〈The Reissued Youth〉12
51. The Promise in the Sea Breeze
The heavy motorcycle sped along the island-circling highway, while the sea breeze brushed against the collars of the two riders. In the distance, the deep blue ocean shimmered under the sunlight, sparkling with countless ripples.
Chen Shi-Nan parked the motorcycle at the parking area near Beauty Cave. After turning off the engine, he removed his helmet and looked back at Shi Mei-Lin behind him.
The two of them had ridden all the way here together. The smile on the girl’s face was now much more natural than when they had first set out. Gone was the restraint from working in the city, and gone was the wariness toward strangers. At this moment, Shi Mei-Lin was like a bird that had finally flown away from a glass window, freely enjoying the air of freedom on the small island.
Chen Shi-Nan reached out to take off her helmet and said with a smile, “Let’s go! I’ll take you to see the most beautiful place in Little Liuqiu.”
Shi Mei-Lin followed beside him, looking at this man whom she had originally regarded as merely a “guesthouse owner,” and she could not help but feel a trace of curiosity in her heart. After spending this time with Chen Shi-Nan, she discovered that he was completely different from the man she had imagined. He understood art, and he understood life; when he talked about his hometown, there was a deep affection in his voice, and when he talked about life, he possessed a maturity beyond his age.
The two of them followed the tourists into Beauty Cave. Inside the narrow limestone passage, the walls were covered with patterns carved by the erosion of time. Sunlight slanted in through the entrance of the cave, casting mottled shadows across the ground.
Chen Shi-Nan walked ahead and turned back from time to time to remind her. “Be careful. The rock walls here are relatively low. Don’t bump your forehead.”
Shi Mei-Lin looked up at his serious expression and could not help laughing. “You really look like a tour guide!”
“Nothing I can do. Who asked me to be a Little Liuqiu native?” Chen Shi-Nan replied with a smile. “My own hometown, of course I have to introduce it to my guests.”
After leaving Beauty Cave, the two arrived at a pavilion beside the coast. Waves crashed against the reefs again and again. After breaking apart, the waves turned into white foam. In the distance, several fishing boats slowly sailed across the sea, creating a peaceful island scene.
Standing before the railing, Shi Mei-Lin gazed at the endless ocean and took a deep breath. “This place really feels like a paradise away from the world.”
Chen Shi-Nan walked to her side and looked at the scenery before him. He said calmly, “Yes. Beautiful mountains and beautiful waters, but unfortunately there have never been beautiful salaries.”
He paused for a moment, his eyes looking toward the distant horizon. “Little Liuqiu in the past was not as well-known as it is now. After many young people left to study and work, they rarely came back.”
Shi Mei-Lin turned her head and looked at him. “What about you? You also left before. Why did you finally choose to come back?”
Chen Shi-Nan smiled slightly. “Because one day I suddenly realized that the prosperity of the city does not necessarily mean happiness.”
He rested both hands on the railing and watched the waves. “In the past, I thought success meant earning a lot of money, living in a luxury house, and driving an expensive car. But later I realized that if you wake up every day without knowing why you are striving, that kind of life is actually very empty.”
Shi Mei-Lin looked at him, a smile appearing at the corner of her mouth. “Come on!”
She gently shook her head. “You’re still so young. How can you talk like an old man who has seen through the illusions of the world, filled with so much weariness and sorrow?”
Chen Shi-Nan could not help laughing. “That is called a state of mind, not the scars of life.”
“But you really are unlike ordinary entrepreneurs.” Shi Mei-Lin tilted her head and looked at him. “With your abilities, you could completely stay in a big city and develop your career.”
Chen Shi-Nan was silent for a moment. “Maybe. But I prefer my life now.”
He looked toward the distant island. “Although Little Liuqiu is not large, every season and every place has a different kind of beauty. It is like a woman with a thousand faces, always allowing people to discover new surprises.”
Listening to his words, Shi Mei-Lin could not help smiling. “I never thought that besides being a literary youth, you would also speak so philosophically.”
Chen Shi-Nan shrugged. “This is what I have learned from my life.”
He lowered his head and kicked a small stone beside his feet. “In the past, I left my hometown because I felt there was no future here. But later I understood that if a person’s soul keeps wandering outside, it is like a flower without roots, placed only in a vase of water. It may look beautiful, but it will never possess true life.”
Shi Mei-Lin looked at him, with an additional sense of admiration in her eyes. “Your metaphor is beautiful.”
She paused for a moment and added, “But my thoughts are not quite the same as yours. I think big cities are also places where people pursue their dreams.”
