Dazzling

Last month, Qing Ye had received a call from Sun Shu, who told her that matters regarding her father would soon see progress. But Qing Ye never expected her father to be released so quickly.

On her way back to school, Qing Ye walked with hurried steps, almost breaking into a run. She finally saw her long-awaited father in Lao Yang's office.

The moment she laid eyes on her father, Qing Ye was suddenly too overwhelmed to speak. After more than half a year apart, he seemed to have changed quite a bit—the nasolabial folds on his face had deepened, and a few strands of white hair had appeared on his head at some point. Yet it also felt like nothing had changed; he still carried himself with the elegant demeanor of a middle-aged man in a well-tailored suit.

She stepped into the office and called out, "Dad."

When Qing Hongzhi turned his head, he revealed a familiar smile. In that instant, the heavy stone in Qing Ye's heart finally dropped. All the worries and troubles she had carried for so many days vanished completely upon seeing her father.

She strode forward. Qing Hongzhi, who had been concerned about Qing Ye for a long time and had traveled a great distance after his confinement to finally reunite with his family, was also deeply moved. He stood up from the stool in front of Lao Yang, embraced Qing Ye, and said, "Xiao Ye, I'm here to take you home."

Qing Ye's body stiffened, and she took a dazed step back. Lao Yang, witnessing the emotional reunion between father and daughter, was deeply touched. Holding some forms, he said to Qing Ye, "Your father has already taken care of the necessary procedures. Qing Ye, just fill this out, and you can return to your hometown with your father to take the college entrance exams."

Qing Ye looked at Lao Yang in confusion. "Return to my hometown?"

Lao Yang explained, "Isn't your household registration still in Beijing? Once your student records are transferred back, you can take the exams directly at your registered residence. Your father has already arranged for a school to accept you. We'll also expedite the transfer process here. It's just a bit of a shame—we were originally counting on you to bring honor to our school."

Qing Ye's brows gradually furrowed. "Go back to take the exams? Are you joking with me?"

Lao Yang glanced at Qing Hongzhi, puzzled. Qing Hongzhi quickly noticed that his daughter's expression was off. He turned to Lao Yang and said, "Let's do this—we'll come back to see you later."

Lao Yang nodded.

Once they left the school, Qing Ye said to Qing Hongzhi, "Dad, I'm not going back to take the exams."

Qing Hongzhi didn't take his daughter's words seriously and replied with a gentle smile, "Why not?"

Qing Ye couldn't tell her father that she was in a relationship—that she had fallen for the son of that so-called cheap aunt. She had promised to wait for him to return, so she couldn't leave.

But her father had just been released, and she had waited so long to see him again. How could she tell him, "I can't go back with you"? The words stuck in her throat.

She simply lowered her head and said unhappily, "How come you just showed up like this? Why didn't you call me?"

Qing Hongzhi was slightly taken aback, detecting a note of reproach in his daughter's tone. He looked at Qing Ye calmly and said, "I've called you more than once over the past few days, but you didn't answer. Didn't Sun Hai tell you?"

Qing Ye hung her head even lower. Recently, all external calls to the factory had been redirected to Quan Ya. Since Xing Wu had begun his closed training, she had thrown herself entirely into her final review sessions, often setting her phone to silent mode and paying little attention to unfamiliar numbers.In just half a minute, Qing Ye's mind wrestled with conflicting thoughts. Finally, she took a deep breath, looked up at Qing Hongzhi, and mustered the courage to say, "Dad, I... don't want to go back for now, is that okay?"

It was only at this moment that Qing Hongzhi realized his daughter wasn't speaking lightly. Although Qing Ye had always been strong-willed since childhood, she had never openly defied him on major decisions.

Qing Hongzhi finally dropped his casual expression and gazed at her sternly: "Are you saying you don't plan to come with me? You still want to stay here?"

A Mercedes-Benz was parked across the street. Sun Hai, who had been sitting in the driver's seat, noticed the tense expressions on the father and daughter as they emerged from the school. He now got out of the car and strode toward the school gate.

He arrived just in time to hear Qing Hongzhi's questioning words, while Qing Ye kept her eyes lowered, not daring to meet her father's gaze, and silently nodded in confirmation.

