Chapter 24: A Heart Stirred Beyond Control
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Two old men made a bet, forcing their grandsons onto the battlefield without ever asking if they agreed.
The elder brother grew up under strict military discipline: he had to obey orders, attend the military academy, enlist in the army, and follow the future his grandfather had meticulously planned for him, step by step.
Fortunately, he proved himself, passed the exam to become a pilot, performed excellently at the academy, and graduated smoothly.
He himself was raised by his maternal grandfather. Though never beaten, he was subjected daily to rigid lessons and constant lectures about the principles of being an official, which left his mind overloaded and exhausted.
“Have you found the answer to the question I asked you last time?”
“Why do so many people who receive help turn ungrateful? Why shouldn’t you act out of kindness and help others before they ask for it?”
His grandfather, unaware of his true thoughts, seized the chance to begin his persistent teachings once more.
Here we go again...
Not even a game of chess offers respite; can’t a person catch their breath in peace?
Gu Bin silently mocked in his heart, though his expression betrayed nothing. He pretended to ponder seriously, playing along with his grandfather’s test.
“Because at their core, people want to feel superior to others. Those who receive charity instinctively envy those who help them and are doing better than themselves. So when you offer a rose, the lingering fragrance is yours alone—the one who helps is moved, but the one helped often is not.”
“Good, that answer really hits the mark...”
His grandfather nodded with satisfaction, his gaze full of praise for his grandson.
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No. 9 Donghua Street.
On the day of the documentary filming, the whole family of his eldest aunt came over. Lin Xiyu’s mother also took special leave from school and brought her half-brother, Xu Yi, home to join the fun.
For once, Lin Xiyu wasn’t wearing her school uniform. Instead, she had put on a blue denim belted dress she usually couldn’t bear to wear, looking especially fresh and lovely.
Her hair was tied in a ponytail, her skin white as snow, her waist slender and legs long. Her delicate, beautiful face was stunning even without makeup.
Gu Bin turned the corner on his bicycle and immediately saw the girl standing gracefully at the gate.
His heart skipped a beat involuntarily.
A strange new feeling welled up uncontrollably, flooding his entire chest.
“Gu Bin, why did you come on that bike again?”
Lin Xiyu noticed him as well. In the instant their eyes met, it was plain that the thoughts of the boy and girl were on entirely different wavelengths.
Lin Xiyu’s gaze quickly fell on his bicycle, a trace of displeasure creasing her brow. “It was so hard to find it again—if you lose it now, who could take responsibility for that?”
Gu Bin: ……
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Could this girl possibly be any more of a jinx?
He was wrong to think she’d been waiting for him, letting his thoughts run wild and stir up his heart like ripples on a lake.
“Xiyu, who are you talking to?”
Her cousin, curious about the commotion, came running out from the courtyard. Her aunt also opened the window of the phone booth, craning her neck to look outside.
“Oh my, isn’t that your handsome classmate?”
At the sight of Gu Bin, her cousin’s gossip-loving eyes shone with excitement. She pretended to glare at Lin Xiyu in annoyance. “What’s gotten into you, girl? Why are you being so rude to your classmate?”
“I’m just stating the facts—how is that rude?”
Lin Xiyu vented her frustration on the bicycle: “His mountain bike is more famous than I am in our alley these days. Just ask any neighbor—who doesn’t know it?”
“Isn’t it better that it’s well known?”
Her cousin retorted with a smile, “Everyone recognizes it. There’s no way it’ll get lost.”