Autistic Genius and His Childhood Friend (3): 47: Come pick up trash with me~

The dean didn’t even have time to accuse the couple of being heartless for treating the child so poorly. As soon as the couple arrived, they started scolding the child, which only deepened the dean’s already unfavorable impression of them. His expression almost visibly showed his disgust.

Mr. Si, who hadn’t slept all night, was feeling groggy. Overwhelmed by drowsiness, he couldn’t help but let out two exaggerated yawns. Despite being desperate to sleep, he had to stand there, which only fueled his anger.

He pointed at Si Qi’s forehead and said, “This unfilial son, beating him to death would be too light a punishment!”

Mrs. Si chimed in, “Yes, instead of studying properly, he’s always thinking about crooked ways. Who knows what other shady things he might do in the future!”

The homeroom teacher standing beside them, although disliking Si Qi, was still a teacher who cared about educating children. Hearing this, she felt somewhat displeased and said, “That’s not really fair to say. How is the child supposed to face his peers at school after this…”

Mr. Si snorted, his voice rough and filled with disdain, “Face his peers? What future does he have! I’ve been paying for his education all these years, and he keeps failing every exam! He’s a total disgrace! And now he drags me here to clean up his mess? That’s it! He’s done with school! He can go home and wash dishes!”

The dean’s face grew darker as he listened, trembling with anger. He shouted, “You, you, you scoundrel!”

As an educated man, the dean couldn’t think of harsher words. He was furious at Mr. Si’s lack of responsibility and said, “Don’t you know Si Qi is a minor? You’re making him work at your house?”

Mrs. Si quickly stepped in with a smile, trying to smooth things over, “It’s not as serious as working. He just helps out at home occasionally, lending a hand. It’s nothing for a child to help out at home.”

A classmate nearby chimed in with a sarcastic tone, “Helping out? Helping with what, exactly? Something that leaves Si Qi so exhausted he falls asleep as soon as he gets to school? Your family’s ‘help’ must be really something.”

Mrs. Si’s face immediately darkened, and she turned to the student, scolding, “You’ve got no manners! How dare you speak to your elders like that?”

But it wasn’t just one student. Another one standing nearby said to Mr. Si, “This uncle here looks like he’s about to collapse from exhaustion. Did he end up doing the work Si Qi didn’t do yesterday?”

“Yeah, Si Qi actually managed to stay awake today. Someone must have taken over his chores.”

“Look at the uncle’s face and those dark circles under his eyes. He definitely stayed up all night.”

“So this is what they call ‘helping out a little,’ huh~”

Mr. Si, his mind foggy and sluggish, heard everyone talking about how tired he looked and immediately felt sorry for himself. He angrily complained, “That brat made up an excuse yesterday, saying his leg was hurt, and made me do his work. I didn’t sleep a wink all night, running around the shop. How could I possibly rest well?! I didn’t even get to sleep before coming here to clean up his mess. I must have been cursed in a past life to have raised such a thing!”

The dean trembled even more, his anger boiling over. He roared, “You didn’t rest well, so you think the child did? No wonder Si Qi always falls asleep at school. Is this how you ‘provide for his education’? And you blame him for failing exams and embarrassing you? You can barely stand here and speak coherently, yet you expect him to stay up all night and still be alert enough to pay attention in class during the day? Could you do that? How can you even say such things? Are you even human?!”

Mr. Si, shaken by the dean’s thunderous outburst, was jolted slightly awake. He wasn’t truly stupid, just too exhausted to think clearly. After struggling to process the dean’s words, he finally realized that in his current state, even holding a conversation was a challenge, let alone studying like Si Qi was supposed to. He stammered for a while before mumbling, “Well, if he wants to sleep, let him sleep. It’s not like I ever expected him to amount to much anyway.”

After speaking, as if he had found some justification, he declared with righteous indignation, “He’s slow-witted and clumsy. It’s actually for his own good to enter society early and help the family earn money!”

Mrs. Si seized the opportunity to add, “Yes, yes, this child is really dim-witted. All the neighbors know it! He’s broken so many plates over the years, and I’ve been scolded by customers more than a few times because of him!”

If they hadn’t said anything, it might have been better. But now, the dean was even more furious.

