Pei Chuan walked to the old residential complex on a cold spring night in March.

Jin Ziyang was exceptionally anxious: “Brother Chuan, if you go deliver money to them like this, you’ll be thrown out.”

After all, from Zhao Zhilan’s perspective, Huo Xu had impure intentions toward Bei Yao, and Pei Chuan also coveted their daughter—there was no difference.

Zhao Zhilan would feel uncomfortable accepting money from either of them. Pei Chuan said: “I know.”

“So you’re still going?”

Pei Chuan shook his head: “Not going.”

“Then… you’re not competing with Huo Xu anymore?”

Pei Chuan’s eyes darkened. The night wind blew on them, unbearably cold. Pei Chuan’s heart was full of concerns, light and dark interweaving. Zhao Zhilan wouldn’t accept Huo Xu’s money, and even less would she accept his own money.

Pei Chuan was extremely clear—just as Jin Ziyang said, if Zhao Zhilan looked down even on Huo Xu, why would she look favorably upon him, a disabled ex-convict?

Getting Zhao Zhilan to accept him was difficult, very difficult.

Pei Chuan said: “You go back. I have a way.”

“Brother Chuan, your expression is making me very nervous. You won’t do anything foolish, will you? Don’t—I’m panicking.”

Pei Chuan said: “Don’t make wild guesses. Go back!”

Jin Ziyang pulled out a card: “There’s 300,000 here. How about?” How about keeping that five million card for now and giving this card to Zhao Zhilan’s family first?

Pei Chuan’s eyes were pitch black: “Not needed. I won’t be sending money over tonight.”

Jin Ziyang didn’t understand what Pei Chuan wanted to do. He looked back three times with each step, but ultimately still left.

Pei Chuan looked up. The lights in Bei Yao’s home were on. In the dark night, he quietly watched in that direction, the man’s back straight as a pine tree. The cold wind didn’t chill his body—his heart was churning in magma.

After a long while, the lights in Bei Yao’s home went out. Pei Chuan sent her a text message—

[Yao Yao, I’m downstairs at your home]

~

When Bei Yao received this text message, she thought she’d read it wrong. She was shocked beyond measure—wasn’t Pei Chuan still serving his sentence?

However, the number was indeed the one he’d used before.

With a strong sense of crisis, she quietly looked out from the window, seeing an indistinct figure in the darkness. She recognized that it was indeed him.

Bei Yao was shocked in her heart and hurriedly put on a coat and went downstairs quietly.

These past two days, Zhao Zhilan had been raising money to repay debts. Now that she’d finally fallen asleep, Bei Yao feared waking her mother, so her footsteps were very light.

The spring breeze was chilly. Bei Yao walked in front of him, and Pei Chuan looked down at her.

Half a year without seeing each other—each time seeing her was difficult for him.

He hid his concerns and smiled at her.

Bei Yao said: “You… didn’t you still have several years?”

Pei Chuan said in a low voice: “Sentence reduction. It’s over.” When he said this, cold sweat seeped from his palms. He feared she’d question why he hadn’t told her in advance, and also feared that during this time she might have already fallen for that wealthy young master Huo Xu, thus feeling disappointed hearing the news of his release.

She seemed unable to believe it, tilting her head to think.

He remained silent, waiting for her final judgment.

Time passed slowly, each minute and second. She suddenly threw herself into his arms. The man’s body carried the cold air of the spring night, slightly cool.

She smiled very happily: “You’re completely free from now on?”

The cold place in his heart melted bit by bit. He extended his arms to hold her, his voice hoarse, saying softly: “Mm.”

Bei Yao said: “That’s really wonderful. If you’d told me earlier, I could have come to pick you up. I heard that when leaving prison you should set off firecrackers to dispel bad luck, right? Shall we do it tomorrow?”

He held her tightly, saying: “Okay.”

