"Frоm nоw on, yоu'll gо with уоur unсle to the сitу. The сity is so muсh fun, with lоts аnd lоts оf dеlicious fоod and many, many сhildrеn to рlaу with."
"Моm, I dоn't want tо... I dоn't knоw him!"
"Sillу girl, hе'll be уour father frоm nоw on."
"I аlready hаve a fаther!"
"Enоugh! Yоu'rе tоо уоung to understаnd hоw goоd this is fоr уou. Whеn yоu grоw up, yоu'll thаnk us!"
Fu Xingуue stepрed out of Вауunyе's car. Thоugh hеr surfаcе rеmаinеd аs сalm аs thе seа aftеr being eхpоsеd, hеr heаrt wаs сhurning with turbulеnt waves. In her еars, she seemed tо hear onсe morе the hеаrt-wrenсhing cries she had let out as a child, as if mourning the loss of her parents. She could no longer recall what the "countryside" Fu Yingtao spoke of looked like; all that remained in her memory were dim gray brick walls, a well covered in spiderwebs, and a dead golden-headed fly on the windowsill.
Her expression blank, she glanced at Fu Yingtao through the other hikers, just as she had once strained to look up past the legs of several adults to finally see that face—not exactly kind, always carrying a hint of arrogance and detachment, looking down from above with an endless sense of superiority.
She had heard he was the only college graduate among his cousins and the only one who had left the village and come to the city. However, after a life of remarkable success, he was diagnosed with infertility. Unwilling to adopt an unrelated orphan, he reluctantly chose to adopt a child from among his cousins' children, telling outsiders only that his wife was infertile. None of his cousins were willing to give up their sons, so in the end, they chose her, the third child in her family. It was said her biological parents received a substantial "compensation for upbringing."
Filled with fear and despair, she tremblingly followed her new parents to the city. At such a young age, she struggled desperately to suppress her sorrow and terror.
To this day, his "earnest teachings" still echoed in her ears—
"Listen, from now on, you are my daughter. I brought you out of the countryside, and I will raise you until you're an adult. Without me, you'd have no future in the village. Do you understand?"
"What did you score on this test? Perfect scores? First in the class? Good, it seems I've taught you well. Without me, with your abilities, you wouldn't have achieved such results. Keep working hard—you must never fall behind others."
"You ask why I hit you? You used the breakfast money I gave you to buy comic books?! Don't waste your energy on such trivial things. Go study properly. I raised you, so you must support me in the future. Without me, do you think you'd still be playing in the mud in the countryside? If you're not better than others, what hope do I have for you?"
"Why do you want to go to a university so far away? Hmph, change it! You can't study in another province. I think your third choice is good enough—our provincial capital. Move your third choice to first. Why are you crying? Without me, do you think you could even go to university? Let me tell you, none of your siblings in the countryside made it to college. Your eldest sister started working right after middle school. Without me, you'd be the same. Change it, change it now!"
"Don't stay there for work. Come back, work at my unit. Why? You ask me why? Why do you think I raised you? If you work somewhere else, how will you take care of me when I'm old? Without me, would you be where you are today? Think about it."Sand blew into Fu Xingyue's eyes, and she rubbed them a few times until tears welled up and washed the grit away. "Without you..." she whispered silently, "without you..."
It felt almost suffocating.
What Fu Xingyue planned to do—this question had been lingering in Bayunye and Diao Zhuo's minds. Until they had an answer, they tacitly kept the couple and Fu Yingtao apart, doing their best to prevent Fu Xingyue from getting close to him.
Everyone's backpack was heavy, stuffed with the equipment and supplies needed for the summit. Lu Jianyì said there was no need to bring much food, as there was plenty at C1 left behind by other climbers before their final ascent. When everyone curiously asked why they would leave so much food behind, he kept them in suspense, saying they would find out once they got there.
"Even if he slips and falls somewhere, at worst he'll break a leg—it won't be fatal. Poisoning or something... that should also be out of the question. The medicine I gave him is safe; so many guests have taken it without issue... Altitude Reaction... I think he can overcome it too..." Bayunye muttered quietly. Since they started hiking, her gaze hadn't left Fu Yingtao.
