Until yesterday, she seemed to finally brush up against the edge of a proper way to communicate with her son. In that moment, she felt as though she vaguely sensed the softness deeply hidden beneath the heavy emotional wall he had built.

So, Xiao Mo actually did care about her.

He hadn’t rejected her for being a useless mother, nor did he hate her. Even after enduring her neglect and avoidance, he still wanted to celebrate her birthday and hoped she could be happy.

Realizing this made Lin Wan’s heart ache, a bittersweet pain that nearly brought her to tears from the surge of emotion.

After the Qu family left, she took the initiative to tell Lin Zhenmo about being called to the school. She solemnly admitted her mistake and gently, sincerely expressed how much she cared about him. She also said that she wanted to have a real conversation between mother and son.

She didn’t want to keep running away anymore.

What Mother Qu said was true—Xiao Mo only had her. If even his mother couldn’t be strong for his sake, couldn’t learn to face things bravely, what would become of him in the future?

Was she really going to let a child shoulder everything for her at such a young age?

Besides, they clearly cared about each other and loved one another. Why should they grow stiff and distant just because of some misunderstandings?

Under her sincere and unwavering gaze, Lin Zhenmo resisted for a long while before finally opening his mouth, reluctantly sharing some of his thoughts. But Lin Wan could clearly feel it wasn’t everything. He was still guarded and hiding parts of his true feelings.

She knew there was still a deep barrier between them. Because of a lack of trust, he couldn’t yet open his heart or truly believe in her.

But that was okay. Now that the ice had been broken, she could afford to wait.

Lin Wan thought, thankfully she realized it in time. They still had enough time ahead—to grow together, to rebuild the trust and intimacy between mother and son. She would keep working to knock on the door of his heart, learning to respect and understand his thoughts, softening the spikes on his body, and helping him believe that she truly loved and cared for him.

After that conversation, she didn’t sleep at all last night. Yet compared to her former heaviness and confusion, she now finally had hope and something to look forward to.

And all of this change had come thanks to the Qu family.

Lin Wan couldn’t help but feel grateful for their presence—deeply thankful for their kindness and warmth, not knowing how to possibly repay them.

Right now, her gaze as she looked at the two children was softer than ever, like flowing water.

By chance, Qu Tantan looked back at her and met her eyes.

Qu Tantan paused slightly. She didn’t know why, but in that instant, she felt that Lin Wan seemed… different.

That strange sense of distance Lin Wan used to have—an invisible but real gap that separated her from regular people—was suddenly gone. Now, she felt like a normal mother, quietly blended into real life.

Qu Tantan used to jokingly call Lin Wan a ‘great beauty,’ but never really thought of Lin Wan as a mother. But now, she could say with certainty—this was Lin Zhenmo’s Mom.

Thinking that, she couldn’t help but feel happy for Lin Zhenmo. She hooked her pinky with his and excitedly wiggled it up and down.

The gesture was a bit childish. Lin Zhenmo, who had his back to Lin Wan, didn’t see her expression and thought Qu Tantan was excited about their promise. He silently made up his mind not to forget what he had promised her.

In the end, it was Father Qu who interrupted their solemn pinky-swearing ceremony.

“Qu Tantan, did you sneak off with my strawberries—what are you two doing?”

Maybe because Lin Zhenmo had been too nervous when closing the door, he didn’t notice it hadn’t latched properly. So when Father Qu knocked, the door just creaked open. Looking up and seeing the two kids holding hands, not knowing what they were up to, his fatherly instincts exploded with wild thoughts—and his face changed.

But the two kids only looked at him with pure and innocent eyes, silently mocking him for overthinking. Father Qu awkwardly rubbed his nose. The anger he’d brought with him fizzled out from guilt. He turned to Lin Wan and explained, “Ahem, I was just wondering why Tantan hadn’t come home yet, so I came over to check. Hope she hasn’t caused any trouble for you.”

“Not at all. Xiao Mo and I are very happy to have Tantan here. She’s such a good girl, how could she cause any trouble?”

Lin Wan walked over with a gentle smile, and after a moment of hesitation, placed her hand on both kids’ shoulders. She clearly felt Lin Zhenmo stiffen in resistance—but under her persistence, he eventually stopped struggling.

Qu Tantan looked up and gave her a sweet smile, raising the heart-shaped strawberry in her hand. “Tantan’s a good girl! She’s giving Aunt Wan a strawberry~”

Father Qu, immediately recognizing that as the very heart-shaped strawberry he had been searching for: “…”

He rubbed his face, suddenly feeling an itch in his hands but forced himself to resist.

When exactly did she take it from the bag?! He hadn’t noticed at all! His wife had even complained and mocked him for bringing an empty surprise box.

He’d worked so hard to sweet-talk his wife back into a good mood, only to be kicked out again. Unforgivable.

—This little cotton-padded jacket was full of holes! All she ever did was trick her poor Dad!!

Still, no matter how indignant he felt, his holey little cotton-padded jacket had already handed the strawberry to Lin Wan. He couldn’t very well claim it was meant for his wife’s surprise gift now—so he could only swallow it down silently.

Lin Wan had no idea there was a story behind the strawberry. She simply saw her smiling cutely with her head tilted up and couldn’t help the softening of her heart. She bent down and accepted the strawberry. “Thank you, Tantan. The one you picked must be really sweet.”

Qu Tantan nodded vigorously. “Mm! But no matter how sweet the strawberry is, it’s not as sweet as Aunt Wan’s smile. So you and Lin Zhenmo should smile more like this. I’m sure Lin Zhenmo would be really happy!”

Lin Zhenmo, who had just been coaxed moments ago: “……”

Father Qu, who found the words strangely familiar: “……”

And after Father Qu finally hauled his troublesome little cotton-padded jacket home, he saw Qu Tantan suddenly hop down from his grip, breaking free, and dashed toward her Mom with a *thud-thud-thud*.

He watched, eyes wide, as another large heart-shaped strawberry was raised high by Qu Tantan and offered to Mother Qu with a sweet voice, “Mom, eat the strawberry! Tantan loves Mom the most! This heart is for you!”

Father Qu, whose gift had been offered on his behalf: “……” Good grief, so this little black-hearted cotton-padded jacket only knows how to scam her Dad!

Mother Qu held Qu Tantan and, seeing her husband’s changing expressions—finally ending with a face-holding toothache-like look—couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter.

The next moment, she got a kiss from the little one in her arms. Qu Tantan wrapped her arms around her Mom’s neck and gently massaged her brow. “Is Mom still mad? Don’t be, don’t be~ Frowning gives you wrinkles, you know! Mom’s so pretty, you can’t have wrinkles!

“Dad already apologized, and he loves Mom so much, I’m sure he didn’t mean to make you mad. So Mom, please forgive him this once, okay?”

Children speak innocently, but that honest ‘Dad loves Mom’ made both adults blush, sneaking an embarrassed glance at each other. The awkwardness was clear.

Father Qu cleared his throat awkwardly, but deep inside, he was touched. His daughter hadn’t been spoiled for nothing—she was still that sweet, thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket!

Though… she was a little too straightforward with her words that it made things a bit embarrassing.

But seeing his wife’s flushed cheeks, he mustered up some courage and shuffled over with a shifting gaze. Clearing his throat, he said, “Tan Bao’er’s right. Dad loves Mom so much. Of course I wouldn’t make her mad on purpose.”

Mother Qu’s face grew even redder. She unconsciously hugged Tantan tighter and buried her face slightly, whispering, “Mm… Tan Bao’er is right. So Mom isn’t mad at Dad anymore. Don’t worry.”

Holding back her shyness, she added stubbornly, “Who told Mom to love Dad so much too.”

The two of them paused after speaking and couldn’t help but glance at each other. When their eyes met, they both burst into laughter.

Stuck between them, the little strawberry messenger: “……” Everything’s starting to look pink now.

Before long, Qu Tantan’s face turned red as a tomato. She wriggled and pushed her little head out from between her parents—who had unknowingly scooted close to each other.

Help! She couldn’t breathe!!

---

Once the couple had finally made up, Father Qu, feeling soft-hearted, cleaned the strawberries he had bought. He picked the biggest one and fed it to their little peacemaker Qu Tantan.

Then he picked up the heart-shaped strawberry that he had originally chosen, which had been taken by Tantan and passed around, but still ended up with Mother Qu. As he handed it to her, he muttered quietly, “I really took my time picking this one. It’s the most heart-shaped one I could find. So pretty—the vendor even praised my taste.”

Qu Tantan pretended not to hear his subtle hint. She opened her mouth wide and gulped down the strawberry in one bite. Then she suddenly froze, realizing that originally she had picked two strawberries—meant to be shared with Lin Zhenmo.

…Ah. Hopefully, Lin Zhenmo wouldn’t secretly hold a grudge when he saw Aunt Wan eating one.

She really didn’t forget on purpose!!

While Qu Tantan was dazing out over the strawberry, she overheard her parents’ conversation and finally learned why they had suddenly started fighting today.

It turned out that earlier that morning, Mother Qu’s colleague had pulled her aside and quietly told her she’d recently seen a very pretty woman at Father Qu’s store. The woman didn’t seem like a customer. In fact, she acted like she owned the place, lounging inside like a boss lady and ordering the staff around.

At first, the colleague wasn’t sure, so she pretended to be a customer and went in to ask about juice prices. Unexpectedly, before the staff could even reply, the woman answered casually, clearly familiar with the store’s operations.

The colleague then casually asked if she was the owner’s wife. While the woman didn’t confirm it, she gave the staff member a meaningful glance. That staff member, a gentle-looking young man, clearly looked miserable and awkward, as if he had been tormented for a while.

So the colleague came to test Mother Qu, asking if the shop only employed one staff member. After getting confirmation, she indignantly told Mother Qu everything and advised her to investigate—maybe Father Qu was sneaking around with someone.

She spat angrily, “Men, huh—once they have money, they change. Look so decent on the outside, but rotten inside!”

Of course, Mother Qu Mama didn’t believe that. But the presence of another woman in the store was definitely true. She and the colleague had a good relationship, and it wasn’t something to joke about. So when she got home at noon, she casually asked her husband about the store, whether Luo Xiangwen was managing alright by himself.

Father Qu immediately said everything was fine. Luo Xiangwen was doing great on his own.

Wasn’t that basically hiding the fact that there was another woman in the store?

Mother Qu’s tone immediately turned unpleasant. She had always been straightforward, so she directly asked about the woman. Father Qu looked completely confused, as if he had no idea a woman had appeared in his store at all. He insisted he knew nothing.

The two ended up arguing. Mother Qu left for work angry and fuming. Sitting in her office in the afternoon, the more she thought about it, the angrier she got. So she took time off and stormed over to the store, determined to see just who that woman really was.

---

It was a very beautiful gift box.

Perhaps because he was too nervous, Lin Zhenmo held it a little too high, nearly above Qu Tantan’s head.

But precisely because of this angle, it was easy to see his hand trembling slightly, clutching the gift box so tightly that his fingers nearly sank into it.

Qu Tantan was briefly stunned. Her bright eyes curved into a crescent moon as she asked, “This… is for me?”

The hallway wasn’t well soundproofed, and just as Lin Zhenmo was about to say something, he heard the sound of Father Qu walking outside. He immediately grew alert and pulled her into the room. After shutting the door, he pursed his lips, then cleared his throat unnaturally, trying to cover up his shyness. “Didn’t you say no friend had ever given you a gift before, and you were really envious?”

…Actually, that had just been something she said to fool him, to give him an excuse to look for the gift.

When she said that to Lin Zhenmo, Qu Tantan had already made up her mind on how to deliver the gift to Lin Wan, so that the mother and son could clear up the misunderstanding.

Whether or not the hair clip could be repaired, it had been Lin Zhenmo’s most sincere gesture.

Qu Tantan felt that as a mother, Lin Wan deserved to know about it.

So what Qu Tantan said the day before was just her going with the flow. Then, she was too happy that their misunderstanding had been cleared up and they were on good terms again, and never thought to dwell on anything else.

But what she hadn’t expected was that Lin Zhenmo, who seemed indifferent, had quietly taken that offhand comment of hers to heart.

Qu Tantan couldn’t help feeling moved.

Still unaware of what she was thinking, Lin Zhenmo casually emphasized again, “I picked this out myself too. It’s about the same as the other one.”

Since she liked that hair clip so much, she should like this one too, right?

After all, she had said he had good taste.

That’s what Lin Zhenmo thought.

When he silently agreed to let Qu Tantan give the hair clip to his mother, along with the guilt he felt, he had already decided to buy a new, even better one for her the next day.

Qu Tantan had clearly liked that hair clip a lot, and said it was a token of his feelings that she would treasure. He had also promised to give it to her and even agreed that when they grew up and started working, they would take it out and look back on the memory together.

But in the end, because of that tiny hope, he had given tacit consent for her to give the clip to his mother.

Qu Tantan didn’t get mad about it at all. On the contrary, she had cared so much about his relationship with his mother and had genuinely been happy that they reconciled.

To Lin Zhenmo, Qu Tantan was like a cheerful little sunflower from a picture book—bright and warm when she smiled like sunlight itself, yet always staying by his side. She wasn’t scared off by his bad temper and even acknowledged him as a friend.

So he thought, since this little sunflower said no friend had ever given her a gift, then he absolutely had to give her one—even prettier than the hair clip—as a token from a friend, from him.