Seeing Qing Hongzhi's darkening expression, Sun Hai tried to smooth things over: "Xiao Ye, don't be willful. Your father has been constantly worried about you back home - afraid you're suffering, afraid you're under too much pressure. Every time he sees me, the first thing he asks about is you. As soon as he could, he immediately arranged for your school transfer and we drove over ten hours nonstop to bring you home. How can you still be throwing tantrums with your dad now?"

"Enough, let's not talk here. Let's find somewhere to eat first. This afternoon you can go back to school to pack your things. Haven't you always hated this place anyway?"

"I'm not going back." Qing Ye still kept her head lowered, but her words were firm. She couldn't go back - how could she leave at a time like this? What would Xing Wu do when he returned and couldn't find her? She couldn't even call him now. She couldn't just disappear without a word.

Qing Hongzhi finally lost his temper at his daughter's stubborn attitude: "You're being completely unreasonable!"

Qing Ye's eyes instantly reddened - these were the harshest words her father had ever spoken to her. As the lunch break was ending, students began returning to school, all curiously staring at Qing Ye. Qing Hongzhi suddenly remembered his daughter's dignity and didn't scold her further, simply saying: "Go back to class. Pack what you need to pack. Your Uncle Sun and I will go get something to eat, then we'll come to your aunt's house later to say goodbye."

Qing Ye bit her lip without responding. Just as she turned around, Huang Mao, Lang Dai and their group emerged from the internet cafe, laughing and shouting from afar: "Qing Ye, wait for us! Let's go together!"

Qing Ye glanced briefly at Huang Mao and the others but didn't stop, quickly entering the school grounds. Behind her, Qing Hongzhi turned to look at the group of delinquent youths - all dressed in strange outfits with greasy appearances, their hair dyed or permed, still openly smoking cigarettes right at the school gate. He had no idea when Qing Ye had started associating with such students, and from how familiarly they called her name, they seemed quite close.

When Qing Hongzhi looked back at his daughter's retreating figure, deep worry clouded his brow.

After returning to class, Qing Ye sat silently at her desk without packing anything, just randomly opening a book and lowering her gaze.

The whole class turned to look at her. Many had seen her father come to school at noon and heard about her transferring back to Beijing for college entrance exams. But with her cold expression and frosty demeanor, nobody dared approach her. Even Shi Min didn't dare speak to her all afternoon.Qing Ye ultimately didn't stay until school ended. After the second period, she asked Lao Yang for leave in advance and returned to Li Lanfang's house. She felt she needed to talk to her father again. Her father had just overcome a difficult period, and had traveled thousands of miles to pick her up right after being released. Her attitude at noon really wasn't good - she didn't want to upset her father, nor did she not want to go home with him. But she at least needed to wait for Xing Wu to return, wanting to tell him in person.

However, when she returned to Li Lanfang's house, her father and Sun Shu had already arrived. As Qing Ye rounded the corner into the backyard, she saw Li Lanfang and her father pushing something back and forth between them. Finally, with firm determination, Li Lanfang pushed that thick brown paper envelope into Qing Hongzhi's hands and said: "I absolutely won't accept this money. Stop pushing it on me, old brother."

Although Li Lanfang was greedy for money, she clearly understood she couldn't accept this money under any circumstances. The house money had all been paid by Qing Ye - if she took money from Qing Ye's father too, Xing Wu would raise hell with her when he returned.

Qing Hongzhi caught sight of Qing Ye standing at the corner of the yard from his peripheral vision. He put away the brown paper envelope and didn't insist further, saying to Li Lanfang: "Anyway, I've troubled you during this period. If you need anything later, just come to me."

Although Li Lanfang usually threw her weight around at Zhazha Pavilion, in front of an imposing man like Qing Hongzhi, her presence noticeably diminished. She smiled obsequiously and invited them to stay for dinner.

Sun Hai couldn't help but glance at Li Lanfang's still-unfinished house, completely unsure where they usually ate meals.

Qing Hongzhi, however, didn't point this out, saving face for Li Lanfang as he said calmly: "No need. We came in a hurry and still have some matters to attend to."

After speaking, he strode toward Qing Ye, giving her a look to signal her to come out.

Qing Ye turned and followed her father out of Li Lanfang's house, moving from the backyard to the front yard. Their car was parked across the street.

After coming out, Qing Hongzhi didn't say anything, but Sun Hai walked to Qing Ye's side and said to her: "We heard from your aunt that you actually started a factory?"

