A cute shy girl forming social anxiety and in the process of getting adopted on a search to find her real parents and fend of the mean teenage girls whos only purpose is to make Aylas life miserable.

Shao Yan blinked at his praises. Her already blushed face turned a deeper shade of red.
'You.." She stuttered, "You don't look bad yourself." Her voice was disappearing near the end; she felt so embarrassed while saying words of praises for him.
The man in front of her was looking as elegant as ever.
Li Xiqing had put on a long sleeves red shirt. It was a male version of qipao jacket. The jacquard material made him look more elegant and manly than before. The clothing was decorated with shades of ancient Chinese cloud motifs all over the shirt. It was even made more perfect with eight knotted buttons at his front, adding to the vintage charm.
The traditional pattern combined with the modern cloth made him look ethereal and yet worldly at the same time.
Li Xiqing had paired the sophisticated top with plain black dress pants. And now he was ready to capture every woman's attention.
Hearing her words of praises at him, Li Xiqing could not help a little smirk to escape his lips. The woman in front of him was admiring him and yet at the same time, she was pouting. He was not sure of what she was thinking.
"Are you ready?" And so before Shao Yan ruined her own mood by thinking nonsense stuff, Li Xiqing quickly continued, "Tea is ready too, we should go now."
Her mind was quickly distracted, and Shao Yan nodded right away. Her tiny hands were holding onto a small red purse in her hand. She pulled the chain from the purse and hung it over her shoulder, "Let's go."
----------
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year to you too! May you achieve success, happiness, health, joy and prosperity this Chinese New Year!"
When they were walking to his parents' apartment unit, Shao Yan and Li Xiqing would encounter other people who were also their neighbors around this area. Greetings were exchanged with one another. Luckily, Shao Yan had prepared a couple of red envelopes for small children in case she had encountered them.
She opened her purse and took out three small envelopes and passed them with both hands to the children.
They gave her a very bright smile; grinning from ear to ear as they received them with both of their hands as well.
"Thank you, pretty sister," said the eldest.
"Thank you, sister!" The middle son also chimed in.
And the youngest one just stared at them with no words. Shao Yan guessed she was only about two years old.
The children looked amazed at the red envelopes in their hands and then they looked up at their parents who were standing at the side; smiling down at them with the same pride.
The building floors were decorated with red lanterns and wishing couplets for celebrations. The tiny papers from the fireworks last night were also still laying around untouched as it was a taboo to clean or sweep the floor during the first three days of Lunar New Year.
Shao Yan and Li Xiqing kept their conversation with neighbors as short as possible as they were rushing to not miss the auspicious hour to send their greetings.
----------
"Pa, Ma, Happy New Year!"
Axel and Mandy were kneeling on the floor with Li Xiqing and Shao Yan followed behind them. Axel was holding a tray with two tea cups on top of it.
Father Li and Mother Li were sitting on the couch with their backs straight up and a blissful smile was pasted on their face.
After Axel was done, Mandy took one of the tea cups on the tray and passed it to Father Li carefully; and then she took another one and gave it to Mother Li as well.
They quickly took a sip and put the cup to the side so that the children could quickly get up on their feet. But the four of them remained kneeling. Axel and Mandy each took a red envelope out from their pocket and gave them to Father Li and Mother Li.
"May this New Year be prosperous and joyful for all of us," Axel said before passing the red envelope to the parents. After The Li's accepted them, Axel quickly got up on his feet and helped Mandy to get up as well.
Li Xiqing and Shao Yan moved to the front and repeated the same procedures. Li Xiqing took out red envelopes and gave them to each of the parents.
"Pa, Ma, this is from Yan Yan and I," With his two hands, Li Xiqing extended the red envelope in front of him towards his parents, "May this year bring more prosperity and happiness to your life."
Father Li and Mother Li accepted his envelope. But unlike with Axel and Mandy, since Li Xiqing and Shao Yan were not married yet, The Li's were still allowed to give red envelopes to the both of them.
Father Li took out two red envelopes and passed one to each of them, "Happy New Year too. May this year be a blessing to the two of you."
Mother Li was also following suit. She took out two envelopes and passed them to Shao Yan and Li Xiqing.
"I hope this year is the last year for both of you to receive red envelopes," She winked at them, and hurriedly told him to get up. Li Xiqing turned to the side and held Shao Yan by her upper arm to help her to stand up together with him.
In her heart, Shao Yan understood that wink very well. Mother Li's words were indicating her wish for them to quickly get married. Because only married couples would not receive any red envelope during Lunar New Year celebration.
Shao Yan could feel her face was heating up.
A wish for them to get married.
She sighed softly in her heart. She was very sure that she would be hearing this wish during this whole Lunar New Year week from all of their family and friends.
(~_~;)
----------
"Xiqing, help me to send this parcel to Uncle Mao," Father Li pointed at the gift basket on the table and passed him a piece of paper, "This is the address." Father Li continued, "His house should be on the way to the Tea House, so you can drop this really quick on your way there, alright?"
Li Xiqing received the piece of paper from him and gave a quick read at the address that was written on it.
Uncle Mao was one of the few friends that his father had always kept in touch with. Every time Father Li visited Shanghai, he would always make sure to visit Uncle Mao to catch up. They were really best friends.
Li Xiqing looked at the paper. He recognized the location and nodded, "Yes, it is on the way. I can drop this really quick."
Li Xiqing then turned to the side and addressed Axel, "All of you can go to the Tea House first. Grandma Wu and Yan Yan's cousin will meet us there."
Axel nodded and patted Li Xiqing on his shoulder, "Alright, don't worry about us, you just drive carefully and meet us there."
Li Xiqing nodded and then he glanced at Shao Yan before he gently took her hand, and then excused themselves, "Alright, Pa, Ma, we will go first, we will meet you shortly."
Father Li and Mother Li nodded at them and waved, "En, drive safe!"


His right hand touched her left upper arm, and then started to slide down to her wrist.

"In case you haven't noticed.." he started to say.

She had stiffened up, started from his initial touch.

"I'm officially pursuing you."


+++

All she wanted was a second chance in happiness. She had been divorced for two years now and has forgotten about the idea of finding another man. But destiny is playing a cute joke on her to let her met him.

He is successful and powerful and full of distrust on women.

Until he met her.

After that one fateful encounter, are they destined to be together forever? Is God of happiness finally bestowing this tiny spring water to both of them?

+++


ps: I only write happy ending stories. This is 1v1, with a little drama here and there. But those drama only served a purpose to strengthen their relationship. Female lead here is not perfect at all. She is insecure, full of flaws and broken. Male lead is gorgeous and charming as usual. But somehow, they complete each other.

There will be no pitiful weak Cinderella stories here, no white lotus and no almighty CEO that rule the country.

I am portraying normal average people in society. So if this is not your cup of tea, feel free to move on :)

+++


Let's embark on this love boat with me! ♥️


This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

The cover is not mine and was taken from Google image and credit goes to the original artist.


