Chapter 184

After the graduation exam ended, as the results were announced, students completed their college applications, and universities successively sent out admission notices.

One morning.

The Shi family erupted in a fierce argument; to be precise, it was a one-sided argument.

"Yao Yao, explain clearly what this medical university written here is about! I clearly told you to apply to the Jing Shi Music Academy!"

Shi Qing clenched the freshly opened envelope, rushed into her daughter's room, and demanded sharply.

"That's exactly what you see." In the mother's gaze, almost about to spit fire, Shi Yao, as if she had already done many mental preparations, candidly admitted: "You watched me finish filling out my college application, then I privately went to the teacher and crossed out the music academy and filled out a new one."

"Shi Yao! Do you know what you're doing?!"

"I know." Shi Yao nodded: "Sorry, Mom, I deceived you, but I had to do this. When I filled out this medical university, I was clear-headed; this is my decision after careful consideration."

"You carefully considered it?" Shi Qing didn't know what she was thinking; she grabbed the admission notice again, looked closely at the address, and instantly grew angrier: "It's in the same city as your brother's technical university. You say, wasn't it Shi Jin who got you to do this? Bringing you here to defy me, to get revenge on me!"

"My brother isn't like that." Shi Yao defended her brother Shi Jin: "This has nothing to do with my brother; it's simply because this is the best medical university in the country, and I want to study medicine—nothing more."

"Did you get my permission? When did I ever allow you to study medicine! What future could studying medicine possibly have! Your hands are for playing the violin! You're supposed to stand on a big stage!"

"Mom, I… I can't play the violin anymore." Shi Yao lowered her head to look at her hands, voice lost: "I almost killed someone; now, whenever I touch a violin, I think of the mistake I made. Not to mention drawing the bow, just picking up the violin makes my hand tremble involuntarily."

Shi Qing: "A psychological issue isn't a big problem; I'll take you to see a doctor, won't that fix it?"

……

Shi Yao felt a deep sense of helpless fatigue, and she fell silent for a while.

"Mom, from childhood onward, just like my brother, I've listened to you in everything, big or small; you tell me to do something and I do it; you set a goal for me and I strive toward it. Actually, I don't really like the violin, but since you told me to learn it, I did."

"Even so, you still feel dissatisfied with me, always thinking I need to be better, even better. I never know where your point of 'satisfaction' lies; perhaps there is no end at all."

"I don't want to keep living like this." Raising her head again, Shi Yao's eyes were full of flexible determination: "I'm already an adult; I should have independent thoughts and not always rely on yours. No matter whether the outcome of my choices is good or bad, I will take responsibility for myself."

"You… you…" Shi Qing pointed at Shi Yao's trembling hand, feeling as if the scene before her instantly rewound to the day her son left home; she couldn't tell whether the emotion rising in her was anger or panic, and quickly found a reason: "It's your brother; it's all your brother who led you astray!"

"You can adjust your college application; if it doesn't work out, I'll spend money to find a way. In any case, I won't agree to you studying medicine."

Shi Qing's words of refusing to let her daughter study medicine sounded almost like a paranoid refusal to allow her daughter to escape her control.

As her words fell, the doorbell of the living room rang.

"You're not allowed to go anywhere before the reassignment succeeds!"

Having said that angrily to Shi Yao, Shi Qing turned and went out to open the door.

The door opened.

Outside stood several uniformed officers with stern expressions.

"Jing Shi Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Team, are you Shi Qing? You are suspected in a criminal case; we are now legally summoning you. Please cooperate and come to the public security organ for investigation."

Shi Jin's last return to Jing Shi was because his sister went to the police station; this time, the person entering the police station became his mother.

A hired killing; after more than ten years, the assassin turned himself in and revealed the mastermind behind it.

Shi Jin simply could not connect the hired killing to his mother; his first reaction was disbelief—it was simply too absurd.

But when he rushed to the police station, what he saw was not a mother looking aggrieved due to a 'mistaken judgment'.

"Let Fu Chuan come see me."

Seeing her son, Shi Qing said nothing about mother‑son relations; she curled her lips into a smile that carried a hint of mockery, her tone firm.

"You are the precious grandson of the Fu family; it's easy to get in touch with the Fu family, and the old matriarch will grant you any request. This should be the last thing I, as your mother, ask you to do."

Shi Jin stared, dazed; the mother before him looked… strangely unfamiliar.

Stripped of the strict motherly image she once had, her eyes were filled with nothing but undisguised ambition and aggression.

