Lu Nian said, “…Thank you.”

He was really attentive and considerate, and strangely, Lu Nian didn’t feel anything inappropriate about his actions.

It just seemed natural.

This was strange…

After all, they had only met for the first time today.

Lu Nian was conservative by nature and kept her distance from unfamiliar boys, let alone such an intimate gesture as feeding each other.

After lunch, Qiu Lan took her customary nap.

The three of them chatted.

“Our family used to live not here,” Zhao Yayuan said. “We used to live in the mountains of Nanzhu, where many families still live. Later, because Grandma’s legs were not convenient, we moved down the mountain to Nanzhu Town.”

“Do you want to go up the mountain tomorrow?” Zhao Yayuan said. “There are many fun things on the mountain.”

“Okay,” Lu Nian said.

Qiu Li furrowed his delicate eyebrows and looked at Lu Nian.

She seemed very eager, and he swallowed his words, saying nothing.

The next day, the three of them went up the mountain together.

The road up the mountain was not easy to walk.

Lu Nian, who had been pampered for so many years, had never walked on such muddy roads before.

“Be careful,” Qiu Li called out.

He held Lu Nian’s hand but quickly let go, whispering, “Sorry.”

Lu Nian felt a bit embarrassed and tried to take bigger steps.

There was no real path on the mountain; the so-called path was just made by people walking.

The bamboo grew thick and chaotic, and there were indeed many small animals. Zhao Yayuan explained everything along the way, but Qiu Li remained very silent, hardly saying a word.

“Mmm…” Zhao Yayuan, who was walking ahead, suddenly heard Lu Nian’s voice.

Qiu Li had already turned around, “Are you okay?”

Lu Nian covered her foot, forcing a smile, “It seems like something just scratched me.”

“It’s okay,” her face was a little pale. “It’s already fine.”

Zhao Yayuan said, “We’re two minutes away.” He pointed to a small house not far away. “If you’re not feeling well, we’ll go back down.”

“I’m okay,” Lu Nian bit her lip.

The cabin they used to live in seemed to be even simpler, but the layout was similar to the room at the foot of the mountain.

“This is Qiu Li’s room,” Zhao Yayuan said.

Lu Nian followed inside and looked around. It seemed that no one had lived there for a long time.

But her gaze suddenly stopped at the window paper in Qiu Li’s room, which was very ordinary, a plain light gray, simple and clean.

Lu Nian bit her lip.

That pattern, identical to the pendant lying quietly in her backpack, was unmistakable.

The four pointed corners, the intertwining patterns resembling dragons and phoenixes in the middle.

“That’s his drawing,” Zhao Yayuan saw her looking at it. “He likes to draw and write in his spare time. He used to draw many inexplicable things at home.”

Qiu Li took off the piece of window paper and folded it, putting it into a drawer. “My drawings aren’t good-looking, sorry if it’s unsightly.”

Lu Nian’s mind was already in chaos.

She remembered the pendant left by Cheng Mingying and the photo inside it.

The two babies in the photo, Zhao Yayuan’s previous vague insinuations.

She looked at Qiu Li’s profile.

The more she looked, the more familiar his brows, eyes, and even his demeanor seemed, it was astonishing.

She felt strangely familiar with him from the moment she first saw him.

The answer was almost about to burst out.

But doubts also followed.

If her speculation is true, then why would someone as concerned about lineage and bloodline as Lu Zhihong keep his existence hidden for so long?

Even the entire Lu family helped to conceal it.

Why doesn’t she remember him?

Doesn’t Qiu Li remember either? Why doesn’t he say anything?

How did Qiu Li come to Nanzhu? How did he transform into Grandma Qiu’s grandson?

Her mind was on the verge of exploding.

“What’s wrong?”

Sweat almost trickled down the girl’s clean forehead as she held her shins. “It hurts.”

“Did you twist it?” Zhao Yayuan said. “You just said it was fine.”

“…,” Lu Nian felt that she was indeed injured, but she didn’t want them to see the wound right now.

“I’ll carry you down,” Zhao Yayuan said.

“I’ll do it,” Qiu Li said quietly.

Zhao Yayuan fell silent, and the boy’s usually gentle eyes now showed an unusual stubbornness.

“Okay,” Zhao Yayuan said.

Qiu Li lifted her onto his back.

There was a faint scent of grass and wood on him, with a hint of bitterness, like the scent of medicinal herbs.

“Thank you,” Lu Nian said.

Her mind was still in chaos.

She knew she probably couldn’t walk on her own, and if she had to choose someone to carry her, she surprisingly preferred Qiu Li.

The girl lay quietly and gently on his back.

His face reddened slightly, and he looked down, walking quietly.

Zhao Yayuan had gone ahead to lead the way, while Qiu Li carried her quietly behind.

“Don’t come again tomorrow,” Qiu Li said. “There are many mosquitoes on the mountain, and the road is not easy to walk. There’s nothing fun.”

