From humble beginnings to the pinnacle of life

I scratched my head awkwardly, gave a sheepish smile, and said frankly, "There is indeed something I'd like to ask you for a favor."

Her gaze remained fixed on the computer screen, her slender fingers lightly tapping the keyboard as she responded softly, "Speak."

I cleared my mind and said seriously, "I heard from Su Qing that you and Fang Bo are good friends. I'd like to ask you to help me arrange a meeting with him. Would that be convenient?"

Upon hearing Fang Bo's name, Su Wan abruptly stopped typing.

She didn't press me about my purpose in wanting to see Fang Bo; she simply glanced at me with a faint look, as if she could see right through all my schemes.

After a few seconds of silence, she slowly spoke: "I roughly know what you want to do. I can help you arrange a meeting with him, but I advise you to give up on this idea."

I frowned slightly and asked, "Why?"

There's no reason, I'm just giving you a reminder.

Su Wan withdrew her gaze and returned it to the computer screen, her tone remaining calm and indifferent, revealing no emotion whatsoever.

I shook my head and insisted, "I still want to give it a try."

She glanced at me again, and seeing my resolute attitude, she didn't try to persuade me further, saying calmly, "Wait for my call."

I immediately breathed a sigh of relief and quickly thanked her sincerely, "Thank you so much!"

She stopped talking and refocused on her work.

I knew my place and understood that I should take my leave.

But just as I was about to turn and leave, a memory suddenly flashed through my mind.

I paused, turned to look at Su Wan, and asked, "Su Wan, do you remember what you promised me back in the no-man's land?"

Su Wan frowned slightly, her eyes filled with doubt: "What did I promise you?"

It seemed she had almost forgotten, so I couldn't help but grin and say, "I knew you'd forgotten. Actually, I only just remembered it myself."

I composed myself and slowly began to remind you, "That night we were resting in the no-man's-land, and you told me a lot about your ex-boyfriend. You said that someone promised him that if he dared to venture into the no-man's-land and come out alive, they would invest in him and pave the way for his business."

"Back then, I asked you who the person was who promised him investment and forced him to gamble with his life, but you didn't tell me. You said you'd tell me the truth after we safely got out of the no-man's-land, do you remember?"

The moment the words left her lips, Su Wan's body stiffened noticeably, as if she had been stunned.

I originally thought she would deliberately avoid it, make excuses, or even simply refuse to mention it.

To my surprise, she remained silent for a long time, then looked at me seriously and asked softly:

"Do you really want to know the answer now?"

Actually, given her ambiguous attitude at the beginning, coupled with the Su family's various attitudes tonight, I already had the answer in my heart.

I looked at her and asked, "Was that person your father?"

This time, a look of seriousness finally appeared on Su Wan's calm face.

After a long silence, she nodded gently: "It's him."

I knew it in my heart; it was exactly as I had guessed.

Actually, after hearing her story that night, I vaguely guessed the truth.

Looking across the entire Jiangcheng, there is someone with both the power and the standing to obstruct Su Wan's relationship, forcing a young person to gamble with their future.

There will be no second one besides Su's father.

When she asked me if I wanted to know the truth, wasn't that a subtle way of reminding me?

The path I'm walking now is repeating the mistakes that person made back then.

I paused for a moment, then looked at her seriously: "Su Wan, I want to ask you, do you hate your father?"

She lowered her eyes to the table, and after a long while, she slowly spoke: "I used to hate, but that's all in the past, that's all."

She clearly didn't want to dwell on the past pain anymore. She composed herself, looked at me, and said:

"You're facing the exact same predicament as you did back then. My speaking up for you just now can only protect you temporarily, not forever. Do you understand that?"

I nodded emphatically: "I understand, and I truly feel this pressure."

I understand better than anyone that Su Wan's plea just now wasn't a guarantee that I could pass the test, but merely a small opening for me to catch my breath.

My parents are not mean-spirited or snobbish people. They did not belittle my character, nor did they deny the skills I gained in the no-man's land, nor did they deliberately target me.

They are just too rational and too realistic.

They are using the cruelest rules of the adult world to draw a line between life and death for me.

In just thirty days, or a month, they faced certain death.

I must break through the deadlock in public opinion, tear apart the deadlock that Fang Heng has carefully laid out in the industry, and produce results that will silence everyone.

If I fail, I will have to withdraw from Su Qing's life and disappear from her world completely.

This world only cares about results, not sentiments.

After a long pause, I slowly spoke: "I understand your uncle's concerns. Back then, he stopped you from being with your ex-boyfriend not because he was malicious, but because he felt that the other person was not good enough for you and could not give you a stable future. He was afraid that you would give your heart to the wrong person and end up losing everything."

"Now he's putting pressure on me, and it's the same thing he's thinking."

Su Wan suddenly stopped typing, her cool eyes fixed on me.

"It's rare that you can see through this layer."

She paused, then continued, "Most young people from underprivileged backgrounds, when faced with this kind of harsh reality, react by blaming fate and complaining about the injustice of the world. They either give up on themselves or lose their mental balance. But you are very different."

I smiled calmly: "I can't choose my birth, but I've walked this path myself. I have no right to complain about the unfairness of the world. The only thing I can do is to climb as high as I can."

"Uncle is right. Passion can't sustain a life of daily necessities, and sincerity can't withstand the harsh realities of life."

"Without material security as a safety net, all the deep affection between Su Qing and me is nothing but a ridiculous joke in the eyes of outsiders."

Su Wan gazed at me quietly, remained silent for a few seconds, and then slowly said, "You are much more clear-headed than he was back then."

"Him?" I looked up at her.

"My ex-boyfriend."

Su Wan spoke calmly, as if she were recounting someone else's past.

"Back then, he only had passion and empty ambition, but lacked the corresponding shrewdness and strategy. He panicked when my father put pressure on him slightly, and ultimately he was defeated without a fight."

I pondered for a moment, then asked, "So you mean he shouldn't have accepted the bet, and shouldn't have gone to the no-man's-land?"

Su Wan stared at me intently, then suddenly threw the question back at me: "If it were you, what would you choose?"

Without the slightest hesitation, I decisively said, "I will go, but I will absolutely not be as reckless and impulsive as him, going without any preparation."

Su Wan smiled bitterly: "He chose the same path as you, gambling with his future. But in the end... he was left forever in the no-man's-land."

"That's because he was too blindly arrogant, failed to recognize his own strength, and did not make adequate logistical support. He just stubbornly charged forward with a surge of enthusiasm."

"It's not wrong to gamble on your future, but it's foolish to gamble with your life."

Su Wan smiled gently, as if relieved, and said, "What I want to talk to you about isn't whether you should go or not, but rather..."