It was a sight he had never seen before.

Shi Jin felt an intuition that all their past interactions had probably been an illusion, and only from this moment on was his mother's true self revealed.

A few days passed.

Shi Qing didn't wait for Fu Chuan; she waited for his phone call.

The call connected, but the person on the other end said nothing, not even having the patience to say a word to her.

"Fu Chuan." Shi Qing called his name in a statement-like tone: "The hired killing—is this the charge you've pinned on me?"

That day in the private room, Fu Chuan had once said that was Shi Qing's final challenge to his bottom line.

"It's not that I assigned this to you; you yourself know clearly what you've done, no one is framing you, and your current outcome is what you deserve." The man's voice was utterly merciless.

"……That's correct." Shi Qing tightened her grip on the phone until her hand blanched, then she gave a light laugh, not defending herself but instead asking with interest: "Fu Chuan, when you had the assassin turn himself in to teach me a lesson, did you ask him who he killed?"

"It has nothing to do with me."

"No, it does have to do with you; how could it not?"

Not knowing what she was thinking, Shi Qing felt a surge of exhilaration rise in her chest, laughing ever more gleefully, accompanied by a faintly mad whisper.

"After all, that's the person you've been longing for."

Looking back over a dozen years.

The Fu family in Hai Cheng was far less prominent than it is now.

At that time, the Fu family's eldest son—Fu Chuan's father—had always been seen as a thorn in the side and a thorn in the flesh by rival families due to business matters; those rivals, relying on their family influence, openly and covertly caused many troubles for the Fu family.

Such troubles existed not only among the adults but also among the younger generation.

That year, Fu Chuan was fifteen.

His uncle was at the age of rising sensitivity, and his father often whispered in his ear, 'Yield three parts, keep one part for yourself.'

Fu Chuan understood the family situation, knew he must not add trouble for his uncle, always kept his father's words in mind, enduring when he could and doing his utmost to avoid conflict.

But after all, he was still a child, unable to endure repeated provocations.

After his locker was repeatedly soaked on purpose, and with the other party hurling insults, Fu Chuan could no longer bear it; he raised his hand and swung a punch at the other's face.

"You… you just wait!" the boy shouted, stumbling and falling to the ground, terrified as he covered his bleeding nose, then he snarled: "I'm going to tell my uncle!"

Thus that weekend, Fu Chuan was led by his uncle and parents, and the whole family went door‑to‑door to apologize.

Fu Yichuan gritted his teeth, bowed, and apologized.

The male student's uncle, Uncle Gao, was several levels above; he rebuked the uncle for poor parenting, while the male student also leaned on the sofa like an elder, speaking in a strange tone, making sarcastic remarks—his words were completely out of line, as if he'd stepped on someone's face.

The uncle and parents accepted everything, still greeting with smiles.

The elders' efforts to keep the peace left Fu Yichuan feeling awful inside, very uncomfortable.

This agonizing apology finally ended.

As soon as Fu Yichuan stepped out the door, he could no longer hold back and ran away quickly.

This was a wealthy residential area; he ran to the public garden, sat on a bench, lowered his head and covered his forehead, feeling depressed and self-loathing.

On one hand he resented the male student's family for bullying with their influence; on the other hand he blamed himself, feeling guilty for being so impulsive and putting his family in a difficult situation.

Fu Yichuan sniffled several times.

A wheel-like sound approached, and a pack of tissues was handed to him.

The hand holding the tissues was slender and fair— a girl's hand.

At that moment, Fu Yichuan had just suffered a severe blow to his self-esteem, likely due to an overload of suppressed negative emotions; instinctively not wanting to be laughed at, he turned his head, his tone harsh.

Get lost!

As soon as the words left his mouth, Fu Yichuan regretted it.

How could he treat someone who meant well with such an attitude? Yet the person who handed him the tissues wasn't angry, gently placed them beside him, and left.

The wheel-like sound rang out again.

Fu Yichuan lowered his hand and saw the girl's receding back as she skateboarded away.

Her movements were lazy yet skilled; she confidently pressed her left foot on the board, turned smoothly, and quickly disappeared at the intersection.

That was Fu Yichuan's first time seeing her.

Over a month later.

Considering Fu Yichuan's future academic development, his uncle pulled strings to transfer him to a decent-quality aristocratic school in Sea City.