He opened the system on his desk, forcefully moved the desk in front of the couple, and pointed at the homepage interface where Si Qi’s name was prominently displayed at the top of the rankings. The more he spoke, the angrier he became, his rage boiling over:

“You actually call Si Qi stupid? In my over twenty years in the education industry, I’ve never seen a child as exceptionally talented as Si Qi! And you’ve been treating him like this? My heart is bleeding!! I’m heartbroken!!”

Both Mr. and Mrs. Si had graduated from school themselves, and they had a younger son still in school who often told them about school matters to earn praise and rewards. Of course, they knew what the national education system rankings were about.

When they saw the screen, they were stunned for a moment, completely unable to comprehend how Si Qi’s name could be at the top of the list. After a while, they finally “caught on” and foolishly said, “Oh, right, didn’t he cheat? That’s why we’re here to clean up his mess.”

The dean, seeing that the couple was still slandering Si Qi, turned red with fury, his face almost purple. He glared at them and roared, “You blind fools!!”

The homeroom teacher, seeing the dean so angry and speaking so vehemently in Si Qi’s defense, was utterly shocked. She quickly pulled a student aside and asked, “What’s going on?”

The student replied directly, “Teacher, Si Qi just scored full marks again, right in front of us.”

Other students chimed in, “Yeah, Si Qi really has the skills!”

“He said he’s usually too tired to study, and his parents didn’t even buy him a terminal, so he couldn’t even teach himself. Today, since Si Qi wasn’t falling asleep during the day for once, he spent the morning self-studying. After that, he took the national exam and aced every single subject with full marks! He’s a genius!! A super genius!!!”

A super genius!

When Mr. and Mrs. Si heard this, their faces turned a kaleidoscope of colors, like a spilled paint palette, a spectacle to behold.

Mrs. Si’s mouth turned down, and she couldn’t force a smile anymore. Mr. Si, on the other hand, widened his eyes in disbelief and retorted, “A genius? What genius? How come I didn’t know about this?!”

The dean couldn’t help but mock him, “Even the most brilliant genius would end up washing dishes and mopping floors at your house, without even getting enough sleep. How could he possibly show he’s a genius? By carrying eighty plates at once?”

The surrounding students couldn’t help but laugh. Mr. Si’s face turned red with embarrassment, and he stammered, “How was I supposed to know? He always scored zero on his exams…”

The conversation circled back to this point, and the dean roared in anger, “You knew he was scoring zero all along? Si Qi has been like this since elementary school! You watched him fail and did nothing to nurture him, didn’t even try to find out what was wrong, just let your child fall behind. Is this how parents should act?!”

A student nearby cheerfully reminded him, “Teacher, they’re not Si Qi’s biological parents. Si Qi said he was adopted!”

The dean paused, then looked at the couple with even more disgust in his eyes.

“No wonder you’ve treated Si Qi so horribly—he’s not your biological child, so you think you can just use him however you want! Are you raising a child or a servant? This is truly disgusting!”

The students immediately chimed in, “Of course they know how to raise a child. Haven’t you seen how Si Songyi is always dressed in brand-name clothes and spends money like it’s nothing?”

“Exactly! And Si Songyi is always bullying Si Qi in class. He must have learned it from his parents at home! The whole family is like this!”

Both children live in the same household, yet the treatment they receive was worlds apart. Without comparison, it might not be so glaring, but now that it was pointed out, everyone felt even more that this couple was utterly heartless and inhumane.

Even Si Songyi, who always bullied Si Qi at school and ordered him around, had become disliked by his classmates. After all, how could Si Songyi stand by and watch his brother being treated like this at home without doing anything to stop it? Instead, he went to school and took it out on Si Qi even more? He was just as disgusting as his parents!

Si Songyi’s face turned so red it looked like it might bleed. He kept his head down, staring at the ground, unable to lift it for a long time.

If there had been a hole in the ground, he would have surely crawled into it.

Mr. Si, scolded by the dean, felt utterly ashamed and muttered, “I didn’t mean to… I didn’t know…”

Whether it was intentional or not, no one in the room was blind—they could all see the truth.

It was him who watched Si Qi fail every exam and did nothing. It was him who made Si Qi work at home from a young age. And it was him who stormed into the classroom earlier, grabbing Si Qi by the collar, ready to hit and scold him.

