Chapter 175: Han Xi’s Youth

Fang Zhou’s reasoning, which seemed sensible to him, infuriated Han Xi.

She laughed coldly, as if provoked, and her grip on his collar tightened unconsciously.

“A few hundred thousand can buy your life? So your life is that worthless.”

Though her face remained calm, her eyes seemed to hide ice, so cold that even a glance could freeze someone.

Fang Zhou felt goosebumps on his hand, sensing Han Xi’s displeasure. He swallowed the words he was about to say: ‘How is it worthless? A few hundred thousand is a lot,’ and kept them inside.

“Ha ha ha, no, of course my life is valuable. I was just making an example.”

He laughed awkwardly, feeling Han Xi’s proximity and quietly moved back a bit, but there was nowhere to retreat with the headboard right behind him.

They say a woman’s heart is like a needle in the sea, hard to grasp.

Fang Zhou couldn’t agree more. Even Han Xi could be so unpredictable, so what woman in the world had stable emotions?

What he didn’t know was that Han Xi’s heart was in turmoil at this moment.

She felt upset about Fang Zhou’s disregard for his own life and annoyed that she wasn’t with him when he was swept away by the flood, unable to be there for him immediately.

Now Fang Zhou couldn’t see. He kept saying it was fine, but when a person has to rely on others for basic tasks like eating and drinking, it’s a huge blow to their self-esteem.

Han Xi had seen it firsthand, how just being unable to walk normally turned a gentle woman into someone irritable and unpredictable.

Back then, Han Xi was only twelve, just starting middle school.

Her family had hired a tutor for her, a pretty and quiet college girl whom Han Xi liked a lot.

With the tutor’s help, Han Xi finished a year’s worth of coursework ahead of time and performed excellently.

Her busy father, upon hearing this, personally talked to the tutor in his study, even offering her a raise.

He also invited her to stay for dinner.

But this action enraged Han Xi’s mother.

Seeing her mother wheel into the study with a grim face, Han Xi felt curious and eavesdropped outside the door.

She saw her mother smash her father’s treasured Yuan dynasty porcelain and scream at him, “I knew you liked young and pretty girls!”

“If that’s the case, why don’t you bring that tutor home? I’ll make space for her!”

“Then you two can be together openly, and I won’t be here to disgust you!”

That hideous side of her mother was something Han Xi had never seen before.

Her mother, who rarely got to go outside, always greeted everyone with a smile, even if she disliked them.

But after falling and breaking her leg on the back hill, losing her ability to walk, her personality changed.

She became unpredictable, moody, and sometimes talked to the birds in the house.

Or she’d throw feed into the koi pond until the fish overate and floated belly-up, and only then would she smile contentedly.

Han Xi knew from a young age that her mother hadn’t married her father willingly, and being confined to the mountain villa made her unhappy.

Everyone longs for freedom, even if it’s rare, some are willing to sacrifice a lot for it.

She had also witnessed her mother’s numerous attempts to escape, using all kinds of methods.

After breaking her leg, her mother could no longer escape and became a different person.

She became sensitive, insecure, and twisted.

Even her father’s act of kindness towards Han Xi’s tutor caused her to lash out.

Perhaps she truly loved her father, but she also hated him.

So she feared being replaced but also hated being confined by him.

At twelve, Han Xi listened at the study door, hearing them argue, accuse each other—her father complaining about an ungrateful wife, her mother accusing him of infidelity with the young tutor.

Finally, unable to bear her closest people hurting each other, Han Xi rushed in to stop the fight.

But her mother slapped her hard, sneering, “Do you want a young, pretty, elegant mother too?”

“Do you wish I’d die soon so you and your father can start a new family?”

That slap seemed to knock the spirit out of Han Xi. She cried her heart out under her blanket.

Even when her mother tearfully apologized later, saying she lost control because of her love for them, Han Xi couldn’t forgive her.

“Sorry, Xi, I love you so much that I lost control!”

“I’m afraid of losing you and being replaced.”

But similar things kept happening until Han Xi grew numb and stopped listening to her mother’s explanations.

Her busy father, focused on the company and her mother, had no time for her.

He only asked about her grades, ranking, when she could skip a grade, and set high standards for her to meet adult expectations.

From that day, the once lively Han Xi became quiet and withdrawn.

She suppressed all her emotions, solving problems on her own without seeking help.

One accident changed the fate and character of three people.

She didn’t know if staying cheerful and making different choices at different crossroads would lead to a different life.

So Han Xi genuinely feared Fang Zhou might end up like her mother.

Her grip on his collar tightened as she leaned closer, whispering, “Money isn’t the most important thing; health is.”

“A mere few hundred thousand—if you want it, I can give it to you.”

“But your life cannot be exchanged for it, by anyone.”

“Do you understand?”

Han Xi’s aura was overwhelming, making the room feel colder, causing Fang Zhou to shiver.

He hadn’t expected her to be so serious and could only nod obediently, replying, “Yes, I understand.”