Liu Ercui and Qi Feng set up five tables in the restaurant and entertained their relatives and friends.

Liu Ercui was wearing a red suit and Qi Feng was also wearing a suit.

The two of them standing together, look very well matched.

Wang Xiaogang did not come, but asked Qin Hanshu to pay the contribution.

At the children's table, Pepe was unusually quiet and went out halfway through the meal.

Seeing this, Zhou Xi followed.

Pepe squatted by the road, staring blankly at the passing cars.

Seeing Zhou Chi coming over, she called out, "Little Brother Xiao Chi."

Zhou Qi retorted: "I am in high school and you are in junior high school, and I am taller than you now, so you can't call me your brother anymore."

Zhou Qi finally started to grow taller this year and is now a head taller than Pepe.

Pepe said: "Then you were born later than me, so you will be my younger brother all your life."

Zhou Xi felt uncomfortable when he heard the word "brother", but he didn't know why, as he didn't feel anything when he was a child.

He subconsciously skipped the question.

"Why did you come out? Don't you want your mother to marry Uncle Qi?"

Pei Pei shook his head without hesitation, "No, Uncle Qi is fine."

Zhou Xi: "Then you are unhappy."

"I'm not unhappy, I just feel a little... I don't know how to describe this feeling..."

Pei Pei thought for a moment and said, "My eldest brother is dating someone, and his future sister-in-law said that they will live on their own after they get married. Now that my mother is married to Uncle Qi, is she going to live with Uncle Qi? Then I will live alone from now on? What if there are ghosts at night? I'm scared."

Zhou Xi said: "There are no ghosts in this world."

Pepe didn't say anything. Whether there were ghosts or not, she was afraid of living alone.

Zhou Xi added: "Even if Aunt Cui lives with Uncle Qi, she will bring you along. You are still a minor, and she has the obligation to raise you."

Pepe: “…” I always feel that this kind of comfort is a bit weird.

"Hey, your mother is looking for you." A dark, thin and tall boy stood at the door and shouted over here.

Zhou Qi asked: "Who is he?"

Pei Pei curled her lips and said, "Uncle Qi's son Qi Lang."

Qi Lang is two years older than her. He was delayed in going to school when he was young and now he is in the same class with her.

At school, Qi Lang likes to stir up trouble and has poor grades. He is a typical problem student.

Pepe had always been distant from him and never spoke to him at school.

Peipei felt that Qi Lang probably didn't like her either. Every time he had to talk to her, he was too lazy to even call her name, like at this moment.

Pepe responded and Qi Lang turned around and went back.

"Let's go in." Pepe took Zhou Qi's hand.

The two have been close since childhood. Even though they are no longer neighbors, their mothers have a good relationship and they often play together. They don't think there is anything wrong with such behavior.

When passing by Qi Lang, Qi Lang glanced at the two people holding hands, then looked away as if nothing had happened.

After Liu Ercui got married, she did not move to Qi Feng's place, but instead they bought a new house together.

Huo Zhenduo built a batch of houses for export. Qin Hanshu bought two for investment, and Liu Ercui also bought two, one for her eldest son's wedding and one for herself.

It’s a large apartment with four suites, and Pepe and Qilang both have their own rooms.

Although they lived under the same roof, Pepe and Qi Lang were still the same as before and would not communicate unless necessary.

In July, Zhou Qi took the college entrance examination.

He applied to Kyoto University without a second thought, after all, that was the highest capital in the country.

Soon, I received the admission letter.

Qin Hanshu and Zhou Weiguang had no objection to this, but Zhou Sheng complained with a sad face: "Brother, are you so willing to leave us? If you want to study medicine, Jiangda's medical school is also very good!"

Zhou Qi pushed up his glasses and said calmly, "So what if I'm reluctant? How can I stay in my parents' arms forever? Zhou Sheng, separation is a compulsory subject in life."

"That being said, your behavior is too cold-blooded." Zhou Sheng turned to Qin Hanshu and said, "Mom, aren't you right? He doesn't seem to be reluctant at all. If it were me, I would definitely hug my mother and cry."

Zhou Xi: "...to sow discord."

Zhou Sheng made a face at Zhou Xie, "Go ahead. If you leave, I will get my parents to come to my side and they will only love me from now on."

Zhou Qi: "...childish."

Zhou Sheng added: "Sister Peipei will also be snatched away by someone, and you won't even have a friend in the future!"

Zhou Xi: “…”

Hearing this, Qin Hanshu asked Zhou Xie: "I haven't seen Peipei come home for a long time. Have you told her that you are going to Beijing to study in university?"

Zhou Xie is not very sociable and has never brought any close friends home. As far as Qin Hanshu knows, only his childhood sweetheart Peipei can be considered his good friend.

Zhou Jing shook his head, "I haven't said it yet."

Qin Hanshu said: "You are good friends, you should tell her earlier."

Zhou Xi nodded silently.

When he first filled out his application, he had no distractions and was only thinking about pursuing his ideal school.

But when he received the acceptance letter and was confirmed to leave the city, he suddenly had an inexplicable feeling that he didn't want to tell Pepe.

He didn't know how to describe this feeling. To say that he was reluctant didn't seem entirely right.

Peipei learned from Liu Ercui that Zhou Xie was going to Beijing to study at university.

She found Zhou Qi and asked, "Why didn't you tell me that you were admitted to Beijing University? Don't you want to share this good news with me?"

Zhou Qi was stunned and shook his head, "No."

Pepe smiled and took out the gift she had prepared, a green woolen scarf.

It was popular among the girls in the class to knit scarves and gloves, so Pepe followed suit. She had no talent in this area and always missed stitches. She had to knit and unknit many times before she could knit a pair that was presentable.

"I heard that the capital is quite cold. You can bring it with you and wear it in winter."

Zhou Xi took the scarf, and her heartstrings were suddenly plucked.

"Pepe, what university do you want to go to in the future?"

Pepe glared at him, "Are you mocking me on purpose? With my grades, of course I can get into anything I can."

"It's not sarcasm..." Zhou Xi felt like he had a lot to say, but when the time came he didn't know what to say.

It was not until much later, when Zhou Qi saw that Pepe was often accompanied by another person of the opposite sex, that he understood what that inexplicable feeling was.

It's fear, fear that because of his long absence, the empty space next to Pepe will be occupied by someone else.