Rebooting 60, let's go on a rampage with the orange cat!

Gu Jingxing was used to Shi Huai'an always being able to pull out all sorts of things from her schoolbag. Although he also felt that it was time to go home for dinner, how could she still pull out two hot meat buns from her schoolbag? Were they leftovers from not having breakfast this morning? Shouldn't they be cold by now?

Besides, it's May now, the weather is gradually getting warmer, and the backpack hasn't gone bad after a day, has it? But he tacitly remained silent, because Shi Huai'an wouldn't pay attention to him anyway, and was too lazy to explain.

Mu Yinghong hesitated for a moment, but ultimately accepted the steamed bun generously. She eagerly took a big bite, looking as if she was starving.

With her mouth stuffed with steamed buns, she mumbled, "I'll remember your kindness. You're right, if I keep avoiding going home, wouldn't that just be letting that bitch have it easy? It's just that I haven't been to school much lately. Those kids' parents won't let them associate with me. Only you are so loyal! If you ever need any help in the future, just let me know, and I'll definitely do my best!"

Huai'an couldn't help but ask sympathetically, "Was that boy also one of your brothers? Did he bully you along with your stepmother?"

Mu Hongying was stunned for a moment, then her eyes flashed with anger. She gritted her teeth and said, "Oh, his name is Liu Hui, he's my boyfriend. He said my stepmother made a scene at his house, and his parents beat him up and told him to break up with me. Humph! Dream on. I won't agree unless I dump him."

"Liu Hui," the name sounded familiar, but Huai'an couldn't quite place it. She just nodded awkwardly and said, "Then we'll be going now." She turned to leave with Gu Jingxing.

They hadn't gone far when Mu Yinghong suddenly called out to her, "Hey! You must have heard the story of the farmer and the snake, right? In my opinion, instead of focusing on me, you should think about the person you saved earlier! She's best at putting on a pitiful act to gain sympathy, and manipulating public opinion is her specialty!"

Upon hearing this, Huai'an and Gu Jingxing were stunned as if struck by lightning. Their eyes widened, their mouths slightly agape, and their faces showed an expression of disbelief and astonishment.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment, and the surrounding air became heavy.

Mu Yinghong took in everything, a slight smile playing on her lips, and continued, "The reason we beat her before was because she was so ungrateful, daring to slander one of my good friends outside. Humph, for that alone, of course we wouldn't let her get away with it! So don't think she's some innocent little white rabbit..."

She paused here, her gaze sweeping over Huai'an and Gu Jingxing, as if trying to glean some clues from their reactions.

Seeing that the two remained silent, Mu Yinghong continued, "I'm afraid you might not believe what I'm saying. But that's alright. Since you're so righteous, I can't just accept your kindness for nothing. How about this, I'll personally investigate this matter and give you a satisfactory answer! Don't worry, I won't wrong anyone."

Shi Huai listened quietly, neither agreeing nor refusing, but simply turned and left with Gu Jingxing without a word. Both were preoccupied and remained silent the entire way.

After a long silence, Shi Huai'an broke it, saying, "Does the name Liu Hui sound familiar? Do you recognize him?"

Gu Jingxing said, "I was transporting coal with Zhong Hanzhe. I even got into a fight with him. You haven't seen him, so you naturally wouldn't remember."

Shi Huai'an nodded: "I've only heard of them, never seen them. I never expected them to be together. This place is really too small."

Gu Jingxing responded with a "Hmm~", and Huai'an then said, "Leave this matter to me. Regardless of whether what she said is true or not, let's observe for a while before making a conclusion."

Gu Jingxing nodded upon hearing this, but he still felt a little reluctant. He frowned, thought for a moment, and then said, "I don't think she would do that. She usually seems very well-behaved and cute. In short, this matter is a bit strange, and we can't completely trust what Mu Yinghong says. We mustn't be instigated by her, and we mustn't act impulsively."

Shi Huai'an joked, "Hehe~ Well-behaved and cute? I've always thought so too. Don't worry, I'll know my limits."

