First update,

...

"The birthday gift..."

Qin Fang looked at the small box in his mother's hands, his face showing considerable confusion. It seemed that in his teenage years, he had never seen this item before, just like that set of jewelry that was treated as a family heirloom.

However, mother and son knew each other the best. Since his mother, Qin Qing, had brought it out, Qin Fang knew he had to accept it.

He took the small box into his hands and sneakily opened it for a quick look.

"Mom, this is..."

Inside the box, which had an antique design and seemed to be quite old, there was a layer of golden-yellow silk cloth. In the middle of the cloth lay— a bullet.

Indeed, the box did not contain the jade or gemstones Qin Fang had imagined, but a bullet, one that also appeared to be very old. Qin Fang could even see the mottled rust on it.

"Don't ask too much about this. Just remember to present it as a birthday gift when the time comes..."

But Qin Qing didn't seem to want to discuss it further, simply leaving him with that brief instruction before hurrying off Qin Fang's car, apparently ready to go back to sleep.

With his mother gone, Qin Fang's questions naturally remained, lingering in his mind, unable to dissipate for a long time. He felt that the mother he had known so well suddenly became very unfamiliar...

Or rather, Qin Fang felt that his mother, Qin Qing, had hidden too much from him.

But since his mother was unwilling to speak, Qin Fang also felt it inappropriate to ask too many questions. He could only wait for the right time in the future, trusting that his mother would eventually explain.

This night was the last one he would spend at home, at least before the New Year. Qin Fang would mostly not have time to come back, which was precisely why Qin Qing made such a special arrangement for him.

Just like the previous two days, not long after Qin Qing returned to her room, the light was turned off, and the women were all in bed, resting.

Qin Fang was quite bored, so he took out his mobile phone to play with it briefly. Finding no interest, he wrapped himself in the quilt, preparing to sleep.

In the countryside, there was not much entertainment at night. People would usually watch TV or, for those with hobbies, play cards or mahjong, possibly staying up a bit later...

Drowsy, Qin Fang gradually fell asleep...

Knock knock knock knock~~

Qin Fang wasn't a sound sleeper and sometimes, the slightest noise could wake him from his dreams, like now. He vaguely heard some knocking sounds nearby and climbed out of bed, looking in the direction of the noise.

The night was hazy, the moon clear and bright, and the night air was as cool as water.

A girl in a red down jacket with a slender figure was standing outside Qin Fang's car, her face barely visible in the dim light.

Of course, it wasn't a haunting!

"Xiao Juan?"

Peering through the car window glass, Qin Fang was surprised to see the pretty face outside. It was Tao Xiaojuan.

Although Ninghai was nationally known as a furnace city, in winter, the temperature was still very cold. Coupled with the proximity to the Yangtze River, the air was quite damp, making the cold bone-chilling at all times...

Tao Xiaojuan was not dressed very lightly, but girls are like that—even in such cold winters, they still wanted to maintain a slim figure, so naturally, their clothes were not very thick.

At this moment, in such a night, in the piercingly cold night wind, her little pale face was reddened by the cold, her lips were slightly purple, and she was stomping her feet non-stop to keep warm as she stood there.

"Come in quickly..."

Although Qin Fang was puzzled about why Tao Xiaojuan was here so late, he couldn't bear to let her freeze outside and immediately opened the car door to pull her in.

"Little Brother Fang..."

Tao Xiaojuan was indeed badly frozen. When she called out to Qin Fang, her voice was trembling non-stop, looking very pitiable.

"Don't talk, just warm up quickly..."

Qin Fang naturally felt a pang of tenderness and immediately wrapped the quilt he had been using around Tao Xiaojuan. Fortunately, the car's heater was on, which was much better than outside...

Without the cold wind and with the blow of the heater and warmth from the quilt, Tao Xiaojuan's body gradually heated up. Her originally pale face was now slowly becoming rosy, like a ripe apple, very alluring to the eye.

"It's so late, what's a little girl like you doing running around outside? Aren't you afraid of being carried off by wolves..."

Seeing that Tao Xiaojuan's complexion had improved quite a bit, Qin Fang finally felt at ease, but then his eyebrows knitted together in displeasure as he spoke.

Of course, that was just a joke. It wasn't like they were deep in the forests, where could there be wolves? At most, there might be a few dogs around, but even they wouldn't come out and bite people.

"I… I… Qin Fang, are you really leaving tomorrow?"