Everything was done by his own hands. Now, claiming it wasn’t intentional? It made everyone wonder if he even understood the meaning of the word “intentional.”

The two parents, having been scolded by the dean and mocked by the students, were now utterly humiliated. No matter how skilled Mr. Si was in business or how shrewd Mrs. Si was in handling people, they could no longer hide from the overwhelming evidence. All they could do was meekly promise that they would no longer make Si Qi work at home and would let him focus on his studies.

As they said this, their hearts bled. Mr. Si thought about how difficult it was to find workers these days—no one would be willing to help in the kitchen, take orders in the dining area, deliver takeout, stay up until 2 or 3 a.m. to clean, and then go home at 4 or 5 a.m. Such heavy work would require at least three people to handle.

Assuming a basic wage of 4,000 yuan per person, three people would cost 12,000 yuan a month. And that didn’t even account for the fact that delivery workers wouldn’t be willing to run like Si Qi did, so they’d need to provide a vehicle, which would add even more expenses.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Si thought about how Si Qi worked at construction sites every Saturday and Sunday, earning 200 to 300 yuan a day, which added up to 2,400 yuan a month. Losing such a significant amount of money meant her cosmetics, clothes, her son’s tutoring classes, nutritional supplements, and pocket money would all have to come out of her own pocket.

But what income did she have? She didn’t even have a salary. The money from the shop was tightly controlled by her shrewd husband. When she got sick and needed an IV or nutritional supplements, her husband would complain. How was she supposed to live like this in the future?!

The more they thought about it, the uglier their expressions became. They suddenly realized that the son they had always taken for granted had been helping them in ways they hadn’t even noticed. Without him, their lives would become strained, and this unbearable truth made them even more irritable.

They even thought to themselves, *Why did he have to go and study? Why did he have to score so well and let everyone know? Wasn’t it fine for him to just work at home? Now they’re going to have to work so much harder and suffer so much more.*

Yet, they completely failed to consider how Si Qi, who had endured such a life for over a decade, must have felt—how much grievance and sorrow he had carried in his heart. He was so young; why should he have to shoulder such heavy work that even adults would struggle with? He should have been like other children his age, living a carefree, happy life, focusing on his studies, and enjoying the protection and care of adults.

Instead, he was exploited, scolded, and ordered around like a servant by everyone.

After being lectured by the crowd, the two parents slunk back home in disgrace. Si Songyi, who had no choice but to stay behind, found himself in an awkward and uncomfortable position.

His friends might still come up to him, pat him on the shoulder, and offer some consolation. But the other students showed him no respect at all. Some rolled their eyes or snorted at him, while others gathered in groups and deliberately spoke loudly enough for him to hear, making sarcastic remarks about someone being heartless and morally corrupt, though they never mentioned any names.

If Si Songyi endured it in silence, that would be one thing. But if he couldn’t take it and pushed his desk aside to stand up and ask, “Who are you talking about?” the students would just laugh and say, “I didn’t mention any names. Why are you so eager to identify yourself? Do you already know what kind of person you are?” This left Si Songyi red-faced and furious, almost coming to blows with them.

Meanwhile, Si Qi, who had previously been ignored and invisible, suddenly became a highly sought-after academic star. Everyone was curious about how he could learn something just by reading it once, and they brought their unsolvable problems to him for guidance.

However, constrained by the introverted personality of the original owner, Si Qi struggled with communication. When he was being sarcastic or confrontational, he could rely on sheer force of will to get by. But when it came to explaining things clearly, he was at a loss, often using overly concise language that left the other students utterly confused.

For example, Si Qi’s teaching style went something like this:

“Look, this is a fish. Therefore, we can conclude: fresh, scale, carp, crucian, whale, gill, salmon, roe. Simple, right?”

Classmates: “……………………”

“It’s… it’s so simple (forcing a smile).”

Was this what the world of the strong was like? They really couldn’t understand it at all.

Seeing Si Qi’s serious expression and his genuine patience in teaching them, everyone awkwardly laughed and comforted themselves: “He’s a genius who finished in one morning what took us twelve years to learn…”

“If we can’t understand him, it must be because our level isn’t high enough.”

“Forget it, let’s just go ask the class monitor for help. His level isn’t as high, so we’ll definitely understand him.”

