Chapter 41 His End He died in the cold winter...

"When I first met you, I thought you were too unrestrained and full of vigor. Although you were arrogant at that time, you were also very free."

“I really liked how you were back then,” Yu Kui said softly. “Now that the college entrance exam is over, you should be more free to pursue the life you truly want.”

Your achievements are the result of your own hard work.

"The person you should be most grateful to is yourself."

She didn't turn around, but her voice reached Xie Xingzhi's ears on the breeze: "Never deny your efforts, and learn to love yourself."

"Look at you, you've turned into a little teacher again." Xie Xingzhi sighed softly, "Do you still like the way I was when I was a hoodlum?"

"I liked the freedom you had back then."

“I’m freer now,” Xie Xingzhi said. “After I go to university, I’ll be infinitely better off than I was then, so don’t worry about me.”

"That's good," Yu Kui's eyes curved into a smile, "You should go back now, it's already very late."

"Knowing it's late, you're still planning to go home alone?" Xie Xingzhi walked to her side. "I'll walk you to your door."

“The town is very safe,” Yu Kui said with a hint of helplessness. “Nothing will happen.”

"What does this have to do with me taking you back?" Xie Xingzhi glanced at her and said, "I'm taking you back for peace of mind. Even if the security is good, it has nothing to do with what I think."

Yu Kui paused for a moment, then said, "Let's go."

She led the way briskly, saying, "Was it troublesome for you to come here? You had to transfer after getting off the plane."

“It’s no trouble,” Xie Xingzhi said. “I’m just worried that you’ll ignore me. It would be such a loss if I couldn’t see you.”

How could I possibly ignore someone?

"Why not?" Xie Xingzhi said, "You replied to my messages so slowly."

Yu Kui fell silent. After that incident, she was too embarrassed to face Xie Xingzhi.

"If I don't come over, are you going to ignore me?" Xie Xingzhi asked.

"No." I'll just meet him again after I've calmed down.

"That's good. I don't want to lose you as a friend," Xie Xingzhi said earnestly.

“Okay, we’ll always be good friends, I promise.” She pointed to the courtyard not far away. “Thank you for bringing me back.”

Xie Xingzhi followed her gaze and saw a very beautiful two-story building with flowers planted all around the courtyard, and a faint fragrance could be smelled.

“Yu Kui”.

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

Yu Kui was surprised that he had prepared a gift for her. "What is this?"

"I'll look into it when I get back." Xie Xingzhi smiled and said softly, "I wish you all the best and peace."

"Thank you." Yu Kui couldn't even count how many times she had said thank you tonight; her heart was filled with warmth.

“No matter what you think,” Xie Xingzhi said, “you will always be my most important friend. I cherish our relationship and hope to stay friends with you forever.”

Yu Kui lowered her eyelashes, her heart filled with a myriad of emotions.

Xie Xingzhi gently raised his hand, wanting to hug her, but the moment he saw her eyes, he restrained himself and took a step back. "Let's go home. And don't you ever ignore my messages again."

Yu Kui waved, "Goodbye."

"goodbye."

Xie Xingzhi smiled at her and turned to walk back the way he came.

Yu Kui stood there until he disappeared from sight before she came to her senses.

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

“Mom,” she turned around, “you heard me talking to him?”

“We didn’t mean to overhear,” Yu’s mother looked up at the sky. “Your father and I were enjoying the cool air in the yard. Who told you to talk by the wall?”

Yu Kui: "..."

"Who is that boy?" Yu's mother asked. "Is he a friend you met in town?"

"no."

Mother Yu only heard Xie Xingzhi's voice and did not see his face, otherwise she would definitely have recognized him.

“It’s my classmate who came to visit me at the hospital before,” Yu Kui explained. “She knew it was my birthday today, so she came to see me.”

"Huh?" Mrs. Yu was startled. "He's come all this way; he must have something big up his sleeve."

Yu Kui: "..."

"At the time, I thought that male classmate was handsome, tall and polite. Tell me honestly, did he like you?"

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

"How could that be?" Mrs. Yu said in disbelief. "If he didn't like you, why would he travel so far to see you? Is he just bored?"

Yu Kui: "...Mom, don't you know what pure friendship between classmates is?"

"I don't know." Yu's mother looked at her daughter's face. "You're so cute, he must have ulterior motives."

Yu Kui: "..." Other parents worry about their daughters dating too early, why isn't her mother worried at all?

“You’ve graduated and are an adult now, so it’s perfectly normal for you to want to date. Mom supports you.”

Yu Kui took a deep breath. "Mom, I'm not considering it for now."

“Alright, alright,” Yu’s mother grabbed her hand. “If you want to talk, then talk; if you don’t want to talk, then don’t. I won’t interfere.”

Yu Kui couldn't help but laugh and followed her into the house.

Back in her bedroom, Yu Kui opened the gift Xie Xingzhi had given her. Inside was a necklace adorned with sunflowers, exquisitely crafted, which captivated Yu Kui at first sight.

There was also a small card in the box—

"Live towards the sun, never give up."

Yu Kui touched the writing on the card, thinking about the plot of the novel, and felt extremely complicated.

In "Original Lover", Xie Xingzhi, like her, is a villainous character who serves to highlight the love between Qin You and Tao Jiang.

Like Tao Jiang, Xie Xingzhi also had an unhappy family background.

His mother was a housewife who was unable to support herself, and his father was away from home for many years and kept many women.