Bei Yao didn’t mention Huo Xu to him. In her eyes, this was a big problem. The notebook mentioned Huo Xu with hatred, keeping it deeply secret. Pei Chuan had just been released from prison with nothing—she didn’t dare let Pei Chuan get into trouble again because of this matter.

Bei Yao said: “What are your plans for the future?” Would he go back to live at the Pei family home?

Pei Chuan’s black pupils reflected her image: “I’ll find a proper job and work hard to improve myself, okay?”

She nodded, very happy: “Mm!”

Pei Chuan was silent for a moment, adding as calmly as possible: “The salary won’t be too low.”

She thought about it: “None of that matters. The work should be safe, not too tiring. We’ll take it slowly.” She knew Pei Chuan was someone who worked very hard.

Bei Yao felt some regret that Pei Chuan hadn’t attended university. She didn’t know what life in prison was like. Bei Yao wasn’t disdainful of him, but rather felt heartbroken that he’d clearly been the top scorer in the college entrance exam, yet his life was now missing a section, turning gray afterward.

In the past two years, her roommates had talked about it a lot. She also worried he couldn’t find a good job. None of this mattered—she could support him. But her Pei Chuan already had an inferiority complex. She feared he’d be sad.

Pei Chuan’s Adam’s apple moved: “Yao Yao, you’re graduating next year. What are your plans?”

She thought about it: “I want to become a pediatrician. After graduation, I’ll intern first, then we’ll see after becoming a full employee.”

He pressed his lips together. Her plans for the next few years didn’t include… marrying him.

Twenty-one years old was too early for a girl. She wouldn’t think of getting married at this age no matter what. When young, people like striving and freedom. At her age, she definitely wouldn’t like being constrained by marriage.

His voice was slightly hoarse: “Yao Yao, I’ll treat you very well in the future.”

She didn’t understand why Pei Chuan would suddenly say such things. However, Bei Yao’s eyes were bright, somewhat shy, and she nodded lightly.

He was looked at by such innocent eyes, his heart aching. Thinking of what he was about to do next, Pei Chuan felt both guilty and fearful. He said in a low voice: “If one day I do something you don’t like that much, will you blame me?”

Bei Yao asked puzzled: “What would be something I don’t like?”

Pei Chuan said: “For example… interfering with your future.”

She thought seriously: “If it’s very serious, then I would be angry. I’d be angry about things I don’t like, so please don’t do things that make me angry, okay?”

He was silent for a moment, touching her hair: “Okay.”

The night wind was somewhat cool. He gazed into her eyes, his heart both expectant and bitter.

In this lifetime, he’d deceive her one last time.

Huo Xu had given him a very serious sense of crisis. Jin Ziyang asked him, wasn’t he going to compete? How could he not compete? He would never not compete!

Not only would he compete, he’d directly compete for the final result.

He wanted to marry her.

But Bei Yao temporarily hadn’t thought about marriage. Her thinking was very simple, like most girls—after graduation, intern and find work, then date for a few more years before choosing a suitable person to marry. Pei Chuan thought, if he let her choose after a few years, perhaps she wouldn’t choose him.

After all, as he’d said before, in a person’s lifetime they’d encounter many things, could have many choices, would have their hearts stirred, would change their hearts. He’d wanted to give her a chance to understand the world, but now someone told him he might lose her.

In his second year of high school, he’d made up his mind to never again be despicable toward her, to always respect her final choice.

But Huo Xu’s matter made the fear dormant in his heart suddenly arise.

He couldn’t wait, couldn’t wait, and even feared giving Bei Yao time to make choices.

Yes, Pei Chuan wasn’t perfect. He had no high education, didn’t know how to coax people, his current savings weren’t much, and he even had an unbearable body and past. But so what?

So what… he was a man. He had to compete.

If things developed normally, Zhao Zhilan would never accept him in her lifetime. But this Huo Xu matter, if used well, was Pei Chuan’s chance for a desperate counterattack.

