Lu Nian became particularly troublesome after getting drunk.

Though her mind was foggy, she did recall that the original Qin Si had indeed kept his word.

He had never dated, married, or had anyone by his side until his suicide on his twenty-ninth birthday.

“A lifetime…” she muttered, adding, “No one else?”

She lowered her eyes and leaned closer, pressing her lips against his.

In the small room, the two of them were very close. Qin Si’s body temperature was high, very warm. She could hear his rapid heartbeat, which he couldn’t conceal.

His voice had become hoarse. “…Mm.”

She straightened up and kissed the pretty blush at the corner of his eye.

Satisfied, she saw the blush spread, his jawline tense, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to suppress his emotions.

But he didn’t push her away or say anything infuriating.

Besides her, there would be no one else.

He was a tamed wolf.

Her lips curved into a smile as she leaned against him, intoxicated and sleepy.

The warmth and breadth of a boy’s embrace made sleeping very comfortable.

Neither of them moved further. He didn’t push her away either. Soon, her hand dropped, and she curled up against him, gradually falling asleep.

Like a star falling into his embrace.

He held her gently for a long time, doing nothing.

Halfway through the night, his phone screen suddenly lit up.

It was a text from an unnamed number, just five words: “Got a lead, hurry back.”

He fell silent, looking at the girl beside him.

Her cheeks were pink, sleeping peacefully and sweetly, within arm’s reach.

He slowly stroked her cheek with his fingers, very gently. Lu Nian didn’t resist at all. She nestled against his hand and even nuzzled it.

His fingertips tingled.

He wanted to withdraw his hand, but in her sleep, she murmured discontentedly, resting her head on his hand and nuzzling it again.

He almost couldn’t bear it anymore.

He even thought that maybe it was better this way.

He was willing to crawl beside her without any dignity and stay by her side for the rest of his life.

It had been like this since he was very young.

Ming Ge heard the sound and pushed the door open. Seeing him, he asked, “Are you leaving now?”

At this late hour.

“Where’s Lu Nian?” he asked.

“She’s sleeping,” he replied.

“Tomorrow, get her something to sober up,” Ming Ge instructed. “I’ve arranged for someone to cover for her at home, but before noon, you need to take her back.”

Ming Ge raised an eyebrow. “Is that all? Aren’t you going to leave her with some parting words? Give her something to look forward to when you come back.”

Qin Si remained silent.

He didn’t have the right to say anything to her, to ask her to wait for him, such beautiful but luxurious words.

He wasn’t accustomed to making such promises.

Fortunately, nothing had started between them yet.

Ming Ge asked, “So you’re not going to say anything? When you come back, are you going to pursue her again? What if she has a boyfriend by then and doesn’t like you anymore?”

He paused, his fingers on the bag handle turning white. “Let her do as she pleases. I won’t interfere.”

Ming Ge sneered, “Hah, you won’t interfere? Do you think I don’t know who you are? Can you watch her be with someone else?”

He had known Qin Si since he was a child and knew what kind of person he was.

Like a wolf cub, once fixated on prey, he would never let go.

He was accustomed to lying in wait and enduring, excessively possessive, and extremely ruthless.

As long as he could achieve his goal, he would stop at nothing.

His underlying personality, has it changed?

But he had never used any of these traits on Lu Nian, nor had he ever revealed this side of himself in front of her.

Only Ming Ge didn’t understand why Qin Si could endure this much when it came to Lu Nian.

“Why don’t you find some time to come back and see her?” Ming Ge softened his tone. “I really don’t understand why you don’t just talk to her and clear things up at this point.”

“I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave if I do,” he said calmly.

“Or,” he continued, “I’m afraid I’ll ruin her.”

If they were together now, the pressure would be immense.

They would have to sneak around, endure criticism, and he still didn’t have the ability to arrange everything properly.

He didn’t care about himself, but Lu Nian…

He didn’t want her to bear that kind of pressure.

Or perhaps it was a fear he didn’t want to admit in his heart.

If Lu Nian truly ended up with him, and she discovered he was just a passing fancy for her, or couldn’t withstand the pressure from Lu Zhihong and wanted to break up, or she discovered his ugly side and wanted to leave, he didn’t know what uncontrollable things he might do at that time.

Outside, it started to drizzle.

His figure disappeared.

Ming Ge’s sleepiness dissipated completely.

He took a can of beer from the fridge, opened it, and chugged it down.

“A lunatic,” he muttered as he looked at the rain outside, “plus a fool.”

The next day, Lu Nian was awakened by a phone call.

It was Ming Ge, and it was ten in the morning.

Her memories slowly returned.

Looking around, her clothes were neatly arranged, and the blanket was tucked in well.

