Chapter Sixty-Four: The Stubborn Sitong

“When I was a child, I grew up at my grandmother’s house.” Fu Sitong tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Back then, although my grandfather was retired and had a pension, he still went out to the fields every day, working from dawn till dusk. Sometimes, after school, I’d go help him weed, water, and fertilize the crops. He always said that girls shouldn’t be idle or ignorant about the work of the land.”

Ye Qiu couldn’t help but laugh. “Uh, I bet your brother grew up at your paternal grandparents’ place.”

Fu Sitong looked at him in surprise. “How did you know?”

Ye Qiu blinked. “Would you believe me if I said it was a lucky guess?”

If not for the fact that they’d only met today, an onlooker would have thought the two were old friends.

“Grandparents always dote on their grandsons, so they end up spoiling them.”

Fu Sitong awkwardly smoothed her hair again, clearly touched by her own brother’s habits.

They walked on a little further, and Fu Sitong snuck a glance at Ye Qiu.

He seemed to have never been to Linhai Park before, his gaze brimming with curiosity at every turn.

I must admit, this guy has rather nice eyes.

Ah, Fu Sitong, what are you thinking?

“Oh—!”

Lost in her stray thoughts, Fu Sitong’s foot slipped. With a startled cry, she was about to fall when, all at once, a shadow darted before her eyes.

Huh?

It was soft.

Still shaken, Fu Sitong realized she was now held in someone’s arms in a rather peculiar posture.

“Are you all right?”

A vivid blush immediately bloomed across Fu Sitong’s cheeks. If it weren’t for the cover of night, her entire face would probably be burning red for all to see.

How embarrassing.

She quickly struggled to her feet. “I’m fine, thank you… ow…”

She wasn’t used to wearing heels, and hiking up the hill at night had made her misstep and twist her ankle.

“Let’s sit for a while by the roadside,” Ye Qiu suggested, pointing to a bench in the park. But Fu Sitong stubbornly shook her head. “I’m fine, I can keep going.”

So she said, but seeing her brows knit and teeth clenched in pain as she tried to persevere, Ye Qiu sighed helplessly. “It’s just a passing shower. Watching it from halfway up the mountain is the same.”

“That won’t do,” Fu Sitong insisted. “If my heart isn’t sincere, my wish won’t come true.”

“You really have to go up?”

Fu Sitong nodded.

“All right, leave it to me.”

…

“We finally made it to the top. My backside is sore from sitting so long,” Wang Min grumbled as she patted her bottom in front of Xie Hao, trying to catch his eye.

Xie Hao’s gaze lingered for a moment but shifted immediately to Lin Wan’er as she got out of the car, his previously eager expression now fixed on her.

“Wan’er, are you thirsty?” Xie Hao unscrewed a bottle of mineral water and offered it to her.

“Thank you.” Lin Wan’er took it. Xie Hao exchanged a glance with Fu Fan, who then handed a bottle to Xia Zhu.

The two men watched eagerly as Lin Wan’er and Xia Zhu raised the bottles to their lips, barely daring to breathe for fear of disturbing them.

Go on, drink—once you do, you’ll know what real happiness is.

“It seems there aren’t any good spots left,” Lin Wan’er said as she lowered her bottle, taking Xia Zhu by the hand. “Look, all the best places are taken, and some people even brought tents. If only we had a tent, we could camp overnight.”

Xia Zhu also put down her bottle and pointed nearby. “Look, they don’t just have an RV, they’re even grilling!”

She rubbed her little stomach. “I really want some, too.”

“You want to eat?” Fu Fan volunteered at once. “Wait here, I’ll go ask them.”

Xia Zhu’s eyes sparkled as she nodded, her admiring gaze giving Fu Fan a strange burst of confidence as he strode off.

Hmph.

Xie Hao glared at Fu Fan’s retreating back, grunting to himself.

He beat me to it.

If I’d gone, Lin Wan’er would be completely taken with me. Maybe I wouldn’t even need to use the medicine.

It wasn’t long before Fu Fan returned, but unlike his earlier bravado, he now looked as dejected as a defeated rooster.

“They wouldn’t lend it to me—not even if I offered to rent. I even tried to pay, but no luck.”

Fu Fan shot a resentful glance at those people. If it weren’t for the fact that a few of them were guys and didn’t look easy to mess with, he might have lost his temper.

“I’ve already called a friend to bring over a barbecue set, some skewers, and chicken wings.”

“But it’ll be past midnight by the time they get here. Are we supposed to starve until then?”

Watching Fu Fan’s crestfallen retreat, Xie Hao was secretly delighted. He straightened up, suddenly brimming with confidence. “If they won’t rent, I’ll just buy—no problem paying several times the price. Money’s nothing to me.”

He glanced at Lin Wan’er.

Go on, praise me. Admire me. Aren’t I amazing?

“Wow, Brother Xie Hao, you’re so cool. I knew you’d have a way!” The voice came from Wang Min, not Lin Wan’er.

Lin Wan’er and Xia Zhu looked somewhat tempted, but their expressions remained calm.

Xie Hao felt a pang of frustration but made up his mind to win over those people no matter what.

He strode over, sizing up the group, then focused on the man manning the grill. “Hey, got an extra barbecue set? Sell it to me. I’ll pay double.”

The man didn’t even blink, looking around in mock confusion. “Do you all hear something barking? I could’ve sworn I heard a dog.”

A boy beside him chimed in, “Me too—it sounded like a stray mutt.”

The girls in their group burst into laughter, their youthful energy shining in every smile and gesture.

Their female companions were in no way inferior to his own group. In fact, if Lin Wan’er were out of the picture, the comparison would be downright humiliating.

Xie Hao, proud to a fault, could hardly stand it. He forced a smile. “Name your price. As long as you’re willing to sell, money isn’t an issue.”

“Oh, someone’s stealing our lines!” the man at the grill said, laughing as he set down his skewers and got up. “Sure, you can buy it. The set is one million, each skewer is a hundred thousand, and if you want the food too, it’ll be five million. Pay up.”

“Five million?” Xie Hao exploded. “Are you out of your mind? Five million? You must be desperate! Have you ever even seen five million, just making things up like that?”

“No money, huh? Then why are you pretending to be something you’re not?”

“Listen here, kid—don’t you know who you’re talking—”

He didn’t finish his sentence. His voice faltered and he started to tremble.

A sharp skewer was suddenly pressed to his throat. The man regarded Xie Hao with a dangerous glint in his eye. “Don’t what?”

“Bro, let it go. If the old man finds out you’ve killed someone, you’ll be grounded for another month,” someone nearby said.

The man considered this seriously, then nodded and, with a swift kick, sent Xie Hao flying five meters away. He dusted off his hands, satisfied. “Perfect control.”

“Xie Hao, are you okay?” Fu Fan and the others hurried over to help him up.

At that moment, Xie Hao’s face was flushed and his neck thick with embarrassment. He wished he could crawl into a hole in the ground.