Because she never got to eat the spicy crawfish the night before, Gu Nansheng was deeply dissatisfied with Lu Shijing.

As punishment, she had deliberately planted several dark little “strawberries” in the most obvious place possible, right on his neck.

He did not notice them until the next morning while washing up in the bathroom.

Well, she had certainly chosen a very strategic spot.

After staring at himself in the mirror for a moment, Lu Shijing spent quite some time digging through Gu Nansheng’s makeup collection before finally finding what looked like concealer. He carefully dabbed some onto the marks. Thankfully, it barely managed to cover the redness.

Back in bed, Gu Nansheng turned over sleepily and instinctively reached out, trying to cuddle against something warm.

Her hand wandered around the sheets for a while, but there was no one beside her.

Slowly opening her sleepy eyes, she grabbed her phone and checked the time.

6:20 AM.

Way too early.

Just then, Lu Shijing stepped out of the bathroom, casually drying his damp hair with a towel.

“Did I wake you?” he asked.

“No.”

She pushed herself upright and patted the mattress, motioning for him to sit down.

“Are you heading back to campus already?”

“Yeah. There are a few lab experiments I need to supervise.”

As he spoke, he gently reached over and adjusted the fallen strap of her nightgown back onto her shoulder.

“I’ll bring crawfish back for you tonight.”

Gu Nansheng immediately pouted.

“I suddenly feel like some secret mistress you’ve hidden away, spending every day sadly waiting for you to come back.”

Lu Shijing could not help laughing at her strange imagination.

Between the two of them, who exactly had it worse?

He leaned down and kissed the corner of her lips gently.

“No,” he corrected softly, “you’re the one blessing me with your presence.”

After Lu Shijing left, Gu Nansheng stayed in bed for a while, but no matter how hard she tried, she could not fall asleep again.

Since she had nothing scheduled today, she decided to go home and visit her parents.

Her father, Gu Xiangnan, was a structural engineer with an elegant and refined temperament.

Her mother, Shen Neng, had once been a stage actress and had been stunningly beautiful in her younger years.

As their only daughter, Gu Nansheng had always grown up in a loving and relaxed household.

As long as she stayed within moral boundaries, her parents rarely interfered with her choices.

Fortunately, she had never been the type to make people worry.

Whether it came to school or her career, she always had her own plans, and her parents supported her every step of the way.

She called ahead to let them know she would arrive around noon.

The moment Gu Xiangnan heard his daughter was coming home, he became so excited he could hardly stop smiling. He immediately rushed into the kitchen to make all her favorite dishes.

Watching her utterly spineless husband fuss over their daughter, Shen Neng sighed helplessly.

“A daughter really is her father’s precious little jacket from a past life.”

“Mom! Dad! I’m home!”

The moment Gu Nansheng entered the house, she spread her arms wide and wrapped both of them in a warm hug.

“Come here, let Dad see if you’ve gotten thinner.”

Gu Xiangnan pulled her over to the sofa and examined her carefully.

“So you still remember you have a home?” Shen Neng huffed, though her eyes had already turned slightly red at how much thinner her daughter looked.

“Hey, no crying allowed!” Gu Nansheng hurriedly protested. “Actresses have to stay slim to look good on camera! Mom, have you forgotten how crazy your diets used to be before performances?”

“Don’t try changing the subject.” Shen Neng glared at her.

“Okay, okay, I get it.”

Gu Nansheng quickly changed tactics.

“Wow, what smells so good? I’m starving!”

“It’s all your favorites,” Shen Neng replied. “Your father spent all morning cooking.”

“Thank you, Mom and Dad! Love you both! Come on, let’s eat!”

Whew.

Crisis successfully avoided.

At the dining table, her parents enthusiastically piled food into her bowl without pause.

“Sweet and sour ribs, Shengsheng’s favorite.”

“Pan-seared steak, Shengsheng’s favorite.”

“And stir-fried bamboo shoots, Shengsheng’s favorite.”

“Eat more, you’re way too skinny.”

“Exactly!”

The two of them took turns speaking so quickly that Gu Nansheng barely had a chance to interrupt.

Before long, her bowl had become a miniature mountain of food.

This was not nourishment.

This was a coordinated effort to fatten her into a pig.

“Mom, how has Uncle Lin been lately?”

Gu Nansheng had not told Lin Manqing she was coming home today.

Even though they both lived in City A, driving back to this neighborhood still took three hours.

And with Lin Manqing’s strained relationship with her father…

“Your Uncle Lin is doing well,” Gu Xiangnan said. “He just misses Manqing terribly. She hasn’t been home in so long.”

He sighed sympathetically.

