Xu Zhinan froze completely, her fingertips trembling. Then she lost her grip on the chopsticks, which clattered against the edge of the pot.

Xu Zhinan pressed her lips together, pretending not to hear.

So Lin Qingye raised his hips again, bumping against her.

She couldn’t take it anymore and tried to move away, but his arm around her waist prevented her escape. Instead, Lin Qingye rested his chin on her shoulder and laughed. “What are you afraid of?”

“My legs are still sore,” Xu Zhinan said softly.

“Practice more and they won’t be sore.”

“…No.” Xu Zhinan lowered her head even more. “I want to eat noodles now. I haven’t had dinner yet.”

Lin Qingye asked, “Why didn’t you eat dinner?”

He stopped his teasing and looked at the time—it was almost eleven.

“The shop had something come up that delayed me a bit, then I rushed to get there, and after what happened, I just forgot.”

Lin Qingye finally found his conscience and stopped tormenting her. He pulled away from Xu Zhinan, dished out the cooked noodles, and brought them to the table.

They sat facing each other.

Lin Qingye had already eaten that evening. His bowl had even less than Xu Zhinan’s. He finished quickly and leaned back in his chair, watching her eat.

After Xu Zhinan finished, she washed the dishes, then went back to the bedroom to take a shower. Only then did he finally begin his “main course.”

Early the next morning, sunlight streamed into the bedroom, spreading warmth across the blanket.

Xu Zhinan was facing away from him. Lin Qingye’s arm rested across her waist over the blanket. Both were asleep when a phone rang.

It was Lin Qingye’s.

He frowned and made a sound of annoyance, reaching for his phone. It was an unfamiliar number. He answered but didn’t speak at first. The voice on the other end asked, “Is this senior Lin Qingye?”

A male voice.

“Yes,” Lin Qingye said, sitting up. “Who is this?”

Xu Zhinan’s eyes were still closed. She turned to face him and reached for his hand. Lin Qingye leaned against the headboard, holding the phone with one hand and interlacing his fingers with hers with the other.

“This is Xie Jing.”

Lin Qingye remembered—he was the idol that the girl from yesterday’s music festival liked.

He had never had any contact with Xie Jing before. Their connection had come entirely through their fans.

Xie Jing continued, “I’m sorry, I got your number through a friend. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

His tone was very polite. As the leader of a boy band, the entertainment industry held high standards for idol behavior and etiquette.

Lin Qingye wasn’t a senior, though. While he had entered the entertainment industry earlier through “I Come for Music,” in terms of his comeback, he had only released his first album and hadn’t been in the industry for very long.

But his situation was too unique—he had been famous from his debut, and immediately returned to the peak after his comeback. No one could predict how high he would climb in the future, so ordinary celebrities didn’t dare to create any discord with him.

Lin Qingye guessed the purpose of his call and wasn’t particularly concerned about the incident. There was no need to hold Xie Jing responsible for a fan’s actions.

“No problem. You’re calling about yesterday’s incident?” he asked directly.

Xu Zhinan woke up and opened her eyes, silently asking, “What’s going on?”

Lin Qingye stroked her hair reassuringly.

Xie Jing replied, “Yes, I’m sorry, senior. I apologize for what happened at your music festival.”

“It’s fine, it doesn’t affect anything. Don’t worry about it.”

After a brief conversation, he hung up and explained the situation to Xu Zhinan.

The incident wasn’t particularly significant. Fans online argued for a few days, but Xie Jing’s other fans were fairly reasonable and apologized for the troublemaker, and so the matter was put to rest.

On Saturday, Xu Zhinan gave everyone at the shop a day off, so she was free to rest at home for the entire day.

They slept until midday, lazily ate lunch, and by the afternoon, Lin Qingye planned to visit Shi Heng.

Shi Heng’s death anniversary was in August. Lin Qingye was still in prison when it passed, and afterward, he had been so busy that he would fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow. He hadn’t had time to visit.

“I’ll go with you,” Xu Zhinan said.

“Alright.”

On the way, Xu Zhinan bought a bouquet, and they drove to the cemetery where Shi Heng rested.

It wasn’t a special day, so there were few people in the cemetery. Lin Qingye wore a hat and mask, while Xu Zhinan only wore a hat. They registered and went in.

Xu Zhinan followed him until they stopped in front of a tombstone.

She looked up at the photo on the tombstone.