Tag: Female lead, Handsome male lead, Modern day romance, Mature romance, Adult romance, Business world, Second chance

"Hi, Ningning, Xinyue!" Gu Qinyang said with a smile. He was still a little embarrassed to see Gu Ning, but seeing that Gu Ning was being kind he relaxed.
Thinking of the news about the opening ceremony of Jade Beauty Jewelry, Gu Qinyang couldn't help admiring Gu Ning, because almost half of the important figures in City G had attended it. To his astonishment, Gu Ning was able to know those figures. That being the case, he didn't dare to annoy her.
Dishes were soon placed on the table. "Dinner's ready!" Gu Qing said.
"Let's have dinner!" Jiang Xu said and guided Gu Qinyang to the dining room, followed by Gu Ning and Jiang Xinyue.
When Wen Yulan saw Gu Ning, she felt embarrassed too, but she still greeted them politely. "Hi, Ningning, Xinyue."
"Hi, aunt," Gu Ning and Jiang Xinyue replied but they didn't show much affection.
Seeing that Gu Ning was being nice, Wen Yulan relaxed too. After that, they all sat down around the table.
"Qinyang, let's have some alcohol together! It's a new year after all!" Jiang Xu said.
Jiang Xu wasn't an alcohol lover, and he never drank when he was alone, unless it was the New Year Festival or the Lantern Festival. Since Gu Qinyang was here today, he would love to have some.
"Why not!" Gu Qinyang agreed.
Jiang Xu then took out a bottle from his alcohol cabinet. It was Maotai that was made 30 years ago. It was 500 ml with 53% alcohol and cost over four thousand yuan. 
Gu Qinyang couldn't afford such an expensive brand of baijiu[1] but he had heard a lot about it.
Seeing the Maotai which cost over four thousand yuan a bottle, Gu Qinyang hesitated to drink it, because only a small cup of it might cost several hundred yuan! He couldn't afford such expensive alcohol throughout his whole life, even Gu Qinxiang who had been the richest one in their family couldn't afford it either. Gu Qinxiang could only afford alcohol which cost around two thousand yuan.
During this meal, except Gu Qinyang and Wen Yulan who felt uneasy, the rest enjoyed themselves.
After dinner, they were chatting in the living room, and Gu Qinyang took out two red envelopes giving them to Gu Ning and Jiang Xinyue. "These are for you two girls. There isn't much money inside, but we both wish you Happy New Year!"
A thousand yuan was a lot for Gu Ning in the past but it was nothing in her eyes now.
"Thank you, uncle!" Gu Ning and Jiang Xinyue didn't show any disdain.
Seeing that, Gu Qinyang relaxed.
Gu Man and Gu Qing also prepared two red envelopes for Gu Qingshi and Gu Yinyin. Wen Yulan took them on behalf of her children. There wasn't much money in the red envelopes that Gu Qing and Gu Man prepared for Gu Qingshi and Gu Yinyin either, because it was just a form of good wishes.
When it was almost 9 pm, Gu Qinyang and Wen Yulan left. Gu Qing and Gu Man invited them to stay at their home, but Gu Qinyang and Wen Yulan insisted on staying in the hotel. Jiang Xu then drove them to the hotel.
After Gu Qinyang and his wife were gone, Gu Ning went back to her home, but Gu Man didn't go home until she had chatted with Gu Qing for a while longer.
"Ningning, your uncle's family has surprisingly changed! We're relatives after all and let bygones be bygones. If they need help in the future, are you willing to give them a helping hand for my sake?" Gu Man asked Gu Ning the moment she got home.
"Mom, don't worry. I will," Gu Ning said. Otherwise, she wouldn't have proposed to invite them to dine at their home.
"Great!" Gu Man was relieved.
It was late when they both got home, so Gu Ning put off telling Gu Man about Tang Yunfan in case Gu Man couldn't sleep tonight.
When Gu Ning was in her room, she called Leng Shaoting and told him about Tang Yunfan. She wouldn't hide it from him. Leng Shaoting also hoped that Gu Ning could have a happy family, and Tang Yunfan could be a good father as well as husband. Most importantly, since Tang Yunfan had fallen in love with Gu Man before, it would be easier for them to get back together.
"Ningning, I've been getting busy recently, so I probably won't have much time to call you. I'll come to meet you once I'm free," Leng Shaoting said.
"I'll miss you," Gu Ning said.
"Me too. Take good care of yourself," Leng Shaoting said with concern.
"I will, and you have to take good care of yourself too!" Gu Ning said.
…
The next morning, Gu Qing and Gu Man were about to clear the mess left in the store, but were stopped by Gu Ning. Gu Ning planned to get the compensation from the person who had hired the bunch of hoodlums to damage their store first, and then open their store again.
Both Gu Qing and Gu Man completely trusted Gu Ning, so they agreed.
After lunch, Gu Ning pulled Gu Man to sit on the sofa. "Mom, I have something serious to talk to you about."
"What is it?" Seeing Gu Ning being so serious, Gu Man was anxious.
"Well, it's about my biological father," Gu Ning said.
Hearing that, Gu Man's body abruptly stiffened for a second and she looked upset. "What happened?"
"Do you still remember that I told you that my biological father could be alive? That he lost his memory when you met him, so after the car accident, it is possible that he regained his memories but lost the memory of the year when you were together."
"If he's still alive, but just forgot what happened during the year when he was with you, if he's not married yet, if he still loves you, if-I mean if you still have a chance to meet each other again, would you give it a try?" Gu Ning asked Gu Man again.
Gu Man was shocked, but she knew that Gu Ning asked her for a reason, and it was really possible that Ning was still alive.
[1] Baijiu is a category of Chinese alcohol made from grain.


She was once a puppet to her family, a commercial spy and assassin pursued by the police. One day, she falls into the sea after being betrayed. 

When she wakes up again, she is an ordinary third year student in high school. Due to her ignoble past and the ostracization of her relatives, she has always been bullied by her classmates, partly due to her being a loner. 

With her gaining a new lease of life, she undergoes a massive change, returning any bullying she received in the past. With a powerful cheat, a pair of telepathic jade eyes, she is able to easily appraise jade and succeed at gambling.

She starts a business, becoming a legendary businesswoman. There's no need to talk about people who previously mocked her for being poor when they see her billion-yuan net worth. When relatives visit to cozy up with her, they are denied. We are no longer related to one another. Return to whatever foul place you came from!

Days are good, except for an easily jealous man beside her. For no good reason, she ends up aching all over, especially in her nether regions, all thanks to him. 

This is a story whose male and female leads are both strong and untainted.

