Chapter 1

The day the high school entrance examination scores came out, Huoren was blocking the door.

There was paint splashed outside the doorway, and he could smell the pungent scent even through the security door and the cotton thread curtain.

The house had decayed over time, and with the strong men banging on the security door multiple times with their fists, it could not bear such a burden.

“Damn it, open the door. You wouldn’t want your house burnt down, would you?”

“Boy, do you know that the 800,000 yuan with interest that your father owes us rose again? If you understand, just hand over the deed to the property! Open the door and stop hiding!”

The paint gurgled through the crack in the door. Huoren leaned his back against the table and hoisted the TV set that hadn’t been working for many years. He clenched his teeth and continued to think about what he should do next.

The screen of his cellphone began to light up, but both sound and vibration were off.

【Teacher Zhang】: Huoren, answer the phone! You got first place in the exam, and the teachers are looking for you!

【Teacher Lu】: Huoren, I’ve called you dozens of times during your exam. The issues regarding your tuition have been settled already. When you see the message, answer me, okay?

“Fuck! You son of a bitch!” They started banging on the door again, and the boy suffered from all kinds of verbal abuse, “You were born from your father’s seed. This life was brought onto us by your father. Can you even go to the police? Going to report it to the cops?”

Both doors started to shake violently, and dust began to spread through the gap.

Dark green paint had spilled all over the floor and reached the soles of his shoes.

The young man straightened his back and supported the TV against the door to continue blocking it, silently opposing them.

The phone screen lit up and went off, again and again, without pause.

【Chen Xiaoyan】: HuoHuo, where are you? You got a perfect score on the exam. My mother told me that your ancestors must be screaming in their graves, hahaha.

【Doctor Hu】: I’ll be helping you with your aunt’s hospitalization, Boy. Study hard, you still have a long way to go.

After forty minutes, the debt collector smashed a beer bottle on the ground and finally left while cursing.

The young man lowered his head and stood there, not moving for a moment.

Fifteen minutes later, someone’s footsteps approaching towards the door were heard. It was Chen Xiaoyan.

“Huohuo, I knew you’d be in trouble,” he said, tiptoeing sideways to avoid the glass, “It’s me, it’s me. They’re having a barbecue in Ximen. Are you okay?”

Huoren turned to the side and let out a sigh of relief when he heard the low voice and said, “What are you doing here? Hurry up and leave.”

“And what are you going to do?” Chen Xiaoyan grabbed his phone and leaped onto the steps, he continued, “I thought you would be being interviewed at school right about now, but you weren’t answering your phone. Didn’t those people already come last month?”

Huoren seemed to ignore his words and insisted again: “Go away, don’t stay here.”

“Quickly come down through the window so we can avoid them.” Chen Xiaoyan articulated, “They just arrived. I know the owner of the barbecue restaurant. He cooks slowly on the grill, so there’s still time.”

He clenched his hands white and quickly agreed, running to the room to take some books and package his belongings.

His mother’s photos, the real estate certificate, his ID card, the household account book, and his student card.

His family lived on the second floor, but it was still dangerous to jump out of the window because he could easily break his legs.

Since the end of the second lunar month, Huoren had become accustomed to jumping down in the middle of the night, when it was already dark, and rolling through the bushes without making a single noise.

This time, when he jumped down, Chen Xiaoyan held him in his hands and pulled Huoren in the opposite direction.

“Hurry up, hurry up!”

The two boys ran a 100-meter dash towards the east gate of the Changqing neighborhood. They crossed the street and an alley, running to the end and looked back to confirm that no one was around. They then took a shortcut, headed to the Yangguang neighborhood not far away, and then entered Building 8.

Mrs. Chen was waiting by the door of an elevator. When she saw them, she let out a long sigh of relief. First, she stretched out her hands and hugged Huoren tight. She saw his poor condition, turned around, and dragged the two children into the house.

The TV was noisy with commercials, and there was still a long time before Princess Pearl came back on.

When they entered the house, Chen Xiaoyan looked down at the windows on both sides, wiped his sweat, and gave Huoren water.

“Stay at my house during the summer holidays,” he said with a smile, “In return, give me private lessons. Think of it as if it were the rent payment.”

“It isn’t necessary for you to tutor him,” Mrs. Chen took a warm towel to help clean up the dirt on the boy’s face, “Don’t go out these days, so they won’t find you.”

Huoren took the towel and thanked her with no expression on his face.

It’s not like that.

