Yu Qian lifted her head and glanced at Jiang Zheng, who was not far away, standing beside his father and greeting the elders.

Dressed in a black suit that complemented his handsome face, he no longer carried his usual playful grin. Instead, his demeanor was composed, exuding a faint sharpness beneath his refined manners.

As expected of the second male protagonist who stood on equal footing with the main protagonist in the novel. His looks alone explained why girls in the story constantly threw themselves at him.

Yu Qian couldn’t help but steal a few more glances at him. Jiang Zheng noticed her gaze, turned his head, and flashed her a dazzling smile. Yu Qian’s face suddenly flushed.

Yu Qian, oh Yu Qian, sure, Jiang Zheng looks handsome in a suit, but he’s just an eighteen-year-old fresh-faced boy!

In her past life, she had already been a mature twenty one-year-old. How could she possibly be drooling over a younger guy’s beauty?!

Silently berating herself, Yu Qian reflected on whether being single for too long had made her so desperate that she was now tempted by a pretty boy.

To cover her embarrassment, she picked up a piece of cake and deliberately avoided looking at Jiang Zheng again.

The banquet lasted until ten in the evening. Yu Qian and Lin Niannian stayed until the end, while the household staff busied themselves cleaning up. Jiang Zheng then led Yu Qian and the others to the backyard poolside.

Bai Qiming, noticing that Jiang Zheng seemed a little distracted, showed rare consideration by making an excuse to leave with Lin Niannian, leaving only Jiang Zheng and Yu Qian by the pool.

Yu Qian felt that the atmosphere had suddenly become awkward with just a boy and a girl alone by the pool. It almost felt like…… an affair. Thinking of that, Yu Qian inwardly scolded herself for having impure thoughts.

“Little Fish……” Jiang Zheng’s voice was low as he slid one hand into his trouser pocket, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing against the fabric.

The moonlight that night was perfect— so perfect that it seemed like the ideal moment for a confession. But just as he was about to speak, the words got stuck in his throat.

Looking at Yu Qian’s nervous, completely innocent face, Jiang Zheng felt that if he confessed now, he would truly be a beast.

Forget it. He would wait until she turned eighteen. It was only six more months, after all.

“Little Fish, what do you think, should I teach you how to swim?”

Jiang Zheng pulled his hand out of his pocket and lazily sat down on a lounge chair. His suit, which had been neatly buttoned, opened slightly with his movement, revealing a hint of the smoky gray shirt beneath.

Hearing his suggestion, Yu Qian suddenly felt a strange sense of loss. She quickly retorted out of habit, “Who needs you to teach me? I don’t even want to learn how to swim.”

“If you don’t learn, are you planning to wait for someone to rescue you again, like last time?”

“That was an accident!” Yu Qian had no desire to recall that embarrassing incident.

“One accident already landed you in the police station. A few more, and you might end up in the afterlife.”

Yu Qian gritted her teeth at Jiang Zheng’s taunt, but oddly enough, their playful bickering lifted her mood.

It wasn’t until Bai Qiming and Lin Niannian returned that Yu Qian finally stood up, preparing to head home.

Jiang Zheng saw them out. Standing at the doorstep, Yu Qian looked at him, who was casually leaning against the door, and said sincerely, “Jiang Zheng, happy birthday.”

A smile flickered in Jiang Zheng’s eyes as he looked at her. “Mm, I am very happy.”

────ρя


Yu Qian finally received her acceptance letter. Wang Hui had been in disbelief ever since learning that Yu Qian had been admitted to Peking University. Now, holding the letter in her hands, she finally felt at ease.

She could hardly contain her excitement, wanting to announce to the world that her daughter had gotten into Peking University.

“Qianqian, now that you’ve received your letter, shouldn’t you go back to visit your grandparents^[1]paternal?” Wang Hui beamed at Yu Qian.

Hearing the mention of her hometown, Yu Qian’s heartbeat skipped a beat, and even the excitement of holding the acceptance letter faded.

Seeing the reluctance on Yu Qian’s face, Wang Hui was puzzled. Yu Qian had always been resistant to going back since she was little.

“Mom, do I have to go? I can just video call Grandpa and Grandma. There’s no need to make a special trip, right?” Yu Qian’s mood sank at the mention of her hometown.

