Xu Xinghe leaned close to Shen Jianqiu's ear and whispered, "Actually, it's not that there's no chance, it's just that you two don't spend enough time together. Otherwise, I can help you set them up?"

"Matchmaking?" Shen Jianqiu suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with surprise, then dimmed again. "It's no use, he doesn't like me at all..."

"Feelings develop gradually. If you keep hiding and not expressing your feelings, how will he know how you feel?"

Xu Xinghe talked about her relationship with Jiang Linchuan, saying, "We had a big misunderstanding at the beginning. To be precise, I hurt him. At first, he treated me like an enemy. So I made things clear and slowly got to know him. Now we're together, aren't we? Besides, I think you're a very good girl. If you create more opportunities to spend time together and let Lian Xiao see your good qualities, maybe he'll fall for you someday?"

Shen Jianqiu's heart skipped a beat for no apparent reason, and his fingers unconsciously twisted the hem of his clothes. "Then... how do we bring them together?"

“Simple.” Xu Xinghe took her hand. “Now that you’re injured, I can find an excuse to invite Lian Xiao over. Then I’ll find a chance for you two to spend more time alone. Talk to him more, like asking about things in Heilongjiang Province. He’ll definitely be willing to talk about his experiences. The more you spend together, the better your relationship will become.”

These words struck a chord with Shen Jianqiu. She lowered her eyes, her cheeks flushed, and after hesitating for a few seconds, she nodded gently. "Then... then okay, thank you, Xinghe."

"Don't be so polite with me." Xu Xinghe stood up with a smile. "You rest first, I'll go tell Lian Xiao to come and take care of you."

She walked out of the room, where Lian Xiao and Jiang Linchuan were sitting on the sofa in the living room talking.

Jiang Linchuan saw her come out and immediately went up to her, "Finished talking?"

"Okay." Xu Xinghe responded and turned to Lian Xiao. "Lian Xiao, Jian Qiu's foot is badly injured and there's no one at home to take care of him. Could you stay and help out? Lin Chuan and I have some things to take care of, so we have to go home first and come back tomorrow."

Lian Xiao, recalling her limping appearance, immediately nodded in agreement, "Okay, you guys go ahead, I'll take care of things here."

They grew up together and are like buddies, so this little thing is no problem at all.

Jiang Linchuan took Xu Xinghe's hand and said, "Contact me anytime if you need anything."

The two were walking home.

It's already noon, and the sunlight filters through the leaves of the sycamore trees, warming me—a stark contrast to the chill I felt in the mountains yesterday.

Xu Xinghe kicked at the pebbles by the roadside and couldn't help but laugh out loud. "You have no idea, Jianqiu suddenly didn't like me anymore. Can you guess why?"

"Oh? Why?" Jiang Linchuan turned his head to look at her.

"She actually misunderstood that Lian Xiao liked me, saying that I was having my cake and eating it too." Xu Xinghe shook her head helplessly. "I explained to her for a long time that Lian Xiao and I were good friends who had been through the snow disaster together, and that he took care of me at the behest of Grandpa Lian. That cleared up the misunderstanding. I even told her that I would help her get together with Lian Xiao, and maybe they could really become a couple after spending more time together. Even if they don't, it's okay, it's good for friends to stay in touch."

Jiang Linchuan listened, but his smile became somewhat stiff. "She really misunderstood. Lian Xiao doesn't like you. If he did, how could I not know?"

Jiang Linchuan looked at Xu Xinghe's indifferent profile and suddenly felt a little heavy-hearted.

This was the first time he had lied to Xinghe.

He knew, of course, that Lian Xiao liked her, but he never intended to point it out.

Once some things are revealed, even friendships can't be maintained. This would not only put Xinghe in a difficult position, but also create an awkward situation between her and Lian Xiao.

It's better to just play dumb and maintain the current balance.

Unless Lian Xiao reveals it himself one day, perhaps Xing He will find out...

But no matter what, he will stay by her side, making sure she can only see him.

"What are you thinking about?" Xu Xinghe couldn't help but tug at Jiang Linchuan's hand when he didn't speak for a long time.

"I'm thinking... let's go eat your favorite braised pork tonight."

"Okay!" Xu Xinghe was immediately drawn to the food and pulled him to quicken their pace.

The next morning, Xu Xinghe carried a bag of fruit and took Jiang Linchuan's arm as they arrived at the Shen family's house.

