Beijing No. 3 High School.
After the lights went out in the boys’ dormitory, Jian Xuwei hunched over, leaning against the wall in the stairwell. He lowered his head, his bangs covering his eyes. He should have been a clear and bright young man, but at this moment, he exuded gloominess all over.
He stood motionless in the dim stairwell.
Just then, footsteps and voices echoed from downstairs, reverberating through the hallway.
“The school’s only spot for the cybersecurity competition actually went to a bastard child. I really don’t know what your principal uncle was thinking.”
The person who said this was in the same class as Jian Xuwei, a troublemaker who often mocked and sneered at Jian Xuwei, calling him a bastard child the most.
Then another voice chimed in: “Stop complaining. How many people in our school actually understand cybersecurity? If the spot was given to him, it means he has the skills.”
“Besides, he has a name. Stop calling him a bastard child. If anyone could choose their own background, who would want to be a bastard child?”
“Let me remind you, don’t provoke Jian Xuwei for no reason. My uncle told me today that Jian Xuwei has someone backing him, with a background so powerful it’s unimaginable, practically able to control everything in Beijing.”
In the darkness, Jian Xuwei narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression complicated. As the footsteps drew closer, he turned and returned to his dormitory.
Over the next two days, Jian Jinci spent most of her time at home, working on her design drafts. Xie Qingyun came punctually every day to help her apply medicine.
To express her gratitude, Jian Jinci would buy groceries in advance and prepare extra food at noon, inviting Xie Qingyun to stay for lunch.
Several days had passed since her injury, and the wound on her back had almost healed. There was no longer any need to trouble Xie Qingyun.
She added some juice to Xie Qingyun’s cup: “Qingyun, thank you for these past few days. My injury has healed, so I shouldn’t trouble you anymore.”
Without a second thought, Xie Qingyun refused: “No way. My brother said one week means one week.”
She saw Jian Jinci’s lips move slightly and knew what she was about to say before she even spoke.
Xie Qingyun put down her chopsticks and looked at her seriously: “Jinci, don’t talk about trouble or not. Aren’t I also freeloading meals at your place every day?”
“Besides, that man Pei Yanzhou is especially ruthless. If I don’t listen to him, he won’t help me chase after the guy I like.”
“But those are secondary. The two most important things are: first, your cooking is amazing, and second, I like you. I grew up in an orphanage abroad and didn’t have many friends. You’re my first friend since returning to China. Between friends, there’s no such thing as trouble or not.”
Jian Jinci was moved by her words. Apart from Yan Xi, this was the first person to say such things to her. Over the years, she too had been without friends, with no one treating her sincerely except Yan Xi and Jian Xu.
“Qingyun, thank you.”
“If you keep being polite, it’ll feel distant.” Xie Qingyun waved her hand casually with a smile. “Your back wound is quite deep. If you’re not careful, it might leave a scar, and you won’t be able to wear back-revealing dresses in the future.”
“Just listen to me. Scars on a girl’s body are so unsightly.”
Jian Jinci nodded, no longer refusing. A faint smile curled at the corner of her lips. The girl in front of her and Pei Yanzhou were polar opposites in personality—one warm and enthusiastic like a little sun, the other cold, cunning, and rarely smiling.
Jian Jinci: “Qingyun, your personality is really good.”
Xie Qingyun thought for a moment: “Not always. I used to be insecure and gloomy.”
That was all in the past. Later, she met a few people who helped her step out of the shadows.
“Jinci, I saw it at the party that day. Your family doesn’t treat you well at all, do they?” She had witnessed it herself—after she was injured, his father didn’t take her to the hospital but instead prioritized his own reputation, his eyes filled with unmistakable disdain.
When she saw Jian Jinci struggling to walk a few steps, she was about to step forward when Pei Yanzhou arrived.
Jian Jinci pursed her lips, remaining silent, which was as good as an admission.
Xie Qingyun said, “Don’t let them make you doubt yourself. If no one cares for you, you have to live even more beautifully. You’ve done nothing wrong. They gave you life but failed to love you properly—that’s their fault.”
Some people don’t love you just because you share an unbreakable blood bond.
Jian Jinci’s eyelashes trembled slightly. Yan Xi often said she lived with clarity, but that wasn’t entirely true. She frequently doubted herself, wondering if she hadn’t done enough or if she had fallen short. She didn’t possess the same clarity as the girl standing before her.
She looked at Xie Qingyun and smiled. “I understand.”
“Thank—”
“Stop,” Xie Qingyun said helplessly. “No more thanks. I’ve heard ‘thank you’ from you more than anything else these past few days.”
Admittedly, that was true. Jian Jinci swallowed her words of gratitude. “Well, Qingyun, since you’ve just returned to the country and aren’t very familiar with the capital, or if you want to go out and explore, feel free to call me. I can be your tour guide. There are plenty of interesting places in the capital, and please don’t be polite with me.”
“Alright, it’s settled then.”
After Xie Qingyun left, Jian Jinci received a call from the dry cleaner, informing her that the suit she had sent in was ready.
She went to pick up the suit from the dry cleaner, took a short nap in the afternoon, and at four o’clock, left home with a kraft paper bag in hand.
Arriving at the entrance of her residential complex, she hailed a taxi and headed to Wanjiang Mansion.
The journey took twenty minutes, but due to traffic, it was half an hour before she arrived.
Following the address Pei Yanzhou had given her, she arrived in front of a three-story villa. The modern, minimalist design exuded understated luxury, and through the black wrought-iron gate, she could see a small stone-paved path in the courtyard.
As expected of a place where capitalists lived—it was grand, yet despite its size, it felt empty and devoid of life.
To the right of the black gate was a doorbell. She stared at it for a few seconds, feeling a bit nervous. They had only met twice—once when she was drunk and flirted with him, and once when she was injured. Neither encounter had been normal.
Moreover, she wasn’t sure if Pei Yanzhou would hold her flirtatious behavior against her.
Snapping back to reality, she took a deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
A few dozen seconds later, the person who emerged from the house wasn’t Pei Yanzhou but a middle-aged man around fifty years old. Judging by his attire, he was likely a butler or steward.
The middle-aged man opened the gate and looked at her. “Hello.”
Jian Jinci nodded politely. “Hello, is Pei Yanzhou here?”
“The master isn’t in,” the man replied. “He should be back soon. Would you like to wait in the living room, miss?”
Wasn’t it better that he wasn’t here? She didn’t want to run into Pei Yanzhou anyway. A faint smile touched her lips as she looked at the middle-aged man and handed him the kraft paper bag. “I won’t disturb you, then. This is his suit. Please return it to him for me. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Just as the middle-aged man reached out to take the bag, a voice interrupted them.
“Miss Jian, won’t you come in for a while?”
Hearing the voice, Jian Jinci turned to look. Pei Yanzhou stood two meters away from her, hands in his pockets, his gaze fixed on her. Her hand holding the kraft paper bag froze—it was truly a case of fearing something only to have it happen.
The middle-aged man withdrew his hand and respectfully looked at Pei Yanzhou. “Sir.”
Pei Yanzhou said, “Uncle He, you may go about your business.”