Does he know him? Zhou Siyang thought for a moment.

His only connection with Chen An was a brief period during their student days, and they were not in the same class.

The only possibility of knowing each other was through sports or perhaps as a cheerleader or one of the girls who often watched them play basketball.

There are too few memories to recall.

Maybe it was from the cheerleading squad or one of the girls who often watched them play.

Since the topic was already brought up, Zhou Siyang thought back to his high school days when his social circle was quite good. Maybe he could help bridge the gap.

“Who is it?”

Chen An lightly tapped his fingers on the table, his gaze lowered, as if thinking. After a long while, he spoke.

Just as he was about to speak, a knock on the door interrupted him as the waiter brought in the dishes, and the chef was carving the roast duck at the side. At the same time, Zhou Siyang’s phone rang.

It was a call from his mother, Su Yun, so he had no choice but to pick it up. He gestured to Chen An and walked out of the private room.

Ten minutes later, when he returned, the atmosphere had shifted, and the topic was no longer brought up.

This summer has been hotter than usual. By the time August came around, the sun was intense, and there wasn’t even a breeze.

What was even more unbearable than the scorching summer was that the milk tea shop only had two days off a month.

Finally, the day off arrived. Lin Rongyuan developed a lung infection, and Ying Ni hadn’t slept all night.

In June, the nurse had pointed out that the phlegm she had been coughing up was slightly yellow, and Ying Ni had constantly reminded the caregiver to pay attention.

It seemed like it was improving, but for some reason, the heat seemed to make it worse. Suddenly, she started coughing up more phlegm and even developed a fever.

Ying Ni took her temperature and looked at the reading with relief.

It was 38.5 degrees, a mild fever. After wiping Lin Rongyuan’s body with a warm towel, she stretched, yawning, and stood up.

At that moment, there were two knocks on the door. Looking at the clock on the wall, it was time for the caregiver to come and take over.

Ying Ni thought to herself that there was no need to knock since the door wasn’t locked, but when she opened it, she was greeted by Zhou Siyang holding a bouquet of lilies.

“I came to visit Auntie,” he said.

Dressed in a white T-shirt and black shorts, as always, he loved the sporty look.

The hospital was air-conditioned, and Ying Ni almost wanted to grab a jacket because of the coolness, but Zhou Siyang had a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. She wasn’t sure if it was from the heat or his nervousness.

She thought it was more likely the former—Zhou Siyang would sweat heavily after just playing a half game of basketball.

Snapping out of her thoughts, she opened the door and gestured for him to come in.

Lin Rongyuan liked noise and was often alone with the caregiver in the quiet hospital room. It wouldn’t hurt to have someone new to talk to.

Zhou Siyang followed her inside.

He had learned the room number from Yu Jiaojiao.

He had originally planned to visit her in a few days, but when he passed by Kangmu Hospital on his way back from meeting an investor, he unexpectedly turned the steering wheel and came straight here.

His plans were disrupted, and he hurriedly bought flowers from a nearby flower shop.

He placed the flowers on the table, and before he could even sit down, Ying Ni picked them up. Zhou Siyang saw that she was about to leave and asked, “Where are you going?”

Ying Ni pointed to the woman lying on the bed. “Talk to her. She can hear you,” she said, grabbing the transparent vase. Her tone was slightly stiff. “I’m just going to put the flowers in the vase.”

Zhou Siyang wanted to say there was no rush, but Ying Ni had already turned away without giving him a second to stop her.

After she left, Zhou Siyang stood quietly by the bed, staring at the woman who was as thin as a twig.

He didn’t know what to say. He had only met Lin Rongyuan twice—once when they first confirmed their relationship, Ying Ni had introduced him to her mother, and once when they had successfully passed their preparatory exams and entered university.

Zhou Siyang had accompanied Ying Ni back to their country, where their parents met them at the airport, and they had lunch together.

Although they had little interaction, he could clearly see the satisfaction in Lin Rongyuan’s gaze. However, Ying Ni often muttered in his ear, especially when her family’s business was in trouble: “Zhou Siyang! Don’t think you’re so great. My mom doesn’t like you at all! She hates you!”

This caused Zhou Siyang a lot of stress and confusion, and he eventually called Lin Rongyuan to ask her directly.

The call lasted about ten minutes. He couldn’t remember exactly what Lin Rongyuan’s tone was or what she said, but there was one thing that stuck with him.

She said, “Your Auntie has already considered you half a son-in-law.”

Zhou Siyang hesitated and asked if that was true, unsure whether she was just being polite.

But Lin Rongyuan reassured him, “Both me and your Uncle believe you’re a good guy, and only you can tolerate her temper. We truly hope you two can go all the way.”

Zhou Siyang repeatedly confirmed that it was true.

He remembered her words clearly: “Of course, when Ying Ni says something, you have to listen to it the other way around.”

Feeling relieved, Zhou Siyang immediately promised, “I will treat Ying Ni well!”

And he really did—he never argued back, never fought. Though he wasn’t physically hit, Ying Ni had once thrown her chain bag at him, leaving a mark on his neck.

When video chatting with his family, he had to hide the truth, claiming he had bumped into something by accident.

In their relationship, Ying Ni was always the one in control, and he was the one who felt insecure. Even so, he was sure he would become Lin Rongyuan’s son-in-law.

However, even though he took ninety-nine steps forward, Ying Ni wouldn’t take a single one.

Even after their huge argument, all he needed was for her to appear in front of him, say his name—even without an apology, even without saying anything—just so he knew she still cared about him and didn’t view him as disposable.

But instead, Ying Ni blocked all his communication methods and soon started dating someone else.

Her actions made Zhou Siyang feel like he was no different from the other men she had discarded, the ones she had summoned and then dismissed at will.

He could endure her temper, but it was clear that their time had ended.

He gave up, flew to the U.S. to pursue his studies, worked there, and eventually returned to China.

And now, they had reunited.