That morning, Jiang Lu walked to school alone. The early morning sunlight fell across the side of his face, and his pale skin took on an almost translucent quality.

“Lulu!” Someone suddenly called out from behind.

Jiang Lu paused and turned slightly. An elderly woman was pushing a bicycle toward him, smiling warmly. “It really is you, Lulu. How long has it been since I last saw you? I recognized you right away from behind.”

Jiang Lu gave a slight nod, his tone calm, “Granny Zhao, long time no see.”

Granny Zhao was a widow living alone in the neighborhood. Her only son worked abroad and only came home during the Spring Festival. For many years, she had lived in solitude. A few years back, after roadwork behind the neighborhood, rain had left the ground muddy and slippery. With her frail legs, she had fallen and lay there for a long time because no one dared to help her up.

At that time, Jiang Lu had only been seven or eight, still a child. When he passed by and saw her, he helped her up without hesitation and walked her all the way home.

Over the years, with no grandchildren of her own, Granny Zhao had come to truly care for Jiang Lu.

The child who once saw her fall and immediately walked over, had already known at such a young age that people didn’t like him. Afraid of being disliked, he kept his little hands tucked inside his sleeves and helped her through the fabric of his clothes. After escorting her home, he didn’t say a word and simply turned around and ran off.

Unfortunately, every time she tried to invite him to her home or buy him some food or clothes, he never accepted.

Every time Granny Zhao saw Jiang Lu, she couldn’t help but recall that memory. She sighed. “Lulu, have you eaten breakfast? Let Granny buy you some buns.”

“No need, I’ve eaten already.” Jiang Lu replied. “It rained the other day. If you’re planning to clean the windows, don’t do it yourself. I’ll come by this weekend and help you.”

“Aiya, I don’t need you doing chores for me.” Granny Zhao sighed in frustration. “You only come a few times a year, and every time you’re just doing work for me. If you could come by more often, I’d already be happy.”

Jiang Lu turned his head slightly and said softly, “I’d be a bother.”

Granny Zhao immediately frowned. “Don’t listen to those people outside running their mouths. What’s wrong with you? You’ve got a kind heart, not to mention you’ve always been top of your class. Whose child is as outstanding as you? Those who talk nonsense— well, their mouths and brains are full of garbage. Don’t take it to heart.”

Jiang Lu was clearly the best kind of child. When others were kind to him, he always returned the best he could offer. She had only treated him a little differently from others, and yet it was he who had helped her first. Afterward, she had just spoken a few gentle words to him, and the child had remembered it all these years.

After hearing Granny Zhao’s words, Jiang Lu said nothing. His expression remained light and unbothered, as if none of it mattered— neither the malice of others nor Granny Zhao’s indignation on his behalf.

This year, he had already grown tall, almost 180 centimeters. Standing there, he gave off an imposing, grounded presence.

Granny Zhao’s eyes stung with tears. She wiped them away and suddenly remembered something. “Lulu, I want to install a computer at home so I can video chat with my son more easily. I don’t know anything about that stuff. Could you help me pick one out sometime? And also, don’t you draw? Don’t waste money outside using computers anymore. Just come to Granny’s place and draw there, alright?”

Jiang Lu gave a slight nod at the first part, but didn’t agree to the second.

“No.” He said. “It would be too much trouble.”

Granny Zhao opened her mouth but didn’t press him. In the end, she simply shook her head. “Alright then, go on to school. Don’t be late just because you were talking to me.”

Jiang Lu pressed his lips together. After a brief hesitation, he couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, Granny Zhao, have you visited Granny Zhang downstairs recently? Did they…… get a new cat?”

Granny Zhao thought for a moment and made a confused “Hmm” sound. “I did stop by, but they still have four cats. I didn’t see a new one. If Xiao Zhang had adopted another little furball, she’d definitely be bragging about it to me.”

No new cat.

Jiang Lu felt a weight sink in his chest. He had gone to check the next day and found the cardboard box empty. The kitten had clearly been taken away. But if not Granny Zhang, then who?

He hesitated, then nodded. “Alright, I understand.”

────ρя


Qi An’an had been anxious recently. That day she asked Qi Yan when he would arrange to meet Jiang Lu, but Qi Yan still hadn’t given her a clear answer.

Still, it wasn’t entirely his fault. He had only graduated from college a few years ago and had worked hard to reach his current position. Every day, he had endless tasks, many requiring his personal decisions.

Any spare moment he managed to carve out, he spent with Qi An’an. Since the contract matter was important, he didn’t want to delegate it, so it had inevitably been delayed.

Finally, yesterday, Qi Yan said he might have free time toward the end of the month and planned to set aside half a day to sign the contract. But he also said that even if he was free, it might not be on the weekend, and he told Qi An’an to attend her classes and not tag along and ’cause trouble.’

How could that be called causing trouble? If she didn’t go, and things followed the original storyline of the novel, her cub would suffer greatly! Her baby’s dream would shatter, and no mother could bear that.

Since Qi Yan was busy, Qi An’an didn’t dare to disturb him too much. Instead, she took a more indirect route and had been contacting Butler Chen more frequently than ever in the past few days. She wanted to confirm every hour what Qi Yan’s plans for the next few days were and if there were any changes.

During class, she took out her phone.

