TPIL - 43

Qi Xiaochuan received a text from Luo Andi, saying that the house they had rented was leaking, and the landlord had asked her to come back. Even though it hadn’t rained recently, she wasn’t sure where the leak was coming from. If it was the pipes, who knew what kind of trouble might arise? Just as his worry began to double, he heard the sound of the keypad lock being entered in the living room.

He went out to investigate the noise and saw a woman bending down to pick up a cat. Her long hair, braided loosely, cascaded down as she hurriedly looked up at him with a confused expression.

“Luo Andi?” Qi Xiaochuan couldn’t help but ask, “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, I just came to pick up the cat,” Luo Andi smiled, seemingly unaware of any trouble. He was usually working late, so logically, he shouldn’t have been home—it was an oversight on her part.

She stood by the door holding the cat. Neither of them had much else to say. With a faint smile, Luo Andi waved and softly said, “I’ll be going now.” Qi Xiaochuan stood there for a moment before realizing he should see her off. She was still in the yard when he caught up, holding the gate open for her. “Let me drive you.”

“No need,” Luo Andi replied. “I’ve called a taxi; the driver is waiting outside.”

Since she had already said so, he didn’t insist further and silently watched her leave.

Luo Andi walked all the way out without looking back once. The downhill road was slightly bumpy, and the cat in her arms felt warm. The smile on her face gradually faded, replaced by a deep sigh. After disappearing from sight, she turned back to confirm something before finally stopping.

Waiting for the taxi took nearly twenty minutes. When she got in, the driver asked if she was heading out to play in the middle of the night. Alone at such a late hour, Luo Andi pulled out her phone, pausing on the dial screen just before calling emergency services.

In truth, she wasn’t nervous inside.

She had grown accustomed to it.

During her college entrance exams, she had also been alone in a distant place. As a transfer student, she had been assigned to a remote testing area. For two or three days, she packed her own daily necessities and boarded a bus with few passengers. There was a long walk from the exam hall to the dormitory, passing through a small, untouched wetland. The exam supervisors had warned beforehand about incidents from years ago—someone slipping into the water, another encountering robbers—and ended with a weak, “But the security has improved somewhat, I guess.” Neither the content nor the inverted sentence structure did anything to ease her mind.

Lying on a bed that smelled of camphor balls, Luo Andi couldn’t help but imagine herself in a dire situation. If she needed help, she wouldn’t even know who to call. Even if she died, it would only burden the community workers.

Would her father, mother, and younger brother be waiting for her on the other side? Like during family concerts, her mother playing the piano, her brother on the viola, and her father tuning the violin. When they saw her, her mother smiled and said, “Oh, my good child, you’re here.” Her father added, “Andi, come over. It’s about to start. Today we’re performing Mahler’s Kindertotenlieder .” The only one who didn’t speak to her was her brother, Luo Chuishun. His eyes drooped, like seagulls spinning in the waves of music. He softly sang along in German: “‘I always thought they had gone on a long trip, that they’d return soon. They were just taking a long walk, they’d return soon’...”

Luo Andi walked toward them, slowly approaching. Like the little match girl, all she wanted was to get close to the warm hearth and warm her frozen hands.

A voice called out behind her.

“Sister, sister.”

She turned around to see Luo Chuishun. He had been playing the viola just moments ago, but now he appeared behind her. Luo Chuishun took her hand and solemnly said, “You can’t go any further.”

“But...” Luo Andi was utterly confused, as if her face were covered in dust.

Luo Chuishun’s tone was firm, just as reliable in the dream as in reality: “Follow me. I’ll take you away.”

“Chuishun,” she kept repeating his name, but didn’t resist as he led her by the hand through one corner after another. “Chuishun, it’s really okay. I miss you all so much.”

“That’s not where you belong. Sister,” suddenly they remembered standing by the pond. For some reason, the other end of the lake wasn’t underwater but instead faintly revealed the sky, fences, and their family mansion. Luo Chuishun pressed his hand on her shoulder and resolutely said, “We’re twins. As long as one of us is alive, the other lives too. You must love yourself as much as you love me.”

She had been smiling, but tears welled up in her eyes. All she could do was grip his hand as tightly as possible.

He didn’t push her away but simply gazed at her quietly.

She let go of him, stepped back, and then fell.

The cold water hit her face.

Luo Andi gasped awake, her face and hair soaked. Around her were exam staff and doctors from the testing center. As she opened her eyes, the adults celebrated joyfully. The doctor removed the damp towel used to cool her down and told her, “Do you know you fainted from heatstroke? Luckily, it didn’t affect your exam. Be more careful next time.”

