On the first day of school, Qi Xu received a group message from Xu Yichen:
“Hang in there, just four more months until winter break. Freshmen, happy school start!”
The chat was filled with complaints at first, but as Xu Yichen’s generous opening day red envelope arrived, the tone softened and turned into praise.
Qi Xu, who had woken up late and missed the red envelope, was privately reminded by Fang Qian. He was also tagged in their small four-person chat group, which now became five with Qi Xu included.
When did he get close to these four? Their adult ceremony at the villa, joking around at the old mansion, that time he didn’t go to the bar, or when they climbed the mountain together to watch the sunset?
It had only been two months.
None of this had happened in his previous life. After running away from home, he rented a place, worked nights at clubs, living day and night upside down to make ends meet.
Now thinking back, he couldn’t even remember which club—it must not have been worth remembering. That was also when he first tried smoking and drinking.
Living such a hard life in Qi family village, Qi Xu hadn’t gotten addicted to smoking because he knew very well that cigarettes cost money—and back then, he couldn’t afford to waste a single cent.
When he finally got his first month’s paycheck, the very first thing Qi Xu did was buy a pack of cigarettes, proving the old saying that men tend to get worse once they have money.
The cigarettes he bought were the cheapest, lowest-quality ones—the exact brand Qi Guohui had smoked every day for ten years without fail.
Since he could remember, every time Qi Guohui beat him, he would have that cigarette dangling from his mouth. The harsh secondhand smoke clung to him like inescapable leeches, burrowing into his nose and sucking away his blood.
For a while, just smelling that scent would trigger him. When did he stop being afraid? Probably when he hit puberty, grew taller than Qi Guohui, and got stronger than him.
One time when Qi Guohui was holding a cigarette and hitting him, Qi Xu grabbed the cigarette from his mouth and crushed it on his face.
When he lit up that cigarette himself, he truly tasted the flavor of the very weapon that had left countless scars on his body.
Maybe he had a masochistic streak—he was strangely fascinated by that smell.
In his nearly ten-million-dollar flat, cheap cigarettes with red packaging were scattered everywhere. Qi Xu found them more satisfying than countless expensive brands.
Back at eighteen, he had pulled out cigarettes twice, but both times someone showed up and stopped him. Since then, he rarely smelled secondhand smoke again.
The good boy who never got addicted to smoking lay back down and opened the red envelope Xu Yichen had sent two hours ago.
He was the last to claim a red envelope, but got the largest one.
Then Xu Yichen took a screenshot and spammed the group with question marks, bombarding him.
At the same time, someone knocked on his door. Uncle Li called him to get up, saying today was the first day of school registration.
The older generation always took the first day of school seriously. After washing up, Qi Xu went downstairs and found incense lit in his courtyard, including three sticks placed in his little incense burner.
The worship in the main courtyard was even more formal. Servants brought offerings to the Buddha room one after another; the scent of sandalwood filled the air, and ashes from burning paper lay in the brazier.
Before he even sat down, Uncle Li led him to the Buddha room to offer incense. Though Qi Xu burned incense daily, he didn’t hold any real faith—he just respected and understood the tradition.
Uncle Li murmured prayers beside him. Listening carefully, Qi Xu realized they were blessings for his health and academic progress.
They really treated him like a child.
After offering incense, Qi Xu returned to the dining room to eat with the old master.
“Still so lazy on the first day of school? When classes start at 8 a.m. every day, let’s see how you manage,” the old master said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Qi Xu shot back, “I’ll just stay up all night—problem solved perfectly.”
The old master tapped him with his cane. “Nonsense. You just got better, and you’re already abusing yourself like this? At this rate, you’ll be back to square one in less than a week.”
“If that really happens, I’ll send herbal medicine to your school every day.”
Qi Xu got scared and immediately turned into a good boy. “Grandpa, I promise I’ll sleep on time every day, not be late for class, eat three meals on schedule. The round trip is almost two hours—our driver works too hard.”
After much back-and-forth, the daily medicine delivery threat was withdrawn.
Though the two argued, when Qi Xu saw the old master take out a red envelope, he felt a bit moved.
In previous years at university, he had received red envelopes on the first day of school sent through others. This time, he accepted one personally.
Old Master Shen said, “The red envelope on the first day of school is a good omen. Study hard and improve every day.”
The red envelope wasn’t thick, but Qi Xu accepted it with peace of mind. “Thank you, Grandpa.”
