Chapter 17#

I crouched among the flower beds as a gentle breeze swept by, lifting petals into the air along with the hat on my head.

That hat had probably been my dad’s.

Blue, simple style, no fancy patterns, good for blocking the sun—very practical. I remembered I liked it a lot. A while back, when I was taking care of that poor patch of cosmos flowers in my dad’s place, I always wore it.

Later, the garden was filled in, but I still liked wearing that hat.

It was just a bit too big. A gust of wind could send it flying.

That time, it flew quite far. I ran after it with the wind.

Then the blue hat landed on the grass. Before I could pick it up, someone else had already bent down to retrieve it for me.

That person stood there, a plain shawl fluttering in the breeze, giving off a very gentle vibe. I was shy around strangers when I was little. Even reaching up, I couldn’t reach his waist. My hand rose halfway into the air, then I pulled it back.

He seemed to smile.

“Hey, my Third Grandpa, what are you doing here all of a sudden?”

Nanny Zhang called from a distance. I followed the sound—Grandma and uncles were sitting in the yard, and there was the scent of cake.

He looked at me. At some point, a handkerchief had appeared in his hand, wrapped around my favorite cookies.

Freshly baked, very fragrant.

But just seeing him made my knees ache. Last time, the cosmos I’d given him had been thrown into the trash. My mom had spanked me so hard it hurt, and I’d had to kneel all night.

He stepped closer, and I immediately stepped back.

Nanny Zhang came over and shook her head. “Third Grandpa, don’t bother with him. He’s holding a grudge against you. Last time he did something wrong and wouldn’t admit it…”

He reached out to put the hat back on me.

I’m actually quite petty.

Hearing Nanny Zhang bring that up made me feel even more wronged. Without thinking, I pushed his hand away.

Both the hat and the cookies fell to the ground.

Maybe because of that, he rarely paid me any attention afterward.

Every Spring Festival, when many children came to visit, he would give each child a candy.

Wang Zheng got the most. He would even pat Wang Zheng on the head.

But Wang Zheng always shared his candy with me.

After class, I used to stay in the classroom for a while longer, but I couldn’t do that these days.

Old Mrs. Ren had me taking Bai Junrui around. The moment school ended, I had to head straight to the school gate. Shu Yuan had been sticking close at first, but a couple of days ago she finally couldn’t hold back and asked why Wang Zheng hadn’t been coming along.

Wang Zheng was the current student council president and was busy with handover matters. He probably couldn’t spare the time, plus he had to spend time with Fang Wei—of course, I didn’t mention that. Shu Yuan had been moping these past couple of days. Only when she saw Wang Zheng would her face light up with smiles, her maiden heart completely transparent.

In my past life, Shu Yuan and Wang Zheng had been quite close, even attending some public events together. Back then, I just thought their temperaments were similar. Most of Shu Yuan’s friends were in the US, so it was rare for her to find someone she could talk to. I didn’t want to disturb that.

Now that I think about it, the signs were actually there from early on.

Bai Junrui had been waiting outside the school gate these days. The first day, he came with a driver; later, he drove himself. According to Old Mrs. Ren, it was Bai Junrui and Shu Yuan’s first time in Singapore, but Bai Junrui seemed quite familiar with the local customs. It was as if he’d lived here for a long time, not like an outsider at all.

Come to think of it, Bai Junrui was the only son of Uncle Shu’s sister. Uncle Shu, in his old age, only had Shu Yuan as his sole daughter. Among all the younger generations, only Bai Junrui caught his eye. Bai Junrui was still quite young, but he already had Old Mrs. Ren’s favor—clearly, he was truly capable.

But I didn’t remember such a person in my past life.

In the seven years Shu Yuan and I were married, I never heard her mention such a talented cousin.

If I thought about it carefully, I only remembered that Shu Yuan’s aunt did seem to have a son, but that child had apparently died in an accident when he was quite young.

Maybe I remembered wrong.

That day, before I could leave the school gate, Cheng Chen blocked my path. He pulled me urgently, looking anxious. “Fatty, I’ve been looking for you for days. Finally found you.”

What was up with this kid now.

