Glimpse

Under the meticulous care of Lin's father and mother, the days flowed by smoothly like a stream. Lin Xueyin's health improved significantly, her belly became more and more obvious, and her face regained the soft glow of a young mother.

Although there was still an invisible barrier between her and Song Zhiyuan, the suffocating feeling of tension had indeed faded a lot.

Lin Guodong and Su Yuzhen, who were initially worried and wary of Song Zhiyuan, have now seen a gradual change in their attitude. Living here, they have witnessed many details firsthand.

They saw that no matter how busy Song Zhiyuan was every day, he would always make time to come. Sometimes he would only stay for ten minutes, ask about the doctor's condition, take a look at Lin Xueyin, confirm that she was okay, and then leave.

He still didn't talk much, but the things he brought were becoming more and more thoughtful - no longer expensive supplements, sometimes it was a few collections of essays that Lin Xueyin might be interested in, sometimes it was a box of Suzhou-style pastries that she occasionally mentioned wanting to eat, and once, it was even a pot of elegant jasmine flowers in full bloom, placed on the windowsill, filling the room with fragrance.

They saw how once, when Lin Xueyin suffered a calf cramp in the middle of the night, the pain so intense she was in tears, it was Song Zhiyuan who immediately rang the bell to call the doctor. Then, he sat silently by her bedside, using his hands, accustomed to giving orders, to massage her, clumsily but persistently, until she fell asleep again. The nervousness that flashed across his brow at that moment didn't seem fake.

They saw that when Lin Xueyin struggled to walk due to swelling in her late pregnancy, Song Zhiyuan would quietly slow down to accommodate her pace. When she needed to sit down, he would pull out a chair in advance. These subtle, almost imperceptible gestures revealed a patience that transcended responsibility.

More importantly, they began to see changes in their daughter's eyes that she herself had not noticed.

At first, Lin Xueyin always kept her eyes downcast and her body tense in front of Song Zhiyuan. But since then, she'd occasionally lift her eyelashes and glance at him quickly while he spoke. When he brought her a book or snack she liked, she still said nothing, but a faint glimmer would flicker across her eyes, one she wasn't even aware of.

Once, Song Zhiyuan didn't come for two consecutive days due to official business. Although Lin Xueyin didn't say anything, she was obviously a little uneasy and looked at the door from time to time.

Lin Guodong and Su Yuzhen saw all of this.

"Lao Lin, tell me...Yinyin feels towards Comrade Song, right..." One night, when Su Yuzhen returned to the apartment, she couldn't help but mutter to her husband.

Lin Guodong smoked silently, then sighed after a while: "At first, it was fear and resentment. But now... look at her, she may not say it, but she may be a little relieved in her heart."

"I think Comrade Song... is also concerned about Yinyin." Su Yuzhen recalled the details, "but his personality is too cold and hard. He won't say soft words."

"Coming from a family like that, and in that position, it's truly rare for someone like him to be like this." Lin Guodong saw things more clearly. "If he were to keep sweet-talking people, it wouldn't seem genuine. Now, while he may seem a little silly, he seems genuine."

Sincerely? Su Yuzhen pondered the word. Perhaps, it wasn't entirely out of responsibility and good for the child, but also a little bit of love for her daughter as a person?

This realization has greatly alleviated the humiliation and worries they felt because of "reaching above their means" and "forcing".

If the two of them were not completely heartless, if Song Zhiyuan was truly sincere towards his daughter, then this marriage that began as forced marriage, perhaps... was not completely hopeless.

As a result, the attitudes of Lin Guodong and Su Yuzhen began to change subtly.

They no longer deliberately found topics to come between them when Song Zhiyuan came, as they did at the beginning. Instead, they would find excuses to leave for a while at the right time to give them space to be alone.

When Song Zhiyuan brought something, Su Yuzhen would smile and say to Lin Xueyin, "Yinyin, look how attentive Comrade Song is. He even remembered that you like this."

She would take the initiative to talk to Song Zhiyuan about the interesting things that happened in Lin Xueyin's childhood, what she liked and hated, trying to make him understand his daughter better.

In his limited interactions with Song Zhiyuan, Lin Guodong would go beyond mere politeness and would occasionally mention the stubbornness and sensitivity in Lin Xueyin's character, suggesting that more patience and gentleness were needed.

Their matchmaking is subtle and unnoticeable, like spring rain, moistening everything silently.

Song Zhiyuan was so perceptive that he naturally noticed the change in Lin's father and mother's attitude. He didn't point it out, but the cold and hard aura around him seemed to subtly soften a little when he was with the two elderly people.

He would listen to Su Yuzhen more patiently and would silently remember the occasional mention of Lin Xueyin's preferences by Lin Guodong.

For Lin Xueyin, the change in her parents' attitude felt like silent encouragement and a relaxation of her environment. Her complex feelings toward Song Zhiyuan—fear and resentment, perhaps tinged with a touch of attraction to his strength and his occasionally clumsy concern—began to emerge more clearly.

She was no longer so resistant to his approach, and sometimes she would even feel a little comfortable and sleepy when he massaged her swollen legs because of the perfect strength.

When he brought her a book she liked, she would actually pick it up and read it. There was even one time when she unconsciously expressed her opinion on a point in the book. Although she immediately pursed her lips, the natural communication at that moment made both of them stunned.

Song Zhiyuan watched her quickly retreat into her shell, and something seemed to melt slightly in the depths of his eyes.

It's a slow process, like the quiet melting of ice and snow in the spring sun. The cracks are widening, and the ice is thinning.

Lin Guodong and Su Yuzhen looked at the smiles that were gradually appearing on their daughter's face, which were real and not forced, and at the gentleness that occasionally flashed across Song Zhiyuan's cold brows, which he himself had not even noticed, and the big stone in their hearts finally slowly fell to the ground.

Perhaps this bumpy beginning could actually lead to a less bleak future. They didn't seek wealth or fame, only hope for their daughter's safety and happiness. And now, they seemed to see a tiny glimmer of hope.

The word "love" is too heavy, perhaps it's not even worth mentioning. But dependence, habit, and the emotions that quietly grow under that coercion, even those involved are not clear, are quietly growing in this unique situation, like a blade of grass struggling to grow from a crack in the rock, tenacious and secretive.