Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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At the end of August, Haicheng was hit by its last storm. Dark clouds loomed overhead, and the sky darkened earlier than usual.
The door to the second bedroom was pushed open, and Aunt Wu Yinghua, wiping the water with a towel, complaining loudly, “With this heavy rain, why didn’t you go upstairs to bring in the blankets! You’re locked in your room all day long, aren’t you afraid of getting moldy!”
Qi Ying remained motionless by the window, her posture unchanged.
Yu Zhuo, half-reclined on the sofa, lazily replied, “She can’t hear you anyway, what’s the point of yelling at her?”
Wu Yinghua walked over and slapped him on the head, “Are you deaf too? All you do is play games. You’re about to start high school, and you’re still playing like a middle schooler!”
Yu Zhuo, annoyed by the slap, jumped up and ran back to his room, slamming the door shut.
Wu Yinghua was furious. Turning back, she saw Qi Ying still sitting by the window in the same position, her slender back against the backdrop of the heavy rain outside, suddenly exuding a cold and lonely desolation. Thinking of her niece’s ordeal, most of her anger dissipated.
She walked over and tapped on the table.
Qi Ying turned around, saw her aunt, then her clear, soft pupils flickered, and her thin lips pursed slightly, revealing a cautious smile.
Wu Yinghua felt a chill run down her spine at that smile, but she sighed silently, took out her phone, typed, and then handed it to her.
Qi Ying’s gaze fell on the glowing screen: “Heavy rain, your uncle won’t be back tonight, go to sleep early.”
The old Qi Ying was illiterate.
After accepting the memories of this body, knowledge that was once unattainable seemed to come naturally, giving her a completely new understanding of the world. She still found the phone fascinating every time she saw it. Such a small thing, not only glowing but also displaying lifelike images— it was truly amazing.
Qi Ying nodded obediently to her aunt.
Wu Yinghua then closed the door and left.
Qi Ying continued to gaze out the window. The wind and rain intensified, the trees along the street were blown about, and cars driving slowly in the rain flashed their lights.
It must be very noisy outside, but she couldn’t hear anything.
Only the occasional buzzing of engines.
She had been in this world for over two months.
At first, Qi Ying thought it was a dream. She clearly remembered the day she learned of the general’s death on the battlefield; she had hung a white silk ribbon from the roof beam and followed the general in death.
She remembered the suffocation and pain before her death, even the golden light of the setting sun shining on the mimosa tree in the courtyard. But when she woke up again, she was this seventeen-year-old deaf-mute girl, alive again.
Unfamiliar memories swept over her like a tide.
The girl was also named Qi Ying. Half a year ago, she lost her parents and, in despair, overdosed on sleeping pills. After being rescued, her soul was replaced.
Perhaps because of this body’s instinct, whenever she tried to recall memories of her parents, her heart ached as if pricked by needles, forcing her to stop remembering.
Qi Ying thought that the girl must have lived a very sad life.
Because of her innate memory, this world, which was originally unfamiliar to her, felt strangely familiar.
She wasn’t surprised at all when she first saw television; it was only after going to bed that she belatedly realized how magical it was.
She felt like someone who had lived in this era from birth, the only thing she couldn’t adapt to was the deafness and loss of voice caused by an accident— an accident that was the culprit behind the deaths of her parents.
Her father was a narcotics officer who, after cracking a drug trafficking case, was retaliated against by a criminal gang, who then kidnapped her and her mother. During the rescue, the ruthless criminals detonated a bomb. Although the entire gang was apprehended, her parents were seriously injured and died; and only she survived.
After handling the aftermath, her maternal uncle, Yu Cheng, brought her to Haicheng, but the girl, unable to accept her parents’ deaths, ultimately chose to leave.
In the period immediately following Qi Ying’s awakening, her uncle and aunt stayed by her side almost 24/7, fearing she might do something foolish again. Only recently, after tests conducted by a psychologist showed her mental state was good, was Qi Ying taken home from the sanatorium by her uncle.
Her uncle treated her very well, and although her aunt had a fiery temper, she was kind-hearted despite her sharp tongue. Even her rebellious younger brother, Yu Zhuo, would knock on the door every hour to check on her.
This was a kind of kinship Qi Ying had never experienced before.
She was an orphan in a chaotic world, growing up in fear and trembling amidst the chaos of war. At the age of fourteen, while fleeing, she was kidnapped by mountain bandits and taken to their stronghold. She intended to kill herself to preserve her innocence, but the general descended like a god and rescued her.
The general, dressed in black armor, sat upright on the back of a black-maned horse and asked her calmly, “Do you have a place to go?”
She shook her head with tears in her eyes, and the general leaned down, reached out, put his arm around her waist, and lifted her onto the horse. From then on, the general’s mansion became her home.
The general was unmarried, and she lived alone in the vast general’s mansion. The general took her as a concubine, and although he rarely returned from war, he instructed everyone in the mansion to treat her well.
She gave her whole heart and soul to that mighty and powerful general. She heard how the people of the world praised and revered him as a war god, but she never imagined that even a war god would one day die on the battlefield.
Did the general ever love her?
Qi Ying didn’t know.
But she loved the general.
Her life was given to her by the general; with him dead, she had no more regrets in this world. She only hoped to be buried with him in death, to be buried with him— that would be her greatest honor.
She never expected that fate would not only spare her life but also send her to a peaceful and beautiful world without war. Everything here was good, except for the general.
….
The storm raged for several days, and when it finally cleared, there were only two days left before the start of school.