Weren’t they the ones who warned him in front of the school the last time to set an example for him?

Weren’t they the ones who beat his acclaimed “father” at the school gate?

These people want more from him than the house his mother left him. They want his life. They want him to follow them and make black money on the deep web.

They knew who he was, how many awards he had won, and they wouldn’t let him go even if he went to high school.

Also, his debt had been growing more and more. Before, it was only 200,000 yuan, and now this amount had quadrupled.

After sitting for a long time, Mrs. Chen touched his aching face, “I’ll make you some soup. Take a bath and put on Chen Yan’s clothes.”

“Mom, I’m too short. He’ll have to wear dad’s shirt.”

“Hurry up and get it!”

The mother and son walked back and forth, leaving him sitting alone in the living room.

“SPF Entertainment is looking for you! We are your best choice!”

Ads were still playing on the TV.

“A new program for trainees with guaranteed minimum wage, top-notch facilities, and the best high-level instructors are waiting for you!”

“A successful debut will lead to millions of annual A-level contracts! We have the largest high-level resources and a perfect setting for your own taste!”

The host animatedly said all their slogans and they showed photos of dozens of celebrities, all of them smiling brightly.

The dirty boy was watching television with his knees bent and his ankles stained with paint.

When Chen Yan came out with the clothes and bath towels, he looked at Huoren in the eyes.

“The audition site in venue C is right across our school, it’s pretty close.” Chen Yan passed the stuff to him and suddenly remembered something, “HuoHuo, you have to go back to school to get a graduation certificate. Those people could pose as your relatives.”

Huoren’s body tensed in an instant. He nodded quickly and turned to grab his coat and ran off.

“Ah, you can go after snacking. How long has it been since you ate something, big brother?”

~

The top scorer did not have the appearance of a top scorer. His school uniform was dirty, his shoes were full of holes, and not a single reporter blocking the door even took a look at him.

He went into the office, habitually checking to see if anyone had come after him before closing the door.

The homeroom teacher sat down with concern, holding his graduation certificate and the graduation photo in her hand.

“Teacher Fang,” Huoren bowed, “Thank you for your care during these past three years, I have caused you a lot of trouble.”

Teacher Fang’s eyes were red and she wiped away the tears with her hand.

“Huohuo, the school has awarded you a 100,000 yuan scholarship to reward you as the top scorer. You must keep it well. Don’t let those people know that. Do you understand?”

Huoren looked at her. He clenched his hands unconsciously.

“You are only fifteen, and life has just begun. Don’t give up on what you deserve because of that scum in your family.”

Teacher Fang’s voice began to cut off, “You’re a good boy, you must be a very good person in the future.”

Huoren spoke to her for a long time, and then he left.

When he left school, the media were still asking the teachers to call the top scorer.

The second and fourth placers were also there, being interviewed with smiles in their new clothes.

Huoren stood at the intersection for a long time, with the bank card and graduation certificate, and he could barely breathe.

The building was across the road, and the auditions were over.

“Is there anyone else auditioning?” Said the girl with the beak-shaped cap. “This is a unique opportunity. We can’t wait another three years!”

The green light came on, and there was no one at the zebra crossing, as if destiny had deliberately made way for him.

The teenager squeezed his graduation certificate, and he walked like a ghost.

“Hey, hey, did you come for the audition?” The girl realized that the young man who was dirty was actually handsome, and gave him a registration form in his hand: “Hurry up and complete the application. I guess you’re the last one.”

Huoren looked at the notice on the opposite side as he held up the registration form. His eyes lingered for a few seconds on “closed training” and “score to determine base salary.”

He picked up a pen and filled out the form. The young girl looked at him closely.

“Your handwriting is really good. Have you practiced?”

“Yes, Liu Shu”

She led him to the second floor, turned a corner, and stood at a door.

When the man at the door saw the little lass enter again, Diao Lang said, “We were ready to call it a day. Aren’t you tired, Xiao Jun?”

“No. I think he’s the right one.” The girl reached out and pushed Huoren, “Look at him.”

Huoren threw him an instinctive glance. The latter thought he was nervous, so he patted him on the shoulder: “Relax, just sing a song and dance.” He said and slammed the door shut.

Huoren turned his head and saw four people sitting at the long table across him.

The man in the middle looked very young.

“Hi, I’m Pei Ruye, and I’m also your examiner.” He lowered his glasses and laughed a little.

“Let me introduce you, little student.”