At noon, Hailong returned home and waited for Hu Jing to come back so they could go out for lunch. He thought about the letter Hu Jing had given him, which was part of their agreement. It seemed Hu Jing had written it the night before, as the signature was different. When he opened it, Hailong felt a sharp pain in his heart. The letter read:
"Brother, I failed the college entrance exam. My estimated score was a few points lower than the actual score, so I didn't get into the school I applied for. I had no choice but to come to this school. When I finished the exam, I told my mother that I did very well and that there should be no problem getting into the school. My father, mother, and brother were very happy. They cooked delicious meals for me every day. My mother said, 'Our Jing has a bright future. I feel so proud when I go out now.' But I never imagined I would fail. Although my family didn't blame me and still loved me, I felt very guilty. I spent the whole holiday in a daze. When I first came to the school gate to register, I looked at the name of the school and cried. This isn't the university I dreamed of.
I've decided to apply for a master's program at the school I like. After graduation, I will definitely go to that school.
Brother, thank you for spending these days with me. I was very depressed, but because of you, I became happy again. The spicy chicken wings at Shengjing Wings were so spicy that I can still feel the heat in my mouth. The abandoned Japanese building was so thrilling, like watching a horror movie. And the warmth when you played the piano for me at 1913, and the care you showed me at Hongjinmen Hotel, and even when you teased me. Brother, it's so good to have you. I wish we could be siblings for life.
Do you know, my health isn't very good. I have to take 63 pills every day. For some reason, I didn't want to take them tonight; I felt nauseous. Seeing everyone else healthy, I hate myself for being so sick.
I have congenital heart disease and have been weak since childhood. In junior high school, my heart suddenly failed, and I had to be rushed to the hospital for heart surgery. After the surgery, my condition stabilized, but I was left with a permanent scar on the left side of my body.
Maybe I was cursed by fate. In my second year of junior high, we had a vegetable greenhouse at home. One day, I was picking tomatoes in the greenhouse when the crossbeam supporting it suddenly fell and hit my head. The doctor told me that there was blood in my brain, and unless I had a craniotomy, the blood would never be removed. The blood vessels in my brain were damaged, and as I grew older, the blood in my brain would increase, eventually pressing on my optic nerve, which could lead to blindness. Brother, life is so unfair to me. Why do I have to suffer so much?
After that, I started exercising every day. I'm not someone who submits to fate. After exercising, my health improved significantly, and I became healthier than most people. During a sports meet, I asked to participate in the 3000-meter race. My teacher and classmates didn't know about my health condition, so they agreed. After running 2000 meters, I felt pain in my body, but I wanted to win first place for my class, so I kept running. In the last 100 meters, everyone was sprinting to the finish line. I was in first place, but the second-place runner was about to overtake me. Ignoring my condition, I ran with all my might. When I reached the finish line, I found out I was first. My classmates ran over excitedly, but I fainted. My desk mate picked me up and found that my pants were soaked with blood. At the hospital, the doctor said that the intense exercise had damaged my heart again. If I continued like this, I would become a vegetable.
Brother, why does fate treat me like this?
I thought I could get into my ideal university, but I ended up at a school I don't like. I thought my body was healthy, but it got even worse. Am I really cursed by fate?"
Reading Hu Jing's letter, Hailong's heart ached. No wonder she had to take so many pills every day, and no wonder she had such a hard time running 3000 meters. Her roommates had a lot of complaints about her, all because of her health condition. He never imagined that such a beautiful girl would suffer so much. Hu Jing was very beautiful. Hailong had only seen two people on TV with such beauty: one was Jolin Tsai after makeup, and the other was Hollywood's famous sweetheart, Jessica Alba. However, both had flaws. Jolin Tsai looked beautiful only after makeup, and without it, she looked completely different. One could say that part of Jolin's beauty was painted on. Jessica Alba was beautiful even with light makeup, but photographers always edited out the mole on the lower left side of her face. Only in paparazzi photos could one see the mole, which made her perfect face slightly imperfect. Hu Jing's face was similar to Jessica's, but it was perfect. If Hu Jing's skin were a bit darker and her hair blonde, she would be indistinguishable from Jessica.
Unfortunately, when God gives you something, He takes something else away. God is fair to everyone. For Hu Jing, He gave her extraordinary beauty but a terrible body. This is fate.
The only thing Hailong could do was to love Hu Jing even more. Although he could only be her brother now, he would treat her like a lover, cherish her, and care for her.