So the next day, he took the leftover money from buying the previous gift and rushed to the mall after school. He went into an accessories shop and seriously picked out what he thought was the prettiest one. He declined help from the store clerk and clumsily tied the bow on the gift box himself.

He even specially chose a pink ribbon, which was her favorite.

On the way back, he kept thinking about how to casually hand her the gift in a way that wouldn’t be too awkward. But before he could figure it out, he unexpectedly ran into Qu Tantan, already on her way back.

Luckily, she hadn’t noticed the little secret he was hiding the whole way.

The only thing that troubled him was that, listening to her talk about her best friend cutting her hair short, it seemed she genuinely thought that hairstyle was nice. He clumsily imagined what she would look like with a spiky ‘hedgehog’ haircut while wearing a hair clip.

…It seemed kind of odd.

If she really was tempted and ran off to cut a hedgehog hairstyle, she definitely wouldn’t need a hair clip. So should he give the gift or not?

Lin Zhenmo seriously fretted about it all the way home.

Even though Qu Tantan had promised not to, he was still a little anxious. But thankfully, Father Qu’s sudden appearance distracted him. And now, he suddenly felt this was the perfect time to give her the gift.

As for Qu Tantan’s apology, he hadn’t really minded. Although her questions that morning did make him a bit uncomfortable, he knew she was just worried about him. Because her sincerity was so obvious, he had even secretly been a little happy despite the awkwardness.

He had once watched others have caring friendships and pretended not to care, but deep down, he had been a little envious. And now, he had a friend who cared about him too. Just thinking about it made him feel lighthearted. Even when he explained things to the teacher and apologized earlier, his mood had been uncharacteristically calm.

But those little secrets, he would keep to himself. He wouldn’t tell anyone.

Thinking about how she’d said he looked good when he smiled, Lin Zhenmo resisted the urge to touch the corners of his mouth. Only then did he realize—it seemed that for the past couple of days, every time he saw Qu Tantan, he couldn’t help but smile.

It was like after their little scuffle last night, all the unhappiness had been shaken off. Even the thought of going home today didn’t feel so heavy anymore.

Imagining the little sunflower wearing the hair clip he picked with her eyes sparkling, Lin Zhenmo couldn’t help but feel a bit happy. He didn’t want her to notice though, so he deliberately acted casual as he handed her the gift.

Sure enough, Qu Tantan didn’t pick up on the awkward emotions of her little neighbor. She just solemnly untied the crooked pink bow and opened the box.

It was also a delicate and beautiful pearl hairclip, just a different style from the one given to Lin Wan.

On either side of the hairclip were realistic sunflower hair ties, with little orange-yellow beads dangling from them, making them look especially cute.

In fact, with her ahead-of-the-times sense of aesthetics, the pearl hairclip wasn’t particularly special. It was the sunflower hair ties that seemed more interesting.

Qu Tantan instantly fell in love with the two little sunflowers.

She happily wore the hair ties around her wrist, lifted her arm up high to show Lin Zhenmo, and beamed. “Lin Zhenmo, don’t they look nice?”

Lin Zhenmo hadn’t expected her to like the sunflowers more. She’d seemed particularly fond of the pearl hairclip just yesterday—but he was delighted.

The moment he saw those sunflower hair ties, he had thought of Qu Tantan. Acting on a bit of selfishness, he hadn’t been able to resist buying them.

But at the time, he had simply hoped she would accept them, not expecting her to truly like them. So when he realized she had chosen the hair ties over the pearl clip without hesitation, Lin Zhenmo’s heart skipped a beat, and the corners of his lips involuntarily curved upward.

The little sunflower had chosen the little sunflower hair ties.

Imagining how she would look tying up her hair with them, Lin Zhenmo nodded seriously and gave her a firm response. “They look great.”

Then, Qu Tan’tan gave him a hug.

Catching him completely off guard, Lin Zhenmo stood frozen, unsure how to respond, when Qu Tan’tan had already stepped back two paces, her face radiant with joy. Her clear black-and-white eyes sparkled brightly. “Thank you, Lin Zhenmo. I really, really like them!”

“This is the first gift I’ve ever received from a friend, and I’ll take good care of them,” she said, holding out her pinky finger with a cheerful grin. “From now on, we have to protect each other’s gifts, so that when we grow up, we can take them out and treasure the memories. Let’s pinky swear on it!”

Was she implying that she would give him a gift in the future, too?

Lin Zhenmo pressed his lips together, but couldn’t hold back the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He completely forgot how he used to find pinky swears childish, and extended his own pinky in return.

As if sensing the weight of that promise, their expressions grew unusually solemn. From a distance, it looked as though they were holding some kind of mysterious ceremony.

To adults, the scene might have seemed a little silly—but it radiated a kind of childish innocence and sweetness.

Lin Wan, who had stepped outside upon hearing the commotion, didn’t dare interrupt them. She simply leaned against the doorframe and watched from afar, her face breaking into a smile along with the two children.

How long had it been since she’d seen Xiao Mo act like such a child?

Lin Wan could no longer remember.

Her memories of him seemed stuck at the moment of his birth—when no one had been around to help, and she’d flusteredly fumbled to figure out how to hold a crying baby.

He had been so tiny, his body so soft, that she’d been terrified of dropping him.

She vaguely remembered how he once smiled so innocently, his little hands clutching at her with complete trust. It had been unbearably adorable.

Lin Wan had once sworn to give him the best life possible. But she hadn’t known how to do anything. Finding work outside had been full of setbacks and rejections—no one wanted to hire a single mother with a newborn child.

The cold looks, the gossip, the way people pointed fingers at her, the employers who didn’t believe in her capabilities and scoffed during interviews… After facing one failure after another, Lin Wan finally realized how hard life outside really was.

But she gritted her teeth and endured. She would rather suffer than go back.

With help from a kind stranger, she barely managed to find a job that could support both her and the child. Life seemed to gradually get better.

But due to the stress and exhaustion from work, she started to neglect Xiao Mo’s growth.

It was as if time had been stolen. In the blink of an eye, he’d grown up. She had no idea what had happened to him, or what he had gone through. By the time she noticed, he had already become who he was now.

Like a hedgehog bristling with spikes, impossible to approach.

She didn’t understand why Xiao Mo kept getting into fights, why he always lashed out whenever he saw her with someone else, driving others away with those sharp barbs.

At first, she thought he was afraid she’d remarry. She’d explained to him that she wouldn’t, that those people were just other parents or friends.

But he still acted like a defensive hedgehog, targeting everyone who came near them.

Lin Wan had no experience with parent-child relationships, and no one to turn to for advice. So when her son reacted so strongly, she simply began avoiding those people, thinking that would reassure him. She had no idea that doing so only made their relationship more strained—and made his personality increasingly extreme and withdrawn.

She tried to fix things, but always made it worse. Her clumsy concern was often misunderstood, and their conversations would end in disaster. Apologies only earned her impatient glares.

They just couldn’t understand each other.

Lin Wan had always been timid, prone to avoiding problems. She had no idea what to do. All she could do was cry quietly at night.

Eventually, she began to doubt herself—wondering if it was because she was too incompetent, too clumsy, too embarrassing, and that’s why he had grown to resent and distance himself from her.

She didn’t dare ask Xiao Mo, afraid that if he said yes, it would be the final blow—the last straw that would break what little bond they had left.

She had wanted to change. But every attempt ended in awkward failure. To this day, her cooking was still terrible. Aside from a little bit of handicraft, she was good at nothing. The housework was always a mess. Sometimes, it was even Xiao Mo who had to take care of her.

As Lin Zhenmo’s features gradually came to resemble that man’s, especially when he looked at her coldly with those upturned phoenix eyes, Lin Wan couldn’t help but feel a flicker of fear every time they met eyes. In those moments of dazed confusion, Lin Zhenmo would misunderstand, thinking she didn’t care, so the mother and son gradually stopped talking altogether.

And at some point, their interactions became what they were now.

He strongly resisted her coming to school. Refused her rides. Insisted on being alone. Lin Wan felt guilty, believing it was her neglect that caused this, and so she dared not interfere further, only nodding and agreeing timidly.

The atmosphere at home had become increasingly cold and heavy. Lin Wan would occasionally even find herself dreading the thought of returning there.

---

Perhaps because the events the day before were so earth-shattering, when Meng Jiajia’s Mom came to pick Meng Jiajia up, her face still carried a visible trace of anger.

But after hearing how the two kids had tricked the other children, she almost couldn’t keep a straight face. After apologizing somewhat awkwardly to the other parents, she couldn’t help but feel both angry and amused as she grabbed Meng Jiajia by the ear. “You little rascal, are you trying to stir up a rebellion? It’s one thing to shave your own head bald, but you even want to mess with others too?”

Sensing trouble, Qu Tantan immediately hugged her Godmother’s leg and looked up pitifully. “It was Gu Quan and the others who said Jiajia looked ugly first. I think Jiajia looks really cool like this! Don’t you think so, Godmother?”

Seeing the little princess’s sparkling eyes—especially with the girl wearing the adorable overalls gifted by herself and the girl’s hair tied in two little buns, looking particularly cute—Meng Jiajia’s Mom couldn’t stay mad.

Upon hearing Qu Tantan’s words, Mother Meng’s brows furrowed. “Is that so?”

Qu Tantan nodded firmly, counting on her fingers. “But it was only a few boys who said that. The other kids and I think Jiajia looks super cool like this, just like the male lead in a TV drama!

“And it wasn’t on purpose either. Don’t be mad at her, okay, Godmother?”

Having been annoyed ever since her little rascal got a buzz cut last night and still agonizing over what outfit to dress the rascal in that morning, Meng Jiajia’s Mom couldn’t help but smile a little after Qu Tantan’s sincere praise.

Suddenly, when she looked again at her wind-leaking little cotton-padded jacket, she found the rascal a bit more pleasing to the eye, and decided not to beat the rascal tonight.

“But Tantan, you mustn’t follow Jiajia’s example. She almost drove me mad.” Meng Jiajia’s Mom gently stroked the little girl’s hair buns with a loving smile. “Our little princess looks beautiful just the way she is now.”

Qu Tantan nodded with a bright smile.

Meng Jiajia’s Mom then crouched down and apologized to the two kids. “I owe you both an apology. I’m sorry for blaming you without asking first. And thank you, Tantan, for standing up for Jiajia. You were wonderful.”

Seeing the two kids listening seriously, she added gently, “But what Jiajia did was still wrong and not something to be praised, especially for encouraging other children to cut their own hair. Didn’t I tell you kids not to play with scissors? That’s a very dangerous thing to do and not worth imitating.”

Qu Tantan was momentarily stunned. Since she hadn’t considered herself a ‘kid,’ she hadn’t thought about it that way. Recalling how Meng Jiajia couldn’t even see her own head while cutting her hair, she suddenly felt a bit afraid. If something had gone wrong, the consequences could have been serious.

Meng Jiajia clearly felt a bit ashamed too and promised to apologize to the other children at school the next day.

But when her Mom’s expression finally softened, she rubbed her round little head and added rebelliously, “Still, I think it looks great. I want that big brother at the barbershop to cut my hair again next time.”

Qu Tantan : “…”

Qu Tantan glanced at the grinning rascal who showed a mouthful of little white teeth, then at her Godmother behind the rascal, whose face was shifting colors like a traffic light before finally turning pitch black. Silently, she prayed for her friend, hoping the rascal would still be bouncing around alive tomorrow.

—Well, let’s just hope her butt survives.

Today, it was Lou Xiangwen who came to pick Qu Tantan up again.

At first, Qu Tantan thought her Mom must’ve been busy and asked him for help again. But noticing that his expression was clearly off, even tinged with concern, she grew a bit puzzled.

Faced with her questions, Lou Xiangwen seemed hesitant, hemming and hawing. Only when the little girl trailed after him like a tail, bombarding him with questions, did he finally cave and whisper, “Just so you know, you have to behave when you get home and not make your Mom mad, okay?”

Qu Tantan : ?

Lou Xiangwen scratched his head. “Honestly, I don’t really know what happened either. Your Mom suddenly came to the shop this afternoon and asked me to take you home. She didn’t look too good. Did she have a fight with Uncle Qu?”

Her parents… fought?

Qu Tantan was in disbelief. No way, her Dad, who always obeyed her Mom without question, actually fought with her Mom?

Curious and worried, she declined Lou Xiangwen’s suggestion to hang out at the shop first and decided to go home and keep her Mom company. On the way back, they unexpectedly ran into Lin Zhenmo.

He seemed to be coming from the mall. Curious but not pressing, Qu Tantan simply waved at her little neighbor from across the street with a bright smile.

Lin Zhenmo immediately noticed her. But the moment he saw her, his expression turned a bit unnatural, as if he tried to hide something behind his back and slipped it into his backpack.

When the light turned green, he crossed the road to her side and nodded at Lou Xiangwen—who looked rather awkward—as a greeting.

Qu Tantan noticed that Lou Xiangwen glanced around cautiously while they passed that particular street, as if looking for someone, seeming quite wary.

Only after they turned a corner did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

…Weird. Why is everyone acting so strange lately?

Qu Tantan sighed like a little old lady, shook her head, and turned her attention back to Lin Zhenmo.

Without needing any words, the two little ones naturally walked home side by side.

