Gu Qishen did not believe Zhu Zhixi would marry someone else.
He scoffed, his tone casual: "Fine, but besides me, could you ever love anyone else?"
Zhu Zhixi knew he didn't believe her.
Just as she couldn't believe that one day Gu Qishen would fall for someone else.
"The marriage law states that men and women can marry, but it doesn't say only those in love can marry."
Otherwise, the marriage rate would be so low.
Zhu Zhixi's eyes, moist with tears, were bright.
So bright that for a moment, Gu Qishen felt a pang of panic he couldn't grasp. He thought Zhu Zhixi was just throwing a tantrum: "In Jiangbei, everyone knows you're my fiancée. No one would dare marry you, Zhu Zhixi."
"Xie Jin."
Zhu Zhixi softly uttered a name.
Gu Qishen sneered coldly, certain she was just being stubborn: "You know how Xie Jin's leg got crippled. Your brother…"
Zhu Zhixi: "I know."
Xie Jin and Zhu Huaiqian fought in high school, and that's when he was injured.
Zhu Zhixi also knew that Gu Qishen and Xie Jin were sworn enemies.
"I won't send you a wedding invitation. Likewise, you don't need to invite me to yours. From now on, let's act like strangers." Her eyes red, she glanced at Wen Yuqing, then at Gu Qishen: "I'll start by wishing you an unhappy marriage and a lifetime of discord."
She couldn't bring herself to offer blessings, but she had plenty of venomous words.
Gu Qishen's expression turned cold. Today's Zhu Zhixi was not herself.
He reached out to touch her.
But she dodged.
She raised her hand and slapped Gu Qishen across the face.
Zhu Zhixi's hand hurt, and so did her heart—a splitting, shattering pain. Tears quickly filled her eyes: "Gu Qishen, you've already let me down. Don't let anyone else down. With this slap, we're even."
"Zhu Zhixi does not have to marry Gu Qishen."
Yet before, she used to say: "Zhu Zhixi will only marry Gu Qishen, and Gu Qishen loves Zhu Zhixi the most."
Gu Qishen felt a sting in his chest, but it was so fleeting he barely had time to register the pain.
All that remained was a slight ache on his face.
He watched Zhu Zhixi walk out without chasing after her.
Instead, he bent down to pick up the ring.
He understood Zhu Zhixi's temperament—her pride and arrogance as a young lady. Seeing Wen Yuqing, she was just saying angry words and throwing a tantrum, as she always did.
Only this time, her words were harsher, meant to force him into marriage.
Marrying Xie Jin? Impossible.
Zhu Zhixi kept wiping her tears. She wore a light-colored long coat, tall and striking, with black hair cascading over her shoulders and delicate features.
Along the way, many people turned to look at her.
Not wanting to be stared at, she simply kept her head down as she walked.
Zhu Zhixi had driven herself here. After circling the parking lot, she opened the car door to get in when she heard someone ask: "Is Zhu Huaiqian your brother?"
A voice so cold it held no emotion.
Zhu Zhixi wiped her tears and turned around.
A man stood not far away, his body rigid, hair disheveled, with upturned eyes and a numb expression.
He took a step forward, still cold: "Is Zhu Huaiqian your brother?"
Zhu Zhixi gripped the car door tightly, alert: "Yes."
It happened almost too fast to react.
The moment the strong smell of cheap cigarettes filled her nostrils, the man's eyes shifted from numbness to fierce despair.
A sharp sensation of being pierced, Zhu Zhixi opened her mouth but couldn't draw a full breath, suffocating.
The coldness of metal piercing her skin, pain exploding like a bomb.
Tears still lingered in her eyes, rolling down her delicate, pale face.
The man's voice finally trembled: "It was Zhu Huaiqian who swindled all my money, left me with nothing. Before I die, I'll drag someone down with me—you deserve this…"
Zhu Zhixi's fingers went numb, her phone slipping from her hand and clattering to the floor.
A notification popped up: 【Tomorrow at 10 AM, at the Civil Affairs Bureau entrance. I'll be waiting for you】
It was from Xie Jin.
