129. I will be waiting for you at home.

"Eh, you can certainly come over, but why do you want to visit?"

Fang Chang'an was surprised that Shen Mo would make such a request. He had been feeling a bit melancholy at school, thinking that the next time he would see her might be two years away, yet here she was, wanting to come to his house less than two hours after they had parted ways.

After waiting for two seconds without hearing a reply, Fang Chang'an asked curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Uh... actually, it's not me... it's..." Shen Mo hesitated, speaking in a stuttering manner, "Since that thing happened yesterday, and it was my first time encountering such a situation, after I got home last night... I..."

"Hm?" Fang Chang'an felt perplexed. "What exactly is the matter?"

"If I tell you, promise you won't be angry, okay?"

"If you don't tell me, I *will* be angry."

"Okay." The young girl's voice sounded a bit aggrieved. "I told my cousin about what happened last night, and then she told her mother, who is my aunt."

"And then?"

"My aunt works at the city television station, and she..." Shen Mo's voice grew smaller, sounding very guilty. "She thinks this incident is worth reporting. They've already arrived, and they were originally planning to go straight to your house to find you, but my uncle stopped them."

Fang Chang'an was stunned by this turn of events.

Shen Mo continued, "My uncle and aunt don't want them to interview you; they say you're still young and shouldn't get involved in these things. But my grandfather and grandmother agreed, saying that an interview would promote positive energy and serve as a warning to others not to gamble..."

"And then?"

"And then I came to call you."

Fang Chang'an laughed. "So why do you want to come to my house?"

"I wanted to see you while I'm at it, and I've never seen how a television interview works."

"Do you want me to agree to it?"

Shen Mo hesitated before saying, "I think my grandparents make a valid point, and my uncle and aunt do too. But regarding the problems they're worried about, I don't think you're the type to make those mistakes—like becoming arrogant or letting people's praise affect you. I mean, I don't think you'll be influenced."

Fang Chang'an chuckled. "You have that much faith in me?"

"Yes."

The young girl answered as if it were the most natural thing in the world, without a trace of coyness. Fang Chang'an, in turn, felt a bit ashamed; he hadn't expected Shen Mo to hold such a high opinion of him.

"Then why are you acting so guilty, as if you've done something wrong to me?"

"I told others about it without your permission..."

In truth, the young girl had simply been excited about the event and wanted to share it with someone. She hadn't expected her aunt to send people over for an interview, nor for her grandparents to get involved, and with Shen Cheng'yan and Cheng Mengfei opposing it, she had started to feel guilty.

However, hearing that Fang Chang'an didn't seem angry with her, her anxious mood slowly calmed down. She asked, "So, do you want to be on television?"

Fang Chang'an smiled. "I'll pass. Let Uncle Shen or Uncle Chang do it. It might be more effective if Uncle Chang does the publicizing."

Shen Mo had initially thought he wanted to be on TV when he called it "a good thing." Hearing his refusal, she was surprised. "You're not going yourself?"

Fang Chang'an laughed. "There's no need to make Uncle Shen and Teacher Cheng worry, and Uncle Chang probably needs it more."

"What do you mean?"

"Just tell Uncle Shen that later."

"Alright, then."

The young girl’s tone sounded a bit disappointed, though it was unclear whether it was because Fang Chang'an wouldn't be on TV or because she couldn't accompany the reporter to his home.

"I'll go tell my uncle now."

"Okay."

Fang Chang'an hung up the phone. Fang Lujun, Fang Changming, and Fang Yanran had already finished eating. Fang Lujun urged him, "Go eat quickly, it's getting cold." He then asked, "What did they want you for?"

"It was Shen Mo, asking if I wanted to go to her house."

Fang Chang'an brushed it off and returned to the living room to continue eating. Cong Rong asked, "Why did Shen Mo want you to go to her place?"

"Just to hang out."

Fang Chang'an knew there would be cross-examination, so he gave a casual excuse and changed the subject. "Mom, when are we going to Grandma's? It's been a while since I've been there."

"If you want to go, we can go tomorrow."

Cong Rong could see that her son was changing the subject, but seeing that he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't press him further.

Hearing that Fang Chang'an wanted to visit Grandma, Fang Lujun came out to discuss what gifts to bring, mentioning that he planned to go to town on the 26th or 27th to buy supplies for the New Year.

Fang Changming, hearing this, ran over excitedly and asked, "When are you going? Can I come too?" He wanted to go to town to buy firecrackers, as the wholesale street was cheaper than the village.

In the afternoon, while Fang Chang'an was strolling in the courtyard reading a book, Fang Lusheng pushed open the gate and walked in. He greeted them with a smile and went inside to talk to Fang Lujun. Fang Chang'an could hear them from the courtyard.

Fang Lusheng started with polite small talk, seemingly finding it difficult to bring up his true purpose. After a while, he finally got to the point: he was pressing Fang Lujun to pay back the money he owed from gambling.

Fang Lujun had been away for three months and earned over two thousand yuan. During that time, he had sent seven or eight hundred home, spent over eight hundred on a television, and repaid the money he had borrowed from his father before heading out to work. He didn't have much left, and with the New Year approaching and the tuition for three children to cover, he couldn't come up with the money.

