You Gui

"Zelin, could I come meet you? I bought some things, and they're a bit hard to carry. I'd like to go home with you tonight," Shi Yuan said awkwardly over the phone. He felt a little embarrassed, but he had too much to take on the bus, and a taxi home would cost too much.

"Of course. I'm on my lunch break now. Send me your location, and I'll come pick you up."

"Sorry for the trouble."

Shi Yuan hung up and sent him his location, marveling at how considerate he was. Whether it was an act or not, he had genuinely done Shi Yuan a huge favor.

When he read the original novel, he had suspected Wei Zelin might once have had feelings for You Gui. But since he put his interests above everything else, he would never offend his business partner Shen Duo over her, which was why he had distanced himself from her once everything was settled.

Now, that no longer seemed certain. In his ten years with the Wei Family, Wei Zelin's mask had become far too deeply ingrained. He could even smile at someone like the original owner of this body, who had humiliated him and walked all over him. Shi Yuan no longer dared speculate about his intentions.

"What did you buy?" Wei Zelin got out of the car to find Shi Yuan wearing a backpack, with two large boxes and a big duffel bag piled at his feet.

Shi Yuan lifted the larger box and answered, "This is a folding bed. The other one is a little folding desk. I also bought some sheets and bedding."

Wei Zelin stepped aside and watched him struggle to load the large box into the trunk, then went over and picked up the slightly smaller one and put it in too.

"I finish work at six tonight, but it might not be convenient for you to wait where I work..." Wei Zelin said hesitantly.

How good an office could the Wei Family possibly have given Wei Zelin? Shi Yuan understood.

He quickly shook his head. "It's fine, it's fine. I'll wait for you at a café nearby." He had already checked the map. There was a small park in the area, and there were no mosquitoes this time of year. The weather was neither too hot nor too cold, so the park would be much more comfortable than a café. Most importantly, it would cost nothing.

At six on the dot, Shi Yuan arrived near the Wei Corporation. Terrified of running into Wei Zexuan, he even found a large tree to hide behind.

People began streaming out of the office building. Fortunately, Wei Zexuan was not among them. To Shi Yuan's surprise, Wei Zelin came out with a stunning, alluring beauty. This beauty was a woman, and "alluring" was no slight against her; her looks truly deserved the word.

Her hair was medium-length and light in color, some of the ends tucked inside her white shirt. She had fair skin and a slender figure. From a distance, she looked only half a head shorter than Wei Zelin. Shi Yuan estimated she was about five foot eleven.

Once she drew closer and he saw her cool, exquisite features and the beauty mark at the corner of her eye, Shi Yuan finally confirmed that this beauty was You Gui, the romantic lead of Thorn.

You Gui came from an ordinary family, and both her parents earned a salary. She should have followed the usual path of school, work, marriage, and children, but that gorgeous face had brought her endless trouble throughout her life.

In elementary school, her classmates had ostracized her because of her androgynous face, though fortunately, some girls were still willing to play with her.

By high school, her looks left the boys dazed and made the girls secretly jealous. Little boys' tricks usually amounted to pulling the braids of the girl sitting in front of them, making her cry, then coaxing her to stop. The malice directed at You Gui was far worse.

Ostracism, harassment, and cruel pranks were only the beginning. When some students cornered her in the bathroom and tried to strip off her pants to see whether she was a boy or a girl, the viciousness of that bullying finally reached its peak.

Shen Duo transferred to the school around that time. He was a good student, handsome, and socially adept, as though he had been born blessed. When he rescued You Gui from the bathroom, she felt as though light had fallen over her entire body, leaving not even its darkest corners untouched.

Inevitably, she fell in love with that light.

Shi Yuan sighed inwardly. If everything had gone smoothly, Thorn would never have existed, and Shen Duo would never have named his company Rose.

Reading that novel had practically left Shi Yuan unable to breathe. Although the ending was happy, the road there was unbearably painful. You Gui was the most tragic protagonist he had ever read about.

Now that she stood right in front of him, thinking about what she had suffered and what still awaited her nearly gave Shi Yuan a heart attack.

