Luo Anran had never expected Zhou Xiaocheng to reject her so bluntly—without the slightest hesitation, his tone final, as though nothing had ever existed between them.

Tears welled up uncontrollably. She forced a smile. “I get it. You look down on me too now.”

He shook his head. “It’s not that. There’s a demon in your heart right now. Even if we were together, we wouldn’t be happy. You need to learn to move on.”

She laughed through her tears. “You say that so nicely, but the truth is you’re disgusted by me.”

Not wanting to appear weak in front of him, she wiped her eyes. “I should go. Don’t worry—I’m not the kind to cling desperately to someone who doesn’t want me.”

Staggering slightly, Luo Anran stubbornly pushed her bicycle away.

Zhou Xiaocheng clenched his fist, watching her leave. Only when she was gone did he pinch the bridge of his nose and turn to walk in the opposite direction.

…

The whole family was surprised to see Zhou Xiaocheng home for lunch.

Li Yunlan quickly asked the housemaid to boil noodles. “We didn’t know you were coming. We’re just having zhajiangmian. It’s only because Wanqing’s here that we made the meat sauce.”

Zhou Xiaocheng smiled. His eyes fell on Zhang Wanqing, who was busy slurping noodles from a bowl. She glanced at him briefly before turning her attention back to her food.

After washing his hands and sitting down, Zhou Xiaoling started chattering away. “Second Brother, are you off tomorrow? I heard there’s an event on Chang’an Avenue. Wanqing and I are planning to go after her school activity. Want to come?”

“I can’t,” Zhou Xiaocheng replied. “I have to work tomorrow.”

Zhou Xiaoling pouted. “Your job is so busy. Do you ever get a day off?”

Li Yunlan also felt her son was overworking. “You really should rest sometimes. You haven’t had a single day off since starting in May. Even iron men need to recharge.”

Zhou Xiaocheng smiled. “It’s not that bad, Mom. I’m still getting used to everything.”

Li Yunlan continued muttering, “You need to slow down. Good thing you’re not married—if you had a wife, she’d definitely complain.”

Zhou Xiaocheng said nothing more. When the housemaid brought his noodles, he began to eat.

Zhang Wanqing didn’t slow down just because Zhou Xiaocheng was there. She finished quickly and ran off to play with Xuanxuan and Qianqian, who were crawling on the floor.

Zhou Liyun sat on a small stool nearby, feeding the two toddlers soft, well-cooked noodles.

Like little birds, they happily crawled away after each bite, only to return moments later with mouths open for more.

Zhang Wanqing watched, amused but still confused. “That’s Xuanxuan?”

Zhou Liyun laughed. “That’s Qianqian. He’s serious and doesn’t smile much. The cheerful, mischievous one is Xuanxuan—look, he’s playing with his noodles again.”

Zhang Wanqing studied them. “They really are different. But once they start moving around, I lose track again.”

Zhou Liyun patiently explained each child’s quirks.

Nearby, Lin Xiaoxiao held An’an and smiled as she watched Zhou Liyun and Zhang Wanqing chat. Meanwhile, Li Yunlan proudly showed Zhou Xiaocheng a bracelet. “Look how beautiful this sandalwood bracelet is! Each bead is carved with a lotus flower.”

Zhou Xiaocheng examined it closely. “It really is lovely. The carvings are lifelike.”

Li Yunlan beamed. “Of course! Wanqing made it herself. Who knew she had such skill?”

Zhou Xiaocheng was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t expected the seemingly carefree girl to be capable of such delicate work.

He remembered her grandfather—a master carver who often worried no one would carry on his legacy.

Li Yunlan caressed each bead. “She’s so thoughtful. I love this bracelet more every time I look at it.”

Zhou Xiaoling giggled at her mother’s show of pride. “Mom, you’ll have to wear short sleeves tomorrow so everyone can see it.”

Li Yunlan shot her a look. “This is too precious to show off. I just wanted your brother to see if he has an eye for fine things.”

Zhou Xiaocheng understood her hidden meaning but simply smiled and continued eating. He had no plans regarding marriage.

If he said he had completely gotten over Luo Anran, he’d be lying. Seeing her today, he felt partly responsible. If not for his supposed death, she wouldn’t have been forced to marry Geng Aiguo after waiting three years. An unhappy marriage had turned a simple-hearted girl into someone who calculated every move.

He didn’t think he was cut out for marriage.

On the morning of October 1st, after attending the event at her school, Lin Xiaoxiao didn’t join Zhou Xiaoling and Zhang Wanqing to see the festivities on Chang’an Avenue. Instead, she went home to her three children.

As soon as she stepped inside, she found Xuanxuan sitting on the floor, crying bitterly, snot bubbling from his nose. The moment he saw his mother, he pointed at his grandmother and wailed even louder.

Li Yunlan was holding Qianqian, whose little face showed two red marks. His lips were trembling, on the verge of tears.

The scene was chaotic. Lin Xiaoxiao picked up Xuanxuan. “What happened?”

Li Yunlan gently touched Qianqian’s cheek. “Xuanxuan bit him. If he’d bitten any harder, he would’ve broken the skin.”

Looking closer, Lin Xiaoxiao saw four tiny teeth marks on Qianqian’s face. The skin around them was already red.

She patted Xuanxuan’s bottom. “Why are you so naughty? Why did you bite your brother?”

Li Yunlan felt sorry for both. “We should’ve been watching more closely. Why does Xuanxuan always pick on his brother?”

Seeing Xuanxuan crying so pitifully, rubbing his eyes with tiny fists, Lin Xiaoxiao sighed. “You’re the one who bit him, and now you’re crying? If you bully your brother again, you’ll really get a spanking.”

But Li Yunlan’s heart softened again. “He’s too young to understand. We’ll just have to keep a closer eye on him.”

Suddenly, she remembered something. “Oh, the neighborhood office wants you to come by. It’s something from the Women’s Federation—they need you to fill out family planning forms.”

Since it was still early, Lin Xiaoxiao decided to take Xuanxuan with her to the office.

Because Zhou Huaian’s household registration had never been transferred to the Zhou family, and hers had been moved directly to her school after she returned, they still fell under the jurisdiction of the local neighborhood office.

It was a bit of a walk from the compound, but Xuanxuan was thrilled. The moment they stepped outside, he stopped crying, his eyes sparkling with curiosity as he looked around.

As they approached the office, they could hear a child crying loudly inside.

For some reason, the sound of that unfamiliar child’s crying made Lin Xiaoxiao’s chest tighten with a sudden, suffocating feeling…