The two of them entered the cemetery, where rows of gravestones and tombs stretched endlessly before their eyes. Although the surrounding greenery was well-maintained, it still made the atmosphere feel inexplicably heavy.

They were headed in different directions, and since neither of them was much of a talker, they just nodded to each other and went their separate ways.

Yun Pei’s mother’s grave was located deeper inside. He sat in his wheelchair, moving forward slowly, passing many gravestones with photos on them. The lives of those people were all frozen here, never to wake again.

Some gravestones had bouquets placed in front of them, while others were left empty, likely forgotten by the living.

Those who could afford graves here were mostly wealthy people, and to them, it was more about profit than sentiment. Perhaps at the beginning, they would mourn their loved ones, but as time passed, these cold stone markers became far less important than the income in front of them.

Just like Yun Pei’s mother. Initially, that man would at least pretend to come and pay his respects. But now, he probably couldn’t even remember where the grave was. On the anniversary of her death, he was likely happily organizing a birthday party for his precious younger son.

As Yun Pei went deeper into the cemetery, his expression grew colder. His eyes, void of emotion, were like dark ink, hiding all traces of sorrow.

The wheelchair came to a stop in front of an unremarkable grave. He lifted the umbrella in his hand and lowered his gaze to the bouquet in front of the gravestone.

The flowers seemed freshly placed, with vibrant petals still covered in droplets of rain, as if they had just been picked.

Besides himself, no one else would visit his mother anymore. Who could have left these flowers?

Yun Pei lowered his eyes in thought. Soon, a middle-aged man came to mind. If it was him, maybe Yun Pei hadn’t been mistaken earlier.

But why?

Why would someone he hadn’t seen in years suddenly come to lay flowers at his mother’s grave?

Meanwhile, Qin Mingyuan was leisurely walking through the cemetery, holding a bouquet. Based on the information he had gotten from the cemetery manager, he found the gravestones of the original owner’s grandparents.

The two elders seemed to have had a good relationship, as they were buried together. Their gravestone had two photos of them, with both elderly faces looking kind and gentle.

Qin Mingyuan crouched down and placed the bouquet in front of the gravestone. He glanced at the photos and couldn’t help but make a mental comparison.

Although the original owner’s grandfather had the typical aloof expression expected from a member of the Qin family, there was still a softness in his eyes. The grandmother next to him, on the other hand, wore a bright, cheerful smile.

Qin Mingyuan thought of his own grandfather. Even in his funeral portrait, he looked stern and meticulous, with only the word “serious” written all over his face.

His grandfather had always been a strong man, never relaxing for even a moment, harsh on others and even harsher on himself.

Qin Mingyuan adjusted the bouquet’s position, his hand wet from the rain, but he casually rubbed it off. His gaze landed on the old couple in the photo. “Sorry for occupying your grandson’s body. I don’t know if he’ll ever come back. If he doesn’t… it means I’m stuck here too. If you think about it, it’s kind of a fair trade.”

Even though he was apologizing, his tone didn’t really sound all that regretful.

He stood up, still gazing at the photos. “Fortunately, I’m pretty good at managing the company. At least your Qin Corporation won’t go bankrupt. I guess that’s good news, right?”

With nothing else to say, Qin Mingyuan stood silently for a moment before bowing slightly to show his respect.

As soon as he straightened up, his phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and saw the caller ID: “Mom.”

Knowing exactly why she was calling, Qin Mingyuan hung up the call immediately. He took a photo of the gravestone with the bouquet and sent it to her. A reply came back almost instantly.

Mom: My precious boy, so obedient~

The same as always, overly sweet and cheesy. Qin Mingyuan put his phone back in his pocket without replying, but he felt a slight stir in his heart. He lifted his eyes to the continuous rain, his gaze falling in the direction he had come from.

Yun Pei seemed cold and detached, a bit distant from others. But on the night of the birthday party, sitting alone by the stairs, he had looked fragile.

Qin Mingyuan wondered, would Yun Pei cry in front of his mother’s grave?

If he did… Qin Mingyuan recalled how his eyes had turned red when he burned his mouth while eating. His thumb rubbed the umbrella handle lightly. He did look kind of pitiful.

Two bouquets were placed in front of the grave. The woman in the photo on the gravestone was smiling brightly, her face more radiant than the flowers, as if she had never suffered.

As usual, Yun Pei said nothing. He sat there quietly, gazing at the photo. After a long time, he blinked slowly.

He sat there for a long while, until a few drops of rain, carried by the wind, landed on the back of his neck. His body shivered from the cold, and he finally realized how chilly it had gotten.

