The night was just right, making the exquisitely designed garden look like a fairyland.
The man under the moon looked a bit sorrowful, but the brilliance in his eyes was so captivating that one couldn't help but be drawn to him.
In his hand was a small box. He opened it, and something inside was glittering.
It seemed to be a ring, the kind for women...
"Ah, it's you."
Qin Qiao'er, who thought she had come silently, was finally noticed by the man. Suddenly, their eyes met.
"It's me, but I didn't follow you here. I just got lost..."
Zhao Youting didn't say a word. He just turned around and continued to look into the distance absent - mindedly.
Qin Qiao'er pouted. What an unlikable guy.
But still, she stepped forward and sat in the empty space beside him.
The two of them fell into silence, just looking at the far - off part of the garden.
It was a bit too awkward... She had to say something.
"Hey, the night sky is really beautiful today... Right, Youting?"
"Yeah."
His response was unexpectedly cold, as if he was absent - minded.
Well... Maybe she should change the topic? But if she wanted to talk about something else, it might only be...
"I'm really sorry about what happened during the day... But I really didn't do it on purpose... I didn't even think about getting close to you. In fact, I even disliked you..."
"Do you dislike me?"
Turning to see Zhao Youting looking at her with a seriously intense gaze, Qin Qiao'er was at a loss for words for a moment: "I... I don't dislike you. It's just..."
"Just what?" Zhao Youting even propped his head up with one hand as usual, looking at her with an interested look.
Qin Qiao'er panicked and blinked her eyes.
"Just that sometimes I feel like we can't communicate with each other..."
Zhao Youting tilted his head, as if he didn't understand.
Qin Qiao'er felt a bit more relaxed. It seemed that in this situation, she could say more.
"Actually, it's not that I really dislike you... But most of the time, you seem like someone who doesn't know anything about the real world. You don't understand my troubles, and I can't figure out what you're thinking..."
"Is that so..."
Zhao Youting turned to look at Qin Qiao'er, but didn't get a response from her. All he could see was the tips of her ears turning slightly red as she shyly said, "Yes... Yes! That's exactly how it is."
"Um... So you would doubt, be afraid, or just not understand me?"
"More or less..." Although Qin Qiao'er thought it was a bit of an over - exaggeration, it was probably about the same feeling: "And, if I have to say, there's another reason. After all, I'm the mother of two children, and I have to be responsible for them."
"So my feelings aren't the only factor that determines our future. My future must also include them. I'll always love them the most. So if I can find a real good father for them, I don't mind being wronged."
"Why can't you have both?"
Zhao Youting's voice was soft, as if he was sighing.
Hearing this, Qin Qiao'er turned her head. Their eyes met, and in the moonlight, they both looked extremely gentle and hazy, as if covered by a veil of moonlight.
Zhao Youting moved a bit closer: "Why don't you believe that I can achieve both? I'll give you, Chenchen, and Wanwan a complete family!"
Zhao Youting's overly serious look and question left Qin Qiao'er at a loss for a moment. Finally, she turned her head away and murmured softly, "I don't even know why you like me. How can I say I believe you..."
"I see."
After saying that, Zhao Youting turned his head and continued to look into the distance. His gaze seemed a bit unfocused, and he didn't try to defend himself further.
Qin Qiao'er had no choice but to follow suit.
They both looked over there, but there was nothing there except a blue rose.
The blue rose... She always felt like she had seen it somewhere.
Thinking that she should say something else, Qin Qiao'er timidly said, "Ah, come to think of it, there were also many such blue roses in the courtyard you took me to before. Do you like this kind of flower?"
No, I don't like it. It's just that my mother liked it.
"Yeah, I do."
"Eh— It's really hard to tell. I thought you were the kind of person who didn't understand this kind of pleasure, but you actually like flowers."
Don't understand pleasure... Is it like that mother who stayed at home every day and made educating me her only mission?
"Yeah, it's not really like that. It's just that my late mother liked them a lot in the past."
Just then, Qin Qiao'er noticed that Zhao Youting's expression looking at the ring became a bit lonely again. So it was related to his mother... Thinking of all her previous speculations, Qin Qiao'er even felt a bit guilty.
At this time, Zhao Youting finally seemed willing to say something: "Qiao'er, would you like to listen to me tell a story from the past?"
Qin Qiao'er was already a bit curious. She hesitated for a while after this question, and finally pretended not to be curious and agreed.
"Go ahead."
Zhao Youting noticed her uneasiness but didn't expose it. He started to tell that story from that time.
"She was a very stubborn and strong - willed woman."
Although it was a bit strange to hear this man refer to his own mother as "woman", thinking about his a bit awkward personality, it was not hard to understand.
"When I was a child, because our family's power wasn't that strong, there were always some small - time villains who had their eyes on me, but I didn't know."
After a pause, Zhao Youting continued, "On the contrary, I liked to sneak out and play."
"Pfft, so you also had such a time. I thought you had a life of luxury and no childhood."
Zhao Youting shrugged with a smile: "I'm really sorry to disappoint you."
Then he continued, "The first time I sneaked out, I bought this ring for her because the wedding ring she always wore was lost at that time."
Who would have thought that Zhao Youting was such a considerate person... Qin Qiao'er secretly looked at Zhao Youting's profile. Although they were joking just now, his expression was actually lonely.
"As a result, she seemed not to like it and refused. She never wore it. Then it was lost and I could never find it again. I never thought it would appear here now..."
"But it seems that this ring has been well - preserved. Maybe your mother just didn't wear it because she knew you sneaked out, but actually cherished your gift very much."
Zhao Youting didn't say a word. He was silent for a while before replying, "Maybe."
Noticing that the atmosphere was a bit heavy, Qin Qiao'er felt that she might have said something wrong. Just as she was thinking of something to save the situation, Zhao Youting continued the unfinished story.
"I once regarded her discipline as a cage that protected me but also restricted me. I never thought that the moment I finally escaped from the cage would be at the cost of her life."