Lin Zhenmo had been worried she’d bring up the incident from that morning, but to his surprise, Qu Tantan didn’t mention it at all. Instead, she shared the funny things that had happened at kindergarten, eventually bursting into laughter herself.

But, Lin Zhenmo didn’t laugh. Instead, he looked a little inexplicably nervous. Then he glanced at the small tuft of hair tied at the top of Qu Tantan’s head, his expression tinged with disapproval.

“You look fine the way you are now. No need to cut it short on purpose.” Thinking of something, he added, “Scissors are dangerous. Don’t play with them.”

Qu Tantan was a little surprised to hear someone his age say something so similar to her Godmother. She looked at him in amazement, then laughed.

“Got it, I won’t use scissors by myself.”

Lin Zhenmo’s expression relaxed slightly, then, as if to confirm again, he asked,
“You’re not going to cut your hair that short, right?”

Though she didn’t quite understand why he was so insistent, Qu Tantan still shook her head.

“Nope, that hairstyle doesn’t suit me like it suits Jiajia.”

Back when she was going through her rebellious phase, she’d been egged on by Meng Jiajia to copy Meng Jiajia and get a super short haircut. In the end, she wasn’t sure if the hairstylist was bad or if it just didn’t suit her, but when she looked in the mirror, she thought she looked like a braised egg that had grown sentience.

Ever since then, she wouldn’t leave the house without a hat, and every time she did, she would hit that Meng Doggy once. She kept doing that until her hair grew back, and after that, she never dared mess with her hair again.

Lin Zhenmo felt the item in his backpack and quietly let out a sigh of relief.

---

As they were nearly home, they saw Father Qu in front of a fruit stand.

He was carrying a bag of fruit, and carefully took something else from the vendor’s hands, placing it very delicately at the top of the bag.

Qu Tantan ran over curiously to peek, but was unexpectedly blocked by him.

It was the first time her Dad had rejected her, and Qu Tantan looked up at him in disbelief. But she saw his gaze flicker slightly, and then he rubbed his nose and tried to placate her with a smile. “It’s nothing interesting, just bought some fruit, really.”

He naturally changed the subject. “Right, does Tan Bao’er or Xiao Mo want any fruit? I can get more while we’re here.”

“Haven’t you already bought some?” Qu Tantan looked at him suspiciously, feeling like he was hiding something. She acted obedient and said, “I’ll just eat whatever Dad bought. Tan Bao’er isn’t picky.”

Father Qu coughed awkwardly a few times, pretending he hadn’t heard that.
“Well, since Tan Bao’er doesn’t want anything specific, let’s go home. Mom’s already waiting.”

Qu Tantan narrowed her eyes slightly, noticing that he was subtly guarding the bag in his hands. At once, she leapt over and begged to be picked up. Father Qu was clearly a bit conflicted, but still, with both pain and joy, used his free hand to lift his precious daughter.

Since they’d run into Father Qu, Lou Xiangwen didn’t need to walk Qu Tantan home anymore and returned to the shop. But just before he left, he glanced back, seeming to let out a breath of relief.

Before Qu Tantan could wonder about it, Father Qu was already holding her and leading Lin Zhenmo toward home.

---

When they reached the building, Qu Tantan unexpectedly asked to be put down. Then she watched as her Dad walked upstairs slowly, and her eyes turned crafty as she reached into the front pocket of her overalls.

Dragging her feet, she eventually arrived at the door. She saw Father Qu take a deep breath, clearly nervous, and without caring that the two kids were still behind him, he leaned against the door and peeked in sneakily. “Wife, I’m home.”

“Still mad? I specially got you your favorite strawberries. I had to walk several streets to find them. Want some?”

Qu Tantan : “……”

In that moment, only one meme flashed through her mind : [Wife, I’m back from fooling around.jpg]¹

She hurriedly shook her head to get rid of the inappropriate image. When she saw Father Qu go inside, she grabbed Lin Zhenmo and pressed close to the door to eavesdrop on how her Dad was going to sweet-talk her Mom.

Caught off guard by her tugging, Lin Zhenmo froze up awkwardly, not sure whether to stay or leave, forced to listen to the voices coming from inside.

Father Qu had already thickened his skin and cozied up to Mother Qu, who sat on the couch with a cold face. “I know you love strawberries the most. Look, I specially picked the biggest, reddest ones. I promise they’re super sweet.”

Like he was sharing a little secret, he said in a low voice without even blushing,
“I’ll tell you a secret: even when Tan Bao’er wanted one, I didn’t give her any, I saved them all for my Wifey.”

—Lies! Dad didn’t even let me see them!

Qu Tantan couldn’t help feeling a little overwhelmed by the sweetness, cupping her cheeks. Then she heard Father Qu’s voice suddenly soften: “Of course, even if strawberries are sweet, they’re not as sweet as your smile.”

Qu Tantan: “……”

Sure enough, it wasn’t long before they heard Mother Qu break into a helpless, amused laugh.

Qu Tantan’s eyes sparkled, clearly thinking of something.

Just as Lin Zhenmo was about to pull his head away in embarrassment, she suddenly reached into the front pocket of her overalls and fished out two perfect strawberries.

The bright red strawberries sat in her tiny hands, looking especially tempting.

“Lin Zhenmo, I want to share my strawberries with you.” Qu Tantan said softly, “I shouldn’t have kept asking you questions when you didn’t want to answer this morning. I’m sorry.

“These are the biggest and reddest ones I secretly picked out while Dad wasn’t looking! One for each of us, I guarantee they’re super sweet.”

She cleared her throat, mimicking someone else’s tone as she spoke sweetly:
“But I think, no matter how sweet strawberries are, they’re not sweeter than your smile, especially that little dimple. So you should smile more often, okay?”

Lin Zhenmo, who found those words oddly familiar: “……”

He silently watched the little girl hold up the two almost heart-shaped strawberries with shining eyes. Just as he was about to say something, they heard Father Qu’s shocked voice from inside: “I had another surprise for you… Huh? Where are my two strawberries?!”

“Strawberries count as a surprise?”

“No, no, these were special. I picked them out myself, two heart-shaped ones! I swear I put them right on top so they’d be easy to find! Where did they go?!”

Lin Zhenmo : “……”

Lin Zhenmo : “…………”

After a long silence, just before Father Qu could figure it out, he grabbed Qu Tantan’s hand and quickly dragged her next door. “Let’s wash the strawberries at my place.”

Better escape early. He was worried she’d get scolded if they got caught.

“But you have to say you forgive me first.”

Seeing that she was being persistent, Lin Zhenmo stopped walking, let out a small, awkward cough, then suddenly took something from his backpack—the item he’d been protecting all along—and handed it to her.

“Oh, and I didn’t mean short hair doesn’t look good on you.”

He added awkwardly, “I just thought… if you cut it short, then this would be useless.”

---

1. This is what I found :
   
   Though, the words in that picture was only the “I came back from fooling around” part. ↩︎

---

The next day, as promised, Lin Zhenmo came knocking early in the morning.

Qu Tantan was sitting at the dining table munching on a meat bun, cheerfully waving at him. “Lin Zhenmo, have you eaten yet? Dad bought meat buns from the street next door, they smell amazing.”

Lin Zhenmo nodded, but Father Qu gently nudged him toward the table. “It’s fine to eat a bit more. Tantan loves these meat buns the most. You should try one too.”

Mother Qu took the schoolbag he was carrying and hung it on the coat rack, casually smiling as she said, “It’s still early anyway, and you’ll have to wait for Tantan no matter what. She’s always dawdling, you never know how long that’ll take.”

Before he knew it, the overly warm welcome had Lin Zhenmo seated beside Qu Tantan, unable to even react. Qu Tantan, as if it were the most natural thing, handed him a bottle of chocolate milk and even defended herself against her Mom’s teasing. “I’m not dawdling! The teacher said meals should be eaten slowly, no rushing!”

Then she turned to the clearly uneasy boy beside her and asked for confirmation, “Right, Lin Zhenmo?”

Lin Zhenmo hesitated for a moment but still took the milk and nodded.

Father and Mother Qu didn’t overly fuss over Lin Zhenmo. They each sat on one side of the children, chatting and laughing. It was a lively scene. And amidst this not-too-formal kind of hospitality, Lin Zhenmo somehow silently blended into the Qu family’s atmosphere, his body slowly relaxing.

He stayed quiet, listening to them talk, still finding it a little novel. He had never experienced this kind of chatting-while-eating setting. Since childhood, Lin Wan had taught him that talking was not allowed at the dining table. So at home, he and his Mom would just sit silently across from each other and eat. Afterward, they’d take turns cleaning up, then he’d return to his room to do homework.

But now, in this clearly out-of-the-ordinary atmosphere, he felt a rare sense of ease and joy. Especially since Qu Tantan was chattering beside him like a lively duckling, making it impossible for the conversation to die down.

Unconsciously, the corners of Lin Zhenmo’s lips curved up slightly. He finished the last sip of milk and politely thanked them.

Seeing that he was sitting upright waiting after finishing, Qu Tantan quickly stuffed the remaining bun into her mouth, declined her Dad’s offer of a hug with a serious face, and dragged Lin Zhenmo out the door. “Dad, hurry up! Lin Zhenmo and I are going down first!”

Father Qu was a beat late. Picking up their schoolbags, he sighed with mock jealousy, “Once she’s got a little friend, she didn’t want her Dad anymore.”

Mother Qu laughed and bumped him lightly. “Alright, alright. Hurry and catch up with them, or your little sweetheart will disappear from sight.”

That little sweetheart was still hung up about what happened yesterday. As soon as they got downstairs, she nudged her little companion on the shoulder a bit sheepishly. “Hey, did you talk things through with your Mom yesterday?”

Lin Zhenmo nodded, clearly already aware that Lin Wan had been called to school the previous day.

“Did you find out who brought Aunt Wan back yesterday?”

“It was a teacher from school. Apparently, they wanted to understand our family situation. But we didn’t let him in.”

Qu Tantan cleared her throat, then asked in a sneaky whisper, “Um… my Mom told me yesterday, did you explain about Brother Lou to Auntie Wan?”

Lin Zhenmo paused, turning to see her apologizing awkwardly. “Sorry, I didn’t think things would turn out like this. I ended up dragging you into it.”

“I didn’t say it was him.”

“Then how did you explain it to Aunt Wan?”

“I just told the truth,” Lin Zhenmo answered, as if it were no big deal. “I said we got into a fight, and they ran off scared. The whole knife thing was fake anyway, and besides, I don’t even know that guy.”

—…You’re neighbors upstairs and downstairs, and yet you’re still this distant? That’s impressive.

But thinking about how one’s like a hedgehog and the other’s socially anxious, Qu Tantan shook her head in amusement. “And your Mom believed you?”

“She did. I told her I’d explain everything to the homeroom teacher today, and she was fine with it.”

Hearing the relaxed tone in his voice, Qu Tantan couldn’t help but smile with her hands behind her back. “Looks like you two made up. That’s great!”

But just as she said that, the boy’s steps visibly faltered. He suddenly stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?”

Lin Zhenmo stayed silent for a moment before replying blandly, “Nothing.”

Qu Tantan couldn’t understand what he meant, but after asking several times and getting no answer, she had to drop it when Father Qu caught up to them. By then, they’d unknowingly reached near the elementary school. She had no choice but to let her Dad hold her hand and wave goodbye to Lin Zhenmo regretfully.

At kindergarten, she was still puzzled, holding her face in her hands, deep in thought.

They had clearly cleared up their misunderstanding, and she could sense that he was no longer so defensive when talking about Lin Wan. So why did Lin Zhenmo say they hadn’t made up?

“Tantan! Look at my new haircut!”

Just as she couldn’t figure it out, her wild little Meng Dog suddenly pounced on her back, making her flop forward onto the desk. Her face nearly smacked into it.

Struggling to turn her head, she saw Meng Jiajia sporting a nearly buzz-cut, spiky hairstyle, grinning proudly with gleaming eyes like she was waiting to be praised.

Qu Tantan stared at her in horror: “……”

“What happened to you?” She couldn’t help raising her hand to expertly pat the dog’s head. Oh wow, it was still that familiar feeling. “Weren’t you perfectly fine yesterday? How did it suddenly get so short?”

—Godmother agreed to this???

Meng Jiajia giggled and also touched her own head, full of glee. “I secretly tied up my hair yesterday, but it kept falling down, and I got so mad I just took scissors and chopped it all off.

“When Mom came back, she took me to the hair salon to get a new hairstyle.”

Qu Tantan : “…” Nominee for Confusing Behavior of the Year by Human Younglings.

“Godmother didn’t beat you?” Qu Tantan asked in disbelief.

“She did.”

Meng Jiajia nodded honestly and added with some lingering fear, “She came back and dug through my hair for ages, then for some reason got really mad. My butt still kinda hurts.”

Qu Tantan : “…”

Just hearing Meng Jiajia’s description, Qu Tantan could already picture the look on Godmother’s face shattering completely when she walked in the door and saw the disaster of a haircut.

Just thinking about it made Qu Tantan heart ache on her Godmother’s behalf.

She patted the little dog’s head affectionately. “And you’re still this happy?”

“Of course! I’ve been wanting to stop tying up my hair for ages.” Meng Jiajia was genuinely happy, lying on Qu Tantan’s back, swinging excitedly with laughter. “I had to wake up super early every day and wait for Mom to tie my hair. Now I can sleep in a little longer!”

