Que You sighed heavily, a hint of relief in his voice. "Eight years..."
Yu Ge finally seemed to relax a little.
"Sister."
Que You turned to look at Wen Tingxue, his gaze intense, a smile playing on his lips.
"Thank you."
Whether Yu Wenli was influenced by her or not, she was a part of the reason.
Wen Tingxue was stunned, unsure how to respond.
Que You quickly composed himself and cautioned, "Don't mention this to Yu Ge. He doesn't like people bringing up his grandparents."
"Oh."
Wen Tingxue nodded, not daring to ask further.
Que You thought for a moment and added, "Never mention his parents in front of Shang Ziqian.
"Ah Rui was thrown into the river because of this."
"Huh?"
Was it really that serious?
Que You glanced at her. "Ah Rui said his parents were murderers."
Wen Tingxue felt a chill run down her spine. "..."
"Really?" she asked.
Que You shrugged. "Who knows? There's been a rumor since he was very young, but no one has ever seen it with their own eyes."
He paused and said compassionately, "Shang Ziqian is quite pitiful. After his parents passed away, he was all alone in the world.
"What's more ironic is that Grandpa Wen and Grandma Wen also passed away in the same year, not far apart.
"But Yu Ge had parents to pick him up. I remember Shang Ziqian standing under the sophora tree at the alley entrance that day, his eyes full of loneliness."
Wen Tingxue's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she lamented, "If they hadn't lived in the same alley, perhaps... everything would have been fine."
Que You nodded and returned to the past.
That piano tutorial class wasn't something Yu Wenli wanted to attend; it was Xing Jiahe.
But because the spots were very limited, they asked Grandma Wen to see if she could pull some strings.
Coincidentally, Shang Ziqian's grandparents had also saved up some money and wanted Shang Ziqian to learn piano.
Although they didn't understand the intricacies of social relationships, they weren't blind; they could see that their child was looked down upon.
Their lives were already like this; they couldn't let their child be like this too.
He had to master a skill that he could be proud of.
Only then would people respect him.
The two elders earnestly urged him to learn piano.
Shang Ziqian, who wouldn't shed tears even when beaten, cried until his eyes were red that day.
Later, he followed his grandparents' wishes and took their hard-earned money to the training institution.
It was an institution carefully selected by his grandparents, but to their surprise, all the spots were filled.
Shang Ziqian, unwilling to give up, made a fuss.
He unexpectedly learned that the spot originally meant for him had been given to Xing Jiahe.
Finally, Yu Wenli's maternal grandmother learned of the matter and, with a single word, added another spot.
Shang Ziqian was very unhappy, feeling like a clown.
Something that was a simple matter for others was something he couldn't even beg for.
Yu Wenli, unaware of the complexities, only knew that after that day, Shang Ziqian had a grudge against Xing Jiahe.
Xing Jiahe's personality was introverted at that time; he wouldn't resist even when beaten, just enduring it.
What's more, Yu Wenli was protective. After seeing the bruises on Xing Jiahe, he went to find Shang Ziqian the next day.
Shang Ziqian already had a huge opinion of him, so he was overjoyed when Yu Wenli came to him.
He insisted on fighting at the alley entrance, wanting to use his age advantage to regain some dignity.
Unexpectedly, Yu Wenli had learned Sanda. In front of everyone, he was defeated miserably.
From then on, Shang Ziqian's attitude towards Yu Wenli worsened.
He even treated Xing Jiahe more harshly.
The conflict between the two escalated, and they often fought.
Yet, Yu Wenli's grades didn't drop at all; he even had time to publish articles and win awards.
In contrast, Shang Ziqian's grades plummeted, and school teachers made numerous home visits.
The people in the alley became even more convinced of Yu Wenli's intelligence and talent.
When Shang Ziqian was occasionally mentioned, it was merely a summary of being lost in the crowd.
Shang Ziqian was furious and, in one surge of effort, brought his academic performance back up.
He thought this would turn the tide of public opinion, but to his surprise, Yu Wenli was invited to speak at the United Nations the next day.
The reason was his insightful article in the field of astronomy.
Shang Ziqian almost laughed with anger, but he had to admit it, as their maternal grandfather was a professor of astronomy.
Que You took a deep breath.
Wen Tingxue tensed up with him. "What is it?"
Que You looked at her. "You really can't blame Yu Ge for what happened next."
"Hmm?"
Didn't Yu Wenli go abroad?
Que You pursed his lips and continued.
While Yu Wenli was abroad, the school held a cultural performance.
Xing Jiahe was not interested, but the teacher signed him up for a piano solo.
He had no choice but to go through with it.
Music is something that requires talent.
Xing Jiahe was one of those with talent.
A rendition of "Wedding in My Dreams" captivated the entire venue.
Xing Jiahe, from an unknown bullied student, instantly became a piano idol for many girls.
This included the school beauty and class beauties.
This made those who bullied him very unhappy.
Even more inconveniently, Shang Ziqian's spotlight was completely stolen by Xing Jiahe.
His piano playing was not bad either, even comparable to Xing Jiahe's.
But Xing Jiahe performed first and captured everyone's attention.
Shang Ziqian had high hopes for this performance; he wanted to shine and show everyone how outstanding Shang Ziqian was.
But it was all ruined.
That night, many people gathered and blocked Xing Jiahe.
They forced him to smash his family's piano, or to cripple his own hands.
The malice of teenagers was almost undisguised.
Xing Jiahe had a gentle nature, but he also had his limits.
The piano was his life at that time; he would never give it up.
Thus, the sensational group fight broke out that night.
When Yu Wenli returned, Xing Jiahe was lying in the ICU.
Mu Chen and Chi Zerui were also injured, but not as severely.
Que You said, "I've known Jiahe for so long, but that night he was the craziest I'd ever seen him."
They weren't in the same class. By the time they received the news and rushed over, Xing Jiahe had already been beaten badly.
It took all their strength to pull him out of the crowd.
Wen Tingxue listened with a pounding heart, sensing that this matter wouldn't end so easily.
"Then what?"
Given Yu Wenli's personality, he would surely retaliate tenfold.
Que You silently agreed with Wen Tingxue's thoughts.
After a pause, he continued.
While Shang Ziqian and the others were in the detention center, Xing Jiahe's injuries gradually healed.
Yu Wenli stayed by his side, teaching him some simple moves.
When he had fully recovered, he took him directly to the boxing gym.
He trained for about three to four months.
Xing Jiahe then began to issue challenges to the people from that night.
Yu Wenli never showed up from beginning to end.
Therefore, a few days later, Xing Jiahe's name became widely known in Jiangcheng.
Only when Shang Ziqian brought his men to accept the challenge did Yu Wenli accompany Xing Jiahe.
Que You looked up at the swaying lights above his head and said slowly,
"I wasn't there that night, and Ah Rui and Mu Chen didn't receive the news either.
"It wasn't until the next day that we found out... there was blood that night."