The high school entrance exam results came out very quickly. On June twenty-eighth, the weather was clear with not a cloud in the sky.

Zhao Zhilan knew early in the morning that today the exam results would be released. She planned that as soon as the time came, she would check Bei Yao’s scores through her phone.

Bei Yao was changing shoes in the entryway. “Mom, checking by phone costs money—five yuan per subject. We have nine subjects total, that would be forty-five yuan. It’s not cost-effective. In a couple days the teacher will also release the scores, and that doesn’t cost money.”

Zhao Zhilan glanced at her daughter.

Nearly fifteen-year-old Bei Yao wore a white dress with a cinched waist, the belt tied in a bow at the back. The dress was hand-me-down clothing from Bei Yao’s cousin Xiao Cang, fifty percent new, with a bit of ink stain at the hem that wouldn’t wash clean. Xiao Cang was slightly overweight, so her clothes were too large on Bei Yao. The young girl’s arms were slender, and precisely because her pale little arms were so delicate, they brought out a certain elegant charm.

Zhao Zhilan felt somewhat heartbroken. Their second son, Bei Jun, was only just over a year old now, and everything required spending money. Her daughter was well-behaved and sensible, never actively asking for anything, and even helped the family save money.

When Xiao Cang’s clothes had been brought over earlier, Bei Yao, to comfort them, had even smiled and said, “I never got to wear white dresses when I was little. Cousin Xiao Cang’s clothes are really pretty.”

Zhao Zhilan cherished Bei Yao. She had devoted so much effort to this firstborn daughter that when looking at little Bei Jun making mischief throughout the house, in her angriest moments she would think about throwing away the second child—if she did, she could buy her daughter some decent clothes.

No one was as beautiful as their girl, yet everyone else dressed better than Bei Yao.

Zhao Zhilan smiled indulgently. “Our family isn’t so poor we can’t afford forty-five yuan. Only after I check your scores will my heart be at ease.”

Bei Yao understood a parent’s heart. She softly replied, “Mm, then let’s check. I estimated my scores—I should be able to get into Sixth Middle School.”

Zhao Zhilan also supported Bei Yao attending Sixth Middle School.

Bei Yao had started school earlier than her peers to begin with. In Zhao Zhilan’s heart, she was still a child who hadn’t grown up yet. Sixth Middle School was the closest school to home, convenient to look after, and easy for her to come home for meals on weekends. If they had time, they could even have Bei Licai ride his motorcycle to deliver some good food to Bei Yao.

Before long, Zhao Zhilan indeed found Bei Yao’s scores.

She had done very well. Based on Sixth Middle School’s admission rate from previous years, Bei Yao would definitely be admitted. The whole family was very happy.

Zhao Zhilan was very excited. The daughter she had raised was about to attend high school in the blink of an eye.

That evening, lying in bed, she discussed with Bei Licai, “Yao Yao will definitely have to board at school in high school. The school is an hour and a half from home, and she’ll have evening self-study. After we get off work, we won’t be able to pick her up. Let’s buy her a phone.”

Bei Licai had no objection. He made a sound through his nose, counting as agreement.

Zhao Zhilan did what she said she would do. The next day, she bought Bei Yao a beautiful flip phone.

Full-screen smartphones weren’t yet popular this year. Phones had transitioned from sliding to flip models. In a few more years, touchscreen phones would become popular.

The new phone was pink and smooth to hold. Zhao Zhilan’s eyes held a smile. “The people at the mobile shop all said this one looks good and young girls like it. Try it and see if you like it.”

Bei Yao understood her parents’ intentions and smiled, saying she liked it.

Bei Licai instructed, “Now that you have a phone, don’t let it delay your studies. Phones are for making calls—don’t let buying this cause your grades to decline.”

Before Bei Yao could respond, Zhao Zhilan glared at Bei Licai. “You have the nerve to lecture Yao Yao. She has the best self-control in our family. Who said last week they wouldn’t watch TV, then secretly got up in the middle of the night the day before yesterday to watch?”

“…” Well, there was a soccer match.

“In any case, I trust Yao Yao. She won’t let having a phone delay her studies.”

Bei Licai swallowed back what he had wanted to say.

Actually, what worried him most wasn’t Bei Yao’s grades, but the issue of puppy love. Bei Yao was far too beautiful. At this age when romantic feelings first awakened, there was no guarantee some bad boy wouldn’t have designs on his daughter. However, as a father, this wasn’t something he could bring himself to say, and Zhao Zhilan protected their daughter so fiercely that it made it even harder for Bei Licai to speak up.

A few days later, the admission results indeed came out. Bei Yao was admitted to Sixth Middle School.

She herself was also very happy. After all, she had been working hard step by step, steadily studying.

