Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Gurgling, the icy lake water filled the car, flooding Ye Zhiqiu's mouth and nose.

His last bit of strength was about to give out. Ye Zhiqiu looked regretfully at his trapped right leg, then gave up struggling and instead used all his remaining energy to lift his eyes toward the surface of the lake, which was growing increasingly distant.

No one would come to save him; Ye Zhiqiu knew this well.

Construction was ongoing around the lake, and few people passed by.

If he hadn't been so distraught after signing the divorce papers with Qi Xin today, he wouldn't have ended up on this road by mistake.

Perhaps this was the last time he would see light, Ye Zhiqiu thought...

He stared unblinkingly at the ripples on the lake's surface, now gleaming with dazzling silver from the sunlight, and even Qi Xin's words that had echoed in his mind all along became distant and blurred.

"He's tired," Qi Xin said expressionlessly at the dining table, "I want to give him a home."

Seeing that Ye Zhiqiu remained silent, he could no longer hold back, "Let's get divorced."

Now, the divorce was finalized, and the so-called "family" had long since severed ties...

The heavens had treated him fairly; from birth until now, he finally had the chance to be truly himself.

With a self-mocking smile, Ye Zhiqiu's lips released a series of tiny bubbles.

His short thirty years of life seemed to condense into a micro-film, each bubble carrying a scene.

The camera pulled back rapidly, frame by frame, revealing nothing but ruthless scheming and harm.

One after another, they showcased the malicious manipulation and plotting that had defined his life, presenting it all before him once again.

The light on the lake's surface grew smaller and more distant, and Ye Zhiqiu could no longer struggle.

His eyelashes felt heavy as lead, slowly drooping as he sank into boundless darkness.

.

Lights flickered, music blared.

The disco ball spun rapidly to the rhythm, illuminating the couples dancing intimately in the dance floor.

The opening dance track was particularly lively, making even the booth far from the dance floor feel noisy.

In a daze, Ye Zhiqiu felt hot and loud.

Annoyed, he reached up to loosen his collar and suddenly heard whispers nearby.

"I heard the runner-up in this fashion competition is very famous in France, hailed as the most promising new designer in the past thirty years. He entered with full confidence but was unexpectedly beaten by Xiao Qiu."

"My Boss Qiu is still my Boss Qiu. With this championship, offers from major brands both domestically and internationally are pouring in, ensuring a comfortable life ahead." another voice added.

"When has he ever had any worries? Who among us lives better than him?" the first voice chuckled, "As for you, you're young but think too much."

"Comfortable?" the second voice rose slightly, tinged with anger, "How can someone be comfortable when they are talked about like that at a banquet? And I checked—it wasn't the first time."

"..."

This seems to be...

The conversation between Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao at the club on the day of his nineteenth birthday, when he won the international fashion competition?

Ye Zhiqiu's heart skipped a beat, but he dared not open his eyes.

Afraid that once opened, everything would turn into an illusion, dissipating instantly.

Sometime during his relationship with Qi Xin, he gradually distanced himself from his friends.

He couldn't remember how long it had been since he last saw Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun bickering and chatting away.

As for the "talk" about him that Li Shaojun mentioned...

It happened a few days before the victory banquet, when Li Shaojun accidentally overheard it while picking up his mother at a business dinner.

Ye Zhiqiu didn't know the specifics, only that the talk originated from a seemingly casual remark made by his stepmother, Tao Ruoqing.

Ye Zhiqiu lost his biological mother as an infant and was raised by Tao Ruoqing.

Though she was his stepmother, Tao Ruoqing had always spoiled him, even more than her own two children.

Both inside and outside, as a "stepmother," Tao Ruoqing was almost faultless.

Naturally, Ye Zhiqiu regarded her as his own mother, and their relationship had always been close.

So, his first reaction upon learning about this was merely a dismissive laugh.

Thinking it was just an innocent slip of the tongue by Tao Ruoqing.

Young and arrogant, Ye Zhiqiu was fiercely protective of his family.

On this day, because of Li Shaojun's harsh words about Tao Ruoqing, he expelled him without hesitation from their private gathering of friends.

He really was...

Ye Zhiqiu suddenly wanted to laugh, but his eyes welled up uncontrollably with pain.

He protected his stepmother, his brothers, and even Qi Xin later on...

But what was the result?