By the time Wei Zelin said goodbye to You Gui and found Shi Yuan, Shi Yuan still looked upset.

"What's wrong? Did you have to wait too long?"

Shi Yuan snapped out of his tangled emotions. "No, not at all. I just got here too."

"Then let's go."

"Okay."

After Shi Yuan got into the car, Wei Zelin opened his phone and sent a message.

"Check whether he has any connection to You Gui in marketing."

When they went to the Flower House for dinner that evening, Wei Zexuan was still absent. For once, however, Mother Wei did not look cold and hostile. She ate with a delighted expression, though she still ignored Shi Yuan and Wei Zelin.

Shi Yuan considered the timing, recalling the novel's timeline. Not long after the original owner married Wei Zelin, Mother Wei's close friend and her daughter seemed to have returned from abroad. No wonder Wei Zexuan had not been staying here lately. He must have been avoiding Mother Wei's pressure to get married.

After this, though, Wei Zexuan should meet Shen Duo soon, then fall for the protagonist's commanding presence at first sight and pursue him like mad.

Wouldn't that leave him too busy to make trouble for me? Shi Yuan thought happily as he climbed the stairs.

He was carrying the folding bed and could barely catch his breath. Downstairs, Wei Zelin had asked whether he needed help. He had politely declined, and then... that had been the end of it.

Wei Zelin had carried his newly bought bedding upstairs with easy steps, leaving him struggling on the staircase. With the bed tucked under his left arm and the desk in his right hand, Shi Yuan made it only to the second floor before he could go no farther. He had to put down the desk and take the bed up first.

By the time he finished laboriously hauling everything upstairs, Wei Zelin had already washed up and was ready for bed.

The thought of having a bed to sleep in that night gave Shi Yuan a fresh burst of energy. He opened the box and began assembling it according to the instructions. At 1.2 meters wide, the bed was not particularly spacious, but Shi Yuan was five foot nine and slim, so it was more than enough for him.

There was no mattress, but fortunately, the pad he had bought was thick enough. He laid out the sheet, put the cover on the quilt, pulled the simple height-adjustable desk beside the bed, and neatly stacked the books from his backpack on top. At last, everything was done!

Shi Yuan stretched and went to the bathroom to wash up. He had bought toiletries too, so he finally no longer had to risk his neck borrowing Wei Zelin's.

After his shower, he changed into his new pajamas and lay comfortably on the bed, letting out a satisfied sigh. So soft!

It had been a long time since Shi Yuan had thought about his dead parents. The confusion, helplessness, and utter despair he had felt back then now seemed like something from another lifetime.

He gazed calmly at the ceiling. He was truly lucky to have come here. It felt as though he had escaped the self who had been mired so deeply in the past.

He had pushed free of the mud, been washed clean again and again by the river, and striven to blossom, lifting his head toward the blazing sun and bravely embracing a new life.

The days of diligent study passed quickly, and before long, the education exam was almost upon him. During that time, Wei Zexuan returned to the old residence a few times, and each visit was unpleasant. The atmosphere in the Flower House was always so oppressive. Fortunately, Shi Yuan only went there for dinner; otherwise, he might have become depressed.

At dinner that night, Wei Zexuan argued with Mother Wei again. He must have met Shen Duo already, because he told her outright that he was not interested in her friend's daughter and already had someone he liked.

Shi Yuan did not dare make a sound, quietly shoveling rice into his mouth off to the side. His hair had grown out and was a little long now. With his whole face buried in his bowl, all that remained visible was his fluffy head.

The sight made Wei Zelin want to laugh, and Wei Zexuan happened to catch it.

For more than twenty years, his life had been smooth sailing, with hardly a setback. This time, Mother Wei refused to indulge him and insisted that he go on a blind date. Unable to vent his pent-up rage on her, he picked up a plate and hurled it straight at Wei Zelin.

Brown sauce ran down Wei Zelin's head and into his collar. Even the most delicious food became revolting the instant it left the dinner table, especially with streaks of blood mixed in.

The room fell silent for less than a second before Shi Yuan shot to his feet.

