Xia Zhi had been pampered since childhood, accustomed to the finest food and the most exquisite attire, with every aspect of her life being of the highest quality.
She had originally thought that tonight at Pei Yuexuan’s place, she would have to make do.
But when she opened the storage cabinet in the bathroom, she found her usual brand of bath products neatly arranged on the shelves.
Even the towels, bathrobes, and hair-drying caps were exactly the same as the ones she used at home.
Well then…
The proud young miss haughtily took off her dress, thinking she might as well make use of them.
By the time Xia Zhi finished her bath, Pei Yuexuan had retreated to the area farthest from the bedroom.
The tall, straight-backed man sat at his desk, seemingly engrossed in his computer,
intentionally or unintentionally, with his back turned to the bed.
The delicate young miss walked to the bedside, first tentatively reaching out to feel whether the fabric was soft.
Only after finding it satisfactory did she deign to slip inside.
She turned off the light and looked toward Pei Yuexuan’s distant silhouette.
In her dream, Pei Yuexuan had said he loved her for ten years.
If that were true, then by this time, he would have already loved her for five years.
Five years ago…
Pei Yuexuan was 20, and she was only 15.
That couldn’t be possible… That would be too strange…
Xia Zhi shook her head, pushing the dream aside.
“Brother Yuexuan, good night.”
“…Good night, Rere.”
…
A long time later, only after ensuring Xia Zhi had fallen asleep, did the man at the desk dare to turn around and glance at his own bed.
The girl he had secretly loved for years was sleeping in his bed.
Just the thought of it stirred endless fantasies in his heart.
…
In bed, Xia Zhi dreamed again.
Previously, Xia Zhi had dreamed of events that happened at age 25, so after waking up, she couldn’t understand how Pei Yuhuan could possibly treat her that way.
But now, she dreamed of what happened at age 22, two years later.
Finally, the truth came to light.
It turned out that two years later, her father would go bankrupt and commit suicide.
The incident happened so suddenly. Xia Zhi was studying in the UK when she received the tragic news and rushed back overnight, only to see a pale corpse.
After she, in a daze, handled the funeral arrangements, her house in the UK and all her belongings were sold off by her stepmother, who cashed out and disappeared.
At this time, it was also revealed that her father’s true identity—he was not the biological son of the Xia family.
Naturally, Xia Zhi was no longer the legitimate young miss of the Xia family.
Overnight, Xia Zhi fell from the clouds into the abyss, left with nothing.
Her boyfriend, Pei Yuhuan, returned from abroad and stayed by her side day and night.
On the surface, it seemed just like before, but the engagement they had planned for the end of the year never materialized.
…
Xia Zhi was raised by her maternal grandmother. The elderly woman only knew how to spoil her, not how to teach her, nurturing her delicate, privileged habits but leaving her with no ability to support herself.
She was physically lazy, emotionally fragile, and utterly lost as if the sky had fallen.
In a daze, she followed Pei Yuhuan, coaxed by him into sharing his bed.
Over three years, she went from being his girlfriend to a woman without a name.
Later, Pei Yuhuan became engaged to Xia Zhi’s own cousin.
On the day of their engagement, Xia Zhi was drugged and nearly assaulted by a group of thugs.
In the end, it was Pei Yuexuan who came to her rescue.
…
At the end of the dream, it was the phone call her father made to her before his death.
He choked up and said,
‘My dear, your father did terrible things when he was young. I’m reaping what I sowed, bringing this upon myself… I can’t drag you down with me…’
‘My dear, your father is sorry…’
‘Daddy’s good girl, little princess… Don’t be sad. Live well.’
…
“Daddy…”
Xia Zhi opened her eyes, the glare of bright white light momentarily blinding her.
She came to her senses and found herself in a hospital room, with her father, who should have been in Hangcheng, sitting by her bedside.
“Sweetheart,”
The elegant, gentlemanly man held her hand, his face full of urgent concern,
“You had a high fever in the middle of the night… Yue Xuan brought you to the hospital… Daddy will call the doctor to check on you…”
Xia Zhi shook her head, sitting up to look around.
She was the apple of her family’s eye. Just a fever, and both her father and stepmother had rushed over to stay by her bedside.
On the other side of the bed was Pei Yuhuan, looking concerned.