Chen Shi-Nan turned his head to look at her. “So the two of us just happen to represent two different choices in life.”
The two looked at each other and smiled.
At that moment, a gust of sea breeze blew past. The sunlight on the surface of the ocean was fragmented by the waves into countless pieces, shimmering with golden radiance.
52. A Wish Before the Buddha
The heavy motorcycle moved steadily along the island-circling highway. The afternoon sunlight fell upon the asphalt road, while beside them stretched an endless blue coastline. The sea breeze lifted Shi Mei-Lin’s wine-red long hair. She slightly turned her body to admire the undulating coral reef coast and the blue ocean and sky along the way. Her mood also became especially light and carefree as the sea breeze blew toward her.
When they passed a fork in the road, she suddenly patted Chen Shi-Nan’s shoulder. “Ah! I heard that Little Liuqiu also has a Biyun Temple that is very spiritually effective. I want to go take a look.”
Chen Shi-Nan slightly turned his head and replied with a smile, “Today you are the honored guest, so of course the host follows the guest’s wishes. Since you want to go, then we’ll go to Biyun Temple.”
The heavy motorcycle immediately turned onto a hillside road, and not long afterward arrived at the square in front of Biyun Temple. The temple was built along the mountain slope. Its upward-curving eaves appeared even more solemn under the sunlight, and the dragon and phoenix ceramic decorations on the roof ridge looked lifelike.
In the square, incense smoke drifted gently through the air. Occasionally, worshippers holding incense with both hands walked reverently into the main hall. The melodious chanting of sutras could be heard beside their ears, as if it had isolated the noise and turmoil of the mortal world outside the temple gates.
The two removed their helmets and crossed the tall threshold one after another. Inside the spacious main hall, golden light flowed and shimmered. The compassionate and kindly Guanyin Bodhisattva sat upon a lotus throne, looking down upon all beings who came to worship.
Shi Mei-Lin unconsciously slowed her steps. She walked to the incense altar, naturally placed her palms together, slowly closed her eyes, and wore an expression of concentration and devotion.
Chen Shi-Nan stood nearby and quietly watched her. He had always thought that because Mei-Lin’s mother had lived in Europe for many years and had been influenced by Western culture, she should be a Christian. Unexpectedly, she could stand before the Buddha so naturally and make a wish. A trace of doubt could not help but rise in his heart.
After a moment, Shi Mei-Lin slowly opened her eyes and happened to meet Chen Shi-Nan’s questioning gaze. She was startled at first, then smiled sweetly.
“Were you just thinking that I should have gone to a church instead of coming here to worship Guanyin?”
Chen Shi-Nan crossed his arms over his chest, smiled slightly with some embarrassment, and honestly nodded.
“You saw through me.”
Shi Mei-Lin chuckled softly.
“Many people think that way.”
She looked up at the solemn statue of Guanyin, and her voice became much gentler.
“Although my mother has lived in France for many years and knows many Christian friends, she has never asked me to be baptized. Our family respects everyone’s faith, so strictly speaking, I cannot really be considered a Christian.”
Chen Shi-Nan nodded, and the doubts in his heart immediately disappeared.
“I see. Now I understand.”
Shi Mei-Lin tilted her head and looked at him, a hint of playfulness shining in her eyes.
“But... aren’t you curious about what wish I just made to the Bodhisattva?”
Chen Shi-Nan smiled and shook his head.
“My grandma used to say that if you say your wish out loud, it won’t come true.”
Shi Mei-Lin could not help laughing, the corners of her mouth curving into a beautiful arc.
“I never thought you would be quite superstitious.”
Chen Shi-Nan deliberately lowered his voice, stretched out one index finger mysteriously, and gently waved it in front of her.
“But...”
“But what?”
“I can probably guess.”
Shi Mei-Lin slightly widened her eyes.
“Really?”
Chen Shi-Nan pretended to be profound and said with a smile:
“The Buddha says──it cannot be spoken.”
Shi Mei-Lin was stunned for a moment, then her eyebrows and eyes curved into a bright smile.
“Alright, the great wife will not make things difficult for you.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Chen Shi-Nan froze at first. The next second, he could not help bursting into loud laughter. His laughter sounded especially cheerful in the quiet main hall, causing several nearby worshippers to turn their heads and look at them.
Shi Mei-Lin blinked, wearing an innocent expression.
“What? Did I say something wrong?”
Chen Shi-Nan tried hard to hold back his laughter and wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes.