Meng Doggy looked very proud. “And Dad says he really likes my new haircut. He said I look just like him!”

Cutting her hair short just to sleep in more, no wonder this little school tyrant would one day keep a buzz cut forever and even declare, “The great thing about buzz cuts is you don’t have to fuss with washing your hair, you can just wash it while you wash your face.” This baffling logic—so the signs were already there even now?

Qu Tantan was nearly dying of laughter. She carefully checked Meng Jiajia’s hair and was relieved to see it wasn’t patchy, then grumbled and nudged her, “Get up already, you’re crushing me.”

Meng Jiajia clung to her neck, giggling and refusing to get up. “What were you thinking about just now? I called you a bunch of times and you didn’t hear me.”

Seeing she couldn’t shake off the clingy little rascal, Qu Tantan rolled her eyes but still let her hang on her back. “Didn’t I tell you before about my neighbor?”

Even though the current doggy-girl couldn’t join in her gossip anymore, Qu Tantan was still used to sharing everything going on around her.

Skipping over the details between Lin Zhenmo and Lin Wan, she briefly summarized their weird relationship, then asked in confusion, “Why do you think he said that?”

Qu Tantan hadn’t expected Meng Jiajia to give her any answers, she was just thinking out loud. But to her surprise, the little girl responded confidently, “Of course he wouldn’t forgive his Mom so easily! If I were misunderstood and got into a fight with Mom, even if she tried to make up with me, I’d still give her the cold shoulder for one, two, three… yeah, three days!”

She counted on her fingers and huffed, still holding a grudge. “Last time Mom was mad at me, she ignored me for three whole days! Dad said that’s called a cold war!”

With how much this little doggy loved clinging to people, Qu Tantan didn’t believe for a second Meng Jiajia could really go three days ignoring Godmother—she probably couldn’t last even half a day.

But what Meng Jiajia said made a lot of sense.

Qu Tantan suddenly had a realization. She had been looking at things from an outsider’s perspective, naturally assuming that once the misunderstanding was cleared, they could reconcile. But she hadn’t considered Lin Zhenmo’s feelings from his point of view.

He was only seven. No matter how mature he might be, how could he possibly untangle all those complex adult emotions?

And given that mother and son had never been close—and he’d already grown used to being ignored by his Mom—even if he now knew his Mom did care about him, the emotional gap had already formed. How could one conversation be enough to smooth over his awkward feelings and instantly bring them back together?

Thinking more carefully, knowing how protective Lin Zhenmo was of Lin Wan, there must be something more he was holding back in his heart, which was why he couldn’t truly reconcile with her.

Qu Tantan felt a twinge of guilt. She had already admitted Lin Zhenmo was her friend, yet she hadn’t considered his feelings and had kept pressuring him with questions all morning.

“…Don’t you think so, Tantan?”

The little doggy on her back was still chattering away, while Qu Tantan, who hadn’t heard a word, nodded along automatically with practiced ease. “Yeah, exactly, you’re totally right.”

As expected, Meng Jiajia didn’t notice Qu Tantan zoning out and happily continued talking about the ‘battle of the century’ between her and her mom.

Gu Quan happened to pass by. Catching a glimpse of the two of them, he did a double take, then stepped back, looked again, and immediately pointed at Meng Jiajia with a big grin. “Meng Jiajia, why do you look so ugly now? Haha!”

Meng Jiajia was instantly indignant. “Nonsense! My new haircut is clearly super cute! Right, Tantan?”

Gu Quan was stunned. He didn’t believe it at all. “No way, it’s obviously ugly!”

“Oh yeah? Gu Quan, do you want me to beat you until you’re eating dirt again?”

Meng Jiajia bared her teeth and threw a fist at him. She wasn’t the same little girl who used to cry after being bullied over a paper duck. After all this time learning boxing with Dad, she had leveled up!

Gu Quan instinctively covered his face but still refused to back down, calling over his friends to support him. As their little gang started stirring up more trouble, Qu Tantan blinked and said with innocent sincerity, “But I think Jiajia looks really cool like this.”

Gu Quan had been making faces at Meng Jiajia, but the moment he heard that, he was completely thrown off. “No way! How could you think that?!”

Qu Tantan tilted her head, a sweet and adorable smile on her face, making Gu Quan blush a little as he looked at her. “But it really is very cool! The hairstyle looks just like that Big Brother who plays basketball in the TV drama. So cool!

“It’s not ugly at all, I really like how Jiajia looks now.”

Gu Quan and the little boys behind him were all stunned in place, watching as Qu Tantan cheerfully turned around and hugged Meng Jiajia. He couldn’t help sneaking another glance at Meng Jiajia’s short hair. Could it really be… cool?

After Qu Tantan’s enthusiastic praise, the other kids gathered around also started nodding.

“Yeah, yeah! I think Meng Jiajia looks just like that Big Brother who plays basketball. Super handsome!”

“I thought it looked ugly at first, but now that I look again, it’s actually really nice! I want to cut my hair short too.”

“Mm-hmm, Qu Tantan’s right. What’s ugly about it? You guys really don’t have any taste!”

Gu Quan : “…”

He exchanged looks with the other boys in their little clique, all starting to feel a bit tempted. If they got the same haircut, would Qu Tantan praise them for being handsome too?

Meanwhile, basking in the compliments from the other kids, Meng Jiajia proudly wagged her imaginary tail and started excitedly demonstrating how she transformed into her current look, teaching them how to cut their hair too.

Seeing the group of cubs all looking eager and ready to try it themselves, Qu Tantan, realizing she’d stirred up trouble, quickly grabbed the still-bragging little doggy and slipped away before the helplessly smiling teacher could arrive to intervene.

—Help! If tomorrow a bunch of hedgehog-headed little kids show up, please don’t blame me, parents!

She really didn’t mean to!!

---

Lin Wan froze.

“So today is your birthday, Lin Wan? Look at us, we had no idea,” Mother Qu also looked surprised for a moment, then quickly smiled. “Happy birthday! We’ll make up for the gift later.”

Lin Wan subconsciously shook her head, staring in a daze at Lin Zhenmo, who had a sullen face and said nothing, but whose ears were bright red, the color almost creeping down to his neck. She opened her mouth, but for a moment didn’t know what to say.

A mix of emotions surged within her.

She didn’t even have time to wonder how he had found out about her birthday. It never crossed her mind that this hair clip was actually a birthday gift from her son.

But what filled her heart first wasn’t gratitude, it was fear and panic.

Just thinking about how she had come home that afternoon, when Xiao Mo had probably wanted to give her the gift, only to be inexplicably scolded by her and driven away in anger, made her heart twist painfully. She didn’t even dare to imagine how her son must have felt then.

Was he very upset? Did he think she didn’t deserve to be a mother?

Would he be disappointed in her from now on?

A bitterness spread across her tongue. “This… was from Xiao Mo?”

However, hearing the tremble in her airy voice, Lin Zhenmo didn’t understand why she looked so pained. Mistaking her expression for dislike, he tugged at the corner of his mouth, as if he had expected it all along, and said coolly, “It was just something I picked up. If you don’t like it, just throw it away.”

“I’m not—” Lin Wan grew anxious. She straightened up and looked at Lin Zhenmo, her eyes slightly red. “I… I really like it.”

She gathered her courage to meet her son’s pitch-black eyes—eyes exactly like the man’s in her memories—and repeated earnestly, word by word, “I truly like it. Thank you, Xiao Mo.”

Lin Zhenmo’s expression turned subtly complicated, as if he didn’t quite believe her words were sincere.

Qu Tantan hugged her mother’s arm and smiled sweetly. “I knew Aunt Wan would like it! After all, this is Lin Zhenmo’s precious gesture to celebrate Aunt Wan’s birthday.

“He’s been coming home late recently because he’s been delivering milk and handing out flyers. He used the money he saved to pick out that pearl hair clip,” she said seriously. “So I believe Aunt Wan definitely won’t dislike this gift, right?”

Lately, Lin Zhenmo had been coming home late often. Naturally, Lin Wan had asked out of concern, but he never explained. If she asked too many times, he’d get impatient and retreat to his room, clearly unwilling to talk with her.

She had tried to pick him up from school, only to be coldly rejected. He even mocked her, saying he hadn’t needed to be picked up for a long time. Lin Wan felt as if a knife had pierced her heart. Feeling guilty, she didn’t dare press him. She could only compromise and try her best to come home early every day to cook and wait for him.

She never imagined the secret he had been hiding was this.

Lin Wan nodded quickly and firmly. “Of course not. I’m too happy, why would I ever dislike it?”

She couldn’t help but reach out to hug the stubborn child. Even though he awkwardly refused, she wasn’t embarrassed. Instead, she traced his face with her gaze bit by bit.

As Lin Zhenmo grew more and more like his father, every time she saw his face, Lin Wan couldn’t help but feel afraid and want to run. She also felt guilty and ashamed when she thought of her sister.

She had been so terribly afraid of that man and couldn’t bear to recall what had happened that night. That’s why she had always avoided looking directly at her child. It felt like she hadn’t looked at him this carefully in a long, long time.

In truth, today wasn’t Lin Wan’s birthday. Her identification documents were fake. And because of the absurd events that happened on that night on her birthday, she had since avoided any talk about birthdays altogether.

But she never expected that Xiao Mo would secretly memorize the birth date on her ID, and start saving money long ago to celebrate her birthday.

She, as a mother, had truly failed. She had chosen to give birth to him, yet she hadn’t taken proper care of him. Instead, he had ended up taking care of her.

Her throat was dry. She wiped her tears messily and silently decided. From today on, this day would be her birthday.

Yes, she should have realized it earlier. The moment she chose to escape, it was a new beginning.

And of course, a new beginning deserves a new birthday.

Thinking this, Lin Wan let go completely and, despite Lin Zhenmo’s resistance, gave him a strong hug. The warmth of her embrace made Lin Zhenmo instinctively freeze, then gradually relax. Though he didn’t reply, his ears turned red again.

Seeing that the misunderstanding between mother and son seemed to finally be resolved, Mother Qu let out a sigh of relief. To lighten the mood, she deliberately looked down and said teasingly, “Oh my, just look at other people’s kids, so thoughtful toward their moms.”

Qu Tantan didn’t like that and immediately nuzzled into her Mom’s arms like a little puppy. Hooking her arms around her mother’s neck, she sweetly cooed, “I’m Mom’s little sweetheart too! When it’s your birthday, Tan Bao’er will definitely give you a gift you’ll love!”

Hearing her Dad cough loudly in the background, she quickly added, “Of course, Dad too!”

She announced loudly, “Tan Bao’er loves Dad and Mom the most!”

Father and Mother Qu exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh.

With that cheerful commotion, the heavy atmosphere instantly lightened. Watching Qu Tantan nestled against her mother, the intimacy between them so apparent, Lin Wan couldn’t help but feel a stir of longing in her heart.

But when she lowered her head and saw her son’s stubborn and cold expression, she shrank her neck slightly, feeling sure he would push her away. Regretfully, she withdrew her feelings. That hug just now had already been the bravest thing she could muster. Now, under his chilly gaze, she didn’t dare try provoking him again.

Just before leaving, Mother Qu seemed to remember something. In front of Lin Zhenmo, she patted Lin Wan on the shoulder and said, “Since Xiao Mo had his reasons, you don’t need to worry too much.”

“You two, honestly, your problem is just a lack of communication. Things that could be cleared up with a few words, you keep bottled up and overthink. Now that Xiao Mo’s issue is clarified, as a mother you should also set a good example and explain clearly what happened today.”

Lin Wan was momentarily stunned. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed that Xiao Mo seemed to be looking their way. She nodded and replied a bit embarrassedly, “You’ve really helped us a lot today. I don’t even know how to thank you…”

Mama Qu waved her hand casually. “It’s nothing. We’re neighbors, it’s only right to help each other. It’s already so late, and no one’s had dinner yet. Don’t bother seeing us off, just hurry and make dinner for the kid.”

Lin Wan felt even more embarrassed and was just about to say something when her son, hands in pockets and acting nonchalant, walked over to stand next to Qu Tantan. “I’ll walk them out. You go handle things.”

They lived right next door, yet he still insisted on ‘seeing them off’. Mother Qu couldn’t help but want to laugh. But seeing how seriously the two kids took it, she just shook her head and let them be.

Once the Qu couple stepped through their doorway, Lin Zhenmo awkwardly gave Qu Tantan’s hair a little tug. “…Hey.”

Qu Tantan turned around and immediately rolled her eyes at him. “You can’t pull a girl’s hair. Also, my name’s not ‘hey’, can’t you just call me properly?”

Lin Zhenmo pursed his lips, lowered his hand, paused, then quietly said, “…Qu Tantan.”

Qu Tantan smiled brightly and gave a cheerful “Mm,” clearly knowing he had something to say and waited with her hands behind her back. Lin Zhenmo was a little taller than her, and when she looked up at him like this, she looked especially sweet and well-behaved.

Lin Zhenmo’s hand itched again, he wanted to pat her head.

Clearing his throat, he spoke in a low, serious voice, “I’m sorry. That was supposed to be your gift… And thank you.

“I shouldn’t have said those things before. You helped me so much, and I still talked to you like that… I’m really sorry.”

