We ordinary people also need to fall in love.

"Yuehu Bay".

Looking at the three gilded characters, Chen Qiuhe unconsciously read them aloud in a low voice.

Xie Shu took out her access card, and with a beep, the door opened. She held the door open and waited for them to enter.

Seeing that Li Mubai had already walked forward naturally, Chen Qiuhe quickly followed. She walked at the back, looking around curiously at a building she had only seen on TV before.

After walking for a few minutes, we finally stopped in front of the detached villa.

"Is this the Xie family?" Chen Qiuhe asked in a low voice, leaning close to Li Mubai.

"Yes." Li Mubai nodded.

Xie Shu stepped into the courtyard first, then turned back to look at him and said, "Come in."

Li Mubai followed him inside, and Chen Qiuhe looked the villa's exterior up and down before slowly following.

After a series of mechanical sounds, followed by a click, the door opened, and the cold air inside the villa seemed to find an outlet, pouring out from the door.

"Do you need to change your shoes?" Chen Qiuhe asked as she walked in.

"Need not."

Chen Qiuhe subconsciously touched her arm; the villa felt a little deserted.

She followed them into the living room, where the empty space still echoed with human voices.

"Please sit down, I'll pour you some water."

"Oh... okay."

Chen Qiuhe belatedly followed Li Mubai and sat down on the sofa, keeping her legs together, hands on her knees, and curling up into a proper posture, completely different from the usually carefree Chen Qiuhe.

Li Mubai, on the other hand, seemed much more at ease and had already turned around to take out his study materials from his bag.

"It's huge!" Chen Qiuhe exclaimed softly as Xie Shu walked away.

"Indeed." Li Mubai opened the book. "I was also taken aback when I first came here."

"First time here?" Chen Qiuhe turned to look at him. "So, you've been here many times?"

"Not many," he chuckled dryly, "just a few times."

"Hmph." Chen Qiuhe exhaled softly, clearly not believing his repeated claims. "Have you met Xie Shu's parents? Don't they object?"

Li Mubai considered Xie Zhiqiang and Xu Ting's attitudes: "They're alright, they're not really against it."

"And what about your parents?"

"It's alright."

"Tsk tsk." Chen Qiuhe rested her chin on her hand, sizing him up. "So, are you two planning to get married in the future?"

"You're thinking really far ahead," Li Mubai glanced at her.

"Xie Shu is so wonderful, I'd be willing to spend my whole life with her, even if it meant driving luxury cars and living in villas!"

"I heard you. Qiuhe, you must come often from now on."

Xie Shu's voice suddenly rang out. She walked over with two glasses of water and placed them in front of Li Mubai and Xie Shu.

"Uh..." Chen Qiuhe was embarrassed for a moment, "I was just kidding, why don't you let Li Mubai stay with you for the rest of your life?"

Some close friends from high school gradually lose contact after graduation, and their relationships fade. Who knows if that's the case for them? Naturally, she hopes their friendship will last forever.

Xie Shu sat down next to Li Mubai.

"Let's study first." She didn't dwell on the topic.

"Let's learn from each other." Chen Qiuhe nodded in agreement.

Li Mubai picked up his pen and started doing the questions. Although there were not many days left before the college entrance examination, he could not relax. The closer it got to the critical moment, the more he needed to maintain a good study state.

……

Forty minutes later, Chen Qiuhe stretched her back.

"I can't go on anymore, I'm a little hungry, I'm leaving now."

"I threw myself upon books as a hungry man would upon bread."

"Here, take a bite." Chen Qiuhe tossed a book in front of Li Mubai.

Li Mubai pretended to pick it up and put it in his mouth. He moved slowly, waiting for Chen Qiuhe to stop him, but the latter just stared at him quietly without saying a word.

He stopped what he was doing.

"Eat up," Chen Qiuhe urged. "I've finished all the questions in this book, so it'll be perfect for you to fill your stomach."

"Alright, how can a person eat paper?" Xie Shu reached out and grabbed his wrist, putting the book back on the table.

"Indeed." Li Mubai put it down.

"Hmph, I pounce on the book like a hungry person pounces on bread," Chen Qiuhe said, imitating Li Mubai's tone.

"Actually, this is a very clever metaphor, and it reflects the reality..."

"I'm not listening to your nonsense anymore." Chen Qiuhe waved her hand to interrupt him, zipped up her backpack, and said, "If I don't eat soon, I'm really going to faint at Xie Shu's house."