【Xibao, don’t be stubborn. I promised your brother I’d take good care of you】
【If you want to get married, fine, we’ll get married】
It was from Gu Qishen.
"Xi Mei, Xi Mei…"
A faint warmth spread across the back of her hand, seeping through her entire body, breaking the suffocating darkness. Zhu Zhixi jolted awake from the abyss.
Her gaze was vacant. Before her stood Li Yaozi, wearing a school uniform, her long black hair framing a youthful, clean face.
But she hadn’t seen Li Yaozi in a long time.
This looked exactly like Li Yaozi from high school?
That hairstyle she hated the most, that school uniform she swore she’d never wear again—the one Li Yaozi once said she’d rather die than keep or put on.
Li Yaozi held her hand: "Why are your hands so cold? And why are you crying?"
Zhu Zhixi raised her hand to wipe the moisture from her face—warm and damp, staining her slender, pale fingertips.
Was this a hallucination before death?
Li Yaozi rested her chin in her hand: "I know you’re upset that Gu Qishen chose to sit next to Qiao Baifei. Want me to talk to Qiao Baifei for you and ask her to switch seats?"
"Don’t be mad at Gu Qishen. I was hoping you could put in a good word for me—ask him to help me with some physics problems. Next week’s Weekly Test is driving me crazy!"
Familiar stacks of books, test papers, and workbooks covered the desk, along with a sticker of her favorite singer from high school.
Zhu Zhixi’s heart raced. She stood up abruptly.
Her chair slammed into the desk behind her, and a sharp pain shot through her calf as it scraped against the leg. Her knees buckled slightly, but she steadied herself with a hand on the desk, finally standing upright.
This wasn’t a hallucination.
It was real.
She had really returned to high school.
Gu Qishen choosing to sit next to Qiao Baifei—Zhu Zhixi remembered this happened after the first monthly exam of their senior year.
She had been so angry she didn’t speak to Gu Qishen for two days.
And it was during those two days that Zhu Huaiqian and Xie Jin got into a fight, leading to trouble.
Zhu Huaiqian was publicly criticized and given a major demerit.
But he ended up dropping out, applied to a school abroad, and rarely returned home after that. After graduation, he became a private equity fund manager, rising to fame as the "Private Equity King," only to be sentenced to over five years in prison for securities market manipulation, losing his family in the process.
Zhu Zhixi often wondered—if Zhu Huaiqian hadn’t dropped out, hadn’t left his parents and friends to go abroad, would everything have been different?
And Xie Jin…
Zhu Zhixi’s voice sounded distant: "Where’s Zhu Huaiqian?"
Li Yaozi: "Zhao Moran said they had something to do. He, Zhu Huaiqian, and Gu Qishen all went out together. Not sure where."
Jiangbei First High School had relocated to a new campus years ago. Following government planning, several universities had also established new campuses nearby, forming what was now known as University Town.
Just two alleys away from Yizhong’s school gate lay University Town.
In one of those alleys.
A young man in a school uniform stood leaning casually against the wall, hands in his pockets, clean yet unmistakably bold. He lifted his eyelids slightly, watching a group of people fighting not far away.
To be precise, four or five people were ganging up on one.
Zhu Huaiqian was kicked out of the scuffle. He stumbled a few steps before regaining his balance, ignoring the pain in his ribs as he spat fiercely: "Damn it, my shoes!"
They were brand new, limited edition.
He ran a hand through his hair, a shallow crease forming between his brows, and shouted at the person standing idly by, "Hand me the baseball bat."
Gu Qishen passed it over. "Five minutes left."
Zhu Huaiqian clicked his tongue, growing even more agitated. Who sets a time limit for a fight?
Besides, he had already been kicked twice today.
He swung the baseball bat a couple of times in his hand—sharp and swift, with a satisfying feel. Today, he was determined to knock Xie Jin down and vent his frustration.
"Zhu Huaiqian."
A chill ran down Zhu Huaiqian's spine. His full fighting spirit, fueled by anger, vanished in an instant at the sound of that furious, delicate voice.
In a flash, his morale was completely drained.