In the blink of an eye, so much time had passed.

Walking into her old home, she placed Alexander McQueen on the floor. Sitting on the neatly made bed, she reflected on the past, no longer as heartbroken as before.

The printed business cards arrived quickly, beautifully designed. Sure enough, Zhu Peijie’s success in her work was no coincidence. That morning, Luo Andi woke up earlier than usual, met the boss at the first store, and the two of them rode in the moving company’s van to the second store. The decorating company had already set up the day before, and they inspected the goods—it was excellent.

The two of them tidied up the interior again.

The new branch was just as well-decorated as the first, even more spacious, with advanced classroom equipment. The promotional campaign was jointly finalized by the boss and Luo Andi. The PR company was highly efficient. Lately, Luo Andi’s workload had increased significantly, so the guest list was entirely handled by her newly promoted assistant manager, with the boss only needing to review and sign off.

The earliest media friends had already arrived, testing their cameras and snapping a few shots. Luo Andi was busy arranging flowers delivered by the florist. By the time she realized, she was already in the frame. She gave a big thumbs-up and turned to ask the store manager, “Will the entire class be photographed today?”

“Not just photographs,” the boss said while unpinning a badge. “There’s an addendum in the planning document. Take another look. A TV crew will also be here to film and interview.”

Luo Andi nodded thoughtfully, wondering if Qi Xiaochuan knew about this.

He had always disliked being photographed. Other businessmen’s profiles online were perfect pictures exuding elite charisma, but his was the scowling face of someone answering questions at a press conference. At first glance, people might think the forum criticizing his bad temper wasn’t wrong. But in reality, reporters had dug up his dark history before adoption, hinting at questions he refused to answer. Without hesitation, he had security escort them out, earning a reputation for high-quality insults in civilized society. Coincidentally, Qi Xiaochuan was exceptionally handsome. When the company first made headlines, his photo was even mistaken for a celebrity portraying an entrepreneur in a biographical movie.

But she worried unnecessarily—Qi Xiaochuan knew.

Even so, no matter how much he disliked being in front of the camera, he couldn’t avoid it. After she left that day, he sat in the living room all night, finishing season two of The Walking Dead . There was still so much work to handle at the company, and indulgence could only happen this one night. Any emotions affecting efficiency had to be dealt with immediately. Even if nothing was resolved, the problems had to stay in the present. He had to keep moving forward, responsible for himself, his career, his job, and everyone’s work across the entire company.

At dawn, he met up with a retired philosophy professor he had befriended through tai chi for morning tea. When he mentioned treating him, his tai chi friend gave a meaningful smile.

Qi Xiaochuan wasn’t afraid, nor did he invite someone along because of fear. The former philosophy lecturer had just gotten his driver’s license and insisted on driving his apple-green, energy-efficient two-seater. Qi Xiaochuan didn’t care about such trivial matters and naturally sat in the cramped passenger seat. They arrived at the Paradise Handicrafts branch store later than expected, showing their invitations together.

Still, he hadn’t seen her yet.

He focused on searching for her in the crowd while his friend occasionally struck up conversations.

This time, the philosophy teacher didn’t talk about philosophy: “Are you here to see someone you like? We chatted about this on MSN last time. Didn’t you two live together recently? Isn’t everything going smoothly?”

“Mm,” Qi Xiaochuan didn’t know why he decided to respond. “...But I feel it’s about to end soon.”

“What do you mean?”

Qi Xiaochuan hadn’t intended to answer, but under his friend’s gaze, he had no choice but to say, “...She only pities me.”

He wasn’t skilled at getting along with Luo Andi. Whenever he was with her, he became especially twisted, deformed, and uncontrollable. Qi Xiaochuan was like a perfectly programmed video game, rarely experiencing glitches, running 24/7. However, Luo Andi was the only cheat code—inputting her caused him to crash instantly. This wasn’t a good sign.

Suddenly, the lights dimmed as the boss and branch manager stepped up. When the lights came back on, the handicraft class began.

Everyone in the audience received tools. Some enthusiastically tried them, while others merely observed. Qi Xiaochuan was familiar with knitting and easily followed the steps. He couldn’t help but look at Luo Andi. She was assisting with the crafts.

What did Luo Andi like? He had already earned a lot of money. If she liked someone and wanted to be with that person, he would do everything in his power—kidnapping their family as hostages or luring them with benefits, no matter the cost. Until then, he wouldn’t stand in her way. Anyone could use pity or the guise of needing help to hold her back, but not him. It had nothing to do with pride.

