Still in the small visitation room.

Outside, the sunlight was brilliant. When Pei Chuan pushed his wheelchair over, in this season of late summer and early autumn, she stood there prettily, smiling at him.

Pei Chuan admitted his breath caught for a moment.

She wore a silky white long-sleeved top, with a very simple pair of ultra-short shorts below. Her legs were slender, delicate, and fair. He was a man now, no longer the little boy who used to sit at the same desk with her drawing boundary lines.

The first time he had a wet dream, it was about her. In the dream, the girl cried out softly and sweetly. Later, when he woke to bright daylight, what remained for Pei Chuan was overwhelming pain and despair.

Sometimes he hated this male instinct—why deprive him of healthy legs yet still fail to diminish ugly desires?

He had always treated her with the purest admiration, rarely tainted by lust. Pei Chuan could love her for a lifetime just by watching from afar.

But seeing Bei Yao like this, he realized for the first time that this wasn’t enough.

Bei Yao tilted her head. She was actually a bit embarrassed too, but after Pei Chuan’s stunned reaction, his face turned pale, and she panicked a little.

Clearly… other people didn’t react this way. Did she not look good?

This time Pei Chuan spoke first. He said: “Yao Yao, have you been well recently?”

She nodded, bringing the purest joy, and moved a small stool beside him: “Very well. The moonflowers at B University bloomed, Bei Jun has grown a lot taller, and he writes me letters every month.”

The only thing not good was that she couldn’t see him often.

Pei Chuan was silent for a moment: “Have you met any other boys who made your heart flutter?”

She was stunned. Although long, long ago she’d understood that Pei Chuan was leaving her an escape route, this was the first time he’d said it so directly.

Bei Yao felt somewhat angry. She bit her lip: “What do you mean?”

Pei Chuan didn’t avoid her gaze. He looked into her eyes and said: “Six years is very long. I haven’t been good to you. When you’re cold or hungry, I’m not by your side. Yao Yao, you’ve taken physiology classes, so you understand that grown-ups have desires. The opposite sexes attract each other. You’ve waited for me for a long time—there’s nothing you’ve done to wrong me. It’s me who hasn’t had time to treat you well. If you have someone you like, and he treats you well…”

Bei Yao was stunned with anger. She’d dressed up beautifully to see him. And he was telling her that when people grow up, regardless of gender, they have desires, and what if she liked someone else.

She felt both embarrassed and angry, interrupting him: “If I like someone else, should I sleep with him?” She never said such explicit, shameful things, but this time Pei Chuan had really angered her. Why wouldn’t he believe she’d grown up, wouldn’t believe her sincerity?

His face paled, and he rebuked: “Yao Yao! You know that’s not what I mean.”

She was extremely angry: “That’s exactly what you mean. You always think I should like someone else.”

Bei Yao still remembered when Qin Dongni whispered to her. She’d thought Pei Chuan would be so delighted to see her. Before coming, she’d secretly anticipated Pei Chuan’s reaction, but instead he’d nearly made her cry with anger.

Bei Yao had never quarreled with Pei Chuan before. This was the first time. She was afraid the joy of seeing him would turn into tears the next moment. Gritting her teeth, she stood up, planning to leave.

He was the worst scoundrel who hurt people the most.

Holding back tears, suppressing the shame in her girl’s heart, she stood up to leave.

The next moment someone grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. The man held her tightly, his fingers so forceful they turned white.

He restrained the extremely angry young girl, holding her tightly: “That’s not what I meant.”

She sat on his lap, held tightly by him, tears on the verge of falling. Two years, and only now did she feel wronged.

Pei Chuan said in a low voice: “I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry. Don’t go, don’t go.”

Every time he saw her, he had to wait through countless days and nights. It was almost all his expectation and hope. For this one meeting, Pei Chuan could endure endless loneliness.

He didn’t want to upset her. God knew how much he wanted to treat her well.

