Da Ge

Chapter 10
Le Ge arranged for Wei Qian to initially take up the daytime shift until his arm cast was removed, at which point he would switch to the night shift.gSMmIHUxASJxjhBPfcGBsghtqLfNbN

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The nightclub’s night shift offered excellent compensation, with two teams working alternate shifts of only four hours each, yet the pay was triple that of the daytime shift. This meant Wei Qian could work just four hours a day and still provide a comfortable life for his family—of course, it was the enforcers, not the janitors like Mazi who toiled away, who earned this high salary.bugWmkxaTuCTIkBWLXbcdQfpXpzfqh

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Given Wei Qian’s experience, he was not originally qualified for this prestigious night shift, but Le Ge, wanting to show his favor, personally instructed the manager to make an exception and promote him.JMLIipGVygZdwhmqyNnHlJPoPkbavz

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Mazi was incredibly envious, but Wei Qian showed little joy, instead smoking even more fiercely.xptTWbYqhzYjXbwPjAcHsYwQhulhjB

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The future was perilous and uncertain, and even as someone keen on money, Wei Qian found it difficult to show joy for his increased earnings.WfPjOAxMPLyTafpzGdJEcSMMNiHJRA

NvHmvxjMCIothbk

One day, after school, Song Xiaobao and Wei Zhiyuan came home, and Wei Qian cut a small watermelon weighing over two pounds in half for them to eat with spoons before doing their homework.ANGTJakPsTbcSFHsNxhLvPOLSsBJcS

ARziKKOYmDTYWZj

Sitting cross-legged on the sofa, Song Xiaobao enthusiastically ate her watermelon, juice dribbling everywhere, and blurted out, “Bro, Sister Niuniu is dead.”CYdicDEZJzlnxCzUoQKXEbtCByozzn

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Wei Qian was startled, “Who?”ELMbViRGVqELDhXZZQGuPiwvGgBQoS

hwInETDbJcTEhfY

“Sister Niuniu, this tall, with two dimples on her face, eyes like this, with…this kind of hairstyle, living near the front bungalow…” Song Xiaobao described, stretching her eyes and tugging at her hair, her explanation filled with gestures, highlighting her struggles in language studies.QVLxpeGAAjwnvBdcVGUkCWadeXPqgd

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Wei Qian leaned back to avoid her: “Sit properly and speak properly, don’t spray me—dead? How?”dnLrTxCgBjWyJhuPKoqJBcpRscgyyB

oCGEmniqivBqSJO

“Like this.” After her explanation, Song Xiaobao rolled her eyes back, collapsing to the side with her half of the watermelon, a stream of watermelon juice trickling from the corner of her mouth.WhowDuTGOrgtDJhBqMDGeUFGYGyElk

neCkjCWEXquJeAk

Wei Qian was speechless.tOJWWqUGWRMLaHchsaeXFmwVrogfsW

nlJuZTVyuwjKycH

Despite her youth, his little sister possessed a remarkable ability to mimic, penetrating the essence through appearance. For the first time, Wei Qian felt it was a shame she wasn’t more attractive, as she might have had a future in acting.TEJzuGvbzqFMuZrcdGDgtgDPbIOKWe

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Wei Zhiyuan added calmly, “She died from eating rat poison.”nZHtQKfeKGVEkIqVYbzTtvzHvFGwof

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Song Xiaobao, reviving from her “death,” quickly asked, “How do you know?”UUfvBFVQICGIdtPrjeuDQfORwaKmWj

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Wei Zhiyuan replied with the composure of someone accustomed to the world, “She had foam at the mouth, and her face was that color, definitely from rat poison. I’ve seen it before.”zPdFoZVNNeYXREDYwDeFAhChJQdbhs

xMezSOwbucSRjON

Song Xiaobao expressed her admiration, “How have you seen everything? Does rat poison taste good?”ITeaEEkIoVjSGjaxFiwaidNpPxcSYK