“Cheng Chen, can we talk tomorrow? I’m in a hurry today.” I patted Cheng Chen’s shoulder. Bai Junrui said he wanted to go to the Marine Biology Museum today. I’d taken a bit too long photocopying handouts, and it was already getting late.

Cheng Chen jumped up and grabbed my hand, saying urgently, “Wait, wait, wait… Fatty, if you’re a friend, help me out—do me a favor!”

Cheng Chen was usually easygoing. It was rare to see him so stubborn, so I paused.

“What’s so urgent?”

Cheng Chen rolled his eyes and hooked his arm around my shoulder. “Ah, I don’t even know how to explain it! I can only ask you for help with this… Anyway, it’s not anything bad, so don’t look so worried.”

Cheng Chen used to be more rebellious, cursing all the time. Over the years, his dad had straightened him out pretty well. He no longer frequented those shady places. Strictly speaking, he’d really improved a lot.

I was about to nod when I suddenly heard a call from behind: “Qi Ri—”

I looked past Cheng Chen and sure enough, saw a white Mercedes.

Bai Junrui got out of the car, aviator sunglasses on his nose, plain shirt and black trousers that made his figure look even taller. He was undeniably handsome, drawing plenty of eyes as he walked over. He approached with a smile, placed a hand on my shoulder, looked at Cheng Chen, and said lightly, “Sorry to interrupt. And this is…”

I quickly said, “This is Cheng Chen, my friend. Good friend.”

Hearing that, Bai Junrui took off his sunglasses and extended his hand very cordially. “Hello. Our Qi Ri is usually in your care.”

I couldn’t help but rub my ear.

Cheng Chen, probably never having been greeted so formally, was stunned for a moment. He reached out his hand, then quickly pulled it back to wipe it on his clothes before shaking Bai Junrui’s hand.

“About today…” I was about to tell Bai Junrui to postpone the museum trip to tomorrow. Bai Junrui glanced at us and spoke first: “I hear there’s a nice dessert place nearby. If Cheng Chen doesn’t mind, come along. We can talk about whatever it is there.”

Bai Junrui seemed naturally good at winning people over. Even Cheng Chen, who usually looked down on so-called rich young masters, was calling him “Brother Bai” affectionately in no time.

“What? That game’s third installment is already out? Tch, even if it is, my old man won’t let me touch it. I told him I’m not cut out for university—”

“Wow, Brother Bai, you finished it in two days? No way, that’s not bragging, is it? Took me a whole week. Tsk, tsk, that’s what a good brain gets you.”

Bai Junrui knew a lot—even about the games that young people liked these days—and chatted easily with Cheng Chen. Honestly, having lived two lives, I still knew nothing about that stuff. In my younger days in my past life, I had some interest in games. But now that I’d been reborn, what novel things hadn’t I already seen?

“Sir, here’s your fruit cake.” The waitress, a young girl, carefully stole a few more glances at Bai Junrui on the other side, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Bai Junrui was indeed good-looking. Not the most striking type, but with well-defined features and soft lines. The slight curve of his lips was very pleasing to the eye.

Bai Junrui had been leaning over, talking with Cheng Chen. Suddenly he turned back, looked at the fruit cake on my table, and with a twist of his fork, smoothly and naturally picked out the strawberry on top. He popped it into his mouth and squinted with satisfaction.

I stared at him.

‘Strawberries are really sour, Dad. Eating them will rot your teeth.’

‘Don’t worry, Dad, I’ll eat them for you—’

My son squinted, smiled contentedly, and said: ‘Too sour, Dad. Good thing you didn’t eat them.’

Bai Junrui smiled and said, “Too sour, Qi Ri. Good thing you didn’t eat them.”

The fork slipped from my hand and clattered to the floor with a sharp ring.

Startled, I was about to bend down to pick it up, but Bai Junrui waved his hand and asked the waitress for a new one.

When I looked up, my eyes met Bai Junrui’s. Somewhat flustered, I looked away. Then, remembering something, I turned to Cheng Chen. “What was that urgent matter you wanted to talk about?”

Cheng Chen swallowed a mouthful of cake with a gulp, his expression shifting as he glanced at Bai Junrui. I suddenly realized I might have asked the wrong question and was about to change the subject when Cheng Chen gave a wry smile. “It’s nothing, nothing. I don’t mind others knowing.”

