The next morning, Hirvan woke up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day. Standing at 180cm height with a lean build, his short, tousled red hair and bright blue eyes gave him a youthful and approachable appearance. Today, he decided to start with a brisk walk followed by a short run, activities he had neglected in the past two weeks. The cool breeze and the rhythmic sound of his feet hitting the pavement cleared his mind and invigorated his spirit. The only drawback was that everyone around him either avoided him or gave him a mockery look upon seeing him and whispered something to their companions.
The reputation of the original owner truly preceded him.
As he returned home, he found Mrs. Smith in the kitchen, humming a tune while preparing breakfast. Mrs Smith was a tall woman in her early forties with kind hazel eyes and short, stylishly cut blond hair. Her warm smile always made the house feel like home. "Good morning, Mum," he greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, dear. Where did you go this early in the morning?" she asked, her eyes twinkling with curiosity.
"Walking and a bit of running. I haven't exercised in a long time, so I didn't push myself too hard," he replied, grabbing a glass of water.
"I'm glad to hear you remember the doctor's advice. I've made chocolate pancakes. Do you want some, or do you prefer eggs?" Mrs. Smith said, placing a plate of fluffy pancakes on the table.
"Thanks, Mum. Pancakes are okay." With his sweet tooth, Hirvan was overjoyed and sat down to enjoy the meal. After breakfast, Hirvan went to shower and get ready for school.
Later, Mara called, offering to give him a ride. Eager to spend more time with his friends, Hirvan agreed and soon found himself in class, face-to-face with a pretty, petite boy. The boy had delicate features, with short, dark hair and large, expressive brown eyes.
"Did you hear what I said? Stay away from my boyfriend!" The boy placed his hands on his narrow waist and glared at Hirvan.
'Ah, my joyful life ruined! If I got my hands on the original owner, I would give him a good smack on his head! Didn't you hate thinking your mother cheated? Why did you meddle in others' relationships?' Hirvan thought.
"Ummm, who is your boyfriend?" Hirvan asked, having no clue what the boy was talking about.
Other students were watching with sparkling eyes, enjoying the drama. Hirvan gave them a look of irritation.
As if someone had stepped on his tail, the boy exploded in anger. "Are you messing with me? Until yesterday, you were stalking him like a creep!"
"Hey, hey! Hold your horses! I don't give a rat's ass about your so-called boyfriend. Get out of our class; my classmates need a peaceful space to study!"
Hirvan didn't care about the row of ex-boyfriends, but some random guy coming in and berating him or the original owner without any evidence was out of the question. He wouldn't humour them.
As if the boy was waiting for this moment, he tried to yell louder and get physical with him. Hirvan did not move from his seat. His sixth sense told him there was a conspiracy.
A tall boy charged into the class and stood in front of the boy, protecting him. The new boy had a muscular figure and looked down on Hirvan with a stern expression.
"What are you doing?" The tall boy had sharp features, with short, dark hair and intense green eyes.
No one answered him. The petite boy's aggravated voice echoed in the silent class. "I came here to find my cousin, but he began to insult you, and I couldn't stand it, so he tried to beat me!"
Someone inhaled sharply. They had all witnessed what happened. To lie like this, one must be brave or foolish. Hirvan knew why he lied. The original owner was notorious, and no one liked him or would stand up for him.
But today, they had found the wrong target.
"Baby, don't cry. I will make him pay for this!"
Before the tall and muscular boy could prove his words with action, Suddenly, a ding-ding sound echoed in the classroom. Everyone received an audio file on their phones.
Opening it, the voice of the petite boy spread, insulting and threatening Hirvan, and someone laughed.
The tall boy felt humiliated and dragged the other boy outside the class.
From start to finish, Hirvan did not move or change his expression. The way he carried himself at that moment was not like a teenager, and it caught the attention of one boy seated two rows back from Hirvan.
Fu Yan, the grandson of Chief Constable Fu who was the most famous police officer in Astra City, looked at Hirvan with interest. Fu Yan had been living with his mother's family for a year. He had sharp features, with neatly styled black hair and piercing grey eyes. He had heard tales of this red-haired boy but had never really paid attention to him.
Fu Yan watched as Hirvan handled the situation too swiftly and effectively for a young man of his age. Seeing that, he began to suspect whether the rumours about him were true or not.
"Hmmm. Interesting," Fu Yan said with a smile on his face.
His friend, Austin, a genuine hacker with scruffy blond hair and a laid-back demeanour, looked up from his phone. "What?"
"Nothing. Did you track it?" Fu Yan asked, still deep in thought.
"Yeah. It was definitely from this town, the new log-in. I located the area; want to check it out today?" Austin replied.
"Yeah. Let's go at lunchtime," Fu Yan said, thinking about the task his father had given him.
His father had requested him to track down a suspicious log-in in this town from a week ago. From twenty years ago, his father had been gathering evidence against the Tiger gang. Even though they had changed hands, whitewashed themselves, and made their business legal, his father still believed they were active in the underground world.
Fu Yan thought his father had been pushed into this task by his powerful political family to blackmail the Ren group and force them to back them up in Astra City. Anyway, it didn't concern him much, and he was just doing his father a favour.
Fu Yan and Austin went to the location, a place with sporadic buildings and few people around. "Why are there so few people and cars around here?" Fu Yan asked.
"Because it's a high-end community and the back of a private hospital," Austin replied.
"You mean there's a way from the hospital to here?"
"Yes, but there are multiple security guards and checkpoints along the way. If someone passed through them all, the security cameras would have footage of him."
"I assume that wasn't the case, from your tone."
"Yes. I checked everyone in the footage, and there was no one suspicious or passing by."
"Could he have used another software from outside the community?"
"If he did, he must be a top hacker. My ability is not on par with his."
"Let me see the footage," Fu Yan said.
They went back to their car, and Fu Yan began to watch the footage. Halfway through, he paused. "He lives here?" he asked, surprised.
Austin glanced at the screen and said, "With his dark history, I assumed he came for a hookup."
Fu Yan was not so sure about that. Something felt fishy.
As the investigation continued, Fu Yan's curiosity about Hirvan grew. There was more to this red-haired boy than met the eye, and Fu Yan was determined to find out what it was.