Old Master Shen picked up his teacup and looked at him, coughing lightly. “You did well with that matter.”
He hadn’t gone all out but gave a clear warning.
A few days ago, that old troublemaker Xie Bingkang, who loved to stir up drama, couldn’t stop praising how the situation was handled, saying it reminded him of his own style when he was young.
Old Master Shen modestly admitted he wasn’t as capable—his grandson Qi Xu had truly outdone his teacher and surpassed the master. Qi Xu had precisely struck at the other party’s lifeline.
This grandson’s way of doing things really was like the young Shen’s: good at everything but lacking ambition. He’d give a little push and move forward, but if left alone, he’d probably just set up a chair and lie around for life.
Qi Xu never acted modestly. “I told you, I’ll make sure he leaves the capital.”
The incident severely damaged the Song family’s reputation. To protect Song Ruoming, the Song family pulled many strings and, taking advantage of the imperfect legal system, barely managed to get him out on bail—and that very night sent him overseas.
Old Master Shen scolded him a bit when he heard this, but there was no blame in his tone, just a sense of helplessness.
“Rascal.” He glanced at Uncle Li, who handed Qi Xu a list. “These people are all under your command now. If you need anything, just order them.”
Here we go again, Qi Xu thought, “I don’t need that.”
Old Master Shen was firm. “Don’t say you don’t need it. You let that kid from the Xu family take the lead in that matter. People would think our Shen family has no one. Whatever they have, we need to have it too. Our Shen family is big and rich—we don’t lack a few people.”
Uncle Li urged, “Young master, just take them. Otherwise, the old master will lose face in front of the senior elders of the families. They’ve been making fun of him for a while because of this.”
Qi Xu looked over the list, which was filled with the old master’s trusted aides, hesitating for a long moment before saying nothing about accepting it.
Old Master Shen asked, “Don’t you treat me like your grandfather?”
Back when Zeng Yun and Shen Fengkai said those things in the Shen household, Qi Xu could brush them off casually—after all, he didn’t really consider them family.
But the old man was different—he was the only real family Qi Xu had in his past life.
In the end, Qi Xu still accepted. “I don’t have much I need them to help with.”
The old man was clearly pleased, like he’d finally managed to unload something he’d been holding onto for ages. He waved his hand and said, “Whatever, they’re yours now.”
After lunch, Qi Xu went back upstairs to continue packing.
Old Master Shen huffed, “I thought that brat was completely unyielding. Turns out he can still listen when it counts.”
Uncle Li poured him a cup of tea. “Young Master Qi is softhearted and loyal. In his heart, you come first. He values you more than anyone.”
Old Master Shen thought about his own unfilial son and sighed heavily. “Since they can’t see straight and don’t know what matters, I’ll take charge on their behalf. As long as I’m around, I’ll protect him.”
Uncle Li quickly patted his back, comforting him, “You’ll live a long and healthy life, sir. When the young master gets married and has kids, you’ll still be here to take care of your great-grandkids.”
Qi Xu came downstairs with his things. At the door stood an unfamiliar man who reached out to take his luggage.
The man was tall and strong, dressed in casual clothes, sharp-eyed, and had the unmistakable presence of someone with professional training.
“Young Master, I’m Chen Wei. I’ll be in charge of your transportation and security from now on.”
Qi Xu hadn’t expected the old man to send someone over so quickly, like he was afraid Qi Xu might change his mind.
Qi Xu nodded slightly. “Thanks. Appreciate it.”
The servants had already packed all his dorm essentials into the trunk—the business van was stuffed full.
In his past life, Qi Xu had lived in the dorms all four years and had gotten used to it.
But things were different this time. His company hadn’t yet stabilized, and there was still a lot he had to handle personally. Dorm life might not be convenient for that—he’d probably have to move out soon.
Carrying his personal bag, Qi Xu got into the car. Old Master Shen was helped outside by Uncle Li. Qi Xu rolled down the window and lazily waved his hand: “Grandpa, I’ll come home during the holidays—don’t miss me too much.”
Hearing the word “home” softened something in the old man. For once, he didn’t bicker back, just silently watched the car drive away.
There were perks to attending a local university—you could sleep in until noon and still make it in time for registration. On the way there, Qi Xu was reviewing a project proposal Li Kaixing had sent over. He was so absorbed that he didn’t even notice they’d arrived.
Qi Xu got out of the car and went to the new student check-in station. Chen Wei followed closely behind him.
