Both of them sat in the back seat, and they hadn't spoken since leaving Rong Garden. The atmosphere in the car was freezing cold.
Having just cried, the girl had her pride. She had a thin skin; while crying, she hadn't felt anything, but now that she had stopped, she needed to be alone to calm down.
Lu Tingzhou understood, very gracefully giving her time to process.
Cheng Buxi leaned back against the car seat, her shoulders slightly curled inward, mesmerized by the street scenes reeling backward outside the window.
Her hair tie had accidentally come loose during her crying. She naturally had a small head and face, a tall figure, and prominent bones. A mass of black hair spilled down like thick ink, wrapping around her fair, flushed face. Her chin was pointed, like freshly scooped water chestnut meat or a broken jade petal. The streetlights were dazzling, as if a splendid firework was exploding with a crackle in her pupils.
This was the way back to school. Her heart calmed slightly, but she was still worried that her reddened eyes would catch the attention of her dorm mates, leading to endless questions. Such a luxurious car should be parked a kilometer away on a secluded street.
Fortunately, tonight she had spoken her mind to him, and the knot that had blocked her heart for over nine hundred days was finally loosened. From now on, she could face him more openly.
If three years ago, his words had poured a whole truckload of cement into her heart, quickly solidifying without mercy, then tonight, the cement was shattered, her heart gradually hollowed out, and then slowly filled with something else.
Her heart could try to accommodate someone else, and at that moment, the face of a young, cynical man appeared. She was startled.
In fact, forgetting is simple: time and a new love.
Not excessive, not at all, she tried to convince herself.
The car's light was just right, a warm, light hue covering her surroundings. Since she had just cried heavily, she still maintained a slightly defensive posture, hugging her arms, huddled in a corner without saying a word.
But as they gradually drove toward their destination, school was her turtle shell, where she could always hide. Her body slowly relaxed. Although she looked gentle and harmless, there seemed to be an invisible net, harshly separating her from the outside world.
Watching her, Lu Tingzhou suddenly recalled the first time he saw her when she was a child.
...
...
Cheng Buxi originally took her mother's surname, her name was Chen Xi. Before she was five, she didn't know she had a father. The whole world was just her mother.
Mother and daughter lived in a rented room of just over ten square meters, making a living by pedaling sewing machines and stuffing cotton at a down factory.
How to describe that time? Poor, yes, but very warm and cozy. The gentle and beautiful foundation of her character was shaped and stabilized by her mother.
Unfortunately, good times didn't last. When she was five, a serious illness notification shattered their mother-daughter bond.
Their bond was shallow, like ice, fragile.
That day, a crowd of people poured into the small room. The fact that her mother had secretly given birth to her was discovered by her family. The Chen family couldn't even afford to treat their daughter, let alone take care of this burden?
Her maternal grandparents didn't want her; the Chen family couldn't accommodate her. Where could she go? There was no choice but to go to her biological father.
When Chen Yanxue was critically ill, she made one last phone call to her biological father.
At that time, Father Cheng was far away in Tianjin. When he received the call, he was completely stunned.
He and Chen Yanxue had met at the old Lu family mansion. They were each other's first love. The Cheng family operated a vegetable garden; their ancestors were vegetable farmers. They had five children in total. She was the second child, with an older brother (the favored eldest son) above her, and two younger sisters and a younger brother (also a favored eldest son) below.
Because she was a girl, she received little attention. She was often sent to the Lu mansion to deliver fresh chickpea leaves.
Chen Yanxue was very beautiful. Matchmakers from all around frequently visited her home. Her family valued her looks, hoping she would marry into a rich family, transform into a golden phoenix, and repay the family.
Not only was she good-looking, but she was also clever. Unfortunately, her family didn't allow her to study; only her brothers were permitted to read.
The two fell in love at first sight under the eaves after the rain.
The Cheng family had been soldiers for the Lu family for generations. Cheng Baoshan was no exception. He was sent to the Lu family as a child to serve under Old Master Lu, becoming a half-adopted son and half teacher to Lu Tingzhou, teaching him to write and ride horses when he was young.
As for Father Cheng, he was very upright and cautious. Everyone praised him; he was decisive, and he looked strong and handsome. Even someone as proud and aloof as Lu Tingzhou would respectfully address him as "Uncle Cheng."
You could say Cheng Buxi was the only failure in his life.
Back then, they loved each other deeply, but the elders in the man's family stubbornly refused to accept her. A poor vegetable farmer's daughter was not fit for the table; the Cheng family was already a prominent household. The disparity in status was too great, and they broke up the couple. But many years later, she suddenly called to say that when they broke up, she was actually pregnant and had secretly given birth to a child.
Upon hearing this news, Cheng Baoshan felt as if struck by lightning, utterly horrified and shocked, because by then he had also married and had a daughter.
When the two were secretly dating, Lu Kuanghai and Bai Shuqin were aware. Even Lu Tingzhou was already quite old after they got married. They had thought it was just a simple love affair, but unexpectedly, she got pregnant and even secretly gave birth to a child.
After the breakup, Cheng Baoshan, under pressure from the elders at home, married a woman he didn't love. Though he didn't love her, the elders liked her, and she brought a generous dowry; her father's family owned thousands of acres of land.
