Chapter 21: A Troubled Heart

After the arrival of autumn, the drizzle persisted without end.

The already fragile friendship between Ye Anning and Lin Yiwei had completely broken off.

Xie Bo also seemed to deliberately oppose Lin Yiwei; whenever he came to school, he was always seen paired up with Ye Anning.

Rain-soaked strolls along the camphor-lined walkway, romantic candlelit dinners at the Western restaurant off-campus, even the small auditorium cinema…

On the school’s TalkTok forum, some speculated whether Ye Anning was about to become Xie Bo’s girlfriend. Surely they wouldn’t make it official, would they?

In the past, Xie Bo’s suitors lasted no more than half a month at best, some as short as three days. His circle was always lively, but what was lacking was someone who could truly accompany him.

Everyone guessed Ye Anning might be that person, the one to genuinely become Xie Bo’s girlfriend—and possibly even threaten the arranged marriage between the Xie and Chi families.

Seeing these idle gossip and speculation on the forum, Chi Xiyu felt both angry and amused.

They didn’t even think that ten Ye families couldn’t compare to one Chi family. With just Ye Anning, who did she think she was?

Yet, these rumors still made her heart particularly uneasy.

She could no longer wait for the ten-day agreement with Lin Yiwei and decided to handle the troublesome Ye Anning herself.

On a weekend evening, she went to her elder brother Chi Xicheng’s room.

The previous night, Chi Xicheng had spent a wild night drinking at the club and had been sleeping all day to recover. He had just woken up, holding his Switch controller and playing games.

“Brother, do me a favor.”

Chi Xicheng lazily ignored his lovestruck little sister, not even turning his head, his nasal voice heavy, “What is it?”

“There’s a girl around Xie Bo, and she’s really annoying! I want to get rid of her!”

At the mention of Xie Bo, Chi Xicheng finally lifted his head, his furrowed brow raising with a smile, “Oh, you finally realize, huh?”

“Everyone’s seen it, right? That girl’s shameless, always clinging to Xie Bo like a leech. So annoying!”

“I think Xie Bo is pretty into her. Who knows who’s really chasing whom?”

Chi Xicheng had suffered losses over Lin Yiwei’s matter and was full of resentment. He put down his controller, lit a cigarette.

“So, brother, help me deal with that Ye Anning, make sure she doesn’t dare cling to Xie Bo anymore.”

“Ye Anning, who’s that?” He exhaled smoke, asking cluelessly.

“That girl who’s been chasing Xie Bo lately. You know the Ye Group, right? They’ve been quite prominent recently and have business ties with the Xie family.”

Chi Xiyu pulled out her phone and showed Chi Xicheng a selfie Ye Anning had posted on her social circle.

Chi Xicheng zoomed in on the photo, scrutinizing it for a long time, his brow knitting tighter.

“You’re saying she’s been cozying up to Xie Bo recently?”

“Yeah.”

“Why the hell does Xie Bo like this type of look?”

“She’s not attractive at all, right?”

Chi Xicheng smirked mischievously, “Don’t say that—I actually like this type too.”

Chi Xiyu seized the opportunity to plead, “Brother, please help me get rid of her.”

“Ye family, we might run into them in business in the future. Though our family isn’t afraid of them, better to keep some distance for future encounters.” Chi Xicheng picked up his controller and resumed gaming. “No.”

“Come on, brother, just this once!” Chi Xiyu tugged at his shirt, shaking him, acting coquettish and stubborn. “Please help me, okay?”

“Girls’ stuff, you handle it yourself, alright?”

She pouted disdainfully. “My girlfriends are useless. Finally, I have someone who listens to me and dares to act, but no romantic experience. They drag their feet and can’t get this done.”

“That’s the Ye family’s heiress. If I mess with her, you expect Dad to let me live?”

“I don’t want you to actually hurt her, just scare her a little. Let her know opposing us won’t end well.”

Chi Xiyu was full of energy now, determined to remove Ye Anning from Xie Bo’s side. “You’ve got all the means. Just keep it in check. Help me, please!”

Chi Xicheng couldn’t stand her nagging, like a buzzing fly giving him a headache. “Alright, alright.”

He agreed for now. “I’ll help you this once. Consider it a favor. Next time I have something, no stalling.”

“You’re powerful outside, Mom spoils you. What can I help with?”

