Jiang Yan had already decided he would tell Jiang Ruoqiao everything about his family situation.

Just not now — there were too many people in the car at the moment.

Jiang Yan had tacitly gone along with Lin Kexing’s version of things. Jiang Ruoqiao’s reaction had been far calmer than Lin Kexing had anticipated. She had expected Jiang Ruoqiao to ask at least a few questions — to show some concern for Auntie’s circumstances at minimum — but Jiang Ruoqiao had done none of that. She had simply given an indifferent nod and asked nothing at all. This left Lin Kexing feeling vaguely unsettled, as though something somewhere was off.

The car fell quiet again.

The only sound was Lu Siyan tearing open a wrapper and eating.

Jiang Ruoqiao watched him, then let out a quiet inward sigh before reaching into her small bag for some tissues and gently dabbing at the sweat on his forehead, then wiping his palms.

“Jiang Yan, turn the temperature down a bit,” Jiang Ruoqiao said. “It’s getting warm back here, and kids feel the heat easily.”

Lu Siyan really did hate the heat.

Jiang Yan quickly responded, and adjusted the temperature as soon as the light turned green.

One of the vents was aimed directly at Lin Kexing. She instinctively rubbed her arms, and Jiang Yan noticed. “Are you cold?”

Lin Kexing was in fact feeling cold, but she shook her head. “Not at all, not at all.”

Jiang Ruoqiao also knew that if the back seat was going to get cooler, the front would inevitably become cold. She said, “Jiang Yan, pull over somewhere up ahead for a moment. I have a light blanket in my suitcase — she can wrap herself in it.” She paused, then addressed Lin Kexing: “Sorry about that, it is a bit warm back here.”

Lin Kexing quickly said, “I’m not cold, really!”

Jiang Ruoqiao looked at her. “You might not be cold now, but you could be in a little while. Better to get the blanket out now.”

Lin Kexing gave a quiet acknowledgment.

Jiang Yan found a spot to pull over ahead.

Jiang Ruoqiao got out with him and came around to the trunk.

Inside the trunk sat two suitcases — one hers, one presumably Lin Kexing’s.

Lin Kexing’s suitcase still had a baggage claim tag attached, which had never been removed.

Jiang Ruoqiao glanced at it without really meaning to — it was from an island destination.

Lin Kexing had also gotten out of the car, and when she saw Jiang Ruoqiao looking at her suitcase, she instantly panicked. She hurriedly pulled off the tag. “I can’t believe I forgot to remove it. You really don’t need the blanket — I brought extra clothes.”

“Mm,” Jiang Ruoqiao said, pulling out a blanket from the suitcase anyway.

Whether or not Jiang Ruoqiao had caught the information on the tag, Lin Kexing wasn’t sure. She got back in the car carrying that uncertainty, her thoughts heavy.

Once inside, Lin Kexing remained quiet, a shadow of worry settled across her brow. She was in the front passenger seat where Jiang Yan could easily notice her, and he asked, “Are you carsick?”

Lin Kexing had a mild tendency toward motion sickness, but today she wasn’t feeling any dizziness — it was the baggage tag that had been occupying her mind. She gave a small nod. “Maybe a little.”

Jiang Yan gave a short laugh. “Good thing I was clever enough to prepare for this.” He reached into his trouser pocket and produced a small tube of motion sickness medicine, handing it to her. “It’s the brand you use. My mom reminded me.”

Lin Kexing accepted it.

The medicine had been tucked in his trouser pocket, and it still carried a little of his warmth.

She closed her fingers around it, and her mood gradually calmed. Actually, it wasn’t such a big deal. It wasn’t only the two of them who had gone to the island — there had been a whole group of people. If Jiang Ruoqiao had the wrong idea, she could explain everything clearly.

Jiang Ruoqiao was equally composed.

She felt like an outside observer, watching these two and their seamless unspoken understanding.

He knew she got carsick. He carried the exact brand of motion sickness medicine she was used to.

All the better. At least she would have every reason she needed to initiate the breakup. This farmstay would be a perfect opportunity. Once it was over, she and Jiang Yan would be through. Whether Jiang Yan and Lin Kexing would end up together the way the novel described — that would be none of her business. As long as they left her alone, she wished them well.

