Throughout the entire summer vacation, Lu Nian hardly went out.

Her health was not good; she was sensitive to both heat and cold, making it difficult for her in both winter and summer.

However, she was born in the summer, when the heat was at its peak.

Lu Zhihong held Lu Nian’s fifteenth birthday banquet very grandly.

The Lu family was considered a prestigious family in Ancheng, and since Lu Zhihong’s branch did not have many offspring, Lu Nian, being his only daughter, naturally received all the love and attention, with everyone doting on her.

This time, the celebration was even more grand than in previous years, as Lu Zhixin actually came.

Lu Zhixin was now forty years old, but he took good care of himself and still looked handsome, with a lively and cheerful temperament that was typical of the youngest son, “Big Brother is currently attending a meeting in Europe and couldn’t make it, so he asked me to bring over a gift for Nian Nian.”

Lu Zhihong said, “Thank you for your trouble.”

The old Lu family mansion was in Ancheng, but due to work reasons, only Lu Zhihong stayed here.

The three brothers were all busy, so they rarely gathered, and they hadn’t seen each other for several years.

Lu Zhixin had only two sons, so he was especially fond of Lu Nian.

As soon as he entered, he shouted for Lu Nian, “Nian Nian, let your uncle take a look. You’ve grown taller again.”

Lu Nian obediently walked over and let him measure her height by placing his hand on her head a few times.

When she was young, her niece was very peculiar, often locking herself in her room, talking to herself.

Anyone who approached her would either make her cry or angry.

However, in recent years, she had improved a lot, and Lu Zhixin had also found warmth and joy in being an uncle to his niece.

Lu Zhixin was the youngest of the three Lu brothers, but he married early, so his children were the oldest among the next generation, currently studying at universities in the United States.

“My brat is still not done with his final exams. Otherwise, I would have brought him back long ago.” Lu Zhixin mentioned his son, losing his warmth and gritting his teeth, “He’s causing trouble outside, always getting into trouble.”

Lu Zhihong laughed, “Their studies are important. There will be plenty of time in the future. Boys being a bit naughty is normal.”

Lu Nian didn’t have much of a real feeling for her two cousins who had been abroad all this time, as they had gone abroad to study at a young age, and she hadn’t seen much of them.

Today, she was helped by several nannies and dressed up.

Now she just felt uncomfortable all over, like a doll.

However, even without these relatives, there were still many guests, including many prestigious families in Ancheng, especially those with children of similar age, or those who had close business dealings with the Lu family, who were basically all present.

Lu Nian was like a puppet, being pulled around to smile, cut the cake, and receive cheers and gifts.

The spacious hall of the Lu family had been carefully decorated, with the violin music sounding melodious.

Balloons and decorative flowers were everywhere, and in the middle was a cake.

Lu Zhihong took her around the banquet hall, introducing her to various people, and Lu Nian obediently greeted them, numbly accepting all kinds of compliments.

It wasn’t until she saw a familiar face in the crowd that a hint of surprise finally appeared on her otherwise expressionless face.

Zhao Tingyuan blinked at her, using a drink as a substitute for wine. “Happy birthday.”

Lu Zhihong followed her gaze, and saw a young man who was slightly older than Lu Nian, dressed neatly, and very handsome.

“Hello, Uncle.” Zhao Tingyuan saw Lu Zhihong scrutinizing him and continued, “I’ve heard about Uncle Lu’s name for a long time. Today is my first visit. My name is Zhao Tingyuan.”

Lu Zhihong said, “You’re… Zhao Rulan’s son?”

He had a good memory and remembered this name.

The Zhao family in Haicheng dealt in physical businesses.

In recent years, they had cooperated with the Lu family’s capital a few times.

Because both families were from Ancheng, Lu Zhihong had a particularly deep impression.

However, he had never met Zhao Rulan, so when he saw the guest list for this birthday banquet and saw a guest from the Zhao family in Haicheng, he remembered it well.

Zhao Tingyuan nodded. “My parents are still in Haicheng. I’m the only one who has come back temporarily.”

The sixteen-year-old boy was obviously very used to social occasions like this.

He spoke politely and warmly, without overstepping any boundaries.

Lu Zhihong liked Zhao Tingyuan very much and stopped to chat with him, along with Lu Nian.

The Zhao family was originally from Ancheng as well, but later, due to the expansion of their industry, their branch moved to Haicheng.

Zhao Tingyuan was also born and raised there, and only returned to Ancheng now.

“In the future, my parents plan to return to their hometown. They’re getting older and miss their hometown more.” Zhao Tingyuan said, “Ancheng has developed better than Haicheng in recent years.”

Lu Zhihong smiled. “Every place has its own beauty.”

He then asked, “I heard you have a younger brother?”

“Yes, but my younger brother isn’t very healthy.” Zhao Tingyuan said, “So he’s still in Haicheng with my parents for now. But it won’t be long.

Probably next year, he’ll also come back to Ancheng. He’s the same age as Nian Nian, so maybe they’ll be classmates in the future.”

Lu Zhihong’s gaze swept over the faces of the young man and the girl, and he smiled, “How did you two meet?”

Lu Nian was wearing a white dress with a small bow tied behind it, making her slender and graceful figure even more delicate and charming, with only a clear face still showing a hint of childishness.

She didn’t say anything, just looked at Zhao Tingyuan with big eyes, obviously waiting for him to answer.

“She’s my junior sister at school.” Zhao Tingyuan felt helpless in his heart, but also wanted to laugh a little, “We’ve met several times at school and got to know each other like this.”

“Well, you two chat. I won’t disturb you young people.” Lu Zhihong said as he left.

When Lu Zhihong left, Zhao Tingyuan whispered to Lu Nian, “You look very beautiful today.”

Lu Nian, “…Thank you.”

