After they finished building a little tiger together, Qu Tantan wiped the imaginary sweat from her brow and cheerfully admired their work, feeling rather satisfied.
Hands on her hips, she suddenly noticed that Lin Zhenmo had been quiet for a while. She turned her head to look for him, and was immediately stunned.
She saw the boy squatting not far away, face serious and focused, carefully sculpting a small dog in front of him. All around him were snow sculptures of various little animals.
Was he making art pieces?!
They were way too exquisite! And to think they were made by an elementary school student???
Qu Tantan, who already considered herself an adult, was instantly shaken.
She rushed over to Lin Zhenmo, circled the little animals a few times, and didn’t hold back her praise. “Lin Zhenmo, you’re amazing! I thought real animals had wandered out here. Your hands are so skillful, you’re way better than me.
“This puppy is so cute, can I touch it? I promise I won’t break it!”
Having finally attracted the little sunflower’s attention, Lin Zhenmo listened to the praise now ringing in his ears again, and couldn’t help but lift the corners of his mouth in a calm little smile. He nodded graciously. “Sure, go ahead.”
Meng Jiajia was also drawn over and couldn’t help exclaiming, “Wow, Lin Zhenmo, who would’ve thought you were this talented! I admit it, we lost. Yours look way better!”
Lin Zhenmo nodded at her with reserved pride, and suddenly thought that her hedgehog haircut didn’t look so bad after all.
And this entire scene just so happened to be witnessed by someone who shouldn’t have seen it.
With an impatient, casual glance, Wen Qingqing saw those two vaguely familiar children, and her mood instantly darkened.
She had come here this time to unwind.
Previously, the young miss had sent someone to investigate Lou Xiangwen. But the people she sent only dug up local gossip. They said Lou Xiangwen might be involved in gang activity and was quite notorious in the area. Shockingly, he had even attacked someone before.
In the underworld, he was known as “Brother Lou.” He’d supposedly fought hard to claim that territory, and was infamous for his ruthlessness—’knives go in white, came out red.’
Wen Qingqing : “…”
She tried to imagine Lou Xiangwen’s fierce expression, but simply couldn’t picture it. Thinking back on their past interactions, her expression grew numb, and her mood sank again.
How could Lou Xiangwen be that kind of person?
She could clearly feel that he was a proper, decent guy—gentle and patient with everyone. He even had the courage to sternly criticize her when she did something wrong, rather than turning a blind eye just because of her background.
Could it be she’d misjudged him? That everything he showed her was just an act?
But that made no sense. He was clearly capable, so why would he work as a lowly shop clerk, bowing and scraping to customers?
Maybe his wife couldn’t stand his bad reputation from gang ties and forced him to find a proper job? And without a degree, the only place he could find work was that small shop?
That’s just so pitiful.
How could his wife treat him like that?!
Caught up in her own wild assumptions, Wen Qingqing started feeling genuine indignation on Lou Xiangwen’s behalf. By the time she calmed down, she grew dejected again. So what if it were true? It was his and his wife’s business. She was just a shameless girl who clung to him without dignity. What did it have to do with her?
Besides, if he really had such a terrifying reputation that even elementary school kids ran away screaming when they heard his name… then maybe he wasn’t such a great guy after all.
And so the young miss, thoroughly heartbroken, kept searching for excuses to comfort herself.
After moping at home for a week, some friends invited her out to relax. One suggested going for a walk in the forest park, saying the scenery would help clear their minds. Wen Qingqing didn’t think much of it and agreed.
And she got tricked.
There were no places to sit, nothing fun to do, and the bare snowy landscape had no appeal. Wherever the young miss looked, she was displeased. The more she thought about it, the angrier she got. Finally, she exploded and scolded her friends for being useless, yelling that they might as well have gone on a real vacation.
The suitor trying to please her kept apologizing profusely.
Just as Wen Qingqing was stomping her feet, ready to leave, she turned around and unexpectedly came face-to-face with Qu Tantan, Lin Zhenmo, and a child she didn’t recognize. But the moment she saw Qu Tantan, her scalp tingled out of reflex.
Just thinking of how Qu Tantan’s words—though they seemed innocent and naive—always hit right on the mark, as if peeling back the layers of her ugly thoughts, made Wen Qingqing feel a little afraid of her.
She glanced around, but the figure she subconsciously expected to see never appeared.
Both of his children were here, yet he didn’t come to accompany them?
She didn’t know why, but even though she should’ve turned and left immediately, she couldn’t stop herself from pausing. Wen Qingqing stared unblinkingly at them playing, and when she saw Qu Tantan bouncing over into a woman’s arms, she involuntarily held her breath, her heart pounding with nervous tension.
The woman lifted her head, and Wen Qingqing’s heart instantly sank, sank all the way to the bottom of the lake.
Wen Qingqing had always considered herself beautiful, and never thought anyone could outshine her, until she saw this woman. Even though she wasn’t dressed as well as Wen Qingqing, it didn’t diminish her beauty. In fact, she was stunning. Delicate and fragile, with gentle features, it was as if she was born to be doted on.
That must be Lou Xiangwen’s wife, right?
No wonder he would wash his hands of the past and willingly become a small-time shop clerk for her.
Even if it were Wen Qingqing herself, she had to admit: if she were in his shoes, she might have made the same choice.
With a pearl like that in front of him, it was no surprise Lou Xiangwen would reject her so firmly, completely immune to her advances. Even if she tried to tempt him with her family background, if that actually worked, it wouldn’t mean he had fallen for her.
