“Have you noticed your mom’s attitude toward me has gotten a lot warmer?”

“No.”

Chen Qingqing denied it without hesitation.

Xu Ye grinned. “The first two times she called me by my full name. But just now, at your place, she called me Xiao Xu.”

Qingqing didn’t want to talk about this. “That doesn’t mean anything,” she cut him off. “Eyes on the road.”

“Relax, I’m an old hand at this.”

“Sure you are.”

Xu Ye drove straight to the mall. First, a luggage store for a suitcase, then a sweep through the supermarket for the basics — the whole trip took less than half an hour. Coming out of the supermarket, he said with a grin, “You know, the original plan was to take you out for a proper meal today. But then your mom asked me to drop you home for dinner, so that’s a bit awkward.”

Qingqing wasn’t buying it for a second.

In her mind, Xu Ye had always been cheap, shameless, and a little ridiculous. Him treat someone to dinner? Yeah, right.

Xu Ye dragged the suitcase along beside her. “Don’t give me that look — I made a bit of money this summer. I’m not broke anymore.”

“There’s a Starbucks on the first floor,” she said. “You’re buying.”

“Done.”

Xu Ye agreed without a flicker of hesitation — which, for him, was genuinely rare.

A little after five, Chen Hansong left the bank and drove out to Red Leaf Estate.

He’d once been the owner of this villa. Now he couldn’t even get through the front door without ringing the bell.

Jiang Meilin opened it, took one look at him, and turned around to go sit back on the couch.

Chen Hansong let himself in, found a pair of slippers, and swept the living room with a glance. “Qingqing upstairs?”

“She went out.”

“You’re home, so why did you still send Ruxue to take her — you already don’t spend nearly enough time with her—”

“She went out with Xu Ye,” Jiang Meilin said simply.

“What?“

Chen Hansong’s eyes went wide. He crossed the room in a few quick strides. “You agreed to this?”

“Mm.”

“Jiang Meilin, have you lost your mind? Do you have any idea where this is heading if you keep letting them—”

Watching him come apart at the seams actually put her in a better mood.

“I just want Qingqing to be happy,” she said calmly.

“You—!” He jabbed a finger at her. “You are completely unreasonable.”

Jiang Meilin gave a cold laugh and went back to ignoring him.

The living room settled into a heavy silence. It stretched on for a long while before Chen Hansong finally couldn’t take it anymore and glanced at his watch. “When is she getting back?”

“Soon.”

“Ruxue’s not with them. How did they go out?”

“Xu Ye drove.”

“He can drive? He just graduated high school.”

“He already has his license.”

Chen Hansong looked like his scalp was crawling. “He barely has his license, and you let him drive your daughter around? You really have lost it.”

The words had barely left his mouth when a car horn sounded in the courtyard.

Chen Hansong was at the front door before anyone else had moved. He pulled it open, and there they were — Chen Qingqing and Xu Ye climbing out of the car at the same moment.

“If you’ve got time tomorrow, let me take you out for that meal properly.”

“Fine — seafood. King crab. Lobster. The kind of dinner that costs a few thousand.”

“Seriously? You want to eat me into the poorhouse?”

“Pfft. I knew you’d chicken out.”

“Give me a little more time. Once I’m a millionaire, I’ll get you panda if that’s what you want.”

“Yeah, okay. Dream on.”

Qingqing was about to head inside when she looked up and found Chen Hansong standing in the doorway. The smile on her face vanished inside of two seconds.

Xu Ye saw him too. And apparently still carrying a grudge from last time, he didn’t offer so much as an Uncle Chen.

He even said, with what might have been deliberate provocation: “I’ll head off then. Talk tonight.”

Qingqing gave a small nod.

Xu Ye handed her back her car keys and was about to leave when Jiang Meilin appeared at the door. She stepped around Chen Hansong with a warm smile. “Xiao Xu — why don’t you stay for dinner?”

Xu Ye: !!!

Chen Hansong: !!!

Chen Qingqing: !!!

All three sets of eyes landed on Jiang Meilin at once, each carrying some degree of disbelief.

Xu Ye scratched his head. “That’s — I wouldn’t want to impose…”

Qingqing glanced at her father, then turned back. “Stop performing. Since when do you get imposer’s guilt?”

And with that, she walked inside.

Xu Ye stood there for a beat, then followed — brushing right past Chen Hansong, who was left standing in the doorway like a piece of furniture.

“The food’s ready. I just need to ladle out the soup — go sit down.”

Xu Ye sidled up to Qingqing and murmured, “Where’s the bathroom? I need to wash my hands.”

“Follow me,” she said, just as quietly.

The two of them slipped into the bathroom together. Chen Hansong, watching this unfold, felt his eyes nearly pop out of his head. Something in him was bleeding quietly.

How — how did a thief get into this house? They’ve been on summer break for less than two months!

Inside the bathroom.

“Your dad looked at me like he wanted me dead.”

“Scared?”

“Of what? As long as your mom likes me, I’m fine.”

“Keep quiet at dinner.”

“As you wish.”

“Idiot.”

They came back out and settled in at the dining table. Jiang Meilin brought out the last dish — a spare rib soup — and Qingqing went to the kitchen to get the bowls and chopsticks. She picked up the rice paddle and started serving.

Chen Hansong rose from his seat. “I can do that myself.”

Qingqing ignored him completely. She filled a bowl, then — right in front of Chen Hansong — handed it directly to Xu Ye.

Xu Ye looked faintly surprised, but accepted it with a quiet “thanks.”

Chen Hansong felt something twist in his chest.

Qingqing had done it on purpose, of course. If her father hadn’t been there tonight, she absolutely would not have served Xu Ye his rice. But the look on Chen Hansong’s face when she did — that barely-suppressed storm of expression — gave her a quiet, cold satisfaction she kept entirely off her own face.

Chen Hansong forced himself to swallow it all down. “Qingqing,” he said, making himself sound steady, “your mom and I have talked it over. The day after tomorrow, I’ll drive you up to school.”

Silence.

“I’ve already cleared my schedule. We’ll leave early, get the paperwork done by noon, tour the campus in the afternoon. If the dorm feels too crowded, I’ll reach out to someone and find you an apartment nearby.”

Still nothing from Qingqing. Jiang Meilin stepped in gently. “Qingqing, just say what you think. If you really don’t want your dad to take you, I can take a day off — or I’ll have Ruxue go with you.”

“I don’t need anyone,” Qingqing said, her voice clipped. “I can go by myself.”

“What kind of freshman shows up to registration alone?” Chen Hansong said immediately, his composure slipping. “Qingqing, stop being difficult. Just listen to your dad on this one, okay?”

Silence.

Qingqing still wasn’t speaking. Chen Hansong was starting to unravel, and Jiang Meilin had nothing left to offer.

Then Xu Ye, very quietly, said: “Chen Qingqing — you could just come to Shanghai with me. I could—”

He didn’t even get to finish the sentence.

“Fine,” Qingqing said.

Chen Hansong sat there with a hand pressed to his chest, finding it suddenly difficult to breathe.

(End of Chapter)