Zhu Zhixi’s parents had divorced. Both were too strong-willed, unwilling to compromise on matters of principle.
The most troublesome part of the divorce was child custody.
Old Master Zhu had only one son, Zhu Zongcheng. He exchanged Qin Mushu’s promotion and several million yuan to keep only Zhu Huaiqian.
Qin Mushu was very busy.
Busy with promotions in other cities, and her relationship with her parents had also soured due to the divorce.
Zhu Zhixi could only be left in the care of a nanny.
Just starting first grade, Zhu Zhixi was not yet seven years old, pretty as a doll. From time to time, classmates would touch her, bump into her, or tug at her. Though not malicious, it made her unhappy.
Without her parents or brother by her side, she was left alone in an unfamiliar environment, feeling deeply insecure.
Over time, she became withdrawn and quiet.
With Qin Mushu away, the nanny grew lazy and negligent, often scolding and even hitting Zhu Zhixi. Leftover meals became the norm.
This lasted about two years. When Gu Qishen and his mother returned from a business trip, the little girl had grown thin, silent, fearful of people, and unwilling to eat.
Zhu Zhixi had developed anorexia.
Gu Qishen held her hand and angrily confronted Qin Mushu and Zhu Zongcheng: “If neither of you wants Zhu Zhixi, I do. I’ll take care of her for the rest of my life.”
Zhu Zhixi took those words to heart.
Even after Qin Mushu and Zhu Zongcheng reconciled, she still felt she could be abandoned at any moment.
She refused to return to the Zhu family.
She lived with the Gu family for five years, treated like a daughter by Lin Weijia, coaxed bite by bite by Gu Qishen to eat, following him to school. Over time, she saw no one else but him.
She, Gu Qishen, and Zhu Huaiqian were never separated into different classes again—they were afraid she would be bullied.
They had been so close before.
She loved Gu Qishen too completely, always finding excuses to forgive him again and again.
Zhu Zhixi slept fitfully, her mind a whirl of fleeting images. She couldn’t sleep deeply or soundly, her thoughts exhausted.
The first thing she did upon waking was rush to the mirror to confirm she was still seventeen.
She was afraid yesterday had only been a dream.
In the mirror, the girl wore a light blue nightgown, her thick long hair cascading over her shoulders, her face naturally fresh and clean. Zhu Zhixi felt a deep sense of relief.
She smiled at her reflection. It was good.
After reviewing most of her math textbook, she heard dragging footsteps outside.
Soon, Zhu Huaiqian knocked on her door, sounding as if he hadn’t fully woken up: “Zhu Zhixi, get up.”
She opened the door.
Gu Qishen stood outside, hands in his pockets, tall and slender, his deep gray short-sleeved denim shirt unable to hide the youthful freshness about him.
Her instinct was to close the door.
Gu Qishen blocked it with his foot, half his body already inside. The young man bent slightly to meet her eyes, his voice soft and coaxing: “Still angry, princess?”
Zhu Zhixi glanced away slightly, saying nothing.
Gu Qishen leaned forward, hands on his knees, lowering himself further. He tilted his head to look at her from the side, adopting his most appeasing posture: “Qiao Baifei is Deputy Director Zhang’s niece. Her grades dropped a few places in the monthly exam, so the homeroom teacher wanted me to help her improve. She’ll only sit there until next month, then we’ll switch. I should’ve told you earlier. My mistake, okay?”
Zhu Zhixi knew that in her past life, Gu Qishen had explained it the same way.
The seventeen-year-old Gu Qishen would bend down to coax her. The twenty-seven-year-old Gu Qishen would only look at her coldly and say she was annoying.
“I’m not angry,” she said, lowering her eyelids.
Gu Qishen: "We'll switch back tomorrow."
Zhu Zhixi met his gaze and refused: "No need."
"Such a petty one, huh?"
The boy's clean face held a smile as he tilted his head and gently bumped Zhu Zhixi's forehead. His fresh, fluffy short hair brushed past the tip of her nose—it was Gu Qishen's scent.
"Let's go downstairs to eat, princess."
The two of them often bickered and teased each other—today I'd provoke you, tomorrow you'd provoke me—but they had never truly fallen out.
Gu Qishen thought that Zhu Zhixi had only spoken in anger last night. Today, he just needed to coax her a little, and everything would be fine.
It had always been like this.