Lost in thought, she suddenly felt a small tug at her hand, drawing her back to the present.

Jiang Ruoqiao looked over at Lu Siyan, who had leaned close.

Lu Siyan reached out a little paw and pressed it to her forehead. “Are you carsick too?”

A moment later, Jiang Yan’s voice came through, tense: “Ruoqiao, are you carsick?”

Jiang Ruoqiao ignored Jiang Yan and smiled gently at Lu Siyan. “No. I was just thinking about something.”

Jiang Yan breathed out in relief. “Really? No discomfort at all? Was I driving too fast? Want me to slow down?”

Jiang Ruoqiao: “…”

Lu Siyan thought for a moment, then dug through his bag with great effort — rummaging and rummaging — until he produced an orange. “You like eating oranges.”

It was a statement, not a question.

Jiang Ruoqiao smiled warmly and pinched his cheek. “You really do know everything.”

Very few people knew she liked oranges.

After all, whenever she was out eating at a restaurant, she never touched the orange slices in the fruit platter.

Lu Siyan was enormously pleased with himself. “I know everything about you!”

With that, he handed the orange to Lu Yicheng, who had been diligently pretending to be occupied, asleep, or elsewhere. “Lu Yicheng, you peel it.”

Lu Yicheng was caught completely off guard, a whole orange suddenly in his hands. He stared at it. “This is an orange.”

There wasn’t even a fruit knife at hand.

Lu Siyan gave him a deeply unimpressed look. “You can peel an orange with your hands. And peeled oranges taste better than cut ones!”

Mama really loved eating oranges, but not ones that had been cut with a knife — she preferred them peeled by hand.

A very strange preference.

But he knew. Dad knew too. Back then, Dad always peeled oranges for Mama.

Lu Yicheng: “…”

This was actually possible?

Despite how entirely unreasonable this was, under Lu Siyan’s persistent urging, he dutifully set about peeling the orange.

Orange skin was considerably thicker and tougher than mandarin skin — it wasn’t exactly a quick job.

It was only at this moment that Jiang Ruoqiao truly noticed Lu Yicheng’s hands. Prominent knuckles, long and clean — they looked slender but conveyed a quiet strength.

As Lu Yicheng peeled away, Jiang Yan interjected: “I’ll bring you a couple crates of oranges to your dormitory next time.”

They had been dating for several months, and he hadn’t known Ruoqiao liked oranges.

Jiang Ruoqiao wiped the smile from her face. “Don’t bother.”

Lu Siyan added, “She doesn’t like peeling them herself anyway.”

Jiang Yan laughed. “Alright, I’ll peel them for you from now on. As many as you want.”

Lu Siyan: “…” Hmph.

Lu Yicheng was unaffected. When he did something, he did it with full focus — the people and conversation around him couldn’t seem to reach him.

Before long, he had peeled the orange completely.

A clean, bright citrus scent immediately spread through the entire car, crisp and refreshing, sweeping away the restlessness of the journey.

Lu Yicheng’s hands were now lightly coated in the juice from the peel. Jiang Ruoqiao reached into her bag and handed him a wet wipe. “Here, wipe your hands. If that’s not enough, I have hand sanitizer in my bag too.”

“Thank you,” Lu Yicheng said, taking it.

The peeled orange made its way to Jiang Ruoqiao. She really did love oranges — she and Lu Siyan happily shared the entire thing between them. Lu Siyan announced smugly: “Wasn’t that delicious? I… Lu Yicheng is the number one orange-peeler in the world, the most professional and skilled there is.”

After all, Dad had peeled oranges for Mama nearly every single day.

Those were skills that had received Mama’s official stamp of approval.

Lu Yicheng reached over and pinched Lu Siyan’s cheek. “Less commentary. Wasn’t that enough for you to eat?”

Jiang Yan made a playful remark in turn: “All right, Director Lu — maybe teach me your technique sometime, so I can impress Ruoqiao too.”

Lu Yicheng lowered his head and continued wiping his fingers, giving a brief sound of acknowledgment.

Jiang Ruoqiao, knowing Lu Yicheng was particular about cleanliness, pulled the hand sanitizer from her bag and offered it to him. “This one is watermelon-scented. You’re welcome to use it if you don’t mind — it cleans very thoroughly.”

