In the evening, after dinner, it was time for the family to watch TV. However, whenever a romantic storyline appeared on TV, Qiao's mother would say a few words to Qiao Zixin. Qiao Zixin didn't want to listen and made an excuse that she was too tired from the car ride, so she went back to her room at eight o'clock. She was then scolded by her mother for not being considerate at all and not even talking to her family when she got home.
Qiao Zixin lay on the mat and sent a WeChat message to Xu Zifan, asking him what he was doing.
Xu Zifan replied that he was dealing with company emails. Qiao Zixin smiled. It seemed that Xu Zifan had devoted himself to the company since he started it, and especially liked working overtime. She could imagine that Xu Zifan was now staring blankly at his laptop, occasionally touching his chin to show interest, and occasionally tapping the table with his fingers to show that he was thinking carefully.
When you truly care about someone, you unconsciously observe their many little actions and personal preferences. She was like that, and so was Xu Zifan. Her mother, on the other hand, seemed to have never paid any attention to her. Her mother knew her husband's and son's likes and dislikes perfectly; in this family, she was completely superfluous.
Xu Zifan asked her how things were at home, but she didn't mention her worries. She only said that her family was doing well. She also told Xu Zifan that there was a lake on the outskirts of the city. Although it froze over in winter, it was the most scenic spot in the town. Few people probably went there during the Spring Festival. She suggested that they go and visit it when they had time. She said that she learned to swim in that lake.
Xu Zifan chatted with her for a long time, and around 11 p.m., he urged her to go to sleep quickly because he had to entertain guests the next day. After saying goodnight, Xu Zifan thoughtfully reviewed the chat history, and then anonymously posted a message online.
[If someone is unhappy, how can you make them happy and joyful on New Year's Eve so they can have a happy holiday?]
[Phalaenopsis: Judging from this old-fashioned guy's questioning style, he's definitely a straight man. He's probably just trying to win his girlfriend over, right? Invite her to a movie, give her 99 roses, have a candlelight dinner, and then watch the beautiful fireworks!]
[Su Luoruo: Fireworks viewing +1, New Year's Eve movie recommendation: "Life is Beautiful," starring Zixin and Zifan, a comedy, your girlfriend will definitely like it!]
[Lancer: You absolutely must send her flowers, a huge bouquet! You absolutely must watch "Life Is Beautiful," isn't watching "Life Is Beautiful" perfect when you're feeling down? The trailer is awesome, it'll definitely cheer your girlfriend up!]
Xu Zifan silently read through the replies on the page, not quite understanding why people would guess he and Qiao Zixin were a couple just because he posted an anonymous question. He hadn't actually thought about it. In his own life, he was born in a slum, without parents or relatives, growing up alone, struggling to survive, striving to become stronger to avoid being bullied, eventually becoming the slum's top thug. Then he started from scratch, leaving the slums and gradually becoming a successful entrepreneur, getting to know business tycoons and government officials, slowly entering that top circle.
By then he was fifty years old, and had spent most of his life working hard and struggling. He had no time for romance or love. Even marriage was arranged through matchmaking, with conditions set and both parties getting along well. In the end, he achieved great success and had even less interest in playing around with young girls. He was an orphan and longed for a warm and stable family, so of course he would never do anything to harm his family.
He transmigrated several times afterward, mostly as cannon fodder who rose to power. Only twice did he protect others: once his parents, and once his sister. He devoted his life to his sister's happiness, yet he was only ever called a doting brother. This time, many people assumed he was with Qiao Zixin because of his protection of her. He hadn't paid attention before due to work, but now that he saw everyone saying it, he simply sent them a message to ask directly.
[Why are you all guessing it's his girlfriend? If a man wants a woman to be happy for life, can't they just be good friends or like brother and sister?]
[MoMo: Are you trying to say you two are just friends? Hmm... let's not even talk about whether you are or not. Life is too long. If you're just friends, who's going to be with you forever? And her future husband won't let another man control her happiness, will he?]
[Happy New Year: I used to be really close to my childhood friend, but then his girlfriend got jealous and started treating me badly, so we became strangers. You're still young, aren't you? You think boys and girls can be best friends forever. When you grow up, you'll realize that relationships between men and women are complicated. If they don't become lovers, they'll definitely drift apart. I've never seen an exception.]
[Six to Fly: Show this post to that girl, she'll kill you. If you only want to be friends, don't be so nice to her, otherwise, how will she ever be interested in anyone else? You're not even reciprocating her feelings, what's the point of her being happy! I just confessed to my adopted brother yesterday, and he said he doesn't like my type. If he doesn't like me, why is he being so nice to me? Who's more miserable than me, getting dumped during the New Year? What brother and sister? We're not related by blood. How can I not be moved by him being so nice to me? He makes everyone else look like dirt! I'm so angry!!!]
Xu Zifan felt as if the world had suddenly become much richer and more colorful. He used to think that being kind to someone was simply being kind, and that he could continue doing so as long as he found a reason. But receiving so many replies to his post this time seemed to have opened a new door for him. He suddenly wondered, if Qiao Zixin married someone else in the future, what would be his role in caring for her? If she encountered problems she couldn't solve, would his intervention make her husband jealous and resentful? Life is so long, and he and Qiao Zixin had no blood relation; what role could he play in being by her side?
