At noon, Qin Lie drove to his parents’ house for lunch. When passing by KFC, he casually glanced into the store.

He suddenly turned the steering wheel and parked by the roadside, looking at two elderly people sitting by the glass window.

Two old people whose ages combined exceeded one hundred and forty years were particularly conspicuous in the KFC store filled with young people and children.

It was Chen Xi’s grandmother and the old man they had picked up from the train station that day.

Chen Xi’s grandmother inserted a straw into a drink cup and handed it to the old man.

The old man reached out with trembling hands to take it, cautiously and carefully taking a small sip.

His features immediately scrunched together exaggeratedly as he shook his head and said something.

Chen Xi’s grandmother’s eyes widened as she hurriedly tasted the drink in front of her.

Her brow and eyes also wrinkled into a ball exaggeratedly.

The two faced each other and laughed heartily.

Qin Lie unconsciously curved his lips upward.

Chen Xi’s grandmother opened another paper box, took out a hamburger from inside, and handed it to the old man.

The old man took it and carefully unwrapped the packaging.

Bringing it to his mouth, he lowered his head and took a small bite.

As he chewed, he tremblingly lifted the top bun of the hamburger, then showed it to Chen Xi’s grandmother with a speechless expression.

The two old people shook their heads and sighed again, but still laughed heartily.

Qin Lie could guess what they were saying at this moment.

“Western fast food, what’s so good about it?”

“Two pieces of bread and a meat patty put together, and they dare charge so much.”

Qin Lie couldn’t help but curve his lips again.

An indescribable sense of security and happiness suddenly struck his heart.

Perhaps this was the meaning of being alive?

He suddenly picked up his phone and inexplicably dialed.

Soon Chen Xi’s voice came from the other end, flat as always.

“Hello?”

After saying hello, she had nothing more to say, and Qin Lie also fell into an inexplicable silence.

“Did you need something?”

Chen Xi spoke first.

Qin Lie: “Nothing.”

Chen Xi: “…”

After a moment of silence, Qin Lie asked, “Where are you?”

Chen Xi: “What’s wrong?”

Qin Lie: “Nothing much. I’m in front of KFC and saw your grandmother.”

A faint laugh came through the phone.

“Oh, is Grandpa Guan with her too?”

Qin Lie: “Yeah, there’s an old man.”

Chen Xi: “I’m at the cake shop across the street.”

Hearing this, Qin Lie turned to look across the street.

Sure enough, soon after, Chen Xi pushed open the door of a cake shop and walked out.

He hung up the phone and watched Chen Xi cross the street and walk to his car.

Qin Lie reached over to push open the passenger door. Chen Xi walked around the front of the car, opened the door, and got in.

“Ordering a cake?”

He looked at Chen Xi and asked.

Chen Xi nodded, “Today is Grandpa Guan’s birthday.”

As she spoke, she turned to look at KFC.

The two old people sat by the bright glass window, toasting each other while chatting and laughing.

Chen Xi watched silently. After a long while, she suddenly said, “Grandpa Guan has late-stage lung cancer… he’s given up treatment.”

Qin Lie looked at the two old people by the window. The trace of a smile on his lips hadn’t faded, but a bitter taste suddenly rose in his throat.

He said nothing, his gaze returning from that moment of tenderness to its usual numbness.

Chen Xi looked out the window. After a long while, she said quietly, “Probably only about six months left.”

The noon sunlight shone into the car, somewhat glaring.

The air conditioning was running at full blast. After sitting for a while, one could feel the chill.

The brilliant white sunlight fell on the tiny pores of her arms, but the warmth felt like a spent arrow.

Just like Chen Xi’s mood at this moment.

She had prepared a birthday cake and good wine for Grandpa Guan, along with many childhood memories that used to make people smile.

But these warm things were soaked in despair.

Besides feeling cold, she had no other solution.

Chen Xi withdrew her gaze from outside the car window and let out a soft breath.

“I’m leaving.”

She glanced at Qin Lie and reached to open the car door.

“Chen Xi…”

Qin Lie suddenly spoke.

Chen Xi paused and turned to look at Qin Lie.

“Yeah?”

Qin Lie looked at Chen Xi, silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Next week, go to Xi’an.”

