Ren Ziling took the lead and found a milk tea place to sit down — at ho, she basically couldn’t eat any junk food. Anything sugary or high in calories didn’t exist in any hidden corner of the house.
But having passed thirty and completely letting go, Madam Ren no longer cared about her figure. She happily ordered a large cup of caral flavor.
Akiko paid the bill.
Ren Ziling’s nosy journalist instincts imdiately kicked in. Instead of feeling sympathy for the dancing girl, she was irritated. “What? You two got together after just a few days? My god, and you actually believe in this kind of overseas whirlwind romance? Girl, you’re too young. Didn’t it cross your mind that maybe he was just playing around?”
“He… he’s not that kind of person.”
Ren Ziling shook her head. As a woman herself, she felt the need to knock so sense into the kid. But this girl was really infatuated — traveling all this way alone to find a scumbag, with no connections, no money, and now living on the streets, earning just enough with a bit of talent… and even with all that, she still hadn’t thought of leaving. That was admirable in a way.
Seeing her worried and heartbroken expression, Ren Ziling couldn’t help but sigh internally.
At that mont, Akiko subtly motioned for Ren Ziling to co over — Ren Ziling frowned, said a word to the girl, and then walked over to Akiko.
“Sister Ren, what are you going to do with her?”
“I’m still thinking,” Ren Ziling mused. “Maybe… we help her?”
Akiko said, “But how? This kind of thing isn’t uncommon. Once she wakes up to reality, she’ll go back. There’s not much we can actually do, especially since it’s a matter of feelings.”
Ren Ziling replied, “That’s true. But the girl doesn’t even have a place to stay right now. Can you really watch and do nothing?”
Akiko hesitated. “But… what if this is so new kind of scam? I’ve heard modern scams are pretty sophisticated, full of tricks.”
Ren Ziling smiled. “It’s good to be cautious. But look at her — no matter where you put her, I guarantee there’ll be so idiot guy willing to pay. With her looks, she could make money doing almost anything. And even if it is a scam, why scam us? What do I have worth scamming? After rent and expenses, I can’t even afford hot pot!”
“But… I still think we should be careful.”
Ren Ziling patted her on the shoulder, then added, “But what if it’s real? If it is, a girl traveling across the world to find love is already a great story angle. And if the guy turns out not to be a scumbag but has so untold reason for disappearing, then it’s even more moving — especially to soone like you.”
Akiko blinked. “Sister Ren… you’re not just story-hungry ‘cause you’ve got writer’s block, are you?”
Ren Ziling gently grabbed her shoulder. “What was that? Didn’t quite catch it?”
Feeling the pressure tighten, Akiko quickly shut her mouth.
Ren Ziling switched to a lighter tone, patting her shoulder, “It’s settled then!”
…
“I… maybe I should just leave.”
The girl looked uneasily around the simple but spotless ho and said nervously to the enthusiastic Ren Ziling, “I really don’t want to trouble you… I got my tip money back, I can find a guesthouse.”
“Those kinds of places are even less safe,” Ren waved her hand. “It’s fine. There’s not many people living here — just and my son.”
She organized her bag as she spoke, not looking up.
“Your son?” The girl blinked in surprise.
“My ex-husband’s son.” Ren shrugged nonchalantly.
“Then… your husband?” The girl seed even more puzzled.
“He passed away a few years ago, in an accident.”
“I’m sorry,” the girl whispered.
Ren shrugged again. “Kid, even if you’re just staying here temporarily, you’ll still need to follow the rules… and the rule in my house is: no talking about unhappy things.”
“Then… your son?” The girl glanced at the ti. It was nearly 10 PM.
“He should be back soon.” Ren answered casually. “My son’s a bit strange. Doesn’t talk much. But recently he’s dating soone… actually, that brat hasn’t brought his girlfriend around in ages. I’m starting to worry… ahaha, sorry, let’s not talk about that. How about you tell more? I’m pretty good at finding people. Tell about your boyfriend.”
The girl nodded and fell silent, seemingly lost in thought.
“His… his na is John,” she said, gazing at her locked phone, gently stroking the screen. “He’s very gentle. Doesn’t talk much, but when he does, everyone listens. He’s quiet and never seems to get angry. Like he understands everything. We t during an accident. We both fell into this really cold place…”
“A cold place? An accident?” Ren asked curiously. “Skiing accident?”
“A freezer room,” the girl smiled faintly. “Sounds unbelievable, but it’s complicated.”
“Not that strange,” Ren shrugged. “Weird stuff happens all the ti. Just a few days ago, I— Never mind, go on.”
The girl nodded. “Before that, I barely knew him, even kind of resisted him. But in that cold room… I felt safe. Like as long as he was there, I’d be okay.”
Ren said, “In danger, people can develop dependence quickly. Near-death experiences often spark intense feelings… maybe it wasn’t really love.”
“Maybe,” the girl sighed. “I’m not sure. Maybe you’re right.”
“Then what happened?” Ren pushed, “You two got together?”
The girl tilted her head back slightly, sotis smiling, sotis bitter. “We… we had a really good ti together. I thought it would last. But one day, he just disappeared. No matter how I searched, I couldn’t find him. I used every thod I could… and finally found out he ca from this city.”
“You never thought this John guy was just playing with you?” Ren couldn’t hold back anymore and frowned.
The girl lowered her head and gently touched her abdon, whispering, “Whatever the reason… I need to let him know. At the very least… I need an answer.”
Seeing that gesture, Ren Ziling ntally shouted oh hell no — she’d seen too much not to know exactly what that ant.
