Pei Chuan was not sick, he was more awake than ever.
This was a very cautious game of chess. When he was in the “Seventh Prison”, he had heard the seniors talk about the Huo family. The Huo family’s ancestors were involved in the army, later they went into business. This was not simple.
The Huo family used to have power and money, and it was not less than now. Although this was gossip material during the “prison free time”, Pei Chuan, who has a good memory, took note of it.
Despite Huo Xu’s good family background, this kind of family has a lot of unspeakable secrets.
Normal people knew that they couldn't intervene in other people's funerals, but Huo Xu did.
Even though Pei Chuan did not understand why he was this eager, it was certain that Huo Xu was desperate to please Bei Yao. The seniors said that the Huo family used to be glorious. They were considered high-class celebrities in the entire B City, but then the Huo family’s head—Huo Yan—and his wife—Jiang Huaqiong—divorced.
For some reason, Huo Yan gave up most of his property to his wife Jiang Huaqiong.
However, it seemed that the powerful Jiang Huaqiong was not Huo Xu's own mother.
This matter made Pei Chuan think deeply. He was waiting for loopholes, waiting for a perfect situation to take an opportunity to strike back.
~
Bei Yao’s duration for leave of absence has ended, and she has to return to B City to continue her studies.
Zhao Zhilan gritted her teeth and returned all the money back to Huo Xu. After this time, their family was penniless again.
Zhao Zhilan was remorseful. If it hadn't been for Zhao Xing's madness that day, she wouldn't have to face this trouble, and let Huo Xu interfere.
But... who the hell would spend 150,000 on funerals ah!
However, after they returned the money, Zhao Zhilan felt relieved.
When Zhao Zhilan sent Bei Yao to take the train, she said to Bei Yao, "Yaoyao, I always think that Huo Xu is not very good. Tell mother the truth, do you like him?"
Bei Yao shook her head quickly.
Zhao Zhilan said, "Although he looks outstanding, the more I think about it, the more I am restless. You should not put this matter in your heart, I and your father will slowly save up the money. Once the favor is returned, we will not owe him anything. When a girl is looking for a boyfriend, character is the most important thing, you know?"
Bei Yao smiled. “I know, I have grown up and will be working soon. You and dad could be more relaxed in the future.”
Zhao Zhilan’s eyebrows relaxed and she revealed a smile.
Bei Licai said, “It’s good as long as our family is safe and sound. I have a job now. What do we have to worry about?”
Bei Yao took the train to get to B City, while Pei Chuan had gone back in advance.
At this time, the flowers in the B University’s garden have bloomed. Bei Yao was in her fourth year and would graduate in a year.
Bei Yao had taken a leave of absence for a while and her roommates were happy to see her back.
But everyone also knew that Bei Yao's grandmother passed away, so they didn't mention this matter. They were afraid of making her sad, so they only played around to make her happy.
Bei Yao liked her lovely and kind roommates very much. She tilted her head and laughed. “There’s also good news.”
Everyone looked at her curiously.
Bei Yao said, “My boyfriend is out of jail.”
Everyone: “......”
The corner of Wang Qiankun's mouth twitched. "Didn't you say it was eight years? How long has it been? Four years?"
Bei Yao nodded. "He's not bad. He did well, so he’s out."
Qin Dongni accepted it rather easily. Everyone has a different way of living, it’s just that Bei Yao would have to work harder in the future. She smiled and said, “Okay, congratulations.”
However, they had not seen Bei Yao’s boyfriend yet when on the second day, a sports car stopped in front of their dormitory building.
Huo Xu was in his suit and leather shoes; the convertible sports car was filled with roses.
All the girls looked at him from upstairs and were amazed. It was a luxury car and a handsome brother. He was also sincere, he had been waiting from afternoon until the evening self-study.
It was unknown who broke the news that this was the Young Master Huo who had just returned to B City!
His ancestors once had a marshal, and now the Huo family were very rich ah!
Everyone was in a frenzy!