Shi Heng was indeed as Lin Qingye had described before—gentle and warm, obviously an obedient boy with good grades.

His nose and mouth resembled Lin Qingye’s somewhat, but their eyes were different.

Lin Qingye bent down and placed the flowers in front of the tombstone.

“Brother,” he said softly, “I haven’t come to see you for three years.”

Lin Qingye raised his hand, holding Xu Zhinan’s. “This is my girlfriend.”

Xu Zhinan squeezed his hand and, looking at Shi Heng’s photo, also called him “Brother.”

Lin Qingye wasn’t one to express his inner feelings easily. He couldn’t bring himself to chatter to the deceased at a tombstone.

He just crouched in front of the tombstone, gently brushing away the dust on top.

When they were young, Shi Heng had been the kindest to him. Shi Heng had seen him as a disobedient little brother and wanted to earn his affection and approval.

Lin Qingye had dismissed this completely.

Then he met Xu Zhinan, and he almost lost her too.

He felt like he had never done well enough, yet he was still fortunate—at least Xu Zhinan was still by his side.

Lin Qingye remained silent at the tombstone for a while, with Xu Zhinan quietly keeping him company.

After a moment, as the sky began to darken, he got up to leave with Xu Zhinan.

Neither spoke as they walked down the steps. Lin Qingye walked in front, and suddenly he stopped in his tracks. Xu Zhinan looked up.

A woman stood at the bottom of the stairs—

Fu Xueming.

Xu Zhinan had seen her once three years ago and never again after that, but Lin Qingye’s features resembled hers, and her distinctive appearance was easy to remember.

But she looked different from three years ago.

After her divorce, Fu Xueming returned to her maiden family. The Fu family was no longer as powerful as before. After divorcing Lin Guancheng, there was no one to help her for his sake, so her life naturally wasn’t as comfortable and wealthy as before, when she could have whatever she wanted.

Today she wore black clothes and shoes with flat soles, no longer carrying the same imposing, arrogant air.

The moment Xu Zhinan saw her, her heart constricted tightly.

First, she remembered the slap Fu Xueming had delivered to Lin Qingye’s face at the police station.

Then she recalled Lin Qingye’s painful, stubborn words buried in her neck: “She was never good to me. Why should I apologize to her?”

Finally, she remembered that day in the car when Lin Qingye had revealed his past to her and blamed himself for Shi Heng’s accident, filled with self-loathing.

She quickly walked down a step to stand beside Lin Qingye, firmly grasping his hand.

Lin Qingye glanced down at her. His eyes had been somewhat dark a moment ago, but now they gradually returned to normal. He squeezed her palm. “It’s okay.”

He held Xu Zhinan’s hand as they continued downstairs. He hadn’t planned to greet Fu Xueming, intending to pass by as strangers, but unexpectedly, Fu Xueming caught his arm.

Lin Qingye stopped and turned to look at her.

Fu Xueming said, “It’s been a long time. Let’s talk.”

Lin Qingye’s temperament had indeed improved considerably compared to before. He was much more mature—a change brought by those long, dark two and a half years.

He had let go of many things from the past and no longer cared so much.

He gently patted Xu Zhinan’s head twice and said softly, “Anam, wait for me a moment.”

Then he walked with Fu Xueming to the side.

Fu Xueming looked at Xu Zhinan a few times and asked, “Is that your new girlfriend?”

“Yes.”

“Is she your fan?”

Fu Xueming had seen Xu Zhinan before, when they were at the police station over the Wei Jing incident.

But she truly didn’t care about these matters concerning Lin Qingye, nor did she care why Lin Qingye had beaten Wei Jing in the first place. In her eyes, Lin Qingye had just done something that reminded her of her dead son Shi Heng, so she wouldn’t have noticed Xu Zhinan.

“No, a college classmate.” Lin Qingye paused, lowering his eyes. “Did you need something?”

Fu Xueming said, “I often see you on TV and in the news lately. My friends mention you too. I’m happy for your success.”

Lin Qingye curled his lips but didn’t say anything or show any particular reaction.

Fu Xueming asked, “Why did you come here today?”

“I hadn’t visited before, so I took some time to come today.”

After so many years, Fu Xueming’s hatred toward Lin Qingye had finally diminished somewhat during the days and nights after his imprisonment.

She had also divorced and hadn’t remarried.

