The rain continued until night.

The next day, when Song Mianfeng went to the airport, the weather was clear and the sky was blue for miles.

When he arrived, he didn’t have much luggage, but when he left, he had two suitcases and an extra person who couldn’t be taken away. Even his heart stayed in City B.

August in City S still had summer weather. After getting out of the taxi at the airport, Song Mianfeng was already sweating.

He arrived home around six o’clock, and the sky was still bright. After entering the house and calling out “I’m back,” he pushed the suitcases into the living room, then went to stand under the fan to cool off for a while. He sent a WeChat message to Lu Yin Zhen, informing him of his arrival.

Su Jieyi heard the sound and came out of the kitchen. Seeing him spinning around the living room fan, she couldn’t help but laugh. “Can’t you just stand still in front of the fan?”

She looked at Song Mianfeng for a few seconds, a deep smile in her eyes. “Looks like you’ve gained some weight?”

“It’s fine, just need to cool off for a bit.” Song Mianfeng relieved the heat, poured himself a glass of water, drank it, then continued, “I haven’t gained weight. I’m still as handsome as before.”

Song Zhanyue peeked out from the kitchen door and saw that it was indeed Song Mianfeng who had returned. She raised her voice and called out, “Brother!”

Song Mianfeng saw Song Zhanyue in the kitchen and found it a bit strange. He waved to her, calling her out, “What are you doing in the kitchen, causing trouble?”

“I’m learning to cook with Mom!” Song Zhanyue wiped her hands with an apron before coming out of the kitchen.

Song Mianfeng raised an eyebrow, looking at her in surprise. “You’re learning to cook? Are you crazy, or am I crazy?”

Su Jieyi chuckled. “What kind of talk is that? It’s good that your sister wants to learn to cook.”

After laughing enough, Song Mianfeng didn’t tease her further, changing the subject. “Where’s Dad? Not at home, off to the theater again?”

Su Jieyi replied, “We ran out of vinegar at home, so he went to buy some.”

Halfway through cooking the hot dishes, Su Jieyi returned to the kitchen to continue. Song Mianfeng took a few minutes to rest, then opened his suitcase to take out the souvenirs. The items were all bought with Lu Yin Zhen. Most of the suitcase was filled with gifts for Song Shaochen, Su Jieyi, and Song Zhanyue, which he piled up on the coffee table.

Song Zhanyue saw the complete set of the authentic “Widow” series and was both surprised and delighted. “Brother! Isn’t ‘Widow’ still in pre-sale? How did you get it?”

“Yin Zhen got it from Hundred Ghosts Night Parade for you.” Song Mianfeng explained briefly. “He invested in a project, a derivative game of ‘Nineteenth Floor,’ which indirectly involved cooperation, so he got you a set of personally signed ‘Widow’.”

The book arrived at Lu Yin Zhen’s place just this morning. Probably because of Cen Fengzhi’s intention to avoid suspicion, he directly gave Lu Yin Zhen’s address to the other party, and the express delivery was sent to the house. Song Mianfeng just happened to bring it back together.

“This box of rose black sugar is also for you.”

As soon as he finished giving things to Song Zhanyue, the sound of the door opening came from outside.

Song Shaochen entered, changed his shoes, then walked in and glanced at Song Mianfeng. He then looked at the things on the coffee table and chuckled, “Did you rob someone’s house before coming back?”

Ignoring his teasing, Song Mianfeng just took out a few boxes of tea and stacked them together. “These are bought for you by Yin Zhen.”

“The rest are for Mom.”

Song Shaochen was happy to receive good tea leaves. Later that evening at the dinner table, he pulled Song Mianfeng to drink a few cups. With alcohol in his system, his mood became even better, and he happily went out to play chess with a few friends.

Song Zhanyue took the initiative to collect the bowls and chopsticks to wash them, looking somewhat virtuous.

After a busy day, Song Mianfeng was tired, but no one asked him to do anything. After dinner, he sat idle on the rattan chair on the balcony, swaying gently in the breeze. He estimated that the Meng family had already finished dinner, so he called Lu Yin Zhen.

Although they had only been apart for a few hours, Song Mianfeng talked a lot, from how talkative the taxi driver was, to how happy everyone was after distributing gifts at home, especially Song Zhanyue. Once she got the “Widow,” she forgot she was learning to cook and left half of the minced meat and eggplant to be cooked by Su Jieyi.

“I wonder why Zhanyue suddenly started learning to cook…” Song Mianfeng found it strange. After some thought, the only explanation seemed to be that his little sister had someone she liked. His brows furrowed at the thought.

Lu Yin Zhen also thought of it, but considering his boyfriend’s possessive nature, he didn’t mention this guess. Instead, he said, “Living alone, it’s more convenient to cook for yourself.”

“Her room is near the town center. There are plenty of delicious things around there. The small restaurants near her neighborhood also taste good and are convenient. She often comes home to eat, so she doesn’t need to cook for herself.” Song Mianfeng sighed. “A girl suddenly learning to cook probably means she has someone in her heart.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yin Zhen chuckled, “Even elder brothers have someone in their hearts, but younger sisters aren’t allowed to have crushes. What kind of logic is this?”

