After finishing breakfast, Xia Linan went out with Fu Yiming, which was also Fu Yiming's request.

In his words, he was not comfortable with Xia Linan going out alone, so he had to personally send her to the agreed location and watch her go in before he was willing to leave with peace of mind.

Xia Linan arrived at the agreed coffee shop, but it was too early and had just opened, so there were not many people in the shop.

Xia Linan walked in and immediately spotted Ma Siluo sitting by the window. She refused the waiter's lead and walked over by herself. She found that Ma Siluo was staring at the fountain in the square outside, in a daze, with a look of sorrow between his brows.

Xia Linan frowned, but still interrupted Ma Siluo's thoughts by saying, "Siluo?"

Ma Siluo came back to her senses. She forced a smile and asked Xia Linan to sit down: "Linan, you're here? Come and sit down."

Xia Lin'an smiled slightly, then sat down opposite Ma Siluo.

They each ordered a cappuccino, looked at each other, and didn't know how to start a conversation.

Xia Linan raised his eyelids and took a closer look at Ma Siluo, and found that the indigo under her eyes was very deep, which could not be concealed by any exquisite makeup. Ma Siluo's face also looked a little haggard.

Xia Lin'an couldn't help but worry. She didn't know what happened between the Xia family and the Ma family after she and Fu Yiming left that night.

It was not until the next morning that Ma Silu called her, asked for the Xia family's address, and then hung up.

Before Xia Linan had the chance to ask for the specific reason, Ma Siluo's call further confirmed Xia Linan's guess that Ma Siluo had a relationship with her brother Xia Yansi, and it was a very close one.

Xia Linan has always been a thoughtful person. She can see Ma Siluo's emotions, but she can't get into Ma Siluo's heart and take the initiative to bring up that topic. She can only wait for Ma Siluo to be willing to talk to her.

As for her brother and friends, if either of them really did something wrong, Xia Lin'an didn't want to make a choice. She just wanted to stand behind them and support them.

No matter what happened, she couldn't choose sides and abandon her brother or her friends.

Xia Linan was stirring the coffee gently, but he heard the woman opposite him put down the coffee spoon, making a crisp "ding" sound.

Xia Linan looked up and happened to meet Ma Siluo's gaze. Ma Siluo then lowered his eyebrows, hiding the sadness in his eyes, and said in a very calm tone: "I didn't like sweet things before, but then one day, I found that I was tired of bitter things, and I wanted to add a little sweetness every moment."

Xia Linan listened silently. She seemed to understand, but also seemed not to understand very well. So she chose to listen to Ma Siluo continue to talk: "But, Linan, you know what? It's not that I added sugar to the coffee, so it won't be bitter."

Ma Siluo smiled bitterly and continued, "God has made me understand that not everyone who is together can be happy and blessed."

Xia Linan stroked the wall of the cup with his fingers and didn't say anything.

Ma Siluo looked at Xia Linan, smiled self-deprecatingly and said, "You may have guessed it, right? What happened between me and your brother."

Xia Linan and Ma Silu looked at each other and said honestly, "Yeah." Then she added, "I guessed a little."

So, Ma Siluo told the story between her and Xia Yansi: "Seven years ago, I went to the United States to study, and happened to be in the same university as him. I was a freshman and he was a graduate student."

Even if Ma Siluo did not name anyone, Xia Linan knew that "he" was her brother, Xia Yansi.

"We met at a hometown gathering. I was new here and didn't know anything. He was very friendly and introduced me to many friends. It was also that night that I developed a crush on him."

"In the following years, we became good friends. He gave me a lot of valuable advice both in study and life, so I gradually fell in love with him."

Ma Siluo caught the confusion and curiosity in Xia Linan's eyes. She knew what it was, so she said, "Are you curious why I didn't express my feelings to him back then?"

Xia Linan blinked her eyes, indicating that Ma Siluo had guessed her doubts. Xia Linan was indeed curious, since Ma Siluo liked Xia Yansi, why didn't he choose to confess to him?

Ma Siluo lowered her eyebrows and glanced at the disturbed milk foam in the cup. She smiled helplessly and said slowly, "Actually, I have thought about doing that, but my education does not allow me to be so shameless. I have the reputation of a family behind me."

The Ma family's family education has always been the strictest. Even the most favored Ma Siluo could not escape such autocratic and overbearing family rules, and could not hide from the high hopes her father and mother placed on her.

This is what she should be most proud of but also the saddest thing about. She has become a victim of the tide of this era.

From the moment she was born, her parents arranged her future path, allowing her to receive the best education, marry the best man, and live a life that is admired by others.

Ma Siluo had no choice on his own, from what classes to attend and what to study every day to what friends to make and what job to do. Everything was arranged by his father and mother.

Ma Siluo had no desires or requests, so she let her parents arrange everything for her. Then she lived a puppet-like life, waking up every day without any hope.

However, after meeting Xia Yansi, Ma Siluo discovered that the missing piece in his heart had finally been found.

During the years she was abroad, although she had no family around her, she was very happy every day, especially when she woke up in the morning. She had thoughts in her mind and was full of anticipation for the whole day to come.

Because Xia Yansi is her obsession, she would think hard about what to wear on the day in order to meet him by chance, she would spray herself with a little perfume before going out every day to make him happy, and she would study hard to be worthy of his talent.

Those days seemed to be stolen from the cracks of time, because Ma Siluo knew that after completing her studies, she would return to China to accept the life arranged for her by her parents. Her past and future were all determined, and only this period of time was what she owned and cherished.

Xia Lin'an saw that Ma Siluo's eyes seemed to be moist, as if they had been soaked in water, and then various emotions such as sadness, helplessness, happiness, and sweetness appeared alternately in Ma Siluo's eyes.

Even if Ma Siluo didn't say it, Xia Lin'an could feel how tormented Ma Siluo was at the moment.

Xia Linan could understand why Ma Siluo did that, but he could not accept it.

In her opinion, life is her own and she has the final say on how to go about the future.

Perhaps this is the difference between Xia Linan and Ma Siluo. Xia Linan dares to rebel against his parents for himself, but Ma Siluo does not dare to do so.