What was originally a simple and pure love between teenagers has now become evidence of a crime, laid bare in plain sight.

Qin Zigui knew at a glance who had done this.

The reasons were nothing more than jealousy and resentment. They wanted to cause Sheng Yan to lose his composure, lose his form, or even withdraw from the competition due to being forced to break up, family pressure, and gossip from those around him.

But he won't let that happen.

He failed to protect his little prince once, causing him so much suffering, and he would never do it again.

Qin Zigui stepped forward, straightened Sheng Yan's hat, and whispered, "Don't be afraid."

Sheng Yan's eyes reddened slightly: "My mom wants me to go abroad."

Qin Zigui gently wiped the corner of his eye with her fingertip: "She loves you very much, don't make her sad. Anyway, we'll be together no matter what."

Before Sheng Yan could realize what Qin Zigui meant, Qin Zigui took his hand and led him into the house. She looked at Xu Qingrong and said calmly, "Aunt Xu, let me go abroad. Sheng Yan has a competition soon. As long as he gets into the top three, he can go to Zhonggong University. He really wants to go and shouldn't give up at this time."

Sheng Yan thought he was talking nonsense and was about to retort when Qin Zigui tightened his grip on his hand: "But we won't break up."

Xu Qingrong and Sheng Yan both paused slightly.

Only Qin Zigui remained holding Sheng Yan's hand, calmly making a decision like a true adult: "I know that my liking for Ayan might be a mistake in your eyes, but I don't think so. I like Ayan, and Ayan likes me too, so I won't break up with him. If the school wants to investigate, I can withdraw from the program. I can apply for full scholarships to universities abroad, and I can take care of myself. But Ayan is a bit spoiled, and he has his own dreams. I hope he can do well in the competition and do what he wants to do. So if one of us has to leave, I can leave, but we won't break up, and I will become independent as soon as possible and come back to find Ayan."

Qin Zigui spoke so calmly and confidently, as if he had thought about it a thousand times in his mind.

So much so that Xu Qingrong could never bring herself to say, "You might just be young and impulsive."

Only then did she truly realize that the big child who had always taken care of Sheng Yan in her memory had grown up, and the friendship they had shared since childhood had become more complicated and heavier with the passing years.

She didn't think they had done anything wrong, nor did she think that sending one of them abroad was a good move. She just didn't want Sheng Yan to be criticized, and she wasn't sure if Sheng Yan was really ready to embark on an unknown path.

After much deliberation, Aunt Xu finally said, "Zigui, Aunt Xu doesn't think you're wrong. She just thinks you might be too young and could misunderstand your feelings. So she thinks it would be better for you to separate for a while and make a decision when you're more mature. What do you think?"

Sheng Yan then realized that, beyond his daily squabbles, arguments, and sweet bickering, Qin Zigui had already figured out how to take responsibility for himself.

Qin Zigui knew he loved Ms. Xu, so he told himself not to make her sad. Qin Zigui knew he was delicate, so he had long been prepared for her to leave. Qin Zigui knew he liked her, so he promised to come back to find her as soon as possible.

Qin Zigui knew everything and thought of everything, even applying for a full scholarship so as not to use a single penny more from his aunt's family. But he didn't think that someone as outstanding as him should have his own bright future and dreams.

Sheng Yan suddenly felt incredibly wronged for Qin Zigui. He didn't want Qin Zigui to leave his hometown alone, nor did he want to be forced to separate from Qin Zigui for even a year or two, and he didn't want Qin Zigui to sacrifice her original life for him.

A sharp, cramping pain surged through his abdomen, making it difficult even to stand up straight.

But when Ms. Xu said those words, he still stood in front of Qin Zigui, enduring the pain, and said, "I don't think it's good."

Xu Qingrong said helplessly, "Ayan."

Sheng Yan was very persistent: "Mom, Qin Zigui won't go abroad, and neither will I. We haven't misunderstood our feelings for each other. I just like Qin Zigui, and I just want to be with him, the kind of being together for life. I don't want to be separated from him. I've said it before, wherever I am will be his home. I can't go back on my word. If you're worried about the school investigating, we can just drop out of school together."