Sitting on the sofa, Hailong began to think about how to write a reply to Hu Jing. He wrote until the afternoon before putting down his pen. Comforting others wasn't his strong suit, especially when it came to expressing himself in writing.
Checking the time, he thought Hu Jing should be done with her check-up. He called her and found out she had finished and was about to go home. Hailong told her to take him to a fun place and to wait for him at the hospital entrance. Then he hung up.
Soon, Hailong took a taxi to the hospital. After getting Hu Jing into the car, he looked at her with concern and asked, "How was the check-up? Any problems?"
Seeing Hailong's expression, Hu Jing knew he had read her diary. She leaned her head against his chest and said, "Brother, I'm fine. My body is the same, no changes."
Hailong pulled her into his arms and said, "You need to take better care of yourself. No more pushing yourself, okay?" Hu Jing nodded in his arms, making Hailong ticklish.
Smiling, he said, "Your brother has decided that from today, we'll drink ginseng soup in the morning, eat deer placenta at noon, and have forest frogs for dinner. I'll make sure to improve your health."
Hearing this, Hu Jing shook her head and said, "Brother, that's too expensive. Where would you get so much money? Besides, I don't deserve such treatment."
Hailong chuckled and said, "Your brother may not be rich, but I can earn money. I work every week, and the money isn't much use anyway. Why not use it to help my good sister?"
But Hu Jing still shook her head and pushed against Hailong's chest. One reason she didn't want to eat was that she didn't want Hailong to spend so much money, and the other was that the food was unappetizing. Pouting, she said, "Brother, I won't eat. I really won't. Ginseng is so hard to eat, and forest frogs are so disgusting. Deer placenta sounds awful. I'm not good." Hu Jing was right; ginseng didn't taste good, and many people couldn't stand it. Hailong himself didn't enjoy it either. As for forest frogs, he couldn't even bring himself to eat them. They tasted bad and looked disgusting. However, these things were very nourishing for Hu Jing and were all traditional Chinese medicine with no side effects. They would only benefit her health, so he couldn't let her refuse.
Hailong laughed and said, "You don't have a choice. You have to eat. If you don't, your brother will spank you." He made a gesture as if to spank her, which made Hu Jing quickly cover her bottom. She didn't want to be embarrassed. She nodded, and Hailong poked her little nose and said, "Good girl, you'll get a reward."
Hearing about the reward, Hu Jing's face lit up. She squinted her eyes and snuggled into Hailong's arms, nodding and saying, "Brother, what reward will you give me?"
Seeing Hu Jing like a little kitten, Hailong thought she looked incredibly beautiful. His heart felt as if it were being tickled by a kitten's claws.
Hailong decided to take Hu Jing to a luxury shopping street to buy her two outfits. This street was rarely visited by locals in Donghai, and not many people knew about it. It was close to the wealthy area, so Hailong knew about it. The prices of the items here were rarely below five digits, and since most people couldn't afford them, they rarely came. Only the rich from Donghai and nearby cities shopped here. After making up his mind, Hailong said to Hu Jing, "Sis, I'm taking you to a special place today for some serious shopping."
Hu Jing asked curiously, "Where?"
"You'll see when we get there," Hailong said. Hearing this, Hu Jing became wary. It had been less than two months since the Shengjing Wings incident. Last time, Hailong had said the same thing, and she ended up eating very spicy chicken wings. She threatened him, "Brother, if you take me to Shengjing Wings again, I'll get you back." She showed him her long nails. Seeing her long nails, Hailong was speechless.
He told the driver to go to Donghai Crystal, and the driver exclaimed, "Wow, you're a rich guy. You even know about that place. Taking your girlfriend shopping?"
Hailong made a shushing gesture and nodded. The driver understood and knew this was someone who didn't want to reveal his identity. He often had such passengers, mostly for private reasons, but Hailong and the little girl didn't seem like that. He guessed it was a rich second-generation taking his girlfriend shopping.
Hu Jing, still suspicious, asked the driver, "Driver, is that place special?"
The driver asked, "Didn't your boyfriend tell you where you're going?"
Hu Jing didn't reveal that Hailong wasn't her boyfriend. She pouted and said, "This boyfriend of mine is unreliable. He often takes me to strange places, and I end up crying and laughing at the same time. It's so annoying."
Seeing Hu Jing's cute expression in the rearview mirror, the driver chuckled and said, "Little sister, it looks like it's your first time. This place is absolutely worth a visit. It's the most beautiful place in Donghai, but not many people know about it." He then gave Hailong a look, and Hailong nodded to show he understood.