Ding 
[Zhao Yun sent a red envelop in the group chat!]
Ding
[Impermanence White Officer sent a red envelope in the group chat!]
Ding
[Mengpo sent a red envelope in the group chat!]
Thanks to Monkey King's advice, there was a sudden flood of Red Enveloped in the chat!
"Oh yeah! It has started!"
Chen Xiaobei had been waiting for this moment, his fingers tapping the screen of his phone like a pair of needles on a sewing machine.
Red Envelopes poured down like rain. 
But there were many people competing to grab the envelopes, and their yield would have to depend on their speed and luck.
Of course! Chen Xiaobei's luck had been pretty good all these while. Since he often punished the evil and practiced kindness, the value of his luck had been steadily increasing!
Only recently, Chen Xiaobei was rewarded 60,000 merit points for getting rid of Lu Yiju and Sister Lin's assassin. He even helped an old lady cross the road! These were all precursors for good luck!
Ding
[Congratulations! You have received Ming He's Red Envelope. A Hundred Ghosts Parade artwork has been deposited into your treasure chest!
"F*ck me! Who is this Ming He! He and I must be fated somehow! He was the King of Luck when I gave out the Red Envelopes and now, the first red envelope I receive is actually his!"
Chen Xiaobei's eyes lit up at that for a second but pushed it aside for now and kept tapping frantically on his phone.
Ding
[Congratulations! You have received Monkey King's Red Envelope. A top-tier Prosperous Monkey Fur has been deposited into your treasure chest!]
"Ooh! The second Red Envelope! Top-tier Prosperous Monkey Fur! I wonder how good is it? I can't wait! Mm, but I can't open it yet. I have to keep grabbing envolopes as fast as I can!"
Chen Xiaobei dared not relax. Dozens of Red Envelopes were zooming before his eyes every second!
Ding
[Congratulations! You have received Yanwang's Red Envelope. An Abyss Spiritual Crystal has been deposited into your treasure chest!]
"A third one! I have not gotten Yanwang's Red Envelope so long! He organized this party especially for me. There must be something really good inside it!"
Chen Xiaobei's excitement grew. The items he had received seemed to get better each time.
Ding
[Congratulations! You have received Impermanence White Officer's Red Envelope. Three Spirit Summoning Talisman have been deposited into your treasure chest!]
Ding
[Congratulations! You have received Mengpo's red envelope. A bowl of Mengpo's Soup has been deposited into your treasure chest!]
"Wow! Double-kill! Wahahaha… I've used Mengpo's Soup before! It's super effective! Spirit Summoning Talisman is something new though! I can't wait to try it!"
Chen Xiaobei's fingers were still dancing feverishly on the screen.
Without him realizing it, he had already received five Red Envelopes in total!
Bear in mind that this was Little Apple Playground, and not the Three Realm Red Envelope group. The number of Red Envelopes were definitely smaller in comparison. To be able to get five Red Envelopes was already an impressive feat. 
Ding
Congratulations! You have received Ming He's Red Envelope. An Asura Divine Mirror has been deposited into your treasure chest!]
"No way! That's the sixth one! Oh, it's Ming He again! This really is fate! I have to talk to him in private when I have a chance later!
In his feverish excitement, Chen Xiaobei was also agog by this chance 'encounter' with Ming He. His mind was abuzz with questions – who is this person?
When the sixth and final Red Envelope was deposited, the Red Envelope Flood frenzy too, began to slow into a stop. 
Once again, the chat group was a hive of activity. Everyone was showing off the contents of their red envelopes while some had even already began putting the items up for trade.
Chen Xiaobei joined the conversation for a while and then he exited the chat.
"Time to chat with this Ming He and find out who he really is!"
Chen Xiaobei was very intrigued by this mysterious person of whom he was so fortuitously affiliated with. He scrolled through the list of names in the group chat but could not find such a person!
"That's weird! Why isn't he in this list? I got his envelopes! It happened! I didn't imagine it!" Chen Xiaobei scratched his head.
If he was hallucinating, the red envelopes from Ming He should not even exist!
But the Red Envelopes were there and the person was wasn't!
This could not get any more bizarre!
"Looks like I'll have to ask Monkey King and the others!" Chen Xiaobei was really disturbed. He had to get to the bottom of this.
But just as he was about to consult the Brotherhood group, someone knocked on his room's door.
"Xiaobei! Are you in there?" A gentle middle-aged man's voice came from the other side of the door.
"Is that you Uncle Lim? I'm in here…"
Chen Xiaobei put his phone away and walked to the door.
It was Lin Xiang and Lin Nan's father, Professor Lin.
"Oh, it's good that you're here. There's something I'd like to discuss with you in private! Are you free to talk now?" asked Professor Lin.
"Yes, I am. Come in and take a seat!" Chen Xiaobei welcomed the professor into his room.
"There are two things I want to talk about… The first is about Lin Xiang."
"Xiang Xiang? What about her?"
"How should I put this… So, Lin Xiang went to an ancient faction overseas to cultivate, right? I mean cultivating is a really good thing. It can strengthen her health, and lengthen her lifespan but I feel like she's been too fixated on it! Ever since she went to that ancient faction, she hasn't been home for Chinese New Year and other festivities! And every single time I call her, it's always her Shijie who picks up. And the excuse she gives me is that Ling Xiang is cultivating in solitude! I believe that everything should be done in moderation, and it's important to strike a good balance between work and play… I'm worried that if she continues like that, she might become obsessed like in the movies."
Chen Xiaobei replied calmly, "Uncle Lim, you don't have to worry. Almost all cultivators are like that, the moment they get training, they will stay there for months and sometimes even years! It's nothing unusual! Lin Xiang just wants to get really strong!"
Chen Xiaobei understood this change in Lin Xiang all too well.
The last time when Xiang Yu sent Lin Xiang to Tidal Faction, they were attacked by pirates. Xiang Yu nearly lost his life protecting her. From that day onwards, Lin Xiang was determined to become stronger, so she would not burden Chen Xiaobei.
Working hard at cultivating was proof that her resolve could not be shaken. As for her becoming obsessed, Chen Xiaobei was not at all worried. Lin Xiang's Shijie was none other than the Leader of Tidal Faction, Lin Chaoyin.
Initially, this woman was Lin Xiang's Sifu. But after Chen Xiaobei had shaken her in Paradise Island, she made Lin Xiang her sister!
Lin Chaoyin was a Celestial Cultivation Elite, which meant that she had complete control over Lin Xiang's cultivation with no problem at all.
"Even so, I'm still very worried…" Professor Lim confided.
"I understand. Parents worry about their children. It's only normal that you do!" assured Chen Xiaobei.
"It's good that you do. There is something else, if I may be so bold to ask… I hope you'll agree to it…"
"Just speak your mind, Uncle Lim. There's no need to be so courteous with me!"
"I wanted to visit Lin Xiang together with Lin Nan but I've been very busy with my research, and I'm all tied up. Could you go in my place?"
"No problem!" Chen Xiaobei replied without even thinking. "I was already planning to visit her anyway. I might be able to go tomorrow!"
"That's great! I feel much safer with you taking Lin Nan!" Professor Lim paused for a while before he continued, "There is still another thing I want to talk to you about…"
 .


In a world of shallow-minded, materialistic mortals, what would one from humble beginnings - whose face had been stomped on, spat on, oppressed for the longest while by the arrogant, pampered upper echelons of society - do, when a mysterious application pops up in a brand new phone that was meant to be the birthday gift of an ungrateful girlfriend? What if the application takes the form of a chatroom where its occupants, bearing the names of mythical, fictional beings, start giving out 'Red Packets'; while spouting nonsense the entire time?  
Release Schedule: 14 chs / week
*There is something wrong with the system. We are currently working on it right now. Thank you for your patience and support.*

