{We don’t need to have any further contact in this lifetime. 1}

Qian Xu believed she was a patient person, with a patience that lasted toward both things and people—until it was entirely worn out.

Another head seemed to pop up from beneath the long dining table.

Shen Qinian attempted to say something, perhaps to explain on behalf of his sister or to seek forgiveness for himself. In the end, he said nothing and subconsciously lowered his head.

Qian Xu didn’t dwell too much on the matter: “Take her away.”

The guests’ expressions remained unchanged, and the banquet returned to its previous bustle.

Before leaving, Shen Qinian finally murmured a faint “Sorry” under his sister’s disapproving gaze.

Maybe the noisy crowd drowned out that apology, as Qian Xu barely heard it. She watched as Shen Qinian personally dragged his sister, Shen Qiyue, away. Along the way, Shen Qiyue complained indignantly, “Why are you pulling me?”

“I haven’t finished what I set out to do yet. You’re dragging me away like this—how am I supposed to explain later?”

Shen Qinian, as usual, replied in a subdued voice, “Just say it’s because of me.”

He didn’t really want to drag Qian Xu into this mess. From the beginning, he suspected his sister’s actions might be wrong, but he lacked the courage to resist the allure of being on stage with their mother. He didn’t want Qian Xu to be pulled into a program only to be ruthlessly dismissed afterward.

Yet, right in front of everyone, his sister had painted their previous interactions in the worst light, reducing Qian Xu to a mere servant who carried his bags.

It was as if his past had been clouded over.

The sunlight could not penetrate the gathering dust.

Memories became tasteless, and the few pleasant moments he cherished were completely destroyed by his sister’s immaturity and rudeness.

“Let’s go.”

His voice when he said this was almost pleading.

His sister, however, cared nothing for his dignity and directly shook off his hand in front of many adults, looking ready to confront someone at any moment. The tear stains beneath her round eyes had disappeared.

“Let go. I can walk by myself.”

He didn’t know if his sister had always been like this and he had just never noticed or if she had changed after returning to the country, provoked and encouraged. But at that moment, he felt she was growing worse.

The two siblings walked to an empty area, and his sister hadn’t fully let go of her obsession: “Do you really not want to go on that program?”

Even though their mother had no interest in his passion for Sudoku, spending time with her—catching fish, cleaning seafood, cooking, even talking while walking on the sand—was something he had always dreamed of.

“That woman, Qian Xu, won’t talk to me, but she might listen to you,” Shen Qiyue, feeling resentful from the way Qian Xu dismissed her, said bitterly, “How about I just stop saying anything today? So you won’t think I’m saying the wrong thing again, and you can go and explain things to her.”

“Shen Qinian, as long as you have the courage of a real man, Qian Xu will agree to it.”

“Then we can go on the program.” Shen Qiyue, usually uninterested in her brother, was now unusually enthusiastic.

She kept tempting him.

“By then, we’ll be the kids all other children in the country envy.”

That last sentence struck him deeply. Shen Qinian began to imagine whether this program might be shown on YouTube and if afterward, even his old kindergarten classmates might look at him differently.

“I’ll give it serious thought,” he said solemnly.

*

The December night wind was strong, nearly flipping over many of the plates at the banquet. If it hadn’t been for the many servants of the Li family, the scene would have surely been chaotic.

Everyone moved inside.