On the seventh day after the Spring Festival, rare heavy snowfall blanketed Jiang City, a sight unseen for a decade.

Although it had snowed a few times before, it was so small and short-lived that it couldn’t even be called real snow. It melted the moment it fell on the ground.

When they went to Mo City, it was summer vacation, and even the places where snow should have been abundant couldn’t experience snowfall in the summer.

When Xu Youyou was at the orphanage, everyone stayed indoors during the winter, and she couldn’t remember if there had been heavy snowfall. Even if there was, it probably wouldn’t be as heavy as this one.

It was already a true snowstorm, with large snowflakes falling like goose feathers.

“Mom, will there be very thick snow when we get up tomorrow?”

“As long as it keeps snowing through the night, there will be plenty of it.”

Xu Wenyin glanced through the window of Xu Youyou’s room, noticing that there was already a thin layer of snow accumulating outside.

Judging by this trend, if it continues throughout the night, the snow should become quite thick.

Xu Youyou, also leaning against the window, watched the snowflakes under the lamppost with an expectant tone. She asked, “Can Youyou go outside to build a snowman?”

“Just make sure you dress warmly.”

“Yeah!” The little one exclaimed excitedly, bouncing on the bed. “I want to build a big snowman with Juanjuan!”

Liu Miaomiao and the others were still playing in their hometown, but Lu Chenjun and Qin Yiren had returned by the fourth day.

Primarily because a certain mayor had to return to work.

Lu Weizheng was very busy. If it weren’t for the significant matter concerning the Lu family, he wouldn’t have had nearly a week off.

With things almost resolved now and needing time to wait for the next steps, Lu Weizheng took his wife and child back to Jiang City.

Poor guy, he was out early and back late every day, facing the cold wind and heavy snow, working even harder than a 997 worker.

Every morning, Qin Yiren could only half-open her eyes, giving Lu Weizheng a perfunctory morning kiss before sinking back into the sweet embrace of sleep.

Wasn’t winter the time for sleeping?

Anyway, she didn’t have to work, nor did she need to earn money herself.

Sometimes, she got so engrossed in chatting with Xu Wenyin at night that it would stretch until one or two in the morning.

Their main gossip topic now was the Lu family, usually narrated by Qin Yiren with Xu Wenyin chiming in.

Qin Yiren didn’t have to worry about giving Xu Wenyin the impression of schadenfreude because her best friend seemed to dislike the Lu family even more than she did.

Hearing the misfortune of the Lu family made Xu Wenyin even happier than Qin Yiren.

———pr

“That Lu Weiyao is still trying to pull strings to save Ruan Rourou. Is he out of his mind?”

Since the relationship had already soured, Qin Yiren didn’t even want to call him brother anymore, expressing nothing but disdain for Lu Weiyao in her words.

While this supposed elder brother indeed didn’t participate in harming Juanjuan, his actions were equally displeasing.

After learning that his wife had committed a crime and done so many malicious things, shouldn’t he prioritize justice over family ties? Did he want others to praise him for being affectionate?

Utterly ridiculous!

Qin Yiren picked up her cup of black tea, took a sip, and paired it with a pastry made by the chef, showing a satisfied smile.

“He thinks he’s some kind of romantic hero.” Xu Wenyin replied promptly. “Fortunately, you got out of there quickly, or you’d definitely have been dragged down by that family.”

Wasn’t it true that in the novel, Lu Chenjun’s death was undoubtedly related to Ruan Rourou?

But to make Lu Weizheng a qualified tool person, he mustn’t know the truth. He probably thought his son’s death was an accident or that someone else was misled into taking the blame.

Given Yiyi’s personality, since she chose to divorce Lu Weizheng, she probably felt that their marriage had lost its meaning.

After all, in the novel, Lu Weizheng didn’t become the mayor of Jiang City nor did he switch jobs so early. Yiyi must have felt lonely raising Juanjuan alone, even if she was financially well-off and materially satisfied.

It’s hard to say whether Yiyi found happiness again after the divorce.

“That’s right! Now that Weizheng’s position is different, having such a dubious elder brother around, who knows how many times he’d be dragged into trouble?” So, anyone who knew Lu Weizheng now knows that he had a falling out with the Lu family.

And the reason for the falling out was also crystal clear.

No one dared to blame Lu Weizheng, and even if there were some gossipers behind their backs, the couple didn’t care.

At least it’s much better than being dragged down by that family in the future and ending up in jail or worse!

After all, for an ordinary person, knowing that their wife had done so many terrible things behind their back, and even dared to harm a child of just a few years old, would make them shiver with fear, worrying that they could be next.