But Pei Yuexuan stood far away, alone by the window in the outer room, speaking softly on the phone.
Noticing Xia Zhi’s gaze, the man glanced back.
After a brief moment of eye contact, he immediately lowered his eyes, turned away, and continued his phone call.
Xia Zhi withdrew her gaze and looked at her father.
“Daddy, there’s something I want to talk to you about alone…”
“Alright.”
Everyone complied with her wishes and immediately left the room.
When only father and daughter remained, Xia Zhi asked solemnly,
“Daddy, you’re not Grandfather’s biological child, not a member of the Xia family, right?”
The man stood up in shock,
“Sweetheart, you… how did you know? Has anyone given you trouble because of this?”
“No…”
Xia Zhi suddenly realized—so the dream was true…
Her father was the orphaned child of Grandfather’s close friend from his youth, adopted by Grandfather from a young age.
After graduating from university, he started his own business and did not join the Xia family’s corporation.
In the dream, before his death, her father confessed to Xia Zhi that in his youth, he had made a grave mistake in pursuit of a shortcut.
He had gotten involved in the internal strife of the Xie family, one of A City’s top wealthy families—for money.
Xie Ning, the only son of the Head of the Xie family, went missing on his first birthday. Her father had played a part in that incident.
All these years, the Xie family had never given up searching for Xie Ning.
Finally, twenty years later, they found him in S City.
But they were one step too late—Xie Ning had died in an accident.
When the Xie family settled their debts, Xia Zhi’s father could not escape retribution.
To avoid dragging his daughter down, he chose to end his own life.
…
Dreams don’t fabricate real plots out of thin air.
If her father’s background was true, then the mistakes he made in his youth…
were also true.
Xia Zhi silently looked at the anxious middle-aged man before her. Though her father had once been a bad person, to her, he was nothing less than a good father.
She couldn’t absolve her own family of their sins, but she could make amends.
That son of the Xie family, Xie Ning, was currently studying at a university in S City.
Xia Zhi didn’t have much cunning or strategy, but she had money.
She thought, if she went to watch over Xie Ning, compensate him for the hardships he had endured over the years, and prevent him from having an accident…
Then two years later, her father might not have to die.
Having made up her mind, Xia Zhi acted spoiled with her father.
“Daddy, I don’t want to go back to England to study anymore… I want to go to Fudan University.”
Xia Zhi’s father was a bit taken aback.
Wasn’t his daughter just asking about his background? How did the topic suddenly shift to studying?
Seeing that he hadn’t agreed, the spoiled little princess who had been pampered since childhood immediately pouted,
“Daddy… your daughter misses you… your daughter doesn’t want to go to England anymore…”
The man’s heart melted, and he immediately gave in.
Not going abroad to study was fine—it was just a waste of a little money, nothing compared to the importance of his precious sweetheart.
“Alright! Daddy will figure something out for you!”
Xia Zhi breathed a sigh of relief.
Her gaze drifted out through the hospital room’s glass window, landing on Pei Yuexuan standing by the outer window.
…
In her dream, after her father’s death, Pei Yuexuan had been quietly looking after her all along.
Finding ways to buy back her family’s confiscated house, helping her recover the money her stepmother had embezzled,
dealing with the playboys who had designs on her, sending her the most expensive and exquisite jewelry gifts every holiday, allowing her to maintain the same affluent and glamorous life as before…
And all of this, Pei Yuexuan never once claimed credit for.
Xia Zhi had always believed that all of this was done by Pei Yuhuan.
…
Now that she knew everything, there was no reason to love the wrong person again.
Hmph, Pei Yuhuan—she absolutely didn’t want him anymore.
If she wanted anyone, it would be his brother.
Pei Yuexuan hung up the phone and glanced toward the hospital room.
His gaze collided directly with Xia Zhi’s.
But this time, neither of them looked away.
The girl on the hospital bed, who had been acting spoiled with her father, had an unbearably delicate charm in her eyes and brows.
Even dressed in the monotonous blue-and-white striped hospital gown, she exuded a unique elegance that was impossible to look away from.
Suddenly, the girl curved her lips and gave Pei Yuexuan a soft smile through the glass window.
The man’s eyes trembled, and he hurriedly averted his gaze.
He bit down lightly on the soft flesh inside his cheek, suppressing his joy.
Rere.
So well-behaved…