Lu Nian closed her eyes and murmured, “Hmm.”

Apart from her leg injury, her head was also throbbing, but she still couldn’t remember anything.

There seemed to be a resisting force preventing her from recalling what had happened.

She had inherited most of Lu Nian’s memories, but only this part remained elusive, no matter how hard she tried to remember.

But, inexplicably, she felt very sad.

When Qiu Li noticed something was wrong, tears had already rolled down her cheeks, wetting his back.

“I can’t remember anything,” her voice was hoarse, her eyes reddened.

Qiu Li wiped away her tears gently and said softly, “Then don’t think about it.”

“Are you going to stay in Nanzhu?” Lu Nian sobbed. “Can you come back with me?”

Her leg was in great pain, and Qiu Li held her, wiping her tears gently, but he didn’t answer the question.

The mountain breeze blew quietly.

Finally, they descended the mountain, and Qiu Li took her to the only small clinic in town.

Pulling up her pants, her shin was indeed injured.

The once jade-like skin now looked even more ferocious with the scratches on it, and the blood had almost stopped flowing.

The fabric of her pants around the wound had turned dark.

Zhao Yayuan said, “Grandma, did you forget that we’re already eighteen, all grown up… Can Qiu Li’s bed accommodate both of us? Unless we ask Nian Nian to sleep with one of us.”

Qiu Li frowned and gently scolded, “Yayuan.”

Lu Nian hurriedly shook her head, “It’s okay, I remember. Isn’t there a hotel in town? I’ll just book a room there.”

Her leg was injured, making it difficult for her to move these days.

Qiu Li’s health wasn’t good either, so carrying her or supporting her all the way was also a burden.

“That works too,” Zhao Yayuan said.

Nanzhu had good public security, with hardly any petty crimes, and everyone knew each other.

The hotel was only a few minutes away from their place.

Seeing Lu Nian’s attitude towards Qiu Li, Zhao Yayuan guessed that something had happened between them.

Zhao Yayuan was actually not someone who liked to meddle in other people’s business.

He brought Lu Nian here, and now that she was here, he didn’t intend to interfere further.

They would sort out their internal matters themselves.

Qiu Li seemed to disagree, “I’ll sleep on the sofa.”

Lu Nian whispered, “I have some inconveniences…” She felt embarrassed, but staying in a hotel these past few days would be much more convenient.

Bathing, changing sanitary pads, washing underwear, all these things were too embarrassing.

The boy hadn’t expected this.

He lowered his eyes. “…Sorry.”

“It’s okay, I have a lot of things to deal with,” Lu Nian hurriedly said.

“Then you go and see her off,” Zhao Yayuan said, intentionally giving them some space to talk.

The hotel was called Nanzhu Hotel, simple and straightforward.

“Nian Nian, your ID card,” Qiu Li said, “I’m familiar with this place, I’ll help you check in.”

Lu Nian felt a bit embarrassed as she pulled out her ID card from her bag.

The registration was done quickly, and she got her room key.

She put her luggage away.

“I’ll go back first. If you need anything, feel free to call me,” Qiu Li said.

Lu Nian leaned against the railing.

She felt better after changing into loose pants, and her leg had improved a lot after being bandaged.

She insisted on seeing him off.

“You should go,” Lu Nian said. “See you tomorrow.”

In fact, they both knew that Lu Nian wouldn’t stay in Nanzhu for long.

She would leave tomorrow.

He stood still.

“Xiao Qiu,” Lu Nian finally called him.

“Go on.” Lu Nian tiptoed and encouraged him by patting his shoulder and ruffling his hair.

Blood relations were special.

She could feel an instinctive closeness to him.

The boy’s black eyes softened.

He hugged her and whispered, “Rest well.”

“Stop thinking about it if your head hurts,” he said. “Don’t cry again tonight.”

Lu Nian felt embarrassed by his words.

She really wanted to know who was older between them, but she couldn’t bring herself to ask Qiu Li directly.

The hotel owner seemed to be registering someone else.

“Today, including you, we’ve had two new guests in one day,” the hotel owner, a man in his fifties with a big belly, smiled.

He looked like a happy Maitreya Buddha. “And they’re all young people.”

The owner was talkative, but the new guest seemed particularly silent, not joining in the conversation.

He was a young man with a black travel bag on his back, looking a bit dusty, but with broad shoulders, narrow waist, and long legs.

His tall figure looked particularly handsome from behind.

Lu Nian was stunned.

After the new guest finished registering and got his room key, he turned around, revealing a beautifully indifferent face.

She couldn’t have imagined meeting Qin Si, who had been absent for a year, in this remote little town.

He had grown taller, his appearance had changed slightly, his features becoming more defined, his phoenix-like narrow eyes, pursed lips, and a slightly heavier air of hostility compared to before.

“Nian Nian?” Qiu Li called her name softly.