It was most unfortunate that, just after arriving, Fu Yichuan ran into a public lecture at the new school; he knew no one, hadn't received the appropriate textbook, and could only sit alone in the back row, staring blankly at the empty desk.

In that awkward, tense moment, an open textbook was pushed toward him.

Use mine for now.

Fu Yichuan froze, looked up, and met a pair of warm, bright peach-blossom eyes like spring; the owner of those eyes gave him a friendly glance before looking away.

It was her.

This was his second time seeing her; she also happened to be at this school. Though they had only met twice, Fu Yichuan couldn't help feeling joy deep down, and his original nervousness about the unfamiliar school greatly eased.

Less than half a week later, he learned her name.

Xie Shuyin.

Without even trying to find out, Fu Yichuan witnessed the genuine 'stars surrounding the moon'—not just due to her family background, but she was always surrounded by a lively crowd.

Whenever he spotted her from afar on campus, he could always see a group of people around her—boys and girls chatting and laughing, the atmosphere excellent.

Many times he overheard people talking about her, the content almost always friendly, traces of her good rapport and high popularity visible everywhere.

This made Fu Yichuan realize that those two times she helped him weren't because he was special, but because of her innate excellent upbringing.

No matter who the person was, she treated everyone equally.

His interaction with her came from an inter-school team math competition, where teams were randomly drawn and he and she were placed in the same group.

On the bus, he awkwardly greeted her, who sat in the front row.

Hello, I—I'm Fu Yichuan from Class E.

She looked at him with a stranger's gaze.

Fu Yichuan then realized that, when she helped him those two times, she hadn't even gotten a clear look at his face.

She smiled openly and said, 'Xie Shuyin, Class A'.

I know.

Fu Yichuan silently thought to himself, I've known you all along.

He had thought this competition would be a smooth, pleasant journey—until he saw at the venue the male student whose nose he had once bloodied.

The other guy also saw him, his eyes lighting up with malicious interest, and while Fu Yichuan was heading to the restroom, he and a few companions blocked him at the door.

Yo, who's this? Turns out it's Fu, the student who once bowed and apologized to me.

The male student pulled out his phone, opened a video, and Fu Yichuan heard his uncle and parents apologizing in a meek tone.

This time he clenched his teeth and did nothing, but his mindset was severely affected.

In the first round of the competition, Fu Yichuan couldn't focus at all, making mistakes that cost him many points he shouldn't have lost; only thanks to Xie Shuyin's crushing score did they maintain their mid-to-high ranking.

The broadcast announced the intermission.

The overseeing teacher came over, frowning, and asked Fu Yichuan what was wrong; Fu Yichuan opened his mouth but didn't know what to say, he looked up and saw the opposing male student's smug, nasty expression, and his mood sank further.

The brief break ended.

Fu Yichuan returned to the competition site, dejected.

If you keep going like this until the competition ends, you've fallen into his trap.

A calm voice came from beside him—the girl's.

Fu Yichuan looked over and heard her say: 'He's targeting you because he knows he can't beat you through normal means; he's afraid of you. The one in the advantageous position is you—you just need to treat him as nothing, bring out your level, and perform normally.'

Fu Yichuan, I've looked at your test scores—so this definitely isn't difficult for you, right?

This was the first time she called his name; a few seconds later, Fu Yichuan nodded firmly.

In the subsequent matches, he adjusted his mindset and began frantically chasing points; when the competition ended, their team won the gold medal, the top prize.

Fu Yichuan stood on the brightly lit podium, seeing below the troublemaking male student's face turned green with rage; he instinctively turned his head toward her beside him, seeking affirmation.

She raised her eyebrows, as if to say.

Look, I told you, it's really simple.

A feeling of unprecedented exhilaration welled up in his heart; Fu Yichuan stared blankly at the girl, something flickering in the depths of his eyes. He saw her holding a certificate, smiling, lowering her head, aiming at the standing microphone, her clear, confident voice echoing.

"Haicheng, Qingmian Private, Xie Shuyin."

A certain fluttering feeling in his chest followed with his words: '……Haicheng, Qingmian Private, Fu Yichuan.'

They were now officially acquainted; he had gained a friend spot on her social media, becoming her ordinary friend, able to chat occasionally.

She never lacked friends; her posts always revolved around the four words 'rich and colorful'.

Sometimes she showed the chestnut pumpkin cake she made in pastry class; sometimes she displayed her new archery record of how many rings she hit; sometimes she sat before the drum set, tilted her head, and laughed at the camera—so many things.

