Chapter 52

A few days before the New Year, the streets and alleys were adorned with red lanterns, and every shop played songs celebrating the coming year.

The Stone Pot Fish Restaurant was bustling, the hall filled with people.

Xu’s parents chose a slightly quieter table by the window, surrounded by greenery.

“These days, our family has troubled you so much with Xieyi,” Chen Huiping said.

“Don’t say that,” Du Juan replied. Though not wearing fur, she carried an air of nobility without any arrogance. She took Xu Xieyi’s hand and placed it on her lap. “Xieyi is your daughter, but she’s also my daughter. There’s no question of any trouble.”

Chen Huiping handed over an envelope containing a token of gratitude.

“Oh, Huiping, you’ve already given us so much before. Why give more?”

“That’s never enough. Please accept it.”

Although they had previously provided living expenses, that was based on the standard for an ordinary daughter being raised at home. The couple hadn’t expected the Lin family to care for her so meticulously; that small sum was definitely insufficient for their daughter’s expenses.

The adults exchanged polite refusals back and forth.

“Don’t give any more, or I’ll be angry,” Du Juan laughed teasingly. “Besides, I don’t pay for the fuel to take Xieyi to and from school—that’s all Asheng. If you insist on giving, give it to him.”

Xu Xieyi’s eyes flickered toward Du Juan upon hearing that name.

Seeing that the other party firmly refused to accept the money, Chen Huiping gave up for the moment. “When will your young master return to the country?”

Xu Xieyi pricked up her ears.

“Ah… I don’t know either,” Du Juan replied.

Xu Dajiang and Chen Huiping exchanged a glance. Sensing the distant relationship between stepmother and stepson, they wisely refrained from pressing further.

The Lin family was a retired high-ranking official household. Their visit had already revealed that the atmosphere there was quite different from an ordinary family. Not wanting to pry, they let the subject drop.

After a brief lull, the conversation returned to Xu Xieyi.

Du Juan, having no children of her own, clearly favored Xu Xieyi and kept discussing with the couple about which university she should apply to and what major to choose.

“We’re thinking of letting her apply to Shen University, maybe major in English or something. Then she can become a teacher.”

“Being a teacher is stable. Unlike us in business—it’s ups and downs, very exhausting.”

It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to return. The bankruptcy from years ago had left a heavy shadow over the Xu family.

Du Juan smoothed Xu Xieyi’s ponytail. “Better to be stable. For a girl, don’t work too hard. Attend a good university, find a decent job, marry a reliable and outstanding young man, and live an ordinary, peaceful life—that’s good enough.”

Half-jokingly, she added, “Xieyi, what kind of boy do you like? Your godmother knows quite a few good ones. When you’re in university, I can introduce some to you.”

Xu Xieyi was stunned, her cheeks flushed red. She glanced at her parents.

Xu’s parents clearly hadn’t expected this—they’d lived in a county town for a long time and were somewhat conservative and slow to catch on.

“Well, let’s wait until after university and work before thinking about romance. It’s not too late.”

“Yes, yes. Focus on studies first. We’ll talk about that after university.”

Du Juan laughed. “If you finish university at twenty-three and then go for a master’s, you’ll be twenty-five or twenty-six. By then, the best ones will be taken.”

Xu Xieyi blushed furiously.

Sigh, she was still just a high school student. Hearing such topics in person was quite embarrassing.

Just as she was lost in thought, someone called her name.

“Xu Xieyi?”

The people at the table heard the noise and looked over.

A tall, fresh-faced young man stood there wearing a black down jacket over a thin T-shirt, smiling.

“It’s really you.”

Xu Xieyi looked up, a bit dazed, and slowly said, “Xu Muzhou.”

Perhaps because he hadn’t played much ball lately, Xu Muzhou’s sun-kissed skin had faded slightly. He glanced at Xu Dajiang and Chen Huiping and Du Juan at the table. “Eating with family?”

“Yes.”

Xu Muzhou was accompanied by a group of elders, including a distinguished middle-aged man who looked very much like him—probably his father.

Xu Xieyi withdrew her gaze. “Are you eating with relatives too?”

“Yes, my dad and my uncle and the others.”

Xu Muzhou smiled and greeted the elders at the table before walking off.

Xu Xieyi observed as the group of about ten people moved to a table a bit further away.

Her parents were especially sharp: “Classmate?”

“Yes,” Xu Xieyi obediently explained. “He used to be at Ze’an No. 1 High School, just transferred to our class this semester.”

“Is he good academically?”

“Pretty good, top of the class.”

Du Juan smiled meaningfully. “Looks like your godmother won’t have to worry about you.”

Xu Xieyi didn’t catch the nuance of that remark.

But Xu’s parents understood immediately, exchanging a glance at the young man—handsome, poised, seemed quite promising.

But it was definitely too soon now.

They looked away and glanced at their daughter, their tone slightly stern: “Your job as a student is to study hard, understand?”

Xu Xieyi nodded eagerly, not daring to entertain any other thoughts.

—

After dinner, Xu Xieyi and her parents checked into a guesthouse hotel just outside the restaurant and said goodbye to Du Juan.

“If your young master returns to the country, you must let us know. No matter what, we have to thank him in person.”

“Okay.”

Du Juan hesitated for a moment, then forced a smile. “Asheng should be coming back. Lately, my father-in-law hasn’t been well over some matters. Asheng is filial; he’ll probably come back for a visit.”