EFKShdzyWikmmVC

Wei Zhiyuan was taken aback by her unexpectedly foolish question, raising his eyebrows. After three seconds, he decided to play along with this silly person who seemed to have insufficient blood supply to their brain. He answered seriously, “It’s alright, colorful even. The red ones taste like watermelon, and the green ones like apple. Rats love them.”kjHHiKSnSZAGilrjpcfyCiKdXgrjxH

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Song Xiaobao, eyes wide with curiosity, asked, “Are they crunchy?”HluGwrMkEKhhqgerzrYeRzKjMzQvEl

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Wei Zhiyuan confirmed, “Crunchy.”pTsNNmZAjrcWuuYhBjnEtghEQglSqd

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Wei Qian remained silent.MGWmRuFFvrbcBReZrCyvwBBEZXAVsi

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After all, Wei Zhiyuan was just a child. Wei Qian could tell that sometimes he pretended to be silly, but he always thought Wei Zhiyuan was doing it to please Xiaobao, without considering his own feelings.jXYkrNcUOixBmnvATXTHciBxTBTUvJ

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…After all, he had rarely received care in his life and tended to neglect himself.AHjIcztAljyerLurCDQVunFZjNgJmH

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This incident was something Wei Qian would have usually ignored, had it not been for an evening when San Pang and Mazi came over to cook, bringing groceries with them. As they were serving the dishes, San Pang deliberately kicked Wei Qian in dissatisfaction, “So I’m here to serve you like a lord, huh? Don’t just sit there waiting to be fed, you’ve got another hand, don’t you? Get the bowls and chopsticks!”oPpVSbkdTSUhaXbmIdUXJFErCTOoHq

iDtzRQYlfjNcfSP

Wei Qian raised his voice, “Mazi!”LHeHVDPTixZuIPBGWFLcGWyOPVZVDk

VAHaJBMKtbpWswl

Mazi quickly responded, ready to help, but retracted in fear when San Pang glared at him.jazHGTTpxAhoJUeXwbLbpkcjmUplVB

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“Mazi,” Wei Qian said slowly as he stood up, commenting frankly, “You really are uncomfortably cowardly!”dlThWRCblGAKFlaqTxEpQWKohgokja

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Mazi did not feel ashamed but proud, happily saying, “Yes, that’s right!”shDAAqQSzQpsjzhFHBLzldoPtXlraK

xcryQemqXhnEuEv

Wei Qian: “…”QGwMGDRmnabNPXpAjbeDvoIbUwWaWE

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Wei Qian strolled to the kitchen, flicked open the cupboard with his toes, and lazily glanced at the cabin. The two little ones had finally quieted down, each occupying a corner of the table, working on their homework.bWhwNbbssfRDREPAhJlUDpJsjMizzm

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Suddenly, Wei Qian’s mood lifted uncontrollably. Having these two breathing little beings in the house made it feel like a home.decBnkwTwliXlUVmWwycmGBQRBLiGg

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“Qian’er,” at this moment, San Pang suddenly spoke, “Keep an eye on our little sister Xiao Bao these next few days. Don’t let her run around after school.”ZzVqbUzpkxCEKTMJeGZBKUGxrkkIaD

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Wei Qian casually replied, “What happened?”puOWaiFzfMChyOeHHKnsNtNcEZbwWH

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San Pang said, “You know Niuniu, right?”FdpOQdqeLoxMkazSbaMBssWEnylhzR

olSoPrqcJhEIjfI

Wei Qian: “Hm?”VycflqhbXLtjoWZdlcteQSCYBOKDZa

JQubKhqmMVRCAii

“The one who lives up front, with the braids, a year older than Xiao Bao.” San Pang glanced into the room of the little ones and lowered his voice to Wei Qian’s ear, “That girl disappeared this afternoon, died from eating rat poison.”PjMtluHLsUXtZZcmyLOyZKGxCeeNwq

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Wei Qian was too lazy to listen to these tragic stories of other families; he had enough troubles of his own. So, he glanced at San Pang impatiently, “I think you’re just bored, Fatso, blabbering all day about irrelevant matters, whether it’s matchmaking or nonsense about rats and eyes, you…”aBCwehlWxQzCDSPMkeqbsqJrpgTQVz