Even though Fu Xueming was still beautiful, reality was equally cruel. The Fu family no longer had its former strength; she had been widowed once and divorced once. Her ex-husband Lin Guancheng’s career was flourishing. She was older now, and there were countless young, beautiful girls. Her once-envied life was long gone.

In the middle of the night, Fu Xueming sometimes wondered how her life had turned out this way.

“Well, it’s all in the past,” Fu Xueming sighed. “Those two and a half years might not have been a bad thing for you. You seem more steady than before.”

Lin Qingye heard this and raised his eyes slightly.

Fu Xueming continued, “Shi Heng has been gone for more than a decade now. Perhaps he’s already been reincarnated. Seeing you come here on your own today, I can let it go too. He was a good child, and I don’t think he would blame you. You should let it go as well.”

Lin Qingye tilted his head and gave a low laugh, but the smile quickly disappeared, replaced by a self-mocking expression.

He didn’t want to argue with Fu Xueming about the details. Thinking that Xu Zhinan was waiting for him, he just wanted to end the conversation quickly and leave. But unexpectedly, Xu Zhinan suddenly came over.

“What do you mean ‘those two and a half years might not have been a bad thing for him’?”

Xu Zhinan grabbed his hand, looking directly at Fu Xueming with an unusually sharp tone. “You’re his mother. How can you say that your son spending two and a half years in that place might not have been a bad thing? Of course, it was bad—nothing could be worse. Why should he have to endure such things? He’s not a bad person; he’s not like the people in there.”

The small girl had to tilt her chin up to look at Fu Xueming, but she displayed a rare, aggressive posture, shielding Lin Qingye behind her.

She had seen Lin Qingye when he had just been released from prison. She knew how much he had suffered and how his personality had changed to what it was now. It couldn’t be dismissed with Fu Xueming’s casual “might not have been a bad thing.”

“The reason he went to prison was because of Su Qian, the kidnapper, not because of Lin Shi Heng’s accident. You can’t view this as atonement for your older son or karma.” Xu Zhinan enunciated each word. “He doesn’t need to atone.”

Fu Xueming was stunned and couldn’t speak for a while.

Toward the end, Xu Zhinan’s voice began to choke up, her eyes reddening, but she still stubbornly looked at Fu Xueming, refusing to let her tears fall.

Lin Qingye tugged at her hand, saying softly, “That’s enough, Anam.”

But she wouldn’t listen and remained standing in place.

“Don’t you know who should bear the most responsibility for Shi Heng’s death? After all these years, haven’t you ever reflected on yourself? Why do you always place the blame on him? Even your forgiveness comes from such a high position.”

Xu Zhinan’s silhouette was illuminated by the setting sun, giving it a reddish glow. The wisps of hair at her temples looked fluffy, and her shoulder blades protruded from her thin sweater, like mountain peaks.

“It was precisely your prejudice and differential treatment that ultimately led to Shi Heng’s tragedy, but after all these years, you’re still the same. We came today only because Shi Heng is his brother, not to apologize.”

After saying this, Xu Zhinan directly pulled Lin Qingye’s hand and turned to leave.

She was still fuming even after they reached the car and got in.

She should have guessed why Lin Qingye was so indifferent to the online abuse and malice. Even when faced with direct hostility at his music festival, he had barely reacted.

Xu Zhinan believed he wasn’t pretending not to care—he truly didn’t care.

Because from childhood, he had become accustomed to unfair treatment and unfounded prejudice. That’s why Lin Qingye’s personality was always cold and distant, as if he didn’t care about anything.

This was all Fu Xueming’s doing.

Yet now she could casually say, “Those two and a half years might not have been a bad thing for you.”

Xu Zhinan was heartbroken for him.

How could there be such a mother?

And this was her attitude after she claimed to have “let it go.” Xu Zhinan couldn’t imagine how Lin Qingye had dealt with such a mother before.

Xu Zhinan’s eyes felt a bit sore. She raised her hand to rub them, and when she lowered it, Lin Qingye caught her hand and placed it on his leg.

“Our Anam, why do you look so aggrieved?”

Lin Qingye moved closer, his fingers tracing her cheek a few times, teasing her with an amused expression.

She pursed her lips. “Qingye.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ll be very good to you in the future.”

He smiled. “Good. I’ll be watching. If you’re not good to me, I’ll get angry.”