Diao Zhuo, walking ahead, frequently glanced back as if searching for something. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed her troubled expression and teased, "Is there someone even Master Ba can't handle?"
Bayunye raised her eyelids and gave his backpack a light tug. "Master Ba only needs to handle you!"
"Have you handled me?"
She strode forward and wrapped her arms around him. "What do you think?"
Diao Zhuo was already taller than her, and with a simple reach, he easily placed his hand on her head, affectionately ruffling her hair through her hat. "In that case, why not leave the person you can't handle to me?"
She feigned surprise. "You're going to handle her the same way you handled me?!"
"Don't worry, I have no interest in being a rogue."
Bayunye rolled her eyes and roughly pushed his hand off her head.
She thought of a new idea. "I have a plan. Once we reach C1, have Lu Jianyì and Pulan prepare and distribute all the summit equipment and supplies for everyone. Don't give her any chance to pull any tricks."
"Do you know what tricks she's planning?"
"Do you know?"
"Chocolate."
Bayunye was taken aback. Diao Zhuo deliberately didn't explain and turned to keep walking. Anxious, she jogged to catch up, slightly out of breath, and tugged at his sleeve. "Tell me, what about chocolate?"
"He's allergic to chocolate," Diao Zhuo pulled her close and whispered in her ear. "Can't touch it at all."
"How do you know?"
"He's never touched the stuff."
Bayunye wasn't convinced. "Some people just don't like eating it. I had a guest who absolutely refused, saying one bite would make her face break out in acne—bad enough to ruin her looks. So even when we were exhausted hiking in Yubeng Village, she'd rather chew on biscuits than eat chocolate."
"I carefully recalled all their behavior since they arrived at West Great Beach—when you reminded others not to feed Huzi chocolate, Jiang Aohang casually said, 'Dogs can't eat chocolate,' which clearly upset him. That sentence must have struck a nerve. Earlier, you told me Fu Xingyue said he's a very proud person. This is his weakness, and he probably doesn't want others to know."
Bayunye was still puzzled. "But based on just one sentence..."Diao Zhuo fell silent for a moment, distancing himself from the group ahead so that he and Bayunye walked at the back of the line. "Jiang Aohang brought him hot cocoa, but after being refused, he poured hot water into the same cup that had held the cocoa. Still, he wouldn't drink it. And when a few drops of cocoa splashed onto his hand, his reaction was overly intense. At this altitude, even boiling water only reaches about 60–70 degrees Celsius. A drop or two of hot water wouldn’t cause a burn. When Jiang Aohang saw he wouldn’t drink it, he quickly finished the entire cup of hot water himself, which proves the water wasn’t hot at all—this isn’t about whether it’s hot or sweet, but about whether he can come into contact with anything containing chocolate."
Bayunye was thrilled and gave him a hard punch. "You actually figured that out? You’re amazing!!"
"Who called me??" Da Qiang asked from up ahead.
Bayunye rolled her eyes and shouted, "Not you! I’m talking about Diao Zhuo!"
"You can tell how amazing our Diao Zhuo is just from climbing a mountain?" Dong Bai laughed heartily.
"Love sees only the best!" Da Qiang chimed in immediately.
Ignoring his friends’ banter, Diao Zhuo gestured toward Huzi with his chin, signaling to Bayunye that it could be useful. "We must make sure Old Fu’s water bottle and other food contain no chocolate. Since Fu Xingyue is so confident, she might not do it herself—she might use Jiang Aohang."
"Right, she said she’s never seen this before," Bayunye said, pulling out the medicine bottle. "Not sure if she’s stubbornly denying it or genuinely hasn’t seen it."
Diao Zhuo shook his head, indicating her words weren’t very credible.
This month was the last suitable time for climbing Pearl Peak this year. The snow line was much lower than during the peak climbing season in summer. Despite the clear weather, the high altitude remained bitterly cold, and the wind blowing through sleeves and collars accelerated heat loss. Whenever they stopped to rest, they shivered uncontrollably.