Chen Xi was stunned. He had asked her this at the music festival.

Back then, when he asked if she wanted to go to Xi’an together, it was just literal.

If there had to be any special meaning, at most it was just ambiguity.

But after that night, when these words were spoken again, the atmosphere between them suddenly became somewhat subtle.

Chen Xi gave the same response. She smiled faintly and asked, “To do what?”

The same words had unknowingly become subtle too.

Qin Lie looked at Chen Xi, his calm eyes showing not a ripple.

After a long time, he said, “To relax.”

Chen Xi smiled, “No need.”

After saying this, she got out of the car.

After walking a few steps on the sidewalk, Qin Lie’s car drove past her and merged into traffic.

Chen Xi silently watched Qin Lie’s car drive away.

She walked with her hands in her pockets at an unhurried pace to her motorcycle parked across the street.

“To relax…”

She curved her lips slightly with a trace of faint sharpness.

She had no expectations whatsoever that his answer would cross any boundaries.

But this answer truly didn’t please her either.

Between men and women, even if just seeking momentary pleasure, that should be fine as long as both parties are willing.

There was no need to be evasive.

Such ambiguous words as “to relax” didn’t suit her taste.

Qin Lie rolled down the car window, one hand on the steering wheel, the other fishing out a cigarette to put in his mouth.

He glanced at the rearview mirror and saw Chen Xi’s tall, slender silhouette crossing the street at an unhurried pace.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the blindingly white road surface under the blazing sun.

The next second, his gaze unconsciously returned to the rearview mirror.

She walked to the motorcycle by the roadside, swung her long leg over it, kicked it to start, and drove off in the opposite direction.

Qin Lie withdrew his gaze, his lips moving slightly as he let out a somewhat self-mocking smile.

To relax?

What bullshit…

He thought flatly.

His heart felt like it had been stirred with a stick, causing ripples in what had been stagnant water.

And they weren’t comfortable ripples.

It made him suddenly doubt whether his two years of giving up had made him forget even how to interact with women.

Distracted all the way, he drove to his parents’ apartment building.

Qin Lie locked the car and walked into the somewhat aged building.

This residential community housed employees of the Qinghai Oilfield Administration Bureau.

Qin Lie’s family had moved here during his sophomore year of high school, two buildings away from Qin Zhan’s family.

The hallway was filled with the familiar smell of years past, its walls mottled.

This community had been among the best in Dunhuang back then, but now it was quite ordinary.

Yet Qin Lie’s parents couldn’t bear to move away.

Relatives, friends, and colleagues from the same work unit all lived here.

In the evenings, walking along the Dang River, they would encounter familiar faces everywhere.

Joking around, an entire evening would pass by.

The old couple felt this was the best place and refused to go anywhere else.

Upon entering the house, he looked up to see that his uncle’s family was also there.

Qin Lie was stunned and looked at Qin Zhan.

Qin Zhan was sitting on the sofa, eating watermelon. As soon as he saw Qin Lie, his eyes immediately lit up.

“Bro, what took you so long?”

He made room on the sofa for Qin Lie and moved to sit on a small stool himself.

“Have some watermelon. It’s sandy and sweet.”

Qin Lie changed his shoes, threw his car keys on the shoe cabinet, and walked into the living room.

“Uncle, Aunt.”

He greeted them as he walked.

Qin Zhan’s mother was setting bowls at the dining table. Seeing Qin Lie, she asked excitedly, “Lie, Qin Zhan said you have a girlfriend?”

Qin Lie’s steps paused as he glanced coldly at Qin Zhan.

Qin Zhan grinned at Qin Lie with a sly expression and lowered his head to continue eating watermelon.

Qin Lie cleared his throat lightly and said in a normal tone, “No.”

Qin Zhan’s mother didn’t believe it and said with a smile, “Come on, if you have one, you have one. Why are you embarrassed now?”

Qin Lie: “Really, no.”

He had originally intended to sit on the sofa, but mid-conversation, his steps took a detour and he walked directly into his bedroom, falling face-up on the bed.

Soon after, Qin Zhan slipped into the room with a grin and closed the door behind him.

Qin Lie, pillowing his arms, glanced at him and uttered a single word flatly.