Gu Jingxing chuckled, "Don't misunderstand, if it really is her, then we've learned a lesson..."

Huai'an thought the same way. After returning home, he immediately summoned Duoduo and Pangju and gave it orders to arrange for their stray cats to conduct a tracking investigation.

Dodo was happily drinking its milk when it heard its owner's command and immediately perked up. It put down the bottle, jumped up excitedly, and muttered, "Meow~ Finally, I have something to do! I've been so bored lately!" Then, it dashed off to find its other companions to discuss something.

The sky was overcast, with a light drizzle falling. The lilac trees in the yard were in full bloom, their flowers a stunning sight. Each blossom had five petals, displaying an elegant purple or white hue and emitting a unique fragrance.

When the lilacs are in full bloom, the entire garden is filled with their intoxicating fragrance, and the purple canopy looks like it's covered with a purple cloud.

Wu Yutong stood quietly by the door, her gaze fixed on the patch of purple lilacs. She was frozen in place, staring at them blankly, her thoughts drifting into the distance.

Deep in her mind, one beautiful scene after another kept surfacing: joyful moments of playing with her parents as a child, happy times of the family sitting together for a warm meal, and those carefree days filled with laughter...

However, a sudden, loud argument erupted from inside the house, shattering the tranquility and peace like a bolt from the blue.

The sound was so loud it seemed to rip the roof off, abruptly pulling Wu Yutong from her distant memories back to the harsh reality.

All that could be heard was Wu Yutong's mother, her voice trembling with sobs, crying out in utter anguish, "All you ever do is travel and work on business trips. You finally come home, only to get completely drunk and then throw a tantrum here! How can anyone live like this?"

Yutong's father wasn't to be outdone. He also yelled at the top of his lungs, drunkenly shouting, "Hmph! You useless woman, you can't even give me a son, causing me to suffer the scorn of others. Our Wu family has had only one son for generations, and now it's about to end in my hands. I'm truly ashamed before my ancestors..."

Immediately afterward, a loud crash was heard as a thermos flask was smashed to the ground, shattering into countless pieces of glass. The crisp sound of breaking glass echoed throughout the room. At the same time, the father's angry roars and the mother's and sister's heartbroken cries also came from the small room.

Grandpa was also sulking inside the house. Grandma sighed helplessly as she came out of the kitchen, took out a dime from her pocket and handed it to Wu Yutong, telling her to hurry up and buy a bottle of soy sauce.

Wu Yutong silently accepted the one cent, carrying the empty soy sauce bottle, and slowly walked out of the house. She was already used to this kind of scene, even somewhat numb to it.

She kept her head down, avoiding the prying eyes of her neighbors, her mind a jumble of thoughts, and walked slowly, step by step, down the narrow, quiet alley.

As soon as Wu Yutong went out, her neighbor Ma Jianqiang rushed out of the house with a grin and said, "Yutong, I'll go with you."

Wu Yutong frowned and said with disgust, "Get lost, don't follow me, I hate you!" Seeing that she was unhappy, Ma Jianqiang could only pat his head and go back into the house.

She knew that Ma Jianqiang liked her and always tried different ways to please her, but she grew to hate this shameless boy more and more. It is said that good girls are afraid of clingy boys. Her mother had secretly reminded her several times to be careful. As girls grow up, they must keep their eyes open. Marriage is like a second birth, and one wrong move could lead to utter ruin.

She liked Gu Jingxing. He was tall, handsome, upright, and a good student. He was also the family member of a martyr, an only child, and she heard that his uncle was still an officer in the army. If only she could be with Gu Jingxing...

Although she was only 14 and Gu Jingxing was only 15, Wu Yutong grew up in a family that favored sons over daughters. From a young age, she had learned to read people's expressions and please adults. Her house was small, and sometimes she would inevitably hear indecent noises from adults in the middle of the night. Now that she was experiencing her first stirrings of love, what didn't she understand?