Some time ago, her uncle, Yu Cheng, had already completed the transfer procedures for Qi Ying, transferring her to Haicheng No. 1 High School, the same high school Yu Zhuo had just entered, where she would be a sophomore this semester.
Qi Ying didn’t know how to live her life from now on. Facing this completely new and unfamiliar world, she hesitated and felt lost.
But she didn’t want to betray this family bond; she was willing to listen to her uncle and do what would put their minds at ease.
Normally, Qi Ying wouldn’t be suited to attend a regular high school.
She was deaf and mute, so a school for the deaf would be more appropriate. However, the psychologist suggested that a normal environment would be better for Qi Ying’s recovery and healing. She needed contact with people and, more importantly, the friendship of her peers.
Her deafness was caused by external injuries from the explosion, and it would heal after a few more treatments. But her muteness was due to psychological trauma from the shock, which medical intervention couldn’t help much with; only gradual guidance and support could help her recover.
After the accident, Qi Ying’s father was posthumously recognized as a martyr, making Qi Ying a martyr’s child. With police involvement, Qi Ying’s enrolment procedures went smoothly. The principal even received special instructions from city bureau leaders, hoping that the martyr’s child would feel respected and loved there, and that bullying and emotional abuse must never occur.
The principal, aware of the seriousness of the situation, carefully selected all the homeroom teachers for the second-year high school class, ultimately choosing Class 2. With good grades, a positive atmosphere, few troublesome students, and two consecutive years of awards for outstanding class and advanced homeroom teacher, choosing Class 2 was the right decision!
Homeroom teacher Liu Qinghua was called to the principal’s office for a long talk, which concluded with a fist-pumping promise: “I will make sure Qi Ying feels the warmth of family here!”
On the first day of school, Yu Cheng drove Yu Zhuo and Qi Ying to the school gate.
Yu Cheng had been incessantly instructing Yu Zhuo for days to protect his sister at school, and even if he didn’t go to the restroom after class, he should still check on her in Class 2 to see if she was being bullied.
Knowing Qi Ying couldn’t hear, the father and son spoke without restraint.
Yu Cheng said, “Your sister is pretty, but she’s not good at talking and is introverted. Boys like to bully girls like her. You can’t back down. Otherwise, what’s the point of having you learn Taekwondo for years?”
Yu Zhuo: “So I learned Taekwondo just to fight? Last time I got into a fight and they called my parents, you even beat me up in front of the teacher?”
Yu Cheng: “Fighting for your sister is fine. Other than that, no.”
Yu Zhuo: “?”
At the school gate, Yu Cheng opened the car door. Qi Ying was carrying a backpack, wearing a blue and white school uniform, her black hair tied back, her face small, with clear and bright eyes, her thin lips slightly curved, and a pretty chin. She was as beautiful as a budding rose.
Yu Cheng took out his phone and typed: If anyone bullies you, find the teacher first, then have the teacher call me. Do you remember my phone number?
Qi Ying nodded.
Yu Cheng typed again: “Xiao Zhuo is in Class 7 of the first year of high school, in the classroom on the first floor around the corner. You can ask him for anything you need.”
Qi Ying nodded again.
Yu Cheng was about to type more when Yu Zhuo impatiently grabbed Qi Ying’s backpack strap, “Let’s go, let’s go, we’re going to be late. Dad, go back, you’re like an old hen.”
Qi Ying was dragged a few steps by Yu Zhuo, then turned back and waved obediently to Yu Cheng.
Yu Cheng stood there worriedly, looking at his niece’s pretty face, and thinking of his sister, he sighed several times until Qi Ying disappeared from sight before finally returning to his car.
Just as he closed the car door, a piercing roar came from afar, then a sudden stop in front of the school gate.
The screech of brakes was so violent that passersby thought something had happened and all looked over, even the school security guards were startled and rushed over.
A boy jumped off a black and red mountain bike, wearing a black T-shirt, very tall, his hair dishevelled by the wind. He had his school uniform draped over his shoulder, was chewing gum, and whistled at the security guard as he passed by.
He had a rebellious air about him.
The guard seemed to recognize him and didn’t dare stop him, retreating instead.
The boy casually walked through the school gate, uniform in hand.
Yu Cheng frowned.
How could there be such a delinquent at No. 1 High School?
Several girls walked past the car, chattering and screaming.
“The big boss and his motorcycle are so cool! I want to touch them.”
“Touch him or the motorcycle?”
“…Both.”
“Shut up, Xue Manqing will kill you if she hears you.”
“Tch, Ji Rang doesn’t even like her. I saw in the forum that Xue Manqing threw Ji Rang a huge birthday party during the summer vacation, and he didn’t even show up.”
“The forum also said Ji Rang got caught racing with a bunch of motorcycle racers. But he’s fine now, and he even dares to ride his bike to school, proving the forum is unreliable!”
“That’s not necessarily true. The big boss’s family is rich; as long as it’s not murder or arson, he can handle anything.”
….
The girls walked away, and Yu Cheng’s brows furrowed so deeply they could almost hold a pencil between them. What was all this nonsense? Were these kids here to study or to find love?
Yu Zhuo needed to keep an eye on Qi Ying, making sure she doesn’t get targeted by these bad classmates!
He wasn’t worried about Qi Ying.
Ying Ying was so well-behaved; she’d definitely stay far away from these delinquents!
T/N: I’m also translating the chapters I had left earlier as it is proving difficult to maintain continuity for some readers… So enjoy and hoping for your support as always!!! And as you know this novel is very close to my heart as it was my first project so I will also be reviewing my translations again and improving them simultaneously…
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