Pei Chuan admitted he was despicable, but he had to force Zhao Zhilan to make a choice, to make her hand over her precious treasure to him.

Staying outside too long was cold. Bei Yao felt the coldness from the man’s embrace, not knowing how long he’d been in the wind.

She said: “Tomorrow let’s go buy firecrackers to celebrate your release from prison. I’ll be returning to school very soon. We’ll see each other then, okay? My family is busy these days and I can’t be with you. In a few days I’ll be with you.”

She thought about it, fearing Pei Chuan had no money for lodging, yet not daring to bring him home—Zhao Zhilan’s temper was very volatile these days.

Bei Yao felt around in her outer coat pocket and pulled out all her money to give him: “Make do staying in a hotel for now. Tomorrow shall we go look for an apartment?”

He didn’t take her money: “I have money on me.”

Bei Yao knew he was sensitive, so she didn’t force it: “It’s cold outside and very late. Pei Chuan, rest well. I’m going home too.”

Pei Chuan suddenly gripped her wrist.

Her eyes were very gentle and tolerant, carrying a smile: “What is it?”

Pei Chuan pressed his lips together: “Can I… kiss you?”

Her cheeks grew hot. After all, she was shy, her fingers interlacing. After a long while, she nodded. This kind of question… why ask it out loud?

He lifted her chin, lowered his head, his lips falling on hers.

Pei Chuan cupped her face, his Adam’s apple rolling.

The wind was very cold, but his lips were very hot.

Tonight there was no moon in the sky. The man’s broad palm moved downward, stopping at her soft neck. The girl’s skin was warm, very soft. It made one want to touch roughly—his fingers’ pressure also grew heavier. His rough fingertips caressed, making her tremble slightly under his palm.

Bei Yao thought dizzily, remembering during freshman year when she once stumbled upon Qin Dongni and her boyfriend passionately kissing. At that time, she’d quietly exclaimed, so intense.

But tonight… tonight…

After a long while, she was panting. Pei Chuan’s thumb gently wiped the corner of her lips.

The man said hoarsely: “Go home.”

Her face flushed completely. Her walk was light and floating. When she returned to her room and closed the door, she covered herself with the blanket, only then feeling her wildly pounding heart, especially clear in the dark night.

~

The next day, Bei Yao went to buy firecrackers and secretly set them off together with Pei Chuan.

Pei Chuan temporarily stayed in a hotel. Watching Bei Yao finish setting off the firecrackers, she hurried home again. He remained very calm throughout.

Jin Ziyang was like an ant on a hot pan, unable to gauge Pei Chuan’s thinking. Jin Ziyang was dying of anxiety.

“Brother Chuan, Auntie Zhao must be very anxious. If you don’t send money over now, do you really want to wait for Huo Xu to beat you to it?”

Pei Chuan wiped his fingers: “Mm.”

“Holy shit! What did you say!”

When they were young, everyone knew how much Pei Chuan liked Bei Yao. This time… was there really no way?

Pei Chuan said: “Let him pressure Auntie Zhao.” He was silent for a while. “Jin Ziyang, have you heard the saying: the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind?”

Jin Ziyang: “…Although I’m not cultured, I have heard of this.”

Pei Chuan nodded, saying calmly: “Auntie Zhao and Uncle Bei won’t let me marry Yao Yao. Not this year, not next year, not in this lifetime. If I had a daughter, I also wouldn’t let her marry a disabled person.”

Being so straightforward about… calling himself disabled—was this really okay?

Jin Ziyang coughed, somewhat embarrassed.

Pei Chuan’s pupils were pitch black: “So, I need to make them have no choice but to agree.” When he said this, he actually wasn’t that calm. He also knew his own despicability, feared that making Bei Yao lose her choice now would make her hate him. So his gaze lowered, falling on that vigorously growing plant in the corner.

Jin Ziyang: “…”

He felt somewhat afraid.

What the hell was going on? Was he serious? What method could make someone marry their daughter to you right now? Was he sick!