He apologized sincerely, his youthful, handsome features giving off a cold and distant air in his white shirt. At a glance, he really did look like one of those cool and aloof little CEO types.

Honestly, even if the little neighbor had a temper, he was undeniably good-looking, definitely someone who’d be a campus heartthrob in the future.

…Though maybe not the best student, but he did give off that school-bully-male-lead vibe straight out of a school romance novel.

That was what Qu Tantan was innocently thinking at the time.

“It’s okay, I know you didn’t mean it like that,” she said generously, giving a carefree wave of her hand, still smiling. “We’re going to school together tomorrow anyway, kindergarten and elementary school are on the same route.”

Lin Zhenmo paused for a moment, slightly uncomfortable, but still nodded seriously.

When they got home and she heard her parents chatting while cooking, Qu Tantan finally learned that today’s incident had actually just been a big misunderstanding on both sides.

It turned out Lin Wan had come home late because she was called to school by a teacher. Lin Zhenmo had gotten into a fight, and the other students’ parents had gone to the teacher to complain.

Apparently, Lin Zhenmo had gotten involved with some people outside of school with a questionable background. When the parents heard that someone had even brought a knife to defend him, they were terrified and immediately went to the school to report it.

At first, Lin Wan didn’t know what was going on. As soon as she entered the office, she was surrounded by the teacher and a group of angry parents. They all criticized and mocked her. Although the teacher tried to defend her, it was obvious they couldn’t hold them back and looked very troubled.

Lin Wan didn’t feel embarrassed, just alarmed by what she heard. She really thought her son had fallen in with bad company, which is why she apologized guiltily on the way home and begged Lin Zhenmo not to fight anymore.

But she hadn’t expected it to turn into such a misunderstanding between them.

And when Mother Qu described the person, something struck a chord in Qu Tantan’s memory. She thought for a moment, then suddenly had a flash of realization and nervously shrank her neck, a sense of dread creeping over her.

Wait a second, that person with a ‘bad background’ who ‘carried a knife’…

—Could it be, that was referring to Brother Lou?!

---

“Her birthday?”

Qu Tantan didn’t react right away. After a moment, she realized he must be referring to Lin Wan’s birthday, and couldn’t help showing a surprised expression.

It turned out that ever since Lin Zhenmo could remember, he and his Mom had never celebrated a birthday. He had only learned her birthday by secretly noting the date when he happened to see her ID.

When he realized her birthday was coming up, he wanted to give her a gift. So recently, he had been secretly delivering milk and handing out flyers to earn money. Though it wasn’t much, he managed to save up enough to buy a present.

The last time Qu Tantan saw him in the bookstore and ended up being resented—it was actually because he didn’t know how to pick a gift and didn’t know who to ask, so he went to the bookstore to look through magazines. Unfortunately, he was spotted and surrounded by upperclassmen he’d had a conflict with.

He thought Qu Tantan had seen him looking at jewelry magazines and got flustered. He was also secretly worried that she might accidentally tell Lin Wan about it, which would ruin the surprise. That’s why he had been so guarded.

Yesterday, after finally saving enough money, he managed to buy the gift—but those same students saw him. Thinking he had money, they came to extort him. When he refused, they got angry, and that led to the brawl Qu Tantan and Lou Xiangwen witnessed yesterday.

Even after being chased off yesterday, those students still came back today, shouting insults at Lin Zhenmo, calling him a bastard, and even mocking that Lin Wan had a man outside and would eventually abandon him, leaving him an orphan.

Lin Zhenmo fought with them again.

When he got home, gift in hand, planning to give it to Lin Wan, he didn’t expect that she wouldn’t be there. He waited a long time, even rehearsing how to wish her a happy birthday. But then she came back, with another man.

The two of them talked outside the door for quite a while. When they came in, Lin Wan immediately questioned if he’d been fighting again, complaining and asking if he could stop making her worry all the time.

All the anticipation and excitement he had instantly vanished, like a bucket of cold water dumped over his head. Remembering what those boys had said during the fight, he coldly demanded to know who the man was. But Lin Wan avoided the topic and didn’t answer. Instead, she begged him not to fight anymore and tearfully apologized, saying it was her fault, that she had failed to give him a good life.

Lin Zhenmo didn’t understand why she would say that. If she kept apologizing, why couldn’t she be stronger for his sake? But whenever he questioned her, she wouldn’t say anything.

Old memories surged up, and on top of that, he had long noticed from her attitude that she avoided talking about his father. That made him pessimistically wonder if she even cared about him at all, if she had regretted giving birth to him in the first place.

Thinking she might abandon him and go off with another man, his emotions spiraled, and he finally couldn’t hold back anymore. He ended up yelling at her.

In his anger, he even hurled the gift he’d bought out the window and stormed out.

Lin Zhenmo finished his explanation in a flat voice, then lowered his head, his expression stubborn, as if saying, “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Qu Tantan was silent for a while. She didn’t try to comfort him directly but gently nudged him. “So… did you go and get the gift back?”

The little hedgehog frowned, clearly not understanding why she asked, but he still shook his head. “I already threw it. No idea where it went.”

He added in a dull, unhappy tone, “It’s something I don’t need anymore. Why would I go get it back?”

“But that was a meaningful gift,” Qu Tantan said matter-of-factly. “Even if you weren’t going to give it to your Mom, you could’ve given it to me.”

Lin Zhenmo looked surprised, and she beamed. “That was your first hard-earned money, right? Isn’t that worth remembering? Just tossing it away is such a waste. Better to let me keep it for you.

“I’ve never gotten a gift from a friend before, come to think of it… I’d actually really like that.”

Did she just say… friend?

Lin Zhenmo turned to look at her. She really meant it. Her eyes sparkled as she looked at him, even tugging his arm back and forth. For the first time, someone was looking forward to something he had done. He suddenly felt like his efforts were being cherished, like that bitter cold had finally been warmed. He pursed his lips and seriously nodded.

So the two kids, without asking Father Qu’s for help, began searching near the window in the dark. The gift box lay quietly in the grass. It was clear from the wrapping that the giver had put real care into it. Unfortunately, someone had stepped on it. One side was crushed, and it was covered in dirt.

Qu Tan-tan carefully opened it. Inside was a beautiful pearl hairclip, though now it was broken.

Lin Zhenmo’s dark eyes dimmed. He regretted his impulsiveness. Now he couldn’t even give it to Qu Tantan, especially after she’d been so excited.

But Qu Tantan didn’t seem upset at all. Instead, she carefully picked up the clip and studied it under the dim hallway light. Then she turned to him, eyes sparkling, and said, “Lin Zhenmo, you have such great taste! This clip is so pretty!”

Lin Zhenmo froze, caught off guard by her genuine praise. His ears turned red.

Then she grabbed his hand and pulled him upstairs. “It’s okay. Mom can definitely fix it. We agreed, remember? This one’s mine.”

Lin Zhenmo hesitated, embarrassed. “But what if she can’t fix it?”

“It’s fine! Even if I can’t wear it, I’ll still treasure it. What matters is the thought behind it.” She turned back and smiled at him, showing her small tiger teeth. “When we grow up and have jobs, we can look back on it. This was your first paycheck, you know. That’s amazing!”

When Lin Zhenmo was told this, he couldn’t help but fall silent. He was then pulled along back to the Qu household, only to find that Mother Qu wasn’t home.

Father Qu has been watching as his precious daughter coaxed the little boy, following behind them slowly, a strange feeling surfacing in his heart.

Was this… what they called natural talent?

And when did they start holding hands? It felt way too natural!

Feeling a bit jealous, Father Qu kept glancing at their joined hands, but since it wasn’t a good time to interrupt, he could only suppress his discomfort. Still, he reminded them that Mother Qu was probably next door right now.

Upon hearing that, Lin Zhenmo frowned, clearly unwilling to go home.

But Qu Tantan’s eyes lit up. Ignoring his reluctance, she eagerly dragged him toward the next house, stepping openly into a space that had once been off-limits.

At that moment, Mother Qu was comforting Lin Wan, who was sitting on the sofa crying, her face full of anxiety and worry. Suddenly, her precious little girl bounced in cheerfully and asked, “Mom, do you know how to fix a hair clip?”

Qu Tantan held up a pretty pearl hair clip, her expectant expression irresistibly cute. Mother Qu couldn’t help but pinch her cheek and asked, “Where did this come from?”

Lin Zhenmo tensed up, glancing nervously at Qu Tantan. She quickly turned her eyes and snuggled into her Mom’s arms, acting coy. “Ah, it’s a secret~ I can’t tell you yet! But Mom, please tell me, can this hair clip still be fixed?”

Mother Qu examined it. Some of the pearls were already worn down. “It can be fixed, but probably not restored to how it originally looked.”

Just as the two kids were looking a bit disappointed, Lin Wan spoke softly, “Can I take a look?”

She was clearly a bit afraid of the cold gaze from her son and didn’t dare to meet his eyes. Instead, she gently looked at Qu Tantan. “I know a bit about accessories, maybe I can help fix it.”

Without hesitation, Qu Tantan handed her the clip, full of trust, seemingly unaware that the little hedgehog beside her had raised his hand to stop her but withdrew it in the end.

Lin Wan studied the clip carefully, then smiled with pressed lips. “It can be fixed. Don’t worry, Tantan, it’ll be ready soon.”

She got up to retrieve her tools and returned, showing a hesitant expression when she looked at Lin Zhenmo, as if wanting to speak to him. But he abruptly turned his head toward Qu Tantan, refusing any interaction.

Her expression dimmed for a moment, but she sat down and focused intently on repairing the clip.

Just as she said, it didn’t take long. She replaced the damaged pearls with other beads, making it look even more delicate and beautiful than before.

Qu Tantan took it, admired it, and exclaimed in awe, “Aunt Wan, you’re amazing! It really looks like it just came from the store!”

Lin Wan shyly tucked her hair behind her ear and gave a bashful smile.

Lin Zhenmo looked slightly affected but forced himself not to glance over, keeping a stiff face and staying silent.

“Aunt Wan, do you think this hair clip is pretty?” Qu Tantan suddenly asked. “Be honest, if someone gave it to you as a gift, would you like it?”

Lin Wan was a little surprised, but still nodded gently. “It’s beautiful. Of course I’d like it.”

Qu Tantan beamed and turned to poke Lin Zhenmo.

He flinched slightly, as if realizing something. His fists clenched as he muttered in a dry voice, “I already promised to give it to you. You don’t have to—”

Even though he tried to lower his voice, everyone still heard him clearly. Lin Wan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, “This is a gift from Xiao Mo to Tantan?”

Lin Zhenmo immediately went silent, turning away with a cold face.

Not knowing what kind of silent communication was going on between the two, Lin Wan simply felt happy. “That’s wonderful. Xiao Mo has great taste, the clip is very pretty.”

She assumed that her son had given the gift out of genuine care for the little girl, considering her a close friend. Touched by the thought, Lin Wan gently wiped the corners of her eyes, grateful she had taken care in repairing the clip to thank the Qu family.

Being able to help her son, even a little, and seeing him finally make a good friend after all these years, Lin Wan couldn’t help but feel truly happy.

However, Qu Tantan only gave Lin Wan a faint smile and didn’t respond. She carefully placed the hair clip into a gift box she had brought from home and expertly tied a beautiful bow with a pink-blue ribbon.

Lin Zhenmo already knew what she was trying to do. Watching her movements, he looked aside with a complicated expression. His hand twitched, but in the end, he didn’t stop her.

So when Lin Wan praised Qu Tantan’s nimble hands, the girl suddenly pushed the box in front of her and looked up with a sweet smile.

Her voice was soft and sweet with a hint of childlike innocence, but to Lin Wan, it exploded in her ears like thunder:

“This is actually a birthday gift from Lin Zhenmo especially for you.
“Happy birthday, Aunt Wan.”

---

After winter set in, the sky darkened early. Any later, it would be already so dim that the road was barely visible.

The Qu couple was clearly worried about Lin Zhenmo, but faint cries could be heard from the neighboring house. After discussing briefly, Mother Qu decided to knock on the door to comfort Lin Wan and ask what had happened, while Father Qu went downstairs to find Lin Zhenmo.

They originally wanted Qu Tantan to stay home, but to their surprise, she took the initiative to grab her Dad’s hand and insist on going along.

—That guy, seriously. Why is he always so stubborn? No matter how angry he is, he shouldn’t just run off like that.

Following her Dad downstairs, Qu Tantan frowned, feeling uneasy. The security in the area hadn’t been great lately, and with the sky so dark, what if something happened?

Fortunately, Lin Zhenmo hadn’t gone far. The father and daughter had only searched nearby for a short while before spotting his small figure crouched on the ground, seemingly lost in thought.

In contrast to his usual cold and resistant demeanor, the boy at this moment looked entirely different. Qu Tantan could only think of one word: lonely.

Thinking back, though she had known him for a while, aside from a few boys who always picked on Lin Zhenmo, she had never seen anyone get close to him. Even the friendly neighbors avoided mentioning him, labeling him a weirdo.

His Mom, on the other hand, seemed like someone who needed protection. Though Qu Tantan didn’t know why their relationship was so tense, it was clear that the mother and son weren’t close, and his Mom probably didn’t take care of him much.

Realizing this, Qu Tantan suddenly felt a bit guilty. She had always silently held a grudge against him, but thinking back, all he ever did was glare at her. He had never actually done anything to her. She really shouldn’t have been so petty.