They plotted against him, leaving him bleeding and drained.

Instead, it was these two people in front of him who had once desperately tried to pull him out of his suffering.

Ye Zhiqiu focused intently, greedily sifting through the cacophony of sounds to catch their voices.

After all, such precious moments might vanish in an instant, and this could be his last chance to hear them speak.

He wanted to listen to them talk more.

Even if they were just the ten-years-younger Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun, even if their voices still sounded a bit immature.

He remained fully concentrated.

Until another voice unexpectedly intruded.

"Hey, you two should tone it down," the voice was calm and quiet, unlike the chattering of Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao. "Xiao Qiu hates it when people talk about his family. Didn't he even ignore his uncle's face last time? What if..."

It was Tang Yue.

Instinctively, Ye Zhiqiu suddenly opened his eyes, meeting Tang Yue's gaze for a moment.

The booth's lighting was actually quite soft, but Ye Zhiqiu still felt a sting and closed his eyes again.

On the other side, Tang Yue stood there with his mouth half-open, stunned.

In that instant, Ye Zhiqiu's eyes were icy and sharp like blades, causing Tang Yue to instinctively flinch, his breath nearly stopping.

When he regained his senses, he found that Ye Zhiqiu had already closed his eyes again, as if what had just happened was merely an illusion.

The dim light in the booth made Tang Yue quietly exhale, perhaps he had indeed seen wrong.

But just as this thought arose, Ye Zhiqiu opened his eyes again.

This time, however, he did not look at him.

Ye Zhiqiu was looking at Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun, very seriously and attentively.

His gaze no longer held the initial coldness and sharpness; instead, it became tender and affectionate.

Ye Zhiqiu was incredibly handsome, especially his eyes—light brown with a hint of gray, deep and beautiful. When he looked at someone intently, it seemed full of emotion, almost as if they could speak.

And with his slightly upturned, elongated eyes, he naturally exuded a charming arrogance when he was angry.

Yet both the cold sharpness from before and the current tenderness and focus were unfamiliar to Tang Yue.

Ye Zhiqiu was always cheerful and flamboyant, like a clear, transparent lake that one could see straight through, not the enigmatic person he appeared to be now.

Before Tang Yue could think further, Jin Baobao had already noticed that Ye Zhiqiu had woken up.

"Bro, how are you feeling? Still have a headache?" He asked in a flurry, gently touching Ye Zhiqiu's forehead. "It's all those bastards' fault for getting you so drunk at lunch."

"Maybe I should take you home," Li Shaojun chimed in, "I kept saying you were too drunk, but you wouldn't listen. Come on, everyone has off days. Let's reschedule for next time, we've been friends for years..."

He turned to ask Tang Yue, "Right, Le Le?"

"I agree," Tang Yue nodded with a smile. "How about I get some warm water? It's better to drink some water before leaving."

As he spoke, he got up and headed towards the bar.

"How about some hot water..." Li Shaojun's words trailed off suddenly, his voice filled with panic. "What's wrong? What's wrong? Is this really our Brother Qiu? Why are your eyes red?"

Ye Zhiqiu was stubborn and proud, never one to admit defeat or compromise. This was the first time Li Shaojun had seen him with red eyes since childhood, and he panicked.

But Ye Zhiqiu couldn't speak.

Because at that moment, he clearly felt the warmth of Jin Baobao's palm and smelled the scent of baby cream on him.

Jin Baobao had sensitive skin and used baby cream all his life, though it was sweet, it smelled good.

Additionally, there was the fresh scent of sea salt from Li Shaojun's cologne, which still smelled pleasant even mixed with alcohol.

Li Shaojun was vain and loved dressing up, even having his cologne custom-made by a perfumer. Ye Zhiqiu would never mistake it.

If this were just a post-death hallucination, it shouldn't feel so vivid and real.

Although Ye Zhiqiu couldn't see himself, he could clearly see Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun—they were still in their teenage forms.

So lively, so vibrant...

As if he had truly returned to the night of his fate's turning point at nineteen.

This thought made Ye Zhiqiu pause involuntarily, followed by a heavy thump in his heart.

Instinctively, he clenched his fists, the short nails digging into the soft flesh of his palms, bringing a sharp pain.

Ye Zhiqiu remembered clearly that at the celebration banquet, he had been forced to drink a lot by those second-generation kids, so he fell asleep in a corner shortly after arriving at the club.