As soon as I entered, I saw Lian Xiao pouring water for Chen Jianqiu.

"Lian Xiao, you're here quite early." Xu Xinghe smiled as she entered the house and handed him some fruit. "Jianqiu, is your foot feeling better?"

"I'm much better. Thank you for making the trip." Shen Jianqiu's cheeks flushed slightly as she thought about yesterday's events. Her gaze unconsciously drifted towards Lian Xiao before quickly looking away.

Xu Xinghe took out a set of Ludo from her bag. "You're injured and can't go out right now, so why don't we play a game? It'll be perfect for four people to team up."

The chessboard was laid out on the table in the living room.

Xu Xinghe deliberately teamed up with Shen Jianqiu, while Jiang Linchuan teamed up with Lian Xiao.

Midway through the game, she made frequent mistakes, and soon she and Jiang Linchuan were both eliminated.

"Oh dear, I'm not good at this. Jianqiu, the rest is up to you. You must beat Lian Xiao!"

Xu Xinghe pulled Jiang Linchuan up, "Let's cook lunch together. Linchuan and I will go buy groceries. You two play first."

Jiang Linchuan understood immediately and nodded in agreement, "Okay."

Before Shen Jianqiu could speak, the two quickly walked out the door.

The room fell silent instantly, with only the sound of the Ludo pieces falling.

Seeing that Lian Xiao remained silent and focused on the chessboard, Shen Jianqiu couldn't help but break the silence first, "Lian Xiao, when you were in Heilongjiang Province, did you see any particularly heavy snow?"

Lian Xiao was staring at the chessboard, pondering his next move, and without even looking up, he said, "Hmm, it's quite big."

"Then... is it very dangerous during a snowstorm?" Shen Jianqiu asked again, trying to find a topic to talk about.

"It's alright, I'm used to it." Lian Xiao's response was still brief, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about someone else's business. "There's nothing to say about this kind of thing."

Shen Jianqiu's lips twitched slightly, his fingers unconsciously stroking the chess pieces.

Looking at Lian Xiao's focused profile, a sense of loss slowly crept into her heart. After hesitating for a long time, she finally mustered the courage to ask, "Lian Xiao, do you think... if two people spend a lot of time together, will they go from having no feelings to having feelings?"

Lian Xiao paused for a moment before looking up at her. "Probably. There's a saying that familiarity breeds affection, right? What's wrong? You want to find someone? Ask your parents to introduce you to someone. There are plenty of talented young men in the military; there's bound to be one suitable for you."

Shen Jianqiu's expression darkened further. "And what about you? Will you also fall in love with someone because you spend a lot of time together in the future?"

Without even thinking, Lian Xiao replied, "I don't know."

He already has someone he likes.

Once you've filled your heart with someone, there's no room for anyone else.

Moreover, he hasn't found a better woman than Xu Xinghe yet.

Shen Jianqiu threw down the chess piece in his hand. "I concede. I'm not playing anymore."

After hearing Lian Xiao's words, she became even more certain that this was just wishful thinking on her part from the very beginning.

Lian Xiao's attitude towards her was never one of slow warming up, nor was it because they had grown up together and were too familiar with each other.

She suddenly found it somewhat amusing; she had held onto a sliver of hope yesterday, but today she had been completely shattered.

It turns out that it wasn't a matter of not having enough time together; rather, he had never reserved a place for her in his heart.

So even when they were alone together, and even when they tried hard to find topics to talk about, they still couldn't spark any interest in each other.

Lian Xiao's attention was always on the game of chess.

Even if I only had a slight liking for her, I wouldn't act like this.

Lian Xiao had no idea why Shen Jianqiu was angry. He thought her foot was hurting again, so he brought her a glass of water. "Your foot injury will probably stop hurting in a few days. Don't worry about it. The doctor said it won't leave a scar and won't affect your marriage. By the way, if all else fails, I can ask my grandfather to help you find someone. He'll definitely find a good match."

Shen Jianqiu almost laughed out of anger, "Forget it, I don't need you!"

She decided to give up!

Lian Xiao really doesn't like her at all, and he's even thinking of helping her find someone else!

Continuing to spend time with them would only make you uncomfortable!

"I'm going back to my room now. You can read your book by yourself."

Shen Jianqiu returned to his room, lay on the quilt, and couldn't help but shed tears.

My first relationship ended just like that...