Xu Qingrong knew how stubborn her son could be, and she also knew he was single-minded. She was afraid that he hadn't distinguished whether his feelings for Qin Zigui were dependence or affection, and would just go down a dead end.

Hearing this, I could only continue to patiently explain, "Ayan, it's not that Mom has always forbade you two from being together, it's just that you're still young and don't understand...Ayan!"

However, before she could finish speaking, Sheng Yan clutched his stomach and bent over, his face turning deathly pale in an instant, and large drops of cold sweat even seeped from his forehead.

Ms. Xu had never seen Sheng Yan like this before, and she panicked. She tried to help him up, but Sheng Yan was already wrapped in Qin Zigui's arms.

Sheng Yan pressed his forehead against his shoulder, leaning against him, his breathing ragged from the pain, yet he still managed to squeeze out a few words weakly: "Qin Zigui, you're not allowed to leave."

"Okay, I won't leave if you don't let me. Ayan, listen to me and relax." Seeing Sheng Yan like this, Qin Zigui couldn't care less about anything else for a moment. While coaxing Sheng Yan and stroking his abdomen, she turned around and said, "Grandma, Ayan may have stomach cramps again. Is the brown sugar ginger tea ready?"

The elderly woman, who had been waiting in the kitchen for Xu Qingrong and the two children to finish talking, immediately rushed out with a cup of brown sugar ginger tea upon hearing this. Seeing Sheng Yan like this, she became anxious: "Xu Qingrong, I told you to talk to the two children properly, is this how you talk to them properly!"

Xu Qingrong was also helpless: "Mom, I just said to let them separate for a while and have some peace and quiet..."

"Separate? What separation?! Why do you have the right to make them separate temporarily? Come on, Yan Yan, drink some brown sugar water, it will make your stomach hurt less." Grandma felt sorry for Sheng Yan when she saw his face was pale and bloodless, and he was still tightly clutching Qin Zigui's clothes.

Sheng Yan's stomach cramps this time seemed to come more suddenly and more severely than before. He didn't want Qin Zigui and his grandmother to worry, but after taking a sip of brown sugar ginger tea, he couldn't hold it in and turned to the side, vomiting all over Qin Zigui with a "whoosh".

Qin Zigui had always been excessively clean since childhood, and would immediately change his shirt if there was even a speck of mud on it. But at this moment, he acted as if nothing had happened, not finding Sheng Yan's vomit dirty or disgusting at all. He didn't flinch or avoid it, but simply picked Sheng Yan up in his arms.

Then he said to Xu Qingrong, "Aunt Xu, could you go get the car and take us to the emergency room? Grandma, the medical record is in the second drawer of the bedside table. Grandpa, could you help me fill a hot water bottle?"

After saying that, she picked up Sheng Yan and hurriedly walked out the door.

He had encountered similar situations countless times, and he had done the same things countless times.

Xu Qingrong couldn't care less about anything else for the moment, so she just grabbed her bag haphazardly and hurriedly followed.

She had never seen Sheng Yan like this before and didn't know what to do.

When they arrived at the hospital, looking at the huge hospital lobby, she was completely at a loss. She could only watch as Qin Zigui skillfully registered for the emergency room and listed Sheng Yan's past medical history, medication history, and allergies to the doctor as if they were his own. Then she coaxed Sheng Yan to get an IV drip, settled him in the hospital bed, and even asked the nurse to adjust the IV drip rate to the speed that Sheng Yan was most comfortable with.

Xu Qingrong could only stand aside and watch all of this, and truly realized that she knew nothing about Sheng Yan.

Her son is already eighteen years old, but she is still an inexperienced and naive mother.

Two months at a time like this was not uncommon in the past. She thought she was trying her best to give Sheng Yan love, and Sheng Yan never complained about the lack of her company, so she felt that she had done a good job.

But the truth is, the days she missed were filled by another child whom Sheng Yan called Brother Zigui.

She watched as Sheng Yan, lying on the hospital bed, clung tightly to Qin Zigui's clothes like a kitten seeking refuge. Qin Zigui let him hold on, maintaining a tired and stiff posture, applying a hot water bottle to his head while coaxing him softly. Suddenly, she felt like a really bad mother.

