The sun reflected off the ocean's surface, turning the glistening sea into a spectacular sight, as if the night sky had awakened in daylight.
Gentle waves lapped against the shore of the small, secluded island, their soft yet loud rhythm blended with the swaying of palm leaves overhead.
On the small island, there was no one else but a man in his early twenties. He was neither particularly tall nor especially handsome, his features unremarkable at a glance. Yet, to those who looked closer, there was a subtle elegance about him—something rarely seen among common folk.
He wore sunglasses with gold-rimmed frames, concealing his lazy, uninterested eyes. His outfit consisted of nothing more than a pair of shorts, revealing his well-built physique. His skin was lightly tanned from time spent under the sun, while his short, spiky hair mirrored his lethargic demeanor.
Buzz
The man's phone buzzed, and he glanced at it before picking it up. "Hello?"
As soon as he picked up the phone, a mature, feminine voice came through. "Xue'er, where are you right now?"
Gu Xue, the man on the phone, rolled his eyes before answering, "I told you a few days ago that I'll be staying at our private island in the Philippines."
The woman on the other side sighed before responding, "I completely forgot… I'm sorry Xue'er."
Gu Xue's mouth twitched. "It's fine. But is everything ok, Mom?"
There was a brief moment of silence, which answered Gu Xue's question. The answer was simple: yes.
From the moment Gu Xue was born, the most important thing to his parents was money. It would be a lie to say that he was deprived of love—he wasn't. He knew it, and everyone around him knew it as well: his parents loved him deeply.
Yet, despite that love, Gu Xue saw their dog more often than he ever saw his own parents. Throughout his early years, his only companions were an old maid and his dog—both of whom passed away when he turned fifteen.
Qin Lan, his mother, answered with an apologetic tone, "I'm sorry, Xue'er… Grandma called me a few hours ago, demanding to see you."
She paused, letting out a light chuckle. "You know how she can be. I forgot you were relaxing in the Philippines, so I told her you'd go see her."
Grandma, huh? he thought to himself.
I leaned back, exhaling softly as her image surfaced in my mind. She was a soft, kind-hearted woman who had a sharp tongue for those who didn't follow her orders.
She married into my Dad's side of the family, and along with my Grandpa, grew a large business in a single generation.
No one knew how it happened, but my grandfather suddenly disappeared when I was fifteen—the same year my dog and maid died. No one knew where he had gone, and after several years without a single clue, he was eventually declared dead.
After my grandfather's "death," the business empire he built alongside my grandmother was officially passed on to my parents. Without a word, she gave up everything and retreated to the rural parts of Hubei, where she and my grandfather had once married.
Before I answered Mom, I looked around and saw nothing but the endless sea and an island with no one but me on it. "I'll be there by tomorrow."
I could hear the sigh of relief my mother let out as she responded, "Good. I'll tell her you'll meet her. Thanks, son, I love you."
"Love you too."
*Beep*
Not wasting any more time, I boarded a yacht bound for the nearest airport, where my private jet awaited.
It didn't take long for me to land in Hubei, as China was only a few hours away from the Philippines by plane. However, by the time I arrived, it was already dark, so I booked a room at a nearby hotel.
The hotel was still a few hours from my grandmother's village, but it was the best available option, so I settled for it. Upon arrival, however, it proved to be far below my standards.
It was a four-story building that looked grand to most people, but to me, it was shabby at best. Wild weeds grew rampant along the sides of the building, while cracks ran through the parking lot, stretching from its foundation upward.
I entered the building and saw a man sitting at the front desk, playing a video game on his phone.
I quickly made my way to him and asked for the room I had booked a few hours earlier. However, the man seemed irritated and snapped, "Go wait—can't you see I'm busy?"
Maybe it was because I didn't want to stand out in my grandmother's village, so I wore simple attire—or maybe he just didn't care—but his attitude annoyed me.
"Hey, fatty, I could buy you. So it's best to get the hell up and just give me my damn keys."
To say I'm not spoiled would be a lie. I am spoiled—and I'm proud of it. People who make fun of spoiled kids? It all comes down to one thing: jealousy.
