Chapter 120 – Past Life and Present (Part One)

For a full week, I had become the most talked-about high schooler in C City. As the national computer competition champion, I was not only showered with commendations from the Education Bureau but also dragged by the principal to deliver tedious speeches at school. Most absurdly, I was named a model "Three-Good Student" and sent by the Fourth High School to various other schools in the city to rotate through lectures on my "successful study methods" and share my reflections. Dammit, all the knowledge packed into my brain came from an extraterrestrial entity—it’s as natural as breathing. Forcing me to write acceptance speeches and teach study methods? Isn't that just compelling me to spout nonsense?

There was no helping it. Since my return from the capital, invitations had poured in like a tidal wave. I had become the pride of Fourth High School, yet no one cared about my well-being; they persisted with their invitations, and when those failed, they started pulling strings and using back-door connections. Seeing me scowling with nowhere to turn, the principal eventually dragged Fu Ming and Chu Qitong in to act as my speech stand-ins. It wasn't until a full week later that the situation finally began to ease.

Ever since that night in the capital with Chu Qitong, I had been agonizing over how to make amends to the girl. Money? She didn't need it. Affection? The moment I thought of Su Xin’s happy face, I immediately rejected that idea. Yet, every night, when I remembered Chu Qitong’s pitiful appearance and the hickey marks that had once appeared on her arms and neck, a wave of guilt washed over me. No matter what, it was my fault; my actions had led to this situation. Worse, whenever I bumped into Chu Qitong unexpectedly, an inexplicable awkwardness would arise between us, and the lingering ambiguity made me feel overwhelmed. Thus, I had spent the entire week caught in a dilemma, plagued by constant worry.

"Xiao Qiang, do you think this outfit looks good on me?" Su Xin emerged from the fitting room. A snow-white autumn coat over a white mid-length skirt made her look exceptionally beautiful and moving today. Yet, as I gazed at her exquisite figure, I somehow found myself thinking of Chu Qitong—her build seemed quite similar to Su Xin’s...

"Xiao Qiang? Xiao Qiang? Hey!" Su Xin’s call snapped me out of my brief reverie. Flustered, I nodded hurriedly. "Yeah, it’s great. This outfit really suits you."

"Xiao Qiang, what’s wrong with you lately? Why are you always daydreaming? It’s like this when I call you in class, and it’s like this when we’re out shopping. It’s so annoying." Su Xin pouted, looking a bit displeased. "It feels like you’ve grown cold toward me since we came back from the capital. Xiao Qiang, are... are you falling out of love with me?"

"No... haha, how could that be? Don't let your imagination run wild." A cold sweat broke out on my back. I cursed myself silently, gently took Su Xin’s small hand, and smiled. "How could I not love you, Xin-xin? Don't be angry. I’ve just been thinking about some things lately, which is why I’ve been distracted."

Su Xin looked at me strangely, as if she had realized something. She asked in a low voice, "Is it my father putting pressure on you again? It hasn't been three months yet..."

"No, it's not your father. Haha, it's just my own business." I gave an awkward laugh. If I told her I was thinking about Chu Qitong, wouldn't that trigger a volcanic eruption?

"Your own business? What business? Now that I think about it, Tongtong has been acting just as absent-minded since you guys got back from the capital. Could it be..." Su Xin seemed to have discovered something, her eyes turning playful.

"What are you imagining? I said it's nothing, so it's nothing." The wound in my heart that I didn't want touched was prodded by Su Xin, causing a raw, stinging pain. My expression turned grim. "I'm begging you, stop overthinking. Let's go, aren't we going to the mall ahead?"

"Oh..." Su Xin seemed a bit unhappy after my stern remark. I rarely showed her such a cold face; if I displayed this angry expression, it meant her words had truly upset me. And since I hadn't explained anything, she became even more curious.

We left that high-end French boutique and walked down the street hand in hand. With my mind in turmoil, I looked ahead, but my heart was fixated on the girl I had hurt. I realized I was truly useless; having hurt her, I couldn't do anything to compensate, letting the matter simply fade away. If the chance arose, I swore I would repay this debt of heart to Chu Qitong.

