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Each time the man encountered police at his door, he couldn't help but be sarcastic.

In the past, Tan Bei had tolerated him for the sake of his girlfriend.

But now, upon hearing the man's taunts again, Tan Bei grew increasingly furious. He pushed the man away, "Get lost!"

The man stumbled backward, and the gap in the door widened, allowing a pungent odor to seep out.

Everyone present held their noses in discomfort.

Startled by his fall, the man scrambled to his feet and tried to shut the door, "You can't come in!"

A uniformed officer flashed his ID, "We need your cooperation for the investigation. If you resist, we have the right to use force."

With that, the officers forcefully entered the room.

Upon entering, Tan Bei observed black plastic bags scattered across the floor. He emptied one of them, revealing pairs of socks inside.

Someone who had followed them in caught sight of the socks and jolted, "Those are my socks!"

"That pair is mine!"

"Well, how dare you, young man, steal socks of all things!"

Cornered by the evidence, the man crouched against the wall, no longer daring to deny it.

The room reeked with an overpowering stench. Holding his nose, Tan Bei searched high and low for his socks. Despite turning the place upside down, he couldn't find them anywhere.

Seeing that Tan Bei was still searching in vain, the man feebly protested, "Ah Bei, stop looking. I swear I didn't take your socks."

Tan Bei wouldn't listen. The master had said the socks were in the house, so they had to be here.

His gaze fell on the unmade bed.

The quilt was spread out neatly across the mattress.

Noticing Tan Bei's intention to approach, the man tried to dissuade him, "You've helped me a lot. I'd never steal from you. I swear there's nothing here."

With a cold expression, Tan Bei pulled back the quilt, revealing a pungent odor. The entire bed was filled with his unwashed socks.

The man attempted to explain, but Tan Bei yanked at his shirt and delivered a fierce punch.

"Pervert!"

Not far away.

Next to Litchi Bay was a secondary school.

As the dismissal bell rang, Mrs. Tang stood by the school gate. Normally, she wouldn't come to pick up her son; he would always make his way home on his own. It was only now that she realized how many hooligans were lurking around the school entrance!

Two more troublemakers whistled while casting lecherous glances at the female students.

Mrs. Tang stepped in to shield a younger student, urging, "Hurry home."

The student and her companion nodded hastily, fear etched on their faces.

At last.

Tang Jialiang emerged from the school with his two male classmates, slinging their arms around each other. Upon seeing Mrs. Tang at the entrance, a hint of discomfort flickered across his youthful face.

His delinquent friends, who were also involved in the underworld, teased him upon noticing his mother's presence. "Oh, you still need your parents to pick you up even though you're so grown up?"

"The diaper hasn't even come off, and you're trying to mix with the wrong crowd?" the other one jeered.

Tang Jialiang had no choice but to walk out of the school gate alone, somewhat irritated. "Mom, why did you come to school?"

Mrs. Tang was upset by her son's impatience, but as she saw the obvious gang members waiting for her son at the entrance, she recalled the master's words and forced a smile.

"Jialiang, since you've been such a good boy at home, Mom has decided to come and wait for you every day after school."

"What good behavior?" Tang Jialiang pondered sincerely. He hadn't been home much over the past two months and hadn't helped his mother with any chores. Where had he shown any good behavior?

Mrs. Tang took his hand, her gaze sweeping over the eavesdropping gangsters in front and then back to her bewildered son. For the first time, her eyes softened.

"You help me with housework, cook meals. You even assist in washing clothes, considering Mom's age. Plus, you always listen to whatever Mom says without ever talking back. How can you say that's not good behavior?"

The gang leader, who had been listening in, gradually revealed a look of disdain.

Housework?

Their hands were meant for holding machetes!

"Damn it, I thought I got a good catch, but turns out it's just trash." The gangster, his face contorted with anger, couldn't bear to listen any longer. He threw his cigarette butt aside and grabbed his knife, ready to leave.

Seeing his big brother getting ready to go, Tang Jialiang knew things had taken a bad turn. He rushed over, saying, "Brother Quan, don't go yet. Didn't we plan to head to Wan Chai Pier later?"

Another gangster blocked his way, discarding the toothpick he had been using to clean his teeth. With one hand in his pocket, he turned back at Mrs. Tang with an air of nonchalance and mockery, "You should take off your diaper first before talking. Are you planning to bring your pacifier to the fight? That's just pathetic."

They had been waiting at the school gate, intending to have Tang Jialiang join them in their fight.

But now, seeing Tang Jialiang acting like a weakling, no gangster was willing to take him along.

Tang Jialiang sulked, though he didn't have the heart to vent his frustration on his mother, so he just lowered his head, simmering with silent anger.

Mrs. Tang, seeing that the gangsters had left, let out a heavy sigh of relief. She sincerely apologized, "Jialiang, it was my mistake before. You're excellent, but I didn't see it. I kept comparing you to others. From now on... I won't do that anymore."

Upon hearing this, Tang Jialiang's spine stiffened, and he looked up in disbelief. "R-Really?"

"Really," Mrs. Tang continued, expressing her apologies repeatedly.

In the end, Tang Jialiang's frustration dissipated, and he confessed to his mother, "Actually... I became a triad member because I wanted to hear others praise me and be the center of attention."

As a triad member, everyone was afraid of him.

His classmates, in an attempt to win his favor, often showered him with flattery.

Tang Jialiang had grown up hardly ever hearing any praise, which is why these intangible compliments could so easily cloud his judgment.

He looked up and noticed that Mrs. Tang's hair had turned mostly gray, as if she had matured after opening up to his mother.

Arriving home, Tang Jialiang took the initiative to remove his coat and grab a mop to clean the floor. Watching Mrs. Tang busy herself in the kitchen preparing dinner, he hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Mother, from now on, I'll focus on my studies and never play with them again."