21

Wen Yixin shook her head, dismissing the odd thoughts that had crept into her mind.

What was she thinking? The word "flirting" didn't seem to suit Qin Ruan at all. She was definitely overthinking it.

With this thought, Wen Yixin pushed away the distracting notions, finishing her tea as if nothing had happened. Placing the cup back on the saucer, she turned to Qin Ruan and said, "Let's go sit outside for a bit."

"After we rest, we can sort out all the things we bought today."

Qin Ruan set down her teacup and agreed, "Alright."

Wen Yixin picked up the tray of tea utensils, walking steadily towards the living room. Qin Ruan naturally followed her.

Not only that, but before Wen Yixin could even move, Qin Ruan had already picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for her. Though her movements were a bit stiff and tense—showing she wasn't used to such tasks—she still managed to do it well enough.

Wen Yixin's gaze lingered on Qin Ruan's delicate wrist for a few seconds. The wrist, as fair as snow, and her slender fingers were truly captivating.

The next day.

Wen Yixin, mindful of her promise to accompany Qin Ruan, woke up ten minutes earlier than usual.

However, she hadn't expected Qin Ruan to be up even earlier.

Seeing Qin Ruan busy in the kitchen, Wen Yixin couldn't help but walk over and call out, "Qin Ruan."

Qin Ruan turned her head at the sound, "Sister Wen."

Her eyes lingered on Wen Yixin's slightly disheveled hair for a moment before she spoke, "I've made some porridge, and it's almost ready. You can eat as soon as you're done getting ready."

Wen Yixin nodded, acknowledging, "Alright," before asking, "Why do you always wake up so early?"

Most people around Qin Ruan's age that Wen Yixin knew wouldn't wake up this early unless they had work or school.

Hearing this, Qin Ruan paused slightly before replying slowly, "I'm used to it."

"I sleep early at night."

Wen Yixin nodded knowingly, "So, it's true that you don't stay up late often."

With a small sigh, Wen Yixin didn't press further and chatted briefly with Qin Ruan before heading to the bathroom to wash up.

By the time the clock struck nine, both Wen Yixin and Qin Ruan were ready to head out.

Wen Yixin watched the car she had ordered approach on her ride-hailing app and said to Qin Ruan, "Let's go. The car is almost here."

With that, Wen Yixin grabbed a parasol from the wall, opened the door, and stepped outside to wait by the door for Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan quickly put on her shoes and joined Wen Yixin, closing the door behind her.

In the car, Qin Ruan gazed out at the unfamiliar streets, then glanced at the driver before leaning close to Wen Yixin and whispering, "Sister Wen, this road… doesn't seem to lead to the Northern Cemetery."

She had barely finished speaking when she heard a light laugh.

It was so soft and brief that Qin Ruan felt confused, looking at Wen Yixin, unsure why she was laughing.

She parted her lips, about to ask, when Wen Yixin, her brows softened by a smile, turned to her and said in a gentle voice, "You're right, this road doesn't lead to the Northern Cemetery."

"Huh?" Qin Ruan's mouth slightly opened in surprise.

Wen Yixin, seeing her stunned expression, couldn't help but smile more warmly. She explained softly, "This road leads to a nearby flower shop."

"You can't go to the cemetery empty-handed, right?" Wen Yixin didn't know who Qin Ruan intended to visit, but she believed that bringing a bouquet of white chrysanthemums was the right thing to do.

Qin Ruan froze, her lips pressing together as she looked at Wen Yixin, her emotions complicated.

In truth, she had indeed planned to go empty-handed.

But now…

After a moment's thought, Qin Ruan softly thanked Wen Yixin.

After all, it was just a bouquet of flowers—nothing more.

Seeing that Qin Ruan's mood seemed off, Wen Yixin realized she might have overstepped and suggested, "If you don't like it, we can skip the flower shop and head straight to the cemetery."

As she spoke, she took out her phone, ready to change the destination on her ride-hailing app. But just as she was about to tap the screen, she felt a cool hand press down on her own.

Qin Ruan held Wen Yixin's hand in place, speaking softly, "There's no need to change it."

"Sister Wen, let's go to the flower shop first."

Wen Yixin hesitated, "But you…"

Qin Ruan shook her head, her lashes lowered, "It's fine."

"After all these years, bringing flowers is the right thing to do."

Wen Yixin mumbled, "Alright."

She turned off her phone's screen, for once at a loss for words.

As for Qin Ruan…

Her hand lingered on Wen Yixin's for a moment longer before slowly letting go.

