As Jonny and his friends were about to attack Rey, a sound came from behind them.

"Hey, what are you all doing there, surrounding that boy?" an old policeman called out, still seated on his motorbike.

Seeing him, Jonny and his friends quickly started to run away, but not before Jonny landed a kick in Rey's stomach, causing him to fall to the ground with a thud.

Rey began to cry out in pain.

The old policeman approached him after parking his motorbike by the roadside.

He assisted Rey by removing the bag from his head.

"Hey kid, are you alright?" he asked with concern.

After regaining his composure, Rey looked up at the old man.

"Yes, sir, thank you for your help; now I am fine," Rey said, attempting to smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes.

Afterward, the old man, Derry, assisted him in gathering his books and suggested he rest and visit a nearby doctor for a checkup if he was injured. However, Rey politely declined, insisting he was late to get home, and hurried off.

Derry watched Rey's retreating figure, sighed, and resumed his duties.

Rey arrived home at 2:50, twenty minutes late due to the incident. He gazed at the old house and approached the front door.

Lost in thought, he was about to knock when the door swung open, and a young girl, around 11 or 12 years old, stepped out and noticed the figure outside.

"Brother!" she exclaimed, throwing herself into his arms, tears welling up as she noticed his disheveled and soiled clothes.

"Sorry, I was busy with schoolwork," he said, patting his sister, Emmy, on the shoulder.

Emmy gazed at him for a moment before smiling, dismissing his dubious excuse. She then pulled him into the house and closed the door behind them, following their mother's instructions.

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After chatting and freshening up, Rey left the house at 3:15 pm and hurried to the store where he had recently been employed.

He entered the shop, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, and saw the manager waiting for him at the counter.

He quickly walked up to the manager, bowed respectfully, and stood silently before him.

The manager eyed Rey with a hint of annoyance and began searching for something.

"I apologize for being late, sir. I ran into some issues, but I assure you it won't happen again," Rey said, not lifting his eyes from the floor.

"Mr. Rey, I have already made it clear that I am very strict and I detest laziness. I dislike excuses for tardiness even more. However, since today is your first day, consider this a warning. If this happens again, do not bother coming in for work the next day. I have plenty of people who can do this job; I'm not short of workers," Joe told Rey before leaving the store.

Rey exhaled the breath he had been holding and silently thanked God for the reprieve.

He swiftly changed into his work uniform and began managing the store.

The hours passed quietly, and as his shift came to an end, he waited for his replacement. After a while, a middle-aged, portly man who appeared to be in his thirties arrived at the store, panting.

His name was Leo, and he was still single.

He and Rey became acquainted on the day he arrived for the job, and thanks to Leo's amiable nature, they soon became good friends.

After conversing for a while, Rey left for home and arrived there at 8:20 pm.

Upon entering, he saw his mother, Jasmine, busy in the kitchen preparing dinner.

He offered to help her, but learning she needed nothing, he retreated to his room. There, he removed his shirt to inspect a painful red mark on his stomach, inflicted by Jonny earlier that afternoon.

After examining the mark briefly and deciding it would heal on its own, he sat at his study table to work. While studying, he recalled the guide his teacher, Peter, had given him. He searched his bag for it, but it was missing. Then he remembered Jonny had thrown it into the abandoned factory.

Worried about losing the guide his teacher had painstakingly created for him, he dashed out of his house to retrieve it.

His mother inquired about what had occurred, but he simply replied that he was stepping out for only five minutes and dashed out of the house. His mother wanted to stop him, as the weather was not favorable today with a likelihood of rain. However, Rey left without heeding her words, leaving her filled with worry.

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