The two met by the river.
Shen Yanyu's father died early, and his mother remarried, taking him with her.
My stepfather is a complete scoundrel. He's a master of domestic violence, gambling, and alcoholism, and he takes his anger out on me when he's in a bad mood.
Despite his young age, Shen Yanyu was covered in scars and woke up earlier than the chickens and slept later than the pigs every day.
After being beaten again, he didn't want to live anymore and planned to jump into the river and drown.
The water reached his waist, his breathing became heavier, and a beautiful girl clung tightly to his hand.
"Big brother, come up here quickly! Don't die!"
"Someone once told me, never give up, as long as you're alive there's hope, and everything will be alright."
Shen Yanyu spat out a mouthful of water. "Will it be alright?"
"Yes, we will all be alright..."
The girl's gaze was firm, like the bright moonlight, gentle and warm.
Shen Yanyu was instantly filled with hope; he wanted to live and wait for the good days she had spoken of.
The two had similar experiences and naturally became friends.
Shen Yanyu remembered her name: Chen Qingyan.
She would celebrate his birthday, encourage him, and call him "big brother"...
Shen Yanyu longed to grow up, escape his miserable home, and find his own bright future.
Not long after, her stepfather suddenly died, and the family's house was demolished, resulting in a large sum of compensation.
Just as Qingyan said, life is getting better every day.
Shen Yanyu followed in her footsteps, got into the best university in the country, and became an excellent doctor.
For him, Qingyan was his eternal salvation.
He wanted to protect her for the rest of his life.
However, as a line from the book goes, childhood sweethearts can never compete with a sudden, unexpected love.
Looking at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure, Shen Yanyu suppressed the surging emotions in his heart and a faint smile appeared on his lips.
"Qingyan, what kind of person is he in your heart?"
Chen Qingyan countered, "What kind of person do you think I am?"
The image of that resolute face from back then flashed through Shen Yanyu's mind, and he already knew the answer.
Qingyan is like a brilliant flower blooming from the mud, with a resilient heart and a pure appearance.
On his first birthday, he fell in love with that bright and cheerful girl and made a wish to spend his life with her.
Many years later, on his birthday again, the girl was about to leave him.
Tears welled up in his eyes. Shen Yanyu took a deep breath, his voice tinged with bitterness.
"You pulled me out of the abyss like sunshine, optimistic and strong."
Chen Qing looked directly into his eyes and spoke very slowly, word by word.
"I am neither optimistic nor strong."
"Like you, I once lived in the mire."
"Wealth and status are my salvation."
Chen Qingyan's family was also terrible: an alcoholic father, a weak mother, and mean-spirited grandparents.
My maternal grandmother was the only one who was kind, but she passed away very early.
She wasn't as lucky as Shen Yanyu; her stepfather died early, and their house was demolished.
Chen Qingyan's world was only darkness. At home, she was verbally abused and beaten by her father, and outside, she was bullied by other children.
Bullying the weak and worshipping the strong is the nature of every living being, and human children are no exception.
Chen Qingyan was short and thin, unable to fight anyone, and without her parents' protection, she naturally became the target of bullying.
She could only cover her head and silently endure it.
I hope they beat me quickly, because I need to go home and cook, otherwise I'll get beaten again.
This time, however, I did not feel the familiar pain.
A childish, angry roar came from outside the alley.
"Stop! Let go of that girl!!"
The leader of the children was extremely arrogant, having spent years roaming alleys and alleys, and his red hair was exceptionally flowing.
"Hey, you fatso, you're pretty cocky!"
"Grandpa Fatty is warning you, get out of here right now, or else... I'll call the police!"
Red Hair was not afraid at all. "Call the police? Hahaha, we are noble minors. We'll just give them a few words of advice and they'll be released. Who do the police think they are?"
"...Let me show you what Grandpa Fatty is all about, I..."
The chubby boy clearly lacked confidence.
Red Hair flicked his toes, "Very good! Very good! I admire your courage!"
"Brothers, beat him up!!!"
Chen Qingyan crouched in the corner, watching the agile fat man dodge around before rushing straight towards her.
The chubby boy grabbed her hand. "Let's go."
But it was too late. Red Hair and his gang surrounded them and arrogantly whistled.
"You fatso, where do you think you're going to run to?"
The chubby boy trembled uncontrollably, spreading his arms to protect the girl behind him. "Grandpa said that men who hit women are cowards. You can hit me, but you can never hit her... You can't!"
Red Hair raised an eyebrow. "You fatso, you think you can be a hero and save the damsel in distress? I'll grant your wish."
"Brothers, beat them to death!!"
A barrage of fists rained down on him, but the chubby boy gritted his teeth and remained silent.
Chen Qingyan couldn't help but shed tears, "If you go away, they won't hit you."
"I won't go away, little fatty will never go away!"
He fell to the ground, covered in blood, and a great ideal emerged in his heart.
"I swear to God, I will form a righteous yellow-haired army and wipe out all the red-haired people in the world!"
Chen Qingyan burst into tears, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I should have been the one to be beaten."
The chubby boy forced a pale smile. "No one is born to be beaten. The fault lies with all the red-haired people in the world, not you."
"My name is Fugui, what's yours?"
Chen Qingyan was stunned for a long time. "Grandma calls me Qing'er."
"Then I'll call you Qing'er from now on." The chubby boy grinned. "Qing'er, from now on we're friends. If Red Hair dares to bully you again, just tell me, and I'll call Grandpa to scare them to death, waaaaah."
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