Chapter 69 How Harsh This World Is

[Fang Ye: Do you have any plans after the military training ends? Are any classmates taking you out to dinner?]

This question came rather abruptly.

It looked... like an expression of concern for her new campus life?

Bai Li touched her wallet. Inside, besides her tuition money, there were still several thousand yuan. Calculated according to a normal student living frugally on fifteen hundred yuan a month, it would be more than enough for several months.

She would also work harder to take on illustration commissions. Although life wouldn't be lavish, it would suffice.

After a moment of thought, she proactively replied:

[Bai Li: No classmates are taking me out, Brother. Can I treat you to dinner instead?]

She had troubled Fang Ye too many times.

She wanted to express her gratitude.

Besides, that bank card had remained untouched, and now that she had been accepted into Qing University, it was finally time to return it.

September in Beijing was as beautiful as an oil painting.

Sitting inside his car, Fang Ye raised an eyebrow. His original intention was to indirectly find out if the young girl had any dates or romantic prospects, but he hadn't expected her to invite him to dinner.

The car's air conditioning made his slender fingers icy cold. After a long pause, he replied with a single word.

[Okay.]

...

Early autumn in Beijing still carried the lingering warmth of summer, with not a single leaf showing signs of turning yellow and withering. Bai Li underwent military training every day, and perhaps because Madam Hu's genes were simply too strong, no matter how harsh the sun beat down on her, her skin didn't darken at all.

Half of the fourteen days of military training had passed, and Fang Ye hadn't visited much.

Qing University's campus was simply too vast, with each department located far from the others. Perhaps he had been there, and she simply didn't know.

Bai Li only knew that Fang Ye was thinking of her.

Because even though he didn't show up in person, someone came every single day with thoughtfully prepared drinks—always chilled, refreshing fruit teas.

Ever since Chen Sang and the others learned that Fang Ye was Bai Li's older brother, they stopped teasing them about their relationship.

They only occasionally remarked that two top students were indeed bound to be siblings.

Bai Li had entered the university with scores ranking in the top ten of Jiangcheng, and she had heard that Fang Ye was the top scorer of Lingjiang.

With so many such associations, the two of them were practically stamped as biological siblings in everyone's minds.

Initially, Bai Li didn't think much of it.

Fang Ye cherished her just like a real younger sister.

Yet she could not conceal the love hidden deep within her heart, constantly terrified that someone close to her might discover these feelings and view her as abnormal.

When the first autumn breeze swept through the parasol trees of Qing University that night, she cradled her desk lamp. As her roommates once again expressed envy over their deep sibling bond, she softly said, "Actually, I didn't make myself clear last time. Fang Ye isn't my biological brother. The situation is very complicated and hard to explain all at once, but ever since I was very young, he has been my brother. We just lost touch for a long time and only reunited after we grew up."

She refrained from giving Fang Ye the title of stepbrother, considering that Madam Hu had never treated him with even the slightest bit of kindness.

Deep down, she also resisted that identity.

Chen Sang blinked, hugging her little bear plushie, and after a moment asked, "Childhood sweethearts? A reunion after a long separation?"

Guan Xiaoyuan was a seasoned connoisseur of romance. She immediately scrambled up from her bed, took advantage of her proximity to lean closer to Bai Li, and said with a mysterious air, "Childhood sweethearts are really wonderful to ship lately. I can totally smell the vibe."

Someone's ears turned red in the dormitory. Fortunately, the lights were dim enough to reveal only her clear, almond-shaped eyes.

The more one spoke, the more mistakes one made. Twiddling her fingers, Bai Li decided to resort to her old trick.

"What are we having for breakfast tomorrow?"

"..."

Dormitory 301 instantly fell silent.

The three roommates exchanged glances, saying nothing for a long while.

At last, Yang Min—the quietest and slowest to react—pushed up her glasses and muttered in a small voice, "Wait, even I could tell she was changing the subject."

Chen Sang picked up right after her, her eyes widening. "And the tactic was so clumsy, treating us like fools."

Guan Xiaoyuan covered her face in embarrassment. "My secondary embarrassment is acting up. My toes are curling inside my shoes right now."

Bai Li also wore a troubled expression. Was it really that obvious? She wasn't skilled at hiding her true feelings and felt a sense of crisis, afraid of being truly found out, so she carefully steered clear of the topic.

Fortunately, sleepiness soon overtook someone. Exhausted from a full day of military training, they brought the late-night chat to an end.

Lying in bed, Bai Li breathed in the comforting fragrance of her pillow while listening to the radio through her earphones.

The radio host's gentle voice read a submitted letter, sounding like a traveler crossing thousands of mountains and rivers to converse with the listeners.

[Beijing Time, midnight, 00:30. Welcome everyone to my radio station.]

[Today, we are going to tell a story from the student days of the older generation.]

Bai Li could not catch the general plot clearly in her drowsy state, but one sentence pierced through her chaotic consciousness and embedded itself in her mind.

[No matter the era, unrequited love will sooner or later be exposed because it is simply too obvious. From the moment you begin to like him, your heartbeat and your time no longer belong to you. There is no need to regret a love that ends without a fruition; those few minutes of locking eyes with him in this lifetime are the reward for having loved. At that exact moment, his eyes held only you.]

Before drifting off completely, Bai Li thought: *That's right, it doesn't matter if it ends in nothingness; she never harbored any extravagant hopes anyway.*

*If locking eyes counts as the reward, then the next time she sees Fang Ye, she will never avert her gaze from his.*

...

In mid-September, the military training finally concluded.

During the seasonal transition, the leaves on the campus trees were always half red and half green, resembling a landscape painting from a master's brush.

Qing University granted a weekend holiday.

The autumn temperature gradually dropped, becoming too cool for short sleeves. Many students headed to the express delivery station to pick up winter clothes sent by their parents. It was then that Bai Li remembered she also had clothes waiting for her at the off-campus courier station.

Having shared Bai Li's fruit tea on numerous occasions, Chen Sang volunteered to help her haul the boxes back.

Glancing at the clothes inside the package, she clicked her tongue in admiration twice. "They're all brand new! Your family loves you way too much, right? Let me see who was backstabbing you by gossiping that you have no parental love."

Bai Li pulled out a gorgeous white dress and laughed softly, "They weren't bought by my family."

Chen Sang froze for a second, her eyes filled with remorse. "Sorry, sorry, Lili, I'm so sorry. It's just that I'd never seen your parents visit the campus, so I... Was this bought by your older brother?"

"Mm-hmm." Bai Li nodded, gently touching her roommate's hair. "It's fine, you don't need to apologize."

The young girl had grown much stronger over the past year, yet her gentle disposition remained. Chen Sang felt guilty for a while longer before adding, "It's so great to have an older brother. Your brother is so famous; I heard he's extremely, extremely wealthy, and hangs out with those local rich kids here in Beijing. Among those senior students who came to deliver fruit tea to you last time, one of their families owns a chain of shopping malls. Have you ever heard of Asia Plaza? You must have heard of it, since he's your brother's friend anyway."

Bai Li paused, lowering her head.

Was her brother wealthy?

She remembered every single word that Brother Cheng and Grandma Qin had said.

Whether in the past or the present, there were always people continuously trying to trample upon his spine. Scars remained indelible across his body, his wrists, behind his ears, and on the ridge of his brows.

They were proof of how harsh this world had been to him.

Yet everyone turned a blind eye, believing him to be infinitely glorious.