"I'm hungry too, how about we go eat together?" Xie Shu stood up.

Li Mubai stood up as well; he was already hungry, but he didn't say anything.

"Okay, let's go eat at a grilled fish restaurant. I've been wanting to try it for ages." Chen Qiuhe picked up her phone and waved it.

"I'm fine with anything." Li Mubai looked at Xie Shu, remembering that she didn't seem to eat spicy food very well.

"Is the grilled fish spicy?" Xie Shu asked.

"It's alright, but you can ask the owner to put in less chili."

"Then I'll give it a try."

"Let's go then!" Chen Qiuhe's face brightened again.

With a click, the door opened, and Xie Zhiqiang and Xu Ting walked in one after the other. Chen Qiuhe's smile froze on her face.

"Hello, Uncle Xie and Aunt Xu." Li Mubai reacted quickly and greeted them first.

Chen Qiuhe quickly turned around and respectfully followed suit.

"Yes, hello." Xie Zhiqiang nodded, glanced at the three of them, and then looked away.

Xu Ting nodded, glanced at Li Mubai, then at Chen Qiuhe, and without saying anything, changed her shoes and walked into the living room.

"Have you eaten?" Xie Zhiqiang asked casually as he sat down on the sofa.

"Not yet, I'm about to go out to eat with Li Mubai and my classmates," Xie Shu replied.

"What are you planning to eat?"

Grilled fish.

Xie Zhiqiang frowned for a moment, then relaxed.

"Grilled fish is unhealthy, it's too oily and salty." Xu Ting had already made a habit of evaluating the ingredient list of food, and her implication was that Xie Shu should not go.

Chen Qiuhe glanced nervously at Li Mubai. She was the one who suggested grilling fish. Would Xie Shu's mother make Xie Shu cut ties with her, someone who likes to eat unhealthy food?

"Let the kids eat it if they want," Xie Zhiqiang waved his hand dismissively. "It's fine if they eat it once in a while."

Xu Ting looked at Xie Zhiqiang, but in the end said nothing, stood up and walked towards the tea room.

Xie Zhiqiang also stood up and waved to them: "Go on, Xiaoshu, I'll treat you to this meal. I'll transfer you some pocket money."

"it is good."

As Xie Zhiqiang spoke, he operated his phone for a while.

"Could it be that he transferred 10,000?" Li Mubai thought to himself.

"Go early and come back early, and be careful on the road," Xie Zhiqiang reminded him.

"Okay, Dad."

Goodbye, Uncle Xie.

Goodbye, Uncle.

Xie Zhiqiang stood in the living room watching the three of them leave until the door was opened and closed again.

Unbeknownst to them, their daughter Xie Shu had changed a lot. She became more adept at making friends, would invite friends over to play, and had become much more cheerful.

He walked into the tea room, where Xu Ting was quietly brewing tea for herself.

Xie Zhiqiang sat down opposite her, remained silent for a moment, and then said, "Universities in China are no worse than those abroad now, so why bother going abroad?"

Xu Ting didn't reply, still watching the tea leaves floating and sinking in the cup.

"Teacher Yang knows Xiaoshu's past situation well." Xie Zhiqiang's tone softened a bit. "His last words to us were actually a request for us to let go. She's very sensible; she never squanders her allowance. What else do we have to worry about?"

"Xie Zhiqiang," Xu Ting finally raised her head, "I gave up the opportunity to go abroad for you back then, and now I want Xiaoshu to fulfill my dream from back then, what's wrong with that?"

"But Xiaoshu is not our possession. She has already come of age. She has her own independent personality and should be allowed to make her own decisions."

drop!drop!

The kettle boiled, and Xie Zhiqiang picked it up, poured tea into Xu Ting's cup, and also poured some into his own cup.

Xu Ting didn't answer or move. She was thinking with her head down. She was there on the day Teacher Yang was cremated. His wife, Ms. Zhao, tearfully told her Teacher Yang's last words.

An elderly man, nearly eighty years old, prepared his will in advance in case of any unexpected events.

He repeated it even when he was still conscious after falling ill.

It states:

"Xu Ting, Zhiqiang, I watched you two grow up, and I also watched your daughter grow up. I heard before that she was depressed and hurting herself. I thought you would have some realization because of this. After we reunited for the Mid-Autumn Festival, she still looked a little listless, just like before."

"Xu Ting, Zhiqiang, the child is a treasure bestowed upon us by God, but she is not our possession. You should give her some freedom. I hope you won't let the old and the young be reunited in heaven."