Haotian and Feifei both stormed toward their rooms in a rage. Fang Huilian whispered something to a servant, then turned to follow them. Yan Shou watched their figures disappear into their separate rooms, remaining still as he stared at their backs.

Once everyone else had left, the remaining servants turned to look at him, a slight glint in their eyes. The atmosphere in the room shifted. Yan Shou could clearly feel a bad vibe emanating from them as they began to take steps toward him.

They grabbed him forcefully, dragged him down to the basement, and threw him inside the room. Throughout the entire ordeal, Yan Shou didn't try to attack or resist; he simply followed their lead and sat down on the floor. There was no source of light, leaving the room in pitch blackness.

Yan Shou had become used to the dark. In his past life, he had been thrown in here many times for various mistakes he had never actually committed. This darkness no longer scared him

"Only until tomorrow, then I will be out of this hell," he muttered under his breath and closed his eyes.

There was a sharp chill in the air because of the winter. The room was filled with a familiar, tense atmosphere, but this time, things felt different.

"It's all your fault!" Haotian yelled at Feifei, the frustration clear on his face. Feifei's expression was just as furious. Before Haotian could say anything else, Feifei pulled her phone out of her purse and dialed a number. 

Just a minute later, a few men entered the office. They dragged out a half-conscious Yan Shou, who was already lying in a pool of blood, and took him up to the terrace. After exchanging a few tense glances, they threw him off the edge, staging it to look like an accident or a suicide. They pushed him right over the side where rusted metal rods were lying below.

Yan Shou stared at their faces as he fell down.

"No!" Yan Shou shouted, waking up from the nightmare.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Then pulled out the phone from his pocket, it was already time for the servants to return.

A minute later, a few servants entered the room and took Yan Shou out of the basement. Once he was out, Yan Shou walked straight toward his own room, which was located right beside the basement.

The room did not have many things-just a bed and a table. Because of this, Yan Shou didn't have much to pack up, there were only a few books and a couple of changes of clothes. Because Principal Lin had explicitly said that he would personally see to it that Yan Shou moved into the dorm, Fang Huilian had no choice but to release him and let him go that morning.

After packing his meager belongings, he exited the room and stepped into the hall. Yan Kun was already sitting on the couch waiting, with Fang Huilian standing strictly by his side.

"Even if you are leaving this house, don't forget who you are, and do not become a disgrace to this family."

That was the only sentence Yan Kun uttered before walking away. Fang Huilian could only glare coldly at Yan Shou before turning to follow Yan Kun out of the room.

Yan Shou knew that was exactly what the man would say. He silently exited the house; the entire way out, he didn't utter a single word or look back. Though many servants watched him as he walked by, but Yan Shou didn't spare them a glance, he knew exactly what those looks meant. It wasn't pity staring back at him, but pure disdain. None of the servants in that house liked him anyway. Hurrying his pace, he quickly left the estate behind.

He caught a bus straight to the university campus. Standing in front of the dorm building, he took a deep breath and stepped inside. It was easy to see why this was considered one of the country's most prestigious and high-end universities; the dorm building was massive, flanked by a modern cafeteria, a library, and an expansive sports field. 

No wonder so many students fight to get a room here, Yan Shou thought to himself as he walked toward the reception desk. He handed over his documents, and once the paperwork was finalized, he was handed his room keys.

Because Yan Shou was a top-tier student with a long list of academic trophies to his name, he had been assigned one of the best rooms in the building. He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the twentieth floor. Carrying only his single bag and a handful of books, the trek was effortless. When the doors slid open, he stepped out into a hallway that looked genuinely luxurious, every surface sparkling under the warm lighting.

As soon as Yan Shou spotted his room number, he inserted the key, turned the lock, and stepped inside. Flicking on the lights, he stood frozen in a daze for a few seconds.

Calling it a 'room' didn't do it justice. It wasn't just spacious... wait, no. This wasn't a mere dorm room at all-it was a whole freaking apartment.

He walked in further, eyes wide as he took in his new surroundings. The layout featured a sleek, compact kitchen that opened up into a living area, complete with a comfortable sofa facing a television. Just beyond that was a separate bedroom, which came with its own private, fully equipped bathroom.

Actually Yan Shou already knew that the top-tier dorms here were comparable to luxury hotel rooms, but this was on an entirely different level. The sheer comfort of the space caught him completely off guard, filling him with a sense of endless possibility. Walking into the bedroom, he scanned his new surroundings with careful disbelief. He approached the king-sized bed and pressed his hand against the mattress, it was incredibly soft, almost like a cloud of pure cotton.

He sank onto the edge of the bed, taking a deep, grounding breath as a genuine smile broke across his face. Suddenly, the reality of his freedom washed over him, and he couldn't contain it anymore.

"Yes!" he shouted into the empty apartment, and started laughing to himself. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I did it. I finally did it!"

Once his heartbeat settled, he looked around and spotted another door into the corner of the bedroom. Intrigued, he stood up and pushed it open. It was a private study room. A massive bookshelf covered one whole wall, a sleek desk was perfectly arranged in the center, and a plush couch was nestled right by the window.

He walked over to the bookshelf, discovering that it was already fully stocked with all the textbooks required for his university courses. Turning to the desk, he found a neatly organized tray of high-quality stationery sitting over the desk. Finally, he stepped near the glass window and looked out. A beautiful view of the campus was present in front of him.

He smiled to himself, exclaiming in pure, unadulterated excitement. For the first time in two lives, he was exactly where he wanted to be.

After unpacking his few belongings and putting everything in its proper place, Yan Shou sat at his new desk. He pulled out his phone, his bank passbook, and his household registration documents.

He finally had enough money to breathe a sigh of relief. Having worked several undercover jobs, he had managed to amass a sizable emergency fund. In his past life, Haotian used to violently snatch his cash, which had forced Yan Shou to open a secret, independent bank account. Fang Huilian had eventually discovered the account in his previous life, but fortunately, Yan Shou had escaped their clutches much earlier this time around. She would never be able to touch his money again.

Next, he looked over his household registration documents. Because Yan Kun was a "busy" man- or rather, always claimed to be the matter of officially adding Yan Shou to the main family registry had been completely ignored. The Yans had never wanted to formally acknowledge him as a true family member.

But their arrogance was a blessing in disguise. Currently, Yan Shou's registration was tied solely to his deceased mother, who had been an orphan with no other relatives. He was entirely independent of the Yan family tree. They had no legal claim on him, meaning Yan Shou would never have to deal with their unnecessary drama again. He was truly, completely free.