The class monitor, who had been inexplicably insulted: ???

Get lost!

Si Songyi couldn’t stand the atmosphere of everyone praising Si Qi, so he silently packed his bag and left early. His loyal friends exchanged glances and followed him out.

That afternoon, without the usual gang of troublemakers in the classroom, Si Qi had a very pleasant day.

He even happily sipped on the coffee his classmates had given him and finished a pudding he bought from the school store, using a little spoon.

The math teacher, who had heard about Si Qi’s upbringing and his jaw-dropping talent, now looked at Si Qi with a mix of pity and admiration. Even when he saw Si Qi openly eating in class, the teacher just smiled and didn’t mind at all.

After all, it’s common for students to sneak snacks in class—he had done it himself when he was a student. But look at Si Qi, eating so openly and so elegantly! Truly, geniuses have their own unique aura and distinctive behavior. It makes perfect sense! Absolutely no problem!

Under the teacher’s biased protection, Si Qi leisurely enjoyed a delightful afternoon tea until school ended.

The classmates cheerfully bid farewell to Si Qi: “Bye, Si Qi~”

“Bye,” Si Qi waved back in a good mood, heading home as usual.

As he passed by a small alley, Xiu Xiu suddenly warned: [Master, be careful!]

Si Qi was slightly startled and instinctively stopped in his tracks. In the next second, a shadow swept past his eyes, barely grazing the skin on his forehead, the gust of wind stinging his pupils.

He habitually wanted to counterattack, but his gaze caught a familiar figure. Before he could get a clear look, his eyes were covered from behind, followed by the sound of something cutting through the air. XiuXiu quickly reminded him :[Duck!]

Without hesitation, Si Qi lowered his head, relying on his hearing to dodge swiftly.

Several people surrounded Si Qi, throwing punches and kicks at him, but all their attacks missed as Si Qi, even with his eyes covered, moved nimbly and dodged every strike. They were all dumbfounded.

Before they could figure out what was happening, an angry roar echoed from outside the alley, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps approaching. The two groups clashed, and Si Qi quickly pulled off the blindfold, frowning as he looked ahead.

Unsurprisingly, the ones who had ambushed Si Qi were Si Songyi and his gang of troublemakers.

And the one fighting Si Songyi was Chu Feng.

The familiar figure Si Qi had glimpsed earlier was indeed him. Si Qi couldn’t help but smirk, picking up a stick that one of the thugs had dropped and swinging it at the nearest person’s head. The blow sent the guy seeing stars, and he collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Chu Feng, seeing this, was startled and quickly said, “Don’t kill him!”

Si Qi: “Don’t worry, I know my limits.”

With that, he swiftly disabled the remaining attackers, leaving them groaning on the ground in a pitiful state.

Chu Feng stood to the side, utterly stunned. Suddenly recalling Si Qi’s almost supernatural ability to fight blindfolded, he looked at Si Qi with admiration, his eyes practically shining.

Si Qi casually tossed the stick aside and said to Chu Feng, “Chu…”

Chu Feng quickly introduced himself: “I’m Chu Feng, nice to meet you!”

Si Qi: “…………”

Chu Feng, with an eager expression, asked, “What’s your name?”

“…” Si Qi cleared his throat. “…Si Qi.”

“Si Qi?” Chu Feng said the name quickly, as if he already knew it, and smiled. “Great name!”

Si Qi: “…………”

Si Qi looked at Chu Feng thoughtfully and directly pointed out, “You knew me before, didn’t you?”

“Huh?”

Chu Feng was taken aback, looking a bit embarrassed. “You noticed?”

Si Qi thought to himself that in the original timeline, the person who had stood up for the original owner and fought tirelessly for justice was none other than Chu Feng.

If Chu Feng hadn’t known the original owner from the start, how could he have been so genuinely outraged?

Seeing Si Qi remain silent, Chu Feng quickly waved his hands and explained, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I just thought you were going through a lot and wanted to help.”

Si Qi looked puzzled, not quite understanding.

Then, after carefully going through the original owner’s memories, he noticed something strange—whenever the original owner was in trouble, he would suddenly receive kindness from people around him.

For example, one day when he was starving while carrying bricks at a construction site, an elderly woman selling breakfast nearby would bring him a hot meal, telling him to eat before working.

