Wang Qiqi tugged her suitcase along, pointedly ignoring Feng Xuanxiang’s gaze. Hmph, only getting anxious now? Should have thought of that earlier. Hmph. She absolutely would not tell him why Shi Man was in a foul mood. Let him stew. The journey here had been utterly miserable; she’d barely managed to sleep and even had an inauspicious dream. Neither of them had rested well; Manman had even been crying in her sleep.

Dai Lijun watched the two women, clearly unwilling to explain, and internally groaned. Why was it always him? Such rotten luck. “You haven’t contacted Manman much lately. She’s unhappy. And I told her you were planning a surprise for her.” Dai Lijun leaned in and whispered to Feng Xuanxiang, “Of course, I didn’t say what kind of surprise.” Dai Lijun struck a pose of a brother who hadn't exactly betrayed a confidence.

Feng Xuanxiang finally understood why his girlfriend had been so startled. It turned out this whole mess stemmed from Dai Lijun’s vague explanation. Although he desperately wanted to yell at Dai Lijun for giving such an unclear hint—it would have been better to just spill the beans about the surprise than to be treated coldly by his girlfriend right now—he controlled himself. “Manman, I’m taking you somewhere. You’ll know when we get there.”

“I’m not going.” Shi Man struggled vehemently in Feng Xuanxiang’s embrace. She thought: Is he taking me to meet some new woman, expecting me to bless his new romance? Forget it; I don’t have that much generosity in me.

Watching his girlfriend refuse to cooperate and nearly ruin the rose huā, Feng Xuanxiang sighed. Since she was being so uncooperative, he supposed he had to resort to force. He swiftly handed the roses to Dai Lijun, then abruptly scooped up the still-struggling Shi Man and strode toward the parking lot. “Idiot, could you grab Manman’s luggage?” Feng Xuanxiang admitted he was taking out his frustration on the idiot, but this mess was ultimately his fault. Even though he knew his girlfriend’s anxiety was partly his responsibility, would Manman really be this upset if it weren’t for his secrecy? In short, Feng Xuanxiang blamed the idiot for a huge chunk of Manman’s bad mood.

Feng Xuanxiang had shoved the roses at Dai Lijun without a word. Dai Lijun, startled, first gaped when the flowers were thrust upon him, then fumbled to catch them. Before he could even speak, he heard Feng Xuanxiang instruct him to carry luggage too. He froze. Even he wasn't dense enough not to realize Feng Xuanxiang was getting revenge. Knowing he had to hold both the flowers and the luggage, his two hands simply weren't free to grab Shi Man’s suitcase.

Dai Lijun knew he couldn't stop Feng Xuanxiang, so he could only throw a pleading look toward Wang Qiqi, hoping she would bail him out. Wang Qiqi snapped out of her daze and followed Feng Xuanxiang without looking back. As for Dai Lijun’s desperate plea, Wang Qiqi pretended not to see it. At this moment, Wang Qiqi realized this might actually turn into a happy occasion. But because this idiot lacked flexibility, he had managed to mess up something that should have been fun. She felt he deserved a lesson for his blunder.

Dai Lijun hadn't expected even Wang Qiqi to abandon him. He was utterly dumbfounded. “Qiqi, Qiqi…”

Hearing his increasingly pitiful calls, Wang Qiqi hardened her resolve and didn’t turn around. “Hurry up, Idiot, if we don’t leave now, we’re not waiting for you!” Wang Qiqi wasn't actually worried that Dai Lijun would be left truly stranded with Shi Man’s luggage.

Watching Wang Qiqi and the others move further away, Dai Lijun could only manage to pull one suitcase with one hand, carefully wedging the rose huā between his hand and the suitcase handle as he slowly followed the main group. By the time he caught up to Feng Xuanxiang’s car, he found Wang Qiqi standing right there by the vehicle, waiting. “I said, you’re too slow. Hurry up and put the luggage in the trunk.” After saying that, Wang Qiqi slipped smoothly into the backseat.

Dai Lijun felt truly tragic. He had done exactly as Feng Xuanxiang asked, yet the man hadn't acknowledged any favor, instead colluding with Wang Qiqi to bully him. It was too much.

Once seated, Dai Lijun said nothing, closed his eyes, and prepared to sleep. After all, Shi Man was in the car; he didn't have to worry about Feng Xuanxiang selling him out. Besides, he had no desire to lighten the mood, even if the atmosphere in the car felt strangely tense.

After struggling fruitlessly in Feng Xuanxiang’s embrace, Shi Man had resorted to silent resistance. No matter how Feng Xuanxiang tried to coax her into talking on the way back, she remained mute as a statue. Wang Qiqi, as soon as she got in the car, made it clear she wouldn't wade into the conflict, gave a big yawn, and went to sleep. As for Feng Xuanxiang’s last hope, Dai Lijun, he was expressing his unhappiness by sleeping, too.