“Scram.”

Qin Zhan darted into the room and plopped down in Qin Lie’s computer chair, kicked with his legs, and the chair spun around once.

He crossed one leg and looked up at the packed bookshelf and the row of trophies that Qin Lie’s mother had polished to a bright shine.

They were all the awards Qin Lie had won from various math and physics competitions since childhood.

The room was the same as before. Every time Qin Zhan came, he could feel the overwhelming superiority of his brother from all directions.

Qin Zhan sighed, “Bro, since childhood, whenever adults started talking, I would hide in my room. I never thought you’d have such a day, too.”

He laughed “hehe” as he spoke.

Qin Lie couldn’t be bothered with him and stared blankly at the ceiling.

Qin Zhan: “Bro, are you and Sister Xi together?”

Qin Lie said nothing, staring at the ceiling.

Qin Zhan: “Are you? Are you?”

Qin Lie glanced at him and said dryly, “No.”

Qin Zhan leaned back in the chair, swinging one leg, but his tone suddenly became serious.

“Bro, I know you’ve been unhappy these past two years. You should date someone. Once you do, I guarantee you’ll be happy everywhere.”

Qin Lie ignored him, looking at the ceiling as his Adam’s apple bobbed.

Qin Zhan: “Really, it cures everything.”

Qin Lie: “Shut up.”

Qin Zhan scratched the back of his head, looking sincere with a touch of shyness.

“Really, bro. Take me for example—I used to be carefree and didn’t want to do anything.”

“Now I’m energetic about everything every day. I want to earn more money to give them a better life.”

He sighed deeply with endless reminiscence, “When she smiles at me, my heart feels happy, happy all day long.”

Qin Lie glanced at Qin Zhan.

He hadn’t expected this silly kid, who was like a golden retriever, to be lecturing him about life philosophy.

He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

It was rare for both families to gather together. Usually, either Qin Zhan was wandering around outside and couldn’t come back, or Qin Lie refused to leave his house.

Today, they finally came home together, so Qin Lie’s father opened a bottle of good wine.

The table was filled with dishes Qin Lie and Qin Zhan had loved since childhood.

Salt and pepper meatballs, hand-grabbed mutton, cold mixed sand onions, and colorful stuffed skin noodles that Qin Lie’s mother made herself.

Halfway through the meal, the four elders exchanged glances and simultaneously put down their wine glasses.

Qin Lie calmly picked up some food and glanced at Qin Zhan.

The silly kid was still stuffing salt and pepper meatballs in his mouth, chewing with such relish.

Qin Zhan’s mother looked at Qin Zhan, then at Qin Lie.

“Lie, since you’re home today, your aunt and uncle want you to take a stand.”

Qin Lie put down his chopsticks, looked around at the elders at the table, and made a low, acknowledging sound.

From the moment he entered the house today, he had sensed this meal wouldn’t be simple.

This silly Qin Zhan hadn’t noticed at all, eating watermelon and giving others advice.

He was completely unaware that what awaited him was a Hongmen banquet.

Qin Zhan’s mother cleared her throat and began, “You’re quite a bit older than Qin Zhan and have always been his role model. Your brother doesn’t listen to anyone, but he listens to you.”

The sound of Qin Zhan crunching on meatballs gradually stopped.

“Mom, why are you bringing this up?”

Qin Zhan’s mother didn’t even look at Qin Zhan and continued speaking to Qin Lie, “He’s never liked listening to us since he was little, but he listens to you more often. So this time, you need to talk sense into your brother.”

Only then did Qin Zhan sense something was wrong. He slammed his chopsticks on the table irritably, “Talk sense into what? What are you planning now?”

Qin Zhan’s mother was determined not to look at the fool she had given birth to.

She stared fixedly at Qin Lie and said word by word, “Your brother doesn’t understand, but you, as his older brother, should pull him back. You can’t just watch him ruin his life like this.”

Qin Zhan slammed the table, “Ruin what? Who’s ruined? Which eye of yours sees me ruined?”

Bang! The dining table took another slap.

Qin Zhan’s father shouted, “Bastard! Who are you putting on this show for?”

His voice was authoritative and furious. Qin Zhan lowered his eyes and didn’t dare contradict anymore.

