Returning to '97, creating a new life

Jealousy, that's the standard answer.

But when it came to Hu Yuxuan, others saw that he was popular with girls, and because the girls they liked liked him, they became jealous and hired some idle people in society to teach him a lesson.

He remained calm, but when dealing with this "unwarranted disaster," he was no longer the same Xu Kai he once was, who was quite confident. Facing the police station and the other party's family, his attitude was resolute: "They tried to kidnap me and even beat me. I was terrified and currently need to go to the hospital for psychological treatment."

From the pressure above, to the arrival of the lawyer, to the resolute attitude of the long-time nanny representing the guardian, and the same answer received when Hu Yuxuan's parents were contacted by phone.

The lawyer arrived and confronted the instigator, who wasn't actually a student yet—a man with a long face, from a family with a little money, who had dropped out of school and was now hanging around the unemployed. He'd fallen for a girl from a high school classmate, but she'd ignored him. He was delusional; seeing her getting close to Hu Yuxuan made him resentful. After all, she'd boasted that he'd definitely get her, and now seeing her with Hu Yuxuan made him feel humiliated. So, this guy treated a few "friends" to a meal, bought them some cigarettes, and gave them some cash.

When faced with a professional lawyer, the legal knowledge and the ability to explain the facts become irrelevant to an ignorant person who is ignorant of the law.

"I don't want to keep running into similar troubles in the future. It's his bad luck. If I'm going to establish my authority, I'll do it all at once."

Hu Yuxuan didn't give the firm a chance to mediate. She directly stated her position to the lawyer. Once the lawyer intervened, many things had to be handled strictly by the law. Even if the other party wanted to downplay the matter, Hu Yuxuan didn't give them the opportunity.

His father was a wealthy man who rose to prominence during the early days of pioneering and development. He had also made his fortune in the dust of the world. Hu Yuxuan was sent to Yanjing from a young age, and the things he was exposed to were completely different from those of children from ordinary families.

He had his own ideas, and to some extent, his parents approved of them; otherwise, they wouldn't have let him act on his impulse and come to Songcheng to study.

The next day, Hu Yuxuan's father, Hu Delong, arrived in Songcheng. Niu Dongyang, a business partner of many years and now mainly engaged in business in Northeast China, also ended his trip early and returned to pick up Hu Delong at the provincial capital airport, and they came to Songcheng together.

After Hu Delong arrived, he had to attend social events for three consecutive meals, including lunch and dinner that day and the following day.

The following evening, Hu Yuxuan informed him that his father wanted to treat Xu Kai and several students from the basketball and sports teams who had rushed over first to dinner as a way of expressing his gratitude.

Xu Kai has met big bosses in both his past and present lives, but he has never been in such close contact with them, especially Hu Delong's friend Niu Dongyang, who will become a well-known and wealthy man in the province in the future.

Bald and overweight, the only difference between him and how he looked ten or twenty years later was the remaining black hair. Overall, he was not much different from the image Xu Kai remembered seeing online. The reason Xu Kai paid so much attention to him was because he knew some inside information when he was running a media company.

The earliest live streaming industry was also very crazy around 2012 or 2013. At that time, it was on PC and it was the era of the top streamers.

Towards the end of this era, it was revealed that Mr. Niu, a wealthy man in the province, was actually the real identity of a well-known figure on the internet.

Out of curiosity within the industry, Xu Kai learned more about this "Boss Niu." Little did he expect that he would actually be able to have dinner with him at the same table in real life. The other party even took the initiative to toast him, his nephew and good brother who had immediately stepped forward to help, as Hu Yuxuan's uncle.

Xu Kai has always been well aware of how difficult it is to cross social classes, and he has never considered doing so before he has achieved a certain level of success. At the very least, there needs to be a give-and-take relationship before any interaction involving mutual interests is possible.

Having met Hu Yuxuan, including Su Xingwan who clearly came from a better family, he always kept his distance. If Hu Yuxuan hadn't come to Songcheng No. 1 High School, they might have just been friends who had met a few times.

As Xu Kai gradually became familiar with Hu Yuxuan, they spent every day together on the basketball team. This led to the later situation where Xu Kai owed Hu Yuxuan a favor and received food supplies. Hu Yuxuan did not think that Xu Kai owed him a favor. In the high school team, Xu Kai's thoughts were somewhat similar to those of Fang Jinyao before.

Xu Kai felt indebted to others, including for the high-quality bulk liquor provided by Fang Jinyao's father's distillery. He remembered these favors, even if the other party didn't need them. For example, the wild ginseng he sent to Hu Delong…

After drinking with Hu Delong and Niu Dongyang, Xu Kai secretly decided that it would be better to keep things simple with Hu Yuxuan. He would let bygones be bygones and forget about any favors he had incurred before. He would go back and settle the debt for the ingredients he owed her as soon as possible. In the future, he would try to pay her upon delivery of the goods or upon receiving payment in advance.