He sat up straight, pursed his lips, and twisted his fingers together, looking troubled.

“What’s so worrying?” Bai Junrui smiled. “You’re Qi Ri’s good friend. If I can help, I will.”

Cheng Chen’s eyes lit up. He shot Bai Junrui a grateful look but said, “I need to borrow some money.”

I paused. Borrow money? Bai Junrui also sobered, his expression turning serious.

“I’ve calculated… I’m still short by a hundred thousand. You know,” Cheng Chen gave a bitter smile, “the old man froze my accounts. Won’t give me a single cent more. Among the people I know, you’re probably the only one who can come up with it.”

“What’s the money for? Oh, it’s not a huge amount, you understand. You’re still young—I just want to get the full picture.” Bai Junrui spoke before I could. I nodded in agreement. Given my friendship with Cheng Chen, if he needed to borrow any amount for a legitimate reason, I wouldn’t refuse.

Cheng Chen turned to me and said, “Today… I was planning to take you to see a friend of mine.”

“She’s an old friend from before. You know how wild I used to be—she took good care of me.”

“I only ran into her again recently. She… uh, you know, she even mentioned you. Only then did I realize that after I transferred schools, you had that incident, and it involved her little brother. He almost ended up in court, but luckily it was all a misunderstanding.”

I was taken aback.

“You mean… Sister Xin?”

The car drove into that hidden alley. When the road could go no further, Cheng Chen patted my shoulder from the back seat and shouted, “Get out here. The rest of the way, we have to walk.”

Of course I knew. I’d been to this place once before, a few years ago.

When I looked up, I could almost see the intersection ahead, where a teenager seemed to stand faintly, leaning against a lamppost, waving at me.

I took off my glasses and rubbed my eyes.

I wondered how he’d been all these years—no news at all.

Cheng Chen got out first. Bai Junrui unbuckled my seatbelt and handed me a phone.

“If anything happens, call me. I’ll wait here.”

I nodded and put the phone away. Bai Junrui added, as if still worried, “Don’t be too long. If you’re not out in an hour, I’m coming in to find you.”

I gave a rueful smile. Maybe because he was so close, Bai Junrui’s tone had a faint hint of coaxing.

My vision blurred momentarily. Without thinking, I opened the car door and replied as I got out, “Sorry for the trouble. I’ll try to be back before dark.”

Bai Junrui leaned back into his seat and hummed softly in acknowledgment.

Cheng Chen waved at me from ahead. I hurried to catch up. When I looked back, I saw Bai Junrui roll down the window, lower his head slightly, and light a cigarette.

The old district seemed unchanged from before. No big differences. This time, with Cheng Chen leading the way, I didn’t have to wander around for ages like last time before finding the place. In just over ten minutes, we reached that building. Along the way, Cheng Chen gave me a bit of an update on Sister Xin.

“Sister Xin got married a few years ago. I heard he’s a lawyer. You think guys like that look good on the outside but are rotten inside? Before they got married, he sweet-talked her like crazy. Turns out he’s a gambling addict.”

“Fatty, the money borrowing—that’s my idea. Has nothing to do with Sister Xin. That gambler racked up a ton of debt, even tricked Sister Xin into signing some papers. The loan sharks came knocking within days. Sister Xin’s pregnant now, and that drunkard goes berserk and beats her when he’s had a few. I told her ages ago not to live that kind of life with that bastard…”

I acknowledged with a sound.

When we reached the door, it was wide open. Cheng Chen rushed inside frantically. I paused too. I’d been to this place once before—old, but still tidy and comfortable. Now it looked like a whirlwind had swept through—chaotic, with a cold draft blowing in through the open windows.

“Sister Xin! Sister Xin!” Cheng Chen called urgently, searching each room. I was also afraid something had happened to Sister Xin. Just as I was about to pull out my phone to find help, I saw a figure carefully peer in from outside.

“Xiao Chen…?”

The woman with slightly disheveled hair walked in from outside. Her face, once rather pretty, was now covered in bruises. Her eyes still held the terror of someone who’d just been frightened. Her swollen belly was all the more glaring at that moment. She took a step forward and suddenly felt weak in the knees. I was closest to the door, so I quickly stepped forward to steady her.

