Dignity, this is a man's most precious possession!

It was his pride that made Shi Lei never beg others for help.

Xu Fan guessed that Shi Lei must be facing a big problem, so he immediately said, "Shi Lei, if you treat me as a brother, tell me what you're dealing with."

"Pretending to be wealthy when you're not isn't a good thing, do you understand?"

"This..."

Shi Lei forced a smile, understanding that Xu Fan meant well, but his problem was something his classmates couldn't solve...

"Alright, boss, since you want to know, I'll no longer hide it from you."

Although our Zijing Middle School is called a school for the elite, Principal Yan is kind-hearted and has admitted many students from less fortunate families."

"I am one of these poor kids. Actually, moving from Third Middle School to Zijing Middle School wasn't just because of Ma Rong and Song Zhe, it was also my parents hoping I could change schools and study hard."

"Haha, speaking of it, I really let them down, I'm simply not cut out for studying..."

Thinking about the recent troubles his family faced, Shi Lei gave a bitter laugh and shook his head, saying, "Alright, enough of my complaints, let me talk about the main issue."

"My family lives in the old city, and recently, developers bought the area to demolish it. Normally, this should have been a good thing, but when the house was demolished, my parents realized they had been cheated by the developer. The promised compensation of one million was only one hundred thousand for our family..."

"One hundred thousand, boss, it sounds like a lot, but to buy a new home in Jinling, this money is simply not enough!"

"My father, outraged, teamed up with a group of neighbors who were also cheated to protest against the developer, but the developer directly resorted to violence..."

"It's said that the developer has a big backing, and now the matter has come to nothing. Not only did my father not get a penny, he also ended up in the hospital and spent all one hundred thousand to barely be discharged..."

A penny stumps a hero. Saying this, Shi Lei's eyes brimmed with tears, and he wiped his eyes with his hand, managing to squeeze out a forced smile, saying, "My mother is uneducated, and now my father just got out of hospital and can't work. Our family has only me to rely on now."

"Boss, I might not be able to graduate, this household now can only depend on me..."

After Shi Lei finished, the air around them suddenly became heavy. Shi Lei was not old, but facing such events was indeed tragic.

It was no wonder that people from First Middle School came to him at such a time.

This fellow, even resisting such temptation at this time, was comforting for Xu Fan to see.

Xu Fan gently patted Shi Lei on the shoulder and said, "Shi Lei, you cannot drop out of school, our school needs you to win the championship."

"Boss, stop joking..."

Listening to Xu Fan's comforting words, Shi Lei gave a melancholy shake of his head and said, "You are much stronger than me, as long as you play, the championship won't be for others."

"Phew, alright, you don't need to comfort me anymore, there's nothing you can do about this. Well, in a few days, when I leave, I'll treat everyone to a meal, and then, boss! We won't return unless we are drunk!"

By the end of these words, a cry was in Shi Lei's voice as he held back tears, looking at Xu Fan and choking out, "Boss! In this life, two brothers! Don't forget about me when I'm gone!"

Thinking about the help Xu Fan had given him these days, Shi Lei gave a deep bow to Xu Fan, then turned and ran down the hill without looking back.

His retreating figure looked stubborn yet infinitely helpless...

Watching Shi Lei's back gradually receding, Xia Xiaodie asked somewhat blankly, "Xu Fan, doesn't he consider you a brother? Why won't he let you help him even now?"

"Silly girl..."

Hearing Xia Xiaodie's question, Xu Fan gave a bitter laugh and said, "It's exactly because he considers me a brother that he didn't ask for my help."

This guy, he just didn't want to drag himself into trouble...

Xu Fan understood Shi Lei's perspective. A house in Jinling, at its cheapest, would still cost five or six hundred thousand, a figure completely unaffordable for a high school student like himself.

At the same time, the developer possessed the power to manipulate the market, which Shi Lei believed was beyond his abilities to tackle as well.

But this guy didn't know that Xu Fan wasn't just any simple high school student...

"Xu Fan, or maybe, I could ask my family later, I can help him!"

Seeing Xu Fan walking silently down the hill, Xia Xiaodie furrowed her brows in thought before hurrying after him.

Indeed, with her family background, helping Shi Lei resolve this issue was a piece of cake.

But Xu Fan still shook his head.

Xu Fan looked at the puzzled Xia Xiaodie and explained, "Silly girl, do you think, with his personality, he could accept your help?"

"That's true..."

Xia Xiaodie sulkily pouted, thinking that if Shi Lei hadn't even asked Xu Fan for help, how could he possibly accept hers.

If she rashly stepped in to assist him, it would probably only hurt his pride...

Xia Xiaodie suddenly felt a headache coming on and looked at Xu Fan, confused, asking, "So, Xu Fan, aren't you going to think of a solution?"

Xu Fan smiled calmly and said, "Since he considers me a brother, naturally I can't ignore his well-being."

"Really!"

Seeing Xu Fan planning to intervene, Xia Xiaodie's eyes lit up! She was so excited she almost jumped.

She excitedly wrapped her arms around Xu Fan's arm and said, "That's great! You have to take me with you! Understand?"

Xu Fan gave her a displeased look, removed her hand, and grunted, "Little imp, what are you following for? Go home and do your homework."

"You!"

At this, Xu Fan began to lecture her as if he were an old man, causing Xia Xiaie to get frustrated, puffing her cheeks out in response.

Hmph, as if she was some little imp.

"Big brother, please, take me with you..."

Suddenly, Xia Xiaodie's eyes sparkled, and she started acting coquettishly while pulling on Xu Fan's arm.

"Haven't we agreed that for the next five days, I'm your little follower? How can you leave your little follower behind?"

"..."

Xu Fan was overwhelmed by Xia Xiaodie's cutesy act, rolling his eyes, thinking this clever girl really knew how to use her smarts...

"What did you just call me?"

As it turns out, Xia Xiaodie, with her soft voice and delicate appearance, was quite the weapon when she turned on her charm. Taking it seriously, Xu Fan pretended to be confused and asked.

Xia Xiaodie slyly smiled, flashing her cute little canine teeth, and holding onto Xu Fan's shoulder, she called out, "Big brother, big brother, sounds good, doesn't it?"

"Hmm, it's passable. After school, just stick close to me then."

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