But Lu Weiyao was different. He believed that everything Ruan Rourou did was an expression of her love for him and their child.

So, over the years, did Lu Weiyao really never question why his secretaries were replaced so quickly?

He even had the audacity to plead with Lu Weizheng to spare Ruan Rourou.

Does Lu Weiyao understand that Ruan Rourou committed a crime and deserves to go to jail? Was it even up to Lu Weizheng whether to spare her or not?

As for the others, those secretaries who were harmed, they probably wanted to personally throttle Ruan Rourou to death.

This man, when one thinks about it, was truly more terrifying than someone like Ruan Rourou.

He never considered himself a bad person or that he was doing anything bad. Others couldn’t shake his logic, and he never doubted that it was flawed. If he’s rebutted or questioned, he thinks it’s because others don’t understand him.

How did Old Master Lu manage to raise such a ‘great’ son?

Lu Weizheng being so normal was probably a genetic mutation.

Or perhaps Lu Weiyao takes after Old Master Lu, while Lu Weizheng resembles their late mother? Anyway, Qin Yiren was quite satisfied that her husband could make decisive decisions. Otherwise, she’d have to consider divorcing him.

“So, never go for a man like Lu Weiyao.” Qin Yiren summed up. “He looks affectionate, but actually worth nothing.”

A man willing to disregard the law and order for someone wasn’t a good man at all.

That’s a definite potential criminal right there. It’s best to distance oneself and run away early on, because who knows what insane things they might do ‘for you’.

Xu Wenyin vigorously nodded in agreement and prepared to jot it down in her own memo. She made a mental note to tell Youyou at the next suitable opportunity.

Because Lu Haoyu and his father have practically identical personalities.

But without Lu Weizheng backing them up this time, Xu Wenyin wanted to see how these people could still be so arrogant.

According to Qin Yiren, after Lu Weizheng spoke those words and backed them up with action to show that he was serious this time, two of the Lu family’s businesses went under within days.

Although those two projects were small and their failure wouldn’t shake the foundation of the Lu family, it’s just the beginning.

It’s still the start of the year, and people aren’t making decisions hastily. Most families were still in a wait-and-see mode.

Thinking back over the past few years, many people, either out of respect for Lu Weizheng or hoping to leverage his influence, would generally choose the Lu family when the options were similar.

It’s a way to curry favor, and who knows, it might pay off in the future.

But without Lu Weizheng, what distinguishes the Lu family from other business families?

Moreover, people have to consider whether cooperating with the Lu family might invite retaliation from the Qin family and Lu Weizheng.

Between Lu Weiyao and Lu Weizheng, it’s clear to discerning individuals which one has greater potential.

Under similar conditions, if there wasn’t a strong personal relationship, businessmen would generally choose to avoid unnecessary risks. In the long run, without Lu Weizheng’s influence, the Lu family would struggle to maintain its current level, let alone progress further.

However, what does this have to do with Qin Yiren?

She would be delighted to see the gradual decline of the Lu family, preferably bankruptcy, so she could vent all the pent-up resentment in her heart.

The words Old Master Lu spoke that day could indeed disgust people for a lifetime.

Would her son care about their measly 2% shares?!

“Mom! Aunt Qin! Come quickly and see the snowman Juanjuan and Youyou made!”

The child’s call interrupted their gossip session. Qin Yiren gave a helpless smile and stood up with Xu Wenyin, heading outside together.

This year, Jiang City’s temperature hit a new low. Qin Yiren had always been sensitive to the cold. While the villa had underfloor heating, once she stepped outside, she couldn’t help but shiver.

At times like these, she really admires the resilience of children. If there weren’t a set time limit, they’d probably play outside all day!

“Wow, Youyou’s snowman is great!”

Xu Wenyin applauded generously and then took out her phone to snap a photo of Xu Youyou with the snowman.

“Mom, guess who it is?”

“Juanjuan is so silly, he can’t guess it at all!”

Fully bundled up, Xu Youyou’s bright and innocent eyes were the only things visible as she eagerly looked at Xu Wenyin.

Hearing from the side, Qin Yiren became interested. She looked at the snowman, with its floral hat, a carrot for a nose, pebbles for eyes, and even a small flower placed on the side of its head.

Sorry, she really couldn’t figure out who it was.

“I’ll guess.” Xu Wenyin said with a crafty smile. “Is it Mom?”

“Wow, Mom is so smart! You guessed it right away!” Xu Youyou exclaimed joyfully, jumping up and down in place. She began to point out different parts of the snowman, her excitement evident in her voice.

