It wasn't until later that Le Xiang realized just how frustrating things would become.
Shen Mingyuan was truly self-centered. Her initial attempts to simply approach him and be civil were willfully misinterpreted as acceptance of his proposal and an agreement to date.
By the time she realized what was happening, Shen Mingyuan had already broadcast it to the world. In everyone else's eyes, she was now his girlfriend.
Le Xiang was filled with deep regret. She spent countless hours trying to dismantle the relationship, attempting to explain herself and push him away.
It wasn't until Shen Mingyuan decided to take things a step further, suggesting they go to a hotel, that she finally snapped. She grabbed her bag and struck him with it. Shen Mingyuan was completely stunned, unable to even stop her from storming out.
After that, Le Xiang stopped caring about her public image. Whenever necessary, she rejected him outright, making her true feelings painfully clear. Only then did Shen Mingyuan understand—she wasn't playing hard to get.
Much later, Le Xiang would come to realize that while Shen Mingyuan might not be the brightest, he wasn't oblivious. He had understood her rejection from the very beginning; he simply didn't care. He wanted to force her into an ambiguous relationship, making everyone around them believe they were together despite her protests.
Le Xiang thought that chapter of her life was closed. She graduated from university, unsure whether to continue her studies or start working. She went home to visit, but it was then that her family situation took a sharp turn for the worse.
Her adoptive parents, Yu Liangwei and Jiang Huifang, had a son named Yu Hao, six years her junior. Le Xiang never had strong feelings for him—he wasn't someone she particularly liked or hated.
Unlike Yu Liangwei, who ignored Le Xiang, and Jiang Huifang, who tried to overcompensate for her guilt by being overly nice, Yu Hao was the apple of their eye. They doted on him, and in turn, Yu Hao never showed Le Xiang much respect. Influenced by his father, he often caused trouble for her.
To Le Xiang, Yu Hao was less of a brother and more of a burden she had to bear.
In contrast, their neighbor, Qiao Zhi, had always felt more like a brother to her.
Like Le Xiang, Qiao Zhi was adopted, but unlike her, he didn't know it. His adoptive parents treated him like their own flesh and blood, and even his younger brother respected him deeply. Le Xiang later found out that Qiao Zhi had also been adopted by chance.
Growing up in such an environment, Qiao Zhi was a well-behaved, smart, and talented child—good at sports, skilled at painting, with a shy yet cheerful personality.
Raising two sons wasn't easy for Qiao Zhi's parents, who worked long hours. Without any extended family to help, they often asked Le Xiang to look after Qiao Zhi and his younger brother, Qiao Gai. Le Xiang's situation wasn't easy, but she was grateful for the help Qiao Zhi's parents gave her, especially for assisting with her hukou registration, which allowed her to attend school.
Although she had to look after Yu Hao, the three boys spent a lot of time together. Qiao Gai was too young to be much help and just tagged along behind his brothers. Yu Hao, mischievous as ever, frequently caused trouble for Le Xiang. But Qiao Zhi, the obedient one, always stood by her side. He called her "Xiangxiang" and stood up for her whenever Yu Hao pulled a prank.
Although Qiao Zhi was two years younger, he was more mature than Yu Hao. Le Xiang naturally felt closer to him, finding his kindness and thoughtfulness a stark contrast to Yu Hao's wild antics.
Over time, the conflict between Yu Hao and Qiao Zhi escalated. It started with bickering and teasing, but soon turned into physical fights. Initially, the younger Qiao Zhi was at a disadvantage, but as time went on, the tables began to turn. Eventually, Qiao Zhi could hold his own against Yu Hao. Intimidated by Qiao Zhi's strength, Yu Hao never dared to trouble Le Xiang again.
Looking back, Le Xiang realized that even as children, Qiao Zhi had been protecting her in his own way.
Her feelings toward Yu Hao had always been neutral, but when the accident happened, things shifted drastically.
During her junior year of college, Le Xiang received a call from a weeping Jiang Huifang. Her father, Yu Liangwei, had gotten drunk, gotten into a fight, and broken his neck. She rushed to the hospital, where her mother's blood pressure had spiked, landing her in the emergency room as well. With no one to care for the couple and no money to hire a nurse, they asked her to come home and help.
Le Xiang was reluctant. She didn't want to care for someone like Yu Liangwei, who had never treated her like a daughter, but she felt she had no choice but to comply.
Yet, just as she was preparing to ask her professor for leave, Yu Hao suddenly called her. He told her not to come back.
He explained that although Yu Liangwei was injured, the other party wasn't much better off. Since Yu Liangwei was at fault, he wouldn't be receiving any compensation. In fact, he had arranged everything—if she came back, she was to be married off to a middle-aged thug in exchange for a dowry of 20,000 yuan.
Le Xiang was shocked at first, but quickly regained her composure. She asked who would care for their adoptive parents if she didn't return, and where the compensation money would come from.
Yu Hao answered calmly, "I'll take care of Dad and Mom. As for the compensation... they saved money for my college. I'm not interested in studying anyway. If I didn't have to go, I would have quit long ago. I'll use this opportunity to drop out and start working to earn money."
Le Xiang knew Yu Hao wasn't lying. He had never liked studying, and indeed, he wasn't cut out for it. However, her adoptive parents wouldn't see it that way. They insisted on sending him to college, no matter how poorly he performed. On the other hand, regarding her own education—despite her good grades and acceptance into a top university—they had refused to touch the money saved for Yu Hao, forcing Le Xiang to rely on student loans to fund her studies.