Huo Xu stood up straight, but he was actually a little nervous. Bei Yao had ignored him again and again, and she deliberately avoided him when they met by chance. Zhao Zhilan was also stubborn to pay back all the money.
So, Huo Xu could only chase Bei Yao brazenly.
When everyone was increasingly looking forward to which lucky girl it was, Beiyao came back from her evening self-study.
Seeing Huo Xu, her expression subconsciously turned cold.
Huo Xu’s eyes lit up, but he himself probably didn’t realize that the joy he felt when seeing Bei Yao after waiting for a long time was not an act. A little bit of it leaked from his heart, so subtle that he did not dare to explore more about it.
He hurriedly took out flowers from the car. "For you."
There were a lot of people watching from the dormitory building, everyone saw that it was Bei Yao and they understood it in their hearts. After all, she was the school flower, only such a beautiful girl would make Huo Xu wait for her all afternoon.
Under the envy of all people, Bei Yao took a step back, her voice was crisp and clean. Along with the night’s blowing wind, a lot of people heard her say, “Young master Huo, I have a boyfriend.”
These words stunned the crowd, and the roars abruptly stopped.
Huo Xu’s face sank.
He couldn't tell if it was because he couldn't get it or because of something else.
Huo Xu said, "As long as you are not married yet, you can still break up with your boyfriend. I can wait.”
This sentence sounded domineering and a lot of girls had stars in their eyes.
Bei Yao found it laughable, she did not hide her disgust. “This is the first time I heard someone talk about taking a ‘mistress’ boldly. Young master Huo, please conduct yourself with dignity.” Bei Yao went upstairs without looking back.
Qin Dongni gave a thumbs up. "Yaoyao is awesome!" Oh my God, Huo Xu's face was almost blue.
This problem was not over yet. The next day, it was unknown who had spread the news that the school flower had a boyfriend.
But it has been four years, and no one has seen Bei Yao have a relationship with anyone. How could the school flower have a boyfriend?
Everyone tried to guess who it was, and some people said, “Impossible, it’s mostly a lie Bei Yao made up to refuse Huo Xu.”
For some time, there were many different opinions.
~
Headquarters of Jinjiang Corp.
Shao Yue panicked and secretly called Huo Xu, "A Xu, you haven’t caught her yet?"
Huo Xu was also very upset. "No, she said she... has a boyfriend."
When he said this, he did not notice his tone of voice. Shao Yue, however, heard the hidden resignation and loss.
Shao Yue is jealous ah!
Is it possible that Huo Xu really likes that Bei Yao? Didn’t he say he will love me for a lifetime? But love is nothing in front of life!
Shao Yue suppressed her jealousy and sadly said, “Think about it, the day we returned to China, we had a car accident, Jiang Huaqiong that crazy woman will not let us go. She has been investigating what happened back then and firmly believed that her son was killed by you. I didn’t want to die. I did everything for you 5 years ago; I want to stay with you forever.”
Hearing Shao Yue talk about the difficult past, Huo Xu clenched his teeth. “Don’t be afraid, I will protect you.”
Five years ago, when Huo Xu was in B City, except for Shao Yue, he only had contact with Bei Yao on that rainy day.
Shao Yue had paid a lot for him, and even got her face ruined. Huo Xu vowed at that time to never put her in danger because of his brother Huo Nanshan.
Only if he was together with Bei Yao and acted as if he crazily liked her could he temporarily divert Jiang Huaqiong’s attention. Confuse her about the truth of that year, and get a chance for Shao Yue to live.
Huo Xu started to investigate the “boyfriend” that Bei Yao mentioned.
He also thought that what Bei Yao said was just an excuse, but he didn't expect that she really has a boyfriend!
When he got the information, Huo Xu's expression was extremely ugly. Why would he lose to such a crippled man who has been in jail!
Pei Chuan! The top student during the college entrance exam four years ago. He was able to get the information of that day from the news.
Huo Xu knocked down the things on the table, and the secretary stood tremblingly outside the door.