“Youyou is so talented.”

“It does look like me.”

Listening to the mother and daughter praising each other, Lu Chenjun couldn’t help but feel the urge to make a sarcastic remark.

He felt that in Aunt Xu and Xiao Lu’s eyes, if there was a perfect person in the world, it would be each other.

If Xiao Lu were to attend university in a distant place in the future, would Aunt Xu follow her there?

“Smack—”

Lu Chenjun’s contemplation was interrupted by a snowball.

With another snowball in her left hand, Xu Youyou held it high as if ready to throw it at any moment.

“Juanjuan, let’s have a snowball fight! Youyou and Mom against Juanjuan and Aunt Qin.”

Lu Chenjun said, “I don’t want to……”

Weren’t they just discussing the snowman? How did it turn into a snowball fight all of a sudden?

It seemed he couldn’t keep up with Xiao Lu’s thoughts at all.

“Sure, sure!”

Qin Yiren wasn’t bothered by the cold at this point. It had been so long since she last had a snowball fight!

It’s a rare chance to relax and unwind today.

“Smack—”

A snowball hit Qin Yiren’s chest.

“Okay, Wenyin, you sneaky!”

“This is called ‘all’s fair in war’!”

Suddenly, snowballs and laughter filled the lawn of the villa, and even Lu Chenjun couldn’t resist joining the fray after being hit three times in a row.

Butler Qin, standing under the eaves, saw this scene and his smile was even brighter than the winter sun.

Escaping from the quagmire that was the Lu family really was a relief.

He hoped that Miss and Little Master could be this happy every day in the future.

———pr

The day after the snowball fight, the Xu family also welcomed a new guest.

This was the first guest to visit their villa, excluding Qin Yiren, Qin Xiao, and their group.

It was Ace, also known as Expert A, real name Mu Heyao.

Due to someone not keeping their promise and delaying what was agreed upon, Mu Heyao directly dumped his brother and arrived in Jiang City earlier than planned to seek shelter with Xu Wenyin.

“Let’s make it clear, one hour of PK per day maximum, and I’ll only put up with you for a week at most!”

Xu Wenyin looked at the baby-faced man in front of her, showing no signs of softening as she firmly laid down her rules.

She could tolerate Ace staying for a few days, but only if he agreed to offer his services for free whenever needed in the future. Xu Wenyin didn’t want to miss out on such an excellent resource.

Ace’s obedient nature also gave Xu Wenyin peace of mind.

He wouldn’t wander around or have unnecessary curiosity. Besides his interest in computers, he didn’t care much about anything else.

He was a real homebody, claiming that he could go months without leaving his room, and he fully understood the saying that the more talented a person was, the more quirks they had.

Because he was just like that himself.

Since they could communicate face to face, it made solving certain problems quicker.

After accepting the 200,000 yuan for food, accommodation, and tuition, the Xu family gained a new guest.

“Hello, Big Brother, my name is Xu Youyou. You can call me Youyou.”

Xu Youyou’s curious gaze turned to Mu Heyao. He was their family’s first real formal guest, right?

Her mother told her last night that he was her little brother, so Xu Youyou didn’t need to be afraid.

“Hello.”

Mu Heyao pressed down on the brim of his cap, his voice slightly subdued.

He had always been wary of children of this age, even a little afraid of them.

He thought they would suddenly burst into tears or throw tantrums at any moment, and Mu Heyao’s heart couldn’t quite handle it.

But Xu Wenyin had mentioned that her baby wouldn’t behave so rudely, so Mu Heyao chose to overcome his fear and greet the child.

Then he felt the burning gaze on him and froze in place.

Why was she looking at him like that?

He couldn’t help but press down on his cap again, almost burying his entire face in the shadow.

After a few seconds, the piercing gaze shifted away, and Mu Heyao’s body relaxed.

However, in less than a blink of an eye, the gaze returned to him, triggering Mu Heyao’s instinct once again and turning him into a stiff wooden figure.

Shift away, then back, shift away, then back again.

Xu Youyou exclaimed, “So amazing!” He was actually controlling his body along with her gaze.

Mu Heyao couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being treated like a toy by a child, but he had no evidence to support it.

Indeed, even the most well-behaved children could be terrifying. He really wanted to leave this place.

“Youyou, stop playing.”

Xu Wenyin reached out and waved her hand in front of Mu Heyao’s face. “Wake up!”

Mu Heyao said, “I’m not asleep.” His voice remained small.

Xu Wenyin remarked that this guy seemed to have two different personas online and in real life.