In the height of July summer, Bei Yao opened her new phone. She had just finished bathing, her hair blown half-dry, hanging damply behind her. Hua Ting had gotten a phone in eighth grade and had given Bei Yao her number. Bei Yao saved her number, then found Pei Chuan’s phone number. Their family circumstances were both more comfortable than the Bei family, so they had bought phones earlier than Bei Yao.

Bei Yao had long known Pei Chuan’s phone number—Uncle Pei had given it to her. However, because that phone had been bought for Pei Chuan by Jiang Wenjuan, Pei Chuan rarely used it. Bei Yao also wasn’t sure if she could get through, but with an attitude of giving it a try, she called Pei Chuan’s number.

The evening breeze of the summer night stirred the young girl’s curtains. The flowers outside her window had been replaced with roses. Pink and white flowers swayed gently in the summer wind. From the phone came the “beep beep beep…” sound of waiting.

He answered the phone. “Hello? Who is this?”

The young man’s voice-change period had already passed. Now his voice was low and mellow, like the unconscious sound of a cello. Bei Yao lay on the bed with bare feet, remembering she hadn’t seen Pei Chuan in a very long time. She said softly, “It’s Bei Yao.”

On the other end of the phone, Pei Chuan’s hand, casually drying his hair, froze.

The towel was still on his short black hair. Hearing the long-absent voice, he was dazed for a moment. Almost subconsciously, he repeated in a low voice, “Bei Yao.”

“Mm!” She smiled in response.

The sweetness of the young girl’s voice came through the phone. He had no mind to continue drying his hair, his eyes and brows taking on three parts irritation.

The residential complex’s greenery wasn’t bad. Countless annoying cicadas on the trees called tirelessly.

He didn’t know if it was helplessness or some other emotion. “What’s wrong with you now?”

This impatient-sounding phrase came out without carrying a hint of actual impatience. So much so that she still used her gentle voice to say, “I want to tell you good news. I got into Sixth Middle School! This is my new phone—a reward from my mom.”

The bits and pieces of warmth gathering in his eyes were instantly shattered by coldness.

Sixth Middle School…

“Pei Chuan, why aren’t you saying anything? Are you still listening?”

“Yes.” He said indifferently, “Congratulations.”

Bei Yao didn’t detect anything amiss at all. “When school starts, we can go together.”

He opened his mouth and found he couldn’t say anything. In the end, he could only say, “I’m going to sleep.”

Pei Chuan hung up the phone and hastily dried his hair, then following his established routine, removed his prosthetic limbs. He looked at his disgusting stumps, his face showing some coldness, then pulled the thin blanket over to cover them.

She still didn’t know that he and she wouldn’t be going to the same school.

Pei Chuan didn’t fall asleep. He took out his phone and found a map of City C online. Between Third Middle School and Sixth Middle School lay a ten-minute drive’s distance—close if you considered it close, far if you considered it far.

On the phone, it was less than half a finger joint’s length on the map, but in reality, it was an unfamiliar, cruel distance.

He turned off his phone, closed his eyes, and forced himself to cultivate sleepiness.

~

In August, at summer’s most scorching time, Zhao Zhilan came back from playing mahjong with Zhao Xiu and let out a heavy sigh.

Bei Licai had watched Bei Jun all day. Worn down by the little guy with no recourse, seeing Zhao Zhilan return, he quickly stuffed their son into Zhao Zhilan’s arms.

Bei Jun, once in his mother’s arms, stopped making mischief and became obedient. Bei Licai felt even angrier seeing this.

Zhao Zhilan, however, didn’t notice the father and son’s emotions. She said, “I went to play cards today and unexpectedly learned about something else. Zhao Xiu said that a couple days ago after work, she went shopping at the mall and saw Officer Pei with another woman shopping. The two were holding hands and behaving very intimately. That woman was probably thirty-four or thirty-five, and quite proper-looking too.”

Bei Yao had just pushed open her room door when she heard these words. She froze.

In Bei Yao’s memory, she had known early on that Pei Haobin would find a stepmother for Pei Chuan, but what she never expected was that the timeline of Pei Haobin and Jiang Wenjuan’s divorce was so late, yet his second marriage was so early.

In the living room, Zhao Zhilan continued, “What kind of karma is this? If Pei Chuan finds out that right after his parents divorced, they each formed new families, that child will probably be heartbroken to death.”

Bei Licai, who usually spoke neutrally and loved playing peacemaker, also sighed this time.

Yes, this matter—forget about a teenager, even an adult probably couldn’t withstand these repeated blows.

“Zhao Xiu told me that Officer Pei used to only be enthusiastic about his career and didn’t really look after his family. This time, after walking the line between life and death, he instead realized the importance of family, which is why he would…” She suddenly stopped talking, seeing Bei Yao at the bedroom door. “Yao Yao, you…”

Thinking again, her daughter was grown now. This kind of gossip wasn’t something she couldn’t hear. Zhao Zhilan put Bei Jun down and said to Bei Yao, “Yao Yao, when you have time, try to comfort Pei Chuan more. That child is quite pitiful.”