Rarely do you find someone who's rich and not spoiled. If you've got it, you're going to use it. And even if someone is naturally generous or humble, why feel the need to justify oneself by mocking others?
The fatty's screen turned red, and a majestic "Defeat" sign popped up. He got up and was about to argue when he saw a black car in front of the Hotel, the same car I had come out of.
Since it was a small city, not many cars were parked in front of the hotel, making it fairly easy to deduce whose car it was. In front of the car stood two bald, muscular men glaring at him.
The fat man's expression and tone quickly shifted to flattery, but I didn't indulge it. I grabbed the key and made my way to my room. To my surprise, the room wasn't bad. It was cozy and quiet, something I wasn't expecting from such a shabby place.
I quickly cleaned up and slept. The moment I woke up, it was already 12:30 PM.
"That was surprisingly a good sleep," I murmured.
After washing up, I continued my journey to see my grandmother. Not wanting to attract attention or stand out in the village, I asked my bodyguards to drop me off at a bus station so I could take a bus the rest of the way.
The Idea wasn't planned. I thought about it after sleeping at the hotel last night.
Since birth, I've lived a life of luxury, and last night was the first time I slept in a hotel below 4.3 stars. Maybe the "attention" part of the trip was just my excuse to change the scenery.
I don't know if it was just an excuse, but I couldn't care less—I found myself enjoying the sound of the bus nearing the end of its route. At first, it was scary; the bus sounded like it might blow up. But the loud chatter of aunties and their gossip soon drowned out my fear, and I found myself absorbed in their conversations.
The bus came to a stop—it was my stop. As I stood to get off, the two aunties chuckled, and one of them said, "You really should work on your eavesdropping, young man."
My face flushed. I hadn't realized they'd noticed. It was a first for me—the first time I'd ever eavesdropped on gossip. I usually just stayed on my phone while in the car, where even my guards wouldn't talk to me, fearing for their jobs.
I bowed apologetically and said, "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to eavesdrop."
The two chuckled, and one of them said, "I didn't know you could accidentally eavesdrop for a whole hour."
I scratched the back of my head and said my farewells.
"The bus was hot and loud. Who would've thought it could be an enjoyable ride?" I said as I stepped off the bus.
I turned around and waved goodbye to the two aunties. After watching the bus pull away, I was startled to see an old lady sitting on the bench at the bus stop.
Her smile was bright and gentle, though wrinkles lined her face. Her hair had turned white with age and was tied neatly into a bun. She wore simple farmer's clothes, and from her boots to her face, she was covered in dirt.
"G-Grandma?" I asked.
She chuckled and said, "It's been a while, Xue'er."
The moment I heard her tired yet gentle voice, I felt a pang in my heart. I don't know if it was because of her appearance or the fact that I never even thought of visiting her, but a sense of guilt washed over me.
Grandma raised an eyebrow and asked, "What's with that look?" She chuckled. "I'm not gonna die any time soon, so stop with that look. Come, hug Granny."
She walked slowly and hugged me. The dirt that covered her transferred to my shirt, and some got on my skin. I was disgusted, not of my grandma, but of the dirt.
Sensing my discomfort, Grandma's hug tightened. "Xue'er, you've been too cooped up in the city."
I didn't try to get away from her; instead, I sighed. I've indeed been in the city for far too long that even dirt could irk me.
"You're right, Grandma… I've been in the city for far too long."
She smiled at that and took my hand, dragging me to her house.
The house was small, looking as if it had been built by an amateur—by a single person. Behind it, a stream ran, soothing the mind and contrasting sharply with the loud, chaotic nature of the city.
I chuckled at the thought. Many city people would call rural folks "wild" or "uncivilized." But, in truth, the same could easily be said about city people.
Grandma smiled and said, "This house was made by your Grandpa when we arrived here." She paused and reminisced, "He made it brick by brick. He didn't even know which material was good. Hahahahaha!"
I smiled, "It's lovely."
Grandma walked inside and invited me in. The moment I stepped into the house, I instinctively looked for a light switch, but there were none. I glanced around and realized there weren't any light bulbs anywhere.
My face turned grim, and my voice cracked, "G-Grandma, where's the light?"
