Fang Yunyao sat limply in the corner of the room, appearing so fragile at this moment despite being seven years older than Fu Cheng. After turning 26, she had really experienced too much hardship, dark times, helplessness and loneliness as she needed a sense of security as well as protection.

  When one feels secure and allows their guard to slip, that is when they are also more vulnerable to being hurt.

  After reuniting with Fu Cheng, Fang Yunyao had been slowly bringing herself to believe that she possessed a safe harbour once more. The belief, however, was tentative, doubt-ridden and thus fragile like glass.

  Landing on the ground, Little Niannian wrapped her arms around her mother’s neck, snivelling all over. While she might not be aware of the circumstances, since her mother cried, she was crying too. She was crying so loudly that her breathing became rapid, her voice turning sore with constant sobs and hiccups. It was truly pitiful no matter how one looked at it.

  Fang Yunyao and Niannian had both very nearly died during her unexpected premature childbirth. Afterwards, they had lived together in a small place, both the other’s support. Mother the daughter’s roof, daughter the mother’s rainbow……

  They had tided through the toughest times together.

  Even in the darkest of times, Fang Yunyao had never viewed Little Niannian as a burden before. Her daughter was her sole support, making her, not a brave person by nature, independent and strong.

  As a result, when Fu Cheng’s parents had said ‘bring Niannian back, but that woman’s really no good’.……her mental barriers had instantly collapsed.

  The scene of mother and daughter hugging each other and weeping together exemplified the phrase ‘both the other’s support’ to the absolute fullest. Everyone felt a stinging pain in their hearts that ached on their behalf……

  Everyone was feeling heartbroken for them, much less Fu Cheng.

  Because of this, he made the most difficult decision, then crouched down, opening his arms wide as he said, “Let’s go home.”


  In order to give them a family, he decided to give up on his family.

  The notification beeps on QQ stopped. Fu Cheng’s ringtone started to sound again and again.

  Fu Cheng ignored it as he just looked at Fang Yunyao. It was not that Fang Yunyao did not have faith in Fu Cheng, in truth. That had never been the case. Still, since this matter concerned Fu Cheng’s parents, she had been constantly been shrinking back, wanting to run away from it.

  She had never been the sort of woman who would determinedly fight for what she wanted.

  Now, Fu Cheng had already given his answer.

  The scene was seemingly frozen in time amidst the incessant ringing of Fu Cheng’s phone. On one side were mother and daughter, sobbing. On the other was Fu Cheng, waiting with his arms outstretched. No one else dared utter a sound……

  After a long time, Fang Yunyao finally ceased crying. She coaxed Niannian in a low tone, wiping the snot and tears off her face.

  Then she turned Niannian around to face Fu Cheng and relaxed her grip, letting go.

  No one knew what Fang Yunyao might just be thinking as this very moment.

  As for Niannian, she was ultimately a kid. After crying, everything might return to being a blank slate again. As she had been learning to walk recently, this sort of scenario of standing within someone’s embrace while another person waited with their arms outstretched was really not rare or infrequent at all.

  Perhaps she thought that it was just a game like the usual.

  Niannian toddled over unsteadily, then plunged headfirst into Fu Cheng’s embrace before she could lose her balance.

  Fu Cheng tightly embraced the little one in his arms……

  The incessant ringtone sounds finally ceased.

  The QQ notifications beeped once again.

  A photograph appeared in the chat window of a girl standing by a lake on a campus. The girl wore a white dress, her arms crossed before her. She had a sweet smile and appeared very classy and pretty too……

  This was followed by three messages from Mr Fu.

  “This is Deputy Mayor Ju’s youngest daughter. She’s in the same year as you and is studying in university too. Deputy Mayor Ju saw you before when we attended the wedding of Dean Zhao’s son in the city last year. At that time, his daughter was sitting at the neighbouring table and saw you too.”


  “Your mother mentioned your situation when talking with others afterwards. Anyway, Vice Mayor Ju and his daughter both rather like you. Also, his family ultimately has some ties with ours from the past.”


  “It isn’t that your mother and I are insistently aspiring out of our league. Deputy Mayor Ju himself mentioned to me that we should arrange a time for you two to meet after the New Year, to see if you’re suited for each other. If you are, after you graduate……”


  “This is only because they’re honouring the old relationship between us and really took a liking to you……if it really works out, it can be considered as them marrying beneath their status. This here is our family’s chance, son.”


  “Weigh between it yourself. How should you choose? You’re still young, son, and there are still many things you do not understand. Don’t be so muddleheaded. Even if you don’t think for your own sake, you still have to think for the sake of our family.”


  The girl in the photo was really very beautiful. Mr Fu’s words could also be considered heartfelt.

  It was actually very difficult to define right and wrong here. There was only a clash of ideologies. Xu Tingsheng had thought about this problem before in his previous life. If Fu Cheng had grown up by his parents’ side, would he have become another person altogether, all these problems no longer to happen?

  Because his parents had begun their journey in the bureaucracy in some faraway place, though, he had grown up in his auntie’s house instead. His auntie was a primary school teacher in an experimental county school while her husband was a romanticist senior high music teacher.

  Fu Cheng’s personality and worldview had been shaped growing up in such an environment. When he had gone back to stay with his parents, his way of life had already diverged from his family’s.

  The Fu family’s situation was a bit special. It was actually not exactly correct to call them a bureaucratic family as they somewhat lacked the background for such. Still, their ambition towards this had never changed.

  Fu Cheng’s grandfather had still been quite young when he had become the head of Libei County, with a bright future existing ahead of him……yet he had been toppled by his enemies.

  This had not dampened the Fu family’s enthusiasm towards officialdom, though, as it had even intensified instead. Whether it was because of a hunger for authority or simply because it was just something he had to see done, Mr Fu was truly resolute about this. He had virtually been climbing up step by strenuous step from the very bottom with naught but his own abilities. He was only in his early forties. There was still a chance……

  Therefore, in their estimates, Fu Cheng’s starting point would only be higher. The Fu family’s hopes rested on his shoulders.

  It was because of this that Mr Fu had said ‘This is our family’s chance’ and ‘Even if you don’t think for your own sake, you still have to think for the sake of our family’.

  Those in the room all looked silently at the messages and pictures on the screen popping up one by one……

  Fu Cheng lifted Niannian up and went over to turn off the computer.

  The others left the room, leaving it to Fu Cheng and Fang Yunyao to sort things out between themselves……

  In the afternoon, the party split into their various groups and went off individually.

  Xu Tingsheng went out on a walk with Little Xiang Ning too. He was sitting by the riverbank when she hugged him from behind, resting against his back.

  “Uncle,” She said, looking a bit troubled, “What if your Mum and Dad don’t want me too?”


  “That won’t happen,” Xu Tingsheng said.

  “But I’m very scared. I’m not of any use at all, and I’m still so little. Why do you like me?”


  “There is no why. I already liked you in my previous life,” Xu Tingsheng replied jokingly.