The necklace Tang You had given Cheng Xuan was this year’s new release, a simple yet elegant small diamond necklace that was quite expensive. It was said that every socialite had one.

But if she had taken it out with the packaging, it would have made the other gifts seem modest by comparison.

Tang You didn’t expect Zhou Qin Yao to recognize it, so she put her finger to her lips, “Shh, don’t say anything. I don’t want the other girls to feel bad. After all, it’s just a gift.”

Zhou Qin Yao looked at her for a moment, then turned away and smiled, “Alright.”

At that moment, the glass door of the grilled fish restaurant creaked open—

“Hey, buddy, taking shelter from the rain with your girlfriend?”

The enthusiastic owner, Tony, came out and suggested, “Don’t just stand there, why not come in and get a haircut? My treat!”

The restaurant offered a free haircut with a purchase over 300 yuan, though no one had ever taken advantage of this offer since the place opened.

The former hairstylist Tony, eager to practice, passionately promised, “I guarantee to give you both a matching couple’s hairstyle!”

Tang You started to say, “We’re not…”

But the word “couple” caught in her throat, her voice trailing off as her face flushed red.

Zhou Qin Yao didn’t explain either, simply ignoring Tony. He turned to Tang You and said softly, “Wait here for me.”

“Huh?” Tang You was puzzled.

Without another word, Zhou Qin Yao walked briskly into the rain and disappeared around the corner.

Tang You craned her neck, trying to catch sight of him. Two minutes later, the rain suddenly lit up as headlights shone through, and in the distance, a black motorcycle sped towards her.

It finally came to a stop right in front of her.

Tang You was stunned, “…”

Zhou Qin Yao, wearing a helmet, lifted the visor and handed her the umbrella in his hand, “The pit where you fell last time hasn’t been fixed yet. Watch your step when you pass by.”

The rain was hitting him, but he seemed completely unconcerned.

His deep, dark eyes reflected in the night, calm yet inexplicably warm.

Tang You dazedly took the umbrella, her lips moved as if to say thank you, but before she could speak, Zhou Qin Yao had already lowered the visor, revved the engine, and sped off, disappearing into the distance.

“Your boyfriend is pretty cool,” Tony suddenly remarked.

Tang You jumped in surprise.

She quickly stepped back, opened the umbrella, and politely said goodbye, “Goodbye.”

“Alright then, next time bring your boyfriend for a haircut!”

“…”

Tang You didn’t know how to respond, so she just kept her head down and walked forward.

The streetlights cast a warm glow, the rain dripped rhythmically, and the black umbrella hid the blush creeping up the girl’s ears.

There was a spare umbrella in the car. Usually, when it rained, Zhou Qin Yao would walk back, but clearly, it wasn’t appropriate for him and Tang You to share an umbrella on their way home now.

By the time he returned to the courtyard, Zhou Qin Yao was soaked through.

Fortunately, he had a strong constitution, and it just so happened that Xiao Yang’s grandmother, Wu Zhiyu, had made a bowl of ginger soup. Zhou Qin Yao took the opportunity to ask for a cup, drank it, and then went to Song Xiaoyang’s room.

The little boy hadn’t slept yet and was still diligently practicing with his remote-controlled airplane.

The airplane was a gift from Zhou Qin Yao. Xiaoyang wasn’t as quick as other kids his age, so he wasn’t very good at playing with it. He would often accidentally crash it into people, which would lead to him being laughed at by his friends.

When Zhou Qin Yao pushed open the door, the airplane was flying straight towards his face.

Quickly, he reached out and caught the plane.

“Sorry, Yao-ge,” Song Xiaoyang said obediently.

Last time, Zhou Qin Yao had taught him that if he accidentally bumped into someone while playing, he should immediately say sorry.

Although Xiaoyang had some intellectual challenges, he was very well-behaved, especially when it came to listening to Zhou Qin Yao.

“It’s late, why aren’t you asleep yet?” Zhou Qin Yao placed the airplane on the table and urged, “It’s nine o’clock, time for bed.”

Song Xiaoyang nodded and walked towards the bed.

He climbed in, covered himself with the blanket, and poked his head out, “Yao-ge, can you tell me a story tonight?”

Song Xiaoyang loved listening to stories, and Zhou Qin Yao would occasionally make up some fairy tales for him, which he always enjoyed immensely.

Seeing the little guy’s cautious expression, Zhou Qin Yao couldn’t bring himself to refuse.

“Alright.”

After soothing Xiaoyang to sleep, Zhou Qin Yao glanced at the tin frog toy on the bedside table and then—

“Today, I’ll tell you the story of the Frog Prince.”

“Once upon a time, there was a handsome prince who was cursed by a witch and turned into a frog living in a pond. One day, the frog came out of the pond… to sunbathe, and then he saw a beautiful princess.”

At this point, Zhou Qin Yao suddenly ran out of inspiration.

Song Xiaoyang prompted, “And then? What was the princess doing?”

Zhou Qin Yao always made up his stories as he went along, without any outline. Now, he was stuck, and his thoughts drifted. Somehow, he unconsciously pictured a certain figure, hesitated for a moment, and then said, somewhat thoughtfully:

“The princess… she was eating rain.”

“?” Song Xiaoyang’s eyes widened, “Is it raining outside? But Yao-ge, didn’t you just say the frog was sunbathing?”

…

After telling countless stories, this was the first time Zhou Qin Yao had made such an obvious mistake.

Perhaps it was the sudden intrusion of a particular figure that disrupted his thoughts. Unable to focus, he simply stood up, “I’ll finish the story tomorrow. Now, go to sleep.”

“Okay.” Xiaoyang nodded obediently but grabbed his sleeve and asked, “Will the frog prince turn back into a prince tomorrow?”

Zhou Qin Yao paused, “Why does he need to turn back?”

Xiaoyang tilted his head, scratching his nose as he smiled, “Frogs are ugly. If he doesn’t turn back, how can he be with the princess?”

Zhou Qin Yao froze for a moment, then suddenly looked down and smiled.

Sometimes, children’s innocent words could ironically speak the truth.

After tucking him in, Zhou Qin Yao left and closed the door.

In the silent courtyard, a 30-watt white lamp glowed softly, and the rain continued to fall with a steady rhythm.

He lit a cigarette, the smoke blending into the rain, quickly washed away.

In the misty rain, the man leaned against the doorpost, lost in thought. Recalling what Xiaoyang had said earlier, he frowned slightly, and didn’t notice the cigarette had burned out.

Reaching out to catch a raindrop in his palm, he seemed to regain some clarity—

What are you thinking about, Zhou Qin Yao…