Chapter 8 — From the Ashes to the Pinnacle

“Eat until you're full.” He tilted his head and looked at me. Then step on the accelerator pedal firmly. The engine roared. The car took me further and further away from Trieu Ngoc Phan. I watched the light of the location in the rearview mirror gradually shrink, then disappear. First stage. Complete. 【Chapter 6】 Shen Weiguo took me to a Hunan restaurant on the bottom floor of the city's largest shopping mall. Private room, four dishes and one soup. Steamed fish head with chili, stir-fried beef, stir-fried dried cauliflower, spicy and sour chicken intestines, plus a bowl of egg-tomato soup. These are all filling dishes. After the food was brought, he did not pick up the chopsticks first. He looked at me. “Eat.” I was not polite. Pick up a piece of fish meat and put it in your mouth. Soft, spicy, fresh. The tongue is heated by chili oil, meat juices fill the mouth. In the last years of my previous life, I could only eat discounted supermarket noodles and pickled vegetables. The third day after my resurrection, I was finally able to eat a decent meal. Tham Ve Quoc always watched me eat. Chopsticks held in hand but not touched. I raised my head to look at him. "Dad, eat too." At this point, he started eating. But before he had eaten a few bites, he put down his chopsticks again. "Ve Duong." "Yes." "Conditions at Dad's place... are okay. Dad has a construction materials wholesale company in Guangzhou, not big, annual revenue is about more than twenty million."When he said these words, his voice was somewhat embarrassed. It's like reporting to a long-lost relative how I've lived over the years. "In the city there is a three-bedroom apartment, a living room. If I go to Guangzhou, I can change schools there..." "I'm not going to Guangzhou." I put down my chopsticks. Tham Ve Quoc was stunned. "I will stay here to study." "Why?" He frowned: "Is there anything worth staying in here?" "Because there is still unfinished business." I looked at him. "Dad, I want to stay here, watch Trieu Ngoc Phan sign with my own eyes. See the legal procedures completed with my own eyes." "After that, I want to make all the people who have laughed at me in this city shut up." Tham Ve Quoc was silent. He looked into my eyes, as if he was confirming whether I was sincere or not. My expression didn't have the slightest hint of joking. "I'm only fourteen years old..." "Dad." I interrupted: "I told you, I'm no longer a child." "I have a company in Guangzhou to manage, I can't stay here long." "But you can rent me a house here, find a trustworthy person to take care of my daily activities." "Legally, as long as the change of custody rights is completed, my guardian is you. Dad can Entrust others to take care of you." "I can take care of myself. I just need a legal identity and a place to live." Tham Ve Quoc bowed his head. Thumbs rubbed the wood grain of the chopsticks. After a long wait. "...Okay." Finally, he spoke. "I will rent a house for you here. Find a trustworthy aunt to cook and clean." "You don't need to worry about money." "But..." He raised his head to look at me, with a seriousness in his eyes that did not allow refusal: "You must call dad every week. If you have anything to say right away. Just one phone call, dad will come back immediately." "Okay." He nodded. Silence again for a moment. Then suddenly said a sentence—“Your mother… has been like that since she was young.” “It's not my fault.” “That year, even if I had to risk my life, I should have taken you.” “It's because I didn't have the courage.” As he said these words, his fingers clenched his chopsticks, his knuckles turning white. I know you're blaming yourself. It's been eight years. Maybe he thinks about this every night. "Dad." I said: "What's past is past." "From now on, I live my life. Dad lives his life." "Let's look forward together." Tham Ve Quoc took a deep breath. When exhaling,

It seemed like the weight of eight years had been lifted. "Okay." "Looking ahead." Finished eating. Tham Ve Quoc drove me to a brokerage company in the city center. It was already half past nine in the evening but the company still hadn't closed—small brokerage firms in fourth-tier cities like this usually stayed open until very late. He spent an hour looking at three houses. Finally chose a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment next to the school—it only took ten minutes to walk to the middle school I was attending. Monthly rent is one thousand eight hundred yuan, paid annually. Tham Ve Quoc directly transferred the entire year's rent plus two months' deposit. Sign the contract, get the key. Then go to the supermarket. Bedding, toiletries, rice cookers and basic kitchen utensils—fill a cart. While paying, Tham Ve Quoc turned his head to look at me. I'm looking at a bookshelf—topped with all kinds of reference books. He didn't say another word, he walked over: "If you need anything, take it." I chose a few books. Math, physics, English. It's all high school content. Middle school knowledge I learned once in my previous life. For me, there is no need to review. What I want is speed. Use the shortest time to crush people of the same age. Let everyone see—Shen Weiyang is not useless.