The summer heat lingered, unabated.

In the southern Quao Mountains, the evenings of summer were unusually cool.

In the well, water chilled the watermelon.

Qiao Li scooped the watermelon out of the well.

This was at the beginning, when they first met in the southern Quao Mountains, living in the old house on the mountain.

“Now, it’s just the two of us,” Qiao Li said softly.

After leaving Ancheng, Zhao Yayuan’s health had visibly improved.

However, after undergoing tests at Nanbin Hospital, no specific illness could be identified.

The doctors could only attribute it to prolonged emotional suppression, excessive fatigue, and poor physical condition, resulting in weakness.

Previously, food and lodging at Zhao’s house were provided by Zhao Tingyuan.

By now, there was no evidence left to trace, all taken care of by Su Qingyou.

They returned from Nanbin to the old house in the southern Quao Mountains, where they stayed for a while.

“Xiaoya, I might have to return to Ancheng in a few days,” Qiao Li said.

“Why don’t you stay in the southern Quao for a while longer,” Qiao Li said, “I’m really worried about your family.”

Zhao Yayuan looked into the distance, his face still somewhat pale.

After experiencing this difficulty, he seemed to have sunk into it, shedding his previous youthfulness and impetuosity.

Sometimes, a few moments like these were necessary for a young man to grow into a man.

“I’ll go with you,” he said, “I’m much better now.”

He gave a faint smile, “I also want to settle things with them when I go back.”

Qiao Li looked at him with concern, hesitated for a moment, “Nian Nian said she wants to come see us after we return to Ancheng.”

“Yeah,” Zhao Yayuan replied.

“Lu Zhihong has already left, and probably won’t return to Ancheng… Their wedding date, I estimate, will be at the latest in the autumn,” Qiao Li said.

Zhao Yayuan had been silent recently, with a touch of indifference in his expression, “He pretended very well back then.”

He seemed impervious, completely indifferent to Lu Nian.

He was willing to give her up, but he didn’t realize it was just years of pretense and calculation.

Qiao Li said, “Mr. Qin is very good to Nian Nian.”

“He taught me a lot too,” Qiao Li pursed his lips. ” Yayuan, Grandma’s medical expenses will probably still be a lot in the future. I need to go back to work. Nian Nian now only has me as her relative.”

“Yayuan, why not let go of your prejudices and cooperate with him?” Qiao Li sighed lightly. “If you really want to reclaim your family.”

Zhao Quan’s body seemed tough, but age was catching up, and he was not as energetic as before.

So, he had started to delegate.

Now was the most critical time.

If he collaborated with Qin Si, he could overthrow Su Qingyou and Zhao Tingyuan in one fell swoop.

These matters had become inevitable, and Qiao Li felt there was no need to keep dwelling on them.

Zhao Yayuan didn’t say anything.

He suddenly stood up, “After returning to Ancheng, I’ll go find them.”

Lu Nian naturally knew about Zhao Yayuan’s situation.

She knew his health was improving day by day.

She was naturally happy.

However, Zhao Yayuan was special.

She didn’t want to upset Qin Si.

She basically didn’t mention these things in front of him.

He always felt that if he hadn’t come back in time back then, forcing her to cancel the engagement, she and Zhao Yayuan would probably have had a deep affection for each other and would have become a couple long ago.

Lu Nian had always been somewhat troubled, how could she untie this knot in his heart?

Confessing to him, mere words without actions, wouldn’t have much effect.

Saying too much would backfire, sounding cheap and perfunctory.

He was sensitive and suspicious by nature; unless he truly felt it himself, he wouldn’t believe her simple words.

So, Lu Nian only told him that Qiao Li would be back in a few days.

Qin Si didn’t ask much either.

Both tacitly understood, and they didn’t mention Zhao Yayuan.

Lu Nian’s feelings for Qiao Li were also somewhat complicated now.

She cared deeply for Qiao Li, truly considering him as her own family.

But after what Lu Zhihong said that day, she had a headache for a long time after returning home.

When it finally subsided, and she tried to recall what happened in Nanqiao, her mind was completely blank, washed away like water, unable to remember anything.

It seemed as if all of Lu Nian’s emotions and memories had been completely suppressed.

The clearest memories she had now were those after she took over this body.

Those of Lu Nian, the fourteen-year-old who died young, were gone.

But her affection for Qiao Li had been nurtured over the past few years of living together day and night.