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San Pang, with a solemn expression, slapped him lightly but firmly on his injured arm: “Keep your voice down!”lqXaJbrpGmPUzGfuHhbAXoxwXYOvHE

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“Ouch… Damn you…”LXxsbhDrGwBjkqaUBdgCQRwHyrDGDG

jNibeitQGjOWXLP

San Pang said seriously, “Listen to me! That girl was violated. She was too scared to tell the adults for days. These past few days, it’s been hot, and I heard that her wounds even started to fester. Who knows how much she suffered, and too afraid to speak up, she took rat poison yesterday in despair—Can you please pay more attention to your sister?”PJmmAZSFLyFOXNPgoHlObHoISjCJOy

jnEPSpoORXcQAIk

Wei Qian frowned and glanced at him, “Nonsense…”nmaOPyBadiuBiBgvFXokhKCGbywxmC

QVHWsTCFocaeskE

“Who’s talking nonsense? Someone died! Do you think I’d joke about that? I’m being serious here. Keep a closer eye on our sister these next few days, got it?”gxAgoTKgdagVBjzzHsQCieOUdofyNJ

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Wei Qian, unable to comprehend, gestured at his waist, “That little brat is all skinny arms and legs, just like a chopstick if you poke her. What’s there to…? Who would do that? Are they sick?”eBsWNYuLKuFvOIxXIlWwaXLtZenOjb

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“Talking to you is like talking to a blockhead who only knows about money and fighting. What else do you understand?” San Pang waved his hand impatiently, “Some people can’t get excited by normal women; they are attracted to children who haven’t grown up yet, and there are those who like men—Niuniu’s mom is almost driven mad with grief, shouting about calling the police, but now she’s been locked up at home by her grandmother.”aPcpGsnCFGEbGbRmilPHdPEvMSQbHk

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Hearing the word “men,” Wei Qian frowned uncomfortably and asked, “Why not let her call the police? Is her grandmother senile?”UynnEHteicEeGXQODcYBRwZoiKoNiv

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“The old lady doesn’t get it; she thinks if they report it and it gets out, their family will never be able to lift their heads again in society. Anyway…” San Pang suddenly stopped speaking because he looked up and saw Wei Zhiyuan, who had unknowingly approached the kitchen door, and it was unclear how much he had heard.CUmYgnMrGPDcwANoOwlsWzxbnJScDG

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San Pang was startled, “Oh my, this unlucky child, moving around without making a sound, just like a weasel!”DldRqWBmsWPuFIjeklOxhkNCxBswlK

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Wei Zhiyuan, with an unchanged expression as if he hadn’t heard their conversation, stood up straight and said, “I’m helping my brother with the dishes.”hCQUPUZySLgqbKnkgneqPHduDERZkk

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“Hey, this little weasel, quite filial, isn’t he!” San Pang’s fan-like big palm slapped on Wei Zhiyuan’s back of the head, nearly encompassing his little head, and then hurriedly pushed him on the back, “Go on.”fTBjPfrPmhsSiQGsvJRdWxxqPERaIB

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After saying that, he and Wei Qian exchanged glances, and both stopped the topic they were discussing earlier.zTEhgLCoGhQHpBWmWTVRepiCpNqnJT

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For several days afterward, it was Wei Qian who took the two kids to and from school.jZvHpbXKLVoOtomryknGSlauAJlEip

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The school’s schedule was quite inconvenient, starting too late in the morning and ending too early in the evening, making it very difficult for Wei Qian to coordinate with their timings.rPzdnvIizqflseeNejVgEdCjJFelVt

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He could barely manage in the morning, but the afternoon dismissal time was especially troublesome at just after three o’clock, which was way before his work ended. He had to run back and forth with a cast on his arm, rushing to the elementary school every day at top speed to take the kids home, buy each a fifty-cent “Double Stick” ice pop, then lock them at home before rushing back to work like being reborn, with the speed of lightning.BUdRKcHbSMjxDyZgmPSFEYIPPTpwZE