Huo Xu may not even realize it at that time, but there was more of a sense of loss and anger, than calm displayed on his face.
You can like a cripple, but cannot like him instead? Why will you not look at him?
~
In April, a shocking melon* suddenly exploded on the campus!
*t/n: Gossip.
The school flower’s boyfriend was a man who went to jail in high school! Moreover, he was a man without calves!
In just a few days, the rumor had spread all over the school grounds.
Some people questioned. "No way, so many people are after her, how is it possible?"
Some people believe it. “How is it impossible? Think about it, her boyfriend was in jail a few years ago, no one has ever seen him come to see Bei Yao. Also, Bei Yao recently admitted that she has a boyfriend, which is most likely true.”
The Christmas Camelia tree has blossomed. Bei Yao was holding her medical book while walking; several girls covered their mouths and laughed.
Their voices were not small. “I thought the school flower has good eyesight, that she would look down on whatever suitors she have. I didn’t expect her to like that kind of man ah, she should have said so earlier.”
Bei Yao pursed her lips and held her books tightly.
She didn't care about these public opinions. She had known early on that when she and Pei Chuan went public, a lot of people would say unpleasant words. But when she heard this person talk about Pei Chuan in such an unbearable tone, she couldn’t help but be angry.
Wang Qiankun had a hot temper, and immediately sneered. “It’s other people’s business, why do you care! Some people have a cheap mouth and look ugly!”
The girl retorted, “Huh, at least I am not blind ah. And I’m not talking about you, what are you jumping around for?”
Wang Qiankun squeezed his fists and said, "I just want to beat people like you."
However, she hadn't done anything yet when Bei Yao coldly said, "What kind of man did you say I like? Make it clear."
The girl was a little scared, but when she still wanted to say something to save her face, she was dragged away by her friend.
Wang Qiankun swung her fist at her back. “This kind of person should be beaten up.”
Bei Yao also wanted to fight, but she took a deep breath and shook her head. "Qiankun, let's go back to class, there are... too many of this kind of people."
Such people would never realize how vicious their verbal violence was.
Sure enough, in the next few days, many people talked about it with disdain. It's impossible to stop it even if you hit them one by one, after all, the mouth grew on people. You could stop one person but you couldn’t stop everyone.
In the third year of high school, although Pei Chuan's leg was exposed, his classmates silently cheered for him.
But this time was different, he has the identity of a criminal.
This identity would not be tolerated by others.
In addition, there were some people behind this. The rumor intensified, even saying that Pei Chuan has been released from prison but was an unemployed young man.
~
Jin Ziyang was furious when he heard about this. "Chuan Ge! Who is so poisonous, I'll kill him."
Pei Chuan sneered. "It's Huo Xu, go ahead."
Jin Ziyang: "......"
Pei Chuan had already gone to the research institute, and Jin Ziyang was simply stunned when he learned that he was a scientist. In the eyes of school dregs like him, scientists were god-like entities.
Jin Ziyang knew that the reformation of Chuan Ge was awesome, but others didn’t know ah!
Pei Chuan’s face was calm, there was neither inferiority complex nor distress.
Jin Ziyang took a careful look. "You are not angry ah."
What the people outside were saying was hard to hear: what cripple, toad, criminal…
Pei Chuan turned on the computer and calmly said, "This is good."
He was originally a toad, but he was sure that he could eat the swan meat.
Hadn’t he heard enough of such rumors since childhood? Compared with Huo Xu's investigation speed, Pei Chuan's was faster.
He was a computer expert, and he has not rested enough this month. Pei Chuan did not try to give a penny to help Zhao Zhilan nor did he prevent the spread of rumors.
Pei Chuan devoted himself to investigating the past of the Huo family.
It turned out to be a surprise.
His slender and cold fingers tapped on the keyboard, and a picture of Shao Yue appeared.
This woman secretly returned to China on a plane five years ago. Of course, there were two important people: Jiang Huaqiong and Huo Nanshan.