During that week, I had secretly met with Su Xin’s father, Su Guohui, to discuss a plan to join forces and eliminate the Xia family. Long before I went to the capital, Zhang Jing had already made full preparations, waiting only for my return to C City to initiate action. Now, the timing was ripe; I no longer needed to wait. Tomorrow in C City would be a tempest. Meanwhile, my Sunshine Group had secretly begun expanding into other cities in Z Province, even reaching the provincial capital to acquire companies and launch a series of development projects. Li Dabiao’s Tianying Company undoubtedly provided the best backing for the Sunshine Group’s branches. To put it bluntly, Tianying was a gang-affiliated organization. During this time, Li Dabiao had successfully seized control of the largest gang in C City and a dozen others in surrounding cities. He did this for one reason: to pave the way for the Sunshine Group’s expansion. I naturally appreciated this model; only by mastering both the underworld and the legitimate business world could a company stand firm in unfamiliar territory.

"Xiao Qiang, it’s already late November. Winter is right after this month. Do you need to buy winter clothes? Things are very cheap right now." Su Xin smiled and pointed to a winter clothing fair hanging in the distance, gesturing to see if we should take a look.

I nodded gently. "If you like, let's go see. It’s still early anyway. I’ll have Li Dabiao come pick us up later."

"Okay, then let’s go take a look." Like other women, Su Xin loved to shop. But unlike shopaholics, she enjoyed the feeling of being with me more than the shopping itself; buying clothes was secondary. So, whenever I agreed, she would hop around happily like a little rabbit, as if afraid I might change my mind.

The place Su Xin brought me to was like a large warehouse sale. Racks filled with clothes were lined up haphazardly, displaying a dizzying array of winter wear for people to choose from. All around, the cries of vendors and the questions of customers made the scene incredibly lively—no wonder Su Xin, who loved a crowd, wanted to come here.

After squeezing into the throng of people, Su Xin and I arrived at a counter to start picking out winter clothes. Although I was very wealthy—my deposits in Swiss banks alone exceeded several billion dollars, not to mention the Sunshine Group, which had grown from a 400-million-yuan start to being worth tens of billions—I still preferred wearing ordinary, non-branded clothing. It wasn't for any specific reason other than the fact that I had no hobby for luxury brands and no snobbery of the wealthy. Su Xin was clearly like me; she didn't look down on ordinary clothes or poor people. That was precisely the quality I admired most in her.

"Sir, Miss, come take a look here. These are this year's new arrivals, original export goods. The styles are absolutely great. With your beautiful figure, Miss, buying a few pieces to wear this winter would look amazing." The salesgirl clearly noticed Su Xin; a woman as beautiful as her would naturally draw attention in a crowd.

"Haha, okay. I was just thinking of buying a few. Could you help me pick out something suitable for me and my boyfriend?" When she said "boyfriend," Su Xin’s pretty face blushed naturally. That shyness was a sign of happiness, which warmed my heart.

"Oh? Buying menswear too? Great, I have both here." The salesgirl looked us over and thought for a moment. "Since you two are such a perfect match, why don't you buy a couple’s outfit? Actually, we just got some white couple’s down jackets. You would look amazing in them."

"Down jackets? Great, bring them over and let us see," Su Xin said, smiling and nodding excitedly at the mention of couple’s outfits. "Bring out other styles too."

"Alright, wait a moment. Let me check the warehouse to see if they're sold out." The salesgirl didn't seem to find the items she wanted to recommend on the rack, so after telling Su Xin, she headed toward the back of the store, clearly not wanting to let two customers slip away.

With nothing to do, I stood there with Su Xin, admiring the other styles. I cast a glance around; the sea of people was a rare sight in C City. It seemed the clothes here might actually be quite good.

"Smack!" Just as I was about to pick out some clothes, the sharp sound of a slap suddenly reached my ears. I looked up and saw several thugs surrounding a female attendant. In the center, a man with yellow hair and a cigarette hanging from his mouth had just landed a fierce slap on the attendant’s face!