Spring Night Kiss.

Song Qingjia woke up with a sore back and aching waist; she was alone in bed.

There was a card on the bedside table, and a dark blue velvet box on top of it.

She picked up the note; it was in Xu Zhouye's handwriting.

"Flying to Miami. Eat well, work less overtime, and think of me often."

Song Qingjia glanced at the race calendar; the Miami Grand Prix was during the May Day holiday. Although the timing was rather unlucky, it wasn't all bad news for racing fans, since they wouldn't have to get up early for school or work the next day.

She put down the note, picked up the velvet box again, opened it, and found a deep-colored sapphire necklace. The pendant was a deep cornflower blue sapphire, oval-cut, surrounded by a ring of small diamonds, like a ring of tiny starlight cradling a drop of frozen seawater.

Song Qingjia didn't know much about jewelry, but it wasn't hard to tell that this necklace must be very valuable.

She thought for a moment and put it in the bedside drawer.

I'll return it to him when he gets back.

I threw off the covers and got out of bed. As soon as my feet touched the carpet, my legs went weak and my knees almost hit the floor.

She steadied herself by holding onto the edge of the bed and muttered a curse under her breath.

When he was washing up and changing clothes, the hickey below his collarbone in the mirror looked so red and self-righteous, just like his personality.

She applied two layers of concealer, but a faint pink hue still showed through. Finally, she turned up her shirt collar to barely cover it up.

After getting ready, Song Qingjia opened the door, where Song Ergou was already waiting. As soon as the door opened, the little guy started meowing, circling around her ankles, his tail held high, his fluffy head rubbing against her calves.

She was so charmed by its cuteness that she knelt down, scooped it up, buried her face in its furry belly, and kissed it several times.

The cat couldn't stand being kissed, so it stepped on her face with its paws, but she didn't flinch.

She poured cat food and changed the water for the kitten, and Er Gou buried his head in his food, purring loudly. She squatted down beside him and watched for a while, feeling somewhat healed.

Doorbell rang.

She put the cat down and went to open the door. Xu Wanran was standing outside, holding a shopping bag in her hand: "Ta-da—I've brought breakfast for my sister!"

Song Qingjia stepped aside to let her in.

"Thank you, why did you bring me breakfast?"

Xu Wanran paused in changing her shoes, then stuck out her tongue: "My brother asked me to deliver them."

She straightened up: "He said that my sister would definitely be very hungry when she woke up in the morning, and that I must deliver it to her."

Song Qingjia: "..."

Why is she so hungry?

However, just as she was about to retort, Xu Wanran suddenly screamed excitedly, "What an adorable cat!"

Song Ergou had somehow walked up to Xu Wanran's feet and was rubbing against her with his tail raised.

The little girl squatted down, stretched out her hand, and Song Ergou smelled her fingertips before nuzzling her head against her.

Song Qingjia found it amusing; it seemed that Er Gou was only targeting Xu Zhouye.

Xu Wanran had already picked up the cat, holding it close to her chest, resting her chin on its fluffy head: "So good, so good, what's your name?"

"Song Ergou".

Xu Wanran: "Huh?"

Is this adorable cat named Er Gou?

She looked down at the soft, round orange cat in her arms, then at Song Qingjia, then at the cat again. "Sister, do you have some kind of grudge against it?"

"A humble name makes a child easier to raise." Song Qingjia took out steamed buns and porridge from the bag and placed them on the table. "Have you eaten? Let's eat together."

Xu Wanran didn't stand on ceremony at all. She put the cat down, washed her hands, and sat down opposite Song Qingjia, resting her chin on her hands and staring intently at her with starry eyes.

Song Qingjia took a bite of the xiaolongbao, the soup filling her mouth. She chewed it, swallowed, and looked up at her.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Xu Wanran pointed to her neck, then to Song Qingjia's collar, and grinned mischievously: "Sister, you... have something here. Your concealer didn't cover it up."

Song Qingjia paused, then tugged at her collar. She remained outwardly calm, continuing to drink her porridge, but inwardly she was cursing Xu Zhouye from head to toe.

Xu Wanran chuckled to herself, wisely refraining from pressing the matter further. She lowered her head to drink her porridge, took a couple of sips, then looked up again, hesitant to speak.

"Sister, about that thing you mentioned last time... walking the dog," her voice trailed off, her ears turning red, "could you elaborate a bit more?"

"What do you mean, 'walking the dog'?"

"Well... before, when I asked you how you got my brother, you said walking the dog."

Song Qingjia: "..."

She said it casually, how did the child take it seriously? When it comes to walking a dog, what matters is whether the dog is sincere or not, it doesn't really have much to do with the person walking it.

If it weren't for Xu Zhouye, they wouldn't have been able to escape.

She said, "Want to pursue someone?"

Xu Wanran immediately shook her head, then nodded.

Song Qingjia said, "You are still young, study hard."

Xu Wanran: "..."

How come it's exactly the same as what her brother said?

-

Nie Yuhuai flew back to Jingzhou overnight, and immediately rushed to the Science and Technology Building after getting off the plane.

An industry summit ended at 10 p.m.

The driver took him back to the Nie family villa. The whole house was quiet, except for the wall lamp at the top of the stairs which was still on.

He rubbed his temples and started going upstairs.

At the corner of the stairs, Nie Qingyuan stood holding a water glass. Although he was over fifty, he was still slender and upright, and his brows and eyes held the imposing presence that came from years of holding a high position.

"You're back? Come to my study."

Nie Yuhuai paused for a moment, then took a step and followed.

Nie Qingyuan sat down behind his desk, picked up his teacup, blew on the foam, didn't drink it, and put it down again.

"How's the company doing lately?"

"Not bad. The Q2 earnings report will be released next week, and it is expected to grow by 12 percent compared to the same period last year."

Nie Qingyuan nodded, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and remained silent for a long while.

"You went to Shanghai?"

Nie Yuhuai paused slightly with his fingers: "Yes, go check on Qingjia. Aunt Cheng is worried about her working alone over there."

Nie Qingyuan nodded, his expression unchanged, and his tone remained gentle: "It's time to go and take a look."

"Qingjia is a stubborn child, and her relationship with her mother has always been strained. To be honest, our Nie family owes her something. As her older brother, it's only right that you take care of her, but don't go overboard."

Nie Yuhuai did not respond.

"Some things are private matters in other people's homes, but in the Nie family, they're a matter of public image. Do you understand what I mean?"

Nie Yuhuai's jawline tightened slightly for a moment: "I understand."

"You've always been sensible since you were little, so I don't need to spell it out for you." Nie Qingyuan put the teacup back on the table, the bottom of the cup hitting the solid wood table with a dull thud. "Qingjia is your sister."

He paused for a moment and then continued, "She's still young and can't withstand those rumors."

Nie Yuhuai curled his fingers, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "I know."

"Alright, it's getting late, go and get some rest."

Nie Yuhuai nodded slightly, then got up and left the study.

In the corridor, he reached out and loosened his tie, then closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He knew, of course, that she could only be his sister.