TPH Chapter 36.2

The Protagonist’s Halo [Arc 2] Chapter 36.2: True Love In Period Literature (21)

“You don’t know, do you? She used to be a university teacher. She was fired because of an extramarital affair and became a newspaper editor. Later, her lover married someone else, so she stole a gun from home, went to the wedding, and fired a shot, crippling the groom. Isn’t that insane?”

“Really? I couldn’t tell. She’s clearly beautiful and has a great personality.”

After returning home, Bai Xiang wrote down the story of Qin Dong and Chen Xi. Several years later, she revised it into a novel and published it, causing a sensation. Although the book clearly alluded to the real-life prototypes, because it had the authorization of the Qin family, the Chen family was too lazy to stand up for Chen Xi’s reputation and didn’t pay much attention to it. Therefore, the novel was published and sold smoothly.

The male and female protagonists became synonymous with lovesick men and women for a time.

In the years following the turn of the millennium, the novel was adapted into a film, and the male protagonist was criticized by many viewers as a representative of scumbags.

…

It took Chen Xi a long time to accept that he had fallen from being a privileged young man to a disabled person in a wheelchair who needed constant care.

Everything was clearly going to get better: a grand wedding, family support, a lover who was devoted to him, and a bright future. At that moment, Chen Xi felt as if he were living at the pinnacle of his life, and that he would continue to rise higher in the future.

But Qin Qiu ruined all of that.

Chen Xi was shocked and bewildered by that shot, and didn’t even have time to dodge. As an excellent soldier, this was the most fatal mistake he had ever made, because he never expected Qin Qiu to do this.

Chen Xi couldn’t understand why the woman who had once made his heart flutter, who was as gentle and beautiful as a lily, would do something so crazy. Later, his family told him that Qin Qiu had gone mad and, after undergoing a mental evaluation, had been sent to a sanatorium where she would be imprisoned for the rest of her life, never to be free.

Although the Chen family was dissatisfied with the outcome, they still agreed. After all, given that Qin Qiu had attempted murder and caused serious injury resulting in disability, it was impossible for her to be sentenced to death. The Qin family also couldn’t really make their daughter pay with her life. In the end, Qin Qiu’s father retired completely, losing all his power in the military to protect his daughter. Qin Qiu’s elder brother’s position was also marginalized and later became a sinecure.

The wedding ended in chaos, and after the Chen family cleaned up the mess, their attitude towards Chen Xi changed drastically, becoming extremely cold.

Even though he was once a highly regarded heir, it was his past romantic affairs that led to the current situation and triggered a disaster for the Chen family—the death of Old Master Chen. As a result, the Chen family lost its most powerful support and was placed in the eye of the storm. Few people were willing to lend a helping hand, and the family’s power was severely damaged.

This matter also attracted the attention of the central leadership, who used this wave of public opinion to investigate the discipline and conduct of the troops, especially the children of high-ranking officials with connections like Chen Xi. Among those responsible for investigating the rectification of conduct was Lin Hua.

Since this rectification mainly targets the children of high-ranking military officers, the appointed personnel are either those with particularly strong backgrounds and positions, or people like Lin Hua who have no family background and have always been upright.

Because of the orders from his superiors, Lin Hua had to end his leave with his family early and return to the army, where he was busy for three whole months.

This wave of ruthless rectification and purge has made many people feel fearful and apprehensive, but at the same time, it has also effectively cleaned out a lot of cancerous parasites and incompetent, lazy, and useless people from the military.

Lin Hua was indeed very fair, upright, and selfless. He was not afraid of offending anyone and did not take this opportunity to retaliate against the Chen and Qin families with whom he had old grudges.

Lin Hua’s name was prominently listed on a promotion list later approved by the central government.

…

Although the Chen family was very dissatisfied with and indifferent to Chen Xi, they still treated him like a wealthy idler. The Chen family was large and powerful; they couldn’t possibly be unable to support a useless person.

Less than six months later, Zhao Li’s parents approached Chen Xi and asked him to divorce Zhao Li.

Chen Xi felt bitter and pained, but Zhao Li’s parents also said that he shouldn’t stop Zhao Li from pursuing her own happiness, especially the happiness he couldn’t give her.

In the end, Zhao Li did not meet with him to say goodbye, and the two families completed all the formalities.

Chen Xi had a dream in which many things were completely different. His wedding with Qin Qiu was grand. He proudly won the battle against everyone, including worldly conventions. Later, when he joined the army, he was also very successful and rose through the ranks. Everything went very smoothly and perfectly.

In his dream, he met Zhao Li a few years later. Zhao Li fell in love with him at first sight, and her admiration for him was very pure. However, he already had Qin Qiu by his side, and Zhao Li was very sad and silently stepped aside.

Qin Qiu seemed to have sensed something, but understandingly said nothing.

But somehow, Zhao Li’s admiration for him suddenly became common knowledge. Everyone thought that Zhao Li intended to interfere in his marriage and destroy his family. Along with this came various rumors about Zhao Li, saying that she had been entangled with many men in the past, which he was somewhat skeptical about.

In the end, Zhao Li had no choice but to leave. Her parents sent her abroad to avoid being condemned by everyone and having her reputation ruined if she stayed in China.

Chen Xi felt a little sorry for Zhao Li, but he only regarded her as a passerby in his life.

Chen Xi and Qin Qiu lived a very happy life, surrounded by children and grandchildren. In their later years, Qin Qiu’s student, Bai Xiang, even made a movie about their love story.

