Chapter 29: Childhood Encounter (Part 2)

From that day on, little Muxue had a little kid tagging along with her every day. He would wait for her in the park every day, and after her lessons, she would go to find him so they could play together.

The two of them spent more time sitting together and sharing their thoughts.

Little Muxue envied him for not having to study, saying her mother was always busy and her father had gone to a faraway place. She felt bored after classes since there was no one to play with.

Lin Beixiu, naive as he was, could sense the difference in their family atmospheres. He didn’t want to return to that so-called home, which felt oppressive and uncomfortable to him.

They were each other’s only friend. The little guy secretly played with her for a long time. Since they were from the same residential area, Qin Muxue grew fond of this little brother and called him little brother Lin, and he called her Sister Mu.

Little Muxue held a simple mp3 player in her hand. At that moment, she taught little brother Lin to sing, an old song called “The Sea.”

It was her father’s favorite song and the first song she had ever heard.

Every time she listened to this song, she could remember her father holding her and running on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves, with the beautiful melody echoing in her ears.

“If the sea could bring back the love of the past…”

That was the last time her father was with her…

The bad news came, bringing a heavy blow to the family. Only little Muxue was kept in the dark, told by her mother that her father had gone to a faraway place and to listen to the song whenever she missed him.

Lin Beixiu learned to sing it too. Little Muxue liked listening to him sing, as if she could feel the call of the sea again, feel her father’s presence, and her greatest wish was for her father to return and take her to the sea once more.

But as she grew up, she knew that was no longer possible.

From that distant seashore, the fading silhouette of you, the once blurry face gradually became clear…

…

After a few days, Qin Muxue gave him a necklace, the five-pointed star necklace that Lin Beixiu has.

This necklace was precious to her, yet she gave it to Lin Beixiu, showing her intentions for him. It was Lin Beixiu’s companionship that helped her through those dark times.

Receiving Qin Muxue’s gift, Lin Beixiu immediately proposed to return a more special gift.

However, the next day, Qin Muxue arrived at their usual spot and waited a long time. She never saw her little brother Lin again, nor did she receive his gift, ultimately leaving in disappointment.

By that time, Lin Beixiu’s parents had finished their court battle. He was awarded to his father, who didn’t take care of him. Eventually, he was taken away by his grandfather, leaving the residential area and the city, holding the ungiven gift in his hands that night.

Everything happened so quickly; he didn’t even have time to say goodbye.

Their childhood encounter ended with regret.

Months later, Qin Muxue started elementary school. The departure of little brother Lin was a significant blow to her, and coupled with the lack of love in her family atmosphere, she became cold, closed off, and reticent, even loathing the troubles her appearance brought.

She grew up, understood her family’s hard work a bit more, learned where her father had gone, and chose to study hard to get into a good university, majoring in finance, to help her mother in the future.

Yet, there was still a bit of her that hadn’t forgiven her mother, which is why their relationship was still very stiff to this day.

…

What about Lin Beixiu? Due to his parents’ divorce and lack of discipline, he became unruly and angry. He disliked studying from a young age, preferring to fight, becoming a well-known bully in school.

Old Zhang lacked experience in education and didn’t know what to do. He wouldn’t listen to advice, and Old Zhang couldn’t bring himself to punish him. He could only drink his sorrows away, lamenting the unfairness of fate for turning such a well-behaved child into this state.

Lin Beixiu’s wayward behavior continued until his senior year of high school when a change occurred. He was mocked for being a bastard without parents, leading to a fight where he took on five guys alone, resulting in injuries on both sides, with two of the opponents ending up in the hospital.

Old Zhang was called to the school to take Lin Beixiu home, where he was expelled.

For the first time, Lin Beixiu saw Old Zhang’s expression filled with despair, helplessness, pain, and guilt, but not anger.

Facing the other parents’ accusations, Old Zhang could only apologize continuously and was also responsible for the medical expenses.

At that moment, Lin Beixiu felt as if his grandfather had aged a decade, all because of the trouble he caused.

Back home, Old Zhang didn’t scold him, not even bothering to lecture, just drinking alone.

When it was time for dinner, Old Zhang asked in a hoarse voice, “Little Bei, do you still want to study?”

Lin Beixiu clenched his legs under the table, and the room fell silent. After a long while, as if making a firm decision, he slowly said, “I do.”

“If you want to study, then study seriously.”

That night, the two of them finished a bottle of liquor.

From that day on, perhaps Lin Beixiu had a change of heart. He helped his grandfather find a new school, and with Lin Beixiu’s assistance, they managed the enrollment process.

Ignoring others’ opinions and gossip, he focused on his own path.

Having not studied properly before and with little time left until the college entrance examination, he unsurprisingly failed.

Undeterred, Lin Beixiu chose to retake the year. Old Zhang silently supported him, and Lin Beixiu did not disappoint, eventually getting into Tianxing University with excellent grades.

As for why he chose to stay in Tianxing City, besides being closer to his grandfather, it was also to fulfill a long-ago wish, to see if he could find that girl again.

He had broken his promise. If possible, he wanted to apologize.

…

The National Day holiday passed quickly, and today was their last day in An Province. These days, Lin Beixiu had taken her around to play, mostly basketball, making bets, winning some, losing some. Lin Beixiu ended up with two “get out of jail free” cards, but also calling her sister several times.

Old Zhang personally cooked a final meal and even brought out a bottle of liquor, determined to have a good drink with Lin Beixiu. Qin Muxue didn’t object.

“Alright, Grandpa, this is the last time. Drink less in the future.”

The two of them enjoyed their drinks, with Qin Muxue watching the show. She couldn’t resist trying the liquor, pouring herself a small cup. After one sip, she couldn’t handle it, coughing and sputtering.

“If you can’t drink, don’t,” Lin Beixiu said, taking her cup and pouring out the liquor, suggesting she stick to juice instead. Qin Muxue had no choice but to obediently drink her juice.

After the meal, both men were flushed from drinking, Lin Beixiu entering a slightly tipsy state. They headed to their rooms to rest, and Old Zhang went to take a shower and then prepared to make more buns as usual.

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