She really hadn’t expected it.

Zhao Tingyuan actually appeared at this strange birthday banquet of hers.

After all, they had only met a few times, and it wasn’t close enough for him to attend her birthday party, right?

Zhao Tingyuan didn’t seem to think there was anything wrong.

Lu Nian chatted with him casually.

Actually, she would rather stay here and chat with Zhao Tingyuan than be led around by Lu Zhihong to meet other people.

Lu Zhihong still had other guests to attend to.

He looked at the young couple from a distance and teased He Tian, “Haven’t you always wanted to find a son-in-law? One has been delivered to your door.”

He Tian glanced at him but did not deny it, just took a sip of wine and said lightly, “Nian Nian is still young. Let’s talk about it in a few years.”

He was obviously in a very good mood today.

“I’ve prepared everything for her.” Lu Zhihong said with a hint of drunkenness, “I want her to live a carefree life forever.”

In the future, he would choose a good husband for Lu Nian and find some capable assistants to help her manage the company, so that she could live a worry-free life.

The husband’s family background and character were important, talent didn’t matter much, even mediocrity was fine.

After all, the industries of the Lu family were not something to be casually handed over to outsiders.

If the person was too capable, he was afraid Lu Nian wouldn’t be able to handle it.

As for finding someone to help her manage the company, he had already made plans.

“When that child graduates, Qin Si will have a job waiting for him.” Lu Zhihong said, “Let’s see if he is a talent that Nian Nian can use, or just a useless waste.”

He Tian raised an eyebrow at him. “I thought you had forgotten about him.”

Lu Zhihong toyed with the goblet in his hand and said lightly, “I’m just getting old, not senile.”

“Aren’t you afraid that the child will have ulterior motives in the future?” He Tian smiled lightly, “After all, your Lu family hasn’t treated him very well.”

Lu Zhihong said indifferently, “Our family has supported him for so many years and even given him job opportunities. If he still has such malicious intentions, there’s no need to keep him.”

Halfway through the banquet, Lu Nian found an excuse and said she wanted to change her clothes, then slipped out quietly.

The Lu family’s garden looked particularly beautiful in the daylight.

Lu Nian walked slowly, unable to resist walking along a familiar path.

The bushes rustled, as if there was a figure.

Her eyes lit up, but the person who came out was the gardener holding garden shears.

The gardener also saw her. “Miss? What are you doing here?”

Lu Nian said vaguely, “Just came out for some fresh air. Uncle Li, can this area be left alone for a while?”

The gardener worked for the Lu family. Since Lu Nian had spoken, he turned to tidy up elsewhere, leaving her alone, squatting under a tree lost in thought.

Lu Nian remembered that when Qin Si still lived in the Lu family, they would often come here to play.

Qin Si was very good at climbing trees, but at that time, he never wanted to pull Lu Nian up with him.

He would just stay in the tree alone, ignoring her when she talked to him, making her have to tilt her head up to speak to him, which made her neck sore.

Once, Lu Nian got really upset and had someone bring a ladder so she could climb up and sit with him.

As a result, Qin Si also came down, and the two of them sat honestly under the tree together.

Although Qin Si could infuriate her with a single word and had never said a kind word, he was at least willing to listen to her.

Leaning on her hand, Lu Nian was lost in thought.

In front of Qin Si, it was the only time she felt completely relaxed.

It was strange, clearly his personality was so bad, his mouth so venomous, and he had always been reluctant to get too close to her, but she just felt relaxed.

Talking and acting, all unrestrained.

At this moment, the vast garden was quiet, with only the faint chirping of cicadas.

The small attic where Qin Si used to live had long been abandoned, and it was probably covered with dust again.

Thinking of the current Qin Si and that paper, Lu Nian suddenly lost interest in staying any longer.

This summer, she couldn’t muster any enthusiasm, as if nothing was worth doing.

After the summer, Lu Nian entered the third year of junior high school, and in the original book, Lu Nian’s lifespan would end around this time.

She deliberately avoided news about Qin Si and didn’t know where he had chosen to continue his studies.

Because of the care she had received over the years, her physical condition had improved somewhat since childhood, but she was still weaker than average.

Although she had undergone various tests at the hospital, it had been confirmed that there was nothing major wrong with her body.

However, Lu Nian was still not at ease.

She always felt that something was subtly wrong.

In the first month of school, she was involved in a minor car accident at the school gate.

That day, Lu Nian found that she had run out of draft paper, so she planned to go to the stationery store next to the school to buy some new draft paper.

She and Gu Yayan walked out of the school gate together.

They parted ways at the school gate and said goodbye to each other.

When Lu Nian turned around to cross the road, she suddenly heard Gu Yayan’s loud shout from behind, “Nian Nian!!!”

Fortunately, she had been on edge during this time and immediately became wary and stepped back.

A small van crashed through the guardrail and rushed towards her side, barely brushing past her.

Lu Nian’s hair was lifted by the airflow, and the van eventually crashed into a flowerbed on the road, with the driver’s upper body being thrown out of the window.

Lu Nian’s mind went blank, and she felt her legs go weak, slowly sitting down on the ground.

Fortunately, in the end, she only suffered minor abrasions and a twisted ankle.

“I was so scared, Nian Nian.” Gu Yayan was really scared, her face pale. “You don’t know how dangerous it was that time, luckily…”

Lu Nian tightly pursed her lips, unable to say anything.

From this car accident onwards, she began to experience all kinds of misfortunes.

After autumn arrived, she fell ill again, and after recovering from the illness, she kept coughing.

Lu Nian would have a minor illness every autumn, it had become a habit, but this year it came especially early and was especially urgent.

This was an old problem.

Lu Nian had been feeling particularly listless during this time, so she didn’t really want to bother with it, and just let it go.