About ten minutes later, they arrived at the flower shop.

Wen Yixin led Qin Ruan inside, showing the shop owner the order she had placed online. The owner checked the order and exclaimed, "So it was you who placed this order! I didn't expect you to come by so early."

Hearing this, Wen Yixin asked, "Is it not ready yet?"

The shop owner waved her hand, "No, it's ready."

"I finished it not long ago and put it aside. Wait here, I'll go get it."

"Thank you," Wen Yixin said politely.

The shop owner smiled and waved her off, quickly heading to retrieve the flowers.

With a moment of free time, Wen Yixin finally took in the flower shop's layout, but her gaze soon fell on Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan seemed lost in thought, staring intently at something.

Wen Yixin followed her line of sight to a little girl with pigtails holding a flower in one hand and a lollipop in her mouth.

There didn't seem to be anything particularly special about the scene.

But Qin Ruan's eyes remained fixed there, not wavering.

Or more specifically, on the lollipop in the girl's mouth?

Wen Yixin noticed the candy wrappers and several more lollipops scattered on a small table near the girl. They were the most common type of lollipops on the market.

She examined them closely and saw the faint imprint of the words "True Knowledge" on the wrappers.

Furrowing her brows slightly, Wen Yixin gently tapped Qin Ruan's arm, "Qin Ruan,"

"What's wrong?"

Qin Ruan snapped out of her daze, shaking her head slightly, "Nothing."

Wen Yixin, noting how distracted Qin Ruan seemed, asked, "Do you want some candy?"

Qin Ruan remained silent for a moment, not immediately denying it, and responded quietly, "Not really, I just suddenly remembered something."

Wen Yixin stayed quiet for a while, ready to inquire further, but just then, she saw the shop owner approaching with a bouquet of white chrysanthemums, so she set aside her questions.

"Here are the flowers you ordered," the shop owner said, handing the bouquet to Wen Yixin.

Wen Yixin took the flowers and inspected them—they were fresh and beautifully arranged. She thanked the shop owner before leading Qin Ruan out of the store.

Outside the shop, Wen Yixin gently squeezed Qin Ruan's wrist, prompting her to look over.

"There's a convenience store over there. If you want to buy some candy, we can go there," Wen Yixin suggested.

Qin Ruan followed Wen Yixin's gaze and saw the convenience store.

Inside, the most prominent display was a large jar of True Knowledge lollipops on the counter.

Qin Ruan's eyes flickered, her foot moving slightly as if to head that way, but she hesitated and stepped back.

Seeing this, Wen Yixin frowned slightly.

After a moment's thought, she handed the bouquet of flowers to Qin Ruan and said, "I'll go buy it. You wait here."

Wen Yixin reasoned that if Qin Ruan really didn't want the candy, she would stop her. But if she didn't, Wen Yixin would buy the whole jar.

When Wen Yixin returned with the jar of lollipops, Qin Ruan didn't say anything.

Wen Yixin took this as a sign she had done the right thing.

Handing the bag with the candy to Qin Ruan, Wen Yixin took back the flowers and said softly, "Here, you can have these."

"You can enjoy them at home later."

"Okay," Qin Ruan responded obediently.

Wen Yixin watched her, and seeing that Qin Ruan seemed more at ease—her brows even slightly relaxed—she finally felt at ease.

"So, should we head to the Northern Cemetery now?" Wen Yixin asked.

Qin Ruan nodded, "Yes."

Wen Yixin quickly called for another car.

As they waited, she gazed at the passing cars on the road and suddenly said, "I'm thinking of buying a car soon. Will you come with me to pick one out?"

She had a driver's license but didn't enjoy driving alone. Plus, she had arrived in K City in a hurry, so she didn't have a car there yet.

"Can you drive, Sister Wen?" Qin Ruan asked, a little surprised.

They had always taken cabs, so Qin Ruan had assumed Wen Yixin couldn't drive.

"Not only can I drive, but I'm quite good at it," Wen Yixin chuckled.

"So, will you come with me to pick a car?" she asked Qin Ruan.

"Of course, I will," Qin Ruan replied quickly.

"That's great," Wen Yixin smiled, reaching out to brush Qin Ruan's hair from her forehead.

"Sister Wen…" Qin Ruan called softly, her voice clearing away the lingering shadows in her heart.

Wen Yixin blinked at the sound, her gaze brightening.

Qin Ruan stared, momentarily entranced.

