0090: The Youth Lost His Way

Xu Lin and Li Bin left the school and made their way to Ma Zhiyu’s house. Ma Zhiyu’s family ran a fruit shop, and their situation was actually quite good. However, his parents were always busy, leaving him to his own devices and showing little concern for his academic performance. When they thought he wouldn’t get into high school, they simply had him help with the fruit business.

This attitude was very different from most parents, who hoped their children would study hard and get into college. But Ma Zhiyu himself was rather open-minded—if he couldn’t get into college, he’d just sell fruit.

That was the key difference between Li Bin and Ma Zhiyu: both were average students, but while one was still considering university, the other had already given up.

They rode their bikes for half an hour and arrived at the Ma Family’s Fruit Shop, located near Linshui Bus Station. Outside the store, a stout man in a green overcoat was haggling with some customers.

“If you want ten jin, I’ll give them to you for one and a half yuan a jin. If it’s five jin, it’s two yuan a jin. There’s nowhere cheaper around here.”

“All right, I’ll take ten jin. How much for the pomelos?”

“Ten yuan each, about three jin apiece. They’re all about the same size.”

“I’ll take one.”

After packing the goods, the stout man—Ma Zhiyu’s father—noticed the boys and waved them over.

“School’s out already? Ma Zhiyu hasn’t come back yet. Wait, why didn’t you come home together?”

“He didn’t go to school this afternoon.”

“That rascal! Doesn’t want to study anymore! Wasting money!”

“Uncle, we’ll be going, then.”

“Wait, take two pomelos with you!”

“No, no, you’re running a business—we can’t just take them for free.” Xu Lin and Li Bin quickly waved their hands in refusal.

But he just grabbed a bag and strode over, glaring at them with mock severity.

“Don’t make your uncle angry. Take them—it’s not much. If you want any fruit next time, just come and get it.”

“Thank you, Uncle.”

“By the way, if you find Ma Zhiyu, tell him to come home quickly!”

“All right.”

The two left the shop and headed toward the internet café Ma Zhiyu liked to frequent.

“Uncle Ma is actually a pretty good person,” Li Bin remarked.

“Did you notice what was on the wall inside?” Xu Lin asked, prompting Li Bin’s confusion.

“What was it?”

“There was a certificate of merit on the wall—Ma Zhiyu’s. Not a speck of dust on it. Looked like it was from elementary school. Do you really think his parents don’t want him to study?”

Xu Lin’s words made Li Bin’s heart jolt. He remembered how Uncle Ma had just scolded Ma Zhiyu, and realized perhaps it was out of frustrated hope. He also thought of his own parents when his grades were poor—he’d been angry, thinking he had worked hard enough and yet they still scolded him.

But now, he understood that perhaps he hadn’t worked hard enough, and they only wanted what was best for him.

“Xu Lin, I think I should work harder too. If you can get into the top fifty in the school, maybe I can make the top hundred, even if I’m not as smart.”

“If you put in the effort, you’ll make it,” Xu Lin smiled. “If you really stick with it for three years, getting into a university won’t be a problem.”

“Really?”

“But you have to persist.”

They chatted as they walked into a hidden, dim internet café tucked away in an old neighborhood, mostly filled with middle and high school students.

The administrator recognized Li Bin and greeted him. “Hey, new computers are in. How many hours this time?”

“No, no, we’re looking for Ma Zhiyu. Is he here?”

“He came this afternoon, brought a girl with him—pretty striking, too.”

“Brother Xu, where are they now?”

“Probably still in a private room. Upstairs, number fifteen. Go have a look.”

“Thanks, brother.”

They made their way through the smoky first floor to the second, which was noticeably cleaner and quieter—though the price had doubled from one and a half to three yuan an hour. Xu Lin remembered that before he was reborn, this black-market internet café was gone, and the owner had opened a proper one, charging four yuan an hour.

They stopped before Room 15. Before they could knock, the door opened and a girl stepped out, wearing a tank top and tight jeans. She was a bit older than them, with long, dyed, golden hair. She wasn’t quite as beautiful as Ji Yun and the others, but she was certainly attractive.

Xu Lin and Li Bin instantly realized this must be the girlfriend. They called inside, “Ma Zhiyu?”

“Huh? Who—oh, it’s you guys?!”

Ma Zhiyu poked his head out, a cigarette dangling from his lips. At the sight of them, his expression darkened.

“Did my teacher or my old man send you?”

“We came on our own,” Xu Lin replied, walking straight in. The girl glanced at them but remained outside, not wanting to intrude.

“Friends of yours?” she asked.

“Yeah, my bros. Put on an extra shirt,” Ma Zhiyu said.

“All right, whatever you say.”

Ma Zhiyu smiled and went back into the room. Seeing Xu Lin and Li Bin looking so serious, he felt uneasy, but a few seconds later, he steeled himself.

“If you came just to talk me into going back to school, forget it.”

“That’s not it—we’re mainly worried about you… and your ex-boyfriend,” Li Bin said, glancing at the golden-haired girl lingering outside.

“Li Bin, Xu Lin, you don’t need to bother with this. Don’t get involved—it’s not like I’m going to college anyway.”

“You two just focus on your studies. Especially you, Xu Lin—don’t let your parents down.”

“Ma Zhiyu, are we your friends, your brothers, or not?” Xu Lin stood up, his tone calm but firm, catching both Ma Zhiyu and Li Bin off guard.

A moment later, Ma Zhiyu exhaled deeply. “Can’t you just leave me be?”

“You think we’ll just walk away because you say so?” Xu Lin teased. Ma Zhiyu rushed up to him, and Li Bin quickly stood as well.

“Hey, let’s talk this out,” Li Bin said.

“I know you mean well, but you don’t need to get involved,” Ma Zhiyu said, letting Li Bin pull him back to his seat.

“If you ever run into trouble you can’t handle, do you need money or people?” Xu Lin asked seriously, making Ma Zhiyu almost laugh.

“What can an ordinary student like you do?”

“Don’t worry about that. Just tell us what’s going on, will you?” Xu Lin, seeing how stubborn he was, changed tactics and spoke more gently, no longer pushing him.

“It’s no use telling you. But all right, it started a little over a month ago…”