Qing Ye nodded. Sun Hai glanced at Qing Hongzhi's back and lowered his voice to tell Qing Ye: "Your father is quite upset. Originally, we sent you here because we were afraid your former schoolmates would gossip about you, and worried those inexplicable people would cause you trouble. We wanted you to focus on preparing for this year of studies. Instead, you went and put your energy into other things."

Qing Ye replied gloomily: "It's all business - didn't he start venturing out early too? I haven't broken any laws or regulations, so what's wrong with it?"

Sun Hai said: "Can your situation compare with your father's generation? At your age, your main task is studying. If you achieve academic success, why worry about not having good career prospects later?"

Qing Ye turned her head away. She couldn't refute Sun Hai's words, nor could she tell them everything she had experienced over the past months that had led her to this point. If she hadn't developed feelings for Xing Wu, if Xing Wu's house hadn't caught fire, if they hadn't been forced into a corner - why would she have chosen to fight back from desperate circumstances and take this gamble?In the blink of an eye, they reached the car. Qing Hongzhi stopped and turned around. Sun Hai, in front of Old Qing, said to Qing Ye, "Listen to your Uncle Sun, I've already spoken with your dad. I know you have new classmates and teachers here. Later, your dad and I will find a place to stay overnight in the county town, so you can properly say goodbye to your teachers and classmates. If that factory can't be transferred, I'll find someone to help you handle it later. We'll head back tomorrow. How does that sound?"

Despite Sun Hai's best efforts to mediate between father and daughter, their stubborn natures were cut from the same cloth—neither would easily budge once they'd made up their minds.

Qing Ye once again pleaded with Qing Hongzhi, "Dad, I don't want to argue with you. Can I just stay here to take the college entrance exams? I promise I won't mess up and will study hard. I've already asked friends to help manage the factory matters. I'll focus on preparing for the exams. It's not that I don't want to go back with you, it's just... I've been here for so long now..."

Qing Hongzhi leaned one hand on the car roof, looking at his daughter as if she were being unreasonable. "What do you mean, 'so long'? You've only been here a few months! You studied in Beijing for years, and you've been here less than a year. How can you be reluctant to leave?"

Qing Hongzhi carefully observed Qing Ye's expression. He knew his daughter well. People always said daughters should be raised in comfort, and from the moment Qing Ye was born, he had cherished her, providing her with the best in food, clothing, and material comforts. If she wanted the moon, he would never give her stars.

When Sun Hai told him that Qing Ye had initially clamored to return upon arriving here, Qing Hongzhi could imagine how the backward county's living conditions must have been unbearable for her. That was why he had come to take her home as soon as he was free.

But what Qing Hongzhi never expected was that his daughter wasn't overjoyed to return with him. Instead, she insisted on staying—staying in this rundown place where she didn't even have a proper place to live.

Qing Hongzhi was no fool. He quickly sensed something amiss and probed, "Have you... encountered something here?"

Qing Ye lifted her head and looked at her father, her large eyes glistening. Several times, she almost confessed to her dad: Yes, I've met the love of my life. I'm in love, and I don't want to leave him. I can't let him down.

But in the end, she held back. Her father had never met Xing Wu, and judging by his attitude toward Li Lanfang's family, he would likely assume she had been deceived by some poor boy or swept away by youthful passion. Knowing her father as she did, he might even be so furious that he'd drag her into the car and head straight back to Beijing.

So Qing Ye couldn't bring herself to say it. She could only repeat to her father, "Can I go back after the exams are over?"

If Qing Ye had made this plea before he visited Li Lanfang's home, Qing Hongzhi might have considered it. After all, the exams were only two months away, and transferring schools could disrupt her mood and focus.

But after seeing Li Lanfang's situation firsthand—learning that their house had burned down during the New Year and that his daughter had been roughing it in a shabby, chaotic motel during these critical months—Qing Hongzhi felt an indescribable ache. If not for Sun Hai's persuasion, he would have taken Qing Ye back to Beijing immediately.

Especially after seeing Huang Mao and his crew call out to Qing Ye at noon, Qing Hongzhi was more determined than ever not to let his daughter remain in such an environment.So he very bluntly told Qing Ye, "We can discuss anything else you want to do, but I won't agree to this matter. Look at how many days are left until the college entrance exam? I'll handle transferring your documents back. If you don't return to Beijing with me, you'll only be harming your own future. Think about it."

