After that day, it seemed as if the girl had figured everything out, because ever since then, Qin Nanfeng noticed she had become a lot more clingy.
This wasn’t an illusion—even the people in Lin Xinyuan’s family could sense it.
It was as if the formerly extremely shy Lin Xinyuan had undergone a bit of a change; at least, when facing Qin Nanfeng, she was no longer as flustered as before….
In the living room, the four of them sat together, having just finished a round of Chudadi. With Qin Nanfeng as her partner, Lin Xinyuan, thanks to a good hand, managed to win yet another round.
“Pair of twos!”
“Yes… yay, I won~”
Lin Xinyuan was delighted. Even though it was just a simple game, working together with that annoying yellow-hair, she somehow felt a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction.
Caught up in the excitement, she couldn’t help but let out a cheerful sound, eager to share her joy.
But since it was the first time she’d said something so embarrassing… she felt like she was pretending to be cute, just like those girls in anime… so inevitably her tone was a bit…
And right after she finished speaking, she looked up to see three pairs of eyes staring straight at her, scaring her so much that she instinctively shrank into Qin Nanfeng’s arms beside her.
Maybe, to others, Lin Xinyuan’s reaction didn’t seem odd at all—it fit with her timid nature—but those who knew her… also knew this was just the girl’s little scheme…
By doing this… wouldn’t that annoying yellow-hair be satisfied?
Lin Xinyuan buried her little face in that warm, solid chest, her cheeks tinged pink, still shy, secretly thinking.
Imagining this scene with the mindset of a guy she used to be…
If a pretty girl threw herself into your arms, surely you’d be over the moon!
Thinking like this, Lin Xinyuan was so happy she almost wanted to wag her “tail”—if only she had one…
She kept nuzzling into Qin Nanfeng’s chest, temporarily forgetting the awkwardness of having two others present.
But actually, Tang Chengmin and Tang Yayun were already used to this; after all, it wasn’t the first time the girl had been so close with the young man—she’d been like this since the day he moved in.
Still, Tang Yayun didn’t forget to tease, feigning exaggerated shock: “Wow, that’s so sweet~ I love it~.”
At these words, Lin Xinyuan’s little face instantly flushed, her ears burning red. Though terribly shy, she burrowed even deeper, her little head refusing to stay still, looking just like a kitten trying to please its owner.
This move was remarkably effective—Tang Yayun didn’t get the embarrassing reaction from her cousin she’d hoped for. Instead, she herself ended up eating a full mouthful of dog food.
Even Tang Chengmin, sitting beside her, wasn’t spared. He shot a resentful look, the meaning on his face obvious.
Why are you provoking her?
Tang Yayun shrugged helplessly, blinking innocently, as if to say she hadn’t expected this outcome either.
She’d watched her cousin fall completely for her brother-in-law step by step, and seeing the two so close and affectionate, she felt a strange sense of happiness and accomplishment, but also a bit of regret.
Sigh… Miss isn’t so green anymore~
The kind of girl who’d blush at a harmless remark…
With these thoughts, Tang Yayun couldn’t help but glance again at the pair.
So sweet… so…
At that moment, Qin Nanfeng affectionately and expertly patted the girl’s little head, then gently wrapped his arm around her soft body.
He wore a gentle smile, his eyes full of warmth and helplessness: “Alright, Xiaoyuan, stop messing around. Get up.”
Ever since the girl had become clingy, Qin Nanfeng got to enjoy her hugs every day, and their relationship was no longer as awkward as before, where only one side made the moves.
The way Xiaoyuan took the initiative was absolutely adorable, and he liked it very much…
“Oh…”
Taking one last deep breath of the fresh scent on the young man, Lin Xinyuan obediently agreed, reluctantly pushing herself away from that warm embrace.
Before she left his arms, she even sneakily nuzzled him once more.
Would he like her being this obedient?
Time slipped by unknowingly. After the four of them grew tired of playing cards, they started teaming up for games instead.
