CHAPTER 581: CHAPTER 581: PROVIDING SHELTER

He Ziyun found a bench at a bus stop and sat on it, making phone calls to friends and classmates one by one.

"I’ve been kicked out of my house. Can I stay at your place for two days?" He Ziyun called a close friend and asked.

"Did you have a fight with your family?" The person on the other end of the line asked somewhat surprised.

"It wasn’t a fight. My dad beat me up and kicked me out, and he cut off all my cards. I can’t go back to the He family." He Ziyun said frankly to his friend without holding back.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone, "There’s no such thing as overnight hatred between father and son. You should just apologize to your father, and maybe he will forgive you."

"No, we’ve broken off completely. He won’t acknowledge me as his son anymore." He Ziyun flatly said while looking at the bus stopped in front of him.

This time, the silence on the other end was even longer, "Ziyun, it’s not that I don’t want to let you stay, but there’s really no room here. Why don’t you ask someone else? I’m busy now." After speaking, the person on the other end of the call hung up without a moment’s hesitation.

He Ziyun’s ear was still pressed against the phone receiver, listening to the beeping sound from the other end, feeling a dull pain in his chest.

He Ziyun didn’t dwell in despair for too long and made another call, but without exception, no one offered him a place to stay.

Seeing that his phone had only five percent battery left, He Ziyun felt a deep coldness inside him, a chill that crept out from his very bones, impervious to the layers of clothing he wrapped around himself.

He Ziyun didn’t know how long he’d been sitting at the bus stop, only aware that one bus after another stopped in front of him and then left.

"Why are you here all alone? Aren’t you going home?" Ariel stood in front of He Ziyun, wearing a JK uniform and holding a small dolphin plush toy that Xu Ke had bought for her, asking.

He Ziyun looked in the direction of the voice and saw Ariel’s eyes, bright as the stars.

"I got kicked out of my house, and I’m penniless now." He Ziyun said blankly, looking up at Ariel.

"Then come stay at our place. We have a spare room." Ariel said matter-of-factly.

Ariel took a few steps, noticing that He Ziyun still hadn’t gotten up and was sitting there like a fool, raised an eyebrow and said, "What are you doing sitting there? Let’s go."

This time, He Ziyun finally reacted.

Perhaps he’d been in that position too long, for when he stood, he swayed uncontrollably until he steadied himself and walked awkwardly towards Ariel.

At the driver’s seat, Xu Ke started the car and drove away from the bus stop after He Ziyun got in.

"Ariel said you got kicked out of your house. What’s going on? And your face, did you get in a fight?" Xu Ke glanced at He Ziyun and asked.

He Ziyun raised a hand to touch his swollen, numb face and said bitterly, "It wasn’t a fight; my dad hit me. Because of what happened with Nie Wei last time, the Nie family started retaliating against us."

"Nie Wei?" Ariel asked with a huge sense of confusion.

"The guy with the mid-length hair who got his hand broken is Nie Wei." He Ziyun replied tonelessly.

"And they hit you just because of that? It was obviously them who came to provoke you first. Why isn’t your dad on your side?" Ariel asked incredulously.

Although Ariel didn’t have a good relationship with her father, when she fought back against bullies, her father never cared. In comparison, she thought maybe her father wasn’t that bad after all, and she shrugged her shoulders.

While He Ziyun settled in at Xu Ke and Ariel’s place, on the other side, the He family was waiting for He Ziyun to back down and apologize to the Nie family for their forgiveness, while the Nie family father and son were also at home waiting for the He family to come over.

"Dad, do you think the He family will really give in?" asked Nie Wei, whose hand was still in a sling, as he took the fruit the servant had cut for him and started to chew.

"That old He is not a man of integrity. He married his first wife for success, and after gaining power, he and his mistress drove the original wife to death. Such a man is like a jackal; throw enough bait in front of him, and he’d behave like a dog if needed," Nie’s father said, glancing disdainfully at the fruit-stuffed mouth of Nie Wei.

It was the first time Nie Wei heard such a scoop, and he swallowed hurriedly, looking at his father with interest, "So that’s what happened with the He family? I was wondering why the He family fell to such a state, and now I understand why,"

Nie Wei said with some wonder in his voice.

"Instead of lamenting others’ family backgrounds, why don’t you take the time to cut your hair? What’s the point of keeping it so long for a man?" Nie’s father said, looking at Nie Wei with disdain.

"Dad, you don’t understand, it’s art!" Nie Wei hugged his hair and said coyly.

"Dad, how long do you think it will take for the He family to make He Ziyun come over and apologize to me? I want to record it and post it on social media. It would be great to have a former genius grovel at my feet," Nie Wei said with anticipation, holding his phone.

This image made Nie’s father frown as he couldn’t bear to look at it any longer.

"How did I father such a brat? Look at yourself now; it’s embarrassing." Nie’s father didn’t answer Nie Wei’s question but looked at him with disdain before turning away, thinking he was better off not seeing it.

Nie Wei didn’t care about this; he was used to it, knowing his father had only one son regardless of the disdain; his father still had to take care of him. He didn’t want to end up like He Ziyun, unloved by either parent.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. He Ziyun practically disappeared, not attending school, not seen by the Nie family, and the He family was still waiting for him to back down.

"This really baffles me; he’s actually not coming home. It’s shameless. Get in touch with his friends, find out whose place he’s at, and bring him back. Even if you have to tie him up, he has to apologize to the Nie family." He father, angry, watched his constantly flashing phone.

He didn’t want to wait any longer; this son had been raised for so many years, and it was time he learned to contribute to the family.

The He family began to act on He father’s orders.

Meanwhile, the much-thought-of He Ziyun had just returned from grocery shopping. No one at home wanted to go out, nor did they want to cook or eat takeout. So, He Ziyun went downstairs to buy some fresh vegetables, meat, and dumplings, planning to make hot pot at home.