There was an unspoken rule about debts incurred at the gambling table: keep the family in the dark as much as possible. After Fang Lusheng left, Fang Lujun's mood was visibly sour. He watched TV for a while, then wandered out, circled the yard, and went inside to ask Cong Rong how much money they had left.

Fang Chang'an heard his mother remain silent for a moment before asking, "How much do you owe him?"

If Fang Lusheng hadn't come, Fang Lujun likely wouldn't have admitted to the gambling debt. Now, he was silent for a moment before saying in an indifferent tone, "A little over a thousand, less than fifteen hundred."

Fang Chang'an knew his father wasn't telling the truth and that the debt was higher, but bringing it down to just over a thousand meant it was at most three thousand—far less than the eight or nine thousand Fang Lusheng had claimed in his previous life.

He stood in the courtyard, silent.

Then he heard his mother say in a low voice, "There's no money left in the house. There's a few hundred, and I'm saving it for the three kids' tuition next year."

She hesitated for a moment, then added, "When Chang'an was selling steamed buns in town, his homeroom teacher's husband used that method for his business and gave us two thousand yuan. Chang'an gave me five hundred, and the other fifteen hundred is with his teacher, who helped him invest it in stocks. If you need to pay him back, have Chang'an talk to his teacher."

Fang Lujun was silent for two seconds, then asked, "What business?"

"It’s delivering steamed buns to students for breakfast. They felt it was Chang'an's idea and felt bad about it."

Fang Lujun said with dissatisfaction, "That doesn't mean we should take their money."

Cong Rong replied, "They earned more than that, you don't need to worry about them."

Fang Lujun suddenly became angry and raised his voice. "How can we take someone else's money like this? What does that make us? Give it back to them!"

"What does it make us? What do you mean?"

Cong Rong was already harboring resentment over Fang Lujun's gambling debt. Seeing him get angry, she lost her temper too. "This was Chang'an's idea! They made money off it. Who lost out? Who gained? Without that money, he wouldn't even be able to pay his tuition for next year!"

"His father isn't dead yet! I'll sell everything I have to scrape his tuition together. Do you think I'd let him go short? Huh? I'm still alive, I don't need my son taking money from other people!"

Fang Lujun wasn't actually unable to accept the logic of "receiving payment for an idea that generated wealth." It was his own fragile, sensitive pride as a father that couldn't handle it. Combined with the shame of being pressed for debt by Fang Lusheng, the two things triggered his fury, and he habitually used an argument to vent his emotions.

Fang Chang'an was just about to go over to mediate when he heard his sister shout from the east room, "Big Brother! Your phone! Big Sister Momo is looking for you again!"

Fang Chang'an felt a bit strange, but he walked over to take the call. During this process, he heard the arguing between his parents in the west room come to a stop.

"Hello?"

"Fang Chang'an, I told my grandfather and uncle, and they both agreed to let that Uncle Chang go on television."

Shen Mo's tone was light and joyful; clearly, she had been troubled by the conflict between her grandfather and uncle as well.

Fang Chang'an smiled. "That's a good thing."

"Yeah, I think so too. You're so amazing."

"I didn't really do anything."

Fang Chang'an had once heard Chang Chao mention the friction between Shen Baoguo and himself. It wasn't anything major—just a difference in stance and opinion, exacerbated by Chang Chao's hot-headedness leading to an argument.

Two years ago, Chang Chao had an opportunity for promotion to station chief, but because of this incident, the county authorities considered his personality not steady enough to handle town relations well, and they shelved it.

Shen Baoguo might not have held a grudge over a small conflict from years ago, but as time passed, whether he cared or not, as long as he didn't express it, others would perceive a rift.

Chang Chao seeking out Shen Cheng'yan might have been for this very reason, and after what happened last night, Shen Cheng'yan's impression of Chang Chao had changed drastically.

On the other hand, Shen Mo's aunt was likely her uncle's sister, and since she was from the city television station, an interview wasn't a bad thing at all. After all, they had caught the criminal on the spot; they could easily downplay the "robbery" and focus on the positive significance. Shen Baoguo had no reason to refuse.

Once Chang Chao appeared on television as the hero who "caught the criminal on the spot," it would undoubtedly be a huge opportunity for him personally. Shen Baoguo, being of his age, understood the principle that it is better to resolve a grudge than to keep one. Even if he took a step back, the small gesture of showing favor to someone was something he didn't need to be taught.

In this way, both sides could shake hands and make peace—a win-win situation. On a larger scale, it would have positive significance for the city, the town, and even the school.

Fang Chang'an had some understanding of social nuances. Having figured this out, he wasn't surprised that Shen Baoguo would agree to let Chang Chao take the spotlight. He smiled and asked, "Did you call just to tell me this?"

"Yeah." The young girl nodded on the other end. "That was the first thing."

"And the second thing?"

"They also brought a newspaper reporter, and the reporter said they would like to do a written interview with you. If you don't want to be known, you don't have to use your real name. They wanted me to ask if you're willing."

"If I accept, will you come too?"

"I will! I've never seen someone being interviewed before." The young girl's tone was quite excited.

Fang Chang'an laughed. "Alright, I accept."

"Really?"

"Have I ever lied to you?"

"Hmm... not yet."

The young girl felt happy because of his attitude, and she deliberately thought for a moment before answering, then added joyfully, "I'm hanging up then, I'll be there soon."

"Okay, I'll wait for you at home."