Chapter 52: New Year

His playful smile faded, and he no longer teased her with that mischievous glint in his eyes.

Qin Xiao grew serious, his gaze calm. He asked her, “Are you serious?”

Serious, or just playing with him?

Su Ling nodded. “I am.”

He tightened his grip on her hand, his voice dropping lower. “Alright, I promise. Don’t go back on your word.”

Though she might never love him as much as he loved her in this lifetime, even a little would be enough.

The reason people resort to forcing others is because they believe there’s no possibility of reciprocation. But if there’s even a chance of mutual affection, he’d take it.

Su Ling felt awkward; after all, this was the first time in her two lifetimes that she had actively tried to embrace this possibility and accept such a terrifying person. She said, “Let’s cook.”

Qin Xiao looked at the pile of firewood. “I’ll do it.”

Su Ling smiled and shook her head. She really didn’t dare let him near the stove—bad cooking was one thing, but burning the house down would be another matter entirely. After all, this was the last thing her grandmother had left her.

“You go outside. I learned how to do this when I was little; it’ll be quick.”

Qin Xiao knew his limitations and didn’t insist. Once outside, he wiped down the table. Afterward, he disdainfully threw the rag far away.

Then he surveyed the old house. Water dripped from the roof, leaving trails along the walls.

Following the direction of the water stains, he spotted something rather intriguing.

On the wooden cabinet sat a photograph from ten years ago. The little girl in the picture had two braids, big bright eyes, wore a dress, and smiled shyly.

A smile played at the corners of his eyes.

There was only one person who could make him so happy just by looking at her.

She had been adorable as a child, though not yet possessing the captivating beauty she had now.

This was where she had lived, every corner bearing traces of her past. As he looked around, he realized this dilapidated place wasn’t so bad after all.

That was until Qin Xiao spotted an essay book.

It was displayed in the glass cabinet, its cover yellowed with age. On it was written: Grade 5 Class 2, Su Ling.

Her handwriting as a child had been neat, clearly showing how obedient she had been. He clicked his tongue and pulled out the notebook.

Flipping it open revealed the childish essays typical of everyone’s childhood—the kind of topics everyone had been forced to write about—

My Dream

Qin Xiao lacked a moral compass, which was perhaps his most flawed trait. As he skimmed through, he nearly burst out laughing.

His little darling had written: My biggest dream is to become rich, with lots and lots of money.

Qin Xiao had assumed someone like Su Ling would have dreamed of becoming a teacher, a volunteer, or even Lei Feng… Who would have thought she wanted to be rich!

If she had stayed true to her childhood dream, marrying him would have made her wealthy.

Why couldn’t she stay as obedient as she had been then?

As he continued reading, he discovered why Su Ling had this dream: Because grandma worked so hard. I never met my parents, and grandma worked during the day and embroidered cross-stitch at night to send me to school. Her eyesight got worse and worse.

At first glance, he wanted to laugh, but the more he read, the more his heart ached.

He flipped through the rest of the essays, all ordinary compositions from a grade-schooler. However, one title made his fingers pause—

My Favorite Classmate in Our Class

Damn, who did that woman write about? Huo Wei.

It was obvious it was a male classmate.

Generally, when kids wrote these kinds of essays, they usually picked a same-sex classmate to fill the quota. Why did she, who seemed so honest, write about a boy?

His eyes narrowed dangerously as he read each word with growing irritation.

Su Ling wrote: Huo Wei is the best student in our class. He feeds the stray cats outside the classroom and helps classmates clean up. Last week, when I was sick and couldn’t come to school, Huo Wei copied notes for me. I’m very grateful to him…

Tsk, screw that. So she didn’t dream of being Lei Feng herself but liked men with Lei Feng-like qualities.

Making her like someone like him was truly putting her in a difficult position.

When Su Ling brought out the dishes, she saw Qin Xiao reading her elementary school essays.

Su Ling’s scalp tingled. Everyone’s elementary school essays were half-truths, partly fabricated to meet the required length and plot. In short, they were incredibly embarrassing to adult eyes.

She put down the plate and tried to snatch the book away.

Qin Xiao calmly raised his hand. She wasn’t tall enough to reach it, and Su Ling grew both embarrassed and flustered. “Qin Xiao, give it back!”

Watching her jump, he found her utterly adorable.

Qin Xiao smirked, still lazily holding the book high, reading aloud: “My favorite classmate in our class is Huo Wei. He feeds cats and dogs, enjoys cleaning, and last week when I was sick...”

He maliciously twisted the nature of the boy’s character. Su Ling’s ears turned red as Qin Xiao deliberately misinterpreted the words.

