Chapter 38: Xia He’s Past
Gu Qinghuan sat in Xia He’s car, calling her mother to say she’d be home late. Song Yi also reported to his family.
“Senior Xia, aren’t you going to tell your family?” Gu Qinghuan asked casually.
“No need. I don’t have parents. My only direct elder is my grandfather, and he doesn’t care about me,” Xia He replied with his usual smile.
As soon as he said this, the temperature inside the car seemed to drop ten degrees.
Gu Qinghuan hesitated for a few seconds before softening her tone. “Did… your parents pass away?”
“Mm. They died when I was very young. I barely remember them now,” Xia He said faintly.
The memories he had left of his parents were like decaying rice paper — one light shake, and they would crumble into dust.
Still, he never allowed anyone to speak ill of them. The fact he’d even managed to return alive to the Xia family was thanks to arrangements his parents had made before their deaths.
Gu Qinghuan studied him for a moment. He blinked. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” she said. “I was just wondering whether you take after your mom or your dad.”
My mom, Xia He thought immediately.
Grandfather always said he looked like his father, while his uncles insisted he only resembled him in face — his personality came entirely from his mother.
Xia He’s father, Xia Zhihan, was the third and youngest son of the Xia family. He was gifted, handsome, and held great expectations from the patriarch.
But he didn’t like the path the family had arranged for him. He preferred art, which infuriated the old man when he was young.
Then he met Xia He’s mother, Xu Qiu.
From her name to her origins, her looks to her talents, she and Xia Zhihan seemed like they shouldn’t have been in the same world.
And yet, they met and fell in love — like a drama straight out of TV.
Xu Qiu had graduated middle school when her family locked her up, intending to marry her off for a bride price. She took advantage of their carelessness, ran away with money, and went to a big city to make a living. By coincidence, she met Xia Zhihan.
Xia Zhihan loved her — her vibrant life force, her boldness, her ambition.
She was like couch grass in a wasteland: heat-resistant, drought-tolerant, trampled yet unbroken, sinking her roots deep into the soil, fighting for nutrients, and spreading into lush green.
Xu Qiu loved Xia Zhihan too — his pure and transparent heart, his kindness, his beauty.
She knew she wasn’t his equal in many ways, and she knew he had no interest in the Xia family business. But what rightfully belonged to him — she wouldn’t let anyone else take.
So she stepped forward herself, walking the path the patriarch had originally set for Xia Zhihan.
She worked hard, and Xia Zhihan supported her. To him, the way Xu Qiu pursued her goals with such persistence was breathtaking.
By the time the two incompetent older brothers realized what was happening, the “outsider” and “low-born” woman in their eyes had already established herself in the Xia family. Many partners even chose to work with the Xias specifically because of Xu Qiu.
They didn’t see her excellence — only feared their share of the pie would be taken, and so they developed dark, dangerous thoughts.
Xia He had been very young then. He only knew that he had gone abroad with his parents, and that one morning, when he woke up, they were gone forever.
He was taken in by a man he didn’t know, given growth-inhibiting drugs, told to call the man “father,” and spent more than four years hiding. Eventually, he returned to the country posing as that man’s son, reappearing before the old patriarch.
By then, he had accepted that his parents were dead.
The patriarch never let him investigate the truth, but Xia He knew his uncles could not be innocent.
The more brilliant and reckless he acted, the more fear they would feel — afraid that one day, his methods of toying with others might be used on them.
And this was just the beginning. If he didn’t make them live in fear for at least a few more years, how could that possibly make up for what he had lost?
Xia He had long since forgotten his parents’ faces — just vague features, not even their voices remained.
But when Gu Qinghuan spoke just now, he suddenly realized — he himself was proof that they had once existed.
All he had to do was look in the mirror, and he would see them.
Xia He smiled. “They say I look like my dad but have my mom’s personality.”
Gu Qinghuan considered this, then said, “That’s quite the power couple — a perfect match.”
Xia He thought that if the Xia family heard her say that, they’d definitely think she was spouting nonsense.
But he liked it. He liked it a lot — enough to want to express his good mood somehow.
The sedan entered the underground parking lot of a home goods mall. After parking, Song Yi got out first, then turned back to offer his hand to Gu Qinghuan.
She blinked before realizing, then smiled as she took his hand. “This is the first time anyone’s helped me out of a car.”
“This car’s chassis is a bit high, so be careful getting out,” Song Yi said.
Once steady, Gu Qinghuan withdrew her hand. “Thanks.”
“No problem.” Song Yi waved it off, then tried to help Xia He — who slapped his hand away and jumped out on his own.
Damn it, that drug’s effects lasted too long. For the first time, he truly wished he could grow taller.
Xia He ground his teeth in secret.
The three entered the mall, but Gu Qinghuan didn’t head straight to the desk section — she wanted to browse around.
It had to be said, the three of them together were eye-catching.
Mingde High’s uniforms were already distinctive, and since this wasn’t an entertainment venue, other customers couldn’t help but wonder what three students were doing here.
“Do we really need a shoe cabinet? Wouldn’t it be weird to change shoes in the office?”
“Even with cupboards, these rolling storage carts seem pretty handy…”
“Uh, a coat rack? For hanging jackets and scarves in autumn and winter?”
Ah — so they were students buying office supplies for the school.
Other customers lost interest and went back to their own shopping.
Gu Qinghuan crouched slightly in front of a cart, looking torn.
She thought it would be handy for moving miscellaneous items around, but her office was still mostly empty — would she even use it?
“Sis,” Xia He bent down to look at her, hands behind his back, “if you want it, just buy it.”
Hearing that actually made Gu Qinghuan firmer in her decision. “Forget it — let’s pick the desks and chairs first. The rest isn’t that necessary.”
She stood up and quickly walked toward the furniture section, with Xia He and Song Yi following behind.
“You think,” Xia He asked, “if I bought everything Sis was interested in and gave it to her, she’d be happy?”
It took Song Yi a couple of seconds to realize Xia He was talking to him. Scratching his head, he replied honestly, “I don’t think Sister Gu would accept it.”
Xia He let out an exaggerated sigh. “You’re probably right.”
But that was fine — “Xia He” couldn’t give them to her, but he had other ways.
[Xia He]: Xiao Bai~
[Bai Hanshan]: What are you plotting now?
[Xia He]: Nothing. I just think the student council’s office is too plain. Could use a bit more life in it~
[Bai Hanshan]: …I know you’re furniture shopping with Gu Qinghuan.
[Xia He]: Give me a plan tomorrow morning.
Bai Hanshan wanted to block him — why had he ever agreed to work under Xia He in the first place?!
