Chapter 41 His Ending He Died in the Cold Winter…

Chapter 41 His Demise

He died in the cold winter...

"The first time I saw you, I thought you were too wild and full of youthful vigor. Though arrogant back then, you were also incredibly free."

"I truly admired you then," Yu Kui said softly. "Now that the College Entrance Exam is over, you should be even freer, pursuing the life you genuinely desire."

"Your achievements are the fruit of your own hard work."

"The person you should thank the most is yourself."

She didn’t turn around, but her voice drifted on the breeze to Xie Xingzhi’s ears. "Never discount those efforts. Learn to love yourself."

"Look at you, playing the little teacher again," Xie Xingzhi sighed softly. "Do you still like me as a delinquent?"

"I liked the freedom you embodied back then."

"I’m even freer now," Xie Xingzhi declared. "After starting university, I’ll be infinitely better than I was. Don’t you worry about me."

"That’s good," Yu Kui said, her eyes curving into a smile. "You should head back now. It’s quite late."

"You know it’s late, yet you still plan to go back alone?" Xie Xingzhi walked to her side. "I’ll see you to your doorstep."

"The town is very safe," Yu Kui said, a hint of helplessness in her voice. "Nothing will happen."

"What does that have to do with me walking you home?" Xie Xingzhi glanced at her. "I’m walking you back for my peace of mind. No matter how safe it is, it has nothing to do with my feelings."

Yu Kui paused for a moment. "Alright, let’s go."

She walked briskly ahead. "Was it very troublesome for you to come here? You had to change buses after getting off the plane."

"No trouble at all," Xie Xingzhi said. "I just worried you'd ignore me. It would’ve been a real shame if I couldn’t see you."

"How could I possibly ignore you?"

"How could you not?" Xie Xingzhi retorted. "You reply to my messages so slowly."

Yu Kui fell silent. After what had happened, she had been too mortified to face Xie Xingzhi.

"If I hadn’t come, would you have just ignored me?" Xie Xingzhi asked.

"No." She just needed time to compose herself before seeing him again.

"That’s good. I don’t want to lose you as a friend," Xie Xingzhi said with utmost sincerity.

"I know. We’ll always be good friends, I promise." She pointed to a nearby courtyard. "Thank you for walking me back."

Xie Xingzhi followed her gaze to a beautiful two-story house with a yard full of flowers, from which a faint floral scent wafted.

"Yu Kui."

"Hmm?" The girl turned around, and Xie Xingzhi slipped a small gift box into her hand. "Happy birthday."

Yu Kui hadn’t expected a gift from him. "What is this?"

"Open it when you get back." Xie Xingzhi curved his lips into a slight smile and said softly, "May you be worry-free, safe, and sound."

"Thank you." Yu Kui had lost count of how many times she had thanked him that night, her heart feeling wonderfully warm.

"No matter what you think," Xie Xingzhi said, "you will always be my most important friend. I cherish our relationship and hope we can remain friends forever."

Yu Kui lowered her gaze, her emotions a complex swirl.

Xie Xingzhi subtly raised his hand, as if to embrace her, but the moment he met her eyes, he reined himself in and took a step back. "Go home. And don’t you dare ignore my messages again."

Yu Kui waved. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

Xie Xingzhi smiled at her, then turned and walked back the way he'd come.

Yu Kui stood rooted to the spot, only snapping back to reality when he vanished from her sight.

"Is that a boy who likes you?" Yu Kui's mother opened the courtyard gate, startling Yu Kui.

"Mom," she turned around, "you heard our conversation?"

"I didn’t mean to eavesdrop," Yu Kui's mother said, looking up at the sky. "Your dad and I were enjoying the evening cool in the yard. You two just happened to be talking by the wall."

Yu Kui: "..."

"Who is that boy?" Yu Kui's mother asked. "A friend you met in town?"

"No."

Yu Kui's mother had only heard Xie Xingzhi’s voice and hadn’t seen his face; otherwise, she would have recognized him instantly.

"He’s the classmate who visited me in the hospital before," Yu Kui explained. "He knew it was my birthday today and came to see me."

"Ah?" Yu Kui's mother was taken aback. "He came all this way? He must have significant intentions."

Yu Kui: "..."

"I thought that male classmate was handsome, tall, and polite back then. Be honest, does he like you?"

"No." Yu Kui shook her head. "We’re just friends."

"How could that be?" Yu Kui's mother didn’t believe it. "If he doesn’t like you, why would he travel so far to see you? Is he that bored?"

Yu Kui: "...Mom, haven’t you heard of pure friendship between classmates?"

"No." Yu Kui's mother looked at her daughter’s face. "You’re so adorable. He must have ulterior motives."

Yu Kui: "..." Other parents would worry about their daughters dating too early. Why wasn’t her mother worried at all?

"You’ve graduated now, and you’re an adult. It’s perfectly normal to want to date. I support you."

Yu Kui took a deep breath. "Mom, I’m not thinking about that right now."

"Alright, alright," Yu Kui's mother took her hand. "Date if you want, don’t if you don’t. I won’t interfere."

Yu Kui couldn’t help but laugh, following her mother into the house.

Back in her bedroom, Yu Kui opened the gift from Xie Xingzhi. Inside was a necklace adorned with sunflowers, exquisitely crafted, which immediately captivated her.

There was also a small card in the box—

"Bloom toward the sun and never surrender." Yu Kui touched the words on the card, her feelings complex as she recalled the novel’s plot.

In "The Original Lover," Xie Xingzhi, like Yu Kui, served as a foil to highlight the love between Qin You and Tao Jiang—both were antagonistic figures in the story.

Like Tao Jiang, Xie Xingzhi came from a deeply unhappy family background.