Qin Zhan’s mother continued speaking to Qin Lie, “Unless I die, that woman will never enter our family’s door.”

After speaking, she stared straight at Qin Lie, waiting for his response.

But Qin Zhan shouted frantically from the side, “Mom, why do you have to dislike Fangfang? Do you even know her?”

Qin Zhan’s mother let out a cold laugh.

“The son I raised with such hardship hasn’t even been filial to me yet, but he’s already being filial to someone else, raising someone else’s child, buying someone else a house.”

She looked at Qin Lie, her eyes reddening.

“Lie, tell me what that woman’s intentions are. Doesn’t she know her situation? Does she deserve him?”

Qin Lie’s hands rested on his legs, clenched, but he didn’t rush to speak.

Qin Lie’s mother, seeing her son’s difficulty, couldn’t help but speak up to persuade, “Zhan, there are plenty of beautiful girls. Why must you find a widow with a child?”

Qin Zhan’s father also chimed in from the side, “Yes, you’re young and inexperienced. Finding someone ten years older than you—what if you regret it in a couple of years? You have to be responsible for the woman, too, right?”

Qin Lie’s mother: “Marriage and daily life are different from dating. Once time passes, all that passion disappears. Only suitable people can last long.”

Qin Zhan hung his head with a restrained expression, saying nothing.

“Being well-matched has always been wisdom left by our ancestors.”

“You’re being stubborn and won’t listen now, but there will come a time when you regret it.”

“What do you think she sees in you? When a woman marries, it’s for food and clothing.”

“You can barely support yourself, and you want to raise someone else’s child?”

Qin Zhan’s romantic love was gradually torn apart into a mess of trivial concerns under the elders’ domestic nagging.

Qin Lie listened silently, gradually feeling bored.

His thoughts began to drift far away.

He suddenly felt that between men and women, stripping away layer after layer of beautiful pretense, the essence was just boring.

Because life itself was boring. No couple could be unrestrained, doing as they pleased in life’s materialistic quagmire.

Thinking of being unrestrained, suddenly, his heart that had sunk to the bottom inexplicably floated upward.

Chen Xi’s figure inexplicably flashed through his mind.

Wearing a comfortable plaid shirt, riding a motorcycle, speeding through Dunhuang’s streets with her long hair flying in the wind.

Lying under a car, concentrating on tightening screws under the light of a flashlight.

In the silent, deep night, she stayed up to paint her giant mural.

On a car roof, drinking beer alone, lost in thought.

In a sea of people, swaying and celebrating to the rhythm of music.

Under moonlight, in the wilderness, moaning without restraint.

She could pick things up and let them go.

Sometimes free as the wind, sometimes as steadfast as a tree rooted in the desert.

That figure flashed through his mind, and his heart, which had sunk to the bottom, suddenly leaped out of the water, breathing oxygen again.

He suddenly thought that perhaps not everyone’s life would end up as a mess of trivial concerns.

Some people, like the wind, boring life couldn’t catch up with her…

“Lie, what do you think? Say something.”

Qin Lie suddenly snapped back to reality.

He raised his head, looked at the table full of elders, and spoke quietly.

“Aunt, what kind of person do you think I should find?”

Qin Zhan’s mother was stunned. They were talking about Qin Zhan’s situation, and she didn’t know why this child suddenly turned the topic to himself.

She couldn’t react for a moment and said, “Well, at least someone with higher education, someone whose conditions match yours in all aspects.”

Qin Lie smiled and mentioned his ex-girlfriend to his family for the first time.

“I used to date someone—a graduate of a prestigious school, beautiful appearance, good family background, became a senior executive with equity at a multinational company at a young age. Do you think she matched me?”

Qin Zhan’s mother was stunned. “With such good conditions, how did you break up?”

Qin Lie smiled and said quietly, “When I left the company, she found someone more suitable for her.”

Qin Zhan’s mother opened her mouth, looking bewildered.

In her mind, Qin Lie was the best catch.

Others might not be good enough for him, but there was no one he wasn’t good enough for.

Qin Lie: “Aunt, I’m on Qin Zhan’s side. If he thinks she’s good, then she’s good.”