“Mm.” She nodded earnestly. “You can also get angry with me sometimes. Don’t always suppress yourself. If you’re not happy, say so. You should be a bit more spoiled.”

Lin Qingye laughed. “Is that a requirement?”

His mood hadn’t been affected by what had just happened.

At first, hearing Fu Xueming’s words had darkened his heart, but Xu Zhinan’s subsequent speech made him feel there was nothing more to dwell on.

It was enough.

Xu Zhinan turned to the side, leaned in, and tilted her chin up to kiss him.

This time, Lin Qingye didn’t take the initiative. He just sat there composedly, allowing her to kiss him.

Xu Zhinan touched his lips with the tip of her tongue, then tried to deepen the kiss as he had done before, slipping along the seam of his lips. Lin Qingye cooperated, obediently opening his mouth.

But just as she brushed past his teeth, she became embarrassed and retreated, as if playing hard to get.

She returned to shallow kisses.

“Anam.” Lin Qingye held her chin and pulled back slightly, still close, their lips not touching but their breaths intermingling. “Do you even know how to comfort someone? Kiss properly.”

Xu Zhinan’s eyelashes fluttered a few times, and then Lin Qingye leaned forward, kissing her again. In the midst of it, he lightly bit her lip. It hurt a little as his teeth sank into her full lips, and Lin Qingye’s scent enveloped her.

Xu Zhinan shrank back slightly, but he pulled her close again, supporting her thighs and lifting her onto his lap.

Xu Zhinan straddled him, obediently allowing him to kiss her, until she noticed Lin Qingye’s increasingly heavy breathing and sensed danger.

“Qingye…” she said softly.

Lin Qingye touched her ear. “Hmm?”

Xu Zhinan felt ticklish and shrank her shoulders, trying to back away. She couldn’t help but murmur, “How can you be like this?”

“Like what?”

“…Improper.”

And she had been worried he might be upset and wanted to comfort him.

Lin Qingye laughed. “Just now you told me to be more spoiled. But when I kiss you for a bit, you say I’m improper. I don’t know who was the one making advances first.”

“…”

Xu Zhinan stopped responding to him and tried to crawl back to the passenger seat, but Lin Qingye pulled her back, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his head in the crook of her neck.

Xu Zhinan paused and stopped resisting, hugging him back.

After a moment, Lin Qingye called out to her. “Anam.”

“Yes?”

“You’re just a young girl. You don’t need to be so cautious with me. I won’t feel hurt by her words or anything like that. I’m 26 years old, not that fragile.”

“But you’re only 26,” Xu Zhinan said softly. “That’s not very old.”

“You’re even a year younger than me.” Lin Qingye stroked her hair. “Don’t worry about these things. I’m already very satisfied with my current life. I have enough to be content with.”

“Then don’t see her again in the future.”

Xu Zhinan couldn’t help saying it, but then felt her stance was strange—how could she tell someone not to see their mother again?

She was about to add something more when Lin Qingye replied, “Okay.”

Without any hesitation.

“Having you with me is enough,” he said.

They rarely maintained such an intimate position while speaking softly to each other. But Lin Qingye couldn’t stay serious for long, and soon he began to touch her again, destroying the previous tender atmosphere.

Xu Zhinan was trapped in his arms with no escape. When she finally answered her phone that had been ringing for a while, she was still catching her breath.

“What are you doing? Have you been running?” It was Xu Zhinan’s mother’s voice.

Xu Zhinan had answered in a rush, without even checking the caller ID.

Lin Qingye heard too, glancing at her phone screen. He finally stopped teasing her.

Xu Zhinan awkwardly climbed back to the passenger seat, trying to regulate her breathing. “I was just doing something. Mom, why are you calling at this time?”

“You’re so busy every day and haven’t been home for so long. Can’t I even call you? How are you? Still busy this weekend?”

“No, I’m not busy today. I was planning to come home tomorrow to see you.”

Xu Zhinan’s mother said, “If you’re not busy, then come home. I just bought a lot of food. Come home for dinner.”

Xu Zhinan looked up at Lin Qingye, who was also looking at her.

The phone’s sound insulation wasn’t good, so Xu Zhinan’s mother’s words had reached his ears.

Then he heard her mother say, “Is that boy with you right now? He must be very busy with work lately. If he has time, why don’t both of you come home for dinner?”

She was referring to Lin Qingye.

Xu Zhinan didn’t agree immediately. “I’ll ask him in a bit.”