Chi Xicheng’s mind flashed to Lin Yiwei’s face. Because of Xie Bo’s threat, he couldn’t really make a move on her.

But that didn’t mean he gave up.

Sooner or later, he would have her.

“I’ll have my use for you someday.” He smiled, ruffling Chi Xiyu’s hair.

…

After class, several girls eagerly helped Chi Xiyu pack up her paint palette and canvas.

Chi Xiyu took out a powder puff and touched up her makeup. Lin Yiwei approached her. “Xixi, Xie Bo has a match tonight. I’ll go watch and find a way to get close to him.”

“Then go. Why tell me specifically?”

“Because this is special. I’ll report back to you on all my contact with Xie Bo, including our conversations,” Lin Yiwei obediently said. “I’ll also try to avoid physical contact with him.”

Seeing how obedient she was, and thinking of that wretched Ye Anning, it was a stark contrast.

Chi Xiyu hoped she would really get close to Xie Bo and block all his bad romantic entanglements.

Though, she doubted she had the ability.

Despite her striking face, she had no fashion sense and was unsophisticated. Xie Bo had high standards; it was surprising he liked her at all.

She took out a Chanel lipstick from her bag, twisted off the cap, and gently dabbed it on Lin Yiwei’s lips. “Fix yourself up first, silly girl.”

“I’ll learn to do makeup. Within ten days, I’ll complete the task you gave me. Trust me.”

Chi Xiyu smiled and smoothed Lin Yiwei’s long hair.

“All right, I trust you. Good luck.”

She liked this kind of loyal ‘dog’. She was confident she could control and use this girl to her advantage.

“But don’t be too anxious. Haste makes waste, especially with Xie Bo’s unpredictable temper. If you really annoy him, even I can’t help.”

“But I only have ten days…”

“I heard you and Ye Anning have fallen out. I’m not unreasonable.” Chi Xiyu patted her hand in feigned sympathy. “The ten-day agreement is off. Take it slow.”

Lin Yiwei stared at her in surprise.

She knew how much Chi Xiyu cared about Ye Anning, even losing sleep over her. How could she suddenly be so relaxed?

“Xixi, do you have another plan? Or did you find someone else…”

“I got my brother involved to teach Ye Anning a lesson,” Chi Xiyu said openly. “There’s nothing my brother can’t handle. Let’s wait and watch her downfall.”

With that, Chi Xiyu and a few girlfriends left the studio.

Lin Yiwei’s heart sank.

She had witnessed Chi Xicheng’s methods. Someone like Ye Anning, a naive little white rabbit in his hands, was unimaginable.

…

That night, Lin Yiwei was alone painting in the studio.

She was skilled at expressing emotions through color, much like her brother Lin Xie.

Although she lacked his innate intuition for color, years of immersion under his influence made her sensitivity to color extraordinary, often earning praise from Professor Mai.

The canvas depicted a vibrant ocean, turbulent waves evoking a sense of an impending storm.

Lin Yiwei wanted to calm herself.

Tonight, her task was to complete this painting.

Her heart was chaotic.

She thought back to an incident from her early teens.

At that time, she had already been adopted by the Chen family but often helped Lin Xie sell paintings at the market during her free time.

One day, Lin Xie asked her to watch the stall because a customer had commissioned a painting that needed to be finished the same day—he had to go back and work on it.

Lin Yiwei readily agreed, assuring him she'd handle it.

After Lin Xie left, she met a big client: a woman renovating her home who bought two large landscape oil paintings, paying with a red bill. Lin Yiwei was thrilled.

However, shortly after the woman left, Lin Yiwei realized the red bill was counterfeit.

Lin Xie was always careful with money, and Lin Yiwei had learned to distinguish real from fake as well.

But just then, her mind went blank, overwhelmed by the ‘big business’ deal.

Holding the fake bill, she felt struck by lightning, her body weak and trembling as she collapsed to the ground.

Those two large landscape paintings were painstakingly created; she knew Lin Xie stayed up late every night painting. Losing such a large sum was devastating, and Lin Yiwei burst into tears.

Why, why are there so many bad people in the world?

Even though she and her brother worked so hard, why did misfortune keep striking them one after another?

It was truly unfair…

A woman selling clothes at a nearby stall, upon learning the situation, advised Lin Yiwei to quickly spend the money. If she broke the bill for change, the loss wouldn't be as great.