“I’m against it.” The night breeze blew in from the riverbank, carrying a hint of coolness. Song Mianfeng squinted his eyes and casually said, “It’s just that—”

Catching a glimpse of a pair of feet in pink slippers under the curtain, Song Mianfeng stopped his sentence, got up, and walked over, catching the eavesdropper hiding behind the French window, “You’ve got guts, eavesdropping on me talking on the phone?”

Song Zhanyue’s ears turned slightly red as she blinked. “I wasn’t eavesdropping, I was just passing by.”

Song Mianfeng pinched her cheek. “Why blush?” Then he continued, “Tell me, confess.”

“I just heard you mention my name…” Song Zhanyue lowered her head, feeling guilty. Her voice was small. “I just wanted to hear what you were saying to Brother Yin Zhen.”

Song Mianfeng found it amusing. Standing in front of her, he continued the conversation he had just had with Lu Yin Zhen, deliberately speaking word by word, obviously intending for her to hear, “Just think that guy looks average, but he dares to think about pursuing my sister, haha.”

There was a lot of resentment in Song Mianfeng’s words, and Lu Yin Zhen rarely heard him being so childish and resentful towards someone. He couldn’t help but laugh softly, “be careful not to make her cry, then you’ll have to comfort her.”

Song Zhenyue didn’t cry, but her expression was unpleasant. Biting her lip, her eyes looked very aggrieved. “Mu Zanglin?”

“Was it really Mu Zanglin? “Originally, Song Mianfeng just wanted to tease her, but he didn’t expect his own sister to make him worry about her intelligence when it came to talking about love. He couldn’t help but lose his cool over such a statement.

Song Zhanyue widened her eyes, and with a belated realization, she responded, “Brother… you’re tricking me.”

Song Mianfeng laughed, “Yes, my silly little sister.”

Song Zhanyue: “…”

Knowing that it was Mu Zanglin, Song Mianfeng still couldn’t feel reassured. He had only met him once and couldn’t discern anything about him. He couldn’t trust him yet. He told Lu Yin Zhen, “I’ll call you back later,” then hung up and put on a serious demeanor to talk with Song Zhenyue.

“So, how far has it progressed?”

“…He confessed to me,” Song Zhanyue said, squeezing her fingers, hesitant. “I haven’t decided whether to accept or not, so I didn’t tell you.”

She had only recently vaguely realized Mu Zanglin’s feelings for her, and she was deeply conflicted. She felt like she might like him, but she also felt that her feelings and his were not equal. So, until now, she hadn’t given Mu Zanglin an answer, and she even cowardly hid back at home.

She wanted to talk to Song Mianfeng about it, but he was enjoying private time with Lu Yin Zhen in City B, so she didn’t want to bother her brothers with her own affairs.

Song Mianfeng tapped her forehead, “You haven’t decided whether to accept or not, but you’re already learning to cook for him?”

“Who said I’m doing it for him?” Song Zhanyue explained in a low voice, “I just want an excuse to stay at home. And now that you have a boyfriend, I won’t be able to mooch off your meals anymore. When I go back home, I’ll be the only one left being pressured into blind dates and marriage. It’s miserable just thinking about it, so I might as well learn to cook.”

Although there might be a tiny bit of reason because of Mu Zanglin…

Song Mianfeng looked at her and sighed almost imperceptibly. “Mom and Dad and I do hope you can find a boyfriend and experience love, but the premise of this is that you like him and he likes you. Mutual affection is what a relationship should be.”

“Besides, I have another condition,” Song Mianfeng said, “No matter what, don’t force yourself, don’t compromise.”

Even if Mu Zanglin was really good, in his eyes, he was not good enough for Song Zhanyue. Nowhere was worth Song Zhanyue compromising herself.

Song Zhanyue’s eyes slowly softened, and she responded softly, “I know.”

Song Mianfeng patted her head and sighed again, “Take your time to think. Once you’re clear, give him an answer, whether it’s rejection or acceptance. When someone offers you their sincere heart, even if you don’t want it, don’t trample on it. Return it intact. Don’t keep someone hanging, understand?”

“I’ve been thinking these past few days. I think I might like him,” Song Zhanyue pressed her lips together and said softly, “But I’m afraid.”

“We haven’t known each other for long, I don’t know why he likes me so much. It feels unreal. I don’t know him that well, and he doesn’t know me that well either. I’m afraid that we’ll be disappointed once we’re together, that we’ll both be disappointed.”

“Zhanyue,” Song Mianfeng looked into her eyes, those eyes so similar to his own, and said gently, “You have to understand, love is like a wild horse without reins. Once it runs, you can’t stop it.”

“So be bold in love. If you’re sad, I will comfort you. If you’re bullied, I will stand up for you. What are you afraid of?”

Originally, he wasn’t very optimistic, but in the end, he ended up consoling Song Zhanyue.

Song Mianfeng rubbed his temples, went back to his room for a shower, and carefully reconsidered the situation. He suspected that Song Zhanyue might be using retreat as a strategy to advance, fooling him in the process.

But so be it.

Since it was mutual affection, he had nothing more to say. He just thought he should find an opportunity to get to know the other person better, to see if they were worth entrusting. Otherwise, he couldn’t let go of this worry in his heart.

^[1]Author’s note: The progress of the next few chapters may be a bit faster. Long-distance relationships are already tough enough, so let’s skip over the time apart. Otherwise, the … Continue reading