“How… how far along?”
“Just over two months…”
“Don’t worry.” Ren suddenly grasped her hand. “As long as that scum— cough, I an, that guy is still in this city, I’ll definitely find him for you!”
“Thank you, Miss Ren,” the girl said gratefully. “I really don’t know how to thank you. I’m so lucky to have t you.”
“Don’t call Miss Ren. Just call Ren, or even sis — I’m older than you anyway.” Ren smiled. “Song Ying, right? I’ll just call you Little Ying.”
“Mm…” the girl — Little Ying — nodded.
The door opened.
“Oh, that must be my brat coming back.” Ren stood up and walked toward the door in slippers. “Finally ho, huh? Where’ve you been ssing around? And when are you bringing my future daughter-in-law over? I haven’t seen her in forever! Are you trying to make worry to death?!”
Luo Qiu frowned slightly — not at Ren Ziling’s chatter, but at the girl standing behind her.
“Oh… let introduce you.” Ren Ziling turned back. “This is Song Ying. She’s had so trouble lately, so I invited her to stay here for a few days. You’re okay with that, right?”
The mont Little Ying saw Luo Qiu, her expression shifted. She quickly covered her mouth with her hand, and tears began streaming down her face. In a hoarse voice, she said, “John… John, is it really you? Am I not dreaming?”
Let’s rewind the scene a bit.
Ren Ziling’s mouth was slightly open—not in a fixed way, but continuously dropping lower… like her jaw might fall off at any mont.
With a trembling hand, she pointed at Little Ying, then slowly turned her stiff neck toward Luo Qiu, her finger still shaking. Her eyes widened. “He… he… he’s gentle, doesn’t talk much, very… very quiet… Oh my god!!! You’re that scumbag?! And you used a fake na?!”
Luo Qiu: “?”
At that mont, Little Ying suddenly rushed forward and threw herself at Luo Qiu, hugging him with so much force that they nearly tumbled out the door.
She whispered, “Just go with it. It concerns your father.”
Luo Qiu’s brow furrowed slightly.
…
Ren Ziling was anxiously pacing the living room, glancing toward the balcony—except the sliding door was locked, so she couldn’t hear what Luo Qiu and Song Ying were saying. All she could see was their movents.
Luo Qiu stood with his back facing her, completely blocking the view of Song Ying. All Ren could tell was that Song Ying had her hand over her mouth and was slightly trembling, clearly emotional.
“John… Luo Qiu… John… my son? Scumbag?”
Ren Ziling was panicking. “Oh god… has this brat been secretly smoking, drinking, getting tattoos all these years? Has he gone bad behind my back? No, no, no, don’t scare yourself. It can’t be. No way…”
“Ah… what do I do? The baby? What do I do…? Holy shit?? Am I really going to be a grandma? Grandma?! Huh…”
…
Glancing casually into the living room, Luo Qiu looked at Song Ying expressionlessly… Song Ying did have her hand over her mouth, but not to cry—she was clearly struggling to hold back laughter.
“S-sorry, I really couldn’t help it,” she giggled. “It’s so rare to see you look so dumbfounded… even Song Haoran never managed that! Hahaha!!”
Luo Qiu remained silent. Truthfully, he had underestimated the situation.
When he ca ho, he never activated his Boss powers. Whenever he returned, he shut off all his abilities and senses, treating himself as a completely ordinary person—just a man entering a house with decades left on the mortgage.
Song Ying’s laughter slowly faded. She dropped her hand.
Seeing Luo Qiu’s blank expression, her confidence began to waver. A wave of unease rushed over her, and her words ca out awkwardly. “I… I didn’t an anything by it, I… I just wanted to ss with you a little. Who told you to always act so calm? I just wanted to see your shocked face… I-I’m sorry, I’ll explain everything later, I promise…”
She couldn’t even lift her head.
Her fingers gripped the hem of her clothes unconsciously. It really did sound like she might cry. “I… I didn’t know… please don’t be mad, okay?”
Terrifying.
She had never seen this man—so gentle to her grandfather, so respected in the Song family, and even to herself—ever wear this expression.
And she had never realized how weak and submissive she could beco when scared like this.
“As long as it wasn’t malicious,” Luo Qiu finally said after a while.
When Song Ying looked up again, the frightening man from before had vanished—like it had been a re illusion. He was once again like a spring breeze from a quiet field, so soft and comforting that it put her at ease.
That crushing feeling of insignificance disappeared… though her heartbeat had yet to calm.
“Fix your face first,” Luo Qiu said calmly. “At least make yourself look a bit more relaxed. That woman in the living room tends to overthink.”
“You… you’re not mad anymore?”
Even though the oppressive atmosphere had vanished, Song Ying still felt oddly weak… which wasn’t like her at all. Even she didn’t understand why.
“I said, as long as there was no ill intent, it’s fine.” Luo Qiu looked at her and suddenly asked, “Forget that for now—what did you just say about my father?”
Song Ying quickly seized the chance to shift the mood. She nodded, “Actually, I ca here this ti at my grandfather’s request. We discovered… your father’s death back then might not have been an accident—it may have been caused by soone.”
Suddenly, the entire city went dark.
All electricity seed to vanish in an instant.
Not just this city.
Viewed from a satellite, vast stretches of land—across borders and beyond—plunged into darkness on this moonlit side of the globe… or rather, were swallowed by it.
In that darkness, Song Ying could no longer see Luo Qiu’s face… but she had a strong sense that he didn’t want it to be seen.
(End of Chapter)
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