Gu Bei grew up in an orphanage until he was adopted by Grandpa Xie as his foster son at the age of ten, and only then did he truly become part of the family. So he had tasted the warmth and coldness of human relationships and knew how to repay kindness.
In Grandpa Xie's words, when he first saw Gu Bei, there was a hint of fierceness in this kid's eyes. He believed that Gu Bei would surely make a good successor.
Gu Bei did grow into an outstanding and unique talent as Grandpa Xie had hoped, if that car accident hadn't happened.
"Gu Bei, you've locked yourself in the room for over a week. What on earth do you want?" Grandpa Xie rapped on the door with his walking stick. "Jingwei is gone. You still have to live on!"
Xiaomei stood beside him, sobbing while twisting her handkerchief. "Master, Young Master's heart is already dead."
"Ridiculous!" Grandpa Xie stamped his foot, feeling sad for Gu Bei's misfortune and angry at his self - abandonment. "If such a thing can destroy him, he's not a son of the Xie family!"
Gu Bei, curled up in the room, heard every word clearly but didn't want to give any reaction. His heart had truly died out in the raging fire that night.
"Jingwei..." He spread his fingers over his eyes, and tears trickled down through his fingers.
His original intention was to quietly take Xia Jingwei away from the troubled place for a while so that Vincent couldn't find her and hurt her. After he ended his feud with Vincent, he would tell her the truth. Even though they might have a tough time, he firmly believed that their love could overcome all obstacles and they would eventually be together.
But why did the accident happen?!
It was he who had personally sent the woman he loved most on a one - way journey. Endless guilt and remorse tortured him day and night, gnawing away at his last bit of flesh and blood, and not even sparing his soul.
He sighed in his heart, wishing he could die. If he died, would he be able to reunite with Jingwei in the underworld?
Gu Bei closed his eyes wearily. Sleep had been a luxury for him for a long time. Maybe because his body couldn't hold on any longer, he gradually fell into a deep sleep.
He seemed to be dreaming of a very, very distant story, the first time he met Jingwei.
Before the age of ten, he had received a simple education in the orphanage. Although he didn't learn much, he was smarter than his peers. After being adopted, Grandpa Xie sent him directly to a private noble school and respected his biological parents by letting him keep his original surname.
Most of the students in the noble school were from wealthy families. They were all arrogant and looked down on this adopted kid. Not long after the class assignment, several boys in the same class locked Gu Bei in the girls' restroom and wouldn't let him out.
Gu Bei was so angry that his face turned red. He heard them cursing outside. "A bastard dares to use the same restroom as us?"
"Disgusting! Look at his dirty appearance. He looks so unlucky!"
"Hey, just drop out of school!"
"Ah - is there a pervert in the girls' restroom who won't come out? I'm going to report to the teacher!"
Some female students screamed outside. Gu Bei pounded on the restroom door until it broke. His fists were covered in blood and bruises.
In the end, the teacher didn't discipline the naughty students, and out of respect for Grandpa Xie, didn't hold Gu Bei accountable for damaging public property.
After school, Gu Bei went to a pharmacy on the street to buy some gauze and disinfectant. He sat alone in a park not far from the school to bandage his wounds.
His finger joints were smashed and scabbed, which annoyed him. He wanted to pick at them when suddenly a face leaned over. "You're Uncle Xie's newly adopted son?"
Gu Bei would remember for the rest of his life that in the evening sunlight, the girl with the backlight had eyes that seemed to be filled with stars. She tilted her head and continued, "You can't do this. It'll leave scars. Let me help you?"
Without waiting for Gu Bei's response, she snatched the things from his hands, took out a handkerchief from her pocket, and poured some disinfectant on it. "First, we need to clean the wound, and then apply the medicine."
"O - okay..." Gu Bei murmured softly. "It's so troublesome. I used to just deal with it casually. Ouch -" He gasped in pain. The girl laughed. "You know it hurts. Then you should take better care of yourself."