The class concluded successfully, and applause erupted. Luo Andi looked up at the lights and smiled. Qi Xiaochuan clapped, and his friend beside him spoke again: “This is the first time I’ve seen you smile so happily.”

Turning his face away, his smile faded. Qi Xiaochuan replied, “Mind your own business.”

Just then, he confirmed seeing Su Yining out of the corner of his eye. Cake distribution had begun indoors. Qi Xiaochuan subtly tensed up, but Su Yining remained calm and composed with a gentle smile.

Luo Andi was delivering slices of cake to each table, signaling a nearby clerk to bring over the tea. She held it as she circled the room. Suddenly, an elderly, steady voice spoke up unexpectedly. He asked, “Are you Luo Andi?”

“Hmm?” Luo Andi turned around, her smile deepening, clearly treating him as an ordinary customer. “Hello. I’m Luo Andi, the manager of Paradise Handicrafts Store No. 1.”

The elderly man sipped his tea, seemingly dissatisfied with the leaves, but still removed his hat and looked up. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time. You’ve refused to meet me before—is it because you’re still upset about the misunderstanding between me and your father?”

Confusion mingled with Luo Andi’s smile. “What?”

But in an instant, she realized, blinked a few times, and turned to ask a colleague to take over.

Someone recognized one of them: “Isn’t that Mr. Qu Guozhong, the billionaire from India?” “Oh my god, it can’t be real!” “Master Qu actually came to a place like this?” “What were they talking about? What misunderstanding with her father?”

The sound of shutters and flashes gathered instantly.

Luo Andi found her exit blocked. Maintaining composure, she gracefully returned to her original position. This was a day where nothing could go wrong—it couldn’t bring any negative impact to the store. She gave a faint smile, and Qu Guozhong had already approached her.

“That was purely a misunderstanding,” Qu Guozhong recalled earnestly. “Back then, there was a terrorist attack in Mumbai, and I got entangled in it. My domestic proxy lawyer, out of professional duty, completed everything for me, including handling the project with your father. I never expected things to turn out this way…”

Luo Andi smiled. “Mr. Qu—”

The cameras flashed like motion-activated lights.

Qu Guozhong gazed at her. “I blacklisted everyone on that team, but I know no amount of effort can bring back your father and mother’s lives. I don’t know how to ask for your forgiveness.”

Finally, Luo Andi stopped evading. Her clear gaze rested on him as she softly said, “Mr. Qu, yes, it was truly just a misunderstanding. I don’t blame you. Please live your life well.”

The elderly man, white-haired and wrinkled, looked as if he was about to cry.

Qi Xiaochuan sat among the crowd, unable to see anything without standing. He glanced around—the store owner was negotiating with newspaper journalists, and Su Yining had disappeared. Through the gaps, he could barely see Luo Andi. She still smiled, effortlessly graceful and magnanimous, perfect and untouchable, kind to a fault.

Almost all the customers applauded, moved by this heartwarming, dramatic reunion. They must have felt happy, perhaps even healed. Witnessing something unrelated to themselves, their hearts felt full. Qi Xiaochuan stared unblinkingly at Luo Andi’s face, unraveling the yarn he had just knitted. Then he reached out to tap the shoulder of the person in front. “Excuse me,” he said.

How ironic.

How infuriating.

Was he the only one who couldn’t stop frowning?

The reporters were happily making requests with their cameras: “Could Miss Luo please look at the lens—”

It was unbearable.

“Get lost,” Qi Xiaochuan said tersely, pushing aside the reporters swarming like thorns around a castle. He strode into the scene arrogantly, rudely, and without a care for etiquette. In the serene yet bustling center stood the aged nobleman and the distressed princess. They looked over, confused or bewildered, self-assured and proud. No matter how low they bent, they didn’t fit with the beggar transformed from a frog.

He wore a pitch-black, monotonous suit, his young face meticulously stern, warning those around him. Yet, his gaze never left her.

Luo Andi’s interactions with others should have been impeccable. Her smile and voice had been strictly disciplined since childhood, always striving for perfection. Among the spindle-filled attic, the spell that kept her from falling asleep was just one sentence: “Because I am a princess.” No complaints, no blaming others—she had always demanded herself to be a princess.

He barged in recklessly.

Until that moment, she had been wondering where she had slipped up, how he had discovered it.

Thug, madman, rude intruder. People around scolded and questioned, glaring at them with angry, vulgar eyes. But he ignored them all. Qi Xiaochuan pushed through everyone to grab her hand, pulling Luo Andi away from the crowd. She stumbled, following him clumsily.