His mother was a housewife lacking independent living skills, while his father was often away, maintaining numerous affairs.

At home, he not only endured his mother’s endless complaints but also constantly clashed with his father.

He used to excel academically, but as he grew older, he increasingly doubted the purpose of his existence—perhaps without him, his mother wouldn’t be trapped in a miserable marriage or forced to make sacrifices to raise him.

He wallowed in self-pity and willingly descended into self-destruction.

It wasn’t until the second semester of his high school senior year that he realized education might be his only chance to change his fate. He studied frantically, hoping to get into university and escape his deeply dysfunctional family.

Eventually, he was admitted to a decent university and thought he could bring his mother with him to escape. But how could a woman subdued by abuse and financial reliance break free from her entrenched life situation?

No matter how painful it was, she chose to stay with her husband.

Xie Xingzhi felt bewildered and resentful but couldn’t change her deeply ingrained worldview.

After graduating from university, he found a job in a city far from home, believing he could escape forever.

But his controlling parents located him and demanded that he return to the family. When Xie Xingzhi refused, his father argued with him in his rented apartment, which eventually ended in tragedy.

Xie Xingzhi died on that cold winter day.

When Xie’s father picked up a kitchen knife during their argument, he slashed his carotid artery.

Xie’s mother could have called the police, but when she saw the icy stare in Xie Xingzhi’s eyes, she instinctively helped her husband subdue their son, crying and accusing him of being an unfilial son. If not for his heartlessness, she claimed, she wouldn’t have suffered so much...

With Qin You’s help, Tao Jiang broke free from the shackles of her family.

But no matter how hard Xie Xingzhi tried, he couldn’t free himself from his obsessive parents.

He served as a foil to Tao Jiang and a narrative device used by the author to highlight certain themes.

Yu Kui could scarcely comprehend the pain Xie Xingzhi endured day after day living in such a family.

No wonder he had seemed so envious that day when she mentioned her mother cooking for her.

It wasn’t until she finished the book that Yu Kui understood his life.

If Tao Jiang could survive in the cracks and find a balance to maintain her dignity, Xie Xingzhi was a solitary fighter, full of defiance, unwilling to bow his head.

His life should have been smooth sailing, but it was destroyed by his unscrupulous parents, leaving him in despair.

Yu Kui understood his pain but was wary of getting too close to him. He was a character in the story, from a severely dysfunctional family.

She feared being swept up in his turmoil, which could affect her and her family’s fate.

The author dismissively sealed his fate with a light tone, but he was a fully realized character.

While worrying about these things, Yu Kui also felt terrified for his future. She wanted to rewrite his life but was afraid she lacked the power to do so.

When fighting her own fate, she had already given her all—could she really openly defy fate itself?

Yu Kui was hesitant to attempt it.

The next afternoon, the family of three returned home by plane.

As Yu Kui followed her parents, walking briskly, she happened to run into Qin You coming out of the apartment building entrance. He was smartly dressed, his hair styled with gel.

"Uncle, Aunt," Qin You said, taken aback upon seeing them, greeting them politely.

Yu’s mother nodded but showed no intention of speaking to Qin You, guiding Yu Kui away without pause.

In the past, Yu’s mother would have surely asked him a few caring questions, but now they were like familiar strangers—exchanging greetings was already the extent of their courtesy.

Qin You stood still, watching Yu Kui’s fair face, noticing she had lost some weight and become even more beautiful, unlike the girl he remembered.

During this time, Qin’s mother had often mentioned Yu Kui, saying she had topped the provincial exams and had a limitless future ahead.

At first, Qin You didn’t pay much attention, but as more and more people around him talked about Yu Kui, he grew increasingly irritated.

So what if she got good grades? It’s not like he hadn’t achieved them before.

"What’s the use of good grades in the past?" Qin’s mother said coldly. "No matter how well you did before, it’s nothing compared to the college entrance exam."

When she found out Qin You had applied to a second-tier university in their city, Qin’s mother grew pale with anger. "You’re going to be the death of me! If you dare attend that school, we’ll sever our relationship!"

As a mother, she had noticed her son’s unusual behavior lately, but since he was grown up, she felt she could no longer control him and had to look the other way.

But when it came to something as important as university, she couldn’t allow him to be impulsive.

After Qin’s mother firmly pressured him, Qin You had no choice but to change his application.

"Mom, why do you always pressure me?"

"Am I pressuring you?" Qin’s mother’s eyes reddened. "This is about university—it concerns your future. How could I not care?"

"But—"

"Don’t say 'but' to me!" Qin’s mother remained firm. "I don’t know who you’re dating, but if this person keeps holding you back and doesn’t want what’s best for you, I won’t accept her. You’d better think carefully—listen to me, or stubbornly go down a path to ruin!"

Qin You looked at her weary face and couldn’t speak for a long time.

He knew which university was more suitable for him, but when emotions ran deep, he often couldn’t control his actions.

"Qin You, I don’t expect you to be filial to me or bring me glory after university. I just don’t want you to regret your choices. Some decisions can’t be undone. Even if you hate me, I can’t agree to this."

Qin’s mother’s firmness couldn’t hide her anxiety; she seemed to have aged over a decade in that moment.

It was then that Qin You realized how exhausted his mother was—not only working hard to provide for him but also worrying about his future. Even when she was worn out and pale, she didn’t want him to see her vulnerability.

"Mom, I’m sorry," his heart aching. "It’s my fault for making you worry."

"Since you understand, stop being so impulsive," Qin’s mother felt slightly relieved. "I won’t interfere with your relationship, but you need to judge for yourself whether you and that girl are truly compatible. Don’t always let others lead you by the nose."