Lin Yan stared at the hickey on his neck, her thoughts thrown into disarray.
How could she possibly have done something like that?
If she didn’t remember, it didn’t happen. If it didn’t happen, she didn’t do it.
She denied it. “I didn’t.”
“Don’t believe me?” Xing Yu curled his lip. “My grandmother witnessed everything last night. Want me to have her come in and testify?”
“…” Lin Yan shot him a sidelong glance. “So what do you want?”
“Haven’t decided yet.” Xing Yu was already counting his chickens. “You owe me one.”
Lin Yan didn’t respond and made to leave.
“Where are you going?” Xing Yu asked.
“None of your business.”
“Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve.”
“Doesn’t make a difference.”
As soon as Lin Yan got downstairs, she saw a white-haired old woman in a red floral jacket.
She looked at least eighty, but she was full of energy and stood straight and strong.
This must be Xing Yu’s grandmother.
The old lady was the first to wave at her, her voice booming with vigor: “Little Lin, you’re awake? Breakfast is ready, come eat.”
“No need, Grandma.” Lin Yan gave her a polite bow. “I’m sorry for disturbing you last night. Wishing you a happy New Year in advance.”
The moment Lin Yan walked out the door, Xing Yu followed.
He stood at the entrance, staring at Lin Yan’s retreating figure with a gloomy expression.
The old lady sidled up, glanced at the mark on his neck, and shook her head. “I told you it wouldn’t work, didn’t I? You insisted I give you cupping marks first thing this morning. That little trick of yours is long out of style!”
Xing Yu said nothing, his gaze still locked on the direction Lin Yan had gone.
The old lady patted his shoulder and said with weight: “A’Yu, that girl—anyone can tell she’s someone with a story. With all that weighing on her heart, it won’t be easy to win her over!”
…
Lin Yan went straight back to the hotel, grabbed her luggage, and headed to the bus station for the county town.
On the way, she sent her uncle a message telling him she wouldn’t be coming home for the New Year.
While waiting for the bus, someone called her name from not far away. She saw Zhou Gang running toward her, gasping for breath, a bag in his hand.
Lin Yan hurried over. “Uncle, why are you here?”
Zhou Gang panted heavily and handed her the cloth bag. “These are over thirty free-range eggs. Take them to the county town to eat. I don’t have anything good to give you, so just take them, Yanyan. When I have time, I’ll come to the county town to see you.”
Lin Yan looked at the eggs in the bag, warmth spreading through her heart. “Thank you, Uncle.”
It was only then that she noticed her uncle seemed to have aged a great deal.
Eight years had passed in the blink of an eye. His hair was now more than half white, his skin had grown darker, and even his eyes had begun to turn cloudy and dull.
Zhou Gang suddenly let out a sigh, guilt surfacing on his weathered face.
“Yanyan, I’m sorry. It’s because I’m useless that you can’t even come home… I’ve been thinking all these years—maybe I shouldn’t have brought you back from the orphanage back then. Perhaps… you would have been happier there.”
Lin Yan shook her head. “Uncle, don’t ever say things like that again. I don’t want to hear it.”
“I know why you haven’t wanted to come home these eight years. That’s why I never forced you to come back whenever I called. Your aunt’s rotten behavior is hard enough for me to stomach, let alone you.” Zhou Gang’s eyes reddened uncontrollably as he spoke.
“Yanyan, I’m apologizing to you on your aunt’s behalf. I’m sorry. You’ve been wronged…”
That apology was never his to make. The one who should apologize was An Chunfang.
She changed the subject. “Alright, Uncle, go on back. The bus should be here soon.”
“Oh, right, Yanyan, there’s something…” Zhou Gang started, then hesitated.
“What is it?”
“Well… Zhou Jing contacted me a while back… She… she’s doing very well…”
Lin Yan’s thoughts went blank for a moment.
Zhou Jing was the biological mother who had abandoned her at the orphanage gate.
So many years had passed, yet hearing news of her still stirred a faint ripple in her heart.
