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Chapter 1: A Depressing Life

Riding his dilapidated bicycle, which rattled except for the bell, Li Yang felt a bit gloomy and sentimental. Glancing at the willow branches swaying happily in the wind, he couldn't help but sigh.

The second year of high school has completely ended, and today is a holiday. Li Yang has finally finished a year of hard work and has a moment of leisure and relaxation.

Finally, the holiday is here! Unfortunately, it's only a little over a week, less than ten days. It's just a chance for students to go home, eat something nice, and relax a bit before heading back to school to fight the hellish senior year of high school.

Li Yang sighed because of his grades. He was a star student in junior high, the envy of everyone, with countless girls vying for his attention, but he didn't even give them a second glance. He smoothly entered the prestigious No. 1 High School in Jiangdong City.

However, what's tragic is that the No. 1 High School in the city is full of hidden talents and experts. It selected all the outstanding students in Jiangdong City, which has a population of over five million and is approaching ten million. With so many outstanding students, even geniuses, crammed together, Li Yang, who used to be so illustrious, has completely fallen from grace.

He became an ordinary high school student, but because he had always liked computers, he spent some time learning about programming, hacking, and other related knowledge. His grades were always mediocre, hovering around fifteenth in the class.

Unless a miracle occurs and his grades improve dramatically, he could only get into a mediocre second-rate university even if he took the college entrance exam. He would sigh even more when he thought about the miserable subjects like physics, chemistry, and mathematics.

Sigh, it seems his brain wasn't naturally suited for science. When faced with theorems, reduction, force, electricity, functions, and the like, he always gets completely confused and at a loss.

It was precisely because of these few subjects that Li Yang, who had always excelled in humanities, suffered a spectacular defeat and became an average student in the middle tier.

If it were just about academic performance, Li Yang could confidently and proudly declare that he feared no one. But once the science subjects were emphasized, he would cower in shame, too embarrassed to show his face.

Seeing other freshmen couples kissing and hugging as soon as they arrived at high school made him feel incredibly depressed.

Summer vacation is already short, which made Li Yang, who wanted to take this opportunity to indulge his computer addiction, even more depressed. The thought that his father would take this opportunity to find him some tutors to torture him made him even more miserable.

He was depressed the whole way, and in his self-pity, he didn't pay attention to the road and almost fell into the Baihe River on the side. He was so angry that he kicked the broken car hard.

But the pain made me gasp for breath. Damn it, I'm so frustrated. This piece of junk car is making me suffer.

The summer sun was exceptionally intense, its heat making one feel both scorching and drowsy. Li Yang pedaled his bicycle unconsciously, his mind wandering aimlessly, unaware that he had already entered a very familiar neighborhood.

Yes, he's almost home.

Just then, a figure suddenly flashed past from the side, blocking his way. Li Yang was startled and hurriedly braked. Unfortunately, the car was really old and dilapidated. If he hadn't reacted quickly and used his foot to act as a human brake, he would have hit someone.

"Uh... Xiao Ran, it's you! You suddenly jumped out and startled Li Yang. If I hadn't reacted in time, I would have broken your arms and legs!" Li Yang looked up and saw who it was, and his eyes lit up.

This is Zhao Ran, his childhood sweetheart and the girl next door. She's going into her final year of junior high and will soon be taking the high school entrance exam.

I hadn't paid much attention before, but today was the first time I noticed that the little girl was starting to exude a youthful charm. She was slender, and her small breasts were quite full, with a size that stirred up all sorts of fantasies. Just like the poem describes, "Graceful and slender, just over thirteen, like a budding cardamom flower in the second month of spring."

The astonishing transformation of the girl before him forced Li Yang to believe that the saying "a girl changes drastically at eighteen" wasn't just some people's wild fabrication. He hadn't really paid attention before; after all, she was just a young girl back then. Who would have any strange thoughts about a young girl unless they had a particular interest in her?

But at this moment, Li Yang suddenly felt a surge of excitement, though it was just a momentary impulse. Given his current embarrassing performance and abilities, he simply lacked the confidence to pursue this lovely girl next door.

However, while he held this view, others disagreed. In Zhao Ran's memory, Li Yang was always dashing and dazzling in junior high school. He was knowledgeable about computers, played basketball quite well, and had also attended some extracurricular classes as a child, so he knew a little about guitar and had some knowledge of the "thin gold" calligraphy style, although he was only half-baked.

But in the eyes of this young girl, all these things became dazzling, proud, and worthy of admiration. Especially his grades in junior high school, which were indeed outstanding, so it was normal for this girl to admire him.