"Not quite so." Qi Chengzhi smiled at her. "My prior verbal warning was to no avail, obviously, as Mu Sisi was still impudent. She was becoming bolder and bolder due to his brother's position. I shouldn't wait for her to create more serious trouble, it'd be too late for her to regret. She had framed Ruan Dancheng this time, and she might do the same on others next time. When will she stop doing this? She would become bolder and commit more harm if we don't take any action."
"How about Mu Huaisheng?" asked Song Yu.
"I've fulfilled my duty as a friend by letting his sister off so many times. We should stop being passive. If he did blame me because of this, then I may have to reconsider whether he's a worthy friend." Qi Chengzhi pouted slightly.
Song Yu knew that he did not want her to feel wronged after all.
Today she could talk so bluntly towards Mu Huaisheng in front of him because she knew he would not blame her. She also wanted Mu Huaisheng to realize that they would not tolerate invariably.
Song Yu walked towards Qi Chengzi and stopped beside him. He was still sitting at the side of the sofa. She stood beside the sofa and gently touched his arm, her soft and slender fingers caressing it.
Qi Chengzhi looked up at her coolly, his graceful expression decorated with elegance.
"Sorry for troubling you," said Song Yu softly.
"No trouble at all." Qi Chengzhi did not feel he was burdened. Quite the contrary, he felt that she was wronged because of him.
Smiling at him, Song Yu suddenly bent forward and nimbly pecked on his lips. When she straightened her body and looked at him, the elegance he displayed moments ago was gone. He was blushing—even his ears turned red.
He was extremely cute with a startled expression. It was rare to see this kind of expression on him.
Qi Chengzhi's eyes were shining brightly. He stared at her intensely like he was itching to pull her into his arms and make out with her. It was Song Yu 's turn to flush due to his passionate stare. She could not help but touch him one more time before turning around and walked to the kitchen with her head down timidly.
Looking at her back, he could not stop smiling.
…
…
Ruan Danchen sniffed a few times, then she wet a piece of tissue and wiped her eyes.
She was looking into the mirror, her eyes were still reddish, but it was not very apparent. She could not hide in here for too long because Song Yu would be worried about her. She took a deep breath and opened the restroom's door. She stepped outside with her head bowed and her forehead bumped into something.
Ruan Danchen astonishingly raised her head and saw Qi Chenglin was standing right outside the restroom.
He was tall and had a broad chest. He was obstructing the way out, forcing Ruan Danchen to be blocked inside the restroom, but she could not walk back inside.
"Young Master Lin, please excuse me." Ruan Danchen hastily bowed as she dare not let him saw her reddened eyes.
"I want to use the restroom." Qi Chenglin's frosty voice sounded at the top of her head.
"…" Ruan Danchen was speechless—of course she knew that he came to use the restroom. "Shouldn't you let me out first before coming in?"
Unexpectedly, Qi Chenglin snorted and answered, "Don't speak like you've never seen me pee."
"…" Ruan Danchen's face turned red, he was implying that she should enter the restroom with him and stood beside him to watch him pee?
Bah!
She already stepped aside to let him in. It was very rude of him to talk like this.
"It's not attractive at all." Ruan Danchen looked down and mumbled.
However, Qi Chenglin was able to listen clearly to what she said. He put his hands into his pockets, raised his eyebrows and asked, "This means that you had seen quite a few? Why don't you tell me whose is the most good-looking?
"I never saw other's before, only saw yours, but it was ugly enough, okay? Are you going to let me through?" said Ruan Danchen furiously as she raised her head. She had lost her patience.
She was blocked by him without any reason and now they were discussing whether his penis was good-looking, was this appropriate?
"Why are your eyes so red? You cried?" Qi Chenglin teased her.
"No!" Ruan Danchen was annoyed. She lifted her arms and tried to push him away.
However, the moment she touched his chest, her wrists were grasped by his roasting hot hands.
His palms were huge because he had long fingers. In contrast, her wrist was so thin and delicate.
He moved into the restroom forcefully, causing Ruan Danchen to retreat into the restroom weakly without much resistance. In a split second, she was flung towards the opposite side. Before she could react, the door was closed with a bang and she was pressed against the restroom's door.
Their bodies were within touching distance. His face seemed enlarged because he was so near to her. He looked much more attractive in close distance and she could taste his rich odor with her trembling lips.
"Qi Chenglin, what are you doing?" Ruan Danchen's wrists were clutched by him and she was unable to free them, she crossly said, "Stop behaving like a hooligan, go and find other women. This is your brother's house, what do you want to do?"
Qi Chenglin stared at her derisively and laughed. Then he questioned her coolly, "Did you asked for Youxuan's birthday just now?"
He looked malicious and stern, Ruan Danchen was frightened by his gaze. Her heart was beating very fast, why did he ask her about this? Did he find out something?
Ruan Danchen appeared to be nervous and not knowing what to do. "Youxuan told me you cried. Why did you cry when you were only asking about his birthday?" Qi Chenglin sneered.
Ruan Danchen's face turned pale and she turned her head away. "Nothing, I was reminded of one of my relative's kids."
Qi Chenglin snorted with disdain and threw her hands away. "You should prepare a draft next time if you want to lie. Youxuan is still a small kid, don't involve him in your plot."
"What do you mean, Qi Chenglin? What could I have plotted on him?" Ruan Danchen was fuming, she could feel the blood surging into her head and her face flushed to the color of scarlet. Her eyes turned red again after being accused by him. "Do you think I had done that because of you? If you thought it was because of you, I can tell you straight, stop flattering yourself. Youxuan said it right, he had to try to complement your undesirable character."
Ruan Danchen used her elbow to push him away. She opened the door and ran out.
…
…
When they were having dinner, Ruan Danchen sat obliquely opposite to Qi Chenglin. She was feeling uneasy as she could see him whenever she looked up.
Furthermore, she could feel that Qi Chengling was looking at her now and then. This caused her to eat with her head down all the time. She only took the dishes in front of her without uttering a word.
Even the others sensed that there was something unusual going on between them, and they exchanged puzzled looks.
"Danchen, why are you so quiet tonight? You're not behaving like your usual self." Song Yu smiled and exchanged the dishes in front of her with the dishes in front of Ruan Danchen. "Don't just pick the dishes in front of you. There's no need to feel embarrassed since there's no outsider here."
Although Ruan Danchen was not as outgoing as the incredibly lively Lu Nanxi, she was not an introvert either. Therefore, Song Yu felt awkward that she was so quiet tonight.
Ruan Danchen replied to her with a smile, but she accidentally caught Qi Chenglin's eyes. She immediately turned her head and pouted in contempt.
After they had their dinner, they sat for a while before taking their leave.
Ruan Danchen knew Song Yu very well, so she started to talk when Song Yu was just about to ask Qi Chenglin to send her back. "Mr. Cheng, Miss Qi, could you give me a lift? Just drop me off at a nearby subway station."
It was obvious to Cheng Dongge there was something unusual going on between Ruan Danchen and Qi Dongge. He took a glance at Qi Chenglin who did not say anything and nodded. "It's my pleasure, it would be inconsiderate to drop you off at the subway station. I'll send you back home."
Ruan Danchen sincerely thanked him and left with Cheng Dongge and Qi Chengyue.
Qi Youxuan was pouting unhappily as he followed Qi Chenglin to the car. He climbed into his child safety seat and let Qi Chenglin fastened his seatbelt.
After Qi Chenglin started the engine, he asked with his lips still pouted, "Dad, did you make Aunt Ruan angry?"
Qi Chenglin glimpsed at him from the rearview mirror and did not answer him.
Qi Youxuan stuck out his fair and chubby little finger and pointed it at Qi Chenglin. He was furious at his passiveness and said, "Oh, Dad, what do you want me to tell you! When will you find a wife with this kind of temper? You're a grown man, yet you still need your son who's going to kindergarten to worry about you. Can you be more reliable?"
"…" Qi Chenglin speechlessly took a glance at him and said, "Since you know that you're still a small kid attending kindergarten, you should do what kindergarten kids do. Don't concern yourself with adults' matters."
"What if this kindergarten kid wanted the latest Gundam model. Would you buy for him?" asked the smart child with his eyes wide open in anticipation after he sensed an opportunity.
Qi Chenglin was at a loss for words. "…"
This naughty brat. Did he purposely trap him?
Is his IQ so high?
"You see, you refused to buy one for me again. I wanted to do what kindergarten kids should be doing, but you didn't give me the chance!" Qi Youxuan distressfully slapped his chubby thigh and gave him a helpless look. "Dad, I'll marry Muran in the future. Nowadays, girls don't like staying with their in-laws. Of course, if you don't marry anyone, then Muran would only have father-in-law, and this would make things more inconvenient. What should I do if you fall for your daughter-in-law? I can't stop worrying!"
