Chapter 1, Returning to Age Nine

Sun Xiaowei held the football tightly: "Anyway, if you say it, your parents will definitely hit you. The football is something we played together. Also... that boy, he won't say anything."

Little did he expect that time would unexpectedly rewind back to 1997, and his situation would be this dire

With a thunderous roar, it unexpectedly began to rain

The children lowered their heads, not daring to look him in the eye

As shards of porcelain splattered, he picked them up all the way to the eaves, while the children hurriedly avoided them, their expressions varying.

Finally finished, the children all breathed a sigh of relief

He looked up and met a pair of slightly blushing peach blossom eyes

Someone whispered: "He was beaten and yet did not speak."

Indeed, before long, a simple-hearted man in his thirties wearing rain boots ran out

"I told you to make a mistake, you little brat. After breaking so many bowls, let's see if you dare to do it again next time!" In the courtyard of the 1990s, a cluster of lush yellow thorn bushes had grown. The grocery store owner, Zheng Chun, a man in his forties, broke off the thickest yellow thorn branch and struck the boy curled up on the ground again and again.

In her eyes, there was a moment of bewilderment as she looked at her small, chubby palms and the familiar courtyard before her, unable to distinguish between the present and the past for an instant

That summer was barren and scorching, the air filled with the faint fragrance of grass and trees. This group of mischief-making children would never know that the frail boy they provoked would become a remarkable figure who would command great influence in the future

Chi Yan did not raise his head until a small hand was spread out in front of him

Chi Yan had an expressionless face, and a total of about 20 bowls were broken. However, Zheng Chun did not provide him with a broom, only instructing him to pick them up with his bare hands. He was very quick; if it weren't for the bleeding wound, the recent beating would have felt more like an illusion.

Jiang Sui was stunned

My brother does not like you, so he does not smile at you, does not speak to you, and frowns when he sees you. But I like you, I like you very much, Sui Sui

Jiang Shuisheng clumsily said: "Sui Sui, don't cry, Daddy will take you to see the doctor"

The sharp pain caused Jiang Sui to suddenly retract her hand. She looked up, and the young man had already pushed the cart towards the grocery store. Jiang Sui inhaled sharply from the pain and after a moment, let out a gentle sigh

Jiang Shuisheng still had flour on his hands. Seeing his daughter's distress, he quickly said: "What happened to your forehead? Does Sui Sui hurt? Let Daddy take a look."

A group of children, around eight or nine years old, stood under the eaves, looking anxiously at the center of the courtyard

This sentence captured the attention of all the children, who turned to look. Indeed, they saw the young boy curled up on the shards of broken porcelain, his ill-fitting short summer shirt soaked in blood, leaving faint bloodstains on the ground

In the summer of 1997, City R was about to experience a heavy rain, with a gray sky and the sound of distant thunder echoing mournfully

Sun Xiaowei felt a moment of fear, thinking to himself what kind of monster could endure this! Even when on the verge of being beaten to death, it still did not cry out in pain or plead for mercy

The throbbing pain in her forehead made Jiang Sui realize that she was not dreaming; when she opened her eyes from a nap in the hospital, she found herself back at the age of 9!

"Speak up! I dare you to be stubborn!" Zheng Chun, in a fit of anger, shouted and cursed while striking. Hitting a silent wooden post clearly did not alleviate his anger; instead, it only fueled his rage further.

Jiang Sui did not suggest going down to walk

This is ? Chi Yan !

The sensitive pain in her limbs is characteristic of her nine-year-old body, which is frail and uncoordinated. She often trips over her own feet while walking, resulting in frequent injuries, and her small face is often bruised and swollen.

The disdain of 1997

One of the children, a little boy wearing a baseball cap named Sun Xiaowei, had the fairest complexion. Upon hearing this, he quickly objected: "No! No one is allowed to say that, otherwise I will make him pay for it"

In her memory, there is very little about Chi Yan, only that she knows this person's future

She was held by Jiang Shuisheng, and as the father and daughter passed by Zheng Chun's grocery store, they heard the sound of cursing from inside

He also said: "Please do not mind my brother's bad temper; he has suffered too much in his youth and has been lonely. Please forgive him."

Such a cold response feels somewhat awkward amidst the howling wind

The boys nodded in agreement. There were few girls in the courtyard, and with Jiang Sui, there were only three of them in total. They pouted their cheeks in grievance and reluctantly agreed under the threat of Sun Xiaowei.

He received a new football at noon, so he took the children from the courtyard to play together. Unexpectedly, the football flew out and hit the young boy's cart, causing the new bowl to shatter all over the ground

Until Jiang Sui saw the curled-up boy on the ground

Tears welled up in Jiang Sui's eyes; it had been so many years since she had seen her father in good health

They were stunned by the scene, and only now noticed a little girl sitting under the eaves, her forehead injured and affected by the incident

Zheng Chun spat a thick phlegm on the young man and cursed, "Damn it!"

The children huddled under the eaves, their bodies trembling, and the timid ones had already begun to cry

Beneath the gray, overcast sky, there was not even a low murmur; the youth curled up, with only the sound of beating in the air, and no one could see his expression

All the children were hindered by the heavy rain, afraid to run home, and could only stand still watching the young man clean up the broken bowls and shards of porcelain

Zheng Chun's ferocity left a group of children under the eaves in a state of shock, and someone sobbed softly, saying: "Why don't we just admit it? Will he be beaten to death?"