She looked at me with some confusion. After a moment, her eyes widened in realization, and she murmured softly, “You are… Xiao, Xiao Qi…?”

“Sister Xin!” Cheng Chen heard the commotion and came out from inside, rushing over to help. “What happened? Was it those debt collectors again?”

Sister Xin didn’t answer; her eyes just reddened. Seeing the injuries on her face, I said, “Where’s the first-aid kit? Let’s put some medicine on those. If the bruises turn purple, it’ll hurt more.”

“I’ll get it, Fatty. You stay with Sister Xin.”

Cheng Chen darted off into another corner. I patted Sister Xin’s shoulder to comfort her. She kept sobbing, still shaken. I didn’t dare say much, just murmured, “It’s okay, it’s okay…”

Cheng Chen rummaged through cabinets and finally found the first-aid kit. His hands were clumsy, so I took over the task and told him to get Sister Xin a glass of water.

“Sister Xin, if you can, you should go to the hospital.” I roughly applied some medicated lotion to her wounds. She said nothing the whole time, but Cheng Chen kept cursing loudly from the side: “Hmph! I don’t need to ask—I know it was that Xu Chenghong! Damn it! That woman-beating scumbag!”

Sister Xin sniffled. Then she suddenly said, “No… He just lost some money. He was in a bad mood…”

“Lost money? Damn it! That bastard gambled again! Next time I see him, I’ll get someone to chop his hands off!” Cheng Chen was getting worked up. Sister Xin shook her head repeatedly, tears streaming down again. I patted her shoulder and shot Cheng Chen a look. “Enough. Let Sister Xin calm down first.”

Cheng Chen grunted but settled down a bit. The only sound was Sister Xin’s muffled sobbing. After a while, Cheng Chen went outside, muttering, “I’ll go see what I can buy from the shops nearby.”

That made sense—the place was a mess, and they couldn’t cook dinner. They couldn’t let Sister Xin go hungry.

I stayed with Sister Xin without speaking. After Cheng Chen had been gone for a while, Sister Xin wiped her tears with the back of her hand. I handed her my handkerchief. She looked at me, smiled bitterly, and took it. A few more tears fell, landing on my hand.

“Xiao Qi…” She took a deep breath, looked up at me, and said softly, “You’ve grown so big. Sister Xin… almost didn’t recognize you.” She took my hand and patted it gently. My chest suddenly ached. “Am I better-looking now?”

“Oh, definitely. Tell me, how many girls have you fooled with that face?” Sister Xin smiled faintly. For a moment, it was like old times—that smile like the radiant bride in her wedding photo.

I glanced around the room and sighed softly.

“Sister Xin… how did it come to this?” The question finally slipped out. “Du Yijie now… how did you—”

In my past life, before I’d even finished middle school, I’d heard of Du Yijie’s reputation. Almost everyone knew him back then. Though he rose to even greater heights later, I still remembered that in these years, after the underground king Han Ye died in a shootout, Du Yijie took his place, gradually expanding his business overseas.

Strictly speaking, Du Yijie came into his own in these two years. Sister Xin was his only family. How could she have ended up in such a miserable state?

Sister Xin stared at me for a long time without speaking. Then I realized she was looking past me, out the window. Her gaze was distant, as if reminiscing.

She said, “Xiao Qi, you ask Sister Xin… Sister Xin doesn’t understand either.”

She stroked her swollen belly, her eyes filled with a mother’s tenderness. She murmured, as if not talking to me but to herself.

“Someone like me never dared to hope for a good ending. Ha…” She laughed, a bitter sound. “I thought I knew how to judge people. After all those men I was with, the one I thought was the best turned out to be…”

“Back then, A Jie was in legal trouble… How could Han Ye not save him? A Jie was Han Ye’s—oh, listen to me going on. If A Jie hadn’t gotten into that mess, I wouldn’t have gotten tangled up with him either.”

“Back then, he was really good to me. I never—never met a man like that, a man like him. He did everything he could to get A Jie out of trouble, running around everywhere, yet he still had time for me. He stayed with me every day… Luckily, A Jie was released. Han Ye wanted A Jie to go to Hong Kong, and then he said he would take care of me for the rest of my life…”

As if lost in memory, the corners of Sister Xin’s mouth lifted.

