Mrs. Fu, please be mindful of the appropriate boundaries.

Yu Shinan tightened his grip on the steering wheel. "It doesn't matter. Call me 'sister' or 'sister-in-law,' it's up to you."

"What if I don't want to call you 'sister' or 'sister-in-law'?" Fu Sichen asked him. She knew that her question was unreasonable, but she asked it anyway.

Fu Sichen made no attempt to hide her dislike for Lin Yuanqing; she couldn't help but extend her affection to everything related to Lin Yuanqing.

The people around him didn't really like Lin Yuanqing, mainly because they felt that she left him when he was going through the toughest time, went with someone else, and now that he was doing well, she was coming back.

Powerful and selfish.

Yu Shinan was aware of these comments, but there were some things that outsiders didn't know, and that he owed Lin Yuanqing.

For him, marriage was not about love, but about responsibility.

Just as he wouldn't force his mother to agree if she didn't want to, he wouldn't do so if Lin Yuanqing couldn't hold on any longer and wanted to leave.

But if she wants him to take care of her, he will. It's what he can do, a way of making up for the past.

He doesn't force others to accept Lin Yuanqing the way he does.

So he said, "I'll say it again, it's up to you. If she makes you uncomfortable, just don't see her anymore."

Lin Yuanqing sometimes lacks tact in her speech and actions.

She's not here?

She hadn't intended to see Lin Yuanqing today, but she still ended up seeing her.

If we really don't want to see each other, then we won't even see him.

"Then I won't be able to see you anymore." Fu Sichen forced a smile. "We don't usually interact; I only see her when I'm with you."

Yu Shinan didn't speak; his face was tense and his expression was unreadable.

Fu Sichen rubbed his face and laughed, "I don't want to avoid seeing you because of her. I also want to try what new dishes you've come up with."

The tense atmosphere in the carriage softened a bit because of her smile.

Yu Shinan said, "Some other time. When you're free, you can try it."

The car was driving forward, but it wasn't without end.

He drove to the seaside and stopped.

"Brother Nan, how many months pregnant is Lin Yuanqing?"

"It was just found out."

Fu Sichen's fingers tightened. "Do you like children?"

"Making a wish is cute." The man chuckled, recalling the pretty, soft-spoken little girl.

She could tell that he must really like children and was especially patient with wishing.

The conversation lingered on him, and Yu Shinan himself wasn't very talkative. Usually, it was Fu Sichen who started the conversation, and he would just go along with it.

But today she was feeling down, so he brought her out so she could pour out her troubles.

"What is it you wanted to say to me today?" Yu Shinan looked at him. "If there's anything bothering you, just say it. After you're done, I'll take you home."

"No, not really. We just broke up. He fell for someone else. I'm upset, but it doesn't seem to help." Fu Sichen curled her lips into a smile. "If I don't do well on an exam, I can try harder and do better next time. But if he likes someone else, no matter how hard I try, there's nothing I can do."

And he's getting married.

Yu Shinan got out of the car, walked to the back to open the car door for her, and Fu Sichen jumped out.

The paving stones were uneven, and she twisted her ankle. She swayed, but he caught her.

The man placed his hand on her waist, very restrained, and withdrew it once she was steady.

But the spot he had applied suddenly started sizzling and burning, making my heart pound wildly.

She wanted to disregard all propriety and shame, and rush over to hug and kiss him.

But she couldn't; a remnant of reason remained within her trembling heart.

It was a twist of fate that led him to sleep with her.

He and Lin Yuanqing also had a close relationship.

This was the most direct and blatant blow to her, shattering her self-esteem.

It's not the weekend, so there aren't many people on the beach.

Some people were shooting outdoor scenes, while others were parents playing with their children.

There were vendors selling helium balloons nearby.

Yu Shinan also lacked experience in comforting people, especially when it came to relationship issues.

He went and bought a candied hawthorn and a balloon, one in each hand, and brought them back.

Some people are hard to associate with the mundane aspects of daily life, like him. How could this person possibly be associated with the kitchen?

But when he actually picks up the spatula, he looks so cool!

Just like now, when he hands her a candied hawthorn, she feels... it doesn't feel out of place.

"I'm not a child," she muttered, but still took it.

"To me, you're just a child, almost the same as before." He smiled, making her raise her hand, and tied the string of the balloon to her wrist.

Fu Sichen watched as he lowered his eyes to tie her wrist, his fingers touching her wrist. Beneath the thin skin, the veins moved restlessly, like her rapidly beating heart.

He fastened his wrist and pulled back, and the moment he looked up, Fu Sichen abruptly looked away, snapping his fingers and taking a bite of the candied hawthorn.

Sweet.

But it's also sour.

The sourness was so intense it hurt my teeth, and even the sugar coating didn't help much.

Fu Sichen still asked him to take her back to school. Every minute she spent alone with him made her feel even more miserable.

She couldn't let her love for him overflow, but whenever she saw him, she wanted to hug him.

She grabbed the balloon by the tail, held it in her hand, and got off the bus, having finished eating the candied hawthorn.

Yu Shinan looked down at the girl, rolled down the car window, and asked her, "Are you sure there's nothing else you need me for?"

"That's all."

Fu Sichen shook his head.

She turned and walked towards the school, letting go of the balloon, which floated up, but because the end of the string was tied to her wrist, it followed her through the crowd.

Yu Shinan looked at the balloon, moving it in his line of sight; beneath the balloon was her.

He pressed his fingers to his temples until security guards came to shoo him away, at which point he drove off.

……

Lin Yuanqing went to the hospital for a checkup. When she entered the doctor's office, she took a step back and then came out.

I saw a woman walk into the next consultation room. She was wearing a mask that covered most of her face, but her long hair was too eye-catching.

"What are you looking at?"

The female doctor in the consultation room asked her.

Lin Yuanqing came in and said, "Oh, I think I see someone I know."

"How have you been lately? Have you experienced any pregnancy symptoms?"

"It's alright, there hasn't been any major reaction yet." Lin Yuanqing sat down and asked her, "Please change the date on the test report that I told you before."

The female doctor glanced at her and said, "Really, you dare to do something like this."

"I also want to live a good life. His family has always been against it, so I have to find a way."

"So you're thinking of this method? The truth will be revealed once the baby is born." She handed the examination report to Lin Yuanqing.

"No. This child won't be born." Lin Yuanqing put the test results away in her bag.

Suddenly, he said, "Go ask in the third examination room next door what kind of examination that young girl was having."

"Why are you asking so many questions?"

"Oh dear, could you ask her for me? I'm a good friend of her mother, and I'm worried the child might go astray."

"You're worried about people going astray? You've gone astray enough yourself," the female doctor complained, but she still went over to ask and came back to tell her.

"Just like you, I'm pregnant."

Lin Yuanqing suddenly stood up from the stool. "Pregnant?"

"Hmm. She does look young, not even 21 yet." The female doctor shook her head.

"She's staying?"

"I don't know. I just had a blood test, and it confirmed I'm pregnant."

Lin Yuanqing's expression darkened. She stood up and said, "I'm leaving now."