Or when he was braving the cold wind on the road, a man would suddenly approach and offer him a scarf, reminding him to wear more layers in such weather.

Or when he was out delivering food and got lost, with no terminal to check the map, a kind woman would walk up to him with a smile and ask if he needed help…

It turned out that behind all these coincidences, there was someone quietly looking out for him all along.

The elderly woman who brought breakfast did so at Chu Feng’s gentle request. The meal wasn’t given out of kindness—it was Chu Feng who had paid for it.

The scarf was one Chu Feng had taken off his own neck on a cold winter day and handed to the man, asking him to pass it on to Si Qi and remind him to wear more layers.

The kind woman who offered help did so because Chu Feng had noticed Si Qi’s distress and asked a nearby resident to check on him…

His care had brought warmth and luck to the original owner time and time again, adding moments of beauty to the young man’s otherwise painful and numb life. Those acts of kindness had given the boy the courage to face life positively.

Si Qi’s gaze softened as he looked at Chu Feng.

This person was always like this.

So warm, so considerate, so kind.

Si Qi’s icy demeanor melted away, like a pure and radiant flower blooming under the moonlight. He smiled warmly at the person before him.

“You’ve been so good to me.”

Chu Feng was momentarily stunned by the smile, standing there dumbfounded for a while before slowly coming back to his senses, his expression growing even more excited.

He nodded vigorously, his joy evident. “It’s nothing! I’m happy to do it!”

As they walked and talked, they unknowingly approached the entrance of the restaurant. Si Qi didn’t like this place and just wanted to spend more time with Chu Feng, so he asked, “Do you have any plans after this?”

Chu Feng blinked, pausing for a subtle second before quickly shaking his head. “No, no! Nothing at all! I’m completely free!”

Si Qi smiled. “Then let’s go on a date.”

Chu Feng’s mouth fell open, his expression frozen in a daze, looking adorably stunned.

Si Qi tilted his head. “You don’t want to?”

“No, I do! Of course, I do!!” Chu Feng hurriedly nodded, his ears turning slightly red.

He had just momentarily misunderstood the meaning of “date” and was inwardly scolding himself for having such impure thoughts…

The two of them turned around in unison, walking farther and farther away from the restaurant without looking back.

The owner of the supermarket next to the restaurant saw Si Qi and a boy his age walking in the opposite direction of home with their backpacks on. She blinked in confusion, wondering why the boy, who usually came straight home after school to help out, wasn’t heading back today.

She glanced at them but didn’t think much of it, returning to her work.

A few hours later, as people started getting off work and it was time for dinner, the sound of Father Si cursing loudly came from the bustling restaurant.

The supermarket owner pricked up her ears and listened carefully. She realized that the restaurant was in chaos, but no one was coming to the kitchen to pick up the dishes. Father Si had to lower himself to carry the dishes himself. In his haste and lack of practice, he accidentally burned his hand with hot soup, which only fueled his anger. He started yelling at his wife for standing around doing nothing.

His wife, however, wasn’t one to take it lying down. She immediately fired back, and the two of them started shouting at each other, their voices growing louder and louder.

The owner of the neighboring shop peered inside and noticed that the boy who was always bustling around like a spinning top was nowhere to be seen. She walked over to Mrs. Si, who was scowling, and asked, “Hey, where’s your eldest son?”

Mrs. Si rolled her eyes and snapped, “Who knows where the hell he’s gone off to!”

She really hadn’t had a good day. First, she’d been scolded at school and humiliated in front of everyone. Then, when she came back, her husband was too tired and went to sleep, leaving her to run the shop alone, exhausting herself.

Just when she thought she could finally take a break as the shop got busy and her husband woke up, she ended up being unfairly blamed by him. She was absolutely fed up with all this!

The auntie thought about the sight of Si Qi leaving with his backpack earlier but didn’t say anything negative about him. After all, everyone around here could see how hard the boy worked every day without ever complaining. She couldn’t help but smirk and ask, “What about your younger son? The shop’s so busy, isn’t he coming down to help?”

Mrs. Si’s expression changed, and she replied dismissively, “He’s not in good health. He can’t do physical labor.”