At Qin Fang's words, Tao Xiaojuan's eyes instantly reddened, tears beginning to swirl, and she asked with a pitiful tone.

"Don't… Little girl, can we not resort to this tactic, okay?"

Seeing the tears in Tao Xiaojuan's eyes, Qin Fang was instantly at a loss. He remembered Tao Xiaojuan had always been like this, a crybaby. He hadn't expected that this habit hadn't changed after not seeing her for several years.

"I do indeed have to leave tomorrow. I still have classes at school, and there's something I need to take care of in Capital City…" Regarding his departure, Qin Fang naturally saw no need to hide it.

"Qin Fang, you… will you… are you going to marry… marry Feifei?"

Tao Xiaojuan appeared to be very hesitant and conflicted. After a long pause, she finally asked in a very small voice, her lovely face exceedingly tense, while her eyes were fixed intensely on Qin Fang's face, appearing so expectant yet also seemingly worried.

Qin Fang's expression briefly stiffened as he looked at Tao Xiaojuan, at the little girl who once trailed behind him with a runny nose. Recalling what his mother had said, he understood Tao Xiaojuan's intent.

"If nothing unexpected happens, that should be the case..."

Qin Fang didn't hesitate this time and nodded gently as he spoke.

As long as he and Tang Feifei didn't break up, this matter was pretty much settled. Maybe they couldn't get married right away, but there might be an engagement first...

Of course, it would also depend on the Tang family's arrangements and the plans he had with Tang Feifei...

Upon hearing Qin Fang's response, Tao Xiaojuan's already pale face instantly turned ghastly, and her eyes hollowed out in an instant, losing all their luster...

Qin Fang pursed his lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, he chose silence. Tao Xiaojuan had grown up with him, and although they shared a childhood friendship, Qin Fang already had enough women around him and didn't want to add any more.

Tao Xiaojuan's father, Tao Yihai, was also very good to Qin Fang, and he had even jokingly referred to Qin Fang as his son-in-law, but that was all in jest.

The matter between Qin Fang and Tang Feifei was essentially settled. If Tao Xiaojuan were to join in, she would be doomed to a title-less relationship. Since the Qin and Tao families were so close to each other, if such a thing were to happen, it would certainly make things lively in the future...

It was with this consideration in mind that, although Qin Fang knew Tao Xiaojuan had feelings for him, he decided to refuse... Otherwise, he worried the relationship between the Qin and Tao families might become strained.

"But… but… you promised you would marry me..."

However, it seemed Tao Xiaojuan was not willing to give up just yet, her previously empty eyes suddenly showing a glimmer of life as she spoke anxiously.

"Uh…"

Qin Fang was taken aback, clearly confused by Tao Xiaojuan's assertion.

He remembered his past self, always so tactless and inarticulate; he surely wouldn't have flirted with girls... So Qin Fang was momentarily stunned.

"When we were very young, you said that, you would marry me and I would be your bride... Qin Fang, have you forgotten?"

Tao Xiaojuan's insistence seemed to offer her a ray of hope, as she eagerly spoke with a renewed intensity in her eyes and an extremely tense expression on her face.

"That… those were just things from when we were kids, they don't count..."

Upon hearing it was a matter from their childhood, Qin Fang figured it might have been said during some kind of play-pretend game. Of course, it couldn't be taken seriously. If such things were taken seriously, some people might not even know how many wives they had.

"But… I was serious! Ever since I was little, I've wanted to be your bride, Qin Fang..."

Tao Xiaojuan said these words almost through a veil of tears, and Qin Fang found it unbearably heartbreaking. He had never been the kind of man who could withstand a woman's tears; it was a significant weakness for him.

"I..."

Qin Fang opened his mouth to explain, but couldn't seem to find what was right to say.

Looking at Tao Xiaojuan's beautiful face marred by grief and despair, Qin Fang suddenly felt moved and quickly cast a "Mind Reading Technique" on her. Soon, all of her inner thoughts were transmitted into his mind...

This visit home was the first time Qin Fang had seen Tao Xiaojuan clearly in several years. In the past, he always came back in a rush and left just as quickly. His memory of Tao Xiaojuan was still stuck on the green, snotty-nosed little girl from years ago. But this time, he discovered that the once tender little girl had blossomed into a mature and well-developed young woman...

With his memory still fixed in that era, Qin Fang's feelings toward Tao Xiaojuan naturally remained as they were in the beginning: simple childhood friendship, like that of a little sister... (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it with recommendations or monthly tickets at qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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