That evening, Qin Feiwan returned home, looking around with curiosity, wanting to see who this Huo Rou was.
To her surprise, no one else was there except Su Nianzhu and Qin Ningyi. Even An An wasn't home.
"Where's An An? Your future wife?" Qin Feiwan nudged Qin Ningyi.
Qin Ningyi glanced at her but didn't correct the term "wife." He simply said in a low voice, "Huo Rou bought a house and is living in the new place with An An."
"No way! What's going on with you?" Qin Feiwan hadn't expected such a loss, not only losing face but also having An An taken away.
"Alas, let's eat," Su Nianzhu, who clearly already knew the news, sighed and urged everyone to the table.
After dinner, Qin Ningyi retreated to his study to finish his work. Qin Feiwan, full of unanswered questions, had no one to talk to and returned to her drawing board.
Late at night, Qin Feiwan put down her brush and went out for some fresh air. She saw Qin Ningyi standing on the small balcony, lost in thought.
She walked onto the balcony and nudged his arm with her elbow. "What are you thinking about?"
Qin Ningyi wasn't sure himself. He just knew that after finishing work and returning to his bedroom, the small child who usually slept there wasn't present. He felt unaccustomed to it and came out to clear his head.
His mind kept returning to Huo Rou's situation. Although she seemed to move freely and handle heavy objects with ease, the thought of that long scar made him feel uneasy.
"Huo Rou's injury was actually quite serious. She and An An..."
"Then why don't you bring her to our place? At least she'd have someone to look after her!" Qin Feiwan was perplexed. He clearly cared about the girl, and with his standing, why had she bought a house of her own?
"She doesn't want to," Qin Ningyi said with a hint of melancholy, looking at his sister.
Qin Feiwan's interest was piqued. Countless girls had pursued her brother since childhood, but he had never shown them favor, yet they still chased after him. Tang Zhenzhen was one such example. Hearing the tone in his voice, he seemed to have feelings for Huo Rou, and she didn't like him? That was truly strange.
"What kind of person is she? Not even liking my brother. She's that special? I really want to meet her," Qin Feiwan teased.
Qin Ningyi ignored the teasing in her words and replied, "She's a seemingly delicate young woman. She speaks gently and appropriately to everyone, except me. She doesn't bother to say much to me."
Qin Feiwan sensed something amiss. "Did you do something to make her angry?"
"No," Qin Ningyi was puzzled by this, as they had only just met.
Qin Feiwan was almost amused to the point of anger. "You're usually so thoughtful, how can you be so clueless now?"
"You let her raise a child alone for five years, and you haven't upset her?"
"I don't know," Qin Ningyi felt that wasn't a valid reason.
"Whether you know or not, don't you know what you did? Wouldn't you have thought of the child?"
"I..." Qin Ningyi was about to say he hadn't done anything, then he paused. Yes, he had.
"What do you mean, you? You've never met her before?" Qin Feiwan felt like an exasperated parent. "She has a son, little brother, you can't bully a girl like this."
Qin Ningyi was certain he hadn't met her. Huo Rou's face and voice—if he had met her, he would surely remember.
Seeing his expressionless face, Qin Feiwan continued, "Even if you really haven't seen her like this, don't you remember what you did?"
Qin Ningyi pondered it from this angle and suddenly recalled an event about six years ago, a business reception shortly after he took over the company.
At that time, he was the young president and was often underestimated. Qian Yi was one person who didn't take him seriously. During a reception, being inexperienced, he hadn't been vigilant enough and was caught off guard.
The drug's effects were potent. Initially, he thought it was just the strong liquor making him drunk. By the time the drug took effect, he had already entered a room and was helpless.
The memory was vivid. Although he was disoriented, the woman in his memory was charming and radiant, not like Huo Rou's soft and sweet demeanor.
That woman's eyes were alluring, unlike Huo Rou's. If there was any resemblance, it was the shape of her face.
"Remember now?" Qin Feiwan saw his expression and became curious about how her all-capable brother had fallen into such a predicament.
Yes, he remembered. That was the only time he had been manipulated. The next morning, he had couldn't hide his coldness, and his words had been unpleasant. He hadn't seen her expression; she had simply dressed and left without a word.
Later, he had taken measures to cause problems for Qian Yi's company, ensuring Qian Yi wouldn't have time to pursue this matter. However, when Feng Heng Real Estate went bankrupt, he had sought out Qian Yi.
It was then that he learned the hotel server had brought the wrong room. He hadn't entered the room Qian Yi had prepared for him, and the woman wasn't the one Qian Yi had arranged.
By the time he wanted to apologize for his actions, the person had already disappeared. The hotel had only provided fake information.
For someone who had vanished into thin air, he naturally wouldn't keep remembering.
"I know what the problem is," Qin Ningyi thought of what he had said to the woman after waking up. He believed he knew why Huo Rou disliked him so much.
"Tell me," Qin Feiwan said, feigning concern for her brother while clearly being nosy. She leaned closer, eager for the story.
Qin Ningyi turned and left decisively, leaving behind a silhouette in the moonlight. His low voice echoed through the chirping cicadas, "Sister, staying up late makes you age faster."
"Who am I doing this for? Who is it that can't sleep thinking about a young girl? You ungrateful thing, you figured out the crucial point with my help, and I can't even ask about it?" Qin Feiwan retorted angrily.
There was no response. Qin Ningyi had already returned to his room.
"Alas, it looks like we'll be family soon," Qin Feiwan sighed, looking at the full moon that night. "When will it be my turn?"
The wind rustled, her short hair flying in the breeze. Suddenly, the image of a small, carrot-like figure appeared in her mind.
She couldn't help but chuckle, then mocked herself, "I'm really getting old and desperate to get married, thinking of him?"
She touched the woven ring on her finger. "It's been a long time, hasn't it?"
The wind passed without a trace, the insect chirps intermittent. Qin Feiwan waved away the person in her mind and slowly walked back to her room.
Qin Ningyi, having figured out the key point, let go of the stone in his heart and fell into a deep sleep. On the other side, Huo Rou was startled awake.
"Mommy?" An An, sleeping beside her, woke up as Huo Rou suppressed her breathing in her dream. Thinking that Huo Rou had just been discharged from the hospital, he worried if she was feeling unwell or in pain.
"It's okay, just a nightmare," Huo Rou's voice was gentle, with its usual softness as she soothed An An. "Go back to sleep."
An An hugged Huo Rou's arm and continued sleeping. However, after the dream, Huo Rou was no longer sleepy.
After all these years, she could still vividly recall every detail of that morning in her dreams. This was truly...
She shouldn't have been soft-hearted and stayed.