Her eyes brimmed with tears. “Qin Xiao, stop making things up. Don’t read anymore!”

She barely remembered what she had written, but his recitation brought it all back.

In elementary school, her classmates had been so innocent that she didn’t think writing about a good-hearted male classmate was inappropriate. It wasn’t until seventh grade that she vaguely understood the concept of puppy love.

One day, after finishing her cleaning duty, she stumbled upon a couple kissing in the corner. She was utterly stunned.

For the rest of her teenage years, the embarrassment of accidentally witnessing someone else’s intimate moment lingered.

So humiliating! But she couldn’t get it back while Qin Xiao held it.

She was furious. “Qin Xiao! You just promised me!”

Qin Xiao’s lips curled into a smirk. “I remember. No scaring, no forcing. Haven’t I done neither?”

Su Ling didn’t know how to counter him and simply looked up at him with a pitiful expression.

He chuckled, his heart melting.

He handed the notebook back to her, and Su Ling quickly locked it away in the cabinet.

Her cheeks flushed red. She didn’t even remember what was written inside and didn’t want to bring up the topic. But Qin Xiao teased, “Su Ling, your childhood dream was to become rich?”

She was momentarily stunned. “Ah?”

After a while, she remembered it was indeed true.

Her face turned crimson, feeling somewhat embarrassed. Though she had always downplayed materialism, she couldn’t deny that almost everyone in the world worked tirelessly for wealth.

Qin Xiao chuckled softly. “There’s a fastest way to become rich. Want to hear it?”

She said, “No, Qin Xiao, don’t say it.” She could already guess it wouldn’t be anything good.

But Qin Xiao suddenly said, “I’ll transfer Qing Entertainment to you.”

She froze, quickly replying, “I don’t want it.”

Qin Xiao smiled faintly, not pressing further. He merely wanted to tell her that he wouldn’t stop her from acting anymore. He could even give her the strongest wings to soar.

Su Ling only stir-fried one dish. By this time, it was almost one o’clock. After their morning ordeal, eating something was the priority.

He served her rice, placing a plate of shredded carrots in front of her—no meat at all.

Su Ling felt a bit awkward. “Sorry, even though it’s New Year’s Day, you got injured because of me, and there’s nothing good to eat.”

Qin Xiao’s eyes sparkled with amusement. “But this is the best New Year I’ve ever had.”

In twenty-eight years, this was the year that gave him the most hope.

He took a bite of the shredded carrots—it was sweet, warming his heart.

In the afternoon, Su Ling remained uneasy. She insisted on taking Qin Xiao to the hospital. Without treatment, the bruising might not heal anytime soon. Even a small bruise on her would hurt for a long time before fading.

Qin Xiao’s back injury looked terrifying. His coat needed replacing too.

Qin Xiao nodded indifferently, though he secretly harbored some regret.

Tsk, the only advantage of Su Ling’s shabby house was that it had only one bed.

By the time they reached L City, it was evening. Due to the New Year celebrations, the entire city was festive. Some places had couplets and lanterns hung up, and the lights reflected off her face, turning it red.

The ban on fireworks had already been enforced, and the night sky was bathed in artificial light, appearing dark blue without stars or fireworks.

There were doctors on duty at the hospital.

Next to the hospital was a bank. Qin Xiao said he needed to withdraw money. When he came out, Su Ling said, “Can’t you just use a card?”

“Give the doctor a red envelope since it’s New Year’s.”

For a moment, Su Ling felt like she didn’t recognize him!

Could this considerate man really be Qin Xiao?

Qin Xiao smiled but didn’t speak. True to his word, he went to the supermarket to buy red envelopes.

He handed them out to every doctor and nurse who attended to him.

However, no one accepted them. The hospital had strict rules against accepting red envelopes, and the staff here were quite upright.

Qin Xiao didn’t mind. After spending half the day dealing with his bruises, even the young nurse found his injuries horrifying. “How did this happen?”

Qin Xiao didn’t answer her.

The young nurse felt a bit awkward. Su Ling lightly smiled and explained, “Because this gentleman is a hero. He saved a child.”

The nurse’s smile became genuinely friendly.

Qin Xiao glanced at Su Ling, saying nothing, but his eyes softened slightly.

As they walked out of the hospital, the fluorescent screen of a distant skyscraper counted down—10, 9, 8... seconds until the New Year passed.

Qin Xiao took out the red envelope he truly wanted to give.

He handed it to Su Ling.

On it was written: May you have lifelong peace.

The simplest blessing, yet it carried the deepest meaning for him.

She looked up at him.

His eyes sparkled with countless emotions as he softly said, “Little one, Happy New Year. May you have lifelong peace.”