Chapter 66 [VIP]
"Children are born with the unconditional love of their parents."
Pei Xingzhi firmly believed in this statement.
He wasn't born a genius; when he first developed his memories, he was just a slow-developing "slow learner."
They learn to speak later than other children, learn to walk later than other children, and their reactions are also slower than other children.
His parents took him to the hospital for a checkup, and the results showed that Qin Wanyang had taken a large amount of medication during her pregnancy, causing Pei Xingzhi to have congenital developmental delays. If things go normally later, he'll be fine; if he remains this slow, he'll be mentally challenged for life.
Seeing these test results, Pei's parents only regretted not having the heart to abort Pei Xingzhi back then. Such a sudden accident could only bring bad results, so how could a miracle of a high-quality Alpha appear?
But since he was already born, they had no choice but to raise him this way. So what if he was mentally challenged? As long as they didn't let him out and the neighbors remained unaware, Pei Yuan would remain their only son. Fortunately, their eldest son was exceptionally talented.
Fortunately, fate was somewhat kind to Pei Xingzhi. As he grew up, the somewhat dim-witted child gradually returned to normal, though he remained just as ordinary.
Pei Xingzhi did not show any talent in his studies when he was in elementary school. Qin Wanyang enrolled him in many extracurricular classes, but driven by his playful nature, Pei Xingzhi rarely had the time to sit down and finish a class.
After a week of trial classes, Pei Xingzhi failed to demonstrate any artistic talent, definitively proving that he was just an ordinary person.
After struggling for so long, Qin Wanyang finally accepted that her youngest son was just an ordinary person after a series of failures. She gradually stopped his complicated extracurricular classes, letting him just play and have fun like an ordinary child every day.
Pei Xingzhi, a primary school student, adored his mother because she doted on him. No matter what he did, she never scolded him; in all his memories, she had never spoken a harsh word to him. She would fulfill his every wish, and no matter how bad his grades were, she would only smile and pat his head, encouraging him to try harder next time. Unlike the parents of other students in his class, who would punish him severely for even a slight drop in grades.
Compared to his classmates, he was truly a very fortunate child.
Pei Xingzhi held onto this belief until the truth came out, completely shattering the beautiful dream the child had woven for himself, a dream called family.
Pei Xingzhi, who always liked to play outside until dark, rushed home early because he wanted to give his mother a birthday present as soon as possible. As soon as he got out of the elevator, he saw his brother and mother standing at the door, looking very unhappy. It was obvious that they had just had another argument.
For some reason, his mother, who was always gentle with him, was extremely strict with his older brother. Everything his brother owned had to be strictly controlled by his mother, and anything his mother disapproved of, no matter how much his brother liked it, could not be near him. Cameras were installed in every corner of his brother's room except for the bathroom, so that his mother could monitor his every move.
They often argued, but the older brother would always give in at the end, and the mother always won.
Pei Xingzhi was terrified of his arguing brother and mother. He instinctively hid in the corner, planning to wait until they finished arguing before going over. Pei Xingzhi opened his schoolbag, clutching the birthday present he had prepared for his mother, thinking about what he should say to make her a little happier.
He wanted to say a few good words for his brother because his brother had always been good to him. He also wanted to reassure his mother not to be angry, that it was okay even if his brother was disobedient, because he would always be obedient. He also wanted to get his mother to free up her time this weekend, because he had saved enough money to take her to her favorite musical…
He also wants to...
"Your brother is useless now, are you going to disappoint me too?"
"Why are you forcing your ideas on us! I've had enough of you! I don't want to go into politics or study medicine, so stop putting your bullshit plans on me!"
"Pei Yuan! Your father and I have poured all our heart and soul into you, and you have to disappoint me like this?!"
"Did I beg you to do this? Do you only have me as your child? What about Pei Xingzhi? Why don't you repeat all that rubbish you did to me since I was little on Pei Xingzhi?"
“Your brother is different from you. You are a genius, and he is just an ordinary person. We have given you all the resources he couldn’t enjoy, and we have given you double the care he didn’t have. What else are you dissatisfied with?”
"I'm not satisfied with anything about it..."
"Rip—" The gift wrapping paper was torn. Pei Xingzhi didn't have the courage to listen anymore, and fled the corner with his schoolbag in his arms.
He ran to the park he often visited, dropped his schoolbag, took off his shoes and socks, and rolled around on the grass.
He had always thought that his mother's gentleness towards him was because she loved him, but now she told him that she had always thought Pei Xingzhi was a stupid child and that she had never actually liked him.
Young Pei Xingzhi couldn't quite understand such complex human emotions; he only thought that his mother disliked him because he was too stupid.
He lay on the lawn until dark, and only when the streetlights came on did Pei Xingzhi rub his dry, aching eyes from crying, get up, and slowly walk home.
My brother and mother have made up. They are sitting face to face at the dining table, while my father stands next to them, patting the cake on the table and gesturing for them to pose for photos.
As Pei Xingzhi watched this heartwarming scene, his schoolbag slipped from his hands, and the gift fell out of the slightly ajar bag. The group of people taking pictures nearby finally noticed him. Pei's father waved for him to come and eat with them, while Pei's mother smiled gently as always. Only his brother glanced at him with a complicated expression, opened his mouth, but didn't say anything.
He rubbed his nose and picked up the gift that had fallen to the ground, handing it over. Qin Wanyang smiled and accepted the gift, patting his head and praising him as a good boy, just like before. His father echoed her words, but Pei Xingzhi wouldn't listen to anything she said.
From the moment he entered until now, no one has asked him where he went, why he came back so late, or why he was crying so much. They seem oblivious to Pei Xingzhi's depressed mood.
