LOGINThe day sixty-year-old Lucian received the National Public Service Honor, he felt so overwhelmed with emotion that he could barely speak. Forty years earlier, his enemies had broken both of his legs and dumped him deep in the mountains, leaving him to survive on his own. At that time, he had tried to call for help. However, after the brutal beating, he lost the hearing in one ear and nearly lost his eyesight. When he reached the point of despair, a kind-hearted villager rescued him. From that moment, Lucian chose to settle in the mountains and dedicated himself to building roads and bridges for the villagers. Over the next forty years, he voluntarily helped countless young people from the mountains escape their desperate circumstances. In doing so, he fulfilled the dream he once had for himself. He never imagined that he would see the person who had sent him into the mountains at the award ceremony. Almost instinctively, he turned his wheelchair and followed her. Then he saw someone buried deep in his memories, Bianca, the childhood sweetheart he had grown up with. The human trafficker actually called her "Boss." "Was it really worth using the connections you had left to make sure Lucian received this award?" The woman’s frail body hunched for a moment. A trace of guilt appeared on her deeply wrinkled face. "Worth it." "Back then, Vincent told me that Lucian had maliciously reported him, which got him fired from his job. I was furious, and instead of asking Lucian for an explanation, I sent him into the mountains. It was not until recently that I learned what he had endured all these years. That was when I found out Vincent had lied to me. Lucian never reported him!"
View MoreA faint smile appeared on Lucian’s face.On a night near the end of his time studying abroad, he asked himself the very same question.Had he agreed to be with Layla simply because she treated him well?Yes and no. Her kindness had only been the most basic requirement. What truly moved him was something he once asked her.“Do you believe people have past lives and future lives?”She did not answer him directly. Instead, she took his hand.“If you say they do, then I believe you. Lucian, I used to think there were so many secrets about you. Like how you understand things you’ve never even been exposed to, or how you have a vision and sense of strategy far beyond what anyone in this era should have. But sometimes, I also find myself feeling sorry for you.“I don’t care whether you’re simple or complicated, whether you’re hiding some great secret. What matters to me is whether you’ve been eating properly, whether you’ve grown during your time abroad, and whether you’ve finally mana
Bianca moved her lips, but not a single word came out.She had none of those things.For the past year, all she could do was sit alone in the dead of night, holding the things Lucian once gave her and letting herself remember.She vaguely remembered how, after graduating from high school, he refused to go to the countryside, swearing that he would stay by her side.She also remembered the time she came down with a fever and he ignored all the gossip to sit beside her bed at the local clinic.Moreover, she remembered when she carelessly lost an important order and her mother punished her for it. Lucian stepped in front of her without hesitation.“Mrs. Rose, Bianca didn’t do it on purpose. If you’re angry, take it out on me instead.”They had known each other for so many years. Yet she did nothing but hurt him and trample on the sincerity of his feelings throughout all those years.Now that he was trying to accept someone new, she should have been happy for him.“Then I wish you
Bianca did not refuse. As the car ventured farther and farther into the outskirts, the tension in her mind tightened with every mile.When they finally arrived at that run‑down mountain village, Bianca could not bring herself to get out of the car.Her lips were pressed into a thin line, her face frighteningly pale.“Lucian, why did you bring me here?”Lucian could not quite explain it himself.He simply got out and walked ahead. “Actually, a lot of the people here were sent into the mountains against their will. In my previous life, I wanted to run away, but how far could I possibly get with both my legs broken? And someone even beat me so badly that I lost the hearing in my right ear…”Every word felt like a knife driven straight into Bianca’s heart.She stood there rooted to the spot, like an ancient tree with roots buried deep in the earth, paralyzed by the weight of her own conscience.“Lucian, I…”“You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted someone I could tell all of
Bianca remained silent for a long time. At last, almost pleadingly, she reached out and caught the edge of his sleeve.“I’m sorry for what I did. But, Lucian, my parents are getting old. Please don’t keep hurting them because of me…”Lucian looked at her deeply before letting out a soft chuckle.“I used to think you had a heart of steel. I never realized you could actually worry about your parents. Bianca, I’m not you. I could never become someone as ruthless as you. As for whether the Rose family can hold on to what it has left, that’s up to you.”He took the things she had given him and threw them into the trash right in front of her.Bianca bent down and gathered them up, feeling as though her own heart had shattered along with them.She watched him from behind until he was almost out of sight. Only then could she no longer hold back her tears.“Lucian, is destroying me and the Rose family your greatest wish in this life?”Lucian did not turn around. Silently, deep within hi
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