Father Wei did not stir in his seat. He glanced sideways at Shi Yuan. "Sit down. What kind of behavior is that?"

Shi Yuan remained standing, his expression stiff as he watched Wei Zelin, whom everyone else ignored, pull a handkerchief from his pocket and slowly wipe the blood running down his neck.

Shi Yuan's chest heaved with obvious anger, his lips pressed tightly together. He had been like this since childhood. Whenever he wanted to argue, he would be furious before he even opened his mouth. A thousand words filled his mind, but his clumsy tongue could not get any of them out.

Having vented his anger, Wei Zexuan felt much better. He gave a derisive chuckle and started to stride away, ignoring Mother Wei's calls.

"Stop!"

Wei Zexuan turned a cold stare on Shi Yuan. "Are you talking to me?"

If Mother Wei had called him, he would not even have wanted to turn around. But who the hell was Shi Yuan to shout at him?

"How can you just walk away like that?" Shi Yuan's face flushed scarlet. He could not raise his voice properly. What sounded to him like a loud challenge was actually soft and feeble. With his slightly hoarse voice, it almost sounded like he was wheedling.

Yet those meek, lamb-like words made Wei Zelin's hand stop wiping away the blood.

For the first time, someone in the Wei Family had spoken up for him. Whether it was sincere or not, no one had ever stood beside him, worried about him, or protested on his behalf.

Once Shi Yuan got the first sentence out, the rest came much more easily. He took a couple of breaths and continued, "You were arguing with your mother. What right did you have to throw something at Wei Zelin? Can't you see he's hurt? Don't you know how to apologize?"

Wei Zexuan laughed in anger and strode back. "Apologize? Who the fuck does he think he is?"

As he spoke, he kicked at Wei Zelin in his chair. When Wei Zexuan lifted his foot, Wei Zelin raised his elbow slightly, then lowered it again, letting himself be kicked to the floor without resisting.

Satisfied, Wei Zexuan gave a nasty smile and said to Shi Yuan, "See that? He's worth less than a dog to me. If I hit a dog, do I have to apologize to it?"

Wei Zexuan looked at Shi Yuan with contempt. The only reason he had not dealt with Shi Yuan yet was that he still had some use. Once he acquired the Shi Family's company, he would have plenty of ways to torment him.

Shi Yuan watched Wei Zexuan leave, then turned to look at everyone else in the room. Father Wei and Mother Wei sat calmly in their chairs. Most of Mother Wei's anger had already dissipated, and she could even chuckle at Wei Zelin's miserable state.

Apart from his remark to Shi Yuan, Father Wei had remained seated without moving.

The butler and servants went about their own tasks, as though nothing had happened at the dinner table. Shi Yuan froze, unable to describe what he felt. His face, bright red with anger a moment ago, turned pale.

He had been born into a very ordinary family. His parents were ordinary workers with little education, and it had taken half their lives to buy a tiny apartment in the city. They had arguments and friction now and then, but he had been happy.

He had truly felt his parents' love and spent twenty-two peaceful years under their protection, until they died in a car accident. Shi Yuan had thought himself unlucky and pitiful, wallowing in self-pity.

But what about Wei Zelin? What kind of life had he lived?

After Father Wei abandoned them, had he and his mother, Qi Ling, been bullied while they had only each other to rely on? After his mother died of illness before his eyes, still full of hatred, how had he survived all those years in the Bare Shell House after being brought back to the Wei Family?

A beast of a father who ignored him, a cruel stepmother, a vicious younger brother...

Shi Yuan finally realized that the words he had once read could never compare to the cruelty of actually living through it.

He helped Wei Zelin up from the floor, his eyes full of pity.

Wei Zelin found it laughable. Pity me?

(Wei Zelin's nearly six-foot-three frame lay curled on the floor. He treated the insults and beatings as fertilizer, feeding his savage satisfaction and making his hatred surge all the more fiercely. Women who admired him looked at him with that inexplicable gaze. Ha. Love? What was that? A poison that numbed the mind, or perhaps a lifeline for the psychologically damaged. But it was plainly the useless thing I despised most.

Love really was sickening even to think about...)

-Thorn