Hearing the driver, Hu Jing became even more confused, looking curiously at the knowing expressions on the driver's and Hailong's faces. Hailong quickly changed the subject.
They soon arrived at Donghai Crystal. When they got out of the car, Hailong gave the driver a hundred yuan as a tip for keeping quiet.
The architect of Donghai Crystal was definitely a master. Although it was just a street, it ran east to west. Whether it was the rising sun or the setting sun, the Baroque-style buildings were breathtakingly beautiful. The clothes in the shops on both sides were even more stunning.
Each shop was like a standalone villa, with palm or coconut trees in front, looking especially beautiful in the sunset. The street ended at the beach, and Hu Jing was already enchanted by the beautiful scenery. Hailong took her to the first shop, and when they entered the courtyard, she saw the coconut trees in front of the shop. She ran to the tree to check if it was real and exclaimed, "Brother, look, the coconut trees are real! I didn't know we had coconut trees in Donghai." Hailong had only been here twice, but to avoid looking like a novice, he kept up the act. He had the confidence because he had a bank card with two million yuan. He really liked Hu Jing and wanted to give her the best of everything, but he didn't want her to know he was rich. He didn't want his feelings to be tainted. To find true love, he wouldn't tell Hu Jing how rich he was until their wedding day. There were many high-end malls in Donghai, but Hailong chose this street because all the shops here had a common feature: the clothes on display had no price tags, only product codes. The idea was that people who shopped here cared more about taste than price. Each piece of clothing was a handmade creation by a designer, infused with the designer's artistic touch. Putting prices on the clothes would be an insult to both the clothes and the buyer. The little girl shopped until evening, trying on clothes she liked. By evening, seeing her still enthusiastic, Hailong said, "Sis, let's go get some dinner."
At the end of the street, near the beach, was a world-famous café called Qibao. The menu had no prices, only codes. Hu Jing asked curiously, "Brother, we've been shopping all afternoon, and even at this café, the items have no prices."
Hailong thought, "You're slow to catch on. It took you all afternoon to notice. You must have been distracted by the beautiful clothes." He chuckled and said, "It's a feature of this street. Everything has no price, only product codes."
Hu Jing said, "Oh," and leaned by the window, sipping her coffee and watching the sunset, saying dreamily, "Brother, I feel so happy with you. You always take me to new and exciting places. I'm so happy."
Hailong sighed and said, "There are many things in this world that you'll like. If you want, I'll take you to see them."
Hu Jing's eyes lit up, and she said, "Really, Brother? You're so good."
After dinner, Hailong continued to take Hu Jing shopping. Among the women's clothing brands on the street, Hailong felt Burberry was the most suitable for Hu Jing. It was a British luxury brand that had been granted the "Royal Warrant" by Queen Elizabeth. The clothes were elegant, luxurious, and understated, known for their timeless classic style. When Hu Jing tried on clothes, Hailong noticed she liked a white sweater and a pink coat. When she tried on other clothes, he secretly bought the white sweater and pink coat.
Hu Jing felt the items here were very expensive, as evident from the staff's demeanor. The clothes were definitely beyond her budget. Thinking about the white sweater and pink coat she had tried on, she realized her monthly allowance was already less than 500 yuan. These two items were definitely out of her reach, which made her a bit sad. But thinking she could try them on, she became happy again. She adjusted her mood, took off the clothes she had tried on, and happily came to Hailong's side.
While Hu Jing was trying on clothes, the staff whispered to Hailong that his girlfriend looked very beautiful in the two items. Hailong didn't hear the rest, only the words "your girlfriend." Without hesitation, he bought them.
When Hu Jing saw Hailong holding the two items she liked, she said shyly, "Brother, I don't want them. Put them back. They must be very expensive."
Hailong thought, "Of course they are. The sweater is 32,000 yuan, and the coat is 57,000 yuan, totaling 89,000 yuan." But he said, "Hehe, not expensive. The two items together cost only 200 yuan, right, staff?" He gave the staff a look.
The staff immediately understood and said, "You're lucky today. The store is having a sale, so the two items together cost only 200 yuan." The staff thought, "You're really stretching it. Saying 89,000 yuan is 200 yuan, and telling me it's a sale, I feel guilty. What kind of discount is that?"
Hailong smiled at the staff in thanks. He told Hu Jing, "Go change into the clothes." Hu Jing nodded and went to the changing room. Hailong took the opportunity to pay the staff