose tingled, and she tried hard to blink back her tears. "I was hit so hard that I almost went deaf. Grandma, I don't want this dad anymore, and I don't want this mom anymore, okay?"

"I knew it, I knew something was wrong." The old man on the other end of the phone cursed angrily in his local dialect, "They raised these kids, they just don't know how to be considerate, how could they hit them? Su Su, are your ears okay?"

She completely forgot that her son-in-law had lost a finger; she was only concerned about her granddaughter.

Instead of the blame she expected, Xu Su breathed a sigh of relief and said coquettishly, "Grandma, don't worry. I still have some pain from time to time, but the doctor said it will heal on its own in a few months. I'm not deaf."

"They almost beat their daughter into deafness. What a couple! No wonder your two uncles couldn't explain what happened when they asked them." Grandma Xu became angrier as she spoke, wishing she could call her daughter and son-in-law, who had already returned to the city, back and give them a good beating.

Xu Su coaxed the old man, who wanted to visit her in Changshi, for a long time before finally convincing him that she was alright.

After calming down, the conversation finally turned to another topic.

Grandma Xu's tone was extremely stern: "You're still a student. When did you start dating? Haven't I taught you that a girl shouldn't be blinded by a man's sweet words and forget who she is?"

Xu Su whispered, "We haven't been dating for long, Grandma. Don't believe what others say. My boyfriend is a really good person, Grandma. I promise I'll bring him back to meet you after my college entrance exam, okay?"

Grandma Xu couldn't imagine how good a man could be who could chop off his girlfriend's father's finger; she just felt that her granddaughter had been bewitched.

"You're so pretty, those hooligans love to harass you. How can you be so clueless!" The old woman was quite exasperated and asked anxiously, "Tell Grandma, did he take advantage of you?"

"..." When asked this by a close relative, Xu Su felt a little embarrassed: "No."

"Susu, listen to your grandma. Don't do anything foolish. You've been admitted to such a good school, you should study hard. You're a proper young lady, don't go hanging out with hooligans, understand?"

Little rascal…

Afraid of worrying her grandmother, Xu Su didn't dare to argue at all. "I know, don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

So what if he's a petty thug? No one would expect someone who chops off people's fingers so casually to be a decent person.

Grandma Xu kept coaxing her until it was time for evening self-study class before finally hanging up the phone, still feeling very uneasy.

Back in the classroom, Qian Jia thought it was Zhou Mochen calling and came over with a smile to tease him.

Xu Su explained in an annoyed tone that it was her maternal grandmother.

She remembered what her grandmother had told her about Xu Weiping being sued...

When evening self-study ended, Xu Su packed up her books and walked out of the classroom, only to see Zhou Mochen standing in the corridor not far from the classroom door, waiting for her.

This person's style is getting younger and younger. He wore a charcoal gray denim jacket, dark trousers, and sneakers. He was tall and straight, a perfect walking clothes hanger.

What was that word Huang Feng used last time... handsome and dashing!

No, he should be incredibly handsome in this outfit!

The phrase "handsome and elegant" only applies to him when he's wearing formal attire. He exudes a somewhat ascetic aura that makes you want to unbutton his shirt.