“Why did you give me so many things?” Xu Ying’s face flushed hot as a terrible thought struck her. She had lived a whole life, but she’d never been a bride. True love had never touched her. Her feelings for Dong Wenzhong had been nothing more than a lonely dream. Later, thrown into the end of the world, people had chased her, yes, but only for her beauty, not for the person she was. And in those last, desperate days, relationships were a tangled, ugly mess. Now, thinking a confession was coming, she felt a cold dread mix with surprise. She wanted no love in this life,and also don’t have any desire to hurt anyone.
Huo Chen looked into her bright eyes, and it was as if she could see right into his soul. His heart hammered, a wild drum in his chest, but his gaze was set, unmoving. His eyes, fixed on Xu Ying, already spoke volumes. “Xu Ying, I like you.”
It was the middle of the day, the sun a fiery coin in the sky, pouring light onto the earth, striking them both. Then, in an instant, a few snowflakes drifted down. Then more, and more, a silent, white flurry, yet the sun still blazed, ignoring the winter dance.
Xu Ying’s heart leaped, a sudden, panicked beat. She looked up, and there was HouChen , so close. His eyes burned with a fierce love, just like she imagined love felt when it first struck. There was a shy fear in his gaze, but also a strong will, all wrapped in a hazy, confusing cloud.
Huo Chen watched Xu Ying, who stayed silent for too long. His steady eyes now held a mix of anger and raw panic. His hands clenched, so tight his knuckles stood out, stark and white. “I’ll take you back,” Huo Chen forced out, swallowing the bitter taste rising in his throat.
Xu Ying stood frozen in the falling snow. The white flakes landed on her shoulders and clothes, turning quickly into dark, wet stains. “No, these things are too expensive,” Xu Ying said, her voice small. “I’ll pay you for them.” Huo Chen had no women in his family. If she didn’t take them, they would be wasted. It was better to buy them.
Huo Chen shook his head, his face now cold as ice. He walked towards Xu’s house, carrying the items. When he reached the door, he simply placed them down by the gate. Just as Xu Ying was about to speak, Huo Chen’s dark eyes met hers, his face showing no feeling. “It’s my choice if I like you, and it’s your choice if you don’t like me. If I like you, I will chase you hard until you say yes. It doesn’t matter if you don’t agree. This is what I want to do, and you can’t stop me.” After saying this, Huo Chen turned and walked away. The white snow fell on his wide back, making him look terribly lonely.
Xu Ying felt a small, sharp pain in her heart, but she quickly turned her head away. She looked at the big and small bags by the door. A wave of irritation washed over her. Her face showed pure impatience.
Xu’s mother appeared suddenly, as if from nowhere, with Xu Ruhua close behind her. “There are so many things! Take them back quickly!” Xu’s mother said, opening the door, scooping up the items, and heading back inside.
Xu Ying looked ashamed. She pulled Xu’s mother aside. “Huo Chen gave those to me. Give him the money.” If she didn’t agree to be with Huo Chen and still kept these gifts, she would be no better than the utterly shameless Dong Wenzhong.
Xu’s mother took the money. She guessed what her daughter was thinking, but she still told her, “Huo Chen is a good man. You should think about it.”
Xu Ying knew Huo Chen was a good man. That was exactly why she couldn’t waste his time. She understood how deeply she feared feelings. She might not be able to accept them for a very long time. And her family still had dangerous enemies. She didn’t want to drag him into that, and she certainly didn’t want to hurt him. “I know. Just give him the money first.”
Xu’s mother sighed. She hadn’t worried about her daughter since she became so capable. But her man was right: too much cleverness could lead to trouble. Now, she almost wished her daughter wasn’t so brilliant.
That evening, a face suddenly flashed in Mrs. Xu’s mind. The face was exactly like the one she’d seen when she last went to her parents’ home. But this time, the man had turned around. Yes, she remembered! The man was Shengshun’s classmate. Shengshun was getting married back then, and this man had brought a woman with him.
“Yingying, I remembered who the person I saw that day was!” Sister-in-law Xu cried, her face alight with wild excitement as she rushed to her younger sister’s room.
When Xu Ying heard this, she quickly ran out. “Who is it?”
“Zhang Guoqing! He and your cousin were good friends. They went to high school together. When your cousin got married, he even came! And there was a girl named Cheng Yinglan, who always liked your cousin. But then, you married your cousin’s best friend.”
As Sister-in-law Xu spoke, a sharp pain shot through her head. A terrifying image flashed in her mind: a red character for “happy,” a pool of blood on the ground, and the sounds of people crying. There was also a man talking frantically to a woman. She remembered wanting to go closer, but then something struck her on the head, and everything went black.
“I didn’t fall down by myself! I was knocked unconscious by someone!” Sister-in-law Xu’s face twisted, and she screamed the words.
Xu Ying’s face suddenly filled with shock and dismay. How could such a terrible coincidence be real?
“What’s happening? Someone was knocked unconscious?” Xu’s mother rushed over, her voice loud with alarm.
Xu’s father followed, his face grim and serious. “What happened? Someone was knocked unconscious?”
“Me!” Mrs. Xu shouted excitedly.
“Aren’t you pregnant that you just fainted?” Xu’s mother glared at her, annoyed by her sudden outburst.
Sister-in-law Xu’s face was earnest. “Really, I was truly knocked unconscious.”
“Mom, what my sister-in-law means is that when my brother Shengshun got married, she didn’t just fall down and faint; she was actually hit and knocked out,” Xu Ying said, her voice grave.
When Xu’s mother heard this, she suddenly slapped her thigh with a dramatic gasp. “Hey! I said this was very suspicious back then! Who hit you, and why? Was it because they didn’t want you to see something? It has to be a scheme!”
Sister-in-law Xu thought for a moment, then shook her head. “When I walked by, I saw Shengshun fainting. Just as I was about to go see what was going on, someone hit me on the head.”
Outside the window, the snow fell heavier and heavier. The sun slowly faded from the sky. The gloomy weather matched the heavy, dark mood that had fallen over the room.
The moment Mrs. Xu’s words left her lips, everyone’s faces changed wildly. A chilling silence, like a tomb, filled the entire space, making people shiver with dread. Xu’s father tightly crossed his hands, his knuckles turning stark white. His face was twisted with fury. If what happened to Shengshun was not an accident, then how truly evil that person must be. His nephew, once so smart and bright, had been the pride of the Xu family. His second brother’s family had once been so respected. But overnight, Shengshun became foolish and lost his job. To heal him, all the family’s money was gone, and they had borrowed a huge amount. His brother, who was clearly younger, now looked far older and more worn out than him. Thinking that these terrible things might have been planned by others, a wave of blinding anger rushed through his heart.
Xu Ruhua was even more stunned, and quickly, her shock turned to furious anger. Seeing Xu’s father’s rage, she said, “Brother, could Shengshun really have been harmed on purpose? Then we must tell the police right away! We cannot let this person escape punishment!” Xu Ruhua still remembered clearly what happened back then. It was supposed to be a double joy: Shengshun found a good job and got married on the same day. But because of a fall, his family was almost destroyed. Her second brother and second sister-in-law cried, crawling to the hospital on their knees to get Shengshun treated, borrowing money from everyone, just barely saving his life. He was once the proud, smart young man of the family, but he was turned into a fool. And the second brother and second sister-in-law’s hair turned gray overnight.