“Hey, Lin Zhenmo, let’s go home.” She let go of her Dad’s hand and ran over, reaching out toward him.

But just as a trace of sympathy began to form in her heart, it was immediately shattered by his icy glare. His sharp, fierce eyes looked particularly cold in the dim light, his entire being like a prickly hedgehog, ready to hurt anyone who got too close.

“Get lost. I don’t need your concern.”

Qu Tantan twitched at the corner of her eye. This brat was as unlikable as ever. But recalling the scene just now, she silently reminded herself to stay calm. Kids his age had strong pride, it was normal for him to refuse comfort…

“Every time I see you, nothing good happens. Stay away from me. I don’t need your so-called kindness.” Lin Zhenmo’s words were deliberately harsh, as if trying to drive her away.

Seeing that Qu Tantan still hadn’t left, and remembering the humiliating moments she had witnessed before, he pressed his lips together in frustration. That awkward feeling inside made him not want to see her stupid face any longer.

Since she wouldn’t leave, he would.

He stood up, intending to walk away, only to find himself blocked by Qu Tantan. Frowning, he reached out to push her aside, but misjudging his strength, he ended up knocking her backward against a flowerbed.

The sudden pain made Qu Tantan forget any noble intentions of softening her prickly little neighbor. Assuming he had done it on purpose, anger flared within her, and she retaliated by shoving him back.

And just like that, Lin Zhenmo and Qu Tantan inexplicably got into a fight. It wasn’t an all-out brawl, but it certainly wasn’t just playful roughhousing either.

Watching from the side, Father Qu found the scene amusing. As an adult, he knew he should step in, but seeing the two of them flailing at each other like baby birds just learning to fight—bumping, tumbling, and rolling around—he realized they weren’t actually hurting each other. Their eyes were just comically wide with anger.

To be honest, his daughter seemed to have the upper hand. After a moment of silence, he rather unkindly turned away, pretending not to see this ridiculous scene.

—…It’s fine. Let the kids vent a little.

Lin Zhenmo had been fighting since he was little and was usually quick to overpower his opponents. But Qu Tantan had learned a few tricks from Meng Jiajia, the provincial Taekwondo champion. While she wasn’t as strong, she had the ultimate weapons of a girl in a scuffle—hair-pulling and biting.

Eventually, with a vein twitching at his temple, Lin Zhenmo found himself staring blankly at Qu Tantan, who was currently biting his wrist like a stubborn little puppy. Defeated, he gave up.

The moment he stopped resisting, Qu Tantan seized the opportunity to flip over and pin him down, grinning smugly like a victorious cat. Her black-and-white eyes sparkled with mischief as she silently challenged him—Do you admit defeat?

…Lin Zhenmo didn’t know why, but at that moment, he suddenly found the whole situation funny. The corners of his lips lifted slightly, and the sharp spikes that had been bristling all over him seemed to quietly melt away.

Qu Tantan tilted her head in confusion, staring into his dark eyes. Why was he smiling?

—Wait… so this guy could smile?

She was surprised. She had always assumed he wore a permanent scowl, forever brooding and too cool to know what laughter was.

…Weirdly enough, he actually looked kind of nice when he smiled.

When the two finally calmed down, Qu Tantan realized what she had done. Embarrassment rushed in, and her face turned red as she awkwardly scrambled off him.

Both of them were covered in dirt, but at least their clothes weren’t torn. Dusting herself off, Qu Tantan puffed up her cheeks in annoyance and turned to glare at her Dad.

—His daughter had just been in a fight, and instead of stopping it, he had been standing there watching, clearly enjoying the show. Was this how a father was supposed to behave?!

Father Qu knew he was in the wrong, so he instinctively rubbed his nose before smiling and walking over to the two of them. He didn’t say anything, just ruffled his daughter’s messy hair.

Qu Tantan puffed up her cheeks in dissatisfaction and shook her head slightly, but she didn’t dare turn to look at Lin Zhenmo’s face.

She just felt embarrassed, her ears were burning.

Lin Zhenmo, on the other hand, stiffened instinctively when he met Father Qu’s smiling gaze, lowering his head in shame.

He never said it out loud and always seemed resistant to the Qu family, but ever since they moved in, he had secretly envied the warmth between them.

Especially when he saw Father Qu holding Qu Tantan gently, the love in Father Qu’s eyes was undeniable. Lin Zhenmo couldn’t help but wonder, if he had a father, would his father be like Father Qu?

But he knew it was just wishful thinking, which only made him more reluctant to get close to the Qu family.

He knew the Qu family were good people, unlike others who whispered behind his back about him and his Mom, judging them with looks of disdain. He also knew the Qu family genuinely cared about him, but he instinctively kept his distance.

As if responding would mean surrendering something invisible.

And now, after fighting with Qu Tantan and being caught by Father Qu, their family would surely start to dislike and avoid him too.

That would be for the best. Then he wouldn’t have to keep secretly longing for something he couldn’t have.

Lost in his self-mocking thoughts, Lin Zhenmo suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. He looked up to see Father Qu’s hand resting there, his usual warm smile in place.

“Young man, let’s have a chat?”

Qu Tantan, meanwhile, was pushed onto a flower bed to sit as her Dad ruffled her hair again. She wobbled slightly before propping her elbows on her knees and resting her face in her hands, watching as the two walked a little distance away.

Bored, she swung her legs, able to hear the deep, soothing tone of her Dad’s voice, though she couldn’t make out the words.

She didn’t know what they were talking about, but she could tell that Lin Zhenmo, who had initially been tense and wary, was gradually relaxing. He seemed to soften.

At the end of the conversation, Father Qu said something with a smile and ruffled Lin Zhenmo’s hair. The boy looked up at him in surprise.

For a moment, they looked at each other, the atmosphere between them almost like that of a father and son.

Qu Tantan didn’t feel jealous, though. On the contrary, she was a little proud. Of course her Dad could even tame a little hedgehog!

When their talk was over, Father Qu led Lin Zhenmo back to her and patted his shoulder encouragingly before stepping aside.

Qu Tantan shifted her position, propping herself up on the flower bed and looking up at Lin Zhenmo’s stiff expression. He opened her mouth but couldn’t quite find the words.

“—I’m sorry.”

Just as Lin Zhenmo was about to turn away and gather his thoughts, he suddenly heard Qu Tantan’s voice.

He turned back in surprise.

She scratched her head and, in her usual soft tone, said calmly, “Let’s just call it even. I thought about it, and you probably didn’t push me on purpose. I misunderstood.”

Lin Zhenmo’s lips moved, but he stayed silent, listening.

Qu Tantan gestured, “So I was the one who hit first. But it’s because you’re always so grumpy that I reacted that way.”

His throat felt dry. After a moment, he gave a quiet hum in response.

Seeing him acknowledge it, Qu Tantan immediately turned fierce. “So you should apologize too.”

Lin Zhenmo nodded seriously. Though unfamiliar with the gesture, he still looked her in the eye and said, “I’m sorry.” This time, his voice was clear and firm—unlike yesterday’s mumbled ‘thank you.’

His voice was a little dry but steady. After apologizing, he pursed his lips and looked at her, as if waiting for her next move.

They stared at each other for a long time before Qu Tantan suddenly couldn’t hold back a laugh. “I’m not gonna hit you. Why are you looking at me like that? Like a little puppy.”

Lin Zhenmo didn’t say anything, but his gaze flickered to the deep bite mark on his wrist, left by her sharp little teeth.

In his heart, he quietly refuted, you’re the real little puppy.

She looked small, but she sure could bite.

Then he remembered her grinning wildly while pinning him down, her eyes shining even in the dim light.

He repeated it in his head.

—A fierce little puppy.

…Kind of cute.

Qu Tantan, naturally sociable, decided that since they had fought and apologized, they were now friends. Seeing that he was no longer on edge, she patted the seat beside her.

Lin Zhenmo hesitated before sitting down stiffly.

He had never sat this close to someone before. Their shoulders touched. Even his deskmates always kept a distance from him, drawing imaginary lines to stay far away.

Qu Tantan didn’t notice his awkwardness and even bumped her shoulder against his. “What did you and my Dad talk about?”

Lin Zhenmo shook his head without answering.

She didn’t push. Instead, she changed the subject. “Why have you been coming home so late lately? I heard you argued with Aunt Wan today.”

She had noticed. Even though they hadn’t spoken, she had been paying attention.

Warmth spread through Lin Zhenmo’s heart, but guilt followed quickly. He had said such harsh words to her before.

Even so, when she accidentally touched on a sensitive topic, and he fell silent again, he still found himself speaking before she could change the subject.

“…Actually, today is her birthday.”

---

Lin Zhenmo has been acting really strange lately.

Since Father Qu had been coming home late recently, Qu Tantan had been spending her after-school hours at her Mom’s office. They would eat out before heading home, which made their return significantly later than before. Yet, even with this delayed schedule, they often ran into Lin Zhenmo just as he was getting back, his face visibly exhausted.

Mother Qu had naturally expressed concern, but Lin Zhenmo only shook his head without saying a word, his guarded demeanor making it clear he didn’t want to be questioned. Perhaps people had grown used to his aloof nature, no one found it particularly strange.

That was until one day, when Lou Xiangwen, entrusted with picking Qu Tantan up due to Mother Qu’s last-minute work, saw Lin Zhenmo on their way home.

He was surrounded by a group of boys, all significantly taller than him. Yet, instead of looking intimidated, he stood rigid, his eyes sharp with wariness. The leader of the group grinned, pointing at Lin Zhenmo before shaking something in his hand. Qu Tantan clearly saw Lin Zhenmo’s back tense, looking like he wanted to take the item back.

The leader tossed it to another boy in a mocking manner, who then passed it to someone else. They were obviously toying with Lin Zhenmo.

Lin Zhenmo, seemingly afraid it would get broken, kept trying to snatch it back. In the end, the item landed back in the leader’s hands, and with a sneer, he spat out some words before ruthlessly smashing it to the ground. Laughter erupted, loud and grating.

Lin Zhenmo snapped. Like an enraged young leopard, he lunged forward.

Although Qu Tantan had long suspected that Lin Zhenmo often got into fights, this was the first time she had witnessed it firsthand.

Boys fought with a vicious intensity. Even though Lin Zhenmo was the shortest among them, he didn’t fall behind in the least, and he fought the hardest. His sharp, upturned eyes gleamed with an icy ferocity, a stark contrast to his usual haughty but harmless demeanor when he merely scoffed at Qu Tantan.

Though they were just elementary school kids, the fight was escalating. Punches were landing on heads without hesitation. Lou Xiangwen stood frozen, utterly stunned.

As time passed, Lin Zhenmo’s stamina began to wear out. He was outnumbered and was about to get overwhelmed. Seeing this, Qu Tantan started to panic.

She didn’t like him, but he was still a neighbor. She couldn’t just stand by and watch him get beaten to a pulp.

She turned to look at Lou Xiangwen, who remained frozen in shock. One glance told her he had never been in a fight before, completely useless. And her Dad, who could actually fight, wasn’t around.

Qu Tantan frowned, staring at the boys, deep in thought. Suddenly, she glanced at Lou Xiangwen’s height, and a sly smile appeared on her face.

Lou Xiangwen suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

Before he could react, Qu Tantan yanked him toward the fight. Then, she took a step forward and shouted, “Hey! Stop fighting!”

The boys were caught up in the brawl. Who would listen to her?

But Qu Tantan wasn’t discouraged. She raised her voice, sounding fierce. “Who do you think you are, fighting on this turf? Do you have any idea who my Brother Lou is?!”

Lou Xiangwen, who was abruptly shoved into the spotlight : ?!

Qu Tantan whispered urgently behind him, “Keep a straight face! Look cold and scary, like a real boss.”

Lou Xiangwen : “……”

The leader of the boys paused, turning to size Lou Xiangwen up.

Despite being easy to push around in front of Qu Tantan, when Lou Xiangwen actually straightened up, he was quite intimidating. He was tall, and when he looked down at others, he exuded a natural air of dominance.

Especially when facing a group of kids who barely reached his waist.

Qu Tantan dramatically crossed her arms, snorting, “Hmph. My Brother Lou is undefeated, known across the city! He could lift all of you with one hand, and you dare stir up trouble in his territory?”

The leader hesitated but tried to act tough. “W-We’ve never heard of him!”

Qu Tantan sneered, gesturing exaggeratedly. “Tsk, that’s just because you’re ignorant. My Brother Lou is from the streets. His knives go in white, but come out red. If I tell you his name, you’d be scared to death!”

Lou Xiangwen, aka Brother ‘knives go in white, came out red’ Lou, struggled to keep a straight face. He wasn’t sure if the kids were scared yet, but his own legs were about to give out.

However, this was the golden era of martial arts novels and gangster films. Boys idolized the idea of street legends. The mention of such an infamous figure made the little gang wary.

One of them, who happened to live in the same neighborhood, stared at Lou Xiangwen for a while before tugging at the leader’s sleeve. In a hushed voice, he reported, “I live near him. I heard my Mom say he really is mixed up in the underworld!”

Rumors about a certain mysterious neighbor had finally come in handy!

Although those wild stories had already been debunked, this kid was clearly behind on the news and still believed them.

Lou Xiangwen stood stiffly in the cold wind, while Qu Tantan kept nudging him to keep up the act. He forced himself to nod with an icy expression, exuding the air of a crime boss.