"Not only that, my father-in-law surely won't allow Muran to stay with you. At that time, you'll be all alone—such a pity! What I did was for your good, so how could you be so stubborn!"
"…" Qi Chenglin could not bear it anymore, he said with his mouth twitched and his teeth gritted, "Qi Youxuan, enough is enough. Where did you learn all this nonsense?!"
…
…
"New Year's Eve Special Edition"
This was the first time Song Yu celebrated Chinese New Year's Eve with Qi Chengzhi at the Qi family's old manor. Glittering snowflakes were falling outside. The ground, lawn, holly trees, and all the other various plants were covered by a blanket of white, just as how it was described in paintings and fairy tales. The joyous New Year's atmosphere in the Qi family's manor was lively and palpable.
Song Donglin and Yu Qianying went to celebrate New Year with the Song family, so Song Yu was not worried that her parents would feel lonely.
The Qi family also experienced some changes compared to before as Qi Chengyue had followed Cheng Dongge back to Li City for New Year's celebration. This was the first time she was not together with her family on New Year's Eve.
Aunt Liu also returned to her hometown and would be back on the seventh day of the Chinese New Year.
Song Yu, Xia Wenna, and Guan Liya were wrapping dumplings together. Guan Liya smiled and said, "I wasn't used to not having her around on New Year's Eve. She wasn't very helpful in the chores but she loves wrapping dumplings, although her dumplings were not good-looking. The filling was too few and the skin was too thick—just a glance and we could identify which dumplings she had made after cooking."
Qi Chengzhi smiled at her. He was sitting beside Song Yu, fiddling with his phone with his arms around her waist. There was a large cot beside the sofa with an infant was lying inside. The skin of his face was still wrinkled with a tinge of yellow.
Qi Youjin was just one month and a half old. Song Yu had completed her confinement half a month ago and she had not completely slimmed down. There was still some flabby flesh around her waistline.
Qi Chengzhi enjoyed it when he held her flabby tissue in his palm intermittently and pinched it.
He opened the WeChat app and saw a photo sent into the Qi Family's group which showed two hands holding a dumpling each, one of the dumplings was larger than the other.
The dumpling on the smaller hand had visibly much fewer filling and thicker skin whereas the one on the larger hand was well-made.
Needless to say, Qi Chengzhi already knew which dumpling was wrapped by Qi Chengyue. She passed the phone to Guan Liya.
Guan Liya grinned when she saw the photo. "This girl, no improvement at all after wrapping for so many years. Her mother-in-law would surely laugh at her!"
After he said that, Qi Chengzhi's phone received a request for WeChat video call, "Gee!" said Guan Liya. "Chengzhi, quick, a video call from Chengyue."
Qi Chengzhi accepted the video call while finding a perfect angle to fit all of them into the camera.
Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi moved closer to them. All of them were trying to squeeze to fit into the camera.
Qi Chengyue cheerfully called the names of people who were present one after another. Guan Liya asked with a grin, "Hopefully you're not causing inconvenience to your husband's family!"
"Mum, what are you talking about?" Qi Chengyue asked with her face flushed.
"No, absolutely not!" Sun Shaoyun and Cheng Zhaohui appeared on the screen together. Sun Shaoyun was waving her hand. "Grandfather Qi, Grandmother Qi, and Mrs. Qi, Chengyue was really great. When she came back with Dongge yesterday, all of our neighbors who met her praised her because she was pretty and well-mannered. They envied us a lot!"
"Big Brother, let me see my little nephew!" Qi Chengyue urged.
Qi Chengzhi passed his cellphone to Qi Chenglin and he lifted it. He went to the cot beside the sofa and carried the baby in his arms for Qi Chengyue to see.
"Yahoo, little Youjin, your aunt missed you the most when I'm here!" Qi Chengyue looked like she truly wished she could extend her arm out of the screen to stroke his head.
Her voice had startled Qi Youjin. He blinked her eyes a few times and suddenly burst out crying.
Qi Chengzhi tried to calm him down. "Maybe he peed. I'm changing his diaper now."
After quite a while, Qi Chengzhi carried little Youjin back and confirmed, saying, "Yes, he did pee."
Qi Chengyue had hung up the video call. Qi Chengzhi put the baby back into the cot and lulled her to sleep.
Meanwhile, Qi Youxuan was staring at the dumplings while holding a pair of chopsticks. He was holding some edible red coloring on the other hand. That was given to him by Aunt Liu, and it was used for coloring the eggs when they were cooked after the birth of Youxuan. Qi Youxuan asked for it when he saw there were leftovers.
He seized the opportunity to draw a red dot on one of the dumplings with the chopsticks and the coloring when Xia Wenna and Guanliya were picking up them.
He had skillfully drawn a red dot on five of the dumplings before Grandmother Qi noticed his misdoing. "What are you doing?"
Qi Youxuan looked at her with his grape-like big black eyes and innocently said, "It would become better-looking after drawing the dots. We stamped the steamed buns during New Year, so I thought it would be a good idea to do the same on the dumplings."
"…" Grandmother Qi studied the dumplings suspiciously for a long time and sensed something was wrong in it. Then, she took one of the dumplings and finally discovered the truth. "You're marking the dumplings with money wrapped inside!"
"…" Qi Youxuan twisted his round tummy and said in an embarrassed manner, "People say the coming year would be more prosperous if we ate more dumplings with money wrapped inside them during New Year! I don't believe in luck, so I decided to work for it!"
Previously, Qi Chengxuan was responsible for wrapping the money into the dumplings, thus he could effortlessly identify those dumplings. However, she was not around this year, so he had to find another way.
"…" Grandmother Qi made no reply. Everyone else fell into a mutual silence as well.
Grandmother Qi confiscated the chopsticks and the red colorings from Qi Chengxuan. "Stop fooling around—you already drew 5 dots, and there are only eight in total. You should be satisfied!"
Surprisingly, Qi Youxuan did not disagree. He ran towards Song Yu instead, twisting his buttocks and sticking out his little belly. He beckoned to her with his finger crooked, Song Yu lowered her head and heard him whispered, "Aunt, when you cook the dumplings at night, please cook the other three dumplings with money inside separately, and put them together with the red-dotted ones in my bowl!"
"…" Song Yu looked at this greedy little boy who wanted her to include all eight dumplings with money among the ten dumplings he would get. She nodded with a smile. "Sure."
…
…
After having their reunion dinner, they sat down in front of the television to watch the Chinese New Year Gala. The Chinese New Year Gala was different this year—the channel had collaborated with various platforms to send out digital red packets, and the audience could follow the instructions given to fight for them.
Although the members of the Qi Family were wealthy, and most of the time there were only a few dollars or a few cents in the packets, they still participated in it for fun. It was quite interesting and fun—even Grandfather Qi and Grandmother Qi were holding their cell phones.
Grandmother Qi did not understand how these things work, hence she asked almost everyone she met about it before the New Year. She had asked all the Qi's siblings about it, and they had had a difficult time explaining it until she eventually understood.
Song Yu was tapping for digital red packets on Alipay right after she finished shaking for the red packets on WeChat. She was delighted because she managed to win 17.78 Yuan, and the amount was the most in the family.
Qi Changzhi was smiling while combing her hair using his long and bony fingers. Her hair became less tidy after she bowed her head for so long to tap for the red packets. He did not have the heart to ridicule her when he saw her excitement.
Song Yu's cell phone vibrated. She checked her phone and found out that Qi Chengzhi had just sent her a digital red packet via WeChat.
"Wow, you're so in, even know how to send this!" Song Yu smiled. She thought Qi Chengzhi was just having fun with her.
She created a WeChat group with Wei Ran, Qi Chengyue, Ruan Danchen, Lu Nanxi, Fang Jiaran and Ning Wan before. They would send red packets into the chat group whenever they were free and see who got them first.
Song Yu tapped on the digital packet that was sent by Qi Chengzhi, and she was astonished by the number displayed.
5201314!
"Keep it for fun." Qi Chengzhi was smiling. "This is for tonight. I'll give you another one as the New Year's lucky money[1] tomorrow morning."
"…" Song Yu's face turned red and she beamed at him. She felt that he was very romantic and sneakily kissed him. "Thanks, hubby."
---
Author's note:
Did you see the easter egg? Yes, it was Song Yu's child. In the main text, Song Yu was pregnant for less than three months, but I had let her baby feature in this special edition. Please do not demand a twin, Orange Juice is still young, let them come one by one.
[1] In Chinese tradition, adults give coins or notes wrapped in red paper to children or the younger generation as a lunar new year gift to protect them from evil. Money in red envelopes was believed to bring good luck, as red is China's lucky color.


