Qin Yan’s gaze sharpened slightly, his smile fading.
Qin’s mother, Cai Qiushuang, rapped Qin Qiqi on the head. “Making up stories about your uncle again.”
“But it’s true!”
Qin Qiqi rubbed her head. “Grandma, you tell me—with his personality as cold as the peak of a snowy mountain, who could ever bring him down?”
Qiqi was being polite in her description. In her eyes, her uncle was the kind of person even ghosts would run from. What woman could possibly have the ability to win him over?
“Every pot has its lid. There’s always someone who can bring your uncle down.”
Cai Qiushuang seemed to recall something from the past, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she glanced at the person beside her, who was focused on painting. “Isn’t that right, old man?”
Qin Yuanhe was struggling with his landscape painting and didn’t look up at her words. “Yes, yes, yes. Whatever you say, dear.”
Perfunctory.
Cai Qiushuang’s smile vanished instantly. She stood up, walked over to Qin Yuanhe, leaned close to his ear, and said softly, “It seems painting is more important than your wife, huh?”
The hairs on his ears stood on end. Decades of finely honed survival instincts kicked in, setting off alarm bells in his mind. Qin Yuanhe decisively put down his brush, turned, and wrapped his arms around the displeased woman.
“My wife is important. My wife is a thousand, ten thousand times more important than any painting. What’s a painting? It can’t even compare to a single finger of my wife’s.”
Survival instincts at their peak.
“Shameless old man, the children are still here.”
Cai Qiushuang chided him with her words, but the displeasure in her eyes had already dissipated completely.
Qin Qiqi suddenly felt the melon seeds in her hand had lost their flavor.
She really couldn’t stand people of this age still being so lovey-dovey. Not a word about love, yet every syllable dripped with it.
Disgusting.
Refusing to eat dog food starts with Qin Qiqi.
She’d better go check if the osmanthus cakes were ready in the kitchen.
Standing not far away, Mu Ci watched this scene, feeling a pang of envy. She couldn’t help but say:
“It must be wonderful to have someone who cherishes you like that until old age.”
“Envious?” Qin Yan glanced down at her, his voice lingering softly.
Mu Ci smiled faintly. “Not really. Just a passing thought.”
As she spoke, she linked her arm with his and continued walking forward. “Come on, let’s go say hello first. I still need to find a chance to talk to Qiqi about our situation, so we don’t slip up later.”
Before coming, she hadn’t known Qin Qiqi would be here too.
Mu Ci forcefully steered the conversation away, and Qin Yan’s words—“No need to envy. I’ll cherish you until old age too”—were swallowed back, just like that.
Qin Qiqi wandered all the way to the kitchen and unexpectedly ran into someone.
“Sister Qingyan?”
Meng Qingyan was making walnut cookies. Hearing this, she looked up, her eyes curving into crescents. “Qiqi, you’re here.”
Qin Qiqi moved closer. On the countertop lay freshly baked walnut cookies, their rich aroma filling the air. They looked crispy, sweet, and utterly delicious.
“Making these for Uncle?”
Qin Yan liked walnut cookies.
Since childhood, Meng Qingyan had always been special toward Qin Yan. Qin Qiqi, clever as a fox, had noticed long ago.
Meng Qingyan pursed her lips shyly, not denying it. “For everyone to share.”
“Then let me taste-test first.”
Qin Qiqi picked up a walnut cookie and took a bite. Remembering the soul-shaking news from earlier, the sweetness spread in her mouth, and she couldn’t help but say, “Sister Qingyan, I heard some shocking news today…”
“Uncle… he’s married.”
A walnut cookie slipped from Meng Qingyan’s hand, fell onto the baking tray, and cracked into two pieces.
Meng Qingyan’s smile looked uglier than a grimace. “Qiqi, you can’t joke about something like that.”
“I’m not joking. Grandma told me herself.”
