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Chapitre 1

Prologue: Past Events

Yu Lele was only 12 years old when she met Xu Chen.

Many times afterward, Yu Lele would find it amusing to recall her time as deskmates with Xu Chen. She could still vaguely see him with one foot on her chair, his smug expression truly infuriating. He was good at English, she wasn't, and the English teacher loved to punish students who answered questions incorrectly by making them stand in the corner. So, every English class, Xu Chen would occupy the entire desk, putting on a seemingly well-behaved and honest face, but deep down, he was utterly smug and malicious. At that time, Yu Lele seemed never to have considered what kind of future they would have.

If God gave Yu Lele another chance to be 12 years old, she guessed she would still curse him a thousand times, ten thousand times in her heart, cursing him to choke on water, stutter, and trip over his own feet.

Looking back now, 12-year-old Yu Lele and Xu Chen were destined to be enemies.

Until her father's death—a Santana sedan that caused an accident and fled the scene, taking her father's life when Yu Lele was 14 years old.

In fact, Yu Lele could tell that after learning about her ordeal, Xu Chen had suddenly stopped playing all his pranks: he began to help Yu Lele wholeheartedly, such as secretly pushing a notebook in front of her when she encountered difficult English problems, comforting her when she was sad and crying, and telling her that hope was always ahead when she was in despair...

Is it sympathy? Perhaps.

Yet, I am clearly very happy.

Having friends who care, who love, who listen to you when you're feeling down, and who even tolerate your tears staining their clothes—these are moments she can truly cherish.

I thought time would flow by quietly, that the tall, handsome, and outstanding boy was merely my deskmate who had turned from enemy to friend, nothing more. But fate is a strange thing; it takes a subtle turn when you least expect it—the moment the truth comes to light, all that care, gratitude, and the friendship that was lost and then regained are torn apart.

She never imagined that the driver who caused her father's sudden death would be escaping justice under the protection of Xu Chen's father!

Yes, she only knew that Xu Chen's father was the police chief, but how could she have imagined that this chief, who held the sword of justice in his hand, had lost the heart of fairness!

Xu Chen's father was imprisoned when he was 17, and from that day on, Xu Chen and Yu Lele became like strangers.

Those were the most aggrieved and heartbreaking times for her: her friendship with Xu Chen was abruptly severed by the feud between their parents, leaving her resentful yet unable to overcome the situation; she studied diligently in the regular class, but never had the chance to enter the honors class; the college entrance exam seemed imminent, but whether her grades would be good enough for university was a complete mystery; a boy from the next class constantly harassed her, and rumors were rampant throughout the grade, leaving her powerless to defend herself; her mother remarried, and although her stepfather was a good man, she still harbored a lingering annoyance and resentment…

Even today, Yu Lele still feels lingering fear whenever she thinks back to those days.

But in all fairness, those resentments towards Xu Chen, those misunderstandings towards his mother, and those disappointments with the world around him now seem like self-inflicted wounds.

I was just young then, and it was hard to be rational when so much suffering was weighing on me.

Fortunately, I am growing.

Although the road to growth was so tortuous and bumpy, I still made it through in the end, didn't I? Gradually, I stopped despairing, gradually I stopped feeling lonely, and gradually I melted the hatred into water that could be dried in the sun. In the winter of her 17th year, when Xu Chen lost his eligibility for admission to university and ran away from home, the moment she learned the news, she seemed to understand in an instant: she no longer hated Xu Chen. As long as he was alright, she didn't hate him at all.

She traveled across the city to find him, unsure if he was there, but she remembered him saying that when he was feeling down, he would sit on a mountaintop. She ran quickly up the mountain, the path so slippery, falling and getting back up. She felt no pain, only a clear fear rising within her—she was afraid, afraid that just because she was a step too slow, she would never see him again.

It wasn't love back then, was it? It was just complete trust and reliance between friends. It was simply a certainty: he couldn't be hurt; he was her friend!

That day on the mountaintop, he embraced her for the first time.

She would remember that hug for the rest of her life: awkwardness, timidity, shyness, nervousness...

She knew that as the son of a prisoner, what he needed at that moment was comfort and warmth. But she was still very nervous; she remembered her legs trembling, her brain shutting down, and her blood pressure soaring.

Haha, what a loser.

