Chapter 286: Paper Stars
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Gu Zi assumed the box was something the previous owner had bought and barely touched, so she naturally assumed it was empty. Without a thorough inspection, she used it to store her clothes.
“What could possibly be in here? What is it?” She muttered to herself as she opened the compartment. Inside, she found five paper stars, each colored differently with colored pens.
Gu Zi recalled that many girls had a habit of writing on paper stars, a habit she herself had during junior high school.
So, out of habit, she unfolded the paper stars. As expected, each star contained a few sentences, akin to a wish journal. The handwriting was neat and elegant, clearly the previous owner’s.
Gu Zi began to read the words:
“Today my teacher told me that I qualify for study abroad. I am thrilled because this is the result of my hard work and selection.”
“Today, Gong Zhan’s parents came to our house to discuss our engagement. I was excited, but after they left, my parents asked me to drop out of school to prepare for the wedding. I’m torn.”
“I would love to see if the moon is rounder overseas, but I can’t bear to leave Gong Zhan behind. I like Gong Zhan so much that I’ve fantasized countless times about becoming his wife, having children with him, and living a simple life.”
“Today, I suddenly realized that I might have another chance to study abroad in the future, but if I miss out on the chance to marry the person I love, I can never go back. I told my teacher not to submit my application materials. I choose Gong Zhan. I want to marry him!”
The handwriting on these four pieces was strong and clear. Gu Zi could even see endless hope in the strokes.
The handwriting on the last piece was noticeably different from the previous four. It was written in red, and the strokes were somewhat messy. Just from the handwriting, one could tell how much pain the original owner had been in.
Before opening it, Gu Zi could only see the star’s pure black exterior, so she subconsciously left it to open last.
“A single sentence that I’m not my parents’ biological child negates all my efforts? Now Gong Zhan is no longer my fiancé, and my chance to study abroad is gone. Where should I go from here?”
After reading these words, Gu Zi was momentarily dazed. She suddenly realized how deep the original owner’s love for Gong Zhan was, to the point where she could choose death without him!
No wonder Gong Zhan always had an inexplicable confidence, always feeling as if she still had feelings for him, fearing that she would pester him.
Now Gu Zi finally understood what it meant to be fearless when favored. Gong Zhan had always been deeply loved by the original owner, probably spoiled by her love.
The original owner’s kindness to him was never because of Gong’s family status and position, but simply because he was Gong Zhan, and she loved him.
But to outsiders, the original owner was no different from Gu Shan and Zhang
Mei. They thought she had given up her seemingly lofty status to please Gong Zhan and his family, even willing to give up her chance to study to comply with Gong Zhan’s marriage.
But they never considered that such a lofty and excellent person like the original owner would compromise for these worldly things. Only her own love could trap her.
Everyone misunderstood the original owner, thinking she was afraid to give up her comfortable city life, accustomed to a pampered lifestyle, and thus unwilling to suffer in the poor countryside, so she wanted to die.
Gu Zi only now understood that the original owner’s threat of suicide was not a bluff. She truly wanted to die, not for anything else, but to bury her love.
Of course, if there had been a chance to study abroad again, the original owner probably wouldn’t have chosen death. Unfortunately, that chance was gone. Lin Miao successfully manipulated Gu Shan and Zhang Mei to change their hearts, intending to let the original owner marry a pig farm owner from the countryside, whom the original owner thought was a twice-married, thirty-year-old man with three children. For someone as lofty as the original owner, such a substitution was a great insult.
The original owner was just an eighteen-year-old girl, whose mind was not fully mature. Faced with such a cruel blow, she chose suicide without thinking it through. Gu Zi suddenly seemed to understand and empathize with the original owner.
Because Gu Zi understood the despair of seeing one’s wishes shattered one by one, of not seeing a future. In her previous life, Gu Zi had been part of the working class all her life, and towards the end, she had also considered ending it all.
It was not that there was any great sorrow that made her despair, but the mere repetition of a lifeless, mechanical life every day was enough to make many people want to die..