After the rain, the weather had cooled down. Yun Pei was dressed lightly, and being on a mountain, it wasn’t surprising he felt cold after sitting for so long.

He raised his hand to wipe the raindrops from his neck, then looked at the photo again, a faint smile forming on his lips. “Mom, if I get sick, you’d worry about me, right? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of myself…”

As he spoke, he reached out and touched the photo, wiping away the rainwater. His fingers lingered on the woman’s smiling lips for a moment before slowly retracting his hand. “…I’ll head back for now. I’ll come visit you again next time.”

His gaze fell once more on the extra bouquet. He pursed his lips. If he remembered correctly, that middle-aged man used to be their family driver.

After his mother’s accident, the man had blamed himself, thinking it was his fault for not driving them that day, perhaps believing the accident wouldn’t have happened if he had.

At the time, Yun Pei had been in a bad state and didn’t communicate with anyone. The people in his family gradually stopped approaching him. Later, that woman moved in and replaced all the servants. He had never seen the driver again.

He didn’t expect that after all these years, the driver would still remember to bring flowers for his mother. His mother’s kindness toward them hadn’t been in vain after all.

After taking one last look at his mother’s photo, Yun Pei turned his wheelchair around and left the resting place of his closest relative.

When he reached the spot where he had parted ways with the man earlier, he was surprised to see that the person, whom he thought had already left, was still there. The tall figure stood with his back to him, blurry yet real in the rain.

The wheelchair paused briefly before slowly moving forward toward the man.

Hearing movement behind him, Qin Mingyuan turned around. Yun Pei stopped in front of him, tilting his umbrella and lifting his face to meet his eyes. His expression was calm, with no signs of having cried.

“President Qin hasn’t left yet?” Yun Pei asked casually when the other man remained silent. He felt like Qin Mingyuan’s gaze lingered on the corners of his eyes, so he subconsciously raised his hand to touch them.

Seeing his actions, Qin Mingyuan confirmed that Yun Pei hadn’t cried and averted his gaze. “Mm,” he responded, turning and opening his umbrella. “Let’s go.”

For some reason, Yun Pei felt like Qin Mingyuan had been waiting for him, but he quickly shook his head. It was just a coincidence they met earlier. Given their relationship, there was no reason for him to wait in the rain. Maybe he’d just been delayed by something.

They walked side by side, just as they had when they arrived. The raindrops falling on the umbrellas made soft sounds. Even though they weren’t talking, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.

So, when Qin Mingyuan spoke, it was a bit abrupt.

“Haven’t updated recently?”

It took Yun Pei a moment to realize what he was referring to. He looked at him in mild surprise. “President Qin… is still watching my videos?”

“Mm,” Qin Mingyuan nodded candidly. “It’s a nice way to relax amidst the busy work.”

Back when they were on set, Yun Pei had thought Qin Mingyuan was just watching out of curiosity. He didn’t expect him to actually follow along. For some reason, it felt a little awkward, and Yun Pei lowered his eyes, his ears starting to turn red again. “Lately… I haven’t had much inspiration.”

The umbrella completely covered the person sitting underneath it, so Qin Mingyuan couldn’t see his reaction. “That’s a shame,” he said casually.

After a pause, he asked, “Why do you post videos online?”

From what he had gathered from their two encounters, as well as from the original novel’s description, Qin Mingyuan could tell Yun Pei was more reserved, someone who didn’t enjoy interacting with others. It seemed out of character for him to want to draw attention by posting videos online. His curiosity was piqued.

Yun Pei pursed his lips, not answering immediately. He stayed silent for a long time. Only when the parking lot came into view did he say, “Because I don’t want my mom to worry.”

Qin Mingyuan, who had thought he wouldn’t get an answer, paused. Though he didn’t fully understand what that meant, he recalled the gloomy tone of the house and didn’t press further.

As they reached the car, Zhou Yang called. It seemed to be about some work issue that required Qin Mingyuan’s input.

Seeing that he had business to attend to, Yun Pei didn’t linger. He nodded and turned to his own car.

Holding his phone, Qin Mingyuan watched as his driver took the umbrella and helped Yun Pei into the car. Retracting his gaze, he answered the phone, “Hello?”

Through the car window, Yun Pei looked at the man standing in the rain, talking on the phone. He wasn’t sure what he was thinking, but he continued watching until his car drove away, finally turning his head back.

As his car passed by Qin Mingyuan, he listened to Zhou Yang’s report over the phone. Tilting his head slightly, he glanced out of the window, then responded, “Mm, I’ll be back soon.”