The class difference is too great. He might feel that getting along with others is more genuine, like playing sports, having fun, and joking around together on a regular basis. That's fine; we're students, and we can make pure friends on campus. But when it comes to matters of interest, we must be extremely cautious. I'm not afraid of others thinking I'm climbing the social ladder; I'm afraid that if something unexpected happens and there's a conflict of interest, I could easily become cannon fodder and be discarded at will.

Knowing these two people right now is not an opportunity.

Just like ordinary students, look at Dong Bin and Fei Wenxin. After being reserved at first, they were able to enjoy a feast of delicacies, fully demonstrating the pure side of ordinary students. They received thanks from their classmates' parents and enjoyed a good meal, which made everyone happy.

Xu Kai followed suit, keeping a low profile and blending into the crowd of classmates.

After the meal, Hu Delong gave everyone a pair of sneakers. Since they were all students and involved in sports, Nike sneakers, even if they might not be practical for everyone, were still a very nice gift as everyday shoes.

They were both embarrassed and pleasantly surprised, and all eyes turned to Hu Yuxuan, who stuffed shoe boxes into everyone's hands one by one: "We're all brothers. When I was in trouble, you guys came to help me right away. It's just a pair of shoes, don't be shy. Just buy me a soda when we go to school."

When Hu Yuxuan handed the shoebox to Xu Kai, she stared at him for a long time, puzzled as to what was wrong with Xu Kai today.

When he went for tea with his father and Uncle Niu, he heard his father suddenly mention Xu Kai and began to understand why Xu Kai was like this. That night, he even called Su Xingwan, who was far away in Yanjing, and asked her to analyze the situation from the perspective of a peer.

"This thief is extremely cunning. He sensed the pressure from your father and the others. As for what he's really thinking, I can't be sure. Who knows if he's insecure or just overly cautious."

The next day, Hu Yuxuan asked his father, Hu Delong, who had a vague impression of the little guy who used his son's small business to make use of his family's resources. That's why he mentioned it last night. Today, after hearing his son's explanation of Xu Kai's strange behavior last night, he laughed out loud.

"If you don't know their character yet, treat them as a business partner to exchange resources. You can decide for yourself. If you feel you can become true friends, then treat them well. This kind of person would be very comfortable as a business partner; they are proud, confident, and know when to advance and retreat..."

"Arrogance? Confidence?" Hu Yuxuan asked, puzzled.

"Your Uncle Niu and I put too much pressure on him. He's unwilling to try to climb the social ladder. He doesn't want to be seen as someone with ulterior motives, nor does he want to associate with powerful people when he's still insignificant. He's worried that his little corner of the world might accidentally get him caught up in the mess. Just you wait and see, Xu Kai will definitely keep his distance from you after this. Friends and classmates are just friends and classmates; he promises he won't have any purely classmate-like interactions with you."

Seeing his son still didn't believe him, Hu Delong said, "How about we make a bet?"

"Um."

"I told him he would definitely settle the outstanding payment for the ingredients immediately and would not make any further payments later."

"it is good."

"If I win, you should just accept any kindness or initiative Xu Kai shows you in the future. Don't feel indebted. The more favors you owe him, the easier it will be for you two to get along."

Hu Yuxuan gradually figured it out and began to understand Xu Kai's mentality. It turned out that Xu Kai was willing to climb the social ladder step by step at his own pace and in a situation he could control. If he suddenly made a large leap in social class without sufficient strength, he would not be able to control the problems that would follow, and he would feel insecure. His pride would also not allow it.

He called Su Xingwan to analyze the situation, and after summarizing more information and adding his own analysis, Su Xingwan gave the same answer. Her final comment was also in line with Su Xingwan's style: "He's just being pretentious. It's a pity that Yunshang met such a man; it will be very tiring for her."

"Then why don't you hurry up and rescue Yunshang...?"

"Hu Yuxuan, you're dead."

Even if close friends know this, they can't say it out loud. It's Su Xingwan's tail; stepping on it will definitely make her furious.

Xu Kai received some news at the arcade about the guys who chased and beat Hu Yuxuan; they were in a terrible state.

They were eventually released and given a reprimand and education. Hu Delong didn't even ask for financial compensation. Xu Kai was initially stunned by this result, but then realized that he was in big trouble.

Sure enough, what's free is often the most expensive, and the one that comes at the greatest cost.

If those few reluctant individuals are sent to the regulatory authorities for punishment, the enmity will become too obvious. Although those families are ordinary and not a cause for concern, everyone understands the principle of a cornered dog will jump over the wall. Unless Hu Yuxuan leaves Songcheng immediately after this matter is over, Hu Delong will definitely retaliate to the fullest extent. My son was bullied by a few ordinary thugs in a small city. That's unacceptable.

The instigator took all the blame and faced a heavy punishment. Several months of re-education through labor would have been enough to add a dark mark to his record. According to Hu Delong, this should not be pursued. It was Niu Dongyang who persuaded him that he should at least make some noise for his son, otherwise, all talk and no action would be in vain and his son's desire to establish his authority would not be realized.

It's okay to have a feud with one family on the surface; just assign someone to keep an eye on them, and deal with it slowly later.

Those who didn't have a public feud weren't let off the hook, but rather retaliated against in a more satisfying way. As long as the pace is controlled, the game can go on forever.