And the scene before him felt like he had just woken up from that nap, as if everything he had experienced afterward had never happened...

He had only taken a brief nap, waking up still young and spirited, with all the pain and hurt being nothing more than a fleeting dream.

Seeing him silent and unmoving, both Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao panicked. "What's wrong, Xiao Qiu? Don't scare me."

Li Shaojun moved closer. "We're all here."

Ye Zhiqiu tightened his lips and struggled to speak after a long while.

"It's fine," his voice was slightly hoarse as he asked, "What's the date today?"

Even though he had already guessed the date, he couldn't help but confirm it again.

"Today is November 7th, the start of winter, and the day of your victory party," Jin Baobao and Li Shaojun exchanged a worried glance upon hearing this. "Xiao Qiu..."

How could Ye Zhiqiu possibly forget such an important day?

"This morning, I did drink quite a bit." Seeing their cautious and concerned expressions, Ye Zhiqiu suddenly smiled.

"Oh my God, you scared me to death just now," Jin Baobao straightened up, still shaken, patting his chest. "I was saying."

"Come on, let's go home." Li Shaojun didn't wait for Tang Yue's hot water anymore; he bent down to help Ye Zhiqiu up.

Ye Zhiqiu raised his hand to stop him and leaned further into the booth.

"Let's sit here a bit longer," he said. "Didn't we agree to have a drink together tonight?"

"Shaojun," he looked up at Li Shaojun. "Get us the best wine. Little Master will treat everyone tonight, and we'll drink until we drop."

"Sure, like that would work," Li Shaojun scoffed. "Do you think you're sober enough right now?"

Jin Baobao also disapproved: "Can you even handle it? We don't need to force it."

"I'm only nineteen, why can't I?" Ye Zhiqiu lifted his eyes with a half-smile, kicking Li Shaojun lightly on the leg as usual. "Go on."

In those brief moments, Ye Zhiqiu had confirmed through various means: he had been reborn.

Reborn to this pivotal day in his life.

He didn't leave because he knew Tang Yue wasn't actually getting him hot water; he was inviting Qi Xin.

Tang Yue had been watching him all along, even when he was asleep.

That's why their eyes met so coincidentally when he first opened them.

The reason Li Shaojun and Jin Baobao's conversation turned to Tao Ruoqing was entirely due to Tang Yue's subtle and deliberate guidance.

That's why last time, he had driven Li Shaojun away, giving Qi Xin an opportunity.

Otherwise, with Li Shaojun's temper, any hint of impatience from Ye Zhiqiu would have prevented Qi Xin from ever approaching him.

Qi Xin was invited by Tao Ruoqing to attend his victory party.

He was handsome, but unfortunately, there were too many young talents at the party, making him blend in without standing out.

The party started at noon and went on until past four in the afternoon. Ye Zhiqiu only glanced at Qi Xin twice.

The first time was when Tao Ruoqing introduced Qi Xin to him, and the second was when Qi Xin came over to toast him in congratulations.

By the end of the party, Ye Zhiqiu had already forgotten about him.

But that night, shortly after he drove Li Shaojun away, Qi Xin suddenly appeared with a bouquet of red roses, declaring his love in front of everyone.

Ye Zhiqiu was no stranger to admirers.

He had seen such scenes countless times and never took them seriously.

Yet, Qi Xin seemed to know him well, hitting his weak spot precisely that night when he was drunk.

What he once thought was fate now seemed like a carefully planned scheme.

And Tang Yue was part of this scheme.

Tang Yue was Tao Ruoqing's man, something Ye Zhiqiu discovered much later.

Later, when he had no chance of recovery, Tang Yue was brought into the entertainment industry by Ye Zhixia and her husband, becoming a renowned stylist. That's when he confirmed his suspicions.

It was then he learned that Jin Baobao's argument with Tang Yue was also for his sake.

After that intense argument, Jin Baobao got into a car accident and lost a leg.

All for him.

A cigarette box sat on the table corner. Ye Zhiqiu lowered his gaze and idly tapped out a cigarette.

He didn't light it, only playing with it between his slender fingers.

Wasn't Tang Yue supposed to invite Qi Xin?

Then he would wait.

Wait to return all the misfortune and humiliation Qi Xin had inflicted on him—

In full measure.