"Speak up, it's better to speak up. We need to have a serious talk. I don't want to explain anything, it's entirely my fault. I know I hurt you deeply, I failed to protect you. So I accept your arrangement and will give you some time to process things. Now that we can both calm down, let's talk?"

"You didn't choose the right time. I'm in a bad mood today, so we can't talk." Qin Xiaoyu had no intention of giving him a chance.

“I think the timing is perfect. Xiaoyu, you’ve been living too repressed a life. You’re always the one taking care of other people’s feelings and hardly ever vent your own, so every time I meet you, you’re on the verge of collapse. If you want to succeed, you need to change the weaknesses in your personality so you can go far.” Zhou Xing’s words stirred something in Qin Xiaoyu’s heart, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Are you finished? Thank you for your counseling. You can go now."

"I haven't finished speaking, but that's all I can say. You probably think what I'm saying is pointless and you won't listen. I don't want to make any promises right now. Aren't we happy like this? Let's keep this relationship. For the children, for the two elders, and for myself. Thank you for giving me this opportunity." After Zhou Xing finished speaking, he tentatively asked, "Shall I drive?"

"Given your personality, weren't you going to come around and switch seats with me directly?"

"Given your personality, you would have driven away as soon as I got out of the car."

"When did you become so knowledgeable about me?" Qin Xiaoyu was amused by his words.

"It's not too late now," Zhou Xing smiled.

Qin Xiaoyu sighed, opened the car door, and jumped out.

"It's not that bad, but it's not that good either," Zhou Xing muttered to himself.

Qin Xiaoyu wholeheartedly agreed.

Zhou Xing did not go home with her; the two switched places at the entrance of the military region.

Snowflakes were falling again. Zhou Xing walked along the road, his neck hunched, his figure receding into the distance. Only then did Qin Xiaoyu slowly drive the car into the gate.

Zhou Xing's mother was waiting downstairs. When she saw her return, she quickly poured some hot milk over.

"Have you eaten? Why are your hands so cold? Did you meet your mother?"

"I saw him." Qin Xiaoyu bit her lip with her delicate white teeth, tears welling up in her eyes again.

"After so many years without seeing each other, do you two have a good chat?" Zhou Xing's mother asked worriedly.

Qin Xiaoyu was speechless. She shook her head and accidentally shed tears.

"What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Zhou Xing's mother put down the cup and hugged Qin Xiaoyu.

"She doesn't like me..." Qin Xiaoyu's grievances burst forth.

"What mother wouldn't love her own child? You're overthinking it. It's definitely not true. You're too sensitive. Alright, alright." Zhou Xing's mother soothed Qin Xiaoyu like a younger sister, shushing and patting her to calm her down.

After calming down, Qin Xiaoyu tearfully recounted the entire meeting, and Zhou Xing's mother also shed tears. The two talked until midnight without realizing it. Qin Xiaoyu kept glancing at the door; Zhou Xing hadn't returned, and she didn't know where he had gone.

"Go upstairs and go to sleep. Take a hot shower and calm down." Zhou Xing's mother watched Qin Xiaoyu go upstairs.

Her body, warmed by the hot water, seemed to regain its vitality. Only then did she realize that she hadn't eaten all day and her legs were weak.

She put on a thick bathrobe and was about to go downstairs to find something when she heard a noise at the door. Zhou Xing's mother came in carrying a tray; the fragrant toast and hot milk went very well together.

"Eat up, it's too late. Don't eat too much. I'll make you something delicious tomorrow morning." Zhou Xing's mother put down the plate and nodded with relief as she watched Qin Xiaoyu wolf down her food.

"Auntie, you should go to sleep. You must be tired too." Qin Xiaoyu smiled shyly. She had revealed too much emotion that day, exposing her vulnerability. She was not like herself at all.

"Little Fish, there's something I need to tell you, don't blame me for being picky. You've been calling me 'Grandpa' for a while now, but you've never called me 'Mom' before," Zhou Xing's mother said hesitantly.

"Mom." Qin Xiaoyu jumped up from the chair, hugged Zhou Xing's mother and blurted out, her eyes reddening, and then she hugged her neck shyly.

"Okay, go eat, and go to bed early."

Breakfast was unusually plentiful, including red bean porridge, salt and pepper mini steamed buns, beef meatball soup, and a steamer of zucchini and egg dumplings, all of which Qin Xiaoyu loved.

"My mom is getting more and more biased," Zhou Yue muttered, chewing on a steamed bun.

"Godmother, here's one of my cookies." The little sister quickly offered up her precious cookies.

“Your godmother ate them all, she didn’t leave you a single piece,” Zhou Yue teased her deliberately.

"Eat up, don't save any for me." The younger sister clearly didn't mean what she said, her big eyes staring nervously at Zhou Yue.

"If you don't want to stay, then don't." Zhou Xing appeared out of nowhere, snatched the biscuit, and popped it into his mouth, crunching away.

The little girl never expected this outcome, and tears streamed down her face.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Zhou Xing's mother, not knowing what had happened, ran out in a panic.

"It's okay, I'm fine." The little girl pouted, trying her best to act like nothing was wrong, but in the end she couldn't hold back and burst into tears.

"What are you doing, making the child cry so early in the morning!" Commander Zhou came downstairs and immediately got angry when he saw the situation.

"They're just teasing us. Little sister isn't that stingy. It's just a cookie!" Qin Xiaoyu quickly came over to put out the fire.

"Whoever eats it should buy it!" Commander Zhou declared.

"Where did he buy it? His Grandma Wang brought it back from Switzerland," Zhou Xing's mother said angrily.

"We still have to buy it." Commander Zhou refused to let Zhou Xing off the hook.

"That's easy. I'll go to Jing Tian's house tomorrow, and he'll bring back plenty of things."

"Jing Tian is back?" Qin Xiaoyu suddenly thought of Tang Wenwen, and her heart clenched.

"He's back to visit relatives, but he'll be going back before the Spring Festival. Haven't seen Wenwen lately?" Zhou Xing was indeed trying to get information out of Jing Tian.

"She went out; she's not home."

"I heard she resigned?"

"How come your ears are so long!" Qin Xiaoyu sneered. Jing Tian must have gone to the chemical plant to inquire, otherwise how would Zhou Xing know all this? This kind of man, he breaks up with you so easily, and now that he's back in the country and lonely, he wants to get back together? Dream on.

"Alright, I've been nosy," Zhou Xing sighed and sat down at the table.

"Why do I always feel like you're hiding something from me?" Zhou Yue asked, frowning.

"Sister, you should just stick to being a housewife. Nothing else is suitable for you," Zhou Xing teased Zhou Yue.

Qin Xiaoyu noticed that Zhou Xing's personality seemed to have changed drastically after his brush with death. How did the originally aloof person become such a pushover?

"Little Fish, take me to work today. I'm determined to build a great career. If you don't believe me, I'll stay at home and be a housewife!"

After taking Zhou Yue to the store, her cousin-in-law couldn't stand it for more than half a day.

"Get her out of here, she doesn't belong here."

"What's wrong?"

"She sold vinegar bottles as soy sauce and poured sugar into the salt shaker. We can't afford this rich girl!"