Chapter 37: What Use Is a Poor Boy, No Matter How Handsome?

"He Chen, you really are humorous."

Deng Xiaoqi giggled, her laughter ringing out like chiming bells. After He Chen removed his racing suit, she followed him out of Ji Yangyang's uncle's racetrack.

Just as she was contemplating how to prolong their time together—whether to invite him to dinner or suggest they walk back together—a familiar voice rang out from behind her, causing her to jump. She turned sharply, her expression turning stiff as she stammered, "Mom."

"Xiaoqi, what are you doing here?" Deng Xiaoqi's mother was fashionably dressed and possessed a certain allure. She asked the question, but her eyes remained fixed on He Chen. "And who is this?"

"This is my classmate, He Chen!" Deng Xiaoqi quickly offered a vague introduction. "Mom, why are you here?"

"I was just passing by in a car and happened to see you both." Her mother smiled meaningfully. "Xiaoqi, it's getting late. Hurry off to class."

"Right, I'm going right now!" Deng Xiaoqi agreed, turning to He Chen. "Goodbye, He Chen!"

"Goodbye." He Chen nodded at them and walked away.

Once he was out of earshot, her mother looked at her daughter with a knowing, half-smile. "A classmate, you say? I don't recall you having a classmate by that name. Besides, the placement exams aren't even over yet, so there couldn't possibly be any new changes to your class roster."

"Mom, don't overthink it!" Deng Xiaoqi felt flustered.

Her mother’s smile faded. "Xiaoqi, I’m an open-minded person. I know that at your age, hormones are restless and it’s easy to develop feelings for the opposite sex. I’m not strictly against you having a crush."

"But you must be selective about who you choose. Being infatuated with someone who is just a pretty face is the most unwise path. Believe me, I’m doing this for your own good!"

"Among the boys you’ve associated with, you previously liked Qian Sanyi the most. His family background, intelligence, and looks are all top-tier—that is the gold standard. Next is Jiang Tianhao, who likes you; while his background, intelligence, and looks don't quite match Qian Sanyi's, he is still a decent choice. If your heart were set on them, I wouldn't say a word. Hasn't it been that way for the past two years?"

"Mom, why are you saying all this?" Deng Xiaoqi couldn't take it anymore and interrupted. "He Chen is actually a true genius, he's incredibly talented!"

"Talent doesn't put food on the table!" Her mother shook her head. "You're still too young; you don't know what true strength really is."

"Mom!" Deng Xiaoqi said, feeling both embarrassed and angry. "I know what I want. Can you please stop interfering? I can handle myself!"

"I was your age once, too. How can you expect me to believe you can handle yourself?" Her mother suppressed the urge to say, 'If you were so capable, you wouldn't even exist,' and said helplessly, "Not to mention, this He Chen is undeniably attractive at first glance. But trust me, he isn't right for you. There are better choices for your love life."

"What does 'right' or 'wrong' even mean?" Deng Xiaoqi retorted. "What I like is what's right! If love has to be calculated so precisely, is it even love? Mom, have you ever even experienced love?"

Her mother was left speechless.

Seeing this, Deng Xiaoqi felt a pang of regret, but then she thought of how her mother looked down on He Chen, and recalled the "uncles" who had frequented their home over the years—each one uglier than the last. Recently, she had even seen her mother acting intimate with a short, bald, and unattractive man, clinging to his arm as if she were a delicate flower. Her eyes welled up with tears. She didn't want to say another word. With a curt "I'm going to class," she strode away on her long legs.

It wasn't that He Chen wasn't good enough for her. It was that she wasn't good enough for him. *Thank you, Mom. You just reminded me of that.*

*Why didn't she walk over and throw money at me to stay away from Deng Xiaoqi?* He Chen thought to himself with a smirk as he walked.

Indeed, while Deng Xiaoqi's mother was a decent actress, to He Chen, whose senses had been fully sharpened by his martial arts training, her hostility was impossible to hide.

Another one who looked down on a poor boy. But that was perfectly normal. In domestic melodramas, poverty is the original sin. No matter how hard a child from a poor family works or how excellent they are, they are destined to be met with overt or covert disdain. At the critical moment, they are always forced to face the 'test of wealth, future, and love.' Every time, the once-brilliant poor kid loses their grip, turns into a villain, and becomes a stepping stone for the 'naturally kind and noble' rich kids, only to be crushed, losing everything they fought for—their status and their girlfriend.

Oh, and there must always be a scene of the 'corrupted' poor kid expressing deep regret—that’s the true 'happy ending.'

There were almost no exceptions. Every show had such characters, even those so-called lighthearted campus comedies. There was always a tragic poor character whose struggles were meant to evoke sighs from the main cast—like a genius student driven insane by parents, only to commit suicide after getting into a top university. It was as if they were clearly telling everyone: poverty is miserable and something to be shunned; even if a poor person is a brilliant, hardworking genius, it is all destined to be in vain. Only having money to begin with is the foundation of all that is good.

No matter how good He Chen’s looks or temperament were, if he didn't wear luxury brands or sport a watch worth tens of thousands, discrimination was inevitable.

But He Chen didn't care. In fact, he was looking forward to encountering such classic, melodramatic tropes. It would be quite amusing, wouldn't it? Putting aside the feelings of others, he personally found it quite entertaining.

Shuxiang Yayuan. The small two-bedroom apartment rented by Ji Yangyang's family.

Ji Yangyang's uncle had wanted to rent them something better, but his sister had insisted on something small and modest, claiming her husband wanted to stay low-key. When he tried to arrange the Chinese-style furniture his brother-in-law loved, she had talked him out of that too, settling for 'ordinary' pieces.

Now, the family of three had moved in. The parents, having finally skipped their social obligations to wait for their son to come home, were met with an empty house. Their calls went unanswered.

"He must have run off to Liu Zheng's place to play with those cars again!" Ji's father exclaimed indignantly.

"Let me ask. And please, don't get angry. We agreed to try and understand Yangyang calmly," his wife said, calling her brother while trying to soothe her husband.

Ji's father suppressed his temper. Seeing his wife connect with her brother, he signaled her to speak. His wife smiled and said, "Is Yangyang with you? That's good. His father was planning to visit your racetrack tomorrow to try out racing and get to know Yangyang's interests better... What? Yangyang doesn't like racing anymore? Why?"

After hearing what her brother had to say, the smile vanished from her face, replaced by a dark, angry expression. "That is just too much!"