Cheng Chen bought a lot of food and some fruit. He certainly seemed to know this area well. Seeing my expression, he scratched his head. “Don’t look at me like that. I used to live here with my mom too.” He grinned at me, quite proud. “Fatty, don’t give me that look. Back in the day, I was the king of the kids around here. Life was better than now. If you don’t believe me, ask Sister Xin!”

Sister Xin suddenly let out a laugh. “You dare bring that up? Who was it that cried with a red nose every time he lost a fight to A Jie? Then you insisted A Jie take you as his apprentice, acting all clingy…” Her eyes dimmed slightly. She stood up and said softly, “I’ll wash these fruits. We’ll eat them together.”

“No, no need,” I said. It was getting late.

Before leaving, I took out the bank card I’d prepared in my pocket and handed it to Sister Xin. “The PIN is on this piece of paper. It’s not a huge amount, but it should help improve things a little. Take it for now.”

Sister Xin’s eyes widened. She kept refusing, but Cheng Chen cut in: “Sister Xin, just take it. It’s Xiao Qi’s way of showing he cares. Get through this tough patch first.”

“…But, I…”

I sighed. “Sister Xin, even if you don’t care about yourself, think about the child you’re carrying.”

Sister Xin’s eyes suddenly reddened. She finally stopped refusing and accepted it silently, murmuring an almost inaudible “thank you.”

As Cheng Chen and I walked downstairs, we suddenly heard a call from behind. When we turned, we saw Sister Xin waving at us in the distance. Her smile was warm and radiant.

I suddenly remembered something from long, long ago—from my past life.

Li Ling held her daughter Doudou’s hand, standing on the balcony. She turned back to look at me, the corners of her mouth lifting gently, like a still painting.

Cheng Chen walked ahead, unusually quiet.

When we emerged from the maze of alleys, Cheng Chen suddenly spoke. “Fatty, don’t bring up her brother in front of Sister Xin again.”

I paused.

Cheng Chen scratched his head irritably. “Ah, just something I heard. I heard Sister Xin’s brother… a few years ago in Hong Kong, he was hunted by enemies. After that, no news.”

“Don’t even know if he’s dead. It’s been years. Not a word.”

I was speechless.

Bai Junrui stood outside the car, cigarette butts at his feet. When he saw us, his face finally brightened with a smile. He drove Cheng Chen back to school—after all, Cheng Chen was using the excuse of studying with me. These past few days, to accompany Bai Junrui on his outings, I wasn’t staying at the dorm temporarily. Bai Junrui personally drove me to the main gate of the Ren family estate.

Just as I was about to open the gate, Bai Junrui grabbed my hand, leaned in, and pressed his forehead against mine.

“Why are you so pale? Are you not feeling well?”

‘Dad…’

My son lay on my lap, pressing his head against my forehead, mumbling: ‘Dad, are you not feeling well? Why are you so pale?’

As if possessed, I stared at him. The question on the tip of my tongue almost burst out.

You… who exactly are you—?

Suddenly, I heard a roar from inside the house.

Without thinking, I gently pushed open the gate and saw a storm brewing in the main hall.

Old Mrs. Ren was flushed with anger, panting heavily. Ru Po and Nanny Zhang stood by her side, trying to calm her down. Sitting across from Old Mrs. Ren was Third Master Ren. His face was pale as paper, his eyes dark and deep, staring ahead. Uncle Jing stood silently behind him, forming a scene that could only be called eerie.

“Fine—do you even know what you just said? Huh! What did I give birth to? What have I raised! How dare you defy me like this!”

Third Master Ren didn’t lower his head. He crossed his legs, hands clasped together.

“You—do you realize you’re talking nonsense—” Old Mrs. Ren took a deep breath and suddenly roared, “Don’t think I won’t dare! The moment he was born, I should have choked him to death!”

At that moment, Third Master Ren suddenly raised his hand, his eyes fixed straight on Old Mrs. Ren.

Those eyes seemed to glow red, like a pool of blood.

“Try it.”

“SLAP—!!!”

Old Mrs. Ren stepped forward and slapped Third Master Ren hard across the face.