After saying this, Qing Hongzhi got in the car. Sun Hai anxiously said to Qing Ye, "Be obedient and stop making trouble. Look at the timing."

After Qing Hongzhi and Sun Hai left, Qing Ye somewhat gloomily turned and walked back into the yard. She sat on the threshold of the backyard, staring at the shadow by her feet. She took out her phone and kept scrolling through her chat history with Xing Wu. The last message was from that night after their video call. In the early morning hours while she was asleep, Xing Wu had quietly sent her a message: "I miss you, wifey."

When Qing Ye woke up in the morning and saw this form of address, she had been so thrilled yet shy that she rolled around in bed. But now, seeing it again made her nose sting with emotion.

She dialed Xing Wu's number, but the call couldn't connect. She put down her phone, buried her face in her knees, ran her hands through her hair, feeling utterly distressed.

Li Lanfang was cooking in the kitchen and glanced at Qing Ye. After a while, Qing Ye felt a shadow fall over her. When she looked up, Li Lanfang handed her a freshly boiled corn cob. She automatically accepted it. Li Lanfang sat down beside her and said casually, "Your father hasn't changed much over all these years. I only saw him once many years ago."

Qing Ye took a bite of corn and listened quietly.

"You were just one year old then. I took Wu alone to Beijing to find your mother."

Qing Ye looked up at Li Lanfang in surprise: "You've been to my home?"

Right after asking this, Qing Ye suddenly remembered that on her first day here, Li Lanfang had indeed mentioned going to Beijing to see her.

Li Lanfang looked up at the patch of sky above the courtyard, reminiscing: "Your mother's health wasn't good since right after you were born. Part of why I went to see her was out of guilt - I hadn't visited her since leaving home. Back when I was still a girl living at your grandmother's house, your mother was several years older than me. By the time I arrived, your mother was already quite sensible. She never complained about the family bringing another child home, nor did she bully me. Instead, when I stayed out late playing after school, she would wait to eat with me. Whenever her grandmother gave her any treats, she'd always save some for me."

When Li Lanfang mentioned Qing Ye's mother, she seemed quite emotional. She sighed deeply and said, "I was already pregnant with Wu when I got together with Xing Guodong."

Qing Ye's hand holding the corn tightened slightly. Although she had long suspected this, hearing it for the first time from Li Lanfang's mouth still left her somewhat shocked.

Li Lanfang told her: "I had no choice back then. I ran off to the countryside, but my original parents wouldn't take me in. Through an introduction, I ended up with Xing Guodong. I didn't dare tell him I was pregnant with Wu. When Wu was born and didn't look like him, he grew suspicious. Later he investigated everywhere, came back and caused huge scenes. Wu was just a few months old when he started hitting him, making him go naked in the dead of winter. Wu was so small then, I was truly afraid Xing Guodong would kill him. I scraped together travel money and took Wu to Beijing to seek refuge with your mother."

Qing Ye stared blankly at Li Lanfang, her first thought being: Had she and Xing Wu met when they were just one year old?If she had known about Xing Wu's childhood hardships earlier, she would have fought desperately to make her parents keep him. Perhaps then, Xing Wu's life would have been completely different, and he wouldn't have suffered so much on his later path.

But she was only one year old at the time, and many things were missed just like that. Her mother never forgave Li Lanfang—she couldn't forgive Li Lanfang's selfish rebellion that broke her grandparents' hearts. After Li Lanfang left, her grandmother fell seriously ill and underwent surgery, and even when the critical condition notice was issued, Li Lanfang still didn't visit.

So Qing Ye's mother refused to acknowledge Li Lanfang as her sister any longer. She could only return to Zhazha Pavilion with Xing Wu in disgrace.

It wasn't until recent years when Qing Ye's mother was diagnosed with health issues that she had several phone calls with Li Lanfang during her final years.

Li Lanfang sighed: "I did many foolish things when I was young. The worst was leaving your grandparents' home. At the time, I thought I could live well without my family—how could others understand? Later, I had to bear the bitter consequences myself.

If I hadn't left your grandparents' home back then, I definitely wouldn't be where I am today. There are no regrets in life—what parents would harm their own children?

Qing Ye, when Wu Zi comes back, I'll talk to him. You should go back with your father."