She couldn’t help but think, Why does he have to look so good just for a dinner?
Once all the dishes were served, they gathered around the table, chatting noisily. The atmosphere was lively.
Over the years, they had all grown up, but these kinds of gatherings weren’t particularly rare for them—they often got together like this. Things might change once they all started working; life is always full of unexpected shifts.
There was plenty of alcohol on the table—beer and fruit wine alike.
Everyone sitting there was an adult, and even if Lin Yanyan wanted to drink, no one stopped her. Lin Ran thought, with him around, what could possibly happen? What he didn’t know was that Song Xingyu was thinking the exact same thing.
The only person aware of the truth, Sheng Qingxi, glanced at the two men but said nothing.
They all chatted easily together, given how familiar they were. Song Xingyu could talk to anyone, a skill honed by his experiences in his youth, which actually made Lin Yanyan feel a bit sorry for him.
The moment Sheng Qingxi entered, she noticed something off about Lin Yanyan.
The young girl was clearly trying to avoid someone. Among the people here, who else could she be avoiding?
Sitting next to Lin Yanyan, Sheng Qingxi leaned in and quietly asked, “Yanyan, did you have a fight with him?”
Lin Yanyan hung her head and quietly responded, “Yeah, that day I walked in and saw a woman reaching for his hand. He pulled away, but I was just upset—really upset, for no particular reason.”
Sheng Qingxi thought for a moment and asked, “Did he try to comfort you? Did he explain?”
Lin Yanyan nodded, “He did, but then we started talking about my time at Ningcheng University. I asked him why he never gets jealous or upset, and he went silent. I got angry and said we should break up.”
Sheng Qingxi: “……”
This little girl really overthinks things.
But then again, her own experience with relationships wasn’t much broader, and her dynamic with Lin Ran was completely different from theirs. After all, everyone is different, and Sheng Qingxi couldn’t think of a good solution at the moment.
She just felt that understanding relationships was much harder than studying.
Sheng Qingxi glanced at Lin Ran, who was nearby, and scooted a bit closer to Lin Yanyan. “What did he say after that?”
Sheng Qingxi was already sitting close to Lin Ran, and though he was talking with the others, he wasn’t paying attention to her conversation with Lin Yanyan. However, when she moved closer, he became annoyed, grabbed her hand, and pulled her back.
“What are you hiding from?” Lin Ran raised an eyebrow.
Sheng Qingxi struggled a bit, giving him a look. “I’m just talking with Yanyan. Let go.”
Lin Ran snorted, “Not letting go. Talk all you want, I’m not listening.”
With no other choice, Sheng Qingxi let him hold her hand. As she continued chatting with Lin Yanyan about Song Xingyu, she didn’t notice what Lin Ran was doing. He took the opportunity to slip the ring from her pocket and quietly put it on her finger, all without her realizing.
Sheng Qingxi was still focused on what Lin Yanyan was saying.
“One week—today, right?”
Lin Yanyan puffed up her cheeks and sighed, “Yeah, today. I haven’t figured out what to say to him yet. Last time… he didn’t seem like his usual self.”
Remembering the dark look in Song Xingyu’s eyes, Lin Yanyan bit her lip nervously.
Sheng Qingxi was momentarily stunned.
Though she was a little worried, she wasn’t afraid that Song Xingyu would mistreat Lin Yanyan. She gently reassured her, “You two should talk it out later. Don’t get too worked up; try to have a calm conversation. Ask him what you want to know—he’ll definitely explain it to you.”
Lin Yanyan sighed. That was probably the best she could do.
As the meal went on, and everyone had eaten their fill, the mood around the table was lively and relaxed.
Suddenly, Lin Ran spoke up, “I’m getting married.”
Everyone: “…….”
The once-bustling room fell into dead silence. Xie Zhen and He Mo stared at Lin Ran in stunned disbelief, and Lin Yanyan froze in shock as well. Only Song Xingyu and Sheng Qingxi remained composed.
Though Sheng Qingxi appeared calm, it was only on the surface.
After all, Lin Ran’s bride was her, and he was holding her hand on the table for everyone to see. The ring on her finger was now clearly visible to everyone.
Lin Yanyan stared blankly for a moment before realizing, “Brother, is that why you’ve been in such a bad mood these past few days? Because the civil affairs bureau wasn’t open? But didn’t you already know that…?”
Her voice grew weaker as she finished speaking, because Lin Ran shot her a quick glance.
Sensing his gaze, she wisely shut her mouth.