Lin Yiwei knew this was wrong, but a burning fire raged inside her chest.

Her trembling hand clutched the red bill tightly as she approached a cart selling baked cakes. An elderly woman with gray hair was selling handmade paper-box cakes.

In a daze, Lin Yiwei handed over the bill.

“Two cakes, please.”

She was surprised by her own voice—hoarse and unfamiliar, like crushed dry twigs.

The old woman took the bill, squinting as she examined it under the flickering light.

Lin Yiwei’s heart leapt to her throat, ears ringing.

The cake seller seemed to have poor eyesight. After taking the money, she pulled out a handkerchief embroidered with flowers and wrapped a bundle of change inside.

She moistened her fingers and counted the money repeatedly, giving Lin Yiwei ninety-five yuan, including a few coins.

Lin Yiwei carried the small cakes back to Lin Xie’s rented room, the bundle of change in her pocket feeling as heavy as steel.

Her world seemed to be bombed by a fighter jet, strewn with wounds and rivers of blood…

Once home, Lin Yiwei cried. Lin Xie, painting on the balcony, heard her sobs and came out, wrapping his arms around her.

“What’s wrong, Yiyi?”

Between tears, Lin Yiwei recounted everything—the whole story.

After listening, Lin Xie fell silent.

“Why!” Lin Yiwei choked on her words, gasping, “Why is the world so cruel to us? Why does my brother work so hard painting, yet bad people trick us with fake money? Then I… I want to be a bad person too!”

She clutched Lin Xie’s shirt tightly, trying to convince him—and herself—“I want to be a bad girl! I won’t feel guilty, or else… else my brother and I will both suffer…”

Lin Xie pondered for a moment, then peeled open the fragrant paper-box cake and held it to Lin Yiwei’s lips.

“Yiyi, want to eat this?”

The little girl’s tear-streaked eyes nodded repeatedly, full of longing, but she couldn’t bring herself to eat.

This cake… was a ‘reward’ for being a bad girl.

She didn’t even dare look at the little cake in the box, shaking her head, refusing to eat.

Suddenly, Lin Xie pushed a recently finished painting toward her.

It was a graceful distant view of snow-capped mountains—

Blue skies and green grass, clouds swirling above, the snowy peaks shimmering like draped golden silk under the sunlight, dazzling and magnificent.

“Do you want to go there?”

The tearful girl nodded again and again, her eyes full of yearning.

“Yes, I want to go there too,” Lin Xie said, gazing at the snowy mountain painting. “But the path there is full of thorns and rough terrain.”

Then he picked up the paper-box cake again.

“Yiyi, being a bad child, a bad person, is so easy—like eating this little cake, full of sweet temptation, gone in one bite. But after filling your stomach and satisfying a fleeting desire, you still have nothing.”

Lin Yiwei looked at the cake in his hand, then at the pure and beautiful snowy mountain behind him.

“The destination in life shouldn’t be this small cake that fills your belly, but to journey toward more beautiful, distant scenery.”

Lin Xie gently told her, “Yiyi, you have to look to the distance.”

Later, her brother accompanied her to find the cake-selling grandma, returning the change in full.

He patted her head, and they both bowed to apologize.

The grandma forgave them and even gave them the two cakes.

Lin Yiwei still remembered standing on the street eating cake with Lin Xie.

She cried and laughed at the same time, tears dropping onto the cake. Lin Xie smiled and wiped her tears, sharing his half of the cake with her.

She also remembered what Lin Xie had told her—

“Yiyi, you have to look to the distance.”

…

Lin Yiwei’s hand holding the brush was almost crushed.

The matter with Ye Anning had nothing to do with her. She was not a bad person. The Chi siblings were the villains. They were bullying her; what could she do?

This was the grudges and intrigues of high society. She didn’t want to get involved. She just wanted to find her brother, nothing more.

The back of her gripping hand turned blue with veins, trembling slightly.

Be silent. Don’t get involved. Choose the easier path. Choose to eat that sweet little cake and be a bad girl. What’s wrong with that?

Why trek the arduous snowy mountains?

She simply couldn’t do it.

She struggled, but Lin Xie’s voice echoed in her ears, so gentle and resolute—

“Yiyi, you have to look to the distance.”

Finally, Lin Yiwei threw down the brush, grabbed her bag, and hurried out of the studio.

She took out her phone and called Ye Anning.