After all, what father did not love his daughter?

“I’ll go visit Uncle Lin later.”

Uncle Lin had always treated her wonderfully.

When she was little, he spoiled her almost as much as his own daughter.

Whenever she and Lin Manqing caused chaos while playing at his house, he never scolded her.

Instead, he would always gently remind her:

“Shengsheng, be careful. Don’t hurt yourself.”

Later, after she and Lin Manqing entered university, Lin Manqing had almost completely stopped going home.

Whenever Gu Nansheng returned during holidays and bumped into Uncle Lin, he would always look at her as though seeing traces of his daughter through her.

After lunch and a bit more conversation with her parents, Gu Nansheng headed over to the Lin residence.

The two homes were very close.

The Lin family lived in a detached villa.

When she was young, Gu Nansheng had loved going there most of all.

The environment was beautiful, and the house was huge, perfect for games of hide-and-seek.

Later, after she started earning money, she had offered to buy her parents a new home.

But both of them firmly refused.

They liked it here.

The familiar environment, the familiar neighbors, people looking out for one another.

Gu Nansheng rang the doorbell.

The person who opened the door was the Lin family’s longtime butler, Uncle Chen.

“Hello, Uncle Chen.”

“Oh my, Miss Gu!”

Uncle Chen had worked for the Lin family for as long as she could remember, and he had always been warm and kind.

“Is Uncle Lin home?”

“He is, he is. Please come in.”

“Master, look who’s here to see you!”

Lin Zhengting was watering flowers in the yard.

At the sound of the voice, he paused.

“Uncle Lin! Did you miss me?”

Gu Nansheng walked over with a smile.

“Shengsheng? Come here, let Uncle have a proper look at you.”

Though already in his fifties, Lin Zhengting still looked remarkably handsome and refined, as though time had treated him kindly.

“Our Shengsheng has grown up so beautifully. You’re a big star now.”

At the mention of his daughter, his expression dimmed.

“Manqing…”

A trace of heartache flashed through his eyes.

“Uncle…” Gu Nansheng hesitated before speaking softly. “Manqing will understand eventually.”

Lin Zhengting sighed.

“It was my fault. I failed her mother. If she resents me, I deserve it.”

Regret filled his expression.

“Uncle, next time, I’ll bring Manqing back with me.”

“Good, good.”

Lin Zhengting gently patted her hand, clearly comforted.

The two chatted for a long while, reminiscing about the trouble she and Lin Manqing had caused as children, then laughing over embarrassing memories from growing up.

Before they realized it, evening had already fallen.

Suddenly, the sound of a car engine echoed outside.

Footsteps approached the front entrance.

Then they heard Uncle Chen’s voice.

“Madam, Young Master, you’re back.”

Young Master?

Before Gu Nansheng could process the words, two people walked into the living room.

She looked up.

The young man looked to be around twenty.

His skin was pale and cool-toned, his black hair slightly wavy.

A pair of dark eyes landed directly on her, surprise briefly flickering across his face.

His nose was high and straight, his lips vivid and naturally tinted.

Dressed simply in a white T-shirt and athletic pants, he carried an effortless youthful energy.

He looked completely different from the little boy in her memories.

Beside him stood a graceful woman in a light-colored qipao.

Gu Nansheng recognized her immediately.

Aunt Lin.

“Dad, do we have a guest?”

The young man’s lips curved into a faint smile, bright and refreshing like sunlight.

“Take a closer look and see if you still recognize her, Siyan.”

Ah.

So Lin Siyan had finally returned.

“Aunt Lin.”

Gu Nansheng stood politely to greet the woman before nodding toward Lin Siyan.

“Shengsheng came to visit,” Song Qing said warmly as she led her son closer.

“Siyan, remember? This is Nansheng, Manqing’s childhood friend. The same Sister Nansheng you used to follow around everywhere, saying you wanted to marry her.”

Oh dear lord.

Why did everyone still remember that?

“I remember.”

The corners of Lin Siyan’s lips lifted slightly.

His gaze lingered on Gu Nansheng as the tips of her ears slowly turned bright red.

Gu Nansheng suddenly wanted to disappear into the floor.

“Uncle Lin, I should probably get going…”

She sounded impossibly awkward.

“What’s the rush?” Lin Zhengting frowned slightly. “You hardly ever visit.”

“I’ll come earlier next time.”

As Song Qing watched Gu Nansheng leave, she sighed wistfully.

“If only Shengsheng could become my daughter-in-law. You used to adore her when you were little.”

Lin Siyan remained standing there, his eyes bright.

A faint smile spread slowly across his face, gentle as rippling spring water.