In reality, he was reserved and seemed to have social anxiety, wearing a ‘please don’t talk to me’ expression.

But online, when he chased her with questions, he was quite active, typing at lightning speed.

Xu Wenyin was too lazy to think about why Mu Heyao was like this, she just left him in his room and didn’t bother with him anymore.

He’s an adult, he should know what he wanted to do, right?

Plus, the room was equipped with almost everything, and as for meals, Xu Wenyin had already told Mu Heyao their meal times. Otherwise, he could snack whenever he felt hungry.

Fortunately, Mu Heyao kept his promise to Xu Wenyin and demonstrated some common sense.

It seems Mu Heyao really sticks to his routine. Keeping to himself most of the time, only engaging in the scheduled hour of PK time, and even having meals delivered to his doorstep. He eats, returns the utensils to their place, and maintains minimal interaction with the other residents of the villa.

Xu Youyou almost forgot that there was an extra guest at home.

So when Qin Yiren brought Juanjuan to their house to play and saw Mu Heyao, who usually only went out once a day, Miss Qin, who had always been elegant and calm, showed a surprised expression.

She knew just how much of a homebody her good friend was. Apart from their family, she had never seen any other friends of Xu Wenyin. Moreover, this little boy couldn’t possibly be a relative of hers, considering Xu Wenyin’s troublesome relatives had already been dealt with by Qin Yiren herself.

She had only been absent for two days, hadn’t she? How come there was suddenly an underage boy there?

“Youyou, who is he?”

The boy seemed to be socially anxious. When he saw Qin Yiren, his eyes quickly darted away, and then he disappeared in a flash…… at the doorway of Xu Wenyin’s room.

Qin Yiren: “???”

Xu Youyou answered, “Mom said he’s her little brother!”

Little brother? Was he really a relative, or was he ‘that kind’ of little brother?

“What else, Youyou?” Qin Yiren scooped up Xu Youyou, took her to the sofa in the living room, and started whispering in a secretive manner.

The expression on her face was just like someone who had taken a bite of fresh melon^[1]gossip.

Even though the melon owner was very likely her own close friend, wouldn’t that make it even more exciting?

Lu Chenjun, who was left behind: “……”

Unfortunately, Xu Youyou only knew a few things about Mu Heyao. For example, Xu Youyou knew when the other person arrived.

As for where he came from and what he came there for, Xu Youyou was completely clueless when asked.

Her bewildered gaze was even more innocent than Qin Yiren’s.

Qin Yiren, unsatisfied with the melon-eating experience, suddenly forgot the purpose of her visit and quickly took out her phone, tapping away to send messages to Xu Wenyin.

【Who’s that guy? He looks underage.】

【Sister, even if you want a little puppy^[2]a man who is younger than the woman, simple, naïve, caring, emotionally dependent, and loyal, you can’t break the law!】

【Reply to me! Reply to me!】

Seeing that Xu Wenyin, who usually replied to messages promptly, hadn’t sent a single message even after more than ten minutes had passed, especially considering that it happened after a certain guy entered Xu Wenyin’s room, Qin Yiren’s expression became quite interesting.

The two children went to play in the cat house with Niannian, leaving Qin Yiren alone on the sofa, lost in her thoughts. Her imagination was soaring, almost reaching the sky, and it seemed on the verge of drifting into outer space.

The tightly closed door on the second floor finally opened.

Xu Wenyin walked ahead, followed by the boy.

Qin Yiren happened to hear the next few words when she was walking over.

“……Your skills have improved very quickly. Next time, you can try using……”

Qin Yiren: “!!!”

She quickly walked upstairs, her expression a mix of regret and seriousness, leaving Xu Wenyin puzzled.

“What’s wrong, Yiyi?”

Qin Yiren took a deep breath and then took a closer look at Mu Heyao.

He had a habit of taking off his hat during PK matches to avoid affecting his performance, so now his whole face was exposed under Qin Yiren’s scrutinizing gaze.

What should she do? She had initially thought he might be an adult with just a youthful face, but now it seemed like he might not even be sixteen. He looked way too young!

“Wenyin, it’s not too late to turn yourself in. If the other party is willing, the sentence shouldn’t be too long.”

Xu Wenyin asked, “……Wait, what do you mean by turning myself in?”

She was just at home showcasing her skills. Why would she need to turn herself in? Was that also illegal?!

Ten minutes later, sitting back on the sofa again after listening to Xu Wenyin’s explanation of Mu Heyao’s background and purpose of coming there, Qin Yiren felt that she really shouldn’t have come there today.

