"It's really cold outside. Are you feeling cold? If you're not feeling well, you can ask the proprietress to pack some for you to take home," Rong Mo suggested softly, turning to ask the proprietress to pack it up.

"No need, I'm not feeling well, so I won't eat tonight." Chu Xia held Lin Su's hand, looked up, and declined gently. "We can eat here next time. Stir-fried vegetables won't taste good if they get cold if we take them home."

"Mm." Rong Mo nodded and didn't say anything more.

"Then we'll be going now. Sorry to bother you." Lin Su smiled and helped Chu Xia to her feet.

"Be careful on the road, it's slippery," Lu Wei said to Chu Xia, frowning with concern.

"Okay, then be careful when you come back tonight," Chu Xia reminded her.

"Okay, don't worry," Lu said with a smile. "I have some things to take care of in a bit, I'll go back as soon as I'm done."

"I guess she's been a bit tired from preparing for the wedding lately," Lin Su said with a smile, putting her arm around Chu Xia's shoulder.

Rong Mo's brow twitched, and his hand holding the teacup paused. He pretended not to know and said, "So it's good news coming soon. Congratulations!"

"Mr. Rong, are you free to attend the wedding? The ceremony is this Saturday," Lin Su said with a smile.

"Okay, I'll definitely go and share in the joy." Rong Mo replied with a polite smile, his hands clenched tightly under the table.

Watching their departing figures, Rong Mo sighed softly, and the atmosphere immediately turned cold.

“If you don’t want to go, you don’t have to,” Lu Wei said softly, frowning slightly.

Rong Mo pursed his lips into a straight line, revealing a bitter smile. He tugged at the corners of his mouth, unsure of what to say.

Lu Wei sighed and heard Rong Mo say something softly.

“It’s all in the past. I hope she’s doing well; carrying the shackles of the past will be exhausting.”

“Yes, you’ve already started a new life.” Lu Wei nodded. “Want to grab a drink? I can have one with you.”

“No need.” Rong Mo immediately refused, then, realizing his tone was a bit stiff, explained, “I don’t really like using alcohol to numb myself. Actually, I’ve already accepted this reality.”

"I'm fine, don't worry." Rong Mo smiled. "I just feel a little regretful sometimes about waiting for so many years."

"Mm," Lu Wei responded softly, not saying anything more to comfort Rong Mo. She knew he didn't need it.

On the way back.

“Zhi Qiu has two children,” Rong Mo suddenly said.

“I know.” Lu smiled. “I know a little about Lu Jia and Zhi Qiu. My brother used to never date, and he wouldn’t listen to any introductions. A good friend of mine used to like Lu Jia a lot. She was very beautiful and pursued Lu Jia for a long time, but my brother was unmoved.”

Later, I discovered that he had a girl pinned to the top of his WeChat contacts, but they never seemed to contact each other. I once peeked at him from behind when he opened WeChat and found that their only connection was a group New Year's greeting message sent during Chinese New Year one year.

Lu Jia stared blankly at that WeChat message. That's when I knew he had a girl he loved but couldn't have, haha.

Rong Mo couldn't help but chuckle at her words, "How do you know it's unrequited love?"

"Don't make it too obvious!" Lu Wei looked at him with amusement. "You don't understand girls. If she really liked someone, how could she possibly resist contacting them?!"

Upon hearing this, Rong Mo's smile instantly faded.

Lu Wei pursed her lips, thinking to herself, "Oh no, I spoke too quickly."

------------

"Xiaoyu?" Shen Zhiqiu hurried through the bamboo forest and saw Lu Xiaoyu sitting at the door of the room, holding Yuanqiu. Yuanqiu obediently buried its head on Xiaoyu's shoulder.

"Sister Zhi Qiu!" Upon hearing Shen Zhi Qiu's voice, Lu Xiaoyu looked up with surprise and stood up abruptly. Yuan Qiu also jumped down, and the two of them ran towards Shen Zhi Qiu.

Shen Zhi Qiu patted Lu Xiao Yu's head. "Xiao Yu, you've really worked hard these past few days! I don't know how to thank you enough, really." As soon as she spoke, Shen Zhi Qiu's voice choked up.

"It's alright, Sister Zhi Qiu! I've done everything I promised you. I took good care of Grandma!" Lu Xiaoyu straightened up and solemnly promised. Thinking of what had just happened, Lu Xiaoyu lowered her head again, looking regretful. "I should have been watching over Grandma. Luckily, Brother Zhongyi reacted quickly, otherwise Grandma would definitely have been hurt. It's all my fault!"

"It's not your fault, I'm so grateful to you." Shen Zhi Qiu pursed her lips and said gratefully.

"Kid, all you do is talk to your sister Zhi Qiu, don't you care about Brother Lu?" Lu Jia said, pretending to be angry, when he saw Lu Xiaoyu constantly blaming himself.

"Can I? Brother Lu, I'm sorry." Lu Xiaoyu turned around and scratched her head somewhat embarrassedly.

"Silly boy, you've really been working hard lately." Lu Jia looked at him approvingly, "You've become a real man!"

"Brother Lu."

Zhong Yi walked out of the living room with a tense expression, spoke to Lu Jia, and nodded to Shen Zhi Qiu when she saw her.

"Zhongyi, where is she?" Lu Jia asked, noticing that Zhongyi's complexion was not good. He was also a little worried.

"Come with me." Shen Zhi Qiu and Lu Jia followed him into the living room.

After passing through two doors and walking all the way to the innermost part, they finally saw a young man whose hands and feet were bound. His hands were tied behind his back, and he looked disheveled.

Upon seeing Shen Zhi Qiu walk in, his expression changed.

"Still won't tell?" Lu Jia glanced at it and frowned.

"Yes, I found a syringe containing a sedative in his pants pocket."

So, it couldn't be as simple as him saying he just wanted to rob someone on a whim. Someone must have sent him. But I checked all his belongings, and there was nothing useful on him. Besides, he didn't have a cell phone or any other electronic devices on him; I suspect he just threw them into the river near the bamboo grove. This guy is definitely suspicious.” Zhong Yi briefly explained the situation.

"Have you found any accomplices?" Lu Jia asked.

"Not for now." Zhong Yi stood there quietly, her cold expression making the man shrink back in fear.

"Leave it to me, I have a way to make him talk." Jiang Bei's cold voice suddenly rang out from behind.

Shen Zhi Qiu frowned, looking at Jiang Bei with some confusion.

"You don't need to worry about it, I..." Jiang Bei hadn't finished speaking when he saw Zhong Yi suddenly make a "shh" gesture at him, then quickly walk to the window, observe the outside, and say in a low voice, "Someone's coming."