Xie Zhen let out a loud “Damn!” and exclaimed, “No wonder you’ve been pulling that face these past few days. You’re getting married? That was fast! And wow, that diamond is huge—so pretty!”
He Mo, who had known about it in advance, poured a glass of wine and offered his congratulations.
Song Xingyu also smiled and offered his blessings, though a faint hint of intoxication glimmered in his eyes behind his glasses.
He hadn’t missed the moment when Lin Yanyan had been staring eagerly at Sheng Qingxi’s ring.
The ups and downs between Lin Ran and Sheng Qingxi had been witnessed by all of them. It hadn’t been easy for the two to reach this point in their relationship. Thankfully, they had made it through and would hopefully continue to be happy together in the future.
After Lin Ran had made his big announcement, he toasted each of them individually before leaving with Sheng Qingxi. He still had other matters to attend to.
Xie Zhen and He Mo continued chatting and drinking, easily able to keep the conversation going for another two hours. By that time, only four people were left at the table. Lin Yanyan, not wanting to stay any longer, found an excuse to slip away to the rooftop garden.
Song Xingyu, sitting patiently for a while, waited for the right moment when Xie Zhen and He Mo were distracted and quietly followed after her.
…
On the rooftop.
This winter, Chucheng had been blanketed with snow for quite some time, and the rooftop was still covered in a thin layer. The dark night sky was overcast with clouds, with not a hint of moonlight visible. The only light came from the greenhouse, glowing like small stars against the night.
Song Xingyu didn’t enter right away.
He stood silently in the snow, watching Lin Yanyan through the glass. She sat on the swing, lost in thought. They hadn’t seen each other for a week, and she looked thinner, her mood seemingly downcast.
Three years ago, he never imagined that things would develop like this with the little girl.
Looking back, it seemed like Lin Yanyan had been the one chasing him, but in truth, it was him who had fallen for her first. The gap between them had felt too wide, and he never thought that his fleeting interest back then would turn into something real.
Song Xingyu knew himself well.
He was a man of extreme indifference, completely different from Lin Ran. Lin Ran had a heart of pure innocence, something Song Xingyu had even envied. Lin Ran was able to be true to himself, and on top of that, he had Sheng Qingxi.
Over the years, Song Xingyu had been in relationships before, but each one was brief.
Eventually, he found it tedious—pretending to care was exhausting, and dealing with those women was tiresome. He realized he was better off alone.
He had thought he wasn’t capable of love—until he met Lin Yanyan.
Song Xingyu sighed.
The cold, biting wind and snow dampened the violent frustration that had been bubbling inside him. He wasn’t sure if he could keep his emotions in check if Lin Yanyan mentioned breaking up again. It was a feeling too unfamiliar to him.
He had always liked being in control of everything, both in the past and the present. Yet over the years, Lin Yanyan had become the one thing he couldn’t control.
Lin Yanyan, still lost in her thoughts, had her mind filled with memories of Song Xingyu’s demeanor from a week ago.
Just as she was thinking about him, he appeared.
Her gaze froze on him. She didn’t know how long he had been standing there, but his wool coat was already covered in snow, and his black hair looked dusted with frost, like sugar crystals. He stood there silently, staring at her.
She bit her lip, hesitating for a moment before standing up and running toward the greenhouse door.
“Song Xingyu,” she called out with a pout, “what are you doing? Pretending to be a snowman?”
Song Xingyu stood there for a long while, making no move to step inside.
He really did look like a snowman, quietly blending into the night.
Lin Yanyan, filled with frustration, grabbed Song Xingyu by the arm and dragged him into the greenhouse. To her surprise, it didn’t take much effort at all—he simply followed her, his gaze never leaving her.
Inside, the greenhouse was warm.
It was a stark contrast to the freezing world outside, much like the contrast between their lives.
They had always been different people.
Lin Yanyan fetched a clean towel and, standing on her tiptoes, moved closer to Song Xingyu to wipe the snow from his coat. Just as she reached up to continue, his cold fingers wrapped around her wrist, making her shiver.
She looked up and met his gaze.
“Yanyan, have you thought it through?”
His tone was as gentle as ever, but the intensity in his eyes made Lin Yanyan feel an unsettling sense of danger.
Annoyed, she furrowed her brows. He hadn’t said a word to her all night, and now, the first thing he asked was this? Was he really so eager to break up with her? It was too much.
Lin Yanyan turned away, tossing the towel onto the table, then faced Song Xingyu directly, staring him down.
Remembering Sheng Qingxi’s advice, she gathered a bit of courage.
“Song Xingyu,” she called out, her voice tense.
