Chapter 13: The Eldest Miss Has Been Eating Sand for Three Years

There were originally four people in charge of the filming crew; after Qin Yue joined, there were five. Among them, the team leader and Qin Yue were the ones who stayed in Antarctica the longest.

They witnessed emperor penguins crossing the icy wilderness in orderly lines to the ancestral grounds where generations had bred; they watched novice parents clumsily incubate their chicks. They saw parents who lost their young wailing in the cold wind, and many chicks lose their lives for various reasons.

They could not intervene—they could only observe, record, and, in cases of unnatural disaster such as wild animals harmed by humans, falling into human traps or encountering poachers, offer rescue. But when it came to the harsh environment or predation by natural enemies, they could not interfere.

So all they could do was curse and pray, hoping the chicks would survive tenaciously.

Yet, when an unexpected disaster struck, the team leader and Qin Yue, who stayed behind, found themselves caught between cursing and retreat. Qin Yue chose to seek help, mobilizing ships to intervene. The others, after furious protest, ultimately decided to act, even if it meant giving up their beloved careers forever.

Those who anticipated the disaster and withdrew early, even with Qin Yue’s promise of generous compensation, were few and far between willing to risk their lives and bring out the ships.

In the end, several who had come only to film a documentary ended up rowing lifeboats themselves, rushing to rescue chicks struggling desperately in the sea. The other leaders who had left returned one after another and joined in.

Qin Yue, exhausted and determined to save more emperor penguin chicks, failed to return in time and accidentally fell into the frigid sea. As her body temperature was devoured by the cold, she thought she would die in the icy ocean. She sighed inwardly—apart from guilt and apology to her loved ones, she felt no regret at all.

But she did not die. She was pushed to the surface by a grown emperor penguin rescuing its own chick, and a steady warmth radiated from its body, keeping her from freezing.

At that moment, Qin Yue was the only one who met with misfortune; the other rescuers were safe.

When their actions were made public internationally, the expected condemnation and blame never arrived. Instead, countless voices spoke up in their favor.

It was only after this event gained traction that Qin Ye learned what Qin Yue had done.

The once predestined tragic “cannon fodder” and former beloved changed her fate, embarking on a road she had never imagined.

As the instigator, Qin Ye had never expected Qin Yue’s future would turn out this way. All he could do now was support her.

The reason why the assistant hadn’t informed Qin Ye of Qin Yue’s peril was also volunteered by the assistant.

“She has already broken free from her predetermined fate, shining with her own light. The client’s task is complete. Moreover, her journey won’t end here; from now on, she will walk her own path.”

Somehow, Qin Ye suddenly viewed the assistant in a better light—it seemed meeting the assistant was not such a bad thing after all.

While Qin Ye felt content, the male and female leads found nothing going their way.

After Ye Xiaoxiao left, Gu Yeting blamed everything on Qin Yue. If Qin Yue hadn’t seduced and bewitched him, how could he have overlooked Ye Xiaoxiao’s virtues? How could he not know who he truly loved?

Xiaoxiao must have left because of Qin Yue; she thought he loved Qin Yue. If he ruthlessly retaliated against Qin Yue and made her suffer, Xiaoxiao would surely understand his feelings and return to him.

Gu Yeting was convinced of this.

But now, Qin Yue and he were no longer even in the same world; he didn’t have the chance to do anything malicious to her.

Gu Yeting, constrained, could only choose a softer approach.

He planned to pursue Qin Yue, win her over, then cruelly humiliate and torment her, casting her aside without mercy.

That way, Qin Yue would certainly be devastated, and his goal would be achieved.

Yet this scheme never succeeded.

Qin Yue was utterly unmoved by his deliberate encounters.

Gu Yeting seethed inwardly—this was the woman he once blindly adored, now looking down on him just because the Gu family had gone bankrupt.

Compared to Ye Xiaoxiao’s steadfastness, Gu Yeting hated himself all the more for ever falling for a vain woman like Qin Yue.

The more he resented Qin Yue, the more he wanted to possess her, for he wished to see her suffering when she realized the truth after falling deeply for him.

He longed to witness the proud, untouchable flower brought low and humbled to dust.

But it all came to an abrupt halt—he was arrested.

His captors were aggressive, subjecting him to various interrogations; the less he spoke, the angrier they became. Gu Yeting had no idea who they were.

Eventually, it was discovered he was innocent, and he was released with a warning never to stalk or approach Qin Yue again.