The movie was very romantic and touching, and it also had the unique style of that era. When Chen Xi and Qin Qiu went to see the movie hand in hand, it was as if they were reliving their youth, their rebelliousness, boldness and enthusiasm back then. Qin Qiu was also very moved after watching the movie.

Later, his son told him that someone actually sued the movie, saying it distorted the facts. He didn’t know where this crazy person came from or what kind of bored audience member this is.

In his dream, Chen Xi didn’t take it seriously. The name sounded like Lin Yun, but he didn’t know them.

Chen Xi woke up with a start, only to see the National Day military parade celebrating the millennium broadcast on television. The camera panned across Lin Hua, a man in military uniform with gleaming gold rank insignia on his shoulders.

The dream felt so real, yet it seemed incredibly unreal in the face of reality.

Chen Xi could only smile bitterly. How could Qin Qiu, who hated him to the point of madness and wanted to destroy him, possibly be the perfect and outstanding wife in his dreams?

He remembered that when Chen Zhan came to see him, he mentioned Lin Yun, who is now the youngest academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with two doctoral degrees in quantum physics and mathematics. She is also the chief scientist of the National Neutron Decay Research Project and is considered to be a candidate for the Nobel Prize in the next five years based on this project.

She also made outstanding contributions to the research projects of new weapons for the domestic military, achieving the highest level of scientific research and holding a position that was worthy of imperial approval.

…

Lin Hua was born in middle age, and his parents doted on their grandson like a treasure. Unfortunately, neither of his parents were particularly doting on their child, and they were both busy with work. For some reason, the child was more attached to his aunt. He grew up in the military and laboratories, and was influenced by these environments from a young age.

One minute he says he wants to be a scientist, the next he says he wants to be a soldier.

However, under the upbringing of the Lin family elders, he did not develop arrogant and spoiled habits. Instead, he was just like Lin Hua when he was young, earnest and quite adorable.

His father taught him to be responsible and accountable, while his aunt, Lin Yun, taught him to think independently, have his own ideas, and stay committed to his goals.

He kept these things deep in his heart and carried them through in his future life.

…

Cicadas chirped among the trees outside the window, and the teacher’s chalk writing swiftly scribbled on the blackboard.

Suddenly, her arm was poked and her deskmate whispered, “Cheng Yin, I forgot my eraser, can I borrow one?”

Xiao Han nodded, took out a white square eraser from her sky-blue pencil case, and handed it to her. Her deskmate said “thank you” and then used the eraser to erase the wrong math geometry diagram on her workbook.

Xiao Han quietly accepted this memory.

The original owner’s name was Cheng Yin, a rather quiet and elegant name, but she was just an ordinary girl, the kind who wouldn’t stand out in a crowd, and had nothing particularly remarkable about her from childhood to adulthood. Her wish was to become extraordinary, dazzling, and a daughter that would make her parents proud.

Xiao Han couldn’t understand why she wanted someone else to fulfill her wish. Then 9526 told her that the tasks assigned by clients were always bizarre and varied, a point Xiao Han acknowledged.

Regardless of what Cheng Yin was thinking, she was the one who made the choice.

This is still a fictional world. 9526 told her that this is a campus romance novel. The female protagonist, Cheng Yang, is attracted by the appearance of Xu Jun, the top student representative, when she enters the new high school. She then boldly and directly confesses her feelings and starts pursuing Xu Jun.

In this pursuit, not only is the arrogant and aloof academic genius Xu Jun moved by her, but the wealthy school bully Zhou You also falls in love with the female lead Cheng Yang.

Cheng Yang and Xu Jun’s secret relationship didn’t last long before they faced pressure from their parents and teachers. Xu Jun was a highly regarded top student who could be considered for Tsinghua or Peking University, while Cheng Yang not only frequently skipped classes and got into fights, but also had the worst grades in the grade. After discovering their early romance, the teachers were worried that Xu Jun would be led astray by Cheng Yang and that his grades would drop, so they privately offered him a lot of advice.

The breakdown of Cheng Yang and Xu Jun’s relationship was due to Cheng Yang’s feeling that he only cared about studying and listening to his teachers and parents, and didn’t care about her at all, so she directly proposed a unilateral breakup.

At this time, Zhou You, the tall and handsome school bully, took advantage of the situation to sneak in. Unlike Xu Jun, who was an outstanding student and was constantly watched by his teachers and parents, Zhou You came from a well-off family and did not have any requirements for his grades. His parents were often away on business, and no one was in charge of him. He could skip class and play with Cheng Yang at any time.

Xu Jun was also spurred on by Zhou You’s appearance. He fell in love with Cheng Yang and was determined to change for her.

Thus began their entanglement on campus, with the three of them drinking and fighting alongside Cheng Yang, skipping school and traveling with her. Whenever Cheng Yang wanted, they would be by her side, ready to face anything. This entanglement even continued ten years later, when all three had grown up. Xu Jun had been separated from Cheng Yang for ten years due to studying abroad, while Zhou You remained by her side throughout. Zhou You inherited the family company, and Xu Jun became a famous, handsome doctor. The only thing that remained unchanged was their love for Cheng Yang.

In the end, Cheng Yang chose Xu Jun, while Zhou You silently waited for her.

Xiao Han transmigrated into the body of sixteen-year-old Cheng Yin, an observer and passerby in this story. Her only connection to the story is that she and Cheng Yang are sisters in a blended family, and the two are not related by blood. Cheng Yin’s father and Cheng Yang’s mother got married when they were in junior high school.