Nothing had happened.

Lu Nian was puzzled.

“Where’s Qin Si?” she asked.

She remembered what happened last night, her head throbbed intermittently, but she hadn’t completely blacked out.

She still remembered the question she had asked Qin Si and his response.

“Gone,” Ming Ge said stiffly.

To be honest, he was a little afraid that Lu Nian wouldn’t be able to accept this fact and would cry or make a scene.

But Lu Nian just nodded calmly and didn’t say anything.

She didn’t know what to make of last night.

Was it a confession?

But they hadn’t said anything, not even a kiss.

Lu Nian felt strangely calm.

After finishing the breakfast Ming Ge had prepared, she asked, “Will he come back?”

Ming Ge nodded vigorously. “Definitely.”

He wanted to say more, but he choked up. He was afraid Lu Nian would ask him when Qin Si would come back.

But Lu Nian didn’t ask anything else.

She finished her breakfast, thanked Ming Ge, and left calmly.

Everything seemed so logical.

Lu Nian’s college entrance examination preferences were filled out by Lu Zhihong.

The first few were in economics, and the last one, she casually added a literature department.

As a result, due to her exam scores, she wasn’t admitted to her first choice and ended up in the literature department, which was her last choice.

Lu Zhihong got angry once because of this matter.

However, he had been feeling quite pleased and confident during this period, preparing eagerly for the upcoming challenges.

Therefore, he didn’t dwell too much on this issue.

He simply asked Lu Nian to minor in a second major.

Anyway, he didn’t have high expectations for Lu Nian to study and eventually inherit the family business.

It was just his habit of taking care of things.

Zhao Yayuan was admitted to An Gong University, a decent university specializing in science and engineering.

Since An Da and An Gong were close by, he often came to An Da to see her.

Lu Nian thought that given Zhao Yayuan’s previous poor grades, it was almost a miracle for her to progress to this level in just a year.

Not long after the school started, Zhao Yayuan called her. “Grandma is willing to come over now.”

Lu Nian knew about this. He had been dealing with this matter for some time now.

Her eyes lit up. “That’s great. What about Xiao Qiu?”

Zhao Yayuan paused. “Qiu Li, you don’t know yet… he should be your classmate.”

“Ah?” Lu Nian’s phone almost slipped from her hand.

Wasn’t Qiu Li so resistant to coming to An Cheng? How could he choose to apply to a university in An Cheng?

“Qiu Li has always had excellent grades,” Zhao Yayuan said, “and he came over here just to accompany Grandma.”

Autumn Orchid needed long-term treatment, and Qiu Li was worried about her.

Zhao Yayuan had said that the Zhao family could take care of all her treatment. In the end, Qiu Li chose to come to An Cheng to accompany her.

Lu Zhihong had almost completely accepted the death of Lu Zhuo by now.

He didn’t look for him anymore.

People change a lot as they grow up, and even if they stood in front of Lu Zhihong now, he might not recognize them.

So Zhao Yayuan didn’t think there was any need to worry too much.

Lu Nian saw Qiu Li in the hospital room.

The boy was wearing a loose white sweater, his shoulders slightly thin.

He sat quietly on a chair, calmly peeling an apple. Beside him was Autumn Orchid’s sickbed.

The halo of autumn light fell on his profile, revealing a gentle and clean contour.

Lu Nian carefully closed the door, trying not to make any unnecessary noise.

“Xiao Qiu, Xiao Qiu, Xiao Qiu.” The old woman on the bed seemed to be trapped in a nightmare, her thin hands waving in the air, her voice trembling. “Come here quickly, to Grandma.”

Lu Nian’s footsteps halted, startled by this strange scene, her hair standing on end.

The boy put down the apple he had just peeled and gently held her hand, speaking softly, “Grandma, I’m here.”

After a few minutes, she finally calmed down.

Lu Nian put down the fruit basket and pursed her lips. “…No wonder you insisted on coming over to accompany Grandma.”

“She was just calling me,” Qiu Li said with a gentle smile.

Lu Nian was stunned.

Grandma had a grandson named Qiu Li a long, long time ago.

“I’m just taking his place,” Qiu Li said. “This name doesn’t belong to me either.”

It was just a statement, but Lu Nian felt her heart clenching.

Even now, she still didn’t know Qiu Li’s real name, the name that had been completely erased.

“Ah Zhuo,” he said. “They used to call me that.”

“Ah Zhuo…” Lu Nian murmured.

It had been so many years since she had heard that name. Saying it out loud felt strange coming from her mouth.

“Let’s just stick with Xiao Qiu.” The boy smiled faintly. “It sounds more familiar.”

She didn’t know what to say and sat down beside him.

“Nian Nian, can I hug you?” he asked softly.