Lu Nian snapped out of her trance. “…”

The young man lowered his eyes, looking at the two of them standing intimately together, his gaze cold.

He turned and left, as if he hadn’t seen her at all.

Lu Nian stood dumbfounded in place, feeling as if her feet were nailed to the ground.

Could she have mistaken him?

Impossible, she would recognize him even if he turned into ashes.

She forced a smile, “Xiao Qiu, you should go back and rest. You’re tired today, you should rest early.”

Qiu Li’s health was really not good, especially his lungs.

She had hurt her foot today, and Qiu Li insisted on carrying her all the way to the foot of the mountain.

Later, Lu Nian firmly disagreed and changed to supporting her, but she could still feel that he was really tired today and couldn’t handle this physical activity.

Nanzhu Hotel had only two floors.

The guest rooms were mostly on the second floor.

Lu Nian was in the left room on the second floor, and the room next door was tightly closed.

Lu Nian remembered that the door had been open when she first came up.

That was Qin Si’s room.

After spending the whole day on the mountain, feeling uncomfortable, she took a shower in the room, changed the medicine for her leg, dried her hair, and just sat down when she remembered Qin Si again.

Still pretending like that?

Not recognizing her?

After going away to college, he turned his back on her?

And why would he appear in Nanzhu at this time? And act like nothing had happened.

But the more she thought about it, the angrier she became.

Unable to sit still, she opened the door and went to knock on the door next door.

The force of her knocks weakened as she became less confident.

Would it be rude if Qin Si was here with someone else… like a girlfriend? Knocking like this?

The door opened.

Lu Nian stood dumbfounded in the doorway.

Looking inside, it was a simple standard room, with no signs of a woman.

There was only a bed inside, and a black travel bag placed in one corner of the room.

The bedding was neat and orderly, very much Qin Si’s style.

The weather was too hot, and it seemed like he had just taken a shower.

With one hand holding a towel, droplets of water still clung to his black hair.

His black T-shirt was damp from the water, accentuating his broad and clean back.

He tossed the towel aside, pursed his lips, and asked stiffly, “Do you need something?”

With so many questions running through her mind, Lu Nian didn’t know which one to ask first.

Why did Qin Si come to Nanzhu at this time? What was he here for? Just for fun?

It was too absurd.

She remembered the praise Lu Zhihong had heaped on him that day.

Her first reaction was actually, did Lu Zhihong call him here, and now everything was exposed, and he was here to take her back?

She blurted out, “Why did you come to Nanzhu? Did my dad ask you to come?”

Qin Si’s expression turned completely cold.

Mockingly, he said, “Are you that scared?”

“When you were cuddling with someone outside, weren’t you scared?” he said. “When you sneaked away with another guy behind someone’s back, weren’t you scared?”

Lu Nian’s face flushed with anger, and she realized what he was referring to.

Her face burned, not knowing if it was from anger or embarrassment. “Were you following me?”

“I came here for social practice,” he said in a cold tone, looking away, “Did you think I wanted to see this?”

His icy black eyes seemed devoid of any emotion.

Lu Nian was trembling with anger, wanting to slap him.

She was so angry that she forgot she had twisted her left leg.

She stood up abruptly, but her whole body just fell down.

Without thinking, she fell towards Qin Si.

Even in this shabby room, there wasn’t even a chair.

Qin Si had been sitting by the bed, and he was caught off guard by her sudden fall.

She had just taken a shower, and the scent of a sweet teenage girl, like orchids and musk, enveloped him.

In the moment she fell into his arms, his mind went blank, and it felt like the flow of blood in his body had stopped.

Thinking about it endlessly, it’s still better to have the real person in your arms.

But his inability to control his reaction to her gaze and touch often made him feel extremely ashamed.

Now, with her literally falling into his arms, he had completely exceeded his limits.

“You go and say it,” Lu Nian was already dizzy with anger.

He was a head taller than her, yet she pressed him down onto the bed like this.

Keep arguing with her! He liked to ridicule her, didn’t he? He liked to argue with her!

The boy’s Adam’s apple moved slightly, his voice sounded hoarse, and he couldn’t say anything.

Lu Nian smelled the fresh scent of water mixed with his clean scent, which seemed familiar yet strange.

His skin was fair, and he usually had a cold and indifferent expression, always with an arrogant and indifferent face.

His speech could choke people, and now his ears were red, and he almost couldn’t say anything, let alone push away the person in his arms.

Seeing his lips move, as if he wanted to say something.

Was he going to retort and argue with her again?

Looking at the clear and handsome face under her, Lu Nian’s mind went blank.

In a fit of anger and loss of reason, she bit his thin lips directly.

Whenever he spoke, he would only say cold and mocking words to her, which she didn’t want to hear at all.

“Go and tell my dad,” she muttered vaguely, “Tell him about this too.”

Wasn’t this much worse than cuddling with someone? If he had the ability, he should also tell Lu Zhihong about this.