He wasn't worried. Zhu Zhixi had a fiery temper, but she was easy to placate.
Chicken soup wontons, shumai, steamed egg with shrimp, blanched broccoli, and mango milkshake—all brought over by Gu Qishen.
The three of them sat around the dining table. As usual, he sat close to Zhu Zhixi: "Aunt Qing specially made these wontons this morning."
Zhu Zhixi loved them.
"Eat slowly, they're hot."
Gu Qishen was always considerate.
Zhu Zhixi mumbled an indistinct "Mm."
Sometimes, Gu Qishen felt more like an older brother than Zhu Huaiqian. Zhu Zhixi wondered if perhaps he had confused his feelings for her. Only after meeting Wen Yuqing did he realize that what he felt for her wasn't love.
It was habit. Responsibility.
She was the only one who had invested her heart.
"Zhao Moran said there's a new billiards hall that just opened. Wanna go check it out?" Zhu Huaiqian suggested after replying to a message and putting down his phone.
"I need to study."
Zhu Zhixi didn't trust him to go out and cause trouble: "Help me review the basics of physics, or I'll tell Mom and Dad that you stay up every night playing games."
"Tattletale, Zhu Zhixi."
Zhu Huaiqian's voice could pierce eardrums as he pointed at Gu Qishen: "What about him?"
Gu Qishen leaned back in his chair, watching the drama: "I'm fine either way. You should accompany Wanxin to her art class."
"Just say it if you want my life."
Gu Wanxin never listened to him and was even harder to handle than Zhu Zhixi.
Zhu Huaiqian was furious. What a wonderful day off.
A precious day off.
By four or five in the afternoon, Zhu Huaiqian had reached his limit—he couldn't sit still at all.
Zhu Zhixi was also tired, her brain capacity running low. After systematically reviewing the physics material, she had Zhu Huaiqian pacing back and forth in the room in frustration.
He was brilliantly talented and naturally smart. How could Zhu Zhixi be so…? In all three years of high school, had her brain been working only every other day?
He didn't dare scold her.
He let out a long sigh.
Rubbing his forehead, he comforted himself: People always have flaws. Zhu Zhixi's flaw was that she didn't have a brain for studying. All the good genes had been passed down to him.
It was his own fault, not Zhu Zhixi's.
Better not get angry at himself—no one would care if he made himself sick.
Zhu Zhixi calmly put down her pen: "Get lost."
Zhu Huaiqian let out a howl and vanished in a flash.
Zhu Zhixi had planned to go find Xie Jin today.
She secretly registered a new account and asked on the school forum: "Where can I run into Xie Jin now? Looking for a chance encounter."
Xie Jin and Gu Qishen were known as the "Two Campus Heartthrobs of Yizhong," as their fans had been arguing over who was more handsome since freshman year, with no conclusion even by senior year.
Most assumed this was just another admirer of Xie Jin's looks.
Amid the numerous jokes and sarcastic comments, one reply seemed serious: "Litang Village. Enter from West Lake Road and keep walking. It's easy to find, hahaha. Come on, girl, go meet him!"
Zhu Zhixi was half-convinced, half-doubtful.
Litang Village was an urban village.
This was Zhu Zhixi's first time here, in this life or the last.
Standing at the street corner, rows of not-so-new buildings stretched as far as the eye could see. The wide central street was neatly divided into two lanes by an equally endless stretch of red tents, each wide enough for a single car to pass. Beneath the tents, food stalls stood shoulder to shoulder, while shops lined the streets, with residential units above them.
The crowd was still sparse, yet the lively atmosphere was unmistakable.
Inside the tents, people sat scattered in small groups at the stalls, and some vendors were still chatting idly with their neighbors.
Zhu Zhixi wore a knee-length light-colored dress, paired with small leather shoes and a high ponytail. Her porcelain-like face was clean and untouched by dust.
As she walked along, people on both sides of the street cast curious glances her way.
She was clean, beautiful, and delicate—utterly out of place in this setting.
Zhu Zhixi somewhat regretted taking those words seriously. How could Xie Jin possibly be here?
He was, after all, the future leading figure of Jiangbei’s new business forces. In his twenties, he had been listed among the world’s 100 most influential business leaders and had once unified the aesthetic tastes of the entertainment, political, and business circles.
The formidable Xie Jin, known as "Crippled Xie."