Feng Xuanxiang watched his girlfriend, Shi Man, staring blankly ahead for the entire journey. Then, through the rearview mirror, he saw the other two sleeping soundly. He sighed inwardly. He had gone to such lengths to keep the secret just to give his girlfriend a surprise! There was no grand hug he’d envisioned, no sweet kiss; instead, he was met with a cold face. He felt miserable and longed to tell her the truth just to hear her bright laughter for the rest of the ride. But the words caught in his throat, and he pulled them back. After all the fuss, they would reach the destination in just a few more minutes, and when all the mysteries were revealed, his girlfriend would surely give him the hugs and kisses he deserved. Thinking this, Feng Xuanxiang started humming a little tune, cheerfully driving toward the new house.

Shi Man was astonished that even after she had expressed her protest so clearly, Feng Xuanxiang hadn't explained and was actually humming happily. What did that mean? She desperately wanted to shout for him to stop, that she wanted to immediately book a flight home and avoid the awkward scene ahead. But then she thought that since they had already come this far, whatever scene awaited, she had to face it bravely. With that resolution, Shi Man slowly closed her eyes, determined to gather her strength for the battle ahead.

While waiting at a traffic light, Feng Xuanxiang gazed at Shi Man’s sleeping face. “This expression suits you much better. That snarling look earlier didn’t suit you at all.” He gently touched her cheek, feeling the smooth texture again, and felt the empty corner of his heart fill up. “One more year…” Feng Xuanxiang counted down silently in his mind.

Wang Qiqi had merely been resting her eyes. Seeing Feng Xuanxiang’s gentle expression, she curled her lip. Hmph, keep pretending. Wang Qiqi was certain that no matter how big the surprise was, Shi Man would give Feng Xuanxiang a memorable souvenir. Wang Qiqi congratulated herself on bringing her camera; she absolutely had to capture all of Shi Man’s actions expressing her ‘surprise.’ It would be a great memory when they were old, and she could also show it to Han Tao, who hadn't made it to the battlefield.

“Manman, wake up. We’re here.” After parking the car, Feng Xuanxiang gently shook Shi Man. As for the two in the back, Feng Xuanxiang was sure they hadn't actually slept; otherwise, why would they have opened their eyes the moment the car stopped? Hmph. Not only did they fail to offer any mediation, but they seemed to be enjoying his suffering. They were simply too much.

Wang Qiqi pushed open her door and stepped out, only to find themselves in front of a two-story detached house. While it wasn't huge, and the huāgarden was small, this had to be the property Feng Xuanxiang had purchased. For someone who couldn't rely on his family and had to build everything himself, this was a significant achievement. Simultaneously, Wang Qiqi wondered if the house she and Han Tao bought would be this big, noting that housing prices were truly astronomical where Han Tao currently worked.

Dai Lijun let out a couple of whistles. “Good heavens, finance jobs really pay well!” He had expected a simple bungalow, not a standalone villa. “Rich people,” was the thought echoing in his mind.

After being woken by Feng Xuanxiang, Shi Man didn't even glance at him, immediately pushing the door open and stepping out. “Did you change landlords?”

Shi Man’s anger flared up again. See? He didn't even tell her about something as major as changing residences. Was he planning to wait until she arrived at the old rental only to find he had moved out, leaving her stranded in this unfamiliar city? The thought of that scenario made her glare fiercely at Feng Xuanxiang a few times.

“It’s not a change of landlord; I just bought this house,” Feng Xuanxiang said, beaming. “It’s mortgaged, and it’s not huge, but it’s enough for the two of us. Later, when we have kids…”

“Of course, we’ll get a bigger one later…” Feng Xuanxiang, perhaps too delighted, just kept listing his own plans and thoughts, completely failing to notice Shi Man’s expression.

Dai Lijun stood behind Shi Man. Though he couldn't see her face, he felt the thick wave of resentment radiating off her. He pinched the bridge of his nose. Sigh, someone’s future looked bleak. He decided it was best to quietly start unloading the luggage.

Wang Qiqi had already wandered off to inspect the huāgarden and circle the house.

After talking for quite a while, Feng Xuanxiang finally realized his girlfriend hadn't offered a single word of agreement. “Manman, do you dislike this house?”

“I haven’t looked around yet, so I don’t know if I like it,” Shi Man replied. She knew this was supposed to be a surprise, but the issue was: “You didn’t tell me about something this big. What do you take me for? Okay, I’m happy you wanted to surprise me, but you didn't have to ignore me or even send an email.” No matter how big the surprise, it couldn't outweigh the anxiety she had felt for months.

Shi Man decided she couldn't let this man off easily. She rushed up to Feng Xuanxiang and started hitting and kicking him. “For deceiving me! For not contacting me! You made me worry that you had someone else on the side…” By the end of her tirade, Shi Man was crying.

Feng Xuanxiang knew this was his girlfriend venting, so he didn't fight back. But seeing her cry completely panicked him. He rushed to comfort her, his strategy being a continuous barrage of self-criticism, constantly vowing he would never make such a mistake again, and so on. (To be continued.)