Two days after the sports meet, Meng Beiyan still had some free time and took it upon himself to ask for leave for Ying Qian. During the holiday, she went back to Qincheng but did not see her cheating father.

This is my first time returning to Qincheng since arriving in S City.

They went to many places.

We visited Ying Qian's primary school and the house that Ying Qian's family had rented when Meng Beiyan stayed there. The house had changed hands and was now owned by an elderly couple who were in good health and grew a lot of vegetables in their backyard.

After hearing Meng Beiyan explain why they had come here, the old lady happily invited them to stay for lunch.

It turns out they weren't renting the house; they originally bought it, but later moved out to live with their children, so the house was naturally rented out.

Now that her children all have children of their own, the old lady said, "I'm old and can't do anything for them... If my husband and I stay there, we'll only cause them trouble."

Ying Qian didn't know what to say.

Meng Beiyan placed his hand on her shoulder, tightening it slightly.

The temperature in Qincheng is usually not very low, but this time when I came back, I was caught in a cold wave, and it was quite cold.

A cold wind blew into her neck, and Ying Qian shivered.

Meng Beiyan doted on her, so he took off his coat and wrapped it around her, leaving himself only with a woolen sweater.

"What if you catch a cold when you get back?"

“I’m healthy.” Meng Beiyan held her small hand in his palm. “Unlike you, you’re always sick, and when you get sick, it takes a lot of effort to get better.”

She stuck out her tongue.

We had lunch there. Grandpa and Grandma cooked a table full of dishes for us and treated us like their own grandchildren, taking good care of us. When we left, they kept giving us instructions and reminders.

When Meng Beiyan left, he secretly slipped two hundred yuan under the tablecloth.

Ying Qian knew and nodded approvingly.

Everything in Qincheng, this small county town, felt incredibly familiar.

Standing here, everything has changed.

It drizzled in the evening, and they huddled under one umbrella, laughing and joking as they returned to the hotel.

Ying Qian called Chen Wenzhi to share the fun things she had encountered, such as fighting kittens, an elderly man with extraordinary painting skills on the street, and mischievous fish in the river...

The person on the other end was probably in a very good mood as well, their cool voice occasionally letting out a "giggle," "You've had a good time these past two days, haven't you? Don't let your brain get stuck there when you come back for the exam."

"Okay, okay! Thank you for your concern~" she said casually.

Chen Wenzhi had no choice but to tell her, "I checked the weather forecast. The temperature there hasn't been very high lately, so be sure to keep warm. Eat and drink as usual. What's past is past, don't dwell on it."

He said a lot.

Ying Qian's heart was almost filled with warmth, and she suddenly felt no longer cold.

"After hearing you say so much, I don't feel cold at all anymore! You too, take care of yourself. If there's any semi-final, don't worry too much about the results. Even if you don't get first place, you'll still be number one in my heart! Hehe."

"Um."

Take care, and may we all be well.

Meng Beiyan tacitly approved of their conversations over the past few days, but he didn't eavesdrop or try to find out Ying Qian's feelings for that boy. In time, he would feel that a peaceful life was better than anything else.

After all, there are too few ordinary people in the world...

Meng Beiyan did not tell Tang Yawen about his itinerary. She only found out that the two children had returned to Qincheng when she called him to tell him that she had found a house for Ying Qian.

He scolded her at length, exasperated: "All you ever do is mess around with this nonsense! It's time you started thinking about your future! You're almost thirty! Aren't you going to settle down and start a family?"

This weathered little town holds many memories, some beautiful, some painful...

Ying Qian clearly heard Meng Beiyan being verbally abused.

She struggled internally for a long time. When she looked up and saw his eyes filled with tender light, she opened her lips, her lips moved for a moment, and she wanted to speak, but her throat was choked up, and she couldn't say anything.

Only her trembling hands betrayed her inner turmoil and struggle.

Meng Beiyan held her trembling hand, trying his best to bring her warmth, and said, "This has nothing to do with you. You will always be my sister. Don't overthink it."

This statement is undoubtedly reassuring.

She'll always be my younger sister.

Both dinners were at restaurants I used to sneak off to when I was a child.

The boss still recognized Ying Qian.

"Is it the same as always?"

"Um."

"Is this the older brother? Wow! He's grown so big!" the shopkeeper exclaimed.

Meng Beiyan shed his usual aloofness and said in a friendly tone in the local dialect, "The boss is getting younger and younger."

The boss was overjoyed to hear this.

Ying Qian fell asleep on the way back to the hotel.

Meng Beiyan picked her up horizontally and heard her mumble the name "Chen Wenzhi".

A sharp pain shot through my heart. Staring at that sleeping face, my throat felt like it was blocked by something, and I was speechless.

Yes, what can be said?

Is she talking about love? She's still just a child.

Should I tell her the truth about her leaving? She'll be angry.

Late at night, Meng Beiyan received a phone call.

"Xiaoyan, Auntie has transferred 100,000 yuan to your card. Thank you for taking care of Yingqian."

"Auntie... how are you feeling?"

"It's still the same. The doctor said it will take at most two years. Sigh, let Ying Qian hate me, hate me for being such a bad mother..." Her voice gradually choked up.

She calmed down for a while.

She continued, "Xiaoyan, what's the situation with that boy you mentioned who was getting close to her? Are they dating? You must stop them, at least until after the college entrance exam."

"Yes, I will." His voice was hoarse.

He closed his eyes, and the beeping sound of medical equipment from the phone call he had just heard echoed in his mind—all in an effort to sustain life.

If it were someone else, he probably wouldn't have any particular feelings.

But that was his former adoptive mother, Ying Qian's mother.

The place they are in is the dark past of two people... The future is in a new place, a bright future.