Chapter 21 From the beginning to the end

Xie Yan’s calm gaze was momentarily unfocused. Maybe everything he had done still held no appeal to Xue Qingdai.

Though she was young, his fiancée wasn’t the kind of girl who would be easily moved by superficial sweetness—she wasn’t like most women. In some ways, she was quite similar to his mother, Zhang Shuying.

If she still wasn’t satisfied with him, then he’d just have to keep trying, slowly. All those years of neglect had led to the bitter fruit of today’s unattainable longing.

“Just wait a little longer…”

“My parents want to meet you,” Xie Yan said softly.

Xue Qingdai’s fingers tensed as she heard this clearly. She had hoped she might avoid meeting Xie Yan’s parents. If only she hadn’t gone out that day…

“Oh…” She wanted to run!

Xie Yan noticed her panicked expression and lowered his head, smiling quietly.

Saying “they want to meet” was already putting it mildly—his parents were desperate to see her.

But Elder Xue’s attitude was unclear, and that was what held them back.

His parents had already prepared a whole host of gifts but were afraid of scaring Xue Qingdai off, so they didn’t dare appear too eager.

This kind of love and warmth… Xie Yan knew it would never be for him.

When they found out she had gone missing, even friends they hadn’t contacted in years called in a panic to help.

His mother, Zhang Shuying, had thrown a massive tantrum, scolding the entire family, saying, “How could you lose my precious daughter-in-law!”

As usual, Xie Songshan stood by quietly, trying to soothe her temper.

Xie Yan hadn’t seen his parents that anxious in a long time—
The last time was when he was injured on the battlefield and diagnosed as potentially infertile.

Zhang Shuying had cried for two days before calming down. His father didn’t stay by his side then—he had stayed with his wife instead, comforting her.

They had always loved each other deeply. As their son, he could only envy that kind of enduring affection.

That night, he realized he might never have a chance at a happy family of his own.

For a while, he felt hopeless—but his mother had always taught him: never give up.

It was a pity. He would never be as lucky as his father, who had married someone he truly loved.

But he could still try his best. Otherwise, he would regret it.

Xie Yan led Xue Qingdai to wash her hands at the Xie family’s stone water basin, trying to help her get used to the surroundings.

The carved stone of the basin reflected the cultural richness of the courtyard.

The table was already set with food.

Xue Qingdai sat beside her third brother, Xue Yongkang, directly across from Xie Yan. She mischievously stepped on Xie Yan’s shoe under the table.

Xie Yan didn’t react, just quietly ladled her a bowl of fish soup.

His calm made her feel helpless—deflated even.

His emotions were so stable that she sometimes felt childish and immature by comparison.

“Daidai, Auntie made stir-fried tomato and egg especially for you. Try some,” said Zhang Shuying gently.

She normally ate mostly fruit and vegetables to stay in shape. Now that the weather was cold, tomatoes were rare and expensive—practically a luxury.

Under his wife’s sharp gaze, even Xie Songshan chimed in, “This tomato and egg dish smells amazing.”

Xue Qingdai’s bowl was slowly filling to the brim.

Xue Yongkang watched how attentively the Xie family cared for his little sister and felt genuinely happy. He was even willing to play the bad guy a bit.

“Daidai hasn’t been feeling well lately. Let’s not overdo dinner.”

Zhang Shuying didn’t eat dinner herself either. She cracked a few walnuts and handed them to Xue Qingdai to take home.

“Daidai, what happened? You weren’t feeling well? There are lots of top hospitals in the capital—I’ll make arrangements in advance.”

When she noticed Xue Qingdai looking at her, she responded with a soft, glowing smile.

Xue Yongkang’s words trailed off as he looked at the one empty bowl on the table.

No one had taken the seat. Could it be Xie Wei’s?

Xie Wei and Xie Yan shared the same surname, so it was possible they were related.

He worried his sister might run into that bastard Xie Wei again.

If that happened, he still had enough strength left to throw a sack over Xie Wei’s head and give him a simple, solid beating. That little punk wouldn’t stop farting either—it had even made his clothes stink.

“No need,” he replied smoothly. “Daidai’s just had a weak constitution since she was little. As long as she’s taken care of, she’ll be fine.”