It is often the men who have struggled and fought their way through life who are the sharpest swords in the world

Jiang Sui raised her gaze, the slender figure of the young man indistinct in the torrential rain of the summer dusk

The heavy rain poured down, and the fierce wind howled, causing Jiang Sui to feel her heart racing faster and faster

She felt a prickling pain in her palm, lost in thought.

He started from scratch, is versatile in his dealings, and even the mayor holds him in great respect

Chi Yan coldly smiled in his heart, he took away the broken porcelain from her palm, and with a gentle twist of his wrist, the shards of porcelain cut into her palm

Jiang Sui choked with emotion and said: "I don't need to see a doctor, I'm fine, Dad, let's go home."

Indeed, it is a matter of disdain

The sound of rain was pouring down, and before long, it had soaked his clothes

The boy's masseter muscles bulged as he struggled to endure the pain. Under the fearful and apprehensive gazes of all the other children, he slowly got back up.

He picked up Jiang Sui, and Jiang Sui wrapped her arms around her father's neck, struggling to hold back her tears

She clenched her palm tightly, recalling the words her younger brother had once said.

In the future, no one in City R will be unfamiliar with Chi Yan

Alright, let's go home

Jiang Sui rested on her father's shoulder, faintly hearing Zheng Chun's coarse insults.

Sun Xiaowei held a soccer ball, his face pale.

Moreover

Jiang Shuisheng held an umbrella in one hand and carried his daughter in the other as he made his way home

He was actually being beaten on shards of porcelain

Sun Xiaowei met his gaze, and for a moment, she even thought he might come over and hit her

Whether in youth or later on, it seems that one has never been fond of oneself

The rainwater struck the boy's body, causing him to stagger momentarily, but he quickly regained his balance and then looked over at a group of children under the eaves.

The little girl in front of me has a bruised and swollen face, with a cut on her forehead, and her face is mottled with shades of blue and purple, making it difficult to discern her original appearance. In her palm, there are several pieces of broken porcelain, which she has just picked up.

The thunder rolled in waves, and the summer rain was at its most abundant. Not far away, parents had opened umbrellas to pick up their children. One by one, the children were taken away, and Jiang Sui stood in a daze, her eyes reflecting a glimmer of hopeful light.

She sat under the eaves, the cold heaviness of the air seemed to linger for a long time, and the young man slowly lowered his arms that had been protecting his head

The sound of shattered porcelain startled Zheng Chun, the owner who was dozing off in the grocery store. He came out to question who was responsible, and Sun Xiaowei pointed at the young boy who was transporting goods. Without a second thought, Zheng Chun began to hit him.

He resembles a tall and slender old bamboo, silent and still, as if he could swallow all the humiliation of the world

Sun Xiaowei swallowed hard, becoming even more convinced that she could not speak. Although her family was well-off and Zheng Chun did not dare to hit her, if she admitted it, she would inevitably face a scolding from her parents when she returned home

The heavy rain made the road slippery. If Jiang Sui were to return home by herself, she would faint before even reaching her doorstep

Returning to the year 1997, without having to marry Chi Yiming, Jiang Sui realized that this news surprisingly brightened her mood considerably

This year he is twelve years old, tall and thin, with a faint scar above his brow and very pale lips

Hormonal imbalance is a condition that will only improve later

Later, Chi Yan's dark eyes rarely looked at her, but every time he did, it made Jiang Sui feel uneasy, to the point that she was never willing to explore his past and character

A deliberately fierce voice from Sun Xiaowei came to my ears: "You must not tell your dad and mom about what happened today, especially the girls; girls are all little snitches!"

But... he has lost a lot of blood

In the sweltering heat of July, the cicadas chirped in a rising and falling cadence. The little girl, Jiang Sui, lowered her delicate white fingers that had been covering her forehead, her eyelashes fluttered, and she opened her eyes

The tall and slender youth was kicked down by Zheng Chun, landing right on the shards of porcelain, the sound of the yellow bramble whip striking the flesh was chilling.

In fact, there is no question of forgiveness or not; Jiang Sui and Chi Yan have little intersection in their lives. The most awkward part is that if time had not turned back to 1997, she would be forced to marry Chi Yan's younger brother, Chi Yiming, tomorrow, and would have to call him Brother Chi Yan.

The children widened their eyes in astonishment, while Jiang Sui raised her face and gently furrowed her brow

Sui Sui! He rushed over anxiously

Jiang Shui Sheng has not yet developed cirrhosis of the liver, and she finally has time to save him

One must not kill a person. After Zheng Chun finished cursing, he kicked the young man and said: "Get up and tidy things up. Tomorrow I will go find your aunt..."

In her impression, he was only a figure of grandeur and aloofness, but it turned out that this later ill-tempered individual was first taught by fate the myriad aspects of life, which were, in fact, cruelty and loneliness

But there was nothing, absolutely nothing. He looked around at all of them, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth with his thumb, and squatted down to pick up the broken porcelain shards

In the sweltering air of July, Jiang Sui heard Sun Xiaowei say word by word: "I have seen him; he moved in just half a month ago. He has no parents, and his aunt dislikes him very much. No one will help him. I have even seen him rummaging through trash cans to find something to eat! He says no one would believe it if he told them!"

His eyes were extremely dark, resembling a pool of ink that had not yet spread. Such intense color in his brows and eyes gave him a rather cold appearance, and as his pitch-black pupils swept over the children, everyone shuddered slightly.

The young boy protected his head with both hands, his cheeks buried beneath his arms. A yellow jujube branch struck at his waist, causing his body to tremble slightly, yet he remained silent.

Someone said with a guilty conscience: "That brother is seriously injured and has lost a lot of blood"

She is so grateful for the time reversal