Song Xingyu’s eyes roamed over her small, tense face. When he saw the seriousness in her expression, he hesitated—he was suddenly afraid of what she might say next. He never thought he would feel fear like this.
After a long pause, he responded softly, “I’m here.”
Lin Yanyan looked straight at him and asked, “Do you love me?”
Song Xingyu froze.
What?
The greenhouse was deathly quiet, so quiet that Lin Yanyan could hear his breathing. He didn’t answer for a long time, and suddenly, she felt that there could be no other answer except no. She no longer wanted to ask anything else.
From the very beginning, it had always been her pushing too hard.
Lin Yanyan turned away, no longer looking at Song Xingyu, but the more she thought about it, the more upset she became.
She hated him!
The silence of the greenhouse was finally broken.
Song Xingyu snapped out of his daze, and he heard it—the sound of her sobbing.
Lin Yanyan was crying.
“Yanyan?” He pulled her small figure into his arms from behind. Once she was nestled against him, filling the emptiness in his embrace, he couldn’t help but let out a soft sigh. “Yanyan, that’s not what I meant.”
He gently cupped her face and lifted her chin, lowering his head to kiss away the tears on her cheeks.
His soft, delicate kisses fell on her face like snowflakes.
Yet the girl in his arms continued to cry, completely ignoring whether he was kissing her or not, her sobs genuine and unrestrained.
Song Xingyu let out a low sigh. “Yanyan, it’s not that I don’t get jealous. I just don’t want to restrain you. You’re still young, and I’m afraid… afraid that if I control you too much, you’ll find me annoying. You know I don’t have the best temper. Did I scare you last week?”
“It won’t happen again. It was my fault for letting you see that side of me.”
His soft, warm breath brushed against Lin Yanyan’s ear as he spoke. She continued to sob quietly and asked, “Do you not love me? Was it me pushing you into this relationship all along?”
“No, that’s not it.”
Song Xingyu tightened his embrace around her.
Lin Yanyan froze for a moment. “Then… do you love me?”
She asked for the second time.
This time, Song Xingyu couldn’t avoid the question any longer. In truth, he didn’t know how to say it, how to express it. He was even afraid that the beast inside him would scare Lin Yanyan away. But she had to know.
Lowering his head, he tightened his arms around her waist.
Suddenly, Lin Yanyan found herself pressed against the cold glass door.
His breath came down on her like a mountain, his large hand sliding through her black hair while his other hand pinned her wrists above her head. The entire situation was under Song Xingyu’s control.
He casually removed his glasses and tossed them aside, no longer hiding the intense emotions in his eyes.
Possession, fierceness, aggression, and waves of overwhelming love and obsession.
Lin Yanyan’s eyes widened as his burning lips pressed down hard on hers. She couldn’t help but whimper.
This was the first time he kissed her like this.
Song Xingyu’s kisses were always gentle—he had never been forceful with her. But this time, he completely let go, wanting her to feel every ounce of the stormy love he had for her, to make her understand once and for all how deeply he loved her.
A long while later.
Song Xingyu finally released Lin Yanyan. Her body went limp, and she could barely stand, leaning heavily against him, gasping for breath.
The man’s gaze lowered, his voice hoarse. “Yanyan, do you still need to ask if I love you?”
Lin Yanyan wanted to cry, her voice trembling, “I’m not asking anymore…”
She almost felt like she had died in his arms.
—
**The morning of the seventh day.**
Still half-asleep, Sheng Qingxi was pulled out of bed by an energetic Lin Ran. She lazily wrapped her arms around his neck as he carried her to the bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. Over the past few days, she had grown used to Lin Ran taking care of her like this.
“Lin Ran, is it just the two of us going?” Sheng Qingxi asked with her eyes closed.
Lin Ran carefully wiped her face and answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, “We’re the ones getting married, so of course it’s just the two of us. No one else matters.”
Sheng Qingxi thought that made sense.
She yawned softly, “I’m so tired.”
Lin Ran, who wasn’t the least bit tired, bent down and kissed her cheek, smiling proudly. “How could you be so tired? I didn’t even touch you last night. Did you have a bad dream?”
Sheng Qingxi shook her head, “I just haven’t been sleeping well lately.”
Lin Ran paused for a moment, then suggested mischievously, “Since you’re never fully rested anyway, why not do something fun?”
Sheng Qingxi was instantly wide awake. She lifted her eyelids and glanced at him, letting out a soft huff. “No, I’m going back to Shengkai. School’s starting soon, and I’ll stay with Mom. You can go have fun by yourself.”