But only a ripple, nothing more.
Lin Yan gave a faint, bitter smile. “Well, good for her.”
“Yanyan, your mother has actually been in Jingbei all these years… She remarried well. The man has a daughter too, a few years younger than you, I think.”
Lin Yan was indifferent. “Mm.”
Zhou Gang hesitated, his brows furrowed as he forced the words out: “Yanyan… actually… your mother contacted me because she wanted me to ask you something…”
“What is it?”
“Your brother cut off contact with the family a while back. It’s been almost two months since anyone’s been able to reach him. She asked me to check whether your brother has come looking for you.”
Her brother was seven years older than her. When her mother had taken him and left, she had only been three, so her memories were too vague.
But according to her uncle, her brother had doted on her and loved her dearly.
They had been out of contact since childhood, and with so many years gone by, even if they stood face to face, they might not recognize each other.
Besides, he had no reason to come looking for her specifically.
“No. No one has come looking for me.”
Zhou Gang didn’t press further and added, as if to make up for it:
“Yanyan, your mother still thinks about you deep down. Maybe she has her own unspoken difficulties… I’ll send you her number. If you ever come around to it, you can reach out to her. After all, she’s the mother who gave birth to you…”
Lin Yan lifted her head slightly, meeting Zhou Gang’s gaze directly. Her voice was soft, yet utterly resolute.
“Uncle, please relay my exact words to her. Whether I’m doing well or poorly now has nothing to do with her. In my heart, my mother died when I was three. To give birth but not raise—she doesn’t deserve to be called a mother.”
Just then, the bus arrived.
Lin Yan was about to board when Zhou Gang called out to her.
“Oh, Yanyan! What’s the deal between you and that Xing Yu?”
Lin Yan brushed it off: “We’re at the friend stage, still getting to know each other.”
Zhou Gang spoke earnestly: “Yanyan, no rush! Many men treat you wonderfully when they’re chasing you, but their true colors show after prolonged contact! Take your time getting to know him. Don’t settle casually just because you’re at a certain age. Life isn’t the same no matter who you spend it with, understand?”
“I know, Uncle.”
…
Back in the county town, it was already evening by the time she tidied up her rental apartment.
Lin Yan had just collapsed onto the sofa when a WeChat message popped up on her phone screen.
It was from her friend, Cheng Qing.
A native only-child from Jingbei, a top-tier 985 graduate, yet she’d gotten pregnant before marriage and married down to an ordinary man.
Now she was a stay-at-home housewife.
[Yanyan, are you settling in okay back home? I’ve been so busy with the kid lately that I haven’t had time to reach out.]
[Pretty good.]
[I heard from Song Yanzheng that you went back for a blind date and it actually worked out? Really?]
Lin Yan didn’t know where to begin, so she didn’t explain and simply replied with an “Mm.”
A minute later, Cheng Qing sent her a voice message.
[Yanyan, that’s right! If Song Yanzheng doesn’t cherish you, plenty of others will. You’re so outstanding, so hardworking—losing you is his loss. Oh, by the way, what’s your blind date’s name—Xing something? Seems like he shares the same surname as Song Yanzheng’s fiancée.]
Just as she finished listening to the voice message, her phone rang.
It was a telemarketer selling insurance.
After hanging up, Lin Yan reopened WeChat, replied to Cheng Qing, then switched to a short-video app and started scrolling.
About five minutes later, a WeChat message from Xing Yu suddenly popped up at the top of her screen.
He sent a single “?”
Lin Yan tapped into the chat window and was dumbfounded.
The next second, she sprang up from the sofa like a leaping carp.
Five minutes ago, the message that should have gone to Cheng Qing had been mistakenly sent to Xing Yu instead.
Worst of all, she’d even misspelled “Xing Yu,” typing a homophone that read “sexual desire.”
That cursed nine-key keyboard—what a menace.
She tried to recall the message, but it was useless.
Just then, Xing Yu sent another message.
[I have a strong sexual appetite. Want to try?]