After leaving the restaurant, Qin Nanfeng called for a designated driver. After thinking it over, he chose not to send the girl back to school.
The black Audi sped along the city roads and, after a short while, drove straight into a residential complex.
If Lin Xinyuan had been awake at this moment, she would definitely have recognized the place.
Wasn’t this South Street Community—the place she had moved out of at the beginning of the semester?
After parking in the underground garage and sending the driver off, Qin Nanfeng opened the back door and carefully carried the girl on his back as he got out.
His movements were extremely gentle. Even while walking, he kept his steps as steady as possible, afraid of waking her.
It was just past nine at night. On a cement path within the complex, the streetlights bathed the pair in a soft, hazy glow, tender to the extreme.
Although Qin Nanfeng looked straight ahead, most of his attention was on the person on his back, listening to her unconscious murmurs.
“Nan Feng… brother…”
“My head… hurts…”
“So uncomfortable… I won’t touch it again…”
“You… aren’t allowed to touch alcohol either…”
“Don’t be like… that man…”
Seeing this, a trace of heartache flashed in Qin Nanfeng’s eyes. He let out a soft chuckle. “Alright, I’ll try.”
He didn’t like drinking anyway, but he couldn’t promise he would never drink, so this was the best he could do—just like how he used to promise Lin Xinyuan he would try not to stay up late.
Perhaps his words had some effect. The girl, who had been a bit restless, gradually calmed down.
Her body stopped fidgeting, and she lay quietly against his broad back.
Feeling her settle, Qin Nanfeng’s gaze softened even more. He quickened his pace, following the familiar path upstairs.
When they reached the door, he carefully set her down, supporting her slender waist so she could lean against him and not fall.
He took out the key, opened the door, then slowly lifted her again. After entering, he pushed the door shut behind him with his back.
At a glance, the scene inside didn’t seem much different from nearly two months ago.
After the girl moved out of the rental apartment, Qin Nanfeng had directly bought the place from the landlord.
The girl’s original arrangement had already been quite nice, but he had still redecorated the interior—keeping the original layout while making it more practical and adding some furniture.
Compared to before, it now had more of a lived-in atmosphere.
Of course… none of that really mattered.
Because as long as the girl was here, she was the best decoration this place could have.
He gently laid Lin Xinyuan on the bed and covered her with a thin blanket.
He didn’t turn on the air conditioner. Even though the weather was hot, nights still carried a slight chill.
Besides, after drinking, it was easy to catch a cold—especially with her fragile constitution.
After finishing, Qin Nanfeng sat by the bedside, quietly staring at her face.
Under the influence of alcohol, her breathing was slightly heavy, but her expression was peaceful.
Her soft lips were slightly parted, and her faint breathing sounds were barely audible.
After a long while, he finally came back to his senses, shook his head slightly, and smiled silently.
As if remembering something, he stood up, planning to boil some water with the kettle so that when she woke up, she would have something to drink if she was thirsty.
But just then, his phone suddenly rang, breaking the silence in the room.
Fortunately, Qin Nanfeng reacted quickly. He immediately took out his phone and muted it, then glanced at the girl before relaxing.
Looking at the screen, he frowned slightly, then walked out to the balcony. After closing the door behind him, he answered the call.
“What is it?”
His tone was calm, with a hint of impatience.
The person on the other end chuckled. “Hey, I just happened to find out something recently. Your sister asked me to check in again…”
“So?” Qin Nanfeng tapped lightly on the glass window with his knuckles, raising an eyebrow.
“Uh… so you and that Lin Xinyuan… I mean… Lin Xinyuan… is it real?”
Qin Nanfeng nodded, not caring whether the other person could see. “Yes. That’s it. Okay?”
“Huh? Didn’t you say before that it was impossible for anything to happen between you two—”
“Things change. Thanks.”
Before Cheng Qian could finish speaking, he was cut off. The call was hung up before he could react.
Seeing this, Cheng Qian helplessly turned his head to look at the stylish, elegant woman sitting at his computer desk, who had been silent the whole time.
“You heard it. What are you going to do next?”
Although he had listened to Qin Nanfeng before and stopped investigating Lin Xinyuan, ever since Qin Nanfeng bought that rental apartment, he had felt something was off.
And when he finally looked into it, he was shocked.
Because Lin Xinyuan’s identity information had changed.
Not just the name—but the gender as well.
Thinking about how Qin Nanfeng had bought the place the girl once lived in, he came up with a bold guess.
So he checked Tianbei University’s forum—and what did he find?
The two of them… were actually together?
Still reeling from shock, Cheng Qian immediately told Qin Qingge.
And this time, when they reached out, Qin Nanfeng didn’t deny it like before—he directly admitted it.
That change was almost unbelievable.
“There’s nothing to do,” Qin Qingge said lazily, crossing her long, fair legs with a natural charm. She glanced at Cheng Qian. “Let him do whatever he wants.”
But even as she said that, ripples stirred in her heart.
She understood that her younger brother… was serious this time.
She had thought this day might never come, or would take a very long time—but she hadn’t expected it to happen so quickly.
Just as she had guessed before, according to what she found, the girl was indeed a real girl now.
Even if some details didn’t quite add up, she didn’t care.
As long as she was a girl, that was enough. There was no need to dwell on anything else.
So Qin Qingge wasn’t worried about the girl. She had met Lin Xinyuan before and had a rough understanding of her personality. If anything, she was more worried that Qin Nanfeng might hurt her.
In her eyes, that girl was far too innocent—completely different from her brother’s previous so-called girlfriends.
That was why, during her free time tonight, she had asked Cheng Qian to make that call—to probe Qin Nanfeng’s thoughts.
Only after hearing his confirmation did she feel relieved.
Though only a little.
Still, she had a feeling that, forget three years—even within less than one year, Qin Nanfeng might bring her home.
That way, their mother would finally be happy, right?
Thinking of their mother, who had been exhausted over the past few years, Qin Qingge couldn’t help but feel a bit grateful toward the girl.
‘…I should find time to get closer to her…’
‘It wasn’t easy to find someone like this. I can’t let her slip away…’
‘And I definitely can’t let my brother mess things up. He can’t wrong such a good girl.’
‘…A rather special good girl.’
As she thought this, a faint smile appeared on Qin Qingge’s lips.
Seeing her smile, Cheng Qian was momentarily dazzled, but he quickly composed himself and thought of something.
“What about your parents? Are you going to tell them or not?”
“Tell them…” Qin Qingge thought for a moment, then shook her head. “Forget it. Let’s wait a bit.”
“What do you mean ‘your parents’? We’re not even married yet, and you’re already saying it like that?”
“Heh, that’s bound to happen sooner or later!”
“Hmph…” Qin Qingge rolled her eyes, stood up, and smoothed out her slightly wrinkled clothes. “I’m leaving.”
“Hey! Qingge~ where’s my reward?”
Not willing to let her go so easily, Cheng Qian stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her waist, looking at her pitifully.
Qin Qingge didn’t think much of it and simply kissed him lightly on the lips. “That enough?”
“No way! I’ve helped you so many times—there’s barely any benefit for me!”
Cheng Qian shook his head, then his gaze shifted mischievously toward her chest, his meaning obvious.
“You…” A faint blush appeared on Qin Qingge’s usually composed face, but she still pretended to stay calm.
“I have a contract to discuss tomorrow… next time…”
“It’s fine. I’ll set an alarm—I’ll take you there tomorrow!”
“No, we don’t have that—”
“I brought it.”
“You… honestly… fine…”
Her expression was shy yet helpless as she turned her face away. “Just this once…”
“Deal!”