All the setbacks Ye Xingchen faced after coming alone to this city, and even the times he wanted to run away, always stirred up a nameless ache in his heart. At this moment, he was glad he hadn't simply chosen to leave the city that had brought him so much heartache and wasted time. If he'd gone straight back to his hometown, not only would he have no answer for his parents, who had placed such high hopes in him, but the whole village would have been gossiping. His parents had scraped together every last penny to send him to college, hoping he would one day make something of himself, leave their backward village, and change the family's fate. If he returned in such a sorry state, his parents, who cared deeply about their pride, would be unable to hold their heads up. Once he went back to the countryside, his fate would probably be sealed for good. He would follow the same old path as his parents, working from sunrise to sunset in the fields, with nothing left to look forward to in life.
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