Song Yu, an up and coming architect was supposed to be the fiancée to the second son of the Qi Family... until her family went bankrupt. The engagement was called off and she finally has the freedom to love whoever she wants to! Years later, a twist of fate made her cross paths with the Qi family again. In order to land a prestigious architect role in an upcoming hotel construction project, she had to impress the director of Qilin. Follow Song Yu as she navigates through life and love!

A familiar fragrance lingered in his nose, but the warm feeling of Cong Nianwei's embrace reminded him that this was not an illusion. They had made a lifetime decision very casually. From then on, they would share a common goal.
Their hearts were beating fast as they looked at each other, smiling knowingly. Qin Guan encouraged himself mentally. I must win more awards in order to realize my dream.
As they were enjoying those tender moments, the audience began to leave orderly. The sponsors were amazing. Before they left, they gave them envelopes with flight tickets for their trip back home.
Everyone, winners and losers included, was satisfied, except for the three unlucky sponsors. The shameless men rushed over to Cong Nianwei.
"Hi!"
Qin Guan and Cong Nianwei got scared when they saw the members of the organizing committee standing around them in a circle with smiles on their faces. The four sponsors were among them.
"Hello! We would like to greet you again."
Four pairs of hands stretched out towards Qin Guan. "Your name precedes you..."
"Ha ha! Now I can show off to my girlfriend that I touched his hand!"
"Do you like to play ball games? Tennis, basketball, golf... Shall we go play together?"
They were all talking at once as Qin Guan looked at them in shock. He realized that he had unwittingly acquired some new admirers thanks to the Chinese students' promotion.
This made him feel under pressure. It was the first time he was not being praised for his looks, but his achievements. He was actually being treated as a talented businessman. They all exchanged cards and decided to meet in their spare time. The four men couldn't wait to have their companies evaluated by Qin Guan's firm.
They all believed in his work. They had stolen the computers of some accounting firms and compared the data. As it had turned out, QC's services were the best.
They wanted to know about their market capitalization in the future after repeated financing and investments, and how they could purchase small businesses effectively with their current capital.
The Hilton Hotels gave them some direct feedback. The group had trusted 10 more hotels to QC in the past few months. This was a good indication of the firm's success.
As more and more Asian accountants joined it, the firm gained an advantage over other traditional firms. Asians were very keen and they enjoyed boring statistics work as much as malt sugar.
In other words, they were all complete workaholics.
Actually, Qin Guan preferred being lazy, but he couldn't turn down such steady work. Cong Nianwei was a good stimulus for him as he worked hard to prepare for the party of the police union.
Exam season was over, so after the party, he and Cong Nianwei would return to China to enjoy the Spring Festival.
Encouraged, Qin Guan wrapped himself up in his coat to withstand the piercing New York wind. He was walking to his first stop for the day, the Shaolin Temple of New York.
That absurd name was the only way Americans could learn about the real Shaolin Temple, Chinese martial arts and Buddhism.
Established by Master Guolin, the true successor of the 34th generation of the Shaolin Temple in China, the scaled-down version of the Chinese temple had been in New York for a full four years.
The temple was not far from the commercial streets of the Flushing District. It had actually been constructed by Master Guolin himself.
In 1999, after his fifth year in America, he had decided to build the temple with the help of some faithful believers and a bank loan. His only aim had been to promote Chinese martial arts. The Shaolin Temple was actually looked down upon for being a street martial arts club.
Qin Guan felt amused as he stood at the entrance of the temple.
After visiting the real Shaolin Temple on the Song Mountains, this temple seemed so small that it reminded him of the Earth Temples in the countryside and the temples in Hong Kong movies.
There were two big red lanterns hanging on both sides of the wooden gate. The round windows were perfect copies of the temple made by the Monkey King. Be serious now!
Qin Guan braced himself before he pushed in.
The gate was like a boundary between two different worlds. Qin Guan heard shouts of martial arts practice inside. Four rows of students were practising in the center of the open courtyard.
Despite preparing himself mentally, Qin Guan was still shocked. The master supervising the students noticed the intruder.


Qin Guan was reborn and sent back to his final semester in High School 18 years ago. Getting a second chance at life, he works hard to turn things around and eventually become a Prince Charming. What will his life be like the second time around? What will he have to go through? How will he succeed in turning from a loser into a Prince Charming? Read this story carefully and find out!