If she hadn’t come, she wouldn’t have encountered such an embarrassing situation!

She must have been led astray by that jerk, Lu Weizheng. How could there be so much rubbish in her head all the time?

No matter how much she screamed internally, Qin Yiren still maintained the composure she should have on the surface. Except…… if one looked closely, they would notice a slight stiffness in her movements.

This might easily make it into the top five most embarrassing scenes for Qin Yiren. It’s the kind of situation that would make her curl her toes in embarrassment whenever she recalls it before falling asleep at night.

It’s a good thing that Mu Heyao didn’t care about such matters, and at that time, he didn’t even notice what Qin Yiren was saying.

Upon seeing that Xu Wenyin had a visitor, Mu Heyao simply nodded and then went straight back to his room, where he began to review the mistakes he had made and the lessons he had learned during his match with Xu Wenyin.

That’s what Mu Heyao cares about.

“You mean the fruits and stuff from before were all sent by him?” Qin Yiren’s curiosity, which had been extinguished by embarrassment, was suddenly reignited upon hearing about that information.

If they were just regular friends, occasionally sending fruit once or twice wouldn’t be a big deal. But as far as Qin Yiren knew, her good friend received fruits about twice a month.

What regular friend would send fruit so frequently?

Since she had already experienced embarrassment, wouldn’t it be unfair to herself not to enjoy a few more bites of melon?

Moreover, this guy named Mu Heyao, although a few years younger than Wenyin, was also an adult!

The key point was that he and Wenyin have a common language, and he seemed like the type who doesn’t cause trouble. He definitely wouldn’t bully Youyou. Just now, the way Wenyin looked at him, her eyes were shining brightly.

“Wenyin, what do you think of this Mu Heyao?”

Qin Yiren had once asked Xu Wenyin if she would marry, considering she was still young, and it would be normal to do so if she met someone she liked.

But at that time, Xu Wenyin had firmly refused. She had just become a human and didn’t understand the significance of marriage. She only wondered if Xu Youyou would be happier with a father and even ‘jokingly’ proposed to Qin Yiren.

Later, influenced by what she heard and saw, she realized even more clearly what marriage represented, making it even less likely for her.

Aside from her physical condition, Xu Wenyin didn’t have feelings for romance. She couldn’t generate such complex emotions.

As the book says, if both parents weren’t together because they genuinely liked each other, it could also be harmful to the child. Raising Youyou alone was fine.

What’s the point of finding a man?

In case she accidentally ends up with someone like Lu Weiyao or Liu Yanzhi’s father, she would just kick them out of the house in no time.

That opinion hasn’t wavered to this day. So when faced with Qin Yiren’s subtle inquiries, Xu Wenyin didn’t change her mind either.

“What do I think of him? A pretty useful little brother?”

Calling him a tool person might be a bit hurtful, so after a moment of thought, Xu Wenyin changed her wording, “Or maybe a pupil.”

After all, she taught Mu Heyao so many things. It wouldn’t be too much to call herself a teacher.

Alright, the last melon was just a plain watermelon.

Qin Yiren could tell that Xu Wenyin’s only goals were making money and raising her daughter. She didn’t care about romantic relationships at all.

That’s fine too. Qin Yiren never believed that women had to get married to be complete. Since Xu Wenyin had no interest in it whatsoever, Qin Yiren naturally wouldn’t meddle in her affairs.

This kind of ‘matchmaker’ behavior can indeed cross a line and lead to resentment.

Qin Yiren left with Lu Chenjun, and Xu Wenyin didn’t dwell on what happened. She didn’t sense her good friend’s inner turmoil at the time or the underlying implications behind it.

She also didn’t think it was a big deal to have an adult man stay overnight.

Human societal norms were just too weak for a system that had never been constrained by them.

It’s like knowing that something happened but feeling like it had nothing to do with her.

However, Xu Wenyin might not care, but Mu Heyao’s older brother does!

Upon learning that his younger brother had run off to Jiang City again and even moved into Xu Wenyin’s house, he couldn’t help but start thinking about when to hold a wedding and banquet.

Mu Hesen doesn’t mind Xu Wenyin being a single mother, as long as Mu Heyao likes her, and since Xu Wenyin isn’t the type of woman with a bad character, Mu Hesen agreed.

He could see that Mu Heyao was really lonely.

If he could have someone who shares his interests and beliefs accompany him, perhaps it would be much better.

But considering his younger brother’s personality and mindset, he might never take any proactive action in his life.

In such situations, he had to take action for him as the older brother.

July this year would be a great date for a wedding. It’s just perfect!