"Beep beep~" A car horn sounded nearby, breaking the spell.

Wen Yixin glanced at the license plate, confirming it was their ride, and gently pulled Qin Ruan along, "Let's go, our car is here."

Half an hour later, they arrived at the Northern Cemetery.

Wen Yixin glanced around the secluded area and said softly, "You'll have to lead the way from here."

"Are you okay with that?"

Qin Ruan nodded, "No problem. Just follow me, Sister Wen."

Wen Yixin agreed and followed closely beside her, letting her lead the way.

She held the flowers in one hand and the parasol in the other, shielding both of them from the harsh sunlight.

They walked for what felt like a long time until Wen Yixin's feet began to ache. Finally, Qin Ruan's pace slowed, and she stopped in front of a gravestone.

She stood silently, staring at the photo on the tombstone for a long time.

Wen Yixin took a closer look at the photo and noticed that the man's eyes were very similar in shape to Qin Ruan's, almost as if they were carved from the same mold.

But where the man's eyes held a sharpness, Qin Ruan's were soft and peaceful, lacking any trace of that edge.

As Wen Yixin gazed at the photo, several thoughts flashed through her mind, but she said nothing. Instead, she handed the bouquet of flowers to Qin Ruan.

Qin Ruan lowered her eyes, her gaze fixed on the fully bloomed white chrysanthemums. She gently touched the dewdrops on the petals before bending down to place the bouquet in front of the grave.

As she stood up, her eyes fell on the bag she was carrying, and she paused for a moment. Then she opened the bag, took out a single orange-flavored lollipop from the jar, and held it in her hand.

As she looked at the photo on the tombstone, Qin Ruan was suddenly reminded of something from long ago.

It was the only good memory she had from her childhood, but it had been buried deep under the weight of her life until now.

A noisy environment, a room filled with smoke, and beer bottles rolling everywhere on the sticky, alcohol-soaked floor.

These were things that young Qin Ruan often encountered.

And the people in this environment, besides her, were the man on the tombstone and… the current Mrs. Qin.

Qin Ruan slowly twirled the lollipop in her hand.

She had tasted this kind of candy for the first time when that man had won some money. When he sent her to the store to buy more alcohol, he had uncharacteristically given her some change as pocket money.

At that time, she had seen other kids her age enjoying this candy and couldn't resist buying one herself. As for the remaining change, she had secretly saved it.

On her way home with the alcohol, Qin Ruan couldn't help but unwrap the candy and pop it into her mouth. Instantly, the sweetness of the candy filled her taste buds.

At that moment, young Qin Ruan thought it was the best thing she had ever tasted.

She didn't even want to chew it—she just wanted to savor it slowly until it dissolved on its own.

But as she neared home, after much hesitation, she finally bit into the candy and swallowed it whole.

As it turned out, she had made the right choice.

Because that night, the man lost his money and, after a furious outburst, drank even more. When the alcohol ran out, he sent Qin Ruan to buy more.

Qin Ruan didn't know how much he drank, but she remembered that as the night wore on, the man and the woman began to argue, and then they started to fight.

And later, even she got caught up in it.

Qin Ruan closed her eyes, rubbing her forehead.

After a few minutes, she slowly opened her eyes and tossed the lollipop in front of the tombstone. The candy hit the stone with a sharp crack.

She turned away, "Sister Wen, let's go."

Wen Yixin silently nodded, asking nothing, saying nothing, as she gently took Qin Ruan's hand.

Once they were back in the car, Wen Yixin softly pulled Qin Ruan closer to her side, her voice gentle, "Qin Ruan, the ride home will take a while. Why don't you rest on my shoulder?"

"I'll wake you when we get home."

As she spoke, Wen Yixin gently patted Qin Ruan's shoulder, as if comforting her.

Qin Ruan studied her for a moment, then quietly agreed, resting her head on Wen Yixin's shoulder.

The familiar scent enveloped her, and Qin Ruan's tense emotions began to unwind.

She clutched Wen Yixin's sleeve, her eyes half-closed.

After a moment, she suddenly reached out and took Wen Yixin's other hand. Under Wen Yixin's questioning gaze, she slowly enclosed it in her own.

Holding Wen Yixin's hand, Qin Ruan's fluttering eyelashes cast shadows over her eyes, hiding the emotions within.

Qin Ruan gently squeezed Wen Yixin's fingertips, her thoughts whirling until they finally settled.

This should be… possible.

The thought of making Wen Yixin hers.

Wen Yixin, her own.