Little Bei Jun, just over a year old, understood nothing. Like a small round ball, he stumbled and tottered, wanting to throw himself into his prettiest sister’s arms. “Sister!”

His voice was thunderously loud. Only then did Bei Yao come back to her senses. She hugged him briefly, then returned to her room.

That little notebook with secrets written in it had been left in a box gathering dust.

Bei Yao blew away the dust and opened it again.

For the first time, she reflected—what did it really mean to her? No one would understand this feeling. Her rebirth—because her mind had been trapped, she could only grow up like an ordinary child. Those memories that increased with each passing year, as if someone had forcibly imposed them on her, often made Bei Yao feel they weren’t real. The little notebook, however, was a letter from her future self to her present self.

Nearly fifteen years, and she still couldn’t see through it.

Being kind to her parents—that she understood.

But who was Huo Xu?

Pei Chuan was clearly very good, so why did her future self call him a “devil”?

She instinctively and subconsciously treated Pei Chuan well, yet lacked the ability to use a child’s mentality all along to rewrite his life.

A man whose code name could be called “Devil”—what exactly had he done? Was it related to his current broken family?

Bei Yao told herself to stay calm.

She had always lived very authentically, not bound by the additional memories, not becoming an arrogant person. Her memories were scattered and incomplete. She could only take things one step at a time.

However, Bei Yao also hadn’t expected that when school started, Pei Chuan would give her such a huge “surprise.”

~

At the end of August, Pei Haobin had already established a romantic relationship with Jin Xiaoqing.

Jin Xiaoqing said, “I have a daughter, one year younger than your son. She’s quite obedient. If we really get together in the future, she’ll definitely have to live with us. Will your son mind?”

Pei Haobin frowned with difficulty.

However, the woman’s disappointed expression made him start. He said, “I’ll treat your daughter like my own biological daughter. Xiao Chuan has been lonely since childhood, and because of my profession, I caused him to lose both legs. I hope you can be understanding toward him. I’ll talk to him about it.” He grasped the woman’s hand and said, “Don’t worry. Before, because of my career, I neglected my family, which created today’s situation. In the future, you and the children are the most important people in my life.”

The woman was coaxed into smiling. “Of course I trust you.”

Far away at home, Pei Chuan also smiled.

He smoked for the first time, his two fingers holding a “Zhonghua” cigarette. This thing was quite expensive in the early 2000s, and it choked him into coughing.

However, after listening to their entire conversation, he had already finished three cigarettes.

He learned everything quickly, including smoking.

His heart didn’t feel as terrible as when he was first abandoned. He was even more calmly destroying the programs in his father’s phone remotely. The phone in Pei Haobin’s pocket dimmed.

Pei Chuan nonchalantly pressed the lighter.

He had said that lies in this world had nowhere to hide before him, so why did his parents have to try them one by one?

This was Pei Haobin’s first time accompanying a woman to a café, but it wasn’t with his mother—instead, he was deeply affectionate toward another woman he had “fallen in love with at first sight.”

Pei Chuan found it amusing, so he really did laugh.

In the swirling smoke, he threw down the cigarette butt and stamped it out.

He thought that in the future, he wouldn’t need a father, wouldn’t need a mother, wouldn’t need a family, and wouldn’t need a lover. Then naturally, life would be easier. Previously, he had yearned for family, always trying to live like an ordinary child—not skipping grades, obediently listening to the teacher. But he suddenly discovered all of this was laughable. Who was he performing for?

They would all leave. What he cherished, he had been continuously losing all along. No matter how tightly he held on, even with his superior intelligence and extensive connections, he couldn’t keep them.

Supporting himself at fifteen would be difficult for others, but for Pei Chuan, it was very simple.

If he was willing, he could even provide well for his father’s retirement. However, the violence and despair growing day by day deep in his heart told him that not sending his father off to his death would be the last mercy.

Pei Chuan lit the lighter. The firelight illuminated his cold eyes.

Good thing, good thing he was going to Third Middle School. Otherwise, Bei Yao would be frightened, right? With her nature of loving to smile yet being timid, she had always hated people like him most.

This kind of well-behaved good girl was destined to have no connection with him in this lifetime.

On September first, the law that it must rain whenever school starts was proven true again. Bei Yao held an umbrella, protecting her backpack, calling Pei Chuan. “Where are you? I’ve arrived at the bus stop and don’t see you.”

Pei Chuan sat with legs crossed in a taxi in the distance, gazing from afar at the young girl’s slender, beautiful figure.

Light rain pattered down. Countless passersby turned back to look at her. The young girl’s exquisite, gentle beauty was fragile and easily broken. He tugged at the corner of his mouth and smiled. “I lied to you. Are you stupid? Who the fuck wants to go to Sixth Middle School with you? Go by yourself if you want. I left long ago.”