Then one day, this stream of rich updates suddenly stopped.

Something happened to her family.

First, Xie Clan Architecture fell into the 'shoddy project' controversy; then came the scandal of Xie family's eldest son, Xie Yingheng; after that, Xie family's second son, Xie Yingting, and his wife died in a car accident.

One blow after another, her temperament grew gloomy; she even took a two-month leave of absence from school.

About a year later, her grandfather Xie Wangzhou, holding a 'list,' went to his uncle; behind the heavy wooden door of the study, Fu Yichuan couldn't hear the conversation, only learning afterward that it seemed to be some kind of cooperation.

Once they cooperated, the Fu family would have to bear considerable risk; the outcome could be described as family ruin and personal death without exaggeration, but high risk also came with high reward.

Perhaps living off others' breath had gone on too long, becoming tiresome; the uncle pondered for nearly three days, then finally decided to go all in and agree to the cooperation.

During that period, Haicheng almost underwent a 'complete blood change'; it could only be described as a bloody storm, with TV daily broadcasting news of who had been 'taken down'.

After the storm passed, the Xie family's injustice was cleared, while the Fu family thus rose to prominence, ascending smoothly.

I had thought the misfortune ended there, but not long after came the news that her grandfather Xie Wangzhou had killed himself by taking medicine; she was left with only her grandmother.

Fu Yichuan didn't know how to comfort her; he believed the cooperation between the Xie and Fu families had brought their relationship a step closer than before, and he ached for her loneliness and helplessness.

"Shuyin, let's get engaged."

One day, he gathered his courage and spoke up.

She looked over.

"…What I mean is," in her calm gaze, Fu Yichuan's every moment of composure shattered; trying to cover up, he said the engagement was a stopgap, since the Xie case was still ongoing and he feared for her safety: "The Fu family can protect you, I'll help you look after your grandmother——"

"You like me."

She smartly saw through his excuse.

His deep-secret crush was suddenly exposed; his ears grew hot, his palms sweaty with nervousness, unsure whether to deny or admit it, the next second he heard her earnestly say: 'Fu Yichuan, don't waste your time on me.'

In this situation, Fu Yichuan didn't dare hope she'd reply right away; he thought it was just a matter of time, and he said that no matter what identity, he would always stay by her side.

"It has nothing to do with anything else; I just don't like you."

She rejected him without hesitation.

The heat in his ears plummeted to freezing point, leaving Fu Yichuan's chest feeling sour; his secret crush was thus cut off by her own words, all possibilities gone, no room left.

After the sorrow came Fu Yichuan's growing resentment.

In the horseback riding class.

There was a young master who had once suffered a setback at her place; seeing the Xie family's current state, this clueless one spoke rudely to her.

Fu Yichuan stood by with arms crossed, gritting his teeth to suppress the urge to step forward for her; he was waiting, waiting for her to ask him for help—not even needing her to speak, just a slight turn of her head, a glance his way, even a peripheral look.

Give him a chance to prove that he is now truly able to protect her.

But she didn't give it.

Amidst a chorus of gasps, the girl on horseback tightened the reins, slammed the young master off his mount, then controlled the horse to raise its forehooves high and precisely stomp on the young master's legs—so close that he would basically bid farewell to fathering offspring for the rest of his life.

The young master's face turned deathly pale; he scared himself into wetting his pants on the spot.

She looked on expressionlessly; her manner of disciplining people was just as eye‑catching, whistles and applause rising from the crowd as everyone laughed at the young master.

Xie Shuyin never needed a knight to rescue her from fire and water; she herself was her own knight.

Only in hindsight did Fu Yichuan realize how foolish the idea he had entertained was.

Fate truly did not favor her; her grandmother Ms. Lin could not withstand the successive heavy blows, fell into a terminal illness, and died in depression.

She shut herself away at home, seeing no one.

Only a month later, she received the invitation to his eighteenth‑birthday banquet.

At home, they specially set the venue of his coming‑of‑age celebration on a cruise ship.

Her condition appeared unexpectedly fine; she came with a polite smile on her lips, bearing a gift, and wished him a happy birthday.

All night, Fu Yichuan's gaze followed her, but midway his parents took him to meet some venerable elders; his mind wasn't here at all—he just wanted to get through it as quickly as possible.

At that moment, a commotion came from the deck direction.

Someone shouted, the Xie family young lady and the Chen family young lady started arguing for some unknown reason; in the scuffle, the Xie family young lady accidentally fell into the sea.