“Hey, freshman! What’s your major?” The student volunteer, a lively upperclassman girl, asked warmly. She even nudged her friend with excitement.
“Economics and Finance,” Qi Xu replied.
“Oh, from the Business School? This way,” she said, leading him to the left.
He signed in, found his name and dorm assignment, and thanked the upperclassman volunteers as he took the orientation packet.
The student volunteer smiled brightly. “Need help with your luggage? We’ve got some strong senior guys ready to help.”
Qi Xu smiled politely. “It’s okay, thanks though.”
After he walked away, the volunteer couldn’t help but whisper to her friend, “What’s up with the econ department this year? So many handsome guys! I’ve seen several already just this afternoon. When is computer science ever going to have its glow-up?”
“When’s military training for the freshmen again? I’m definitely heading over to the econ camp to check them out.”
“I think it starts next Monday. Get your chair ready and pick a good spot.”
“Let me check if these cuties are all in the same class—that way I can get a full view.”
Qi Xu glanced at Chen Wei, who was carrying the bulk of the luggage effortlessly. He raised a brow. “You’re really strong.”
Chen Wei didn’t crack a smile. “It’s easier than the weighted training we used to do in the military.”
So he really was a former soldier.
There was no elevator in the dorm building, but thankfully their room was on the third floor—not too bad. The two of them carried all the luggage up in one go.
Room 314. Qi Xu rolled his suitcase to the door. There was already someone sitting inside who waved at him as he approached. “Hey there, I’m Li Yan.”
Qi Xu set his bag down. “Hey, I’m Qi Xu.”
Li Yan started to step forward to help with the luggage, but noticed the man behind Qi Xu—figuring he must be a family member.
“The counselor just came by and said each dorm needs to send two people to pick up textbooks. The other two went to grab them.”
Qi Xu took a quick look around the business school dorm—it wasn’t much different from the computer science dorms in his previous life.
Chen Wei swiftly unpacked Qi Xu’s living essentials while Qi Xu handled his personal belongings.
There were footsteps in the hallway, then someone called from outside the door, “Li Yan, open up—I’ve got no free hands!”
Li Yan ran over and opened the door. Two guys stood there, each holding a tall stack of books that nearly covered their faces.
“That’s a lot of books.”
“Go help Xie Huai carry his. He’s got more than I do.”
Qi Xu had just finished rinsing a towel on the balcony when he heard a familiar name and froze, turning toward the door.
Their eyes met across the two newcomers—it wasn’t just someone with the same name. It was him.
Li Yan called out, “Xie Huai, I’ll help you with those.”
Xie Huai, calm as ever with his stack of books, stepped inside. “It’s not heavy.”
Chen Wei finished setting up the toiletries and stepped out from the balcony. He was just about to help Qi Xu arrange his desk when Qi Xu raised his hand to stop him. Qi Xu shook his head. “I’ll handle it myself.”
Xie Huai, after setting down the books, glanced up at Chen Wei. The look in his eyes was sharp, and Chen Wei instantly picked up on it—something unfriendly. He stared right back, on guard.
Li Yan, oblivious to the tension, went about the introductions cheerfully: “This is our last roommate, Qi Xu, and his older brother.”
Qi Xu turned to Chen Wei. “Wait for me outside.”
Chen Wei nodded and left the dorm without a word.
Feng Zhenjie greeted him. “Hey, I’m Feng Zhenjie.”
Qi Xu gave him a nod. “Qi Xu. Nice to meet you.”
Xie Huai separated the books into two stacks. “Where should I put these?”
No names were used—he hadn’t said who he was asking.
Just as Feng Zhenjie was about to reply, Qi Xu beat him to it. “Leave them on your desk for now. I haven’t finished organizing mine.”
Li Yan finally sensed something off. “Wait… do you two know each other?”
Xie Huai glanced at the bed beside his. “Neighbors.”
Qi Xu didn’t bother to correct him. That was accurate enough. They were neighbors. Nothing more, nothing less.
Feng Zhenjie clapped his hands with a grin. “That’s fate for you! Neighbors with a wall between you outside, and now roommates who sleep head-to-head in the same room. Keeping that close bond going!”
Qi Xu: “…”
He looked at Xie Huai, who had pulled out a chair and sat down. Their eyes met.
“What’s wrong, roommate?” Xie Huai asked.
So he was taking this surprisingly well.
Qi Xu returned to arranging his desk. “Nothing.”