But many things that she couldn’t face squarely were chronic illnesses in his heart.

Bei Yao couldn’t bear to leave either. Each time she saw him, she’d waited just as long. Seeing each other once wasn’t easy—they couldn’t afford to quarrel. She spoke with a girl’s nasal tone: “Then I’ll forgive you this time. Don’t say such things in the future, or I won’t forgive you.”

He said softly: “Okay.”

Only then did she extend her tender arms, hugging the man’s neck, her small head nuzzling against his neck: “How can you be so infuriating?”

He pressed his lips together silently, gently touching her hair. With a treasure and sadness she didn’t understand.

He gently kissed her hair. Bei Yao felt a bit ticklish and broke into a smile through her tears.

However, her curiosity sometimes ran strong: “Why were you upset and angry just now?”

Pei Chuan rarely got angry in front of her—he was very good at accommodating people. For him to say hurtful words, something must have touched a sensitive nerve.

Pei Chuan didn’t want to lie to her, but in front of her, he absolutely could not discuss disability and desire.

He remained silent.

Bei Yao thought about it and said quietly: “You don’t like me dressed this way. If you think it doesn’t look good, I won’t wear it anymore.”

His throat felt dry as he said softly: “No, it looks very good.”

After all, she was still innocent. Having received praise, she forgot the earlier unpleasantness and said happily: “You look good too.” She didn’t forget to add, “The best looking.”

He smiled slightly, his heart full of tender affection he couldn’t express.

His praise for her came from the heart; she looked at him only because of emotional attachment. In his current wretched state, he couldn’t possibly deserve the young girl’s compliment of looking good.

Pei Chuan wouldn’t impose his situation on her.

Everyone is young only once. He had no way to accompany her through youth’s storms and trials, but he hoped she had her own life and didn’t need to be concerned about anything because of him.

This was the first time he held her like this. A man’s chest was broad—even two years of imprisonment couldn’t offset the boxing training from previous years.

His muscles were firm as he held her, both sitting together in the wheelchair.

Truthfully, Bei Yao felt this was quite novel.

She didn’t hold grudges and wasn’t easily angered. After venting her anger, she loved life’s happy moments even more.

This man was sensitive. When he was young and she saw him in the wheelchair, displeasure would show on his face. Now, holding her while sitting together in the wheelchair was a major concession for him.

Her cheeks buried in his chest, she suppressed a smile of joy and shyness.

Visitation time passed, and Bei Yao had to leave.

Pei Chuan watched her graceful figure disappear from view. For the first time, he felt an indescribable anxiety.

~

Cheng Zhenghai said: “Pei Chuan, something on your mind?”

“No.”

“Come on, kid. We’ve been together day and night for almost three years. Today you stopped coding more than ten times. Don’t treat me like an outsider. The mistake I made was much more serious than yours—I still have to stay inside for another ten years or so. I won’t broadcast your little matters to the whole world. Let me calculate—you can get out next year, right? This year is already the third year.”

It was currently “outdoor recreation time.” Pei Chuan didn’t like communicating with people, but today his thoughts were too heavy. Looking at this senior who’d entered prison for his daughter, he spoke: “I’m afraid I can’t give her a future.”

Cheng Zhenghai said: “That’s not how you should talk. Look at you—people like us in biochemistry won’t be poor no matter what. What do you do? Electronics technology and software development! The future era is the information age. Your brain is so useful, you’re practically a mobile vault. Building a golden house for your little girl would be no problem. Plus you know technology—when you get out, you’re totally a scientist.”

Seeing Pei Chuan remain silent, Cheng Zhenghai continued: “Look at today’s college students—besides textbook knowledge, what can they do? If they want to become scientists, they have to finish undergraduate studies, then pursue graduate degrees and doctorates, constantly publishing papers and achieving certain academic results before they deserve the title of scientist. And you? Four years of practical experience. How much have you created? You know, and the country knows. When you get out, you won’t be on the same level as your peers.”