Fu Xingyue took a few deep breaths, perhaps irritated by the cold wind, and began coughing incessantly. Jiang Aohang poured hot water for her, and the two looked for a place to sit and rest. Lu Jianyì reminded them it was best not to sit—first, they’d only get colder from the wind, and second, resting midway could easily lead to laziness.
As Fu Xingyue sipped her hot water, she watched Jiang Aohang eagerly serving tea and water to Fu Yingtao and couldn’t help but smile. The reason he agreed to her marrying Jiang Aohang was entirely for himself, wasn’t it? Because Jiang Aohang seemed much easier to control than Han Mu…
"You and Xiao Han won’t work out, I can tell. It’s not suitable, I’m telling you, you two aren’t suitable! He’s the reason you’re so determined to stay and work in the provincial capital, isn’t he? Because that’s where he’s from. What, you think you have a backer now? Have you forgotten how I brought you out of the countryside? If you go to the provincial capital, what about me and your mother? I was the one who supervised your studies, I paid your tuition—without me, what university would you have attended?"
"Xiao Han wants to settle here with you? Look how happy you are. I don’t agree. Why are you asking me why again? He’s got you completely infatuated, but who’s supporting you, him or me? Just because he’s a doctor, capable, and can settle anywhere—if I let you be with him, in a few years, you’d leave with him!""Breaking up was the right choice, very good, I didn't raise you for nothing. What's wrong with being by your parents' side? Even if you find a partner, you should find a man who can come with you to take care of us. Preferably one who has lost both parents, so he'll be obedient."
"...I know Aohang has been pursuing you diligently. If you want to be with him, that's fine too. He's from the countryside like you and doesn't plan to return to his hometown. I'm telling you, don't marry someone who's too strong-willed, and don't marry someone you're madly in love with. Aohang is good... but I must make this clear: marriage is just a formality. I don't want you to get too close to any man, because in the end, you'll live with me. Wait until I'm eighty or ninety, send me off properly, and then you can enjoy your later years. After all, without me, you wouldn't be where you are today. You must remember my kindness."
Fu Xingyue thought back to those years, her head throbbing painfully. How had she ended up kneeling on the ground, crying and begging Fu Yingtao to let her be with her first love, Han Mu? Since childhood, she had obeyed him in everything, doing whatever he asked. But she truly couldn't bear to part with Han Mu, and for that, she had rarely broken down crying in front of him. Yet he still refused, even going to Han Mu's home to cause a scene, forcing them to finally go their separate ways.
All because Han Mu seemed difficult to control—he came from a family of doctors, was a top student at a medical university, not exactly handsome but gentle in appearance, and treated her extremely well. He was even willing to give up graduate school to settle in her city with her.
To her, Han Mu was not just a lover but a new beginning.
"Ah Mu, you know my background... I never asked him to bring me to the city, never asked him to support me, never insisted on going to college. So why does he make it sound like he's bestowing favors? This is just how things are, and I'm really sorry. I don'tt want it to be so humiliating. Let's end it."
Years ago, when she typed these words on her phone screen, what flowed from her eyes was not tears but blood.
First love is always unforgettable. Watching Bayunye and Diao Zhuo's occasional intimate interactions, Fu Xingyue couldn't help but recall the times she spent with Han Mu in college. The way Diao Zhuo looked at Bayunye was the same as how Han Mu had looked at her—deeply, so focused, full of admiration and tolerance, like the ocean reflecting all the stars.
Only today did she learn that Bayunye was an orphan and had never been adopted by any family. Although she had biological parents and adoptive parents, it might have been better to have none at all. Her biological parents were heartless, and her adoptive father constantly spoke of his kindness, using it as leverage.
A little kindness brings gratitude, but too much breeds resentment!
"Xingyue, what's wrong?" Jiang Aohang approached.
"My head hurts a little." She rubbed her temples and coughed twice, abruptly cutting off all memories.
"That's normal. As the altitude gets higher, it's inevitable to experience altitude reaction." Lu Jianyi had heard from Hippo last night that Fu Xingyue might pull some trick during the summit attempt. He had been paying close attention, and today, seeing her, he thought, what could this frail girl possibly do? She was clearly a clay idol crossing a river—barely able to save herself.
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