“…”
Qin Qiqi looked at her pale face and felt a bit sorry for her. “Actually, I think Uncle is just so-so. Sister Qingyan, you’re so outstanding…”
“Impossible,” Meng Qingyan still refused to believe it. “Ah Yan isn’t that kind of casual person.”
She had never heard him mention anything about relationships. How could he just get married out of nowhere?
Besides, what kind of person was Qin Yan?
Cold-natured and indifferent, like proud snow atop a peak—was he someone easily moved by just anyone?
“…”
Qin Qiqi didn’t know what to say.
Love, indeed, was no good thing.
Once caught in it, one would become entangled and lost.
She proactively picked up the arranged plate of walnut cookies and tried to console her. “Sister Qingyan, don’t think about it anymore. I actually think the one Uncle found definitely isn’t as outstanding as you. Come on, let’s go crush her!”
With her damn protective nature, Qin Qiqi had no choice but to apologize first to this aunt she had never met.
Meng Qingyan composed herself and went to the backyard with Qin Qiqi, carrying the walnut cookies.
Before they even got close, they heard Qin Yuanhe’s hearty laughter. “I say, young lady, how do you know so much at such a young age? These days, not many young people are interested in traditional Chinese painting.”
It was clear the old man was in a good mood.
The person he was praising was naturally not from the Qin family. Apart from the old man’s love for calligraphy and painting, Meng Qingyan was usually the only one who would chat about it to please him.
Meng Qingyan’s fingers suddenly tightened, the edge of the porcelain plate cutting painfully into her palm.
Qin Qiqi, however, was a bit curious. “It seems this aunt has something going for her…”
She glanced over and caught sight of Meng Qingyan’s unpleasant expression, quickly correcting herself. “But it’s just a little trick to cater to the old man.”
Aunt I’ve never met, sorry again!
Mu Ci felt a bit embarrassed by the old man’s praise and turned to look at the man beside her, her smiling eyes breathtakingly beautiful.
She lowered her voice and said, “Don’t just sit there without saying anything. It’s awkward if I’m the only one talking.”
Qin Yan seemed not to have heard clearly, leaning closer. “What did you say?”
“I said—”
As he leaned down, her lips almost brushed his ear, her soft voice tickling his eardrum. “You should talk too. If I’m the only one speaking, I’m afraid I’ll say something wrong.”
Qin Yan’s throat moved sensually. “They like you. Even if you say something wrong, they’ll still like you.”
When Meng Qingyan reached the backyard, from her angle, she saw exactly this scene—
Qin Yan leaning lightly against the woman’s shoulder, as if whispering sweet nothings, his usually indifferent handsome face now softened with a smile.
Even the sharp lines of his profile had gentled considerably.
The woman’s figure was partially blocked by a large green banana leaf, but her graceful silhouette was faintly visible.
Their backs looked perfectly matched.
Meng Qingyan’s heart felt as if it had been stabbed.
So what if they’re a perfect match? So what if they’re married?
In this day and age, people get married and divorced all the time.
She had admired Qin Yan for so many years—she could wait!
Qin Qiqi’s gaze also fell on the two intimate figures, her eyes widening in shock as if she’d seen a ghost.
Was that fool grinning like a lovesick idiot really her uncle?
Her decisive, never-smiling uncle?
Ah, indeed, if you live long enough, you’ll see everything.
She grew even more curious.
Just who was this deity who had tamed her uncle? A goddess!
Just then, the graceful goddess stood up. She walked over to the old man, and the two began discussing the traditional painting on the painting table again.
“…”
Qin Qiqi stared at the goddess’s back, her pupils suddenly contracting.
Oh my god!
Under the bright sun, she saw a ghost for the second time!!
She rubbed her eyes in disbelief and looked again—
Alright, the goddess turned around, revealing a breathtakingly beautiful profile.
Qin Qiqi stood there with her mouth agape, completely stunned, as if a thunderclap had exploded above her head.
She was so shocked she felt fried inside and out, smoke practically rising from her head, and she trembled as she said, “No way?!”