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Literally, he ran on his legs. Since Wei Qian was transferring to the night shift, and many were already looking at him unfavorably in secret, he feared being late and giving others a chance to gossip, not to mention hesitating to spend even that little on transportation.HmYkxYwZyDgvywEaoHzZqaURNDJrcp

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He literally trained himself to run faster than a bus.rSdsBRGXbuklEMWqBeOXLOSlgpSKBV

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Song Xiaobao, heartless as she was, didn’t know to cherish her brother’s effort and was quite satisfied with such a life, because she got to eat one and a half “Double Sticks” every day… the extra half came from Wei Zhiyuan, who would usually break the ice pop in half, eat one part himself, and most of the time, the remaining half would go to Xiaobao.lqEgJANClFcBLqOyieFhvEPZENeZAl

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Lazy and gluttonous— he had completely figured out his little sister’s temperament and was very skilled at dealing with her.FUNDNuzsuKcPzknIGORwJRhpnUMcgW

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After running back and forth like this for more than ten days, when Wei Qian went to the hospital for a check-up, he was immediately scolded by the doctor, who sternly warned, “If you keep this up, get ready to have an arm as twisted as an eighteen-bend mountain road!”PUeCzkMDtswCvrbASRGXQdimOomUgn

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Wei Qian felt quite embarrassed because Ma Zi was waiting outside with the two kids. This situation, with one adult and two kids who had not seen much of the world, made Wei Qian feel quite ashamed to be scolded in front of them, feeling his authority as an elder brother was undermined.fnLHsvqiblyVgahHfRfBGpkqlwLSbU

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Wei Zhiyuan didn’t utter a sound, feeling as if his heart had been slightly jolted, experiencing a sour and aching sensation.hrurQebGmSZjdjjVSqjsAwSZiweMMw

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He felt a sort of protective desire emerge within him, akin to that of a man, while his body remained small and immature.LySDIdbwhLixDJUliwEnlMPZJGFpNn

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The contradiction between his growing desire to become powerful and the limited physical capabilities of a child constituted the main psychological conflict for Wei Zhiyuan before his adolescent years.HsGVjTIznWZQGqAAGYTIVZHMDOjxrC

kbURYgCbFNdLIoR

In the middle of the night, Wei Qian heard noises from the kitchen. Reaching out, he realized the kid beside him had gotten up at some unknown time. Rubbing his eyes and cursing under his breath, Wei Qian walked into the kitchen. Turning on the light and shielding his eyes from the glare, he asked impatiently, “Why are you up making a racket in the middle of the night?”kwOEYwpnpZucOUTUUdRHzuGejATXnR

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Wei Zhiyuan was dragging a long steel pipe, looking up at him innocently.gCiZElybdDAlgoSeOsUBJLAiHGdYeJ

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The kitchen, connected to the balcony, was usually used for cooking, while the other half was filled with various items, among which were numerous weapons casually tossed aside by Wei Qian.vhLodNGEzQUbsfdrVqHyKAvUYklkSB

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Wei Zhiyuan had dragged out an old steel pipe from this clutter. This time, he specifically chose a shorter one that fit his hand, so as not to embarrass himself by dragging it on the ground like last time. Holding a weapon, he felt immensely powerful.ZSMKhjPxjIqPAhXQGenlTBWRDTDFuH

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Wei Qian was stunned, “What are you doing with that?”ovuiCZAlAwbOLiycfLcRGNwlMAFQBO

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Wei Zhiyuan glanced at his arm, which was wrapped in a new bandage, and puffed out his chest, saying, “I’ll take it to school with me. You don’t need to come tomorrow. I’ll bring Xiao Bao back. Once we’re home, I’ll make sure she doesn’t run around and I’ll lock the door.”MqTUDcGeZDKlpUFCWiukUFuBOQQzsx