Only then did Gu Yeting realize the source of his misfortune.

This made him hate Qin Yue even more.

Yet this time, he couldn’t even find a trace of her.

Just as in their final year of high school, when Qin Yue suddenly vanished without a word and went abroad.

Gu Yeting did not act recklessly again. He buried his resentment, focused on growing his company, and searched everywhere for Ye Xiaoxiao.

From Ye’s relatives, he learned about Ye Xiaoxiao’s past; from her friends, he learned of her deep feelings for him.

The more he found out, the more Gu Yeting suffered, eager to find Ye Xiaoxiao and make amends, hoping her remaining years would be sweet, not bitter.

He worked tirelessly, trying to numb himself with work, driving himself into the hospital, earning the angry rebuke of his friends, but persisted—he had to find Ye Xiaoxiao.

At critical moments for his company’s major projects, he would abandon everything at the sound of a phone call, rushing out because the caller claimed to have news of Ye Xiaoxiao.

One time, two times, three, four times—the company staff began resigning one after another.

Gu Yeting raged, cursing them for ingratitude and betrayal.

After venting, he continued as he pleased.

When Qin Yue was in danger, the wooden sword hanging around her neck emitted a steady stream of warmth, but was instantly destroyed and vanished.

In its place, emperor penguins, whose intelligence had increased, realized that the two-legged creature had come to help them, and one pushed her to the surface.

Other humans quickly rescued her.

At the same moment, Gu Yeting received yet another call about Ye Xiaoxiao’s whereabouts, once more abandoning his company and rushing out. This time, even the remaining core staff left in disappointment.

Meanwhile, Ye Xiaoxiao, heavily pregnant, felt a sudden sense of reflection—what was she striving for?

Her family neglected her; she suffered bullying in school; yet she was not always so unfortunate. Many had helped her.

Teachers who contacted elite schools for her, hoping she’d continue her studies.

Classmates who, upon learning of her circumstances, found excuses to help her.

Those who bullied her were only a small minority.

Most importantly, that minority eventually faced punishment.

All of this was because of Qin Yue—the kind, upright girl who had never experienced darkness.

Yet, gratitude aside, Ye Xiaoxiao also felt a jealousy she hadn’t realized before.

She could have used her studies to distance herself from her family, as those teachers hoped.

But in the end, she fell into the trap of love.

Ye Xiaoxiao tutored Gu Yeting, whose foundation was weak; with her heart full of him, she was inevitably affected herself.

She could have been admitted to a top university, but ended up at a mediocre one alongside Gu Yeting.

Even after entering college, Ye Xiaoxiao did not devote herself to her studies.

She worked multiple part-time jobs to save up the initial capital for Gu Yeting’s business.

After he started his company, she became a free nanny, handling all his chores, cooking, cleaning, managing every aspect of his life.

Yet once he learned of Qin Yue, Gu Yeting ignored her pleas and ran to Qin Yue without a backward glance.

Ye Xiaoxiao, thoroughly disappointed, vanished quietly, wanting only to stay far away from Gu Yeting.

After leaving, she discovered she was pregnant with Gu Yeting’s child.

She should have terminated the pregnancy as soon as she found out.

But she hesitated.

Yes, she hesitated.

Now, she suddenly felt a clarity as she gazed at her stomach, her expression complex.

At this moment, Gu Yeting, who had searched everywhere for Ye Xiaoxiao, finally found her, appearing before her in her pregnant state.

“I—I’m going to be a father?”

Gu Yeting’s voice trembled, and Ye Xiaoxiao, her brief moment of clarity, found herself sinking once more at the sight of him.

She pretended to be indifferent, but Gu Yeting was undeterred, always hovering around her, treating her as carefully as a precious treasure.

After one or two months of this, Ye Xiaoxiao learned of everything Gu Yeting had done for her from other sources, and so she forgave him; the two were together again.

“How touching! That man drank himself to vomiting blood because he lost her, drove himself into the hospital, and still wasn’t enough—what more could you want?” Aunt Zhang wept with emotion.

Qin Ye glanced at the melodramatic romance playing on the TV, uninterested in the plot.

He took one look and left, letting Aunt Zhang cry herself red-eyed.

Time passed slowly; when Qin Ye was old and gray, he finally saw the results.

It was a powerful weapon, composed of precise parts, operated by humans.

Like a handgun, but with greater power, requiring more of its user, and consuming immense resources.