“Oh dear, what’s wrong with you? You must have suffered grievances at Pei Heng’s place. Tomorrow I’ll go to the Pei family to demand an explanation, bullying my daughter…” My mother was startled and quickly sat on the bed to hold me.
“Mom, Pei… Pei Heng didn’t bully me. I’m just so touched by how good you are to me…” I hugged my mother’s waist and spoke through sobs.
Pei Heng truly hadn’t bullied me – everything that happened was due to my own wishful thinking.
He was an upright scoundrel, while I was a foolish admirer.
My mother gently patted my back and sighed deeply. As her only daughter, she knew me best – how could she not understand the grievances I suffered at Pei Heng’s hands?
I wasn’t one to cry easily; unless my heart was filled with genuine sorrow, I would never shed tears.
“Will you still eat the glutinous rice chicken?” she asked me.
“Yes, I’ve been craving this…” I wiped away my tears, got up from the bed, and still sniffling, took my mother’s arm to go downstairs for the glutinous rice chicken.
My father had probably already gone to sleep. Only my mother and I sat in the dining room chatting. The glutinous rice chicken was delicious, and I devoured more than half of it in one go. Over the past few years, I had eaten very little, so this sudden binge made my stomach bloat immediately, almost making me vomit.
My mother patted my back, “Why did you eat so much? Your stomach will be too full for you to sleep.”
“I was too hungry.” I grinned foolishly. The last time I ate so heartily was during my graduation, when Deng Jing’er and the others had our graduation dinner. After graduation, I married Pei Heng and began my life as a resentful wife.
“Even if you’re hungry, you should eat slowly. Being eighty percent full is enough.” My mother spoke softly.
I clung to her arm and cooed, “Mom, stay with me tonight and tell me about health preservation!”
My mother agreed without hesitation.
When I woke up the next day, I felt more relaxed than ever before. Having eaten well and slept soundly, I headed to the hospital after breakfast at home.
Qi Zhouyang was playing with his phone. While his leg wasn’t broken, the flesh wound was quite severe – it had required stitches and was wrapped in thick bandages, preventing him from moving freely.
“Sister, why are you here?” Qi Zhouyang looked both surprised and somewhat embarrassed to see me. “Actually, you don’t need to worry about me too much or visit me so often.”
How could that be? I smiled gently and affectionately, then turned to instruct Xiao Li, “Xiao Li, bring them in.”
Xiao Li carried in a pile of nutritional supplements and placed them beside Qi Zhouyang’s hospital bed.
Seeing such an elaborate display, Qi Zhouyang was clearly overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, his face showing a trace of embarrassment. “Sister, it’s just a minor injury, nothing this serious.”
“The body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents – even minor injuries are still injuries.” I sat down by the hospital bed with a cheerful smile.
“By the way, sister, I still don’t know your name,” Qi Zhouyang suddenly asked.
“My surname is Xu, you can call me Xu Jie.” I answered frankly, not feeling that this address made me seem old at all – I was indeed six years older than Qi Zhouyang.
Qi Zhouyang nodded, “Okay, Xu Jie.”
I stayed in the hospital room keeping Qi Zhouyang company with conversation. College students’ thinking was always simple and naive. Qi Zhouyang was currently a third-year civil engineering student on summer break – a good kid working hard to support his studies.
He spoke of his future, and also of his lovely, beautiful girlfriend. His dream was to secure a stable job after graduation and marry the girl he loved.
I let out a derisive laugh—somewhat impolite—and quickly stopped myself.
Qi Zhouyang asked hesitantly, “Xu Jie, what are you laughing at?”
I gently rubbed the tip of my nose, maintaining a gentle, spring-like demeanor. “Nothing, it’s just… seeing you reminded me of my own college days, when I had such beautiful aspirations too.”
“Which university did you graduate from, Xu Jie?” Qi Zhouyang asked curiously.
I gave him a deep look. “A University.”
Come to think of it, Pei Heng and I could be considered Wei Lan and Qi Zhouyang’s seniors.
Qi Zhouyang exclaimed delightedly, “Xu Jie, we went to the same university! You’re my senior!”
I feigned excitement too. “Yes, what a coincidence, isn’t it?”
City A had several universities, but A University was one of the top three in the country. Those who could get in might not come from wealthy families, but they certainly had sharp minds. After graduation, their futures were bright—if not wealthy, they could at least achieve comfortable lives.
If Wei Lan hadn’t met Pei Heng, Qi Zhouyang’s dreams would most likely have come true.
So Qi Zhouyang and I chatted enthusiastically about A University. He was talkative, and I wasn’t bad either. As we laughed and talked, someone walked in, her voice clear and melodious. “A Yang, I came to see you!”
Hearing those words, the sound of Pei Heng’s exclusive ringtone from my past life echoed in my ears again.
The exact same voice, the exact same tone.
I turned my head. Wei Lan was wearing a pure white chiffon dress, her jet-black hair cascading down with natural curls at the ends. Her purity was complemented by a touch of womanly charm, making her delicate and beautiful.
I didn’t envy her physical beauty, but the youthful vitality radiating from her twenty-year-old body made me feel a pang of bitterness.
When I was twenty, I had already been secretly in love with Pei Heng for three years. I had spent the best years of my youth consumed by that fatal one-sided love.
Why, at the same age, did Wei Lan receive Pei Heng’s passionate devotion, while I was left hiding in the pages of my diary, clinging to my obsession?
“Lan Lan!” Seeing Wei Lan, Qi Zhouyang’s face lit up with joy, but he immediately looked a little guilty. “Ah, if I had known you were coming, I wouldn’t have told you. I didn’t want you to worry.”
Wei Lan, carrying a bag of fruit she had bought, floated over lightly like a little swan. “Silly, how could you not tell me if you were hurt?”
I stood up and offered the only chair to Wei Lan.
I was calm because, soon enough, I would have to give up Pei Heng to her too. What was a mere chair in comparison?
“Sister, it’s you!” Wei Lan suddenly recognized me, looking at me in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
Because I hit your dear boyfriend.
I smiled awkwardly. “Sorry, I accidentally bumped into Xiao Qi. I came today to see how he’s doing.”
Wei Lan looked at me, then at Qi Zhouyang. Surprisingly, she didn’t blame me or Qi Zhouyang. Instead, she laughed. “What a coincidence! A Yang, this sister has been coming to our café often lately. She’s very kind—it must have been an accident.”
Her understanding left me speechless. If it were anyone else, it might truly have been unintentional, but I was different. I had deliberately timed it when I hit him.
“I know, Xu Jie definitely didn’t do it on purpose, and she even compensated me extra money. I feel quite embarrassed about it.” Qi Zhouyang scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.
“That won’t do. Just pay what should be compensated,” Wei Lan immediately took out her phone. “Xu Jie, could you please show me your payment QR code? I’ll return the extra money to you.”
It must be this kind of unyielding character that treats money like dirt that attracted Pei Heng, right?
A girl without even a hint of greed in her, her eyes filled with nothing but clarity.
I’m convinced. Every time, she manages to make my expensive designer clothes seem worthless in comparison.