Chapter 156: Growth

That group of people included Wu Li's father and his uncle, Wu Jinyu. That was why she had recognized Wu Jinyu that day; the scar on his face was her own handiwork.

During that incident, because her uncle had sensed that the atmosphere was wrong and sent a message to the SWAT team, the final outcome had been devastatingly tragic.

Wu Li's father had not intended to fire, but an accidental discharge caused a shot to ring out. Her aunt collapsed, and in a fit of rage, her uncle fired at Wu Li's father, killing him on the spot.

Wu Jinyu had been gripping her struggling young cousin. The boy turned and bit Wu Jinyu’s arm, which sent the man into a fury. He slapped the boy and then hurled him away with great force. The cousin’s mouth was already bleeding, and being thrown like that—the consequences were all too easy to imagine.

As the boy was about to be flung against a large tree nearby, her uncle cried out, "Xiao Fei!" and lunged toward him. Wu Jinyu spat on the ground and cursed, "You little brat, daring to bite me? See how I finish you off!"

Wu Jinyu raised his hand, gripped a gun, and pulled the trigger.

The bullet flew!

She was standing close to her uncle and cried out in terror, "Uncle!" Instinctively, she lunged toward him. At the moment her uncle turned to look at her, the bullet grazed past him as he moved.

In this way, her uncle narrowly escaped death. The arriving SWAT team apprehended those who needed to be caught, but Wu Jinyu managed to slip away; the police could not find a trace of him.

Her young cousin’s small body slammed into the tree and tumbled down the hillside. By the time he was rushed to the hospital, he was suffering from massive internal hemorrhaging and blood pooling in his chest cavity.

And just like that, her young cousin was gone forever, vanishing just as her aunt had, though he continued to live on in everyone's hearts.

— From "The Fairy Under the Sunset" —

In that brief moment, Mu Qingxi had been lost in these memories, her eyes filled with guilt as she looked at Song Kai.

Seeing the look in her eyes, Song Kai knew she was overthinking again. He took a step forward, pulled a mirror from a desk drawer, and handed it to her.

Without a word, Mu Qingxi took the mirror and glanced around at everyone. Seeing the smiles on their faces, she felt a sense of joy.

She slowly brought the mirror up to her face and gazed at her reflection with calm detachment.

It was both familiar and strange.

Familiar, because it was still her face, unchanged in every feature. Strange, because she had not looked in a mirror for so long that she had almost forgotten her own appearance; her complexion was merely a little pale.

She gave a silly laugh, and as she laughed, she said, "Hehe, I am still me, only I have grown up. Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Uncle, please don't worry. After going through all of this, I finally realize how foolish and immature I used to be."

Mu Qingxi’s grandfather said, "Xiao Xi, my girl, you must live a lighthearted and happy life, do you understand? Grandpa only has one precious granddaughter like you, so you must find your own happiness. Being able to say these things now shows that you have truly grown up, and Grandpa is very gratified."

"Hehe..." Mu Qingxi blinked her large eyes, which were now bright, lively, and wise, lighting up the room.

Looking at herself in the mirror, she thought of how she had once cloistered herself in a tiny, isolated world for the sake of a love as ethereal as smoke, refusing to interact with anyone or let anyone approach her.

Who could have guessed that a trip to No. 1 High School would lead her to meet Qin Yu, Xi Haifei, Wang Feiyan, and Bai Fanhao—the one who had forced her to grow up.

This was a maturity bought with blood!

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