"Brother Li Yang, are you on holiday?" The girl Zhao Ran smiled sweetly, her dark eyes staring at Li Yang with an eager gaze that seemed to speak volumes.

Li Yang blushed slightly. "Sigh, the Li Yang of today is not the same Li Yang of the past. If you were to ask me for help with some difficult problems from junior high or high school, Li Yang would definitely be moved to tears."

If you knew that Li Yang was just an ordinary high school student who went unnoticed by anyone, you would be greatly disappointed and would never look at him with such fervent and admiring eyes again.

"Yes. It's a holiday, but unfortunately it's only eight days." Li Yang got off his bike and pushed it, walking home with Zhao Ran.

Zhao Ran comes from a single-parent family and lives with her mother, Qiu Li. Qiu Li runs a food cart and earns less than 20,000 yuan a year, making life very difficult in what is considered a first-tier city in China. This is especially true as she has to support her ambitious daughter.

Therefore, her family was extremely poor; one could tell from the girl's cheap and worn-out clothes. Of course, Li Yang's family situation wasn't much better, given that he was childhood sweethearts like this Cinderella. His mother, Jin Mei, worked in a struggling factory, earning just over a thousand yuan a month, while his father, Li Dongming, was a deputy director of a department in a large factory, earning a slightly higher income, but still barely making ends meet.

It's just that it's much better than Zhao Ran's family.

Because her mother's factory was not doing well and she often faced the predicament of not being able to pay wages, her mother, Jinmei, also followed the trend and started investing in stocks. She often ran between the stock exchange and home with the elderly people in the neighborhood, and her focus of work clearly shifted.

All of this saddened Li Yang. Sigh, why didn't he have a father powerful enough to let him live a life of leisure?

"So what are your plans for this short vacation?" Zhao Ran was obviously unaware of the chaotic thoughts in Li Yang's mind, otherwise she would have been so surprised that her jaw would have dropped to the ground. She still followed Li Yang with great curiosity and joy, her pretty ponytail bouncing from side to side, and her youthful aura made Li Yang feel a little dazed.

"I don't have any plans. I think my dad has already made plans for me!" Li Yang said listlessly, rolling his eyes.

"Hehe, it seems so. I heard from your aunt that your uncle is looking for a tutor for you. Looks like your holiday is going to be gloomy again." This little girl not only showed no sympathy, but also looked smug. This made Li Yang feel quite depressed.

"So how are you going to spend your holiday, you brat?" Li Yang asked back, somewhat annoyed.

"Did Aunt Qiu also arrange countless tutors and extracurricular classes for you?"

The little girl wasn't upset at all; instead, she giggled, covering her mouth, and her cute dimples suddenly appeared. She rolled her eyes at Li Yang and said, "Brother Li Yang, are you feeling particularly down? Don't you want to feel less down?"

"Yes, I want to," Li Yang said weakly.

"How about you tutor me? That way you can save on those expensive tutoring fees, and you can keep me company and keep me entertained." The little girl's words jolted Li Yang awake.

Damn, I've lost confidence in myself, especially in science subjects. Junior high is the year we start learning physics and chemistry again. Besides, after two years, junior high is completely different from before. With my current level, it's a truly disheartening and unacceptable task.

Especially now, I get a headache just looking at math and physics, so how can I patiently give her a comprehensive and insightful explanation?

Oh God, please spare Li Yang!

"Xiao Ran, my skills are nowhere near good enough. I'm no match for a professional tutor. It's not that I lack confidence, but I'm really afraid of ruining your future! Um, I'm home now, I'll head back first." Li Yang immediately declined and tried to leave quickly.

"Brother Li Yang, you haven't visited my house in so long. I really miss eating with you. How about having lunch at my house?" The girl's affection and eagerness warmed Li Yang's heart, but he still rationally shook his head and refused.

"Hey Xiaoran, I didn't tell my family, so my mom must have cooked for me. If I don't go back, it'll be a waste, and wasting food is shameful. How about next time?" Li Yang earnestly tried to persuade the girl.

Zhao Ran's family was already struggling financially, so they were naturally thrifty. Hearing Li Yang's words, the little girl was a bit disappointed, but she still smiled and said, "Brother Li Yang is right, wasting money is indeed not good. You must remember what you said, and come to my house for dinner when you have time."

"Of course. Has Li Yang ever lied to the lovely Xiao Ran?" Li Yang couldn't help but tease her.