At home, he not only had to endure his mother's endless complaints, but also had to contend with his father.

He used to have excellent grades, but as he grew older, he increasingly doubted his own birth. Perhaps without him, his mother wouldn't have been trapped in the cage of marriage, nor would she have had to compromise herself to take care of him.

He wallowed in self-pity and resigned himself to his fate.

Until the second semester of his junior year of high school, perhaps realizing that this was his only chance to change his fate, he studied desperately, wanting to get into university and get away from his dysfunctional family.

He did get into a good university and thought he could escape with his mother. However, how could a woman tamed by violence and money break free from her original life?

Even though it was very painful, she wanted to stay by her husband's side.

Xie Xingzhi felt puzzled and resentful, but he couldn't change her deeply ingrained ideas.

After graduating from university, he went to work in a city far from home, thinking that this would allow him to escape his hometown forever.

However, his controlling parents still came to his door, forcing him to return to the family. After Xie Xingzhi refused, his father argued with him in the rented room, which ultimately led to the tragedy.

Xie Xingzhi died on that cold winter day.

When Xie's father picked up a kitchen knife and argued with him, he slashed Xie's carotid artery.

Xie's mother could have called the police, but when she saw Xie Xingzhi's cold eyes, she instinctively helped her husband suppress her son, crying and accusing him of being unfilial. She said that if he hadn't been so cold and heartless, she wouldn't have been suffering so much...

With Qin You's help, Tao Jiang escaped the constraints of her family of origin.

No matter how hard Xie Xingzhi tried, he couldn't shake off his obsessive parents.

He serves as a contrasting figure to Tao Jiang, and is also a tool used by the author to highlight her character.

Yu Kui couldn't imagine how painful it must be for Xie Xingzhi to live in such a family day after day.

No wonder Xie Xingzhi was so envious when she said that her mother cooked for her that day.

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

If Tao Jiang could survive in the cracks and find a balance to maintain her dignity, then Xie Xingzhi was a lone wolf with unwavering courage, unwilling to bow his head.

His life should have been smooth sailing, but he was harmed by his unscrupulous parents, which is devastating.

Yu Kui understands his pain, but is wary of having too much contact with him. He is a character in the story, with a severely dysfunctional family.

She was worried that he would implicate her and her family, affecting their future.

The author captures his life in a light and understated tone, but he was a real person who lived.

While worrying about these things, Yu Kui was also afraid of his future. She wanted to rewrite his life, but she was afraid that she didn't have that much power.

She had already given it her all in her struggle against her fate. Could she really openly defy "God"?

Yu Kui dared not try it lightly.

The next afternoon, the family of three took a plane home.

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

"Uncle and Auntie." Qin You paused for a moment upon seeing them, then greeted them politely.

Yu's mother nodded, but didn't speak to Qin You, and continued walking forward with Yu Kui.

In the past, Yu's mother would definitely have asked him a few words of concern, but now they are like familiar strangers, and greeting each other is already a matter of courtesy.

Qin You stood there, looking at Yu Kui's fair face, and noticed that she had lost weight and was even more beautiful than before, quite different from what he remembered.

During this time, Qin's mother often talked about Yu Kui, saying that she had become the top scorer in the provincial exam and that her future was limitless.

At first, Qin You didn't take it seriously, but as more and more people around him talked about Yu Kui, he became irritated.

It's just a good grade, isn't it? He's had it before.

"What's the use of doing well on exams in the past?" Qin's mother sneered, "Taking a hundred exams in the past is not as useful as taking the college entrance exam once."

Upon learning that Qin You had applied to a second-rate university in the city, Qin's mother turned pale with anger. "You're trying to drive me crazy! If you dare to go to this school, we'll sever all ties between us!"

As a mother, Qin's mother could easily sense her son's unusual behavior these days, but as her son grew older, she couldn't control him anymore and could only turn a blind eye.

But when it comes to something as important as going to university, she absolutely cannot allow him to act on emotion.

Under her mother's resolute pressure, Qin You had no choice but to change her college application.

"Mom, why do you always pressure me?"

"Am I forcing you?" Qin's mother asked, her eyes red. "This is about going to university, it concerns your future, how can your mother not care?"

"but……"

"Don't give me a 'but'!" Qin's mother retorted firmly. "I don't know what kind of person you're dating, but if this person keeps holding you back and preventing you from doing well, then Mom won't approve of her. You'd better think it through carefully: do you want to listen to Mom, or go down this dark path?"

Qin You looked at her haggard face and remained speechless for a long time.

He knew perfectly well which university was more suitable for him, but when emotions ran deep, he could never control his behavior.

"Qin You, I don't expect you to be filial to me, nor do I expect you to bring me honor after you go to university. I just want you to not regret it. Some choices can't be reversed. Even if you hate me, I can't agree to it."

Qin's mother's resolute expression was tinged with barely concealed anxiety, making her appear as if she had aged more than ten years.

Qin You then realized just how exhausted his mother was. Not only did she work hard to support him, but she also cared about his future. Even though she was so tired that her face was pale, she didn't want him to see her weakness.

"Mom, I'm sorry." He felt terrible. "It's my fault for making you worry."

"Since you know this, don't act on your emotions anymore," Qin's mother said, feeling a little relieved. "I won't interfere with your dating life, but you need to have a sense of whether you and that girl are right for each other. Don't always let others lead you by the nose."