The auntie pursed her lips. “Just the other day, you were telling me how your son won a gold medal at the sports meet, running faster than everyone else! Now suddenly he’s not in good health?”

She had lived here for over a decade and had watched those two boys grow up. Others might not know the truth and could be fooled by Mrs. Si’s excuses, but she knew better. That younger son of hers was perfectly healthy and full of energy!

If you’re going to play favorites, at least own up to it. Don’t pretend to be righteous while being so hypocritical!

Mrs. Si insisted, “My son is busy with his studies. Students’ main priority is their schoolwork.”

The auntie instinctively retorted, “And what about Si Qi? Doesn’t he need to study too?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, the auntie suddenly remembered how Mrs. Si always seemed on the verge of grabbing a megaphone to announce to everyone that Si Qi was useless and always scored zero on his exams. She immediately realized that bringing this up would only give Mrs. Si an excuse to justify her behavior.

However, after waiting for a while, she didn’t hear Mrs. Si gleefully say, as she usually did, “That stupid child, Si Qi, can’t study no matter how hard he tries. He can only work more to support himself in the future.” Puzzled, she looked up and saw Mrs. Si standing there with a face full of suppressed anger, her lips pressed tightly together as if she had been deeply wronged. Without a word, Mrs. Si turned around and went back into the shop to serve beer to the customers.

The auntie was baffled: What’s gotten into her?

Since no one was talking to her, she returned to her own shop and sat by the door, doing some handiwork.

As the sky darkened and the streets grew almost empty, she leisurely packed up her things, ready to close for the day.

Just as she was halfway through closing the door, she suddenly remembered something and called out to the restaurant next door, where a few customers were still eating: “Old Si, has your eldest son come back yet?”

Mr. Si, exhausted and slumped in his chair, instinctively frowned at the question and replied irritably, “No!”

The auntie exclaimed, “Oh dear! It’s so late already, and he’s still not back. Why haven’t you gone to check on him?”

Mr. Si thought about it and realized she was right—Si Qi wasn’t usually like this.

Just as he was about to take out his terminal and say, “I’ll call and ask,” it suddenly hit him that his son didn’t even have a terminal. He froze in his seat, stunned.

The auntie walked in and said, “What are you just sitting there for? Call him!”

Mr. Si hesitated for a long time before finally muttering, “…He doesn’t have a terminal.”

“What?” The auntie exclaimed in disbelief. “Who doesn’t have a terminal these days? Even beggars use QR codes to ask for money!”

Mr. Si stammered, unsure how to respond, and guiltily lowered his head.

It was true. Something even beggars on the street took for granted, his own son, whom he had raised for over a decade, didn’t have.

The auntie pressed on, “Then do you know where he might be? Hurry up and go look for him!”

Mr. Si opened his mouth, trying to speak, but after a long pause, he realized he didn’t have a single clue about where to start looking.

Where did Si Qi like to go?

What were his usual hangout spots?

What things was Si Qi interested in?

He knew nothing.

Mr. Si’s oily, flushed face grew redder as he struggled to say, “He’s always just gone between school and home. Sometimes he goes to the market to buy groceries for me.”

The auntie retorted, “Well, he couldn’t possibly be hanging out at the market, could he? Call the school and ask if he’s still there… but no, that’s impossible too!”

It was already so late. Even if there were still students at the school, the teachers would have surely sent them home by now. The teachers were probably at home getting ready to rest. Who would know where Si Qi was?

Seeing Mr. Si’s clueless expression, the auntie felt a pang of injustice for Si Qi and said with frustration, “What kind of father are you? Huh? If I hadn’t come to ask where Si Qi was, would you have even noticed your son was missing by tomorrow? Would you have even thought to look for him?”

Of course, Mr. Si had noticed his son was missing earlier, but not out of concern. It was because he was exhausted from the day’s work and felt the shop was short-handed without Si Qi around. He had to do everything himself, and with each task, his resentment grew. Every time he turned down a delivery order, he grumbled again, slowly turning “Why hasn’t that brat come back yet?” into “Forget it, if he doesn’t want to come back, fine” and “If he comes back and helps, he’ll just go to school and complain, making me lose face again.”

In short, he hadn’t been worried at all—just full of complaints.