【An’an: Uncle Chen, any updates? What’s my brother doing these days?】

【An’an: Charge.gif】

【Lao Chen: Nothing’s changed. He has a full-day meeting tomorrow to report something. Then he’s flying to the headquarters in the evening and will return the next day. The schedule after that hasn’t been set.】

【Lao Chen: Smile.jpg】

【An’an: Stay in touch. Please let me know the moment anything changes!】

【Lao Chen: Got it.】

【Lao Chen: Focus on your classes.】

【Lao Chen: Smile.jpg】

Qi An’an set down her phone and let out a soft, gloomy sigh.

The sound was so faint it could be ignored entirely, yet Jiang Lu, sitting beside her, glanced over silently, his expression unreadable.

He noticed a few days ago that the cheerful girl who used to laugh all the time now sat quietly at her desk, her head lowered as she hugged her phone, seemingly chatting with someone.

Jiang Lu calmly shifted his gaze back to the blackboard.

But whatever she was troubled about and whoever she was texting had nothing to do with him.

……

Qi An’an had been deeply worried these past two days. She feared missing the meeting between Qi Yan and Jiang Lu, and even more so, she feared that if the meeting went badly, her cub would end up hurt. She hadn’t slept well for several nights, and now, listening to the teacher drone on at the podium, she found herself growing increasingly drowsy.

Within ten minutes, Qi An’an had fallen asleep with her head on her desk.

She was the kind of sleeper who couldn’t stay still, regardless of the setting. After a while, perhaps because her arm was getting sore, she shifted in her sleep. In doing so, her elbow slipped into the gap between the two desks and ended up resting on Jiang Lu’s desk.

Her head was cushioned on her arm. The bun she had tied her hair into began to loosen, and the thick, smooth strands slowly fell free after she shifted a few times.

Jiang Lu had been paying close attention to the lecture when her arm moved into his space. He instinctively leaned away. Then, realizing what had happened, he glanced at her elbow encroaching on his desk and silently slid his book aside. He didn’t wake her.

Qi An’an had completely fallen into a deep sleep, lost in a blissful dream.

In the dream, she stood in a vast lavender field. Her precious boy and girl stood amidst the purple blooms, staring at each other in silence. Qi An’an nearly squealed with joy. The novel had never described such a sweet moment! She raised her camera and called out, “Sweet babies, look over here! Mommy’s taking your picture!”

What a perfect scene! She had to capture it and set it as her wallpaper! She’d obsess over it for the next ten thousand years!

The two turned around.

Jiang Lu’s face looked familiar, but it wasn’t his youthful self. Though his features were still young, time had left its traces. He appeared weathered and tired. His expression was calm and empty, his dark eyes deep and devoid of joy.

He resembled a rock lying in a deep abyss— silent and desolate.

The woman standing beside him was very beautiful, but her face bore a cold detachment. Her chin was slightly raised, revealing disdain and unwillingness.

Qi An’an was crushed. Blue skies, white clouds, and lavender fields— such a beautiful picture— yet the people in it wore those expressions……

Holding her camera, she pleaded, “Can you smile? Just a little?”

No one listened. No matter how she begged, neither of them smiled.

The sky darkened and black clouds rolled in, swallowing the idyllic scene. Qi An’an panicked. She was so anxious she wanted to yank her own hair out.

……

In reality, Qi An’an’s brows furrowed slightly. She mumbled something under her breath and suddenly reached up to grab her hair.

That one tug was all it took and her loosely tied bun completely collapsed, her long hair spilling down and spreading across Jiang Lu’s book, his arm, and the palm of his hand.

The soft texture startled Jiang Lu, making him instinctively pull his hand back. He stared at the dark, silky strands now covering his desk. Their owner, however, remained deep in sleep, showing no sign of waking.

Jiang Lu, for once, seemed at a loss.

After a pause, he picked up a pen from his desk. He hesitated for a couple of seconds, then gently poked Qi An’an’s shoulder with the blunt end of the pen.

“Hey.” He said in a low voice.

Qi An’an didn’t stir. In fact, she shifted her shoulder slightly, as if telling him to stop bothering her.

Jiang Lu was quickly running out of patience. With no other choice, he applied a bit more force and poked her again.

This time, Qi An’an finally woke up. Like most people who had just woken up from a dream, she looked dazed and disoriented. She sat up abruptly, eyes misty and unfocused, a thin film of moisture clinging to them as she stared in Jiang Lu’s direction.

Why did you poke me?

Her eyes were clear and pure, and the confusion in them made her look even more innocent. There was a faint red mark on her cheek from sleeping, and with her disheveled hair cascading down, she looked both silly and adorable.

For a brief moment, Jiang Lu’s fingers that were holding the pen stiffened, though it was so fleeting no one noticed.

Now fully awake, Qi An’an began groping around her desk and whispered, “What’s going on? Why did my hair come loose? Where’s my hair tie?”

Jiang Lu said nothing. He picked up the hair tie from his desk and tossed it to her.

Before Qi An’an could thank him, the teacher at the front of the room finally had enough. “That girl over there, what are you doing? This is class! And what’s going on with your hair?”

The teacher was an old-fashioned man with a strict personality. He didn’t care for gossip and had no idea about the wealthy transfer student. He didn’t recognize Qi An’an, and when someone displeased him, he never held back— he would scold and punish on the spot.

The entire class turned to look at Qi An’an.

At that moment, Jiang Lu felt a surge of irritation.

Maybe it was because he sat so close to Qi An’an that he, too, became the center of attention. He loathed this kind of scrutiny. He loathed it deeply.