He was an upright and serious man, with impeccable character, but most such people are too loyal and filial to a fault. Unfortunately, he ticked both boxes. He married a new woman and left the old one. He thought that was the end of the matter, but he never expected her to have gotten pregnant and secretly given birth to a child.
This thread of emotion couldn't bear any tension. With the slightest force, it wound around his heart, suffocating him.
In the dead of night, the weak voice on the other end of the phone abruptly stopped. After hearing it, his scalp tingled and went numb, and his heart throbbed like a lone boat battered by rain, adrift in the rapids. Scenes from the past replayed in his mind. He began to recall the feelings of those days. After all, first love—how many first loves are there in this vast sea of people?
He had been too cowardly back then, unable to resist his family. He had already let her down. Now, hearing the tragic news, heartbroken, he also began to care for this suddenly appearing daughter. After all, she was his own flesh and blood. The old couple at home had run a paternity test over a dozen times. Even if he found it hard to believe, the child's eyes were practically a copy of his.
A suddenly appearing illegitimate daughter, without her mother's protection, would have had an awkward situation no matter where she was. Fortunately, Father Cheng hadn't lost his conscience entirely. He overcame all obstacles and took her into his care.
After hastily handling the funeral, the young Cheng Buxi, thus separated from her mother, was taken to her father's home.
She was too young then to understand separation or the concept of death.
But when she looked at the funeral hall with her mother's portrait, that unchanging black-and-white photo, she vaguely realized that this person would never again appear at sunrise or sunset, hold her in gentle arms, or smile at her—and she began to wail.
She cried like the world was ending, cried until she was exhausted and fell asleep. When she woke, she was in an unfamiliar home.
A man who claimed to be 'Daddy' spoke to her in a gentle voice, saying that this was her home now.
Facing everything strange, at such a young age, she had already tasted the bitterness of displacement.
Her half-sister regarded her as a thorn in the flesh.
She lived like this in a daze for about half a year. One day, when Cheng Baoshan returned from fishing with Old Master Lu, he accidentally noticed bruises on her body, varying in severity. When he asked, she answered vaguely.
She was too young, unclear in speech, struggling even with slightly longer sentences. Later, he secretly observed and found that his elderly mother often abused her, and the stepmother and stepsister frequently treated her harshly, scolding her. Moreover, they warned her not to tell anyone, especially him, her father.
His heart ached, but as a father with little say in the family, he felt deeply powerless; his hair turned white from worry.
After all, it was the result of his own actions. What fault could the child have?
Realizing this couldn't continue—this place wasn't a haven but a quagmire—he had to find a solution. After much deliberation, he begged Lu Kuanghai, since he had followed him since childhood, calling him 'Brother Hai' for over thirty years.
Upon learning about the matter, the Lu couple were very calm. After all, they had witnessed the relationship firsthand. Furthermore, when Bai Shuqin had difficulty giving birth to Lu Siyu, Chen Yanxue had run around for her and even given blood for an emergency. The couple knew what they owed. That afternoon, they set off to the Cheng residence to pick up the child.
As for the name 'Buxi,' it was given later. The Cheng grandparents, relying on their in-laws, naturally disliked this suddenly appearing cheap granddaughter. They couldn't stand her, so they named her casually. With a roll of their eyes, they simply called her 'Buxi (Not Happy),' literally meaning 'not pleased'—they didn't like her. It was also a way to silence the in-laws' whispering.
The other granddaughter was different; she was called Cheng Huanyi (Joy Only), 'Huan Yi' meaning 'joy only'—only loving her.
The disparity was clear.
Later, when she was taken to the Lu family to be raised, Bai Shuqin once asked Cheng Buxi if she wanted to change her name. By then, she was already sensible and shook her head, saying no. 'Yun Hu Bu Xi' (The clouds are unclear, the rain is not pleased)—her father had taught her that. It was a good name, and she liked it, a name hard to come by.
Her expression was earnest and firm, so the old couple didn't insist.
When the couple went to pick her up that day, it happened that Lu Tingzhou was also at home. It was during his middle school years, a hot summer. The sun always found time to accompany them. He remembered it clearly: he had just finished a basketball game, and the score had been very close. Shen Xiushi was on the opposing team. They came from similar backgrounds and were around the same age, having been compared since childhood, with equal skills.
In the last few seconds of the game, their point guard hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer, winning by two points. Although they won, he knew it was a terrible game; without that last desperate shot, they would have lost. His mood was average when he got home, his face sour, and he just wanted to shower.
He casually tossed his basketball bag to the butler and entered the house, unexpectedly finding his mother at home instead of having afternoon tea with those rich ladies. That was surprising. Moreover, she mysteriously leaned against the stair railing and said to him, "Tingzhou, I'm going to bring home a little sister for you. Is that okay?"
He raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, thinking it was Lu Siyu, his biological sister, who was being raised in Suzhou at their maternal grandfather's estate. The siblings had never gotten along well and didn't share a deep bond. He replied indifferently, "Fine," and turned to go take a shower.
But unexpectedly, two hours before departure, his mother insisted on taking him along and wouldn't take no for an answer.