Fortunately, Xu Chen finally returned to normal after that day. He studied hard for the exam and was eventually admitted to the provincial medical university. He also accompanied her through the crisis of her mother's surgery—he was present throughout her many ordeals.

Perhaps it was because of everything she had gone through that she finally understood her mother's heart, her loneliness and vulnerability, and the subtlety and beauty of emotions in this world. She accepted her stepfather, and also accepted his son—the little boy named Yu Tian who suffered from a spinal hemangioma.

Then I realized that there are many people in this world who are more unfortunate than I am, and I have absolutely no reason to feel sorry for myself.

After six years, Yu Lele finally understood: So-called growth is about forgetting the things we thought we would remember for a lifetime, and remembering the things we thought we would definitely forget.

Fortunately, it's not too late.

At 18, she received her admission letter to the Chinese Literature Department of a teachers' college. That day, as Yu Lele looked at the red admission letter, she seemed to vaguely see a bright new life beckoning to her.

She thought, tomorrow, everything will be new.

New family, new school, new relatives, new friends, new dreams...

A new life.

1-1

On Thursday evening, the girls in dormitory 206 were having a lively discussion about finding dance partners for the weekend's dance party.

The tall Xu Yin was very frustrated: "There are more girls than boys in our Chinese Literature Department. Does that mean I can only dance the male steps?"

As the pretty southern girl Yang Luning picked out a suitable dress, she grumbled, "Don't even mention it, I'm already prepared to dance without a partner."

Tie Xin, a girl from Northeast China, stood in front of the table, applying a face mask as she said, "If I had known there were so many girls in the Chinese Literature department, I should have studied science and engineering. Now I'm really wasting my youth!"

Only Yu Lele remained silent, sitting at the table reading a magazine.

Xu Yin walked past Yu Lele and, seeing how engrossed Yu Lele was, leaned closer. She saw that it was a magazine called "Shanghai Fashion," with rows of beautiful clothes worn by pretty female models, which was very tempting to look at.

Xu Yin patted Yu Lele on the shoulder: "Hey, Lele, are you going to the dance party this weekend?"

Yu Lele looked up, a big smile spreading across her face: "Go!"

Xu Yin was startled: "Why are you so happy? It's just a dance party!"

Yu Lele remained silent, continuing to bury her head and chuckle as she read her magazine. Tie Xin, however, held out her hand in front of Xu Yin's astonished face, her hand still covered in a strange white, paste-like substance, which startled Xu Yin, causing her to take a step back.

Tie Xin said, "Don't you know? So-and-so is coming."

"Who is it?" Xu Yin was still confused.

Yang Luning laughed: "Who is that? Who else could it be? Look at the way she's smiling, who else could it be?"

"Oh!" Xu Yin exclaimed in realization, "Xu Chen is coming!"

Yang Luning walked over with a smile and grabbed a lock of Yu Lele's hair. Yu Lele took the opportunity to look up and grinned at her roommates in front of her: "I have a dance partner now, haha."

Yang Luning pinched Yu Lele's cheek, amused and annoyed at the same time: "You're so mean, you always bring up the things you don't want to talk about!"

Yu Lele didn't speak, but she couldn't hide her smile. She would see Xu Chen tomorrow, so wouldn't it seem hypocritical to say that she wasn't happy right now?

Love is a tricky thing. It can come stealthily, but once it takes root in your heart, it becomes swift and powerful, like a gushing waterfall, roaring and surging, making it irresistible and leaving you only able to stride forward with surging emotions.

So, Xu Chen, are you happy?

On the train from the provincial capital to his hometown, Xu Chen slept in the upper bunk.

The train rattled along, the upper berth swaying violently, accompanied by the deafening snoring of some passenger below. Occasionally, someone would impatiently pound the board separating the berths, but to Xu Chen, the sound was dull and heavy, seemingly filled with deep resentment. Xu Chen wearily closed his eyes and sighed inwardly.

Three days ago, the student party branch discussed Xu Chen's application to join the party, and Xu Chen was not selected.

The reason is simple yet cruel: Xu Chen's father is a prisoner, a former police chief, now a jailer. As his son, even if it's not considered "the son paying for the father's debts," he might not even pass the political review for joining the Party.

No one denies that Xu Chen is excellent, but the concept of "excellence" often becomes weak and powerless due to various additional conditions.