The group of boys suddenly shifted, making Lou Xiangwen think they were about to gang up on him. His first instinct was to grab Qu Tantan and run.

But the moment he raised his hand—his tense, dark expression making him look even scarier—the boys panicked.

Thinking he was about to pull a weapon, they shrieked in terror and scattered.

“HELP! RUN!”

“Brothers, run! He’s got a knife!!”

“Brother Lou is going to kill someone! Waaaah, so scary!!”

Listening to the chaotic shouts fading into the distance, Lou Xiangwen sluggishly lifted Qu Tantan into his arms, his face full of confusion. He almost turned to dust under the bitter wind.

Qu Tantan was laughing so hard in his arms that she was rolling around, her stomach aching from laughter.

Lou Xiangwen was utterly helpless against this little troublemaker. He wanted to scold her but couldn’t bear to, and if he didn’t scold her, he felt she was being too unruly. After holding it in for a long time, he finally asked helplessly, “Where did you even learn to say things like that? If your Dad finds out—”

“From the bedtime stories my Dad tells me!”

Qu Tantan immediately leaned forward, resting her hands on his shoulders and blinking her big, innocent eyes. “But this is our little secret, Brother Lou. You won’t tell my parents, right?”

As she spoke, she extended her pinky finger, her soft voice demanding a pinky promise.

Lou Xiangwen had never been able to resist her acts of cuteness. The moment he met her sparkling eyes, he somehow nodded in a daze and agreed.

Just as Qu Tantan revealed a mischievous smile, she noticed Lin Zhenmo still standing there silently. Her smile slightly faded, and she scratched her cheek, suddenly unsure of what to say.

Strictly speaking, aside from exchanging cold snorts, they had never had a proper conversation.

But they were neighbors. And now, after watching him fight and even helping him drive away the older students, the situation had become rather strange.

Lou Xiangwen looked at Lin Zhenmo, then down at Qu Tantan, unable to understand what was going on between these two kids. In the end, he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut.

He was afraid of hearing another ‘knives go in white, come out red’ kind of threat.

Finally, seeing Lin Zhenmo standing there with his head down, looking a little lonely, Qu Tantan softened. She felt that, as the older person here, she shouldn’t hold grudges against him. So she patted Lou Xiangwen, signaling him to put her down.

Walking up to Lin Zhenmo, she didn’t ask why he was fighting or what had happened. Instead, seeing him searching for something, she simply asked, “Are you looking for something? Need help?”

Lin Zhenmo’s body stiffened. He suddenly clenched something in his hand, gripping it tightly before standing up and glaring at her.

He wiped the corner of his injured mouth. His upturned eyes looked even more fierce, filled with sharp arrogance. Not only Qu Tantan but even Lou Xiangwen, watching from afar, felt his heart race, wanting nothing more than to scoop Qu Tantan up and run away, hoping she wouldn’t provoke this kid any further.

Just as Lou Xiangwen was about to take a step forward, the boy, after a long internal struggle, suddenly muttered in a stiff voice, “I don’t need your help. I can handle it myself.”

Lou Xiangwen froze in place.

Actually, Lin Zhenmo followed up with a barely audible “Thanks,” but only Qu Tantan, who was standing close, heard it. Even so, it was enough to shock Lou Xiangwen.

Qu Tantan, however, was only momentarily surprised before flashing a bright smile. “Got it! You’re really strong, huh?”

Lin Zhenmo thought she was mocking him, so he immediately pulled a long face, his eyes drooping.

Qu Tantan had no idea he had misunderstood her. Still smiling, she extended an invitation. “It’s already so late. Since you found what you were looking for, let’s go home together!”

Lin Zhenmo pursed his lips and remained silent, seemingly considering it.

Just when Qu Tantan thought he was going to refuse again, she saw him bend down, pick up his dusty backpack, pat it off, and then—slowly, almost reluctantly—follow behind her.

Qu Tantan’s eyes crinkled with a smile. She jogged back to Lou Xiangwen’s side, tugging at his sleeve as they walked home.

The whole way back, Lou Xiangwen couldn’t help but glance back repeatedly, only to find that Lin Zhenmo was indeed still following them. Though Lin Zhenmo remained silent, he didn’t speed up to distance himself like he usually did.

At that moment, the tension in Lou Xiangwen’s heart finally began to ease.

…Honestly, he was really afraid that if he let his guard down for even a second, Lin Zhenmo would end up beating up Qu Tantan, who always seemed to enjoy provoking Lin Zhenmo.

Qu Tantan, of course, had no idea Lou Xiangwen was imagining scenes of her getting beaten up. She just felt that after walking home together this time, maybe—just maybe—their relationship had improved a little.

Maybe she could finally get along with her aloof little neighbor.

But as it turned out, that was just wishful thinking.

The next day, as Mother Qu brought her home, she happened to see Lin Zhenmo at the entrance of their apartment building. Smiling, she raised a hand to greet him, only to watch him lower his face and hurry downstairs, brushing past her as if she were invisible.

…Qu Tantan felt a tiny pang of grievance in her heart.

Pouting, she climbed the stairs, fuming internally: Fine! I’ll never take the initiative to talk to him again! Whoever talks to him first is a little puppy!

Just as she was sulking and heading up the stairs, she looked up and saw her Dad, who had rarely arrived home so early, standing at their apartment door with a frown.

Tilting her head in confusion, she asked what was wrong, only to learn that they had overheard the mother and son next door arguing. The apartment walls weren’t well-insulated, and as the voices got louder, they could vaguely hear things like, “Coming home so late,” “Fighting again,” and “Who was that person?”

Then, after a loud door slam, Father Qu opened their own door and saw Lin Zhenmo rushing downstairs.

Qu Tantan suddenly recalled how, when Lin Zhenmo brushed past her just now, his eyes seemed a little red.

---

—Just giving up on my dream like that?

—”Brother’s eyes were shining when he said he was a screenwriter.”

The girl’s voice, filled with laughter, echoed in his ears, making Lou Xiangwen feel a warmth spread through his chest, as if he could hear his own pounding heartbeat.

How could he possibly give up?

He could still remember how he felt when he first chose his major. He was nervous yet full of anticipation. And the excitement that surged through him when he completed his very first story.

To finish that work, he had practiced tirelessly, sought guidance from his teachers, and refined his script bit by bit. When he finally polished it into completion, the satisfaction was overwhelming.

When he learned that an industry veteran had taken notice of his script, he had thought his dream was about to come true. He had been so thrilled that he couldn’t sleep the entire night. But when he found out that the veteran had stolen his script and demanded he be a ghostwriter instead, the bitterness was unbearable…

Those emotions—the excitement, the frustration, the unwillingness—replayed in his mind every night, refusing to fade.

Reality had mercilessly extinguished his dreams before he even had the chance to realize them.

But did he really want to give up just like that?

He was unwilling.

How could he possibly give up so easily?

If you fall, you get back up. No one laughs at those who have the courage to stand again. Dreams should be pursued with all one’s might. This is something even children understand. So why was he still caught up in his own self-doubt?

Lou Xiangwen stared blankly ahead, his eyes turning red.

Seeing the young man looking like a drenched, lost puppy, Father Qu assumed his daughter had unintentionally touched on a sore subject. He hurried over and gave Qu Tantan a gentle pat on the backside.

“Kids say all sorts of things. She probably just repeated something she heard from her teacher. Xiao Lou, don’t take it to heart.”

Knowing that the young man had surely gone through a lot, Father Qu felt a little guilty. After a moment of thought, he patted Lou Xiangwen’s shoulder. “In the end, no matter what choice you make, as long as you have no regrets, it’s the right one. There’s nothing wrong with giving up, and nothing wrong with persisting. People always have to keep moving forward.”

Lou Xiangwen, who had lost his parents at a young age, hadn’t heard someone say such genuinely caring words to him in a long time. His expression stiffened slightly, his eyes welling up as he nodded. Then, realizing something was off, he looked down—only to meet Qu Tantan’s puffed-up, disgruntled face. His heart skipped a beat, and he quickly waved his hands. “No, no, I think Tantan is absolutely right. I was the one who was overthinking things.”

Lou Xiangwen crouched down, looking into the little girl’s clear eyes. “Thank you, Tantan. You woke me up. But I never planned on giving up on my dreams, I just wanted to take things slowly.

“I believe you can achieve your dreams too. Let’s work hard together.”

His expression was serious, his eyes firming with newfound determination. In that moment, it was as if he had undergone a transformation.

Qu Tantan, who had only been casually speaking her mind, suddenly felt a little guilty.

“What are you all squatting there for? Why aren’t you home yet?” Mother Qu’s voice suddenly rang out. “Xiao Lou, why are your eyes red? Did Old Qu say something?”

Father Qu, who had been wrongly accused out of nowhere, was taken aback. He pointed at himself in confusion.

Seeing the young man, eyes red-rimmed, surrounded by the father-daughter duo, Mother Qu suddenly grew flustered and tried to comfort him. “Xiao Lou, don’t be scared. If Old Qu accidentally said something he shouldn’t have, just tell me, and I’ll set him straight!”

Lou Xiangwen hurriedly shook his head. “No, no, Uncle Qu didn’t do anything to me. It was—”

“If it wasn’t Old Qu, then was it Tantan?” Mother Qu rolled her eyes, then gave the three of them a suspicious look. “Wait, what exactly happened here? And why are books scattered all over the place? Hurry up and pick them up!”

She had a feeling that her husband and daughter had accidentally hit a nerve without realizing it. Lou Xiangwen was an honest person. If he had been hurt, he definitely wouldn’t say so outright. Given what had happened a few days ago, she didn’t want his mood to be affected any further.

Father Qu and Qu Tantan, who felt like everything was only getting more and more misunderstood : “…”

Lou Xiangwen, the honest man in question : “…”

It took them quite a while to finally explain things to Mother Qu, but by then, she had already dragged Lou Xiangwen into the house, saying she was going to treat him to dinner.

Just like that, the father-daughter duo’s original plan to eat out was completely derailed.

By the time Lou Xiangwen realized what was happening, he was already sitting stiffly on their sofa, feeling utterly restless. He glanced toward the kitchen, where Mother Qu and Father Qu were busy, then quickly lowered his head guiltily, not daring to meet the gaze of the little girl sitting in front of him with her cheeks puffed out.

He wasn’t quite sure how everything had happened, but his mind was a complete mess. Somehow, he had just naturally followed them inside, and now, he was even waiting for a meal on their couch.

But asking to leave? As someone naturally shy and socially anxious, he had absolutely no courage to bring it up. At this moment, he wished he could bury himself in the sand like an ostrich.

Qu Tantan had no idea about his inner turmoil. She was still lamenting the fact that this was the first time since her rebirth that her Mom had ignored her. What happened to the plan of rewarding herself with a meal out?

After that misunderstanding, Lou Xiangwen always felt a little guilty toward Qu Tantan. But because of it, his relationship with the Qu family clearly became much closer. At the very least, despite his usual social anxiety, he could now greet them naturally.

Lately, he had been busy job-hunting. However, because his major wasn’t a perfect match for many position, and because he wanted a job that wouldn’t take up too much time so he could continue working on his scripts, he kept running into dead ends.

Every time he returned home, his head drooped in dejection. Even Qu Tantan, who had initially held a bit of a grudge, couldn’t bear to stay mad at him.

Seeing that her Dad had been too busy setting up his juice brand and running around with technicians to take care of the shop, Qu Tantan came up with an idea—why not let Lou Xiangwen help out at the store?

Originally, Mother Qu was able to help out at the store after work, but lately, her company had been busy with financial audits and meetings. As an accountant, she had been working overtime to keep up. Father Qu had even considered closing the shop for a few days, but after Qu Tantan reminded him, he realized it was indeed a good idea.

Lou Xiangwen was a responsible and reliable person, eager to learn, and quite resilient—qualities Father Qu admired in him.

So, after inviting Lou Xiangwen over for a meal and bringing up the matter, he, who was already struggling to find a job, immediately agreed. Knowing that it was Qu Tantan’s idea made him even more grateful. Seeing how busy the couple was, he even took the initiative to offer to pick up and drop off Qu Tantan.

There wasn’t much to do at the shop, so Lou Xiangwen quickly got the hang of things. He also started chatting with Qu Tantan about the stories he wanted to write after bringing her to the store.

He never talked down to her just because she was young. When he spoke about his stories, his eyes lit up with excitement. Although Qu Tantan didn’t understand much about writing, she had watched plenty of future TV dramas and novels. Some of the ideas she casually mentioned sparked inspiration in Lou Xiangwen, making him enjoy their discussions even more.

As Lou Xiangwen gradually settled into his new job, the two naturally became closer.

---

One day, as usual, Qu Tantan was picked up and brought to the store to wait for Mother Qu to finish work. Feeling a little bored, she told Lou Xiangwen, who was busy with customers, and then ran next door to the bookstore.

She hadn’t expected this spur-of-the-moment decision to lead her to another encounter with Lin Zhenmo.

Even though they had moved into their new home for several months, they hadn’t grown any closer to their neighbors. Lin Zhenmo still kept to himself. Even when they ran into him on their way to or from school, he never spoke to them, acting as if he didn’t see them at all.

Even the Qu couple, who had already become acquainted with most of the community, had never successfully stepped into the Lin household for a proper visit.