Lu Nian didn’t know what Qiao Li thought, but she truly regarded him as her own family.

Lu Nian felt incredibly lonely in this world.

Even Lu Zhihong didn’t want things to escalate to this point.

If he hadn’t repeatedly shown that he had no warmth for her.

“If he doesn’t want to acknowledge you, and that’s fine,” Qin Si said.

The man’s expression remained indifferent.

Anyway, he had him.

He had never had any relatives since he was young.

When he couldn’t even speak, he was sent to an orphanage just a few months after birth.

Lu Nian didn’t need anyone else; she had him.

Lu Nian hugged his narrow waist and yawned softly. “You’re different from him. Besides love, people also have family and friendship.”

Qin Si truly didn’t need anyone else.

He didn’t plan to have children after marriage either.

Only when it was just the two of them was he most at ease.

However, he didn’t argue, just indulging Lu Nian.

The release of “Black and White” was approaching, and the first batch of inventory had been produced.

The signing event was also coming up soon.

Since sales were conducted both offline and online, Lu Nian needed to prepare five hundred signed copies first.

She was busy with this when she received an unexpected call.

It was from Miao Miao.

They didn’t live in the Lu residence often now, but they had left behind basic staff to maintain the appearance of the house.

The gardener, housekeeper, and chef were all retained. Miao Miao stayed as well.

She was married now, working part-time at a nearby kindergarten, and usually came back to help Lu Nian with household chores.

“Nian Nian, do you have time to talk now?” Miao Miao asked hesitantly.

Lu Nian put down her marker pen. “Yes, what’s up?”

Miao Miao said, “Someone came looking for you, saying… it’s the former director of the orphanage where Mr. Qin used to stay.”

Lu Zhihong was now in Haicheng and had completely cut off contact with this side.

They couldn’t find him, so Lu’s family’s words carried weight now, only Lu Nian could decide.

Miao Miao didn’t intend to interfere at first, but considering it was related to Qin Si after all, she decided to call Lu Nian and let her decide.

Lu Nian fell silent. “Did he say what it was about?”

Miao Miao said, “He didn’t say, just that he’s looking for Mr. Lu Zhihong.”

Lu Nian said, “…”

“Miao Miao, give me his contact information.”

Lu Nian took over an hour and a half to get from Anda to this place called Youmiao Welfare Institute.

The director’s name was Gu Shuangqing, who was nearly sixty this year and dressed very meticulously.

However, the orphanage yard was very small, with the gate peeling off paint.

Just looking from the outside, it gave people the feeling that it was about to collapse in the wind and rain.

Most of the buildings inside were low and sparse, with children over ten years old and some as young as four or five.

“The orphanage is now short of funds,” Gu Shuangqing said. “A bunch of children have no one willing to adopt them. I run a small private orphanage, and I can’t afford it either. So, I wanted to see if you’re willing to provide some more assistance.”

Most of the children were timid and pale.

Seeing a stranger sister, they didn’t dare to speak or approach.

Their clothes were obviously not good either.

Many of the younger children wore clothes that were too big for them, covering their hands with their sleeves, and some had runny noses.

“Here, let me wipe it for you.” Lu Nian said gently, wiping away the mucus from the little boy who had just fallen in front of her.

She was softhearted and couldn’t stand these scenes; they made her feel uncomfortable.

Qin Si had only mentioned it to her once before, saying he didn’t like children because they reminded him of some memories from the orphanage.

“Qin Si used to live in this room.” Gu Shuangqing said.

It was a very small and dilapidated room, with mottled walls and no air conditioning or heating.

Several beds were placed side by side, empty.

“The books he read when he was a child.” Gu Shuangqing pointed to the old textbooks on the shelf. “That child loved to study since he was little.”

He taught himself to read from those textbooks, as if he wanted to strive and grasp the last straw to control his own destiny.

“Over the years, we’ve had a deep impression of him.

He’s particularly smart, but he’s always had his own ideas, stubborn, and doesn’t talk much.” Gu Shuangqing said.

So when the Lu family came looking for a child to adopt, asking for a healthy, intelligent boy, they naturally brought Qin Si over.

Qin Si wasn’t very willing.

He had mentioned to Gu Shuangqing at the time that he didn’t want to be adopted again.

When he grew up a bit, he would go out to live independently, and he would pay back the orphanage for the support afterward.

Gu Shuangqing naturally didn’t care about the words of such a child.