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He spoke with a sense of natural responsibility, like a little adult ready to shoulder burdens.eYhnzTQRDMENWpiOxTHuTYekQsSYml

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Wei Qian felt an odd sense of discomfort in his heart. This foundling wasn’t ungrateful but rather sensible and knew how to be considerate. However, despite this, Wei Qian still frowned unkindly, lifted Wei Zhiyuan by one hand, and rinsed his dirty hands under the tap, saying, “You’ve become quite something—wash your hands and go straight to bed, or I’ll give you something to really complain about!”beoHaQzXdwvIskDuetxXdRnAHSTnlt

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Wei Zhiyuan didn’t argue, obediently following instructions. Even though his brother’s expression was sour and his words harsh, Wei Zhiyuan didn’t mind. In fact, he found comfort in them. Having experienced true mistreatment, he could distinguish between real malice and what was simply a different form of care.IVcIZayCAALMovrTsUliWXSVFmQFDf

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Yet, despite his silence at that moment, the next day, when Wei Qian wasn’t paying attention, Wei Zhiyuan still managed to sneak the hose into his backpack.WsTjViuwnnGDxmNeSGnYdXvoWiiKcp

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In the afternoon, following his usual routine, Wei Qian went to pick up the children but spotted Wei Zhiyuan and Xiao Bao on their way home from halfway there.WOVcHzURDtLdJwTmIofDLwguVCBPqj

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The two kids had boldly decided not to wait and headed home on their own.UcwSxKyBSAjRnwlrYJBYWsyvhchaJf

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Since they were on the opposite side of the street and didn’t see Wei Qian, he didn’t cross over but instead followed them from a distance.EKFWsNkQbWbXBbdAItixXmkszzclvF

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Although the boy had grown a bit taller, only a couple of inches taller than the girl, he acted like a strong protector. With a serious expression, he held his sister’s hand in one and wielded a dirty steel pipe in the other, making their short journey home seem like a fearless adventure.irwxBKTakLJVBMZmmkjRovmBWEiwcU

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Wei Qian was amused and somewhat touched. He watched the children until they reached home. Wei Zhiyuan seriously let Xiao Bao enter first, then, like a clandestine operative with his ridiculous steel pipe, peeked around near their home, conducting a thorough reconnaissance. Finding no “enemy,” he was surprised to see his brother, with an arm in a sling, standing under a nearby wall watching him.EEdBuhTplSlezWliMnTmXnnWPIiBFH

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Wei Zhiyuan paused, and then saw that instead of being angry at his presumption, Wei Qian smiled at him.viNhYyuFAubRVdKIZseUTAQNhgsQds

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Wei Qian gestured towards his lean, youthful chin, signaling Wei Zhiyuan to lock the door properly.ivdemnYOdUjsUDycxEvmvxuAiSTmIG

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Wei Zhiyuan obediently turned back inside, locked the door, climbed onto the bed, pulled back the curtains, and watched from the window as Wei Qian lit a cigarette, smoked it in silence as a brief rest, and then briskly walked away.phivNVchHLGbTsOtpfsdPXDbKbjJfe

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“Brother didn’t even have a drink,” Wei Zhiyuan thought.RrZFGFzxgYRgAiiTwqWajBWJguWRAn

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That evening, Wei Qian was surprised to find a cup of lukewarm water in an enamel mug on the table, perfectly tempered.DRsZSOPmoolFimTkyiXMGzaLDKijpI

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For the next week, the routine continued with Wei Zhiyuan taking Xiao Bao home from school while Wei Qian discreetly followed them to ensure they safely locked the door behind them before he left.XMorrFRsuwrAAFHADjLNgtniXyzEdt

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Finally, after a month with no further incidents and considering Wei Zhiyuan’s reliable behavior, Wei Qian decided it was no longer necessary to accompany them, and the three of them resumed their regular lives.peUXXSSWaWrdQSIhzjgNVSPXepaoeq

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That’s when the real trouble happened.rjpktFxcbXQGpCijekuzeAVKgyWtUd

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