There were still two hours before she left school. In the middle of the night, Gu Meng’s stomach felt a little uncomfortable and she got up to go to the washroom.

  After she was done, she passed by her parents’ room. Seeing that the lights were on inside, she looked in through the crack of the door.

  Her expression changed.

  Mrs Gu sat by the bed while Mr Gu knelt on the floor. Mrs Gu was tugging on his ear. “Why is she still studying after graduating from junior high? Even if she’s the top student in the village, the school hasn’t given her a scholarship to waive her tuition fees. Our family has to pay for it, and Cheche and Jiaojiao have to study as well. She’s just a girl, it’s enough for her to finish junior high. If you continue to defend her, we won’t be able to survive.”


  “That child has good grades and likes to study. Let her go to high school!”


  “What’s the use of having good results? She still has to get married. It’s not like there aren’t people who get married at the age of 16 or 17 in the village. In my opinion, in another two years, we should find a good family to marry her!”


  “Let her go to high school. I’ll catch more fish and sell them for money. Don’t mention this in front of the children.”


  Mrs Gu glared at Mr Gu and lay on the bed with her back facing Mr Gu, looking extremely angry.

  Gu Meng looked at Mr Gu, who was kneeling on the ground, and a suffocating feeling surged in her heart.

  The next day before dawn, Father Gu went out to fish at three in the morning.

  At the door, Mr Gu was surprised to see Gu Meng wearing a fisherman’s outfit. “Mengmeng, why are you up already? Why are you dressed like this?”


  “Daddy, from today onwards, I’ll fish with you. I’m strong and can help you a lot!”


  “Nonsense. Go and sleep!”


  “Daddy, I’m not messing around. I want to help you share the family’s burden. Don’t worry, it won’t affect my studies. I’ll go to school after I’m done fishing.”


  Gu Meng insisted, and Mr Gu could not convince her otherwise, and could only let her be. Fishing was hard work and Mr Gu thought that Gu Meng would give up after a day or two. He did not expect this girl to wake up earlier than him every day. After fishing, she helped him to sell the fish in town and only went to school when it was school time.

  When she came back at night, she helped him patch up the fishing nets. She took care of all the household chores alone too.

  Mr Gu looked at her slender figure and could only sigh in his heart……

  Gu Meng was busy with her family matters and had to go to school. She did not have the time to take care of that man.

  She asked her younger brother to bring him food every day and help him to the washroom. In fact, she had not seen him in nearly a week.

  During the weekend, Gu Meng’s schedule was slightly more relaxed. On top of that, her father, who sold fish, had given her 20 yuan as pocket money. As such, she went to town to buy a cake and brought it to the house where the man was staying.

  Because he was too picky with food, he did not eat many things. She had heard from her younger brother that he had lost a lot of weight.

  The cake was very expensive and Gu Meng had used up almost all of her pocket money.

  Gu Meng carried it to that house happily. She had just arrived at the door when she heard a rough voice coming from inside. “You must be the monster that the villagers are talking about. You’re wearing such an expensive watch and there are even gems on your belt. You must be a young master from a rich family! Now that you’re down and out, you should at least pay some rent and food to stay in our fishing village!”


  “I’ll take these two things!”


  “Put it down!”


  “F*ck you, don’t be insensible…… F*ck you, how dare you kick me……”


  When Gu Meng ran in, the room was in a mess and the man lying on the bed was being beaten up by several gangsters in the village.

  The man stood up forcefully and fought with those people.

  However, he was still recuperating and was naturally not their opponent. He was beaten down very quickly.

  Seeing the gangster taking a stool and throwing it at the man lying on the ground, Gu Meng threw the cake in her hand down without thinking and ran over to protect him.

  Her shoulder was hit hard by a stool.

  Gu Meng groaned in pain.

  The gangster saw Gu Meng blocking the bench for the man. Seeing her bright eyes and white teeth, he could not help swallowing his saliva. “You’re the prettiest girl in the village, Mengmeng, right?” The man reached out his hand and pinched Gu Meng’s chin. Gu Meng grabbed the man’s wrist and squeezed it.

  The man screamed like a pig being slaughtered.

  “F*ck, are you a bull? You’re so strong. Let go!”


  “This is my friend. If you bully him again, I won’t be polite to you!” Gu Meng shook off the man’s hand and rubbed her shoulders. She stood up from the ground and glared at the gangsters. “Scram!”


  They wanted to take away the man’s watch and belt, but Gu Meng picked up the stool on the floor and waved it at them. “Get lost!”


  After they left, the surroundings returned to silence.

  Gu Meng crouched down, wanting to help the man up but was waved away by the man in the next second.

  The wounds on the man’s face that had been bone-deep had already formed scabs, and new flesh had grown out. However, the scars were still obvious. His originally well-defined and handsome face looked a little scary because of those scars.

  The man gritted his teeth and stood up, leaning against the bed.

  Gu Meng looked at his dark and cold expression, then at the cake, which she had thrown to the ground and was now inedible in order to save him. Together with the pain in her shoulder, it made her extremely depressed. “Why are you so strange? I don’t owe you anything, why are you always so cold and unapproachable!”


  He looked up, his eyes dark. “Why did you approach me?” Although he did not remember anything, he was very guarded and did not trust anyone easily, even though this girl had saved him.

  Hearing the man’s words, Gu Meng found it extremely funny. Before she could say anything, she saw him pass the watch and belt buckle to her. “This is your reward for saving me.”


  Gu Meng took his watch and belt buckle, looking down as a mocking smile appeared on her lips.

  A few seconds later, she threw the watch and belt buckle to the side of the bed where he was sitting. “Who cares about your reward! Stop insulting me!”


  The girl ran out with red eyes.

  She did not return for a month.

  But Gu Che still brought him food every day. That day, Gu Che put down his food and planned to leave. The man secretly put a watch into his bag.

  When he returned the next day, he found that the man was gone.

  When Gu Meng returned home from school, Gu Che handed her his watch. “That person secretly put it in my bag. I searched the entire village, but I couldn’t find him. He left.”


  Hearing this, Gu Meng ran to the house that the man had stayed in and looked around.

  He really left the fishing village like his younger brother had said.

  Gu Meng was disappointed for a period of time. However, she was still young and did not know how to be sad. She had to shuttle between school and the fishing village every day, and was so busy that she forgot about him very quickly, until three years later.

  It was only after meeting him again that she, who had graduated from high school, had a new understanding of relationships.