The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 615 - 614: One-on-One Challenge

Chapter 615: Chapter 614: One-on-One Challenge

"Mom, have I disappointed you?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Mingzhu suddenly realized that perhaps her son cared about and was more sensitive to coming in second place than she had thought.

Therefore, she felt she must treat this question with the utmost seriousness and care.

"Before I answer your question, Mom wants to ask you one, too. Your dad makes less money than your Uncle Zhao Yun, and his business is not as booming as your Uncle Zhao’s; would you be disappointed in your dad because of this?"

Pei Ziheng shook his head, "No, although he really isn’t very useful, a son doesn’t despise his father’s shortcomings. No matter how useless he is, I would never look down on him."

Pei Yang: ???

Do I not have any face?

Shen Mingzhu felt secretly relieved: thankfully, she hadn’t used herself for comparison, or else she would have been the one scorned by her son.

"That’s the answer Mom wants to give you. No matter whether your grades are good or bad, in my eyes, you are always the best."

"One cannot always be first, but one can choose to be an irreplaceable individual."

Pei Ziheng looked steadily into her eyes, "Mom, am I the only one in your heart?"

"Of course, that’s a given."

Shen Mingzhu’s firm tone and warm embrace made him smile and feel content.

He rested his head on Shen Mingzhu’s shoulder, relaxed, and voiced the question that had puzzled him for a long time.

"Mom, do you know what the meaning of life is?"

"Mom will think about it, think about how to answer you."

Shen Mingzhu thought very seriously, not taking her son’s question lightly due to his age.

"There is no standard answer to this question, as people are independent thinkers with their own different ideas and pursuits."

"I feel that the meaning of life is not innate, but rather something we endow it with, like a blank sheet of paper. Whether you choose to write on it or draw, it’s all up to you to decide and to create. You can choose bold and vibrant strokes or light and delicate ones."

"So, Erza, what kind of life do you want to have?"

"I don’t know." Pei Ziheng honestly replied.

This was also the confusion and aimlessness he had been feeling these days.

Shen Mingzhu tried a different approach to guide him, "You can set different small goals for yourself, accomplish them one by one, and enjoy the process of achieving these goals. That’s also a very meaningful and fulfilling thing to do."

His goals?

Pei Ziheng thought seriously and realized he had achieved all his goals.

His first goal was to save his father’s life, which he had accomplished.

The second was revenge, but his mother in this life wasn’t the bad woman from his last life.

The third was that he wanted his mother to always love him and stay by his side, which he had also achieved.

The fourth was to make money, and he had done that as well.

Over the years, using the advantages of rebirth and information asymmetry, he had traded, speculated in futures, played the stock market, bet on horses, and gambled on the lottery. In his private account at the Swiss Bank, he had amassed nine figures in savings, achieving financial freedom.

What ordinary people need half a lifetime or even a whole life to do, he had already done.

Zhao Yun’s goal was to become an NBA player, Chen Xiaolu wanted to be a movie star, Chen Xiaochao dreamed of being a pilot, Jian Xun aimed to surpass him, classmates wanted to get into their desired universities, and even six-year-old Pei Tang had a grand and lofty goal, to become a great painter.

Only he lacked direction and a future, mechanically going to school, coming home, eating, and sleeping, round and round in a never-ending cycle.

Each day felt dull and tiresome.

His coming in second place this time wasn’t because his skills were inferior, but rather a perverse desire to see how Jian Xun would react upon achieving his goal.

But the outcome had been disappointing. Jian Xun still saw him as a rival, full of ambition.

Everyone had a goal, except for him.

His nose tingled, and for the first time, he felt helpless and wanted to cry.

"Mom, I don’t have a goal."

A soft and warm touch fell on the top of his head, "If you don’t have a goal, then let’s go find one. Searching for a goal is a goal in itself, isn’t it?"

The cloud that had seemed to hang over his head dissipated, and the sky suddenly appeared clear and bright.

He was off to find his goal!

...

"Pei Ziheng."

Still some distance from the school, Pei Ziheng, who was riding a bike, was stopped by a pretty girl in a pink dress.

"This is for you. Whether you come in first or second, you’re still the best!"

With blushing cheeks, the pretty girl handed him the carefully prepared gift with both hands.

One must admit, the girl’s actions were quite bold and courageous.

This was the only way to get to school, with students in groups on both sides of the road, all watching the scene and whispering to each other.

"Thanks, but no need."

After coldly refusing her, Pei Ziheng swerved his handlebars and pedaled away.

"Isn’t that Liu Baona, the junior high school beauty? I heard her family is really rich. Plus, she’s pretty. The line of boys who like her could stretch from the school gates to the bus station."

Many people whispered to each other.

Liu Baona hadn’t expected Pei Ziheng to reject her advances; after all, she was the school beauty. Overcome with astonishment and shame, she ran away with tears in her eyes.

Not far away, a group of boys was gathered around a burly one, all talking over one another about the spectacle.

"Damn, Gong Rong, no wonder the school beauty Liu isn’t giving you the time of day. Turns out Pei there has cut in front of you."

"Gong Rong, do something about him! If he dares to compete with you, we need to teach him a lesson!"

The one they called Gong Rong was a student at a nearby martial arts school, his name was Gong Rong.

Because of his martial arts training, he was much more robust and burly than the average young guy, with a large face to match. Paired with his grim complexion, he was clearly not someone to mess with.

That afternoon, as Pei Ziheng rode his bike home alone, he was intercepted by Gong Rong along the way.

"Kid, you’re a cocky one, aren’t you!"

Gong Rong’s lackeys kicked the bicycle wheel, causing Pei Ziheng to tumble to the ground, bike and all.

"Shit, he’s as weak as a shrimp. I barely touched him, and he went down. He’s not trying to pull one over on me, is he?"

The group laughed at Pei Ziheng as if they were watching a monkey perform.

Pei Ziheng slowly picked himself up from the ground, dusted off his clothes, and calmly asked Gong Rong, "What do you want to do?"

Though Gong Rong was a student of the martial arts school, he used his physique and fists to bully his way through several neighboring schools, and everyone knew him.

Gong Rong held up a fist larger than Pei Ziheng’s face and lifted Pei Ziheng into the air like he was picking up a chicken. In a threatening tone, he warned:

"Stay away from Baona, or you’ll regret it!"

After issuing his warning, he let go, and Pei Ziheng fell to the ground like a sandbag.

"Let’s go."

"You want a one-on-one fight?"

Gong Rong, about to walk away after turning his back, heard this and turned around, digging his finger into his ear.

"What did you just say? I didn’t quite catch that."

"I asked if you want a one-on-one fight," Pei Ziheng enunciated clearly.

Gong Rong and his companions looked at each other for a few seconds, then burst into a roar of laughter.

"He wants, wants to challenge me to a one-on-one? Ha ha, ha ha ha!"

Gong Rong pointed at Pei Ziheng, laughing so hard he was bending forward and backward, gasping for breath, "Do you fucking, I mean, are you trying to kill me with laughter?"

No one could blame Gong Rong for laughing, as the disparity between him and Pei Ziheng wasn’t slight.

He was an imposing 1.78 meters tall, toned with muscles, his fists larger than the face of Pei Ziheng.

And Pei Ziheng was just barely 1.6 meters, with slender arms and legs, appearing like a little elementary student who couldn’t withstand a single punch from Gong Rong.

Yet Pei Ziheng, as if oblivious to the difference between them, asserted with determination in his dark eyes, "I want to challenge you to a one-on-one fight."