However, when he saw the girl again, they had already moved to the alley across the street.

The girl had just finished school and was being led by the hand by the woman, skipping and hopping along.

The woman asked her, "Why are you so happy, baby?"

The girl answered crisply, "Because we just moved to a new house!"

She was oblivious to the fleeting sorrow on the woman's face, and was as happy as a fool.

The woman then asked her, "Does the baby like our new home?"

"I love it! I'd love to live anywhere as long as I'm with my mom!"

Seeing the girl's innocent smile, another idea popped into his head.

She's an idiot.

For a long time afterward, the girl lived there.

Sometimes he would crouch down in a ball at the entrance of the alley. Perhaps because he was too quiet and the place happened to be in the shadows, the girl never noticed him.

She always seemed happy and carefree, often holding a lollipop in her hand.

Sometimes he would think—

Wait until you get cavities and then see how happy you are.

However, he didn't wait for her to get cavities; instead, he received news that her parents had divorced and her mother had moved with her.

He thought that she was so afraid that her father wouldn't be able to find the location of their new home, and that she would be terrified of losing her father.

Surprisingly, she wasn't sad at all; in fact, she seemed quite happy.

The day we moved was also a particularly hot summer day.

She must have been unbearably hot, so she ran to his place, seeking shelter in the perpetually dark alleyway.

That day, he was beaten by the old woman again and didn't eat lunch. After running out, he saw her watching him.

She held a lollipop in her hand again, and it always had the same flavor.

She noticed him looking at her candy, so she decisively put it in her mouth, then took it out and told him that she wouldn't give it to him just because he looked at her pitifully; he had to learn to fight for it himself.

She was immediately called away by her family. As he watched her disappear into the intersection in her car, he noticed that she had dropped a lollipop.

In the dark room, the boy on the bed was wide awake.

Xi Qingxu got up and left the bed, walking to the desk by the faint light.

He turned on the desk lamp, opened the drawer, and took out the small notebook.

I picked up the ballpoint pen and started writing on the back of the page I had just filled out—

I thought of her again tonight.

It ended with just one short sentence.

The curtains facing the desk weren't fully drawn, and the cool moonlight shone through the small gaps onto the notebook.

The boy's face was shrouded in darkness, staring blankly at the sliver of light coming in from outside.

The pages were too thick, and they automatically tilted and flipped. The moonlight glistened on the back of almost every page, revealing the same sentence written there…

More than a month passed quickly, and before we knew it, it was the end of the semester before summer vacation.

During this period, Lu Chuqing spent a lot of time at her second uncle's house, mainly because she was bothered by her two clingy younger brothers.

At dinner, the whole family sat around the table.

Lu Chuqing wanted to eat shredded pork with green peppers, and as soon as she glanced at it, Lu Linqi picked up a piece of pork with his chopsticks.

She turned to the boy and thanked him, "Thank you, brother."

The latter simply and coldly hummed in response.

This person's voice has already changed, but they still don't talk much.

Lu Chuqing thought that what she said that day must have really hurt her second cousin's feelings, making him too scared to say anything more.

With his wife and children at home, Lu Hang has been coming back more often lately.

Although the man is now successful in his career and his temperament has become increasingly cold and stern, at home he is still the same gentle and refined man he always was.

Knowing that both children had exams the next day, the man asked a couple of questions.

Lu Chuqing had just swallowed the food in her mouth, her face full of confident ease. "It's all knowledge I've learned before, the exam will be very easy."

Zhang Qiaoyu smiled and praised her, "Qingqing is really good at studying. She has never been out of the top three in the school rankings."

Lu Hang said with relief, "You're our only girl, and you're so accomplished."

Then she looked at the two little boys and said, "You two need to live up to your expectations. I'll be counting on you two to support your sister in the future!"

Lu Linze immediately expressed his determination to protect his sister when he grows up, saying, "Xiao Ze will definitely work harder to become a great person and never let my sister suffer any injustice!"

Lu Chengyi then looked at Lu Chuqing and said, "Sister, just go ahead and pursue what you want. I will be your strongest support."

Lu Hang and Zhang Qiaoyu were amused by the serious expressions on the two children's faces.

Lu Chuqing patted the little head and pinched the little cheek, "Alright, alright, you two have to keep your word. When the time comes, I'll lie down and wait for you to carry me to new heights!"

The two little ones said, "We definitely will."

Only Lu Linqi spoke up in a low voice, "With me, your older brother, here, you two are just talking nonsense."

Seeing that the two little ones were instantly enraged, the boy continued ruthlessly, "Instead of arguing with me, you should eat a few more bites of food and grow up quickly before talking about anything else."

Sure enough, the two little ones immediately shut up, glanced at each other, and each started shoveling rice into their mouths, unwilling to accept defeat, afraid that if they ate less, the other would gain the advantage of growing up first.

Lu Chuqing wanted to laugh helplessly, and just as she was laughing, another bowl of fish head soup was placed in front of her.

"Drink more soup to nourish your brain."

Seeing the soup placed in front of her, she returned the favor by serving Lu Linqi a bowl as well, saying, "Even though you might not need it, you should still nourish yourself."

Lu Linqi's studies have never caused any trouble since he was a child, and he has always ranked in the top three in his school.

Although Lu Hang did not express much dissatisfaction, he did indicate that he wanted the boy to always come in first place.

So the man asked his son, "Linqi, how confident are you about your final exam score?"

Lu Linqi paused for a moment, then replied truthfully, "I'm 90% confident about the questions, but only 50% confident about being number one in the grade."

Upon hearing this, Lu Hang's expression didn't change much. After a moment of silence, he asked, "What was the name of that classmate you mentioned last time?"

Lu Linqi knew who he was asking about and said, "Xi Qingxu."

Lu Chuqing asked curiously, "He's competing with you for first place?"

The boy didn't reply to her, but said to Lu Hang with a hint of admiration on his face, "He's very good, especially in science. He gets full marks almost every time."

"But his writing isn't particularly good. I heard from his teacher that his writing is dry and mechanical, without any emotion. He only gets points because his logic is clear."

Lu Chuqing couldn't help but say, "He's good at science, so his essays must be written with rational thinking. It would be strange if he showed any emotion!"

Lu Linqi is undeniable.

He had read Xi Qingxu's essay, which required writing about self-awareness and insights.

After looking at him, he felt that the person was like a machine.

What should have been a personal reflection turned into a self-analysis report in his hands.

He is very rational and sharp, making it impossible for others to empathize with his emotions.

Recalling the rumors circulating at school, he said, "I heard that his family is not well-off. It must be due to his upbringing that his writing lacks emotion."