Unfortunately, while Gu Jingxing was quick-witted in other ways, he was quite dense in this regard. He would rather chat and laugh with a little kid like Shi Huai'an, but treat her as if she didn't exist. She herself was fair-skinned, beautiful, and had a sweet voice, and had always been the object of boys' affections. She couldn't understand why Gu Jingxing ignored her, which plunged her into deep distress and unrequited love...

The atmosphere at home used to be fine, but ever since her younger sister was born, her grandparents have become restless after having three girls in a row. Whenever her father is home, they constantly pressure her to have more children, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are constantly at odds. The house has been in turmoil ever since. Her father also avoids going home, volunteering for business trips whenever the factory needs him. He's a model worker and an active employee outside, but at home he's a drunken slumberer. Wu Yutong's mind was a jumble of thoughts…

Just then, a small stone suddenly flew from some corner and landed precisely at her feet. Immediately afterward, a sharp whistle rang out: "Wu Yutong, why didn't you come out to play at noon? Do you think you can look down on me now that someone's protecting you?"

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Wu Yutong was startled and quickly looked up in the direction of the sound. There stood Mu Yinghong with her arms crossed, looking smug, with the chubby Liu Yifan beside her.

Upon seeing the two men, Wu Yutong regretted not having Ma Jianqiang come along. She turned pale with fright and turned to run away.

However, before she could run a few steps, Mu Yinghong's threatening voice came from behind: "Hey! You stop right there. If you dare to take another step, I'll run to your house right now and tell your aunt and uncle all the shameful things you've done, and see how they deal with you! Humph, do you believe me or not?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yutong stopped in her tracks, her body trembling uncontrollably. She protested, "You don't need to threaten me. I didn't do anything, and I'm not afraid of what you say."

"Oh! So what are you afraid of? Are you worried that I'll tell others about your spreading rumors that Shi Huai'an and Gu Jingxing are dating?" Liu Yifan's lips curled into a cold smile. His gaze, as cold as ice, pierced straight at Wu Yutong.

Upon hearing this, Wu Yutong's heart skipped a beat, as if gripped tightly by an invisible hand. Tears welled up in her eyes, and glistening droplets slid down her cheeks. She shook her head frantically, her voice trembling with sobs, and cried out, "I didn't! You're all talking nonsense!"

Seeing this, Mu Yinghong immediately retorted without holding back, "Nonsense? Humph, in my opinion, it's obvious that you like Gu Jingxing, but unfortunately, Gu Jingxing doesn't even have eyes for you. So, out of love turned to hate and anger, you go around making up those baseless rumors! Besides, you've done this kind of thing before, are you going to deny it?"

Mu Yinghong's mouth was like a machine gun, firing off a barrage of shots, giving Wu Yutong no chance to catch her breath.

Seeing Wu Yutong's face grow paler and paler, and her body begin to tremble uncontrollably, Mu Yinghong smiled with satisfaction. The euphoric feeling after her release filled her with excitement.

At this moment, Liu Yifan, who had been silent all along, finally spoke again: "Shi Huai'an once saved your life! Although I can't beat her, at least I dared to take responsibility and accept my loss. But look at you, not only are you ungrateful, but you also repay kindness with enmity, maliciously slandering and stabbing her in the back. I really don't know why these two idiots would escort such a despicable and shameless person like you. It's simply the most ridiculous thing ever!"

Despite the accusations and questions from the two, Wu Yutong remained steadfast in her refusal to admit her actions.

Her eyes widened, and she roared angrily, "I didn't! You're just making baseless accusations! Show me the evidence!"

"Evidence? Haha... You think I can't find evidence for these rumors?" Mu Yinghong pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and said, "Why don't you come and take a look? These are statements written by several of your good friends, and they're all signed. Take a look!"

Ignoring her fear, Wu Yutong rushed forward like a madwoman to snatch the paper away, but Liu Yifan hooked her with his foot, causing Wu Yutong to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

The soy sauce bottle shattered on the ground with a crash. The ground, wet and slippery from the light rain, instantly stained her clothes. Her hand, which was bracing itself on the ground, bled. Mu Yinghong and Liu Yifan couldn't help but laugh until they bent over at her disheveled appearance.