She looked at me like I was a dumbass and pointed up, "In the sky?"
I shook my head, "No, no, no! I mean light, like light bulbs!"
I looked outside the window and pointed, "There's an electric pole all around the village, and I even saw some people with phones…"
I paused and realised something. Gritting my teeth, I asked, "Has father really not taken care of you?"
To my surprise, Grandma laughed, "Good child!"
Confused, I was about to ask further, "Grandma…"
She quickly stopped me and said, "Don't worry, your father has been filial."
I looked around. "But you don't have electricity?"
She seemed amused and turned around. Slowly, she walked towards the open backyard, where the stream was most beautiful to look at.
"We don't use that stuff in this house. From the moment your Grandpa made this house, till now." She turned around and scrutinized me, "People are sucker for convenience. The more convenient, the better. Then they end up throwing out what's truly good."
I paused and stared at her. I knew her words weren't meant for anyone else but me. Money was my biggest convenience. I could buy anything, from hobbies, friends, to relationships, I could buy it all.
And maybe because my parents never disciplined me, I never got to enjoy the feeling of not having convenience. Like the ride from earlier, a bus ride, boring for normal people, was something new and fun for me.
I scratched the back of my head and sheepishly asked, "Isn't it dark at night?"
She looked at me and giggled, "It's supposed to be dark."
I smiled.
From then on, I've been living with my Grandma for 3 months. During these past three months, she forced me to work the field with her and to meet the villagers. The past few months were peaceful, until one day, Grandma woke up late.
Usually, she would be up before the rooster even crowed. She was aged, and I feared for the worst, and what I feared most came true.
She lay in her bed, clutching a Jade token and her husband's portrait.
"It seems I can't keep myself here any longer…" She whispered, "I'll finally meet you soon, dear."
I rushed towards her side, "Grandma!"
She struggled to move her head to look at me, but she mustered all her power to do so. "Don't cry, Xue'er, or you'll make Granny cry."
She was already crying, but I held my tears as much as I could.
Seeing me trying my best not to cry, she held my hand and placed something on my palm. "Take this Jade token. Once you're ready, take it outside the stream and break it under a full moon."
She closed my hand in hers, and I could feel how weak it had become. If I wanted, I could stop her hand with just a finger. The thought that this once strong woman had grown so frail filled my chest with a heavy ache.
She placed her hand on my cheek, "Xue'er… I love you-"
Her hand fell. Her eyelids fell. Her chest fell with her last breath. Yet her smile remained—unfallen, the only thing I wanted in that moment: to see her one last time smiling.
Till dusk to dawn, I cried. The villagers, noticing our absence, sent a few people to our house. The moment they learned of her death, everyone mourned with me.
That night, I called my Father and mother, but the only thing they could muster was, "I see. I'll call you back."
I wasn't angry, I was disappointed.
A month passed quickly, and Grandma was finally buried. Mother and Father came—both devastated, and I could see it. But I couldn't forgive them. It wasn't their fault that Grandma had died, nor was it their fault for being busy at the time.
Yet something inside me blocked forgiveness. Maybe in this lifetime, I'll never be able to forgive them.
"I'm a hypocrite," I whispered those words every time I thought of my parents. Neither I nor they had truly cared for Grandma. I couldn't visit—no, I didn't visit—just like them. I was no better.
After Grandma's burial, everyone dispersed, and I was left alone in the dark house she and I had once lived in. Even though our time together was short, it was still a fond memory.
I took out the jade pendant Grandma gave me. As I stared at the jade pendant, I recalled what she had told me: take it outside the stream and break it under the full moon.
And so I did.
The stream was cold, colder than I had thought.
I shivered as I knelt and placed the token on a large rock. Gripping a hammer, I raised it above my head and brought it down, shattering the jade pendant with ease.
To my surprise, the broken pendant began to glow, and the center remained intact. Suddenly, it started to float, and I crawled backward in fright.
The pendant transformed into a massive Oriental dragon. Its body was green, with gold scales along its back and a golden horn. The dragon stared at me, then suddenly surged into my mind.
Before I knew it, everything went dark.