While her parents brightened at the news, Xu Xieyi also looked up, a spark in her eyes.

But she said nothing, quietly following her parents into the taxi.

Outside, through the dust-coated window, the cityscape blurred past. Xu Xieyi glanced once more at the receding red lanterns, then lowered her head and quietly pulled out her phone. She opened WeChat and found a particular profile picture.

A slow smile curved her lips.

“What are you looking at?”

Her mother glanced over, and Xu Xieyi hurriedly hid the phone under her sleeve. “Nothing.”

Her parents were like radar. Chen Huiping peeked at the screen and saw what looked like WeChat, then warily asked, “That classmate just now?”

“No.”

“Then who?”

“It’s... Brother Lin.”

Chen Huiping relaxed a little and reminded her, “When you go to godmother’s after the New Year, be a little more sensible, okay? Your godmother isn’t having it easy in the Lin family.”

After that meal and from previous phone conversations, the couple guessed that Du Juan wasn’t doing well in the Lin household. Having no children of her own, a distant relationship with her stepson, and seemingly disliked by her in-laws, being able to bring Xu Xieyi to live there for months must have come with pressure. She truly was very kind.

Xu Xieyi said, “I can take care of myself; I don’t want to trouble them.”

“That’s better.”

“When your brother returns, we’ll eat the meal and give them money. We can’t let them care for you for nothing.”

“Then sweet-talk your brother a bit, don’t just sit there like a blockhead.”

Xu Xieyi promised one by one.

Her parents started discussing business, and she finally relaxed.

She looked down at Lin Sheng’s WeChat, her eyes tinged with melancholy.

Staring out the window, lost in thought.

The earlier joy upon hearing Lin Sheng might return was now swallowed by sober reality.

—

After the bankruptcy, the Xus rarely socialized with relatives. On New Year’s Eve, the three of them went to Ze’an to formally reunite with relatives, attending a meal and visiting graves—a day’s affair before returning to their two-bedroom guesthouse in Xindu.

That evening, the couple received a call from Lin Sheng.

Xu Xieyi was at her desk writing an English report and paused when she heard her mother’s phone ring.

“Ah, yes, it’s Auntie.”

Chen Huiping’s polite and warm laughter came through, her tone respectful.

“Back in the country?”

“Let’s find a time to have a meal together.”

...

Holding her breath, Xu Xieyi listened for a while before burying her head in her homework again.

A few minutes later, her mother knocked on her door.

“Xieyi, finish your homework tonight. Tomorrow at noon we’ll have lunch with your Brother Lin, okay?”

Her pen trembled slightly. Xu Xieyi bowed her head, her spine stiffening instantly.

Chen Huiping looked at her strangely. The girl was motionless over her desk. “Did you hear me?”

The black plastic barrel of her pen was indented by her fingernail. Slowly, Xu Xieyi parted her lips.

“Oh, okay, Mom.”

Her voice was calm.

Chen Huiping glanced at her, thinking she was just very focused on her studies, and said nothing.

Footsteps receded outside the door.

Xu Xieyi lowered her head and answered a few more multiple-choice questions before stopping.

Her lips involuntarily curved into a small smile, but soon worry crept back. She furrowed her brows.

Two emotions tugged at her like a tug-of-war—one rising, then falling.

She rubbed her temples, frustrated, staring at the test paper.

She couldn’t concentrate at all.

Her mind was filled with the image of Lin Sheng’s face, already somewhat unfamiliar...

—

During the New Year, all the large restaurants were packed.

At the Lotus Soup Restaurant, Xu Dajiang and his wife finally found a small, relatively quiet private room near the edge.

As soon as they were seated, Xu Xieyi was told by her parents to wait outside for Lin Sheng.

The traffic outside was heavy, and the wind was chilly. Xu Xieyi clutched her collar and kept peeking left and right at the passing cars.

At the intersection, a bus and a sedan grazed each other. Her eyes were drawn to the scene, just missing the shadow of a black Porsche.

When she withdrew her gaze, the black shadow had already turned into the garage.

The wind grew colder. Xu Xieyi crossed her arms and checked her watch—the appointed time had arrived.

Just as she was puzzled, a sudden feeling stirred inside her. She turned around.

A tall figure stood right behind her.

“Ah—” she gasped softly, drawing her hands to her chest, her stance unsteady.

“Careful.”

Then she was caught in a firm, strong arm. Her body was quickly steadied. A faint scent of perfume touched her nose, then vanished as the arm withdrew.

This man was tall, wearing a long coat that reached his knees, a crisp white shirt visible at the collar. Clean-cut and handsome, he was impossible to look away from.

Familiar yet strange after the time apart.

Xu Xieyi panicked. “Lin... Brother Lin.”

Lin Sheng pulled back his hand and looked down at her without expression for two or three seconds. “Mm.”

“You… arrived?” She realized the question sounded a bit foolish.

Lin Sheng didn’t reply but lowered his gaze, slowly raising his hand.

Xu Xieyi tensed, feeling the hand brush aside the hair by her ear before withdrawing.

They stood with a clear distance between them.

“Just arrived,” he said in a low voice.

Those eyes were magnetic, and Xu Xieyi felt caught, unsure how to react.

Seeing the girl’s innocent bewilderment, Lin Sheng smiled softly, a touch of helplessness in it. “Come on, your parents are waiting.”