After saying that, she lifted Gu Bei's hand and started to wrap the bandage around it. "You didn't buy any medicine to promote wound healing. I'll bring you some tomorrow. My family has a secret ancestral recipe. It's very effective."
"You..." Gu Bei hesitated to speak. There was actually a hint of joy in his heart. It meant he could see her again tomorrow.
"Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Xia Jingwei."
She didn't deliberately emphasize her family background, but Gu Bei could tell that she was beautiful and well - bred. She must be the daughter of a wealthy family.
"My name is Gu Bei."
"I know. You're quite a well - known figure in school now."
Gu Bei felt extremely embarrassed and turned his face away. "I'm not well - known. I'm just an ant being stepped on."
"Don't you ever say that!" Xia Jingwei held Gu Bei's cheeks and said seriously, "If you admit your own incompetence, you'll be incompetent forever!"
Gu Bei pouted. "I know my own worth."
How could a young lady like her understand his hardships? Gu Bei thought, and the joy he had just felt vanished. Then he broke free from Xia Jingwei's hold and said, "Don't bring me the medicine tomorrow. I can handle it myself. Goodbye."
Their first meeting ended in an unpleasant way.
It was precisely because she was so good and so dazzling, like the sun, that Gu Bei didn't dare to get too close for fear of getting burned. But he didn't expect that the more he tried to avoid her, the closer Xia Jingwei got.
"I found you!"
During the lunch break, Gu Bei went to the cafeteria to buy a boxed lunch and found a secluded corner in the school to eat alone. Xia Jingwei emerged from behind the bushes, holding a newly bought drink.
"Here, have a drink." She stuffed a cup into Gu Bei's hand, sat down beside him, and started sipping through the straw.
"You'd better not get too close to me." Gu Bei moved aside. "They'll talk bad about you behind your back."
"Let them talk. I'm myself. Do I need others to tell me what to do and what not to do?" Xia Jingwei said casually. But Gu Bei still worried. "Your book was hidden by them a few days ago, wasn't it?"
"Yeah," Xia Jingwei got angry just thinking about it. "I went to buy a new one later."
"If you stay away from me, this kind of thing won't happen." Gu Bei was being honest. It was he who had caused trouble for Xia Jingwei.
"I'm willing to."
"Why do you insist on being friends with me?" Gu Bei was always puzzled. What was so good about him? He was just an adopted son, not fit to be in the spotlight. There were plenty of wealthy and glamorous people in school. It wasn't worth it for her to be friends with him.
"Because you're handsome!"
"Pfft - cough, cough, cough!" Gu Bei had just taken a bite of the shredded pork with green peppers and almost choked. His face turned bright red. He didn't usually pay much attention to his appearance. His bangs naturally hung on his forehead, and he dressed quite simply. Although Grandpa Xie had bought him many famous - brand clothes, he didn't like them. He preferred his old style, a simple white shirt and blue jeans. He didn't even wear the school uniform properly. He often didn't wear a tie or tuck in his shirt.
He was the very definition of unkempt.
Xia Jingwei leaned over, lifted his bangs, and looked at him for a while. "Yes, you're really handsome no matter how I look at you."
"And I can feel that there's a beam of light on you, a very bright one. You'll surely achieve great things in the future."
"Are you a fortune - teller or something?" Gu Bei said jokingly. Xia Jingwei smiled mysteriously. "A woman's sixth sense."
Strangely enough, Gu Bei actually believed her. And it was because he believed her at that time that he gradually built up his self - confidence under Xia Jingwei's guidance and became a successful man as she had expected.
"Jingwei... Waa..." Gu Bei was immersed in the nightmare, still murmuring the name of his beloved. Grandpa Xie stood by the bed. Seeing the tears on his face, his fingers tightly clutching the bedsheet, and the deep frown between his eyebrows, he felt extremely heart - broken.
Then he picked up his phone and called Yuan Zhentian. "Old Yuan, I'd like to discuss something with you. Okay, see you later." After hanging up the phone, Grandpa Xie sighed at Gu Bei. "I don't have much time left. This is all I can do for you."