“No! That idiom is not used that way.”
“Huh?”
Shi Mei-Lin tilted her head, looking as if she were seriously asking for instruction.
“Isn’t there the phrase ‘great husband’? Since there is a great husband, then logically there should also be a ‘great wife.’ That would be fair!”
She spoke with complete seriousness, as if she were deriving a mathematical formula.
Chen Shi-Nan laughed again.
“These two are completely different things.”
He explained while smiling:
“‘Great husband’ is used to describe a man with a broad mind, integrity, and the ability to stand firm between heaven and earth. It is not the opposite term of ‘great wife.’”
Shi Mei-Lin placed both hands on her waist and deliberately frowned.
“But when you hear it this way, it still sounds a little sexist! Why can men be ‘great husbands,’ while women cannot be ‘great wives’?”
Chen Shi-Nan spread out both hands and smiled helplessly.
“That question is too difficult. I can’t answer it. I didn’t invent this phrase. If you want to find someone to complain to, you probably have to go find the ancient people.”
Shi Mei-Lin burst out laughing.
“Alright! I’ll let you off for now.”
The two looked at each other and smiled, then walked out of the main hall side by side.
The afternoon sunlight passed through the ancient banyan tree in front of the temple, scattering golden fragments across the ground. The mountain breeze moved the wind chimes beneath the temple eaves, producing waves of clear and pleasant sounds.
No one knew whether the wishes that the two of them had silently made before the Buddha moments earlier would, on some future day, quietly change each other’s lives.
53. Paintings and Doubts
The afternoon sunlight slanted across the courtyard of the Chen family’s Japanese-style guesthouse. A gentle breeze brushed past, and the wind chimes beneath the eaves produced clear and pleasant sounds. Several guests sat leisurely in the courtyard drinking coffee, occasionally looking up to admire the garden scenery. The entire guesthouse was filled with a peaceful and comfortable vacation atmosphere.
At that moment, a silver-gray sedan slowly drove into the small square in front of the guesthouse. As soon as the car stopped, Zhang Ya-Hui opened the trunk and began carrying down, one after another, the framed oil paintings and watercolor paintings.
Each painting was carefully wrapped in protective bubble wrap, revealing how much the owner cherished them.
Cai Shi-Fen, who was organizing the counter in the lobby, saw this scene through the glass door. She immediately put down her work, pushed out a handcart, and quickly walked over.
“Ya-Hui, let me help you.”
“That’s great. Otherwise, I really wouldn’t be able to finish moving them all by myself.”
Zhang Ya-Hui raised her head and smiled as she wiped away the fine beads of sweat from the corner of her forehead.
The two of them worked together with perfect coordination, placing the paintings one by one onto the cart. After confirming that the stack was stable, Shi-Fen pulled the cart from the front while Ya-Hui supported it from behind, slowly pushing it into the guesthouse lobby.
Along the way, the frames gently bumped against one another, producing faint wooden sounds.
Cai Shi-Fen looked down at the paintings on the cart and could not help praising them.
“Ya-Hui, you’re really fast!”
Zhang Ya-Hui smiled.
“These paintings have been kept in the warehouse of my old home in Donggang for a long time and have gathered quite a bit of dust. I thought, instead of keeping them stored away forever, why not hang them in the guesthouse, let them see sunlight again, and add a little artistic atmosphere to this place?”
Cai Shi-Fen nodded.
“My brother will definitely like them.”
Zhang Ya-Hui was about to answer, but her expression suddenly paused, as if she had remembered something.
“By the way.”
She turned her head and looked at Shi-Fen.
“I ran into your brother near the harbor just now.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Zhang Ya-Hui deliberately kept her tone calm.
“Did he just buy a heavy motorcycle?”
“Yes!”
Shi-Fen answered with a smile.
“He only brought it home the day before yesterday. My mother kept asking him how he suddenly had so much cash to buy a heavy motorcycle. My brother just smiled and said he had earned some money from investments in the past. He didn’t explain much.”
Zhang Ya-Hui nodded thoughtfully.
“But...”
She paused for a moment.
“Your brother usually goes to the harbor to pick up and drop off guests in that sedan, doesn’t he? Why is he riding a motorcycle today instead?”
Shi-Fen’s footsteps slightly stopped. She turned around and looked at her.
“Ya-Hui... did you see something?”
Zhang Ya-Hui gently bit her lip and hesitated for a moment before saying:
“Just now by the harbor, I saw him carrying a girl on the motorcycle.”
“A girl?”