After hanging up, she asked Lin Qingye, “Do you want to go with me?”

“Now?”

“Yes, for dinner.”

Lin Qingye looked at her for a moment without replying immediately.

Xu Zhinan understood. He wasn’t a particularly sociable person, and his circle of friends was quite small—just a few people, but with very strong bonds.

He wasn’t the type to make friends easily. His personality was aloof, and going to meet his parents would naturally feel awkward and uncomfortable.

Xu Zhinan added, “Or I can go by myself. What about your dinner? Order takeout?”

“It’s not that I don’t want to go,” Lin Qingye said. “I just don’t know how to interact with your mother.”

“My mother is very easy to get along with. She used to be a teacher, and all the children in our neighborhood got along well with her.”

Lin Qingye laughed slightly. “That’s not what I meant.”

He lowered his head, his gaze dropping as well, and said slowly, “After all, I was in prison, with charges of causing serious injury. Isn’t she concerned about me being with her daughter?”

Xu Zhinan was startled and quickly said, “Of course not. My mother knows the specific reasons behind that incident. How could she think of you that way? You shouldn’t think of yourself like that either.”

But Lin Qingye knew in his heart.

Understanding the mistake he had made was one thing, but letting such a person share an uncertain future with one’s daughter was another matter entirely.

Few parents would accept their daughter being with someone with such a background. They might even worry about future violent tendencies that could harm their daughter.

Lin Qingye looked at her, his face still calm on the surface. “Let’s go together then.”

He had been to Xu Zhinan’s home a few times before when dropping her off and knew the way.

On the way, Lin Qingye bought some fruit. The call from Xu Zhinan’s mother had come suddenly, and he didn’t have time to prepare a proper gift for the visit.

They drove to the front door.

Before getting out of the car, Lin Qingye buttoned the top button of his shirt.

The collar now clung neatly to his neck, giving him a meticulous, serious, and ascetic air. The lines of his coat were also straight and three-dimensional, outlining his broad shoulders.

Xu Zhinan noticed and asked, “Are you nervous?”

“Yes,” he admitted frankly. “Do I look like a proper person like this?”

Xu Zhinan couldn’t help but laugh. “If you hadn’t asked that question, you would have.”

Lin Qingye pinched her face. Xu Zhinan’s mother had already called again to hurry them, so they didn’t delay any longer. They took the fruit they had bought and went in together.

Xu Zhinan led the way, with Lin Qingye behind her.

She opened the door. “Mom.”

“Yes,” Xu Zhinan’s mother responded, running out from the kitchen. Having just learned that Lin Qingye would be coming too, she had been busy cooking more dishes.

The man stood behind Xu Zhinan, tall and straight, with neat short hair and well-fitted clothes. He smiled at Xu Zhinan’s mother and politely said, “Hello, Auntie.”

The scar under his eye somehow softened his cold demeanor.

“Hello, hello. I thought you two would be a while longer. The food isn’t ready yet.”

Lin Qingye offered to help, but Xu Zhinan’s mother refused without hesitation. “How can I let a first-time guest enter the kitchen? Both of you sit down. I’m just finishing the last dish. It’ll be ready soon.”

The house was quite old. When Xu Zhinan first earned some money from her tattoo shop, she had suggested finding a new place for her mother to live, but her mother had grown accustomed to this home. Moreover, all her memories with Xu Yuanwen were here, so she was unwilling to move.

Soon, Xu Zhinan’s mother brought out the last dish.

The three of them sat down to eat.

Xu Zhinan’s personality was very similar to her mother’s—both gentle and warm, never making anyone feel pressured.

At the table, Xu Zhinan’s mother only asked him about his recent work and life, her manner gentle and somewhat careful, just like a parent meeting her daughter’s boyfriend for the first time. She didn’t mention anything about the past.

After dinner, Xu Zhinan’s mother collected the dishes, still refusing to let them help with the housework.

Xu Zhinan noticed Lin Qingye’s constraint. Throughout the meal, she had sensed his nervousness.

She hadn’t expected him to be so tense. Even when he first went on stage with so many people watching, he had been at ease, showing no signs of nervousness.

She patted his hand and leaned over to whisper, “Relax a bit.”

Just as she finished speaking, Xu Zhinan’s mother came out. “Anam, help mom take out the trash.”