Five years ago, Huo Nanshan died in B City. The head of the Huo family, Huo Ran, divorced Jiang Huaqiong and shielded his illegitimate son Huo Xu and sent him away.
Jiang Huaqiong couldn't find out the cause of Huo Nanshan's death, the surveillance has been erased, and Pei Chuan naturally also couldn't. But it did not prevent Pei Chuan from thinking about the reason why Huo Xu was chasing Bei Yao.
Jiang Huaqiong was very powerful, yet she was a crazy woman who had lost her son.
Huo Xu wanted a shield for Shao Yue!
He met her in B City, she was beautiful enough, able to move people’s hearts—enough to make Jiang Huaqiong believe that she was the true love of Huo Xu.
They chose Bei Yao.
Pei Chuan closed his eyes and forced himself not to be angry. Anger would not solve the problem. He wanted Huo Xu and Shao Yue to pay the price, but his hands have to be clean. Pei Chuan still wanted to... take advantage of this to marry Bei Yao.
For parents, what else was more terrifying than having someone who wanted to harm their daughter?
He knew he was despicable. Instead of letting their daughter marry a healthy man who would put her life in danger, they had to accept him… a disabled man.
Pei Chuan sorted out these materials.
He was not in a hurry. Wasn't he just being laughed at?
Pei Chuan waited until Huo Xu became a cornered dog that would jump over a wall*, before putting pressure on Zhao Zhilan and Bei Licai.
*t/n: A desperate man would risk anything/to be driven into a corner.
~
The rumors at school haven’t subsided yet and Huo Xu once again chased Bei Yao. He sent everything: flowers, sports car, houses, and tried his best to dissipate the rumors and protect Bei Yao’s reputation.
Bei Yao didn’t accept anything.
He used a hundred and one methods; all were rendered useless. She hated Huo Xu unconsciously from her heart, and from the content of that piece of paper. Even if he performed better, Bei Yao would ignore him.
The wall on her heart was very high. Whoever she liked, she would sincerely like them for a lifetime.
For the same reason, whoever she hated, she would stay firm and unwavering.
Huo Xu clenched his teeth. Okay, you don’t want to accept me, isn’t it!
Your family is always willing! That greedy and useless uncle of yours would definitely be willing.
And Bei Yao’s parents probably still weren’t aware that their daughter was dating a crippled man who had just been released from prison. Huo Xu was thinking, compared to such a man, everyone would definitely support Bei Yao to be with him!
He has no time, even if he couldn’t get Bei Yao’s favor, he must marry her.
If they don’t agree, then what’s wrong with forcing them into marriage! His family is not ordinary. Even more so that now, a small part of the Huo family belongs to him. He must marry her!
In fact, he sometimes wondered, if he couldn’t marry Shao Yue openly, then with Bei Yao… he actually didn’t reject it in his heart.
Huo Xu left for C City.
It’s okay, he could get her household registration book first.
~
Pei Chuan smiled, he was really glad Huo Xu thought so.
In the afternoon he closed the computer and called Bei Yao.
She didn't know anything yet.
Bei Yao just woke up from her nap; her voice was a bit dazed and soft. "Pei Chuan, you’re not busy anymore?"
Pei Chuan said he had something important to do, and Bei Yao guessed that it was to find a job. In order to take care of her boyfriend's pride, she didn't ask about his situation.
Pei Chuan said, "No, but it will be soon."
She blinked, not fully awake yet. “Oh..” Bei Yao was still sleepy.
Pei Chuan spoke with a low voice, “I really like you, Yaoyao.” Love you very much.
She laughed. “En. I know.”
He said, “Don’t hate me, okay?”
She rubbed against the pillow and said softly, “Okay.”
He didn’t speak for a long while.
It wasn’t until Bei Yao fell asleep again and he heard the steady breathing over the phone, when he said earnestly, “I will treat you well in the future.”
I will never let you down in this lifetime.
After the dust settles, please don’t despise me and be angry.