Chapter 3

When he walked out of the Zhang family’s house, Yue Heng felt a great sense of relief.

The material conditions in this large mansion were undoubtedly excellent.

Even for someone like Yue Heng, who was a burden, the room allocated to him was not bad.

The Zhang family, proud of their status, would not stoop to the level of abusing a stepson, as it would tarnish their reputation.

However, for the former Yue Heng, the Zhang family mansion was like a living hell.

Living there, his spirit was constantly tormented.

Even the dogs in the mansion lived happier lives than he did!

Yue Heng still remembered clearly.

In his first life, after school, he took a shortcut through a small alley to catch the bus.

He was intercepted by people.

As a result, not only was all the pocket money on him extorted, but he was also beaten up until his nose and face were bruised and swollen.

He was in a terrible state.

When he finally returned to the Zhang family, Yue Heng received no sympathy; instead, he was scolded by Yue Junmin, who thought he had been fighting with others.

The mocking and disdainful looks from the Zhang family members stayed with Yue Heng for a long time.

His heart was deeply wounded.

Yue Heng had already made up his mind.

Even if Yue Junmin did not agree, he would leave.

In the end, he didn’t know what Yue Junmin said to Zhang Lirong, but he soon returned and asked Yue Heng to pack his luggage.

When he came out, he didn’t even see the Zhang family members.

"Wait here."

Yue Junmin looked unhappy and said, "I'll go get the car."

While waiting for the car, Yue Heng felt incredibly incredulous.

If his former self had even a fraction of the courage to fight back, he wouldn’t have ended up in such a state.

Zhang Lirong clearly treated him like an ant and didn’t care about his departure.

If Yue Heng had dared to speak up at the time, the outcome might have been the same as now.

He wouldn’t have suffered for three years for nothing!

Unfortunately, at that time...

Yue Heng shook his head and stopped thinking about the past.

Yue Junmin’s car arrived.

After getting in the car, Yue Heng sat in the back.

The two of them were silent all the way.

As they approached the old home, Yue Junmin suddenly said, "Xiao Heng, actually..."

Yue Junmin didn’t finish his sentence, but Yue Heng understood.

Actually, Yue Junmin brought him from the county to Taijiang and had him live in the Zhang family mansion.

Essentially, he wanted what was best for Yue Heng.

To help him integrate into high society.

However, Yue Junmin, with his handsome appearance and seemingly shrewd but actually naive nature, didn’t realize that in others’ eyes, he wasn’t the one who married into the Zhang family.

He was the one who was taken in as a son-in-law.

A赘婿 (zhuìxù, son-in-law who lives with his wife's family).

Yue Junmin might have understood this, but he was confident he could control Zhang Lirong and make her obey him.

However, reality was cruel.

The one truly controlled was Yue Junmin.

As Yue Junmin’s son, Yue Heng’s position in the Zhang family was extremely awkward!

Worse still, he incurred the enmity of Zhang Lirong’s children, leading his life down a wrong path.

Others pit their fathers, but Yue Junmin pit his son.

Yue Heng didn’t punch his father’s dog head, which was already a sign of filial piety!

The car drove into a small alley and stopped in front of a three-story building.

The building was quite old.

The eastern wall and fence were covered with ivy, which glimmered under the streetlights.

Yue Junmin led Yue Heng out of the car, took out the keys, and opened the rusty gate.

The small courtyard came into view, with a thick-trunked osmanthus tree planted in the corner.

Yue Heng remembered that during the Mid-Autumn Festival, when he came to visit his grandfather, the house was filled with the fragrance of osmanthus.

It was one of his most beautiful childhood memories.

This old house clearly hadn’t been maintained for a long time, with a lot of fallen leaves and dust in the courtyard.

Some weeds had grown.

Yue Junmin went into the house to check the water, electricity, and gas.

All were working properly.

He sighed in relief.

Yue Heng watched coldly and said, "It’s fine, you can go back."

Yue Heng knew very well how strictly Zhang Lirong controlled Yue Junmin.

Making Yue Junmin stay here tonight would be too much for him.

Yue Heng didn’t need it either.

Yue Junmin awkwardly handed the keys to Yue Heng, "You can clean up yourself. Call me if you need anything."

He added, "I’ll take you to transfer the ownership tomorrow."

"Thank you."

Yue Heng took the keys, feeling somewhat complex.

His father wasn’t inherently bad, but he quickly fell after marrying into the Zhang family.

Now, he still showed some warmth.

"What’s there to thank me for?"

Yue Junmin smiled, then didn’t know what to say.

Finally, he waved weakly, "I’ll go. Take care, and let me know if you need money."

"Okay."

After seeing his father off, Yue Heng closed the gate.

He turned on all the lights upstairs and downstairs, then found a broom and dustpan from the basement storage room.

He started cleaning.

In the star sea era a thousand years later, all household chores were handled by intelligent robots.

Yue Heng, who lived for several decades in his second life, had never done cleaning.

But he didn’t find it difficult or tiring at all.

Instead, he felt a sense of fulfillment and joy.

Far from endless battles and the endless insectoids, and the treacherous human hearts.

Yue Heng felt that this life was his best destination.

Now, it was a new beginning.

It took him more than three hours, and he was drenched in sweat, to barely complete the initial cleaning.

Although the old house wasn’t large, it was unrealistic to clean all three floors, the basement, and the small courtyard in one night.

Yue Heng didn’t have OCD; he stopped when it was livable.

He would clean the rest later.

He went to the bathroom, turned on the water heater, and took a refreshing shower.

Washing away the dust and fatigue, he changed into clean clothes and looked at himself in the mirror.

At sixteen, he was at the beginning of his youth.

Yue Heng inherited many good features from his parents, with a sharp brow, clear eyes, and a straight nose.

He was a true "handsome guy."

However, in his first life, he didn’t do justice to this good appearance.

Living under others’ roofs, struggling with studies, and the constant mental pressure made him walk with his head down, lacking any spirit.

He was自卑 (bìzì, self-deprecating) and depressed.

His good looks were reduced by a few points.

But now, Yue Heng was different.

Although he had lost his extraordinary abilities, he still had an indomitable will.

No one could suppress his spirit anymore!

After staring for a long time, Yue Heng left the bathroom and went to the bedroom on the third floor.

This was the room he used to live in.

The temperature in Taijiang in March was still a bit low, so Yue Heng found some bedding from the closet and laid it on the bed.

The bedding hadn’t been aired for a long time and had a strong smell of camphor.

Yue Heng didn’t mind and fell asleep soundly, breathing in the scent.

He had a dreamless night.

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