Luo Xi's tightly clenched fingers slowly relaxed, and he was struck by a crushing realization: he couldn't find a single word to refute Ou Chen! Or perhaps, Ou Chen had hit upon certain truths—when he listened to Ou Chen and misunderstood her, she had tried everything to salvage things, yet he had hurt her again and again, even shattering her final efforts with the gossip surrounding him and Shen Qiang, leaving her alone as he slammed the door and departed.

At that time.

It must have been when she was consumed with worry over Xiao Cheng's surgery, which is why she never had the chance to tell him that he was the one who had personally pushed her toward Ou Chen.

But… "These are just excuses…" In the moonlight, Luo Xi's voice seemed to drift from the depths of the night mist, carrying a piercing agony and chill.

"...Even if it wasn't me standing beside her, but another man, even if that man was flawless in every conceivable way, you would still employ every means possible to take her away from him, wouldn't you?" Ou Chen remained silent for a moment, then said, "Yes, because only I can protect her, only I can possibly give her the greatest happiness."

"Then—" Luo Xi stared directly at him, his eyes deep and pitch-black.

"Is she happy now?" The late autumn night wind was bone-chillingly cold. The lights on the floor above shone like scattered stars, yet the room belonging to her was a black void. Ou Chen stared silently at that window for a long, long time before speaking slowly, "If she isn't happy, I will give her the chance to choose again."

The night wind grew colder. Yin Xia Mo set down the scarf she was knitting, turned off the terrace light, and walked inside.

Xiao Cheng was already asleep, and the servants had returned to their quarters; the entire house was hushed.

As she passed the kitchen, she paused abruptly, her gaze falling from the open doorway onto a clay pot sitting on the cupboard.

Zhen En had visited that afternoon. She had specifically instructed the chef to prepare a large spread for dinner, and the three of them had chatted and laughed while waiting for Ou Chen to come home.

But Ou Chen never returned, so she had to let Xiao Cheng and Zhen En eat first.

It was more than an hour after Zhen En left that Ou Chen finally stepped through the door. He looked unusually quiet and mentioned that he had already eaten.

In his hand, he held a clay pot, slightly faded white, decorated with a few colorful goldfish—the very one she and Xiao Cheng used to use frequently.

Had he been so late because he went to her old house just to retrieve this clay pot? A warmth spread through her heart, yet his silent demeanor prevented her from asking any of these questions.

She walked up to the second floor; light spilled from the crack beneath the study door.

Through the gap in the door, she could see Ou Chen sitting behind the large desk.

Only the small desk lamp was lit in the room. A thick stack of documents lay on the desk. Amidst the lonely darkness and the faint glow, his profile was silhouetted like a statue. His lips were tightly pressed together, his gaze fixed silently on some point that didn't exist in the air, as if his entire being had merged with the cold night.

Yin Xia Mo gazed at him for a long time.

She wanted to turn away, to leave him a space of quiet solitude.

But the aura he exuded was so desolate and downcast. If she left him like this, would he just sit in the study all night? She gently bit her lip; his body had just undergone surgery and hadn't fully recovered yet.

A while later, Yin Xia Mo turned off the gas, transferred the late-night snack into a thermos container, poured a cup of warm milk, and walked from the kitchen back up to the study door.

"Knock! Knock!" She lightly tapped the half-open study door, then stepped inside.

Ou Chen turned his head, and what he saw was Yin Xia Mo, her eyes bright as stars, a smile as soft as starlight curving her lips. In her hands, she held a tray bearing a thermos, two small bowls, two small spoons, and a cup of steaming milk.

"Not working? Come have some supper with me."

She murmured softly, placing the tray on the desk.

When she opened the thermos, a sweet but not cloying aroma wafted out—soft, glutinous red bean paste, and tiny, pearl-like tangyuan. She carefully spooned portions into the small bowls, smiling as she said, "This is Chidou Yuanxiao (Red Bean Sweet Dumplings). It was my favorite when I was little. Taste it and see if you like it."

As she spoke, she offered the small spoon to Ou Chen. He subconsciously took it and gently scooped a spoonful of the Chidou Yuanxiao. An inexplicable tightening occurred in his chest, and he carefully placed the spoon back down.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" He looked at her.

"Taste it first and see if you like it."

She suddenly waited for his response with the stubbornness of a child seeking approval.

Ou Chen gazed at her for a moment.

Then he lowered his head and took a bite of the Chidou Yuanxiao. It was sweet, fragrant, and delightfully soft, like a warm current flowing from his throat straight into his stomach.

He hadn't eaten dinner, but only after consuming these dumplings did he suddenly realize he was somewhat hungry.

"I like it," he said softly.

"That’s good if you like it. I'll have some too; I didn't eat dinner."

Yin Xia Mo quickly served herself a bowl and began eating happily.

"Why didn't you eat? Your health isn't great; you just had a fever."

"That fever was ages ago. Can we please stop bringing it up?" She shot him a playful glance and put down her bowl.

"It's not too late to eat now, and it’s more lively when two people eat together. Look, I've finished one bowl." She held up her empty bowl to show him.

Ou Chen looked at the empty bottom of the bowl and asked in a husky voice, "Were you waiting for me?" She looked into his eyes and saw a faint glimmer of anticipation in his dark green irises.

Her heart ached, but she deliberately feigned a hint of annoyance and shoved her empty bowl toward him.

"Yes, you kept me waiting so long. You have to refill one for me as punishment."

He took her bowl and served her another portion. Seeing the happy look on her face as she took the bowl, he suddenly said in a low voice, "I'm sorry—" but he couldn't finish. He didn't know if her look of such joy and satisfaction was feigned or genuine.

Bitterness slowly expanded in his heart. The memory of her burning fever and several days and nights of unconsciousness before the surgery surfaced. The woman who looked like she was about to die from pain then—how could she truly be as calm and happy as she appeared now?

"Why are you apologizing? Because you came home late? It's fine; you refilled the yuanxiao for me, so I’ve already forgiven you." She smiled, her eyes as clear as the sea under