Besides, he had no idea how to find someone who was out and about without a terminal. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

He also thought that Si Qi often delivered food and worked part-time jobs on weekends, so he had plenty of life experience. It wasn’t like he’d get lost or starve. So he said, “He probably just ran off to play because he didn’t want to come back and work! Kids these days are so thoughtless. Whatever, I’ll ask the school tomorrow if he’s back. If not, then I’ll go look for him.”

He was just too tired right now and didn’t want to run around aimlessly looking for Si Qi.

The auntie was furious at his words. Such a young, obedient child, missing for a whole night, and the father didn’t even have the decency to go out and look for him! Seeing Mr. Si’s dismissive attitude, as if she were meddling in something that wasn’t her business, she couldn’t help but glare at him angrily before turning and storming off.

Mrs. Si sat nearby, keeping her eyes down and pretending she hadn’t heard or seen anything.

Go out and look for Si Qi? Ha! What a joke! That brat could drop dead outside for all she cared!

Just as a group of people were worrying about him, Si Qi was currently at Chu Feng’s home.

To call it a “home” was a bit of a stretch—it was just a small rented room. The space was tidy and clean, giving off a refreshing vibe, though the limited size was a drawback. With just enough room for two people, turning around could easily lead to a collision.

Si Qi was busy tinkering with something in his hands, while Chu Feng watched him with a look of quiet satisfaction.

That afternoon, the two of them had gone on a date—though calling it a “date” might be a stretch. One was an old soul who had long outgrown the need for romantic gestures, while the other was too pure-minded to even consider steering things into a more intimate atmosphere. Instead, they ended up visiting the city’s science museum together.

Chu Feng had enjoyed the visit as a casual observer, not particularly sensitive to the technical aspects. Si Qi, on the other hand, found many of the exhibits fascinating. He noticed that while this world excelled in lifestyle and entertainment technology, making daily life comfortable and convenient, it lagged behind in energy technology and military-industrial advancements.

They spent the entire afternoon there, and as they left at closing time, they saw the museum staff putting up a poster for a youth robotics competition.

Chu Feng was aware of the rumors about Si Qi’s reputation at home, but he refused to believe Si Qi was as bad as people said. Seeing Si Qi’s interest in the tech exhibits, an idea sparked in his mind. He encouraged Si Qi, “Do you like these tech products? How about trying to enter this competition?”

After all, finding a new path and letting Si Qi see more of the world had to be better than being stuck working at the restaurant all day and hauling bricks on weekends, right?

Si Qi didn’t respond immediately.

He had only been in this world for a few days and hadn’t yet had the chance to simply live as an ordinary person, enjoying the freedom of not being noticed everywhere he went. He wasn’t eager to become famous so soon.

Seeing Si Qi’s silence, Chu Feng thought he was worried about the cost of entering the competition or how it might interfere with his work at home. Desperate to convince him, Chu Feng pleaded and even resorted to playful whining, insisting that they should enter the competition together.

Si Qi found this version of Chu Feng oddly endearing and, unable to resist, finally agreed, “Alright, alright, I’ll do it. I’ll enter the competition.”

After all, he had tasks to complete sooner or later. Why not follow Chu Feng’s suggestion and take the tech development route this time?

Seeing Si Qi agree, Chu Feng immediately broke into a radiant smile, making Si Qi’s heart skip a beat.

“That’s more like it!”

However, even the most skilled chef can’t cook without ingredients. Si Qi knew that even if he returned to the Si household, the barren, almost empty room there wouldn’t offer much for him to work with.

He couldn’t exactly dismantle the family TV to turn it into a drone, and with only eight yuan left in his pocket from buying coffee earlier, what could he even buy? Not even a high-precision industrial screw.

Chu Feng, noticing Si Qi’s dilemma, confidently declared, “Don’t worry, I’ve got money! Just tell me what you need, and I’ll buy it for you!”

Si Qi silently glanced around Chu Feng’s cramped room, realizing that even if Chu Feng spent all his savings, he probably couldn’t afford a decent motor.

After a moment of thought, Si Qi said, “Take me to a scrap yard. Let’s find some broken appliances.”

Chu Feng was momentarily surprised but then cheerfully agreed. He hopped on his electric scooter and took Si Qi through the city’s alleys, scouting for discarded fridges and broken induction cookers. Surprisingly, it turned out to be quite fun.