“Thank you,” Lu Yicheng said.

By the time they arrived at their destination, it was already the middle of the afternoon.

The farmstay was run by the family of one of Jiang Yan’s part-time colleagues — not a large operation, and only recently opened. It was still the slow season, and Jiang Yan was partly there to support his colleague’s business, and partly because he genuinely wanted to take his girlfriend and friends out for some fresh air and a change of scenery.

They had arrived a little late. Jiang Ruoqiao’s three roommates and Jiang Yan’s two dormitory mates had already gone off to the vegetable garden at the back.

The owner was his colleague’s uncle — a straightforwardly honest middle-aged man. “They’ve gone over to pick tomatoes. They should be back in a bit. The kitchen’s got lunch going, so you can rest a while and it’ll be ready soon.”

“Thank you.”

The courtyard was well-kept, a three-storey building.

Jiang Yan had reserved four rooms in advance.

With two per room, the numbers had worked out perfectly. Now with the addition of Lu Siyan and Lin Kexing, the arrangements had to be rethought.

Lu Siyan wasn’t a problem — he’d be with Lu Yicheng, and his small frame barely took up any space.

The issue was Lin Kexing…

“There’s one more guest room,” the owner said. “Right next to Room 203.”

Jiang Yan thought it over. “That’ll work then.” He looked at Lin Kexing. “I’m sharing 203 with Director Lu, so we’re right next door. Don’t worry — if anything comes up, just call out and we’ll hear you.”

Lin Kexing felt a wave of relief.

She had been bracing herself to be put in the same room as Jiang Ruoqiao.

This arrangement was much better.

Jiang Yan came to stand beside Jiang Ruoqiao, and with the easy attentiveness of a boyfriend, picked up a fan and waved it for her. “You’re sharing with Yun Jia. Third floor — it’s the best room in the place.”

Jiang Ruoqiao gave an unbothered hum of acknowledgment.

Lu Yicheng and Jiang Yan had both packed light — each man with just a single backpack.

Lin Kexing and Jiang Ruoqiao had each brought a full suitcase.

Lu Yicheng found himself quietly marveling — it was only two days and one night. How did they manage to bring so much?

For her part, Jiang Ruoqiao had perfectly reasonable justification: toiletries, a hairdryer, pajamas, skincare, makeup, a change of clothes and shoes, a tablet, a sun umbrella, and an assortment of small items — and somehow, it had all quietly added up to a full suitcase.

Jiang Yan looked at the two suitcases and declared decisively: “I’ll take the luggage up first.”

In terms of sheer strength, he could probably manage both at once.

Jiang Ruoqiao’s and Lin Kexing’s suitcases weren’t fully packed — they weren’t all that heavy.

The problem was that the staircase here was rather narrow.

He could only manage one suitcase at a time.

Jiang Yan would naturally think to help his girlfriend first, and so he glanced at Lu Yicheng — but before the words were out of his mouth, a quick-thinking Lu Siyan suddenly clutched his stomach and cried out: “Ow, my stomach hurts — I need to go to the toilet!”

Lu Yicheng: “…”

Jiang Yan was stuck too. He turned to Lin Kexing and said, “You head up to your room. I’ll bring your suitcase up in a moment.”

Lin Kexing: “Alright.”

Lu Yicheng had no choice but to take Lu Siyan, and with the owner’s directions, made his way to the restroom on the ground floor.

As it turned out, once they got there, Lu Siyan said nothing more about needing the toilet. Lu Yicheng understood perfectly what had happened. He said with unmistakable disapproval: “Where did you pick up that habit?”

It was just a matter of helping carry someone’s suitcase.

Lu Yicheng was well-regarded among his classmates. He was someone who was happy to help — if he was able and had the time, he wouldn’t refuse. He wouldn’t give a stranger he bumped into at the supermarket his contact information, but if someone needed actual physical help — like carrying something — he would never turn that down.

What had just happened was not right.

Whatever the relationship between Lin Kexing and Jiang Yan might be, it was just a suitcase. He had no reason to refuse.

Lu Siyan said loudly: “Mama won’t be happy!”

Lu Yicheng: “She won’t mind.”

He was the one carrying it — not Jiang Yan.

“She really will!” Lu Siyan insisted. “She doesn’t like that person!”

