Chapter 56

If there were still things that troubled He Ping, who had experienced a lifetime of misfortunes, they would be three: first, his parents who were about to be framed; second, his wife whom he had yet to meet; and third, the little fatty in front of him, Dong Da Peng, also known as Dong Xiao Niao, who was He Ping's childhood friend. The two had been playing together since they were in diapers, and their friendship remained unchanged until He Ping's rebirth. Although they were not blood-related, they were closer than brothers.

Dong Da Peng's parents, like He Ping's parents, were originally employees of the state-owned Qingshan Machinery Factory. Both families, along with the young He Ping and Dong Da Peng, lived in the Qingshan Machinery Factory's employee housing complex. Later, He Ping's parents jumped ship to start their own business, made money, and moved to Ping An Garden. Soon after, Dong Da Peng's parents followed suit, but with less initial capital and a different business, they could only afford a 150 square meter house on the outskirts of Ping An Garden.

Now, although Dong Da Peng could be considered a second-generation rich kid, his family's business was still in its early stages. Their living conditions were much better than those of ordinary employees, but they were far from matching He Ping's family. However, this did not affect the relationship between the two families, who remained very close. He Ping and Dong Da Peng often visited each other's homes to eat, sleep, and play.

He Ping, familiar with history, knew that Dong Da Peng's parents were also remarkable people. Although they never reached the heights of He Ping's parents, they were down-to-earth and made steady progress, encountering few major obstacles along the way. After He Ping's father had his incident, Dong Da Peng's family provided significant help. Later, when He Ping started his business, they also gave him considerable support.

Seeing the young Dong Da Peng, He Ping felt a surge of affection. This little fatty now appeared timid and a bit shy, but He Ping knew that Dong Da Peng's potential was boundless. Even now, he showed signs of his future success. Dong Da Peng, with his smooth talk and quick wit, would later become a renowned business negotiation expert, excelling in his dealings with others.

"My parents are on a business trip again," Dong Da Peng explained when He Ping asked. "They left very early this morning and dropped me off at school. I had lunch outside because no one was home, so I didn't bother going back. Is that okay, bro?"

He Ping shook his head and said, "What could be wrong? I just slept in this morning."

Hearing He Ping admit to sleeping in, Dong Da Peng gave him a thumbs up in admiration. "You're amazing! You don't know how explosive the teacher was this morning!" After saying this, Dong Da Peng glanced at the clock above the blackboard and said to He Ping, "Bro, wait for me after class, I have something to discuss."

Something to discuss? What could it be? And the business trip of Dong Da Peng's parents seemed to trigger a memory in He Ping. He thought he remembered something, but it remained vague. At that moment, a teacher whose name and subject He Ping couldn't remember walked into the classroom, and the afternoon classes began.

For the current He Ping, elementary school classes were truly child's play. After listening for a few minutes, he simply leaned his head to one side and fell asleep. Although his desk mate, Zhao Yuke, kept trying to disturb him and get him to pay attention, He Ping stubbornly slept through the class, much to Zhao Yuke's annoyance. She wished she could scold him, but before she could, He Ping had already run off to find Dong Da Peng.

Seeing He Ping approach, Dong Da Peng immediately said, "Bro, come to my place tonight. My parents are away, and it's the weekend tomorrow. I've got some new game cartridges, let's play all night!"

As Dong Da Peng said this, He Ping was taken aback. Memories flooded back, and he remembered. The day before his father was framed, he had gone to Dong Da Peng's place because there were no adults there. The two of them played games all night and slept at Dong Da Peng's house. When he returned home the next day, he found the atmosphere at home was off, and later learned that something had happened.

Tonight! It's tonight! He Ping's father was always very strict with the factory inspections. The controlled knives found could not have been there for long. If nothing was found today but problems were discovered tomorrow, the answer was clear: the incident would happen tonight. Tonight was when the people framing He Ping's father would take action!

"Dong Da Peng! I need to discuss something with you!" Realizing this, He Ping, recalling the events of his previous life, said seriously to Dong Da Peng, "After school, come home with me, have dinner at my place, and tell my parents that we're spending the night at your place."

Dong Da Peng was a bit puzzled. He Ping's tone was very serious, and he was calling him by his full name, not the usual playful "Dong Xiao Niao." Even he could sense that something was different about He Ping, but the plan He Ping proposed seemed similar to what he had imagined. Was it really necessary to be so serious?

Seeing Dong Da Peng's confusion, He Ping continued, "Telling my parents we're spending the night at your place is just an excuse. I have something to do tonight and need to leave the house, so I need an excuse to keep my parents from worrying. I'm sorry, but you'll have to spend the night alone. Be careful. If my parents call, tell them I'm at your place, either in the bathroom or downstairs buying snacks. Just make sure they believe I'm at your place."

"Bro, what's going on?" This time, Dong Da Peng was surprised. He was very timid and the thought of staying out all night, let alone walking alone at night, was terrifying. The idea of spending the night alone was a form of torture for him. What was more worrying was what He Ping was going to do at night. A ten-year-old elementary school student shouldn't be wandering around at night.

"Don't worry, it's nothing serious," He Ping reassured him. "It's just urgent, and I only have tonight. Remember what I said and make sure my parents believe I'm at your place."

"Relax, bro, I'll do it!" Dong Da Peng pounded his chest.

"Alright, that's settled then." He Ping patted Dong Da Peng's shoulder and said, "Let's go home together after school. Now, let's focus on class."

[PS: Second update of the day!]

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