Thus, she hadn't had the normal feeling that Xia Nuanuan had.
When she gave it a thought, she realized that it was pretty amazing.
Qiao Lian lowered her head and laughed. Then, she patted Xia Nuannuan's shoulder and said, "Ok, there's no use to think so much. You should be happy today as it's your big day. But, have you told your parents about it?"
Xia Nuannuan immediately nodded. "Yes, I've told them. They said that they've bought tickets for today to meet Mr. Shen's… Zihao's parents."
Qiao Lian nodded and replied, "Right. A marriage is a matter that concerns two families. After they meet, they can also discuss the planning for the wedding and other related matters."
Xia Nuannuan nodded, but she didn't feel the happiness from her imminent marriage. Instead, she was feeling burdened.
Xia Nuannuna bit her lips and sighed heavily after a while.
In the end, Qiao Lian chose a pink dress with a collared shirt underneath and a blue coat over both for Xia Nuannuan. Xia Nuannuan looked as if she was a delicate princess, gentle and neat.
Qiao Lian nodded with satisfaction and helped her put on light makeup. Then, they both proceeded downstairs.
But Xia Yehua was still walking around downstairs with her walking stick.
Although she still had to rely on the walking stick to move around, she was able to walk much more smoothly now.
When she heard that Xia Nuannuan was pregnant yesterday, she had been so excited that she ran from the first floor up to the second.
After seeing them as she turned her head and noticing Xia Nuannuan, she immediately broke into a smile. "Xia Nuannuan looks really good in these clothes!"
Xia Nuannuan had used to feel at ease when facing Xia Yehua, but now she felt kind of embarrassed.
Thus, she lowered her head and her face immediately turned red. "Thank you, Aunt Xia."
"Why are you still addressing me as Auntie? From today onwards, you have to change and call me Mom!"
Xia Nuannuan's eyes lit up and her face turned redder.
Xia Yehua took a step forward and withdrew the red packet[1.Red packets or red envelopes are used East Asian societies as a monetary present] she had prepared from her pocket. She stuffed it into Xia Nuannuan's hands and said, "Here, this is the red packet I prepared for you! It's inconvenient for me to go out and buy your wedding gift, so I can only slack off and give you a red packet."
Xia Nuannuan wanted to reject it but Xia Yehua continued saying, "You can't reject a gift from your elder!"
Xia Nuannuan held onto the red packet and nodded with red eyes.
The three of them sat in the living room.
To ease Xia Nuannuan's anxiety, Qiao Lian remarked, "Hurry up and open the red packet, and see how much Mom gave you!"
After saying so, she looked up at Xia Yehua and added, "Why did I not get such treatment when I got married then?"
Xia Yehua laughed and said, "I wanted to beat you up back then, you still want a red packet?" 
After hearing her words, Qiao Lian suddenly recalled the embarrassing incident at the start.
Xia Yehua and her had spoken ill of each other, only to realize in the end that she was her daughter-in-law and Xia Yehua was her mother-in-law.
Now that she recalled that incident, it was really funny.
Qiao Lian stuck her tongue out and said, "Mom, you can't be so biased about your second daughter-in-law! I'm your first one. You can't forget the old one after getting a new one!"
Xia Yehua laughed. "Ok, ok. I will give you one during the Chinese New Year!"
Qiao Lian was only satisfied then, as she said, "Sure, I'll remember it."
As the three women were talking, they finally heard the sound of the car engine coming from outside the villa.
Qiao Lian's eyes lit up and she looked at Xia Nuannuan immediately. "Shen Zihao is here!"
Xia Nuannuan's face immediately flushed red.


They say the greatest blessing is marrying the idol you always dreamed of.

But Qiao Lian knows that reality is different...

The Internet claims that Best Actor Shen Liangchuan is a male god who is unaffected by any sexual drive, but Qiao Lian vehemently disagrees. It's a lie!

After finally carrying out the contract, Qiao Lian burst out, "I want a divorce! I don't want such a life!"

"He is only twenty-one years old, still young." Zhai Sheng's father said, not lifting his head. He might have said it casually now, but four years later when Zhai Sheng was twenty-five years old and still without a girlfriend, he was not as calm as now.
On the other hand, the results Elder Lee had gotten were very much accurate.
When Qiao Nan went to the school to get her results slip, she saw a bright red banner at the school gate. It read "Congratulations to our student, Qiao Nan, for coming in the first place in the province for middle school exams!"
"Teacher Lee," Qiao Nan greeted politely when she saw her Chinese teacher.
Teacher Lee looked at her beloved pupil, her visage turning red and green similar to those blended colors on a palette. Qiao Nan was perplexed. "Teacher Lee, do you feel unwell today? Would you like to go back to rest?"
Since middle school exams were over, teachers of the secondary three classes had basically finished their classes and could take a break. It would be fine even if Teacher Lee did not go to school.
"My body is perfectly fine. It is my heart that feels uncomfortable," Teacher Lee said angrily. "Do you know where the two marks were deducted from?"
"…" Qiao Nan twitched her lips. "I could roughly guess."
"You…" Teacher Lee was exasperated. "Forget it, forget it. As compared to last semester when you scored zero marks, having two marks deducted this time around could be considered a good improvement. You did not embarrass me." Teacher Lee plastered a bitter smile on her face.
Apart from Teacher Lee's Chinese subject, Qiao Nan scored full marks for the remaining subjects.
If it was other students, there would be nothing wrong about the scores. However, it was unusual in Qiao Nan's case.
Qiao Nan had the perfect score for her essay, but she lost two marks in the memorization component. The loss of these two marks was just like slicing off Teacher Lee's flesh. Teacher Lee could neither be proud nor angry at Qiao Nan.
Still, Teacher Lee felt slightly comforted by the look of envy in other teachers' eyes.
The top scorer in the province was her own student. All secondary three teachers' pay would be doubled. During the Lunar New Year, they would also receive more bonus than usual.
Certainly, the teachers were not really after the increment and bonus. As a teacher, it was rare for them to have students coming in first in the whole province for the middle school exams.
This was sheer luck!
One could imagine how delighted the teachers of secondary three class one must be to see Qiao Nan.
"Hurry along." Teacher Lee patted Qiao Nan on the shoulder and walked into the classroom with her.
Teacher Chen who was already in the classroom was beaming. "I believed all of you must have seen the banner at the school gate when you reached the school. First, let's give a round of applause to Qiao Nan. Qiao Nan not only made the secondary three class one proud but also became the pride of Ping Cheng Junior High School. Let's give her a round of applause!"
The classroom resonated with thunderous sounds of applause.
She was the top scorer in the province. If others knew they were once classmates with her, everyone would be so envious of them.
Every student in the class clapped loudly, with the exception of Zhao Yu who clapped half-heartedly.
"Alright. Everyone should have a look at your results and compare it to the cutoff point for high schools last year. All of you should carefully consider which school you would like to enroll in. When you go back home, you can discuss with your parents before filling in the application form." Teacher Chen asked the students to pass down the required documents.
When the students received their results, it was the joy of some and the sorrow of others. Some students did fairly well, whereas other students did not do well.
"Qiao Nan, come with me to the office." After distributing the documents, Teacher Chen asked Qiao Nan to go to the office. "Have you thought it through? Did you discuss with your parents?"
"We had a discussion and my dad agreed to it." Qiao Nan filled in her desired high school in front of Teacher Chen.
Teacher Chen was relieved that he succeeded in persuading Qiao Nan to study at Ping Cheng High School.
The principal of Ping Cheng High School had specially asked Teacher Chen to make sure that Qiao Nan would study in Ping Cheng High School by all means. She could bring up any requests; the school would try to accede to her requests as long as it was within their means.
After getting the instructions from the management, Teacher Chen also did his best to help Qiao Nan fight for more favorable terms.
After all, since the chat with Qiao Nan last time, Teacher Chen knew that the Qiao family's financial situation was not very good, and it would be very stressful for the parents to finance two children through school.
Teacher Chen did not wish to see Qiao Nan, who had great potential to do well, to quit school because of the financial situation at home. It would be such a pity.
After knowing about Qiao Nan's problems, Teacher Chen tried to fight for the best terms for Qiao Nan.
"Qiao Nan, you came in first in the province this time. The school is proud of you. This is a reward from our school. It is not much, only one hundred yuan. But since you decided to go to Ping Cheng High School, they have a reward for you too; it is two hundred yuan." 
Teacher Chen took out two envelopes and passed them to Qiao Nan. The two envelopes contained the reward that Ping Cheng Junior High School and Ping Cheng High School had for Qiao Nan.
"As for what you mentioned earlier, I have notified the management. As long as you study at Ping Cheng High School, you would be exempted from paying three years of tuition and incidental fees. Nevertheless, you would have to settle your own meals since the school would not cover for them. In addition, if you maintain your standard when you go to high school, the school will grant you a scholarship every semester. But then you would no longer have one hundred or two hundred yuan of reward. Do you understand?"
"Don't worry, Teacher Chen. I understand. This arrangement is pretty good." Qiao Nan smiled. Actually, she was really pleased with the arrangement. It was only 1993 now. It was unlike the 21st century where a hundred yuan would be used up in no time.
This three hundred yuan was enough to cover her school fees for one to two years. Besides, the school had exempted her from paying tuition and incidental fees. She could save up the three hundred yuan and the money from her scholarship for her college fees.
"Qiao Nan, I am proud of you!" Teacher Chen was slightly agitated. If Qiao Nan was not a female student, Teacher Chen would have given her a hug.
Even though Teacher Chen treated Qiao Nan like his own daughter, she was, after all, a young lady now. It would be inappropriate to do that.
"Don't say that. It was all because Teacher Chen and the other teachers had taught me well."
"You are usually quiet in class, but you are good at pleasing people. Alright, go back home. Remember to keep the money properly. Don't lose it."
"Thank you for your help, Teacher Chen." Qiao Nan bowed to Teacher Chen, expressing her heartfelt gratitude. Afterward, she took the three hundred yuan that the school rewarded her and left.
"Well, is our top scorer of the quad back? Nan Nan, do you have time during the summer break? Can you tutor our Juan Er so that she can come in the first place in middle school exams as well?"
One of the aunties from the quad saw Qiao Nan on her way back from school. She had the envious look in her eyes, and she sounded jealous when she spoke to Qiao Nan.
Qiao Nan smiled lightly, shook her head, and walked towards her house.