“And how do you know that?”

Lu Siyan nodded vigorously. “Of course I know — who she likes and who she doesn’t, nothing escapes my big eyes!”

Lu Yicheng: “…Siyan, this isn’t the right way to behave. It’s a small thing. What we just did wasn’t right.”

In a sense, this was even a form of exclusion.

It wasn’t what they should be doing.

The business between the three of them — himself, Jiang Ruoqiao, and Jiang Yan — had nothing to do with him. In the past, if he’d seen a girl at a shop struggling with a heavy bag, he would have stepped forward to help. Why was he supposed to look the other way now?

“What if someone didn’t like you, and when you needed help, everyone pretended not to notice? Would that be right? Would you be hurt by that?” Lu Yicheng asked.

Lu Siyan wrestled with this. “But Mama doesn’t like her…”

“Then why don’t you go ask Mama,” Lu Yicheng said. “Hear what she thinks. If you don’t even know her opinion, how can you be so sure she’d be upset?”

He could see clearly that Jiang Ruoqiao did not particularly warm to Lin Kexing — but she bore her no ill will either.

He believed Jiang Ruoqiao was the same as him in this regard — hoping that Siyan would grow up to be a child with integrity, honesty, and a happy heart, not one whose outlook was shaped by the complicated affairs of adults.

In truth, Lu Yicheng understood where Lu Siyan’s instinct and actions came from.

In a child’s world, Mama was the most important person in the world. So naturally he resented anyone who deceived or hurt Mama, and he stood shoulder-to-shoulder with her against their shared enemies — whoever Mama didn’t like, he didn’t like either.

“I’m not asking you to like her or get close to her,” Lu Yicheng said earnestly. “Whether or not you do something is your own choice to make — not ours. Today it was just a suitcase. But think about it this way: what if someday you saw her being mistreated by someone, or caught in a terrible situation, and you had the ability to help — would you really turn away simply because Mama doesn’t like her?”

Lu Siyan mumbled reluctantly: “…I couldn’t do that either.”

Lu Yicheng felt a genuine swell of warmth.

He was still so small.

Adults could teach, slowly and patiently.

“Siyan.” Lu Yicheng crouched down to his level and looked him straight in the eyes. “I also want to say something good about you today. I think you are an extraordinarily good and remarkable son. You care deeply about how Mama feels — that is something many children your age simply can’t do.”

Lu Siyan shifted uncomfortably. “…It’s really not that much!”

“Actually, my view isn’t necessarily the right one either,” Lu Yicheng said. “What if we set this topic aside for now, and come back to it when you’re a bit older?”

Lu Siyan’s eyes went wide. “We can do that?”

“Of course.” Lu Yicheng laughed. “I’m twenty and you’re only five — in a debate, that puts you at a real disadvantage. Let’s both hold onto our thoughts, and once you’re older and have had a chance to learn more, we can properly discuss who was right and who was wrong.”

“Mmm!” Lu Siyan remained thoroughly unpersuaded.

He was also a stubborn and proud child.

He had a vague sense that Dad was right, and yet he also felt he hadn’t done anything wrong. What was he supposed to do with that?

“Should I… go and ask Mama?” Lu Siyan hesitated.

“Of course,” Lu Yicheng said. “Or we could make a bet.”

Lu Siyan lit up immediately. “A bet? What kind of bet? What kind of bet?!”

Lu Yicheng put on an expression of deep contemplation. “Whether Mama gets upset about me helping carry the suitcase. I bet she won’t.”

“What’s at stake?” Lu Siyan had never played this kind of game before, his eyes shining with excitement.

“If you win, I’ll buy you that Monkey King Sun Wukong Lego set you’ve been after,” Lu Yicheng said. “And if you lose…”

He paused for a moment, his voice perfectly clear and steady.

“If you lose, you eat carrots every day for a whole week.”

The child was far too picky — he refused to eat any vegetable whatsoever!

Lu Siyan’s brows scrunched together as if this were the most grievous thing imaginable.

But — the Sun Wukong Lego set!

He wanted it so badly!

He thought it over for a good ten seconds, weighed his options, then extended a chubby fist in a determined bump. “Deal!”

Lu Yicheng reached out and lightly bumped his son’s fist with his own.

The bet was set.

—