Holding hands, they walked one after another along the muddy country road.
If an outsider saw them, they would likely think Liu Xie, in her conventional blue and white dress, was a delicate flower blooming in the countryside, while Liu Anran was the CEO she had led astray.
Too bad that wasn’t the case. If anything, it was the opposite: Liu Xie was the little white flower kidnapped by the CEO.
Liu Xie was unexpectedly well-adapted to these country roads. Under the circumstances, she didn’t even really need Liu Anran’s support. However, the white edges of her canvas shoes were now completely stained with mud.
“Did you use to live in such a fun place?” Liu Xie plucked a dried foxtail grass from the side of the road and held it in her mouth, imagining herself as some kind of powerful swordsman.
“It wasn’t exactly what I’d call fun.”
“That’s just because you think too much. Isn’t it fun to be carefree like this?”
Liu Xie gestured to their surroundings. “It’s another damn beautiful day. Look at these little fucking flowers and this goddamn grass. Fuck, it’s good to be alive.”
“Sometimes I really wonder if your manners ever survived the phase of compulsory education.” Liu Anran held Liu Xie’s hand firmly.
He jumped down from a fence and stepped onto another intersecting dirt path. Then, he turned around and reached out his hand toward Liu Xie, who was still standing above.
He intended to carry her down, but Liu Xie insisted on jumping herself to show off her “magnificent physique.” Without a second thought, she leaped down.
Of course, her body wasn’t what it used to be, so she didn’t land steadily. Luckily, Liu Anran was there to catch her.
He supported her backside to keep her from hitting the ground, but Liu Xie’s chest slammed directly into his face.
“Whoa.” Liu Xie looked down at him. “I told you that you didn’t need to catch me. Look at that, you got hit by a charging foul, didn’t you?”
“Better to be hit by you than the ground.”
“You’re even jealous of the ground?” Liu Xie looked at him in mock shock.
Liu Anran took a deep breath, said nothing, and pressed a kiss against Liu Xie’s neck.
With her sensitive skin, Liu Xie immediately felt the tickle and the slight moisture. “Hey, hey! What are you doing!”
She patted the back of Liu Anran’s head with both hands. She didn’t dare use much force, only tapping him lightly.
Liu Anran’s lips left her neck, leaving a faint red mark behind.
Indeed, Liu Anran was actually taking revenge for the red marks Liu Xie had left all over his neck back at the beach, which had forced him to wear a silk scarf for one week.
“This is a punishment. Now that I am your fiancé, if you keep acting tough in front of me and hurting yourself, I will punish you.”
Liu Xie simply covered her neck tightly. “Who behaves like that? I really think you’re a bit repressed now.”
Liu Anran looked calmly at the person who had once planted over ten “strawberries” on his neck before finally setting her down.
“How is that acting tough…?” Liu Xie hugged herself after her feet hit the ground. “I feel like you’re just being a hooligan. Besides, didn’t I refuse to agree to your proposal yet?”
“If you agree, I’m your boyfriend. If you don’t, I’m your fiancé,” Liu Anran said.
“How are you profiting from both sides?” Liu Xie couldn’t quite process the logic for a moment.
Bickering as they went, the two eventually arrived at a mud house.
Most of it was constructed from large, piled stones. It possessed a heavy sense of history but looked like a structure that could no longer withstand much weathering from the wind and rain.
An old man sat on the stone steps at the entrance, a crude crutch lying by his feet.
His hearing and vision seemed poor; he only noticed them when Liu Anran walked right up to him.
“Who is it?” He lifted his cloudy, aging eyes. “Oh, it’s Little Anran.”
Before Liu Xie could express her confusion, the old man spoke again. “Only you would still come back to see me, even though I’m the one who owes you the biggest apology.”
Liu Anran was clearly not the type to put his arm around someone’s shoulder and reminisce about the past. He pulled Liu Xie along and sat down on the empty space of the steps.
“Two people came by a while ago asking for the whereabouts of their child. You gave them the address I originally left with you.”
“Yes, yes,” the old man said tremulously.
“Those two… they had too many children back then and couldn’t raise them all, so they left one with me. Recently, they said the one they kept had an accident and passed away, so they remembered to ask me for the younger one.”
“But I’m the only one left here now.” The old man pointed to the empty house behind him. “I couldn’t afford to keep them. I could only raise them until they were in their teens before sending them out. Now that I’m old, my memory is failing. I’m afraid I can’t even remember where most of them ended up. You’re the only one.”
“They told me they just wanted to see you once to make sure their child was alive and that they wouldn’t bother you. I figured I couldn’t let a parent’s small wish go unfulfilled… Did they cause trouble for you since you’re here now?”
“A little, but not much.” Liu Anran knew that the biggest trouble in this matter was likely his own tendency to make a mountain out of a molehill.
“I am truly sorry. I already owed you so much, and now I’ve troubled you again.”
“You don’t owe me anything. I was the one who chose to leave back then.” Liu Anran maintained his indifferent expression. “Besides, I suppose I’ve gained a blessing in disguise now.”
The old man looked deeply at Liu Anran, his murky eyes seemingly trying to etch Liu Anran’s entire being into his mind.
“I haven’t asked yet—this girl beside you, I haven’t seen you bring her here before?”
“She is my fiancée.” As Liu Anran spoke, he grabbed Liu Xie’s hand, interlacing their fingers.
Liu Xie, who had been watching ants carry things nearby, immediately dropped the little twig in her hand. “Uh, um, yes. Hello, Grandpa. I’m his fiancée.”
Looking on the bright side, at least she hadn’t agreed yet, so she was just a “fiancée.” If she agreed, she would be his “girlfriend.”
So why exactly was Liu Anran winning on both ends?
“Is that so? It looks like you’re living happily now, Little Anran.” The old man sighed with emotion. “Even though I can’t see very clearly anymore, I’m sure the two of you are a perfect match.”
“Young lady, our Little Anran is a very responsible and kind person. You must treat him well.” He turned his head slightly. “And you, treat her well too.”
“I understand.”
“I wonder when I’ll get to see Little Anran start a family… I don’t know if I’ll still be around to see it by then.”
Liu Anran was suddenly silenced by those words.
This old man, who remained rooted in this place, was still waiting for happy news from all of his “children.”
“You will,” Liu Xie suddenly spoke up. “We’ll definitely make sure you see it, Grandpa.”