And would she really like a man like that, someone who could be moved by such shallow things?
Wen Qingqing wouldn’t.
She pulled at the corners of her mouth bitterly and finally decided to give up. Hugging her arms, she shot a glare at the still-chattering suitor beside her and said impatiently, “Shut up already. I’m freezing to death. Who holds a gathering in a place like this anyway? So useless, let’s go.”
The friend shrugged helplessly and took her arm again, comforting her, “Don’t be mad, don’t be mad. He meant well. He knew you’ve been cooped up at home lately, so he thought coming here might cheer you up.”
But Wen Qingqing remained upset, especially after seeing Qu Tantan and the others. “What’s there to enjoy here? Cheer me up? It just makes me angrier.”
Her friend couldn’t figure out why she suddenly got mad. She had seemed just a little impatient earlier but still went along with their playful fun. Now, this sudden shift baffled him. “Did someone upset you? Tell us, we’ll back you up.”
Wen Qingqing turned her head away in frustration. “No, it’s… my own problem. I’m just suddenly in a bad mood. Sorry.”
“Then let’s get going before we freeze.”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s way too cold here. There’s nothing fun anyway.”
“Told you we shouldn’t have come here in the first place, this place doesn’t suit people like us.”
The group of friends quickly tried to smooth things over with smiles. “Why don’t we go to that new KTV I just opened? What do you think?”
“That sounds good, I love singing.”
Wen Qingqing was dragged along reluctantly as they headed out, but just happened to pass by Qu Tantan’s group. She paused again instinctively, and just then, she heard someone call out:
“Kids, make sure you all put your gloves on! Don’t let your hands freeze, you’ll get frostbite when we go home!”
“TanBao’er, come here, your hair’s all messy.”
A curly-haired woman was calling Qu Tantan over. Her features actually resembled Qu Tantan’s a bit. Next to her, a man was grinning as he held out his hands toward the woman, murmuring something, seemingly asking her to warm his hands, only to be playfully pushed away.
They looked like a loving couple.
Something felt off, but Wen Qingqing couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She instinctively perked up her ears to eavesdrop.
“Xiao Mo, are you cold? Mom will warm your hands.” The beautiful woman from earlier was crouched in the snow, smiling a little awkwardly at the boy with a cold expression, her face tinged with anticipation.
Even Wen Qingqing found herself a little moved by the sight, but the boy Qu Tantan had previously called ‘Brother’ remained unmoved. He even took two steps back. “…No need. I’m not cold.”
The woman smiled gently. “Then make sure you wear your gloves. Were you all building snowmen just now? Can Mom take a look?”
Lin Zhenmo coolly kept his hands in his pockets. “It’s nothing special.”
Qu Tantan grabbed the woman’s hand, put both hands to her mouth to form a megaphone, and shouted across, “Aunt Wan, don’t listen to him! Lin Zhenmo’s snowman looks amazing, totally inherited your craftsmanship! Come take a look!”
Lin Zhenmo immediately flushed with anger and glared at Qu Tantan. “Shut up!” Always the loudmouth!
Lin Wan had originally been feeling a little choked up, but when she saw his blushing face, she blinked and immediately smiled. “Then can Mom take a look? Pretty please.”
Lin Zhenmo replied, “…It’s right there. I won’t stop you from seeing it.”
Wen Qingqing felt more and more that something was off. Her face showed some uncertainty and suspicion. No matter how she looked at it, that beautiful woman and the boy did seem to be mother and son, but that little girl looked like she belonged to another couple altogether?
As for the last unfamiliar child, she got a sharp smack on the butt from the long-haired woman, who sneered, “Meng brat, you’re really getting bold, huh? You even dared to raise your hand at your Mom just now. Today I’ll teach you that your Mom isn’t someone you can mess with!”
Meng Jiajia immediately wailed, “I was wrong, okay? Dad, help me!!”
It was noisy and chaotic, full of fuss and shouting.
Wen Qingqing, finally realizing she had been tricked, was speechless : “…” These were clearly kids from three different families! Where did the ‘siblings’ story even come from!!
The young miss stomped her foot furiously and was about to rush forward to expose Qu Tantan—who knew her foot would slip and she nearly fell. Her suitor quickly rushed to support her with great enthusiasm. Then he looked up and followed her gaze, just in time to see the snow elephant surrounded by a group of people.
Thinking he understood Wen Qingqing’s thoughts, he suddenly exclaimed in realization, “Qingqing, you must think those snowmen are fun but are too shy to go over, right? I’ll tell those kids to move so you can have the spot!”
With that, he eagerly started walking over. Wen Qingqing had just regained her balance when she heard his absurd words. She raised her hand in disbelief to stop him, but it was already too late.
Seeing the man pretending to fiercely drive away the children, Wen Qingqing immediately sensed trouble. Sure enough, in the next second, she met the gaze of the two children.
Wen Qingqing could only blame the sunny weather today—so clear that she could vividly see the astonishment and curiosity in Qu Tantan’s eyes the moment the girl spotted her. Then she tugged the boy beside her, and the two pressed their heads together and whispered something.
Wen Qingqing could totally imagine that they must have recognized who she was, that’s why they were discussing her.
“……” Aaaaaah!!!
At that moment, she wanted to die.
Murderous thoughts arose.
Help! How can someone be so completely oblivious to social cues, and still have the nerve to pursue her?!
This was clearly setting her up! And not just once!!!