Put yourself in his shoes; if his wife had such a protector, he would absolutely not tolerate it.
Some netizens also said that he treats Qiao Zixin too well, which makes her pale in comparison to other suitors. Can Qiao Zixin truly fall in love with someone else and get married happily? It seems that when filming "Life is Beautiful," Qiao Zixin opposed the female lead marrying a rich and handsome man, insisting on...
Let the angel descend to earth and reunite with the female lead. Does this mean that Qiao Zixin shares the same thoughts as these netizens? When it comes to how good he is to Qiao Zixin, he feels that no one in this world is more sincere than him, because he came into this world specifically for Qiao Zixin.
Xu Zifan suffered from insomnia that night, but not out of confusion; rather, he needed to seriously consider this question. Could he guarantee Qiao Zixin's lifelong happiness by remaining a shadow behind her? Could marrying Qiao Zixin if he loved her and could bring her happiness? Regardless of the outcome, once he made a decision, he couldn't change it, so he needed to think it through carefully. He firmly believed that in the long run, emotions weren't the most reliable thing; a sense of responsibility was the only constant.
Qiao Zixin was completely unaware that the person she was thinking about had already realized her feelings. She got up early in the morning to help her mother greet the guests. Qiao's father was the eldest son, with two younger brothers and three younger sisters. Their elders had passed away, so every year during the Spring Festival, everyone would come to the Qiao family home to celebrate together. Six families, nine children, and this year there was another family—her second aunt's brother's family—making the whole house feel like it was packed with people.
Just like when she was a child, Qiao Zixin quietly served them fruit platters, drinks, and other snacks before heading to the kitchen to help her mother cook.
"Hey! Isn't this our big star? What brings you back this year?"
"Zixin, sit down quickly. What's going on between you, Lin Yan, and Liu Jie? Are you really a mistress? Lin Yan is quite handsome. Did you really date him? I don't know which of the news articles online are true and which are false. Tell me quickly."
"And Xu Zifan! He's so handsome. I heard from Aunt Yu that you and him aren't a couple. Can you introduce him to me? He's your fan, so he'll definitely listen to you. I like him so much! If I could date him, I would die happy."
Aunt Qiao pushed them away, frowning, and said, "Go away, go away, what are you talking about during the New Year? Stop talking nonsense." She turned around and pulled Qiao Zixin to sit down, laughing, "Zixin, come here and let your aunt take a good look at you. You've really grown up so much, becoming more and more beautiful, even more radiant than on TV."
Qiao Zixin smiled faintly and glanced at Qiao Zhipeng. She thought that her second aunt's sudden change in attitude towards her must be because she wanted her to buy a school district house for Qiao Zhipeng. Before, she used to treat her like a maid.
Unexpectedly, Aunt Qiao beckoned her nephew over and introduced him, saying, "Look, this is Zhang Hao. You two used to play together when you were little, don't you remember? He told me the other day that he really liked you and asked me to introduce you. When I saw this, I thought, isn't this a perfect match? What a wonderful thing! The more I look at you two, the more you seem to be a good match. You're both handsome and beautiful, and your future children will be good-looking too. It's a perfect match."
Zhang Hao smiled awkwardly and greeted Qiao Zixin, but his gaze was aggressively fixed on her, making her feel violated.
Qiao Zixin looked at her second aunt and said directly, "I'm sorry, second aunt, I'm not considering this for the time being. Besides, Zhang Hao and I aren't compatible, so let's not talk about it. I'm going to help my mom cook."
Aunt Qiao grabbed her arm, her face darkening. "Look at you, child, how can you be so disrespectful to me? Last time you called your mother crying, saying you'd been scammed, I even kindly introduced you to a job, but you refused to come back no matter what. Now I'm introducing you to such a good potential partner, and you reject him without a word. What do you mean by that? Do you look down on your aunt?"
The cousin who said she wanted to date Xu Zifan glanced at Qiao Zixin jealously and said, "That big star knows so many rich kids, why would he look down on people from our hometown?"
Aunt Qiao looked at Qiao Zixin with a stern face. "Zhang Hao has now graduated from university and passed the civil service exam. He works in our government service hall. He's quite successful. Zixin, I'm not trying to be mean, but being a celebrity is a short-lived career. In a couple of years, who will still care about you? It's one thing to have an unstable job, but to be all lovey-dovey with so many people on TV in front of the whole country, I don't know what people will say. If Zhang Hao didn't like you, how could you have found such a good person? You don't want to be a mistress to some boss in the big city, do you? Being so vain isn't good."
Qiao Zixin forcefully shook off her hand and said coldly, "Second Aunt Qiao, you're insulting me with your words, and you still expect me to give you face? Do you think I'm still that pitiful little thing you can order around!" She swept her gaze over the disgruntled expressions of the crowd. "If you despise me, then don't call me back. I have no interest in seeing your hypocritical faces. You can spend the New Year on your own!"