Pei Xingzhi couldn't remember what the cake tasted like. He only felt a sharp pain in his chest and a stinging sensation in his nose, so much so that he ran back to his bedroom in a disheveled state before finishing the cake.
His parents, whom he had been hoping for, did not come to see him. Instead, his older brother came and handed him a bottle of ointment, telling him to remember to apply it around his eyes.
Pei Xingzhi lay in bed for a long time that night, but his clumsy little brain couldn't come up with any good ideas. If his parents liked children with good grades, would he get more attention if he got good grades too? He just wanted to get his parents' attention like his older brother, nothing more.
Pei Xingzhi put away his playful thoughts and began to show his talent in his studies. Naturally, his mother finally noticed him.
He finally gained his parents' attention and experienced the nightmare his brother had described.
Years later, when Pei Xingzhi had grown up, he finally understood the complex and twisted emotions his parents had harbored. Their gentleness wasn't because Pei Xingzhi was a stupid child who disliked studying; their gentleness and tolerance stemmed from their indifference.
Because they didn't care, they tolerated all of Pei Xingzhi's antics. What was there for them to waste their emotions and energy on a child who was never expected of them, a child who was never cared for?
They are not raising children; they are just cultivating their own reputation and status.
After many years, upon hearing Qin Wanyang's words, Pei Xingzhi finally understood—
It turns out that there really are parents who don't love their children.
Then he shouldn't love them anymore either.
"Did you hear what I said? Why are you daydreaming when your mother is talking to you?" Qin Wanyang said, slightly annoyed, seeing Pei Xingzhi's absent-minded expression.
Pei Xingzhi has recently done too many things beyond her permission. Not only did he not inform her about his new friend, but he even took it upon himself to bring this friend home. This is not a good sign.
Moreover, she had recently heard some rumors about Pei Xingzhi. Although she didn't know how true they were, she still had to be cautious.
No matter how outstanding Pei Xingzhi is, she's still just a Beta. If her starting point is too low, she can't aim too high; otherwise, she'll always be controlled by others. She dislikes the humiliation of having to ask for favors; in these matters, mutual benefit is best.
“I heard you…” Pei Xingzhi nodded perfunctorily, tilted his head up and gave her a forced smile. “I’m probably a little tired lately. You know, even during holidays, our major is always full of projects. The other day, my professor was urging me to hurry back to the lab to help him out, because he’s almost overwhelmed with work.”
He didn't know when Ms. Qin's plan to sell himself into servitude would take place, and he wanted to get out of there before Qin Wanyang's plan started.
"Since you're so busy, why not just submit a leave of absence application? I'll contact the dean and get your study abroad application submitted as soon as possible. I wasn't too keen on you applying to the Alliance University before. Although they admit Betas, you're the first Beta in the class. Those Alphas won't care about you; they'll definitely grab you and use you as a laborer whenever they want." Qin Wanyang wasn't about to give him a chance to escape. Seeing him mention how busy he was in the lab, she went along with his suggestion and directly proposed a leave of absence.
"There's no need to rush. The teachers here have been very kind to me. I'll finish this project before I leave. The project is nearing completion, and at the end, my name will be on it, so it's not a loss." Pei Xingzhi smiled wryly, lamenting that he was indeed too naive, thinking he could pull off any tricks in front of Ms. Qin with his little schemes.
"Since you want to have your name listed, then so be it. I'll prepare your study abroad materials for you. I'll give you Xiao Liu's contact information in a bit. If you're not busy lately, you can go out and have some fun with Xiao Liu. Don't stay cooped up at home all day; you're getting really bored." Ms. Qin smiled and gave Pei Xingzhi a new order.
"Okay." Pei Xingzhi smiled and made an excuse to go back to his room.
Qin Wanyang's words echoed in his ears, and Pei Xingzhi suddenly felt a churning in his stomach, so he ran to the bathroom and vomited.
Didn't they say that arranged marriages were abolished a long time ago? So what is he now?
Doesn't the AO law apply to him, a Beta?
He's practically a lawless outlaw.
How disgusting.
The cold water splashed over his head, and Pei Xingzhi became a little more sober.
Thanks to Ms. Qin's words, he finally had the courage to leave completely.
[Pei Xingzhi]: We need to speed things up; I need to finish ahead of schedule.
[Chu Ling]: OK
A note from the author:
I'm so sorry for the long hiatus (bowing deeply).
I'm someone who's extremely dependent on my mental state when it comes to writing; it often takes me several hours to finish a few thousand words. Three recent setbacks in work and life have left me in a consistently poor state of mind. Stomach aches, headaches, and backaches are common occurrences, and I've incurred a lot of extra expenses due to health issues. These additional financial burdens have increased my psychological burden, making me increasingly anxious, to the point that I can no longer type when I sit down at the computer. The less I can type, the more anxious I become, and the more anxious I become, the more it affects my mental state.
This novel isn't very popular; there aren't even many people reading it. On a friend's advice, I decided to abandon this book for the sake of my health and mental well-being.
Although no one is urging me to update, I still feel guilty. Looking at the outline I had already written and the more than 200,000 words that have already been published, I thought about it and decided to persevere and finish writing it.
I really love the young couple I created. I love their personalities, their way of getting along, and their naive, elementary-school-level dating journey. My writing isn't great, and the plot isn't exciting enough, but as long as I finish writing, I can give them a perfect ending, so why shouldn't I continue writing? If even I don't love them, who will?
So I'll keep writing. Just consider it telling myself a story. As long as I enjoy it, that's enough.
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