—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?