Lu Nian nodded.

Qiu Li hugged her, resting his forehead against her neck.

His hair was very soft, carrying a faint medicinal scent.

Lu Nian felt the warmth emanating from him. “Are you running a fever?”

“No.” He closed his eyes. “Just tired.”

Lu Nian ran her fingers through his black hair. “I think I should be older than you.”

Qiuli lowered his eyes, “Nian Nian.”

“…You should call me sister.” Lu Nian said.

“I don’t like the Lu family,” Qiuli said, “and I don’t want to go back.”

“Nian Nian,” he said, “In the future, you and I will go back to Nanqiao together, or we will go to some other place…”

His voice grew quieter and quieter…

Soon, he fell asleep completely.

Zhao Yayuan finished talking with the doctor and pushed the door open, seeing this scene.

Qiuli had fallen asleep, his long eyelashes drooping, his profile looking particularly soft.

Lu Nian had let him rest on her, reading a book with her head down.

“Tsk.” Zhao Yayuan said.

Sure enough, he had learned the skill of being clingy from Qiuli in the beginning.

Zhao Yayuan said, “He’s been very tired lately.”

Zhao Yayuan took care of the hospital admission procedures.

Although Zhao Yayuan could help, and they also hired a nurse, the details still needed to be handled by Qiao Li himself.

Because leaving Nanqiao had left Qiao Li in an unstable state of mind, he needed someone to be there to comfort him.

Qiao Li was patient enough, but besides dealing with these matters, he also needed to attend classes at school.

Fortunately, Qiao Li was very self-reliant and could manage.

He was under a lot of mental pressure, which Zhao Yayuan knew, but he wouldn’t say it to anyone.

“I’ll come more often later,” Lu Nian said.

She didn’t move, just stroked his hair.

She felt that she wanted to be good to Qiao Li, to make up for what was lacking before.

Now she only had this one family member left.

After Lu Nian left, Zhao Yayuan stayed a little longer.

After closing the door to the ward, he asked, “Are you not going to talk about what happened before?”

Qiao Li replied, “She knows, and it doesn’t matter anymore.”

“Technically, I shouldn’t have lived for long,” Qiao Li said. “It was only because of Nanqiao that I managed to survive.”

Because in Nanqiao, life was carefree, with no burdens, and he miraculously lived to the age of eighteen.

“And besides, I’m no longer Lu Zhuo,” he said. “Lu Zhuo died a long time ago.”

“The situation in the Lu family is very complicated now,” Zhao Yayuan said. “If Lu Zhihong finds out about you, he will definitely make you go back.”

Qiao Li said, “Then let me continue with this identity.”

Lu Zhuo was already dead, both legally and in reality; he had almost disappeared from everyone’s memory over the years, and no one remembered him or talked about him anymore.

“In my eyes, you will always be Qiao Li,” Zhao Yayuan said.

As they walked side by side down the corridor, the early autumn sunlight scattered down.

Suddenly, he said, “Sometimes I wonder if I need to thank that accident.”

Zhao Yayuan stopped in his tracks. “Are you crazy?”

Qiao Li shook his head. “It freed me from the Lu family, let me meet you, and now, there’s also my sister.”

In the future, they could have a simple life. He preferred it to spending his life in a gilded cage.

“I don’t understand you,” Zhao Yayuan said, “but it’s up to you. You handle your own affairs.”

Then he suddenly asked, “Xiaoqiu, what do you think about me being your brother-in-law in the future?”

Qiao Li paused. “…”

Zhao Yayuan shrugged. “I’m not joking. I really want to be your brother-in-law.”

Qiao Li smiled. “Do you care about Nian Nian usually? Can you cook and take care of people?

How are your studies and career now?

Have you put away that bad temper from childhood?

Are you sure you won’t treat Nian Nian like that?”

Zhao Yayuan, “…”

Sister complex, can’t mess with it.

……

Lu Nian’s college life was plain, after all, they were all in the same city, just moving from one place to another.

However, there were occasionally some strange people.

In the second semester of her freshman year,

Lu Nian’s computer broke down late at night. It seemed to have been infected with a virus, and she urgently needed to write her final paper.

She hurriedly ordered a repair service on her phone.

She thought no one would take the order, but soon it showed that the order had been accepted, and the delivery location was just downstairs in their dormitory building.

Lu Nian hesitated for a moment, then decided to go downstairs with her computer.

To her surprise, waiting downstairs was not a repairman, but a teenager who looked about the same age as her.

He was carrying a computer bag, with a baby face that didn’t show his age. His eyes were dark and bright, his hair was a bit long, looking messy, but still soft and fluffy.

“Sincerely at your service,” he said, taking the computer.