“She had long wine-red hair and was dressed very fashionably. She looked like a mixed-race girl. From a distance, she looked just like a doll.”
Shi-Fen was stunned for a moment, then tried hard to recall. After a while, she suddenly slapped her forehead.
“Ah! I remember!”
Her eyes lit up.
“Last week, there really was a mixed-race girl with red hair who stayed at the guesthouse. She was very beautiful and had a wonderful temperament. I had a deep impression of her.”
Zhang Ya-Hui nodded slightly.
“Then it should be her.”
After those words fell, the two of them unconsciously fell into a brief silence.
Cai Shi-Fen frowned and murmured softly:
“But... my brother and her have only met a few times, right? Why would he specially ride a motorcycle to take her out?”
The more she thought about it, the more unusual it seemed.
The usual Cai Shi-Nan had always been steady and low-key. He was not the type of person who would deliberately try to please a girl, let alone buy a new motorcycle specifically to take someone out for a ride.
Zhang Ya-Hui looked ahead. Her expression appeared calm, but deep inside her heart, a trace of indescribable bitterness quietly emerged.
She had originally only been driving past the harbor, never expecting to see Cai Shi-Nan riding a motorcycle with that girl, heading away against the sea breeze.
The girl gently held onto his shoulder. The two of them talked and laughed all the way, and the scene looked so natural, like a pair of lovers who had known each other for a long time.
At that moment, her heart felt as if it had been lightly pierced by something.
However, she quickly suppressed that emotion, and her face still maintained a faint smile.
“Perhaps...”
She pretended to sound relaxed.
“They’re just taking a guest around the island for a walk. Otherwise, at this time, they should already have returned.”
Cai Shi-Fen, however, revealed a meaningful smile.
“Don’t worry.”
She blinked.
“When my brother comes back, I naturally have a way to get some answers out of him, and at the same time find out that girl’s background.”
Zhang Ya-Hui could not help laughing.
“Don’t give me away.”
She raised her index finger and reminded her with a smile.
“Ask whatever you want to ask, but don’t mention that I saw him at the harbor riding in his luxury ride with a beautiful girl.”
Cai Shi-Fen mischievously made an “OK” gesture.
“Don’t worry! I know how to ask.”
The two looked at each other and smiled. The faint suspicion that had just appeared was temporarily diluted by their busy work.
They began unpacking the paintings one by one, carefully comparing the walls of the living room, corridors, and stair corners. While discussing the lighting and spatial arrangement, they adjusted the positions where the paintings would be hung.
The afternoon sunlight passed through the large wooden windows, illuminating the paintings depicting harbors, fishing boats, sunsets, and mountain forests. On the pure white walls, the paintings regained their vitality, adding an elegant humanistic atmosphere to the entire Japanese-style guesthouse.
However, the trace of indescribable disappointment hidden deep within Zhang Ya-Hui’s heart was like an unnoticed shadow on the wall, quietly remaining within her heart.
54. The Opening of a Pretend Romance
The sun gradually sank toward the west. Golden-orange rays of sunset spread across the surface of the sea, and the entire Little Liuqiu was covered with a warm veil. The heavy motorcycle slowly traveled along the coastal road and finally stopped in front of the entrance to the Hapaban Bay Resort.
Chen Shi-Nan turned off the engine and removed his helmet. The sea breeze tousled his hair. He turned his head to look at Shi Mei-Lin, his eyes carrying a trace of reluctance to part, mixed with a few complicated emotions.
Shi Mei-Lin nimbly jumped off the motorcycle, removed her helmet, and her smooth wine-red long hair fell naturally over her shoulders. She handed the helmet back to Chen Shi-Nan. Her smile remained bright, and the entire day they had spent together had made her feel especially happy.
Chen Shi-Nan took the helmet. After a moment of silence, he still could not help asking:
“Are you really not considering moving to stay at my family’s guesthouse? There are still empty rooms anyway. It would be a little more convenient to stay there.”
Shi Mei-Lin gently shook her head, a mysterious smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
“Not tonight.”
She raised one finger, as if announcing an important decision.
“But tomorrow night, you have to take me to your family’s guesthouse.”
Chen Shi-Nan was stunned.
“Go to my home?”
“Yes.”
Shi Mei-Lin nodded, her tone firm.
“To meet your family.”
Chen Shi-Nan looked at her, and the smile on his face instantly became somewhat stiff.
“Is... is it necessary to hurry this much?”
He gave a bitter smile and scratched the back of his head.
“To be honest, I’m not mentally prepared yet.”