In the blink of an eye, it was evening and the sky outside was growing dark—
Today, Lin’s mother got off work particularly early and teamed up with grandma in the kitchen to prepare dinner. Grandpa, bored that afternoon, had gone to check the family’s field, and only returned a short while ago. Now he was sitting on the sofa, watching TV.
On the wide Liquid Crystal Display Screen, Xinwen Lianbo was playing, the broadcaster’s newsy voice echoing in the living room, blending with the sounds and exclamations from the games.
Grandpa glanced at the four still fooling around, feeling both happy and anxious inside.
He was happy because it had been so long since the house had felt this lively. In past years, except for his two grandchildren, everyone else was either too busy working, only coming back during Spring Festival and Nianli, or sometimes couldn’t make it back at all…
But this year was different—his youngest daughter finally came home! Even though there was one less grandson, there was a new granddaughter instead, and the granddaughter had even brought her boyfriend along.
These were all things to be happy about, and he’d originally thought this New Year would be the most festive yet.
But then the epidemic hit… Whether his eldest son’s family could make it home was now uncertain… which worried him a lot.
“Time to eat!”
“Okay, Ni Nai, let us finish this round, almost done!”
“Hurry up, it’s cold out, the food’ll get cold!”
“Alright.”
“Oh yeah, Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner! Let’s eat, let’s eat!”
Seeing the big “Da Ji Da Li, Jin Wan Chi Ji” on the screen, Tang Yayun quickly put down her phone and dashed over, muttering, “So hungry, so hungry…”
“You child, not calling your brother and sister?”
At the table.
Seeing her granddaughter being so rash, Grandma shot her a look and placed a plate of plain boiled spinach on the table.
“Hehe~ I forgot!” Tang Yayun scratched her head sheepishly, then walked back to call the others, “Bro, Xiaoyuan-jie, Brother-in-law, Grandpa, dinner’s ready!”
“Mm, coming!”
“Be right there.”
This dinner was as plain as ever, nothing out of the ordinary. The whole family, the young man included, chatted as they ate, a harmonious and joyful scene.
The TV in the living room stayed on, the announcer’s voice still loud and clear, but his tone gradually grew more grave…
Suddenly, Grandpa seemed to remember something and looked at Lin’s mother, speaking earnestly: “Xiaoxin, even though there’s nothing happening in our town, you should still be careful at work these days.”
Lin’s mother couldn’t help but feel both exasperated and amused at her father’s words: “Dad… Of course I know, I’m not a kid anymore…”
“What do you mean, you’re always a kid as long as I’m here! Anyway, a reminder never hurts!”
Grandpa said with a laugh, his eyes hiding a trace of guilt.
With the younger generation all there, Lin’s mother felt a little awkward at being lectured like this by her father, but seeing him act this way, her heart grew heavy. In the end, she didn’t say anything more—she just nodded and smiled, “Alright…”
It was kind of funny when you thought about it… because she’d missed so much of her daughter’s childhood, she always wanted to make up for it.
So she’d often subconsciously treat Lin Xinyuan like a little kid, and apparently, her father was the same…
But the difference was, her father had always been good to her, she was just too headstrong… whereas she’d truly failed her daughter all those years…
Lin’s mother glanced unconsciously at the young couple across from her. The handsome young man was still picking out food for the girl, the affection in his eyes obvious to anyone.
And the girl’s cheeks were tinged with happiness, a rare sight in the past—happier even than when she was with her own neglectful mother…
For a moment, Lin’s mother felt a twinge of jealousy, but she was even more sincerely happy for Lin Xinyuan.
It had been so hard before, but at least, from now on, her daughter would get to be happy, right?
Not like herself, who in the past twenty years had barely known joy, numbed to life like a robot…
There was a little reluctance in Lin’s mother’s eyes, but even more relief and blessing.
That’s good…
Take good care of her…
Let her be happy, that’s enough…