You're dumping me, huh? Fine, then I'll just pick up the school beauty and make her my wif

How about we ask Ah Che to secretly buy her a seashell wind chime?

Or should we choose the time when he blows on the soup to cool it down and feeds it to her spoonful by spoonful while he's eating?

Or perhaps it's when I'm sitting in a wicker chair in the morning, helping her organize her travel plans, and memorizing every casual remark she makes.

There were also the times when I held her hand and walked slowly on the beach, when I helped her get grilled squid at the night market, when I laughed at her being scared by the king crab in the guesthouse kitchen, and when we took the last set of photos on the balcony...

Each one is good.

I couldn't bear to throw any of them away.

Su Qinghe hesitated for a long time, biting the pen cap, before finally deciding not to choose anything.

She lowered her head and began to write densely in that column.

"A-Che is making a travel guide for me."

"Ah Che took me to eat coconut chicken."

"Ah Che won't let me drink anything cold, but he bought me a room-temperature salted lemon soda."

"A-Che secretly bought a seashell wind chime."

"Ache, help me peel the king crab."

"Ah Che said he could write me love letters."

"Ah Che put on a ring with me and held my hand."

"..."

By the end, she had almost filled the entire page.

She knew that writing like this seemed a bit pathetic, as all her favorite moments were related to other people, not simply to herself.

But so what?

Her life was filled with so many gloomy days, like a rain-soaked alleyway, damp, cold, dark, and endless.

Jiang Che led her out from inside.

So it's normal that Jiang Che is in all her bright and sparkling memories now, isn't it?

After Su Qinghe finished writing, she secretly glanced at Jiang Che again.

Once she was sure he was still keeping his eyes closed and not peeking, she felt relieved and closed the ledger, putting it back in her bag.

……

The flight landed in Lincheng in the afternoon.

Su Qinghe skipped and hopped out of the airport terminal, dragging her suitcase. She looked up at the familiar roads and traffic outside and took a deep breath.

"Ah—Lincheng is still the best."

As Su Qinghe spoke, she leaned her head on Jiang Che's arm. "Although Lucheng is very good and Asia City is very good, Lincheng is just different."

Jiang Che looked down at her. "What's different?"

Su Qinghe thought for a moment and answered seriously, "Because I have a home in Lincheng."

Lincheng has the apartment where they lived together, and traces of their long-standing life together.

Every day when she wakes up, she can see A-Che holding her in his arms. Every day she can drink the milk that A-Che warms for her and eat the meals that he cooks for her.

These scattered items, pieced together, represent Su Qinghe's true home.

But she was too embarrassed to go into details.

Jiang Che felt the same way. Ever since he found Su Qinghe, he hadn't stayed in the school dormitory for a single day.

After all, with a sweet and lovely girl waiting at home, what kind of good person would want to live at school?

What the hell is that if not a disease?

Meanwhile, Bai Yuning, who was walking behind, first looked down at the carry-on bag in her hand, then looked at the two young couple in front of her who seemed to be glued to each other as they walked, and couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Alright, alright, we know you have a family, please stop showing off, okay?"

Being an older sister these days is really not easy.

Upon hearing this, Su Qinghe quickly lifted her head off Jiang Che's arm, wanting to explain that she wasn't showing off.

But when the words came out, it felt like no matter how I explained them, it would sound strange.

So Su Qinghe could only give Bai Yuning a well-behaved yet guilty smile, "Uh... Sister Yuning, you can come to our house for dinner often too."

Bai Yuning felt even more heartbroken upon hearing this.

Look at what they're saying.

Our family.

Those three short words were incredibly impactful.

Bai Yuning raised her hand to rub her temples, then glanced at the time on her phone, stopped in her tracks, and said, "Alright, that's enough for now. I won't stay with you guys."

"I still have some things to take care of at the hospital, so I'll go there first."

Su Qinghe was a little reluctant to part with him. "Ah? Sister Yu Ning, won't you come back to the apartment with us for a while?"

"No."

Bai Yuning smiled and reached out to rub Su Qinghe's head. "If you sit any longer, I'm afraid I'll be fed dog food by the two of you again tonight until I'm stuffed."

Su Qinghe's cheeks flushed, and she muttered softly, "It's not that exaggerated..."

Bai Yuning thought to herself, "Of course there is! I've had enough of being a third wheel these past few days."

Before leaving, Bai Yuning winked at Jiang Che.

Jiang Che understood and released Su Qinghe's hand. "Wait here for me for a moment."

Su Qinghe nodded obediently, "Mm."

Jiang Che followed Bai Yuning and took a few steps to the side.

The two stood behind a pillar in the airport terminal.

Bai Yuning's smile faded slightly, and she said in a serious tone, "You should put the matter of returning to the capital on your agenda as soon as possible."

Jiang Che knew she was referring to Ye Yunjin, and nodded calmly.

"I know that once the college entrance exam scores are released and the application forms are filled out, I will take her to Beijing."

"Yes, it's good that you know what I mean."

She paused, then added, "Also, Jiang Che, Xiao Qinghe is very dependent on you now."

"If you decide to bring her into the Jiang family's circle, you need to think it through. This is definitely not as simple as just moving to a different city."

Jiang Che glanced at Su Qinghe, who was not far away.

The girl was standing there holding her notebook, occasionally tiptoeing to look this way, as if afraid that he would disappear if she wasn't careful.

Bai Yuning followed his gaze and sighed softly.

"You saw that, didn't you?"

Jiang Che didn't say anything.

Of course he saw it, and he knew that Su Qinghe's dependence on him had long since gone beyond the simple matter of "liking to cling to him."

She was like a kitten that had been abandoned in a downpour and was finally taken home by someone, even though she was now warm and full.

But as soon as the person holding her walks a little further away, she will instinctively start to feel uneasy.

After a long pause, Jiang Che silently withdrew his gaze, lowered his eyes, and said, "Don't worry, sister, I know what I'm doing."

Bai Yuning looked at him and said, "It's good that you know."

She paused for a moment, then softened her voice, "I'm not trying to persuade you not to take her to the capital, nor am I suggesting you leave her in Lincheng because it's inconvenient."

"I'm just reminding you that the Jiang family's social circle is different from that of Lincheng."

"In Lincheng, even if many people jump out to harm you and Qinghe, it's just a small-scale fight, nothing that can be considered a serious crime."

"But the capital is different. When you return to the capital, the enemies you will face will not be people like Zhao Wenyu who only know how to use despicable and low-level methods, but countless people like Ye Yunjin who are deep and cunning."

"Take Liu Wei for example. Although Grandpa Liu transferred him to the border recently, he will come back one day."

"By then, will you really be able to protect Xiao Qinghe?"

"..."

After a few seconds of silence, Jiang Che slowly shook his head, his voice firm:

"That day will never come."