Shi Mei-Lin placed both hands behind her back, took a light step forward, and raised her head to look at him. Her amber-colored eyes shimmered with clever amusement.
“Mr. Chen.”
She deliberately spoke in a serious manner.
“Everything requires efficiency. This is my style.”
Looking at her completely natural and confident expression, Chen Shi-Nan could only laugh helplessly.
Shi Mei-Lin continued:
“Tomorrow night, not only am I going to your house for dinner, I’m also going to stay at your guesthouse.”
Her tone was as natural as if she were arranging an ordinary trip.
“Since you have already agreed to play the role of my boyfriend, we need to become familiar with each other’s circles of life first. I need to establish some understanding and cooperation with your family, so that when I meet my mom and grandfather in the future, it will be less likely for us to reveal any flaws.”
As she spoke, she gently counted on her fingers, as if she were planning a large-scale project.
“Acting also requires rehearsal beforehand.”
Chen Shi-Nan listened in complete astonishment.
He suddenly realized that the fashion designer before him seemed to have already planned the entire matter down to the smallest detail, while he, the so-called “male lead,” had only just learned the contents of the script.
He could not help smiling bitterly.
“Are you sure?”
He pointed at himself.
“You’re really sure... that I’m a good actor?”
Shi Mei-Lin looked at him and suddenly burst into laughter.
She slightly rose onto her toes and reached out to straighten his collar that had been messed up by the sea breeze. The naturalness of her movement caused Chen Shi-Nan to freeze instantly.
“Why not?”
She said with a bright smile.
“A pretend relationship still has to look real. Otherwise, other people will become suspicious.”
She gently patted his shoulder, as if encouraging him, and also as if giving an order.
“Don’t worry! I’m a designer.”
She blinked.
“What I’m best at is arranging everything so perfectly that there are no flaws.”
Chen Shi-Nan looked at her confident expression and could only smile helplessly.
“I hope things really go as smoothly as you say.”
Shi Mei-Lin did not answer. She simply took a step backward and waved her hand.
“See you tomorrow night.”
After saying that, she turned around and walked toward the resort with light and cheerful steps.
The setting sun stretched her slender figure into a long shadow. Her wine-red hair fluttered gently in the sea breeze, appearing especially dazzling in the golden twilight.
Chen Shi-Nan stood there, not leaving for a long time.
Only after Shi Mei-Lin’s figure disappeared behind the resort entrance did he seem to suddenly return to reality, letting out a long breath.
He raised his head and looked at the sky gradually dyed red by the sunset, unable to stop himself from laughing bitterly in his heart.
“Finished... This time things have really gotten out of hand.”
Originally, he had only agreed to help her with a small favor out of temporary sympathy. He never expected that in just half a day, things had already developed to the point where they needed to meet each other’s families.
The more he thought about it, the more he felt his scalp go numb.
“How come I feel like I’m not helping act in a play, but instead step by step falling into the script she designed?”
The image of Shi Mei-Lin’s confident smile from moments ago suddenly appeared in his mind.
He could not help laughing, yet his expression also carried a hint of helplessness.
“Right now, I’m like a puppet controlled by invisible strings. With just a gentle pull from her, I can only move forward along with her.”
Thinking of this, he raised his hand and rubbed his forehead, then climbed onto the heavy motorcycle helplessly.
The sound of the engine rose again.
Looking at the winding coastal road ahead, he suddenly had a feeling—
What he had agreed to play was not merely a “fake boyfriend” role.
As for how this “pretend romance” would develop and how long this performance would continue, it seemed that it was no longer something he alone could decide.
At this moment, the person truly controlling the direction of the story was that woman whose smile was as brilliant as sunlight, yet whose thoughts were always impossible to completely understand—
Shi Mei-Lin.
55. The Unexpected Girlfriend
Night covered the Chen family’s Japanese-style guesthouse. The stone lanterns in the courtyard cast a circle of gentle, warm light. In the distance, waves continued to strike the shore one after another. The regular sound of the tide made the house seem especially peaceful and quiet.
In the living room, only a warm yellow floor lamp was lit.
Qiu Xiu-Duan sat on the sofa, lowering her head as she crocheted a wool sweater, while occasionally looking up at the clock on the wall. The ball of yarn rolled down to her feet. She bent down to pick it up again and softly muttered to herself:
“This child, where on earth did he run off to after being gone all day?”
The sound of the front door opening finally came.
Chen Shi-Nan pushed open the door and entered. His expression appeared calm, but his heart was already in turmoil.