Xu Zhinan paused, guessing what was happening. She glanced at Lin Qingye but obediently got up and took the trash out.

Lin Qingye went to the kitchen, standing by the counter, and said again, “Auntie, let me help.”

“There’s no need. I’m almost done,” Xu Zhinan’s mother said with a smile.

Xu Zhinan had gone to take out the trash, and it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to just sit in the living room. But he had to stand in the kitchen.

The kitchen was small, and he was tall with long legs, making the space feel cramped.

Xu Zhinan’s mother noticed his discomfort and took the initiative. “Why don’t you help Auntie wash some fruit? You and Anam can eat it when she gets back.”

Lin Qingye took a bunch of grapes from the refrigerator and went to the sink.

“You and Anam have been together for some time now, right?” Xu Zhinan’s mother suddenly asked.

Lin Qingye’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Yes, we met in college. I guess we got together just before that incident. I went to find Anam the day after I was released.”

It was hard to define exactly how long they had been together, given the two-and-a-half-year separation in between.

It was natural for Xu Zhinan’s mother to want to know more, so Lin Qingye told her about their timeline. He also brought up the prison topic that Xu Zhinan’s mother had carefully avoided all evening.

She hadn’t mentioned it earlier, probably out of consideration for Xu Zhinan’s presence, but now that she had sent Xu Zhinan away, Lin Qingye guessed she had something to say to him.

Xu Zhinan’s mother paused and sighed. “You’ve had a difficult time these past years, child.”

Lin Qingye plucked the grapes one by one and rinsed them, keeping his head down. “It’s alright. It felt hard at the time, but looking back, it passed quickly.”

“I heard recently that Su Qian had passed away. Although he didn’t ultimately receive his final punishment, he didn’t die peacefully, which is a price paid. Speaking of which, Auntie should thank you. If you hadn’t protected Anam, who knows what might have happened? If something had happened to Anam…” Xu Zhinan’s mother lowered her eyes. “I don’t know how I could have continued living.”

“No, I didn’t handle the situation appropriately. Even though I protected Anam at that moment, the outcome still hurt her.”

Xu Zhinan’s mother recalled how Xu Zhinan had completely changed after that and gave a bitter smile.

“I can see that Anam likes you. She’s always been the type to keep her unhappiness to herself, never expressing it, which is why I wanted to talk to you privately first—I sent her away so she wouldn’t overthink.”

Xu Zhinan’s mother looked at him. “Auntie knows what I’m about to say isn’t fair to you, but as a mother who raised her alone all these years, I don’t want her future to be difficult or unstable.”

“I understand,” Lin Qingye said softly. “Please go ahead.”

“Young men can be impulsive, and Auntie understands that. But in the future, before doing anything, you must consider the consequences carefully. Don’t act on impulse. Otherwise, it hurts both you and Anam, don’t you agree?”

Lin Qingye nodded. “Yes.”

“I used to hope Anam would find someone stable to spend her life with. It’s probably related to my own experiences. I just wanted her to be happy, healthy, and secure, with a peaceful life. To be honest, I never imagined she would find a boyfriend like you—a celebrity with so many people following you. When things are placed under a spotlight or magnifying glass, they often change. I worry that Anam will face pressure from public opinion in the future.”

Lin Qingye put the washed grapes on a plate.

Xu Zhinan’s mother spoke very gently and didn’t express any opposition. She was just sharing some of her concerns with him. But Lin Qingye still felt like his throat was being squeezed.

He worried she would think he wasn’t good enough.

He also worried she would mind his past.

He even worried that he might not be able to protect Xu Zhinan properly.

“Auntie.”

Lin Qingye straightened his back, yet somehow felt his shoulders were hunched.

He wasn’t good at expressing his feelings, but at this moment, he wanted to clearly convey his intentions.

“I’ve liked Anam for a very long time, and I’m certain she’s the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I will do my best to be good to her and protect her.”

“I understand your concerns and worries. Before I can truly protect her, I won’t let public opinion know about her or attack her. I also want to prove that I can give her the life she wants for the rest of her days—happy, healthy, stable, and peaceful. I can give her that too.”

Lin Qingye paused slightly, licked his lips, and said earnestly:

“So, I hope you can give me another chance.”

The house was very quiet, with the incandescent light overhead.

Lin Qingye looked at Xu Zhinan’s mother, his heartbeat gradually accelerating, heavy and deep.

Like awaiting judgment.