To make up for the debt owed to Lin Qingping and Gu Juncheng

Zhiyuan returned to the capital in the second year of junior high school.

This was his first year working, and he divided all his saved wages into three parts, giving them to Gu Juncheng, Lin Qingping, and Zhangzhu on New Year's Eve.

Why would Gu Juncheng want his money? He said, "You can't even take care of yourself, why would you give it to us?"

Lin Qingping happily accepted it, saying, "Thank you, son." She then added to Gu Juncheng, "Your son is so filial, why wouldn't you want it? Don't give it to me!"

Lin Qingping took two portions.

Gu Juncheng never had any ambition when it came to money. He just laughed when he heard this and said to Zhiyuan, "No matter how many years pass, your mother's money-grubbing nature will never change."

This sentence has a double meaning, and it also makes one laugh at Lin Qingping's past life, but Zhiyuan and Zhangzhu don't understand it.

Lin Qingping glanced at him, and Gu Juncheng immediately said, "However, we have to thank your mother for being so money-grubbing, which is why you have such a good material life and for raising you so well."

Zhiyuan looked at Gu Juncheng again with a meaningful smile.

Gu Juncheng tapped him on the forehead. "Did I say something wrong?"

On his way back to the capital, Zhiyuan recalled this scene and smiled the whole way.

For him, home will always be the warmest harbor.

He came home with a suitcase, but left with three extra bundles, all filled with delicious food packed for him by Lin Qingping.

The plane arrived in the capital in the evening. After Zhiyuan collected his luggage and went outside, he never expected that someone would be waiting for him at the exit.

"Li Zhiyuan." The man stood directly in front of him.

"Happy New Year, Wan Xuening." Zhiyuan stopped and greeted her politely.

Wan Xuening is the dean's daughter.

Wan Xuening was tall and stylishly dressed with delicate features. Standing in front of Zhiyuan, she said with a hint of reproach, "Li Zhiyuan, what's wrong with you? You didn't even tell me you were going home for the New Year? I sent you so many messages, and you only replied with a few!"

Zhiyuan was a little confused: Why should I tell you when I go home for the Chinese New Year?

"Let's go, Li Zhiyuan, let's go to my house for dinner! My parents are all ready!" Wan Xuening's smile returned in an instant.

Zhiyuan was startled and quickly refused, "No, no, my family has already made preparations!" Who goes to someone else's house for dinner during the Chinese New Year?

"Hey, come on! My parents specially asked me to pick you up!" Wan Xuening reached out to grab his luggage.

Zhiyuan was in a panic when she snatched a bag from his hand.

He quickly reached out to snatch it back, but his sleeve rolled up, revealing the coral stone on his wrist.

"Huh? What's this?" Wan Xuening noticed it immediately. "Where did you get this? You didn't wear it when you went back!"

Zhiyuan frowned slightly, and then snatched the bundle back from Wan Xuening. "My friend gave it to me."

"A friend?" Wan Xuening smiled, a hint of worry and slyness in her eyes. "Is it a girl?"

“Yes.” Zhiyuan dragged his suitcase, refusing Wan Xuening’s offer to help him carry anything more, and strode toward the exit.

Wan Xuening followed closely behind, "Have you known each other for a long time? Is she your classmate? What does she do...?"

A barrage of questions left Zhiyuan speechless, but Wan Xuening persisted, pressing him relentlessly until she finally gleaned some basic information from him: she was a childhood friend and classmate of Zhiyuan.

It took Wan Xuening a lot of effort to get those two sentences out, especially after getting the crucial information that "we were just elementary school classmates." Wan Xuening, who was originally feeling a bit gloomy, immediately cheered up.

As they were talking, they left the airport. Zhiyuan was absolutely unwilling to go to Wan Xuening's house for dinner, but then his phone rang.

It was the dean, who is also Wan Xuening's father, who called.

Zhiyuan had no choice but to accept, but after accepting, he was once again in a dilemma. Dean Wan invited him to his home for dinner, and he spoke very sincerely, saying that several teachers from the medical field were there and that he should come and get to know them.

Wan Xuening laughed, "Hmph, you're really putting on airs. My dad had to personally invite you before you'd even go!"

To be honest, even if Dean Wan personally invited him, he wouldn't want to go, but it seems he has no choice but to go.

Looking at his large and small bags of luggage, he thought, "I can't just go to Dean Wan's house like this, can I?"

"I'll take you home first. You can put your things down, and then we'll go home together," Wan Xuening said.

This is the only way...

Wan Xuening happily led him to the parking lot. She had driven there; coming from a well-off family, she had obtained her driver's license and a car at a young age.

What made her happiest was that she wanted to see what Zhiyuan's home was like. In her memory, he lived in the hospital dormitory most of the time, but she heard that he would occasionally go home. Wasn't he from out of town who came to the capital? Did he also have a home in the capital? She was very curious.

Under Zhiyuan's direction, she drove to the place where Zhiyuan and Gu Youlian now live.

"This is it. I'll take my things upstairs." Zhiyuan got out of the car and took his luggage out of the trunk.

Just then, Gu Youlian and Xiaomai came downstairs.

Knowing that Zhiyuan was coming back today, they figured he had a lot of things with him and that he would be here soon, so they went to the intersection to wait for him. But when they saw him coming back in a car with a girl, Gu Youlian immediately became wary.

"Auntie," Zhiyuan called out.

"Hey, let me take it. Is this your... friend? Let's go home for dinner!" Gu Youlian casually glanced at Wan Xuening.

"Hello, Auntie." Wan Xuening was very generous, smiling and calling out to Zhiyuan, "We're not going to eat, Zhiyuan is going to eat at my house."

Upon hearing this, Gu Youlian exclaimed, "Good heavens!" and quickly said, "Then let's take the things upstairs. Zhiyuan, you should go now."

Zhiyuan thought about it and agreed, but he also realized that when visiting someone's home during the New Year, he should bring something. He didn't want to be the kind of person who fawned over others, so he took a few items from the local specialties that Lin Qingping and he had brought as a token of courtesy.

So, under Gu Youlian's watchful gaze, Zhiyuan rode in Wan Xuening's car to the dean's house for dinner.

Dean Wan's family does indeed have several authoritative experts, all of whom are Dean Wan's good friends. They get together during the Spring Festival. Among the young people, only Zhiyuan is present.

The atmosphere during the meal was quite pleasant. After the meal, several experts and teachers chatted with Zhiyuan about medical matters. At this point, Wan Xuening couldn't get a word in edgewise, so she went to cut fruit with her mother.

"You seem quite happy," Mrs. Wan said with a smile. "Did you take him home first before coming back? Did you meet his family?"

“I only saw his aunt, I don’t know if that counts as seeing her. She even invited us to her house for dinner, but weren’t we supposed to come back for dinner?” Wan Xuening said.

Mrs. Wan became interested, "Where does he live? What's the situation?"

“I think it’s because his aunt’s family lives locally, right? He spends most of his time in the hospital dormitory and only goes home occasionally, probably to his aunt’s house. His aunt runs a dessert shop near the university, and he has a cousin who is a teacher.” This is what Wan Xuening found out from Zhiyuan today. She thought about it for a moment, “His family lives by the sea, and the things he brought back from home were all dried seafood. Didn’t he bring some for our family too? I asked him if his family sells fish, and he said yes.”

After thinking for a moment, Mrs. Wan said, "The family's financial situation is probably average, but he is quite successful. Let your father take a good look at his character."

"Mom, that person has a good character!" Wan Xuening said unhappily.

"You're already siding with outsiders!" Mrs. Wan said with a laugh.