“Sigh, you child.” Wang Hui tried to persuade her earnestly, “Your grandparents miss you. You were supposed to visit them before the Lunar New Year. Now that you’ve gotten into such a great university, you should go back and tell them the good news in person. It’s not the same as saying it over the phone.”

Wang Hui had always been grateful to Yu Qian’s grandparents. When she lost her first husband and started her business, they offered to help take care of Yu Qian.

Even later, when she brought Yu Qian to live with her, they never objected. And when she remarried, they had asked her brother-in-law^[2]husband’s younger brother to send her a congratulatory gift.

Yu Qian understood all this, but deep down, there was still a hurdle she couldn’t quite get over.

Regardless, going back home was now inevitable.

When Jiang Zheng heard that Yu Qian was visiting her grandparents, he wasn’t too happy about being apart from her but found it understandable.

However, seeing her gloomy expression, he frowned. Did Yu Qian not want to go back?

Then he remembered that Yu Qian’s father had passed away early and that she was a girl, so perhaps she had suffered some grievances back home.

Thinking of that, Jiang Zheng’s heart ached. Unable to hold back, he said, “Little Fish, I’ve never been to Jiang City before. Would you mind taking me with you?”

Yu Qian frowned. “What for? My hometown is just a small town. There’s nothing fun there.”

Jiang Zheng grinned. “I’m curious about what your hometown looks like. Niannian wants to go too, right?”

Hearing her name, Lin Niannian quickly nodded. She was indeed very curious about Yu Qian’s hometown.

In the end, Yu Qian’s homecoming trip turned into a four-person graduation trip.

On the plane, Jiang Zheng glanced at Yu Qian, who was clearly dressed up for the occasion, and his curiosity grew even stronger.

Yu Qian usually dressed casually, but today, she looked especially polished— so much so that she seemed wealthy at first glance.

This wasn’t a homecoming, this was going to battle.

After a four-hour flight, they finally arrived in Jiang City. Yu Qian didn’t stop in the city center to meet Wang Jiajia and the others. Instead, she rented a car and headed straight to her hometown— Weihe Town.

The moment she stepped out of the car, Yu Qian’s demeanor changed. She became like a hedgehog, ready to stab anyone who came too close.

Barely ten minutes into their walk, she ran into the first familiar face— a middle-aged woman who ran a breakfast stall.

“Oh my, isn’t this Xiao Qian? It’s been so long since you last came back.” The woman, holding a handful of vegetables, looked especially kind.

“It’s me, Aunt. How are you?” Yu Qian maintained a polite smile as she greeted the other party.

The woman’s gaze swept over the three people behind Yu Qian, her curiosity evident.

Without lingering, Yu Qian quickly grabbed Lin Niannian’s hand and walked away.

Unfortunately, she only took a few steps before someone else called out to her. This time, it was a whole group of middle-aged women.

A few women were sitting in front of a small convenience store, each holding a bundle of yarn in their hands and chatting animatedly. When they saw Yu Qian, their eyes suddenly lit up.

“Xiao Qian is back?”

“Oh, I remember now. She’s the only child of the Yu family’s eldest son.”

“She’s Wang Hui’s daughter, right? I heard Wang Hui has made a fortune now.”

“Xiao Qian, I heard your mother remarried. Is that true?”

Jiang Zheng and the other two clearly sensed that something was off with Yu Qian. She still had a smile on her face and responded to the older women’s questions seriously, but her posture carried a hint of resistance.

Lin Niannian felt the sweat on Yu Qian’s palm and couldn’t help but glance at her worriedly.

Seeing the people behind Yu Qian, the older women grew even more excited. “Xiao Qian, I heard that the family your mother married into has a son. Is he one of the two boys behind you?”

Jiang Zheng and the others hadn’t fully grasped the situation and didn’t dare to respond recklessly.

Yu Qian took a deep breath and put on a polite smile. “Sorry, Aunties, my grandparents are still waiting for me at home. We need to head back now.”

With that, she led Jiang Zheng and the others away. Even after walking some distance, she could still hear the voices of the older women discussing behind her.

Yu Qian’s expression grew colder and colder.

“Little Fish, are you okay?” Jiang Zheng looked at her with concern, while Bai Qiming also furrowed his brows slightly.

Yu Qian shook her head, not in the mood to talk. These women had stirred up unpleasant memories once again.