However, they had occasionally exchanged a few words with Lin Wan after running into her on her way home from work. That’s how they learned her name and that she was a substitute music teacher at a nearby elementary school, also working part-time as a piano instructor at a music studio.

It had been a few days since Qu Tantan last saw Lin Zhenmo. The injuries on his face from before had faded, but now there was a new bruise on the other side. Dressed in a white shirt, he still looked cold and unapproachable, standing out even among the bustling crowd.

She was a little curious about why he was there, but knowing he didn’t like her, she quickly withdrew her gaze, ensuring he didn’t notice her presence.

However, after spending some time looking at picture books and practicing her vocabulary, she looked up again—only to see Lin Zhenmo inside the store.

A few taller boys had surrounded him, their expressions clearly unfriendly. They shoved him around, saying something she couldn’t hear.

Lin Zhenmo’s fists were clenched tightly, but he seemed to be holding back for some reason, unwilling to make a move.

It wasn’t until the bookstore owner noticed the commotion and angrily chased the troublemakers away with a broom that Lin Zhenmo finally loosened his grip on the book he had been holding. Just as he turned his head, his gaze locked onto a pair of clear, wide eyes.

Caught in the act, Qu Tantan froze.

Uh… if she said she hadn’t meant to spy on him, would he believe her?

Clearly not.

Realizing she had seen everything, Lin Zhenmo’s face instantly darkened. His whole body stiffened as he glared at her viciously. Qu Tantan could almost hear the creaking of his clenched fists. Yet, he said nothing. He simply cast her a look of disgust before walking away.

Qu Tantan patted her chest, still shaken. This guy was seriously scary.

Even though she hated to admit it, Qu Tantan, despite being older in mental age, was still a little afraid of him. His eyes were just too fierce and cold, like a wild animal that feared nothing. One that, once provoked, would clamp down and never let go.

However, his family’s great beauty—now that was someone Qu Tantan really liked.

Though they weren’t close, Qu Tantan occasionally saw Lin Wan around the neighborhood. The stunning woman didn’t talk much, but Lin Wan always smiled gently at her.

Though every time Lin Wan gave her that soft smile, Lin Zhenmo would look even more unhappy and treat her even worse.

Qu Tantan secretly suspected that this guy was a total mama’s boy, with an over-the-top sense of protectiveness toward his mom. She had even witnessed him angrily chasing away men who tried to flirt with Lin Wan, brandishing a broom just like the bookstore owner earlier.

She had no idea what the scene she had witnessed today meant to Lin Zhenmo. Nor did she think she had uncovered any kind of secret. Yet, for some reason, he had clearly taken it to heart and held a grudge against her.

This became evident whenever they crossed paths. Lin Zhenmo, who used to simply ignore her, now made sure to let her know exactly how much he disliked her. Whenever he passed by, he would scoff coldly and glare at her with hostility.

And yet… how to put it? It felt like he thought she had something on him, which made him wary of her, but also more resentful.

It was just classic guilty conscience behavior.

At first, Qu Tantan had been intimidated by him, but after being glared at so many times, she started to get used to it. In fact, she even found it kind of funny.

She still had no clue what kind of ‘dirt’ she supposedly had on him, but she wasn’t about to let him walk all over her. So, she started returning his hostility with her own glare, making it clear she wasn’t afraid of him.

Still, she couldn’t help but feel a little curious.

Lately, Lin Zhenmo seemed to be coming home later and later.

Just, what kind of secret was he hiding?

---

Even though she encountered odd neighbors, nothing could dampen the excitement of officially moving into her new home. This was proof that she had successfully taken the first step after her rebirth. As expected, Qu Tantan ended up staying up too late again.

The next morning, she was sound asleep in her Dad’s arms. As Father Qu tied her hair, she guiltily told herself that this was just an exception. As a future disciplined genius student, she would definitely wake up early tomorrow!

—Tomorrow for sure!!

Yawning groggily, she nestled comfortably against her Dad, sipping from her milk bottle while waiting for him to take her to school. However, as soon as they stepped out the door, they heard another door closing nearby.

Qu Tantan instantly perked up, poking her head out to look. As expected, it was the boy from yesterday who had left a deep impression on her.

The boy, seemingly surprised by the coincidence, frowned slightly and glanced at them indifferently. His eyes slanted upward at the corners, carrying a natural arrogance. Even when looking up at someone, he still gave off a condescending vibe.

Qu Tantan wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination, but when their gazes met, she clearly felt his dislike toward her. Though it was a bit baffling, she couldn’t force everyone to like her, so she didn’t take it to heart—though her impression of him did drop a little.

He was good-looking, but his personality seemed pretty awful.

Father Qu, however, was oblivious to the subtle tension between the two children. Seeing such a young boy carrying his own schoolbag to school, he recalled what his wife had mentioned about their new neighbors last night and couldn’t help but smile kindly at him.

“What a coincidence! Didn’t expect we’d be heading out at the same time. You’re on your way to school, right?” He greeted him casually. “Is it a nearby elementary school? It’s the same route as our Tan Bao’er’s kindergarten, why don’t we walk together?”

Lin Zhenmo gripped his backpack strap without a word and started down the stairs. Though he hadn’t met this man before, seeing the little girl from last night in his arms, he immediately knew they were father and daughter.

Safe.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed the tall man walking beside him while the little girl in his arms seemed unhappy, tugging at her father’s sleeve. Assuming she didn’t want to walk with him either, his steps paused for a moment, a trace of mockery flashing in his eyes.

Once they reached the ground floor, when Father Qu cheerfully extended another invitation, Lin Zhenmo coldly refused and quickened his pace, leaving them behind.

Qu Tantan, who had been inexplicably glared at : ?

Watching their cold neighbor’s retreating figure, Qu Tantan, who had been feeling awkward in the silence, clicked her tongue internally. Once again, this guy was really full of himself.

Exchanging a confused glance with her father, she righteously blamed him, “It’s all your fault, Dad! He clearly didn’t want to walk with us, but you kept insisting. See? Now he’s mad.”

“Huh? Is that so?” Father Qu scratched his head, deeply puzzled. He hadn’t gotten that impression at all.

Were kids really this hard to understand nowadays?

---

Back when Father Qu was preparing to open his new shop, Qu Tantan had been urging him to start developing new fruit juice recipes.

Their family owned a large orchard, and in her previous life, Father Qu had worked with a technician to create a unique blend of fruit and vegetable juices. Initially, it was only meant for the restaurant, but due to its overwhelming popularity, it eventually grew into its own brand.

Juices and milk teas that would become highly popular in the future would feel even more novel in the present.

This was right up Father Qu’s alley, he just hadn’t considered it before. With just a little prompting, he caught on immediately. After some trial and error, along with a few timely suggestions from Qu Tantan, they finally recreated a juice that tasted nearly identical to the one from her past life.

Still hesitant about whether it would be successful, Father Qu agreed to a test run: Qu Tantan would bring some to kindergarten to share. If the kids loved it, they’d consider selling it.

The result was predictable.

The large jug of juice she brought was snatched up in an instant, with the kids clamoring for more. By the time school ended, they were dragging their parents over to ask if they could buy more of the delicious juice from her family.

By now, Qu Tantan was already a little celebrity in her class, and all the parents knew her. With a bit of a ‘celebrity effect’ at play, they eagerly asked about purchasing the juice.

Father Qu was stunned by his daughter’s marketing prowess. She had effortlessly gathered a crowd of future customers. Hurriedly, he explained that the juice was still in development and not yet for sale. He promised to let them know once it was available and also shared the address of his new shop.

Though caught off guard, Father Qu couldn’t contain his excitement on the way home. Seeing her Dad so thrilled, Qu Tantan bit into her warm roasted sweet potato, and the sweetness made her lips curve into a smile.

“Our Tan Bao’er did a great job today! What kind of reward do you want?”

Sitting on the back seat of the bicycle, she swung her legs and tilted her head in thought. “I want a picture book! The one Gu Quan brought the other day was really pretty.”

“Deal!”

Father Qu immediately turned his bike toward the bookstore. He had assumed she wanted a comic book, but to his surprise, she carefully selected a few illustrated books that taught English.

At that moment, he suddenly felt a bit ashamed. His own daughter was more diligent than he was.

---

Qu Tantan realized that she and her neighbor were strangely fated.

In the morning, even though she had almost been late, she had still managed to run into the arrogant little neighbor. Then, after spending extra time picking out books after school, she unexpectedly bumped into him again on the way home.

Compared to the neatly dressed boy in the morning, the one returning from school was now covered in dust. It was as if he had just been in a fight, his sleeves were torn in several places, and there were even more scratches on his face.

When he saw the father and daughter, his originally casual steps immediately steadied, as if he were on guard against something. His dark eyes were full of vigilance, and after a quick glance, he hurried upstairs.

He looked a bit like a stray black kitten, wary of being scolded or hurt.

Qu Tantan seemed to hear her Dad sigh softly above her head, but when she looked up, he only ruffled her hair with an indifferent expression, saying nothing.

She suddenly recalled what her Dad had inquired about before. The neighbor’s mother didn’t seem to care much for her child. The boy always went to and from school alone, and they had almost never seen mother and son together.

In her mind, she pictured that stunningly beautiful woman’s innocent and fragile face, someone who seemed untouched by worldly concerns. It must have been quite difficult for her to raise a child.

“Come on, let’s go call your Mom down. We’ll celebrate by eating out tonight.” Father Qu quickly adjusted his mood and smiled as he took his daughter’s hand, preparing to go upstairs.

Just then, the sound of something falling echoed behind them.

Once again, fate seemed to have a strong sense of humor when it came to their neighborly encounters.

Qu Tantan turned her head and saw Lou Xiangwen crouching on the ground with a distressed look. Books were scattered all around him. Every time he picked up one, another slipped from his grasp, making for such a comical sight that she couldn’t hold back a laugh.

Letting go of her Dad’s hand, she ran over to help pick up the books. “Every time I see you, Brother, you always seem to be in a mess.”

Lou Xiangwen had actually noticed the father and daughter from afar on his way back. He wanted to greet them but didn’t dare, yet not saying anything felt unsatisfactory too. He hesitated all the way until he reached the building.

Just when he had finally mustered the courage to speak, his attention—entirely focused on them—led him to trip over a small stone. He didn’t fall, but the stack of books in his arms went tumbling to the ground.

…Knowing that the two had surely seen everything, Lou Xiangwen flushed red and wished he could dig a hole and bury himself in it.

He felt utterly useless. Once again, he had embarrassed himself.

But as frustrating as that thought was, when he actually heard the little girl’s carefree laughter—completely unbothered by his clumsiness—his embarrassment strangely melted away.

Scratching his cheek, he weakly greeted her, only to see Qu Tantan grinning even brighter as she reached out and patted his head.

“Did you like the cookies from yesterday?”

Lou Xiangwen nodded. Remembering something, he pulled out a neatly washed little yellow duck handkerchief from his pocket and smiled shyly. “I washed it yesterday, but it took a while to dry, so I didn’t return it until now.”

“Brother keeps his promises, so impressive!” Qu Tantan took the handkerchief and patted his head again in praise. “Did you just get back? What were you up to?”

Father Qu watched their interaction with a slightly odd expression. It almost looked like his precious daughter was petting an animal. Then, realizing how rude that thought was, he quickly shook his head to push it away.

Lou Xiangwen, oblivious to the comparison, scratched his cheek again and said, a little sheepishly, “I went to the bookstore to buy some books, trying to study ahead. I want to look for a new job.”

Qu Tantan tilted her head in confusion. “But aren’t you a screenwriter?”

Yesterday, during their conversation, he had mentioned his job.

Hearing her question, a bitter look crossed Lou Xiangwen’s face. He still wanted to be a screenwriter, but with that ‘Brother Xiang’ eyeing him like a hawk, he doubted he’d ever get a chance to make it big.

He had tossed and turned all night, and in the end, he decided to find another job to support himself first. Taking back his script could come later.

But he didn’t want the little girl to know about his troubles, so he forced a casual smile and ruffled his own hair. “Because I need to make money.”

He paused, then mumbled to himself, “Besides, maybe I don’t have the talent for it. Someone as ordinary as me should just focus on getting a stable job to survive.”

Qu Tantan didn’t agree. “But Brother, you love this job, don’t you?”

Lou Xiangwen’s eyes widened.

She tilted her head and pointed to her own bright, clear eyes, a mischievous glint flashing in them. “Yesterday, when you told my Mom you were a screenwriter, I saw it, your eyes were shining.

“Really bright.”

As if he had been hit straight in the heart, Lou Xiangwen’s chest tightened, his pulse pounding violently.

His eyes flickered, as though there was a light igniting deep within them.

“Isn’t being a screenwriter your dream? Since it’s your dream, you have to work hard to achieve it. If you give up so easily, you won’t be a good role model for kids!”

As someone who had been lucky enough to live a second life, Qu Tantan deeply believed in this. She put her hands on her hips and sighed like an old soul. “Look at me! My dream is to get into Tsinghua University¹, and I haven’t given up on it, even though it’s really hard. So Brother, you shouldn’t give up either!”

Father Qu, hearing for the first time that his precious daughter had such an ambitious dream : “…?”

Tsinghua?

What Tsinghua???

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1. Tsinghua University, along with Peking University, are often cited as the best universities in China. ↩︎

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