She walked out of the ward, sat on a bench, and looked down at the smiles of the two boys in the photo, unsure of what the right thing to do was.

She wasn't rigid or stubborn; she was just afraid—afraid that her child would be hurt, attacked, unhappy, or regretful.

Even if they were older, old enough to be responsible for their own lives, she wouldn't have to be the bad guy.

She was thinking like this for a long time until Qin Zigui came out and called out "Aunt Xu" in a low voice, at which point she raised her head.

Then I noticed how tall the child had grown, with broad shoulders, and he looked like an adult.

But they are only teenagers, the most reckless and foolish time of their youth. Can they really be responsible for the decades to come?

Xu Qingrong sighed softly and straightened the hem of his hoodie, which Sheng Yan had rummaged through. The ginger juice he had vomited had left deep stains on his clothes.

She said, "Zigui, go home and change your clothes first. Your aunt is still waiting for you at home, and Aunt Xu also wants to have a good talk with Ayan."

Qin Zigui did not refuse: "Okay. But Ayan not only has stomach cramps, he also has acute gastritis. He is prone to fever when he has inflammation, so please keep an eye on him in the middle of the night."

"Don't worry, his maternal grandparents are here too."

Qin Zigui knew that he and Sheng Yan would eventually have to overcome this hurdle. He didn't want to make things difficult for anyone Sheng Yan cared about, so he casually agreed and walked alone into the increasingly cool rainy night of Nanwu in autumn, holding an umbrella.

Xu Qingrong stood outside the ward for a long, long time before finally returning to the ward, where Sheng Yan was indeed already asleep.

The boy, who was always lively, cheerful and playful during the day, was now quietly curled up in his hospital bed, clutching the corner of the blanket tightly in his hands, as if afraid of losing something.

She touched Sheng Yan's pale cheek and asked, "Mom, is Ayan always like this when he's sick?"

Grandma Sheng Yan sighed: "This is not the worst. You know what happened when A-Yan was born. He was a premature baby at seven months old, and he didn't have a father. He wasn't even a year old yet, and you were already flying all over the world. He was able to grow up healthy and strong thanks to Xiao Zigui."

Since they grew up, no one has called Qin Zigui "Little Zigui" for a long time.

But at that time, Qin Zigui was just a child.

Grandma Shengyan seemed to recall many past events, her eyes a little red: "Qingrong, there are some things that you might think I spoil the two children, but when you get to my age, you'll know that we don't want anything, we just want our children to live a happy life. I know what you're worried about, worried that they're too young, worried that they're just being silly and reckless, but do you think that this old woman hasn't seen anything all this time?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Qingrong looked at her, her expression showing surprise and confusion.

The old man reached out and touched the bullet necklace on Sheng Yan's chest: "Do you know that A-Yan once lost this necklace?"

Xu Qingrong did not speak.

The old man continued, “That was during the hottest time of summer this year. Ayan lost his skin. Zigui can’t stand the sun, but he searched along that street for three whole hours until he got heatstroke. Before he could even rest, he was kicked out by the old lady of the Jiang family. If it were you, and your own father came to pick you up with mountains of gold and silver, would you leave? If it were me, I definitely would. But Zigui didn’t, because he wanted to stay with Ayan.”

"You probably don't understand. You're all grown up, you have friends everywhere and you can contact anyone, so why do you have to stay with them? It's because you don't know how these two kids got through their childhood."

"Yes, you were very good to them. They never lacked food or clothing. But you were too busy back then. Zigui had no parents and lived under someone else's roof. He couldn't complain about his suffering. As for Ayan, he had never seen his father since he was born, and his mother was never home. But they were just little kids. How could they not miss their parents?"

“I often wake up at night and see Xiao Shengyan holding Xiao Zigui and crying, saying he misses his mother and father. Xiao Zigui is so small, he misses them too, but he can’t say it. So he holds Ayan and holds back his tears. The two children hold each other all night long.”