Pei Chuan glanced at him, gritted his teeth, but in the end said nothing.

The main issue was, to marry someone, to live together—they’d have to have… marital relations, right? He could give her the purest love, pamper her for a lifetime, but for him, taking off his clothes and pants was harder than dying.

Childhood events were like a shadow hanging over his head. Little him sitting outside the door, his mother and father arguing in the room—he heard with his own ears that closest woman’s fear when mentioning his stumps.

Pei Chuan was a piece of flesh that fell from Jiang Wenjuan. If even this closest woman feared and was disgusted by him, what about Yao Yao?

When he was four, Pei Chuan always believed Jiang Wenjuan’s words—eat well, sleep well, men don’t cry, when you grow up your legs will grow back and you’ll be whole again. But when he got a bit older, he understood that he’d be like this for the rest of his life.

He could practice boxing, build muscle and physique, but even with daily massage, the stump portions would atrophy and look ugly.

Even he found himself ugly and unbearable to look at—how could he show it to a pretty, innocent young girl?

Yao Yao didn’t understand these principles. As a normal, able-bodied man, Old Cheng when with his wife wouldn’t have such concerns. So they didn’t understand his struggle and pain.

However, seeing Bei Yao today, besides being amazed, there were those chaotic, sensual dreams from his youth, and the immense painful shame upon waking.

Marrying someone meant being responsible for her whole life. Just giving love was sometimes not enough.

But these matters—who was appropriate to discuss them with? In the end, he could only endure alone the pain of a dull knife cutting flesh.

Pei Chuan couldn’t let go, but a responsible man wouldn’t only consider immediate benefits and pleasures.

This was also why he never touched Bei Yao.

If one day she understood that he couldn’t even give her a normal life, she’d know how terrible he was. The more love, the more concerns, even fearing she’d show the slightest unusual look.

Sometimes Pei Chuan would often think, if only she weren’t so pretty and wonderful. She had the most beautiful face, a young and alluring body. So much so that he was too far from her—even their inherent conditions didn’t match.

Normal people wouldn’t understand.

Those who understood couldn’t possibly tell outsiders.

This conversation ended with only Old Cheng thinking he’d persuaded this young person. Cheng Zhenghai truly thought highly of this young man. Pei Chuan could basically make any type of software—mastering one meant mastering all. Usually, what Pei Chuan didn’t understand, he desperately studied.

The “Seventh Prison” had one advantage that all universities outside couldn’t match—there were outstanding physics professors, biochemistry experts, and even disciples of seniors who once researched hydrogen bombs.

Every single one was a talent when released, industry experts who’d committed mistakes that could be corrected.

Someone like Pei Chuan, once out—wow, that would be incredible. Scientist reserved. With that skill for writing code, money would be effortless.

Later one day, Cheng Zhenghai remembered something important: “Pei Chuan, does your little girl know you’re this capable?”

Ahem… the kind of capability that’s heaven-defying at making money.

Pei Chuan’s expression was cool, his thin lips uttering three words lightly: “She doesn’t know.”

Cheng Zhenghai had asked casually, not expecting such a surprising answer.

Old Cheng’s eyes widened: “Then does she know you can get out next year?” At least she must know she won’t have to wait too long for you!

Pei Chuan was silent for a moment: “She thinks there are still six years.”

“…”

Cheng Zhenghai didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “You kid.”

How to put this? Whose precious treasure is that girl? She doesn’t know anything. Would she also think, like people outside, that when Pei Chuan comes out he’ll just be a penniless poor boy with nothing? Oh, and the kind who’s been in prison and will have trouble finding work.

Plus foolishly thinking she has to wait another six years.

Pei Chuan, aren’t you afraid that when you suddenly get out, she’ll be angry you deceived her and dump you?

Moreover, willingly waiting “six years for a penniless poor boy with nothing”—what kind of precious treasure girl did Pei Chuan find!