Whenever he thought about how he had just agreed to pretend to be Shi Mei-Lin’s boyfriend, and that he still had to bring her home to meet his family, his stomach felt as if a heavy stone were pressing down on it.
“A-Nan, you finally came back.”
Qiu Xiu-Duan stopped her crochet hook, raised her head, and looked at her son. Her eyes carried a trace of reproach, mixed with concern.
“Where did you run off to for half the day? You disappeared the entire afternoon. The sightseeing fishing boat even had to be driven by Ming-De because the guests kept asking where the owner had gone.”
Chen Shi-Nan changed into his slippers, touched his nose, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. He gave an awkward laugh.
“I... I went to meet my girlfriend.”
The air seemed to suddenly freeze.
The crochet hook in Qiu Xiu-Duan’s hand stopped in midair. For a long moment, she did not move. Then she slowly put down the ball of yarn and stared at her son with widened eyes.
“What?”
She thought she had heard him incorrectly.
“When did you get a girlfriend?”
Chen Shi-Nan’s heart tightened. He knew that the first challenge had finally arrived. He could only force himself to say the explanation he had already rehearsed in his mind.
“She stayed at our guesthouse for a few days last weekend. She just said that she didn’t want to disturb you all at first, so I didn’t introduce her to everyone.”
Qiu Xiu-Duan looked at her son suspiciously, examining him from top to bottom.
“Really? Didn’t you say not long ago that you didn’t have a girlfriend, and you even promised Mom that you would go on a blind date? How come it hasn’t even been long, and a girlfriend suddenly appeared?”
Chen Shi-Nan unconsciously swallowed. The smile on his face became slightly stiff.
“It was after I went on that blind date with Ya-Hui. A friend introduced us, and that’s how we met. We only recently started officially dating. She agreed to come to our house tomorrow night and formally meet you and Shi-Fen.”
After saying these words, he secretly gave a bitter laugh in his heart.
One lie often requires more lies to cover it up.
He suddenly admired Shi Mei-Lin a little. She had actually arranged this “pretend performance” so naturally and reasonably, while he himself seemed like a rookie actor who had suddenly been pushed onto the stage.
Qiu Xiu-Duan did not speak immediately. She simply looked quietly at her son.
She had raised Shi-Nan for more than thirty years, so she could naturally tell that her son’s words today were somewhat unnatural, and his smile was not as open and honest as usual.
However, she did not question him further. She only let out a soft sigh.
As a mother, some things did not need to be exposed immediately.
The person her child was willing to bring home was someone she should meet first.
Thinking of this, the expression on her face gradually softened.
“Alright.”
She picked up her crochet hook again, a kind smile appearing at the corner of her mouth.
“Since that young lady is willing to come to our home, it means she is showing respect to us. Tomorrow morning, Mom will go to the market and buy more fresh fish and seafood. I’ll also prepare a few of my best dishes. We can’t be impolite.”
The heavy worry that had been hanging in Chen Shi-Nan’s heart finally eased slightly. A relieved smile appeared on his face.
“Mom, thank you.”
He stood up and was about to return to his room.
Suddenly, Qiu Xiu-Duan raised her head and gave him a meaningful smile.
“A-Nan.”
“Hmm?”
“You little rascal, with your chicken intestines and bird belly, I don’t know what trick you’re playing again. The more I look at you, the less I can understand you.”
She smiled and shook her head. Her tone carried a hint of teasing, as well as the special tolerance of a mother.
Chen Shi-Nan smiled guiltily and did not dare continue the conversation. He could only quickly turn around and walk toward the stairs.
Only after the bedroom door closed did he let out a long breath and lean his entire body against the door.
“Oh my God... the first challenge is finally over.”
However, when he thought about how Shi Mei-Lin was really going to move into the guesthouse tomorrow and act as a couple in front of his mother and younger sister, the heart he had just settled down suddenly rose again.
Meanwhile, in the living room, Qiu Xiu-Duan lowered her head and continued crocheting the wool.
The crochet hook moved up and down, maintaining the same rhythm.
However, her thoughts had already drifted far away.
She thought about these past days.
Zhang Ya-Hui had been busy helping with the guesthouse. She had not only taken care of countless large and small matters, but had also brought so many paintings to decorate the environment, almost treating this place as her own home.
Now, however, her son had suddenly brought home a girlfriend.
Thinking of this, she could not help letting out a soft sigh.
“Sigh...”
“Ya-Hui has helped our family so much. If this is really the case, then in the future... how should we explain this to Ya-Hui?”