They were afraid he would be stubborn in front of Mr. Lu again, so they starved him for four days and beat him before taking him to see Lu Zhihong.

Gu Shuangqing had already shown Lu Zhihong the exam papers that he had studied on his own, saying that this child had a photographic memory, was intelligent, mature, and could be of great help to the family if raised for a few years.

Gu Shuangqing still remembered the humiliated and fierce look in his eyes at that time.

In fact, a healthy boy like him would naturally be adopted, but his temper was stubborn and proud, like an untamed wolf cub, scaring many people away.

They felt it was difficult to tame and preferred a docile and obedient child.

Lu Zhihong was attracted to his intelligence, and some people were attracted to his good looks.

When Qin Si was first adopted, it was the year before Lu Zhihong came.

Later, he inexplicably ran back by himself and then locked himself in his room for half a month.

Anyone who approached him would be bitten or kicked, like a wary little beast.

The adopter later ran back on his own and hastily terminated the adoption, without giving any reason.

When Qin Si returned here, his personality became even more reclusive and defiant, scaring off the people who wanted to adopt him later.

Gu Shuangqing felt very troubled at the time.

There were no sophisticated educational methods in this orphanage.

For disobedient children, Gu Shuangqing’s method of education was simply to beat them, but that child was too stubborn and wouldn’t yield no matter how much he was beaten.

Gu Shuangqing didn’t dare to be too harsh.

So, when facing Lu Zhihong, he spoke very fluently, hoping he would take Qin Si away quickly.

Lu Zhihong was quite satisfied at the time.

He actually had no psychological burden.

The Lu family didn’t lack the money to raise a child.

If it worked out, it was good, and if not, it didn’t matter.

So, he donated some money to the orphanage, asking them to erase Qin Si’s records to prevent his parents from looking for him again.

Lu Nian remained silent all the way.

She recalled many things.

In the original book, if she hadn’t come, Qin Si would have suffered even more miserable abuse in the Lu family later.

She remembered his final fate in her past life and looked at the orphanage before her, feeling her nose sour.

“Have any relatives ever come looking for him?” Lu Nian asked.

“We don’t know who his parents are,” Gu Shuangqing shook his head. “In all these years, no one has come looking for him.”

“On a rainy night years ago, it was pitch black outside, and nothing could be seen clearly.” The director said, “It was only a few months old, and there was a note in the swaddling clothes.”

Later, they guessed it should be the illegitimate child of a wealthy family.

“Is that note still there?”

“It’s long gone,” the director said. “It got soaked by the rain at the time, and all we could see clearly was that the child’s surname was Qin, and the name was randomly chosen by us.”

Originally, it was the fourth child born that month, but they thought it was too perfunctory, so they changed it to a homophonic character.

No one had ever loved him.

Lu Nian suddenly remembered her own past life.

Her memories had completely blurred, and she couldn’t remember her parents’ faces anymore, but her family was a loving one, and her parents were very good to her.

So when she died young, the only thing she felt was unbearable was that her parents would definitely be sad.

“Mr. Lu isn’t in Ancheng?” Gu Shuangqing was very disappointed and then asked busyly, “What about Qin Si? Where is he now and what does he do?”

“You don’t need to look for him anymore,” Lu Nian said softly. “He’s doing well.”

She received a new royalty payment, and her account funds were quite abundant recently.

“This payment is under Qin Si’s name.” She glanced at the children outside.

“Mr. Gu, I will come regularly to inspect.” She said, “I hope you can use every penny of this money on the children.”

When she returned home, Qin Si was already there.

Usually, he would always come home earlier than her.

He was quietly waiting for her in the living room, his emotions not showing, never mentioning that he was waiting for her.

This time, however, when Lu Nian approached him, she suddenly felt very attached, as if they had been apart for a very long time.

Just holding him and smelling his scent made her heart ache. She just wanted to be nicer to him in the future, to love him more.

His fingers stiffened for a moment, not knowing why she was so proactive and enthusiastic today, but then he hugged her delicate waist.

Although he didn’t say it, he always liked being close to her like this.

“So early today?” Lu Nian stroked his black hair and asked.

He said, “There’s less work at the beginning of the month, so it’s easier to handle.”

After dinner, they took a shower and sat in the study.

Lu Nian leaned against his chest and suddenly said, “Do you remember I said last month that I wanted to give you a gift?”