Right now, Hai City was still in the bitter cold of February.
That Ling Xuaner said it was her birthday.
It was almost her birthday.
In the past few years, it seemed like every Spring Festival and birthday, and even every moment, there was Qin Siting in her life. This name had accompanied her in her world for many years.
Shi Niange stood outside the security room of the entire Li Shui Villa area and walked in step by step. Her phone, which had only charged a few percent of its battery in the hotel, had run out of battery when she took a taxi.
But fortunately, she successfully took a taxi back.
It was a cold midwinter, but she didn’t seem to feel cold. She walked in between her and Qin Siting’s villas.
Her building had not been lit for a week. Uncle Qin, Auntie Xiang, and the other elders of the Shi family had all gone to Los Angeles. The remaining servants of the Shi family were still unaware of what had happened. Of course, no one remembered to come here to clean.
The snow in the villa’s yard was piled high and flat. There were no footprints or signs of someone entering.
Shi Niange did not plan on returning to the villa. She turned to look at the building across from her.
It was already so late, yet Qin Siting was still not back.
Where was he now? Was he with Ling Xuaner? Was he preparing a birthday gift for Ling Xuaner?
He had sent her a message in the afternoon and knew that she had returned to Hai City. He was waiting for her.
The Qin family and the Ling family were so well-matched in terms of social status. What about the Shi family, who was already rotten to the core.
Shi Niange stood outside Qin Siting’s villa and raised her hand to press the passcode for his door. However, her hand paused on the passcode for a long time before she put it down. She stood outside and watched the snow fall. Then she turned around and leaned against the high wall by the door. She looked up at the sky and breathed heavily, blurring her vision.
She didn’t know how long she stood there. An hour, an hour and a half? Or even longer?
Shi Niange didn’t wear much after returning from America. After all, Los Angeles wasn’t that cold. When she went out earlier, she was wearing a black windbreaker Auntie Bai had given her when she saw that she was wearing too little.
No matter how thick the coat was, it could not withstand the cold that had lasted for nearly two hours. Shi Niange felt that her mind was numb from the cold.
It was only when she vaguely heard the sound of a car that she moved her stiff neck and turned her head in the direction of the sound.
A taxi drove in and stopped in front. Shi Niange’s gaze first landed on the taxi before she continued to look away in disappointment and numbness.
The next moment, the back door of the cab opened. A familiar, clear, and anxious voice she had never heard before came. “Nian Nian?”
She raised her head again and saw that Qin Siting had alighted from the car.
Shi Niange looked in his direction. Her head was frozen and she could not regain her consciousness. She just stared at him blankly.
Qin Siting saw her standing there like a statue without feeling anything. He was about to walk over when the driver quickly called for him. Qin Siting took out his wallet with a heavy and cold expression. He casually took out two pink notes and handed them in through the car window. Then, he walked straight to Shi Niange without looking back.
“Hey, young man, you’ve given me too much. The meter only costs forty yuan. You…!”
The chauffeur’s words were left in the back. Qin Siting had already taken two steps forward. When he arrived in front of her, he lowered his eyes to look at her. His gaze was unkind and even slightly cold, but he clearly knew that something had happened to her. He did not directly scold her and only lowered his eyes to look at her.
From his return to Japan to her disappearance, the two of them had not seen each other for half a month.
In the end, she disappeared for a few days and suddenly appeared. Even so, her nose was red from the cold, and her face was red. Her gaze was blank and empty, like a lost child.
Facing Qin Siting who suddenly walked in front of her, Shi Niange’s frozen consciousness seemed to ease a little, but it only eased a little. Her eyes moved as she looked at him.
“You won’t tell me why and when you went to the US?” Qin Siting looked into her eyes and did not miss any of her emotions.
But there was no emotion in her eyes. It was empty.
“I couldn’t get through to your phone. Almost everyone in the Shi family that I can contacted has gone missing. I almost called the police. Now that you’ve suddenly returned, is your phone still turned off? Shi Niange, I think you should give me an appropriate reason.”
She could hear that he was suppressing his anger.
Shi Niange did not speak and only looked at him.
Seeing that she was so cold, no matter how angry Qin Siting was, he could not bear to let her continue freezing outside. He wanted to ask her why she did not go to the opposite room to warm up first, but seeing that she looked like she had suffered a huge blow, he did not ask. He opened the door and reached out to pull her in.
Entering, turning on the lights, changing her shoes, everything was the same as every time she came to his house.
In the past, Shi Niange always felt that Qin Si’s home was even warmer than hers. The two of them lived so close to each other, and even the company that provided heat was the same. However, she felt that everything here was good.
After Shi Niange entered, her expression was slightly dazed. Qin Siting looked at her and reminded her, “Change your shoes.”
“Put the coat there.”
“Don’t be in a daze. Come in.”
“What are you standing there for? Come here.”
One after another, she followed whatever he said. She was clearly rebellious and insisted on standing in the cold for so long, but now she was obedient like a puppet with a string. She was not angry at all.
Qin Siting’s gaze never left her. When he saw that she was standing still by the sofa, he reached out and pulled her down to sit down.
He then looked at her sternly. “What happened to the Shi family?”
Shi Niange’s gaze moved again and met his eyes.
Qin Siting saw her expression and frowned, but he still controlled his temper and softened his voice. He tried his best to restrain his temper and not scare her. “What happened? Tell me? En?”
Shi Niange’s lips moved. When she flew back from Los Angeles, when she woke up on the plane, she was still thinking that if she saw Qin Siting after returning, she would definitely throw herself into his arms and cry properly. She would cry in front of him all the grievances and sadness she had suffered these days.
But when the words were about to leave her mouth, they almost became: When did you get engaged to Ling Xuaner?
She forced the words out of her mouth and looked at him, saying numbly, “Qin Siting, can you hug me?”