“You all keep saying that Zigui spoils Ayan too much, but what else can he do if he doesn’t spoil him? Ayan was so spoiled when he was little. He was also sickly, picky about food, and often got sick. There were often no adults at home. Do you know what it’s like for a six-year-old to carry a five-year-old to the doctor?”

"Back then, he didn't dare ask Qin Ru for pocket money. He would secretly save up one or two yuan to buy candy and coax Ayan to take his medicine. He was already at the age where he was sleepy, but he would wake up at night to cover Ayan with a blanket. Ayan wouldn't eat eggs or carrots, but Zigui would coax him to eat them. It was by coaxing him like this that Ayan grew up."

"This is how we've lived for the past ten years or so. These two children have depended on each other for survival. None of you understand. But now, you insist on separating them. What gives you the right to do that?"

The old man's eyes were red and swollen as he looked at the boy lying on the bed, his eyes filled with heartache.

Xu Qingrong's eyes also stung a little. She reached out to pull the blanket out of Sheng Yan's hands so that he could sleep more comfortably.

However, as soon as he touched her, Sheng Yan hugged her back like a precious treasure, and then said in a hoarse voice, "Mom, please don't let Brother Zigui leave, okay?"

Xu Qingrong's hand froze in mid-air.

Sheng Yan seemed to be having a nightmare, feeling extremely uncomfortable, or perhaps he was in a daze, half asleep and half awake, his voice even choked with emotion: "Mom, don't let Brother Zigui leave."

Even Sheng Yan himself couldn't tell if it was a dream or reality. He just felt that someone wanted him to separate from Qin Zigui. Then he saw Qin Zigui standing alone in a very, very far place, where there was no sun, no roses, and no cicadas.

No matter how he called out to Qin Zigui, Qin Zigui did not respond. When he turned around, he found that everything he had was gone.

Without Qin Zigui, there would be no one to hold him, pamper him, or indulge him.

He's no longer the Little Prince with the little fox; he can no longer be willful and mischievous.

He no longer has Qin Zigui; Qin Zigui has no home.

The recurring fear in his subconscious made him feel waves of throbbing pain in his heart until he curled up and could no longer straighten up.

He could only rely on his last instinct to grasp the last hope he could hold onto, and then, with all his pride, he pleaded, "Mom, please don't let Brother Zigui leave."

As that humble plea fell, a tear rolled down Sheng Yan's reddened eyelids, his eyes tightly closed.

Xu Qingrong couldn't remember the last time she saw Sheng Yan cry. She suddenly felt a pang of sadness and reached out to wipe away the tears from the corners of Sheng Yan's eyes.

Then, suppressing the indescribable bitterness, guilt, and self-blame in her heart, she stood up, walked out the door, and wanted to take out her phone to call someone, but she immediately saw the boy in a black hoodie standing under the eaves.

The boy had been waiting there for an unknown amount of time, not even having had time to clean the stains off his clothes. When she came out, he turned his head and asked, "Aunt Xu, did Ayan look for me?"

It was as if he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to appear immediately when Sheng Yan needed him.

It was as if by getting closer, they could fulfill their promise to Shengyan.

Xu Qingrong recalled Qin Zigui's words to Sheng Yan, "If you don't let me go, I won't leave." She had thought it was just a perfunctory remark, but she never expected it to be Qin Zigui's vow.

Just as she thought her youthful folly was absurd, the seeds of her downfall had already been sown in the early days.

She suddenly didn't know what reason she could possibly have for them to separate.

If their relationship wasn't purely romantic love, then there must be something more important than love, such as their childhood innocence and mutual dependence, the long years they spent closely connected, their unique and irreplaceable bond, and the true selves they found in each other.

She was just a selfish mother. If there was someone in this world who loved Sheng Yan even more than she loved herself, why wouldn't she let him stay?

She had loved someone when she was young, and that love had lasted for so many years and she had never forgotten it. So she had no other wish than for her child to spend the rest of his life peacefully with his lover.

The boy in front of me is the best boy.

She reached out and smoothed the boy's hair, which was slightly damp from the rain: "Zigui, you've worked so hard all these years. From now on, I'll leave everything to you."