He didn’t want to make her sound too spoiled—after all, she was marrying into the Xie family now. No need to reveal everything too early.

In Pengyang Village, they could protect Xue Qingdai however they wanted. But things were different here—the customs were completely different.

If her husband’s family came to dislike her too soon, her future married life would be miserable.

Xie Yan sat through the meal in silence. His whole family was eager for him to get married—
Meanwhile, his little fiancée was counting the days until they could break off the engagement.

Caught between both sides, Xie Yan sighed. He wanted to marry soon too.

Best to start winning her over slowly, bit by bit.

After seeing them off, he found himself feeling oddly restless—he hadn’t dreamed of Xue Qingdai that night.

Staring at the few red dots on his arm, he fell into deep thought.

Daidai’s acupuncture skills were far too practiced.

Zhang Shuying noticed her son hadn’t aired out his bedding and asked, while he was brushing his teeth, “Should I go buy you some supplements? You’re still young—how are you going to keep up with Daidai in the future?”

“…”

He was already heartbroken that his bride-to-be might dump him—and now his mother was jabbing at his weak spots? No one understood his pain.

Xie Yan raised a sharp brow and swiftly changed clothes to head to work.

When Zhang Shuying saw her son ignoring her, she turned her attention to her husband, annoyed him for a bit, then left the house wearing a black polka-dot dress.

She wanted to take Xue Qingdai shopping for clothes. She had a soft spot for pretty, cool-tempered young girls.

With a subtle nod of approval from Xue Yongkang, Xue Qingdai followed Zhang Shuying out.

Lately, Xue Yongkang had been extremely busy. He had just opened a small company in Zhongguancun with a ton of orders coming in and had already hired two employees.

He’d also rented two rooms in a courtyard house on Huaxin Hutong, and planned to move there with Xue Qingdai in a few days.

Before leaving, he handed her a few large-denomination bills.

Until she got married, he just wanted his little sister to spend his money.

Xue Qingdai reluctantly said goodbye to her third brother, Xue Yongkang.

She and Zhang Shuying then prepared to have breakfast together. Between the two of them, there was an unspoken understanding—just a glance and a word would reveal exactly what the other was thinking.

Around seven or eight in the morning, the breakfast stalls steamed with warmth. Zhang Shuying bought two freshly fried sugar oil cakes straight from the hot pan. Such fried foods were absolutely forbidden for dancers, but seeing the young girl’s eager expression, she joined in and ate with her.

The sugar oil cake was made with a hot dough, fluffy and soft, filled with white or brown sugar. The dough was scored with three cuts, then rolled in hot oil until golden brown and caramelized—one of the most classic breakfasts here.

Next door, a stall sold egg-stuffed pancakes, which the two split evenly. Each also had a bowl of hot soybean milk. They ate until they were completely full.

Zhang Shuying lightly wrapped a scarf around her neck and casually asked, “How’s the capital?”

Xue Qingdai knew she wasn’t really asking about the city—it was about Xie Yan.

Xie Yan was good, but after all, he was a troublemaker; he was the male lead.

“It’s great. The candied hawthorn here is delicious, and so is the yam. But my favorite is definitely the hawthorn—with the sesame seeds on top that crackle when you bite into them.”

Suddenly, Xue Qingdai wished the person in front of her was Xie Yan. At least then she could be careless, could bluff her way through. Xie Yan was very tolerant—he didn’t mind, and would even listen seriously to her nonsense.

Zhang Shuying’s pace gradually slowed as she led Xue Qingdai to the park.

There was a pavilion on a fake hill in the park, and at its base was a stone lion-shaped trash bin. They slowly climbed up and sat in the pavilion atop the hill.

“I don’t know if Xie Yan knows I came to find you—I came specifically after he left for work.”

“As a mother, I saw right through Xie Yan’s low spirits yesterday. Only the old man was smiling foolishly at me.”

“You two really are well matched.”

“But I didn’t come as a mother—I came as a woman.”

“School, marriage, and career are among the few opportunities to change one’s fate.”

Xue Qingdai clenched her fists, not wanting to hear the sermon that would follow.

“My original thought when I came to the capital was, from beginning to end, to break off the engagement.”