Qiao Nan: Crap! I am your biological daughter, yet I am treated as if I was picked up from the streets. In fact, you treat me worse than that!

Mother Qiao: Qiao Nan, you are not as pretty or smart as your elder sister. You are not as blessed as her. You have no right to study, marry, or to have your happiness!

Qiao Nan: Why am I not allowed to study, marry, or to seek my happiness? I will find a man right now and marry him!

Qiao Nan is dumbstruck upon discovering that the man right beside her is a powerful figure in the quad—the person who has the most promising prospects to be the future Chief.

Qiao Nan stares at the well-built man in front of her. He has firm abs and cold, chilling eyes. She swallows the lump in her throat as she says her greetings, "Good Morning, Chief!"

I have seen you before you were born.


I have fallen in love before you realize it.


A long time before you and she were together.



***


This is the hardest thing for XI Yang that all the stories and plots he prepared for Chu Yana have begun.


He did not know whether they would remember him as the worst; he had brought the story of the girl who loved and betrayed him.


The story of his vengeance.



But, he has been silent.

He wants to see it later. 

Will people forgive him assume that his actions are the truth to cure a hole in his heart?


However, he has stepped up. He has met the woman. The woman has agreed his evil deal.



***

It has been four months since Xi Yang underwent his Double Degree period. So, he has been a student at Zhengzhou University for four months.

This is a requirement for double degree students, they must study at the place that approves their petition.

Xi Yang sometimes thinks something troublesome can be a fortune for him. Giving the advantage to the storyline that was read to Chu Yana. He only waited for the results of the story he had made with the help of [Restart] all that could happen. He was happy that he would heal his heart injury. That will be a story for himself and hell for both, traitors.

He won't forget all that because vengeance has eaten him. However, he is happy because that is the way for him to remain himself.

***

That morning, Xi Yang just woke up from the bed. Today is a week before the Chinese New Year celebration. That moment was the moment of a large family meeting on the first day of the first month (zhēng yuè). Actually, he did not want to take part in the event. He thought was very disturbing.

How do you not interfere? If their mothers will always encourage the daughters of their relatives to be married as his wives? Well ... even though their faces are not ugly, but Xi Yang thinks that is disturbing him.

Seeing how the women teased and beat themselves. That's not interesting at all.

"Little Xi don't make your mother angry! This year you have to go back even though you already have a lover at least give a little face to your mother facing your mother's relatives. Do you understand?"

Mom is just angry. 

- You are the angry mom...

He knew that he could not reject the request even though it was seen as a forced coercion by the mother.

He sighed hoping that he would pass this new year peacefully.

But, for a moment in Xi's mind that crossed Li Yuan. He feels guilty about the teacher.
How did he have to deal with it when the two of them met? Did the teacher who liked violence kick his ass?

If Xi thought about Li Yuan ass, Xi Yang feels regret for not completely remembering the events of their One Nightstand. He hopes at least he remembers the form of the buttocks of Li Yuan. Even though, the girl's breasts are small like pebbles on the road at least she must have cute and beautiful little butt like pearls.

At least that was what he expected.
He rather had a nasty mind if he imagined it.

-Aish ... I don't seem to be a Lolicon. Ah, isn't Li Yuan not an underage girl? Right, she's not underage, she's legal Loli! I'm not reported to the police because of the accusation of sex abuse underage girl's right? Is true, right?

***

When Xi Yang arrived in his hometown he met father in front of the courtyard.

It saw his father burning a paper and several envelopes bear in the garbage incinerator.

The father's expression is very unpleasant. It's an expression like remembering an important memory and not wanting to forget.

Like someone who remembers good memories.

"Father!" greet Xi Yang.
His father was a little surprised to find that his son was already in court.
"Oh ... Little Xi I think you haven't arrived yet."
Xi Yang just smiles then hugs his father.

He won't get those moments again.

"What are you doing? Where is the mother?"

"Ah ... nothing. Dad just burned something that wasn't important."

"How are you doing? You have become more handsome than the last time I saw you," said dad.

He seems to remember an image from memories all this time. Like nostalgia between father and son.

"Come on in. Your mother has cooked your favorite food." Father guides Xi Yang into the house. They are like a happy father and son.

***

It was the night where the full moon illuminated the village. The crickets sounded, it looked like they were answering each other.

Maybe the reply is a reply between love. Maybe the voices of crickets are even more honest than human hearts.

Father and Xi Yang sit as the balcony. A bottle of traditional sake accompanies their night. Staring at the moon while telling stories, it becomes a very nostalgic memory for many people.

"How about your life in the city, Little Xi?" Father said.

"It's good ... are you curious about life in the city?"

Father just laughed a little. The wrinkles on his face look, it looks like a portrait from his age now.

"Hahaha ... you really ... Father thinks you have to take your mother occasionally ..." Dad said lightly while staring at the moon in the distance.

"Yes. I think I'll bring you later."

Father was stay staring at the moon and kept quiet. Even the sound of crickets became an important moment.

"Little Xi, how about your relationship with Yan'er?"

-That's falsehood ... it's all falsehood now.

"That's good. Why do you ask?"

Father shook his head, but his eyes see something so far away.
 It's far from the moon in the sky.

"Do you really love the girl?"

"Yes. Of course. I love her so much."

-It is a lie. Sorry for lying to you, Dad.

Father nodded.

"Take care of the people you love about, ... your mother too."

Father said it.

His tone was soft and warm for Xi Yang. The softest tone of the father he had heard so far.


***

It is the most beautiful lie I have ever seen in eternity.

A beauty that was the first time before I was thrown here.

A lie between father and son.

They both named it love.

To not know anything.

They call it lies and falsehood for goodness.

So Stupid...


(The Poem of He Who Bring Light, Lucifer)

***

"Xi Yang ... Your father has died ... Come back here ..." Mother said haltingly from behind the phone.

Her voice was hoarse and still sobbing.

It was a call after a week he returned to Zhengzhou.

A call that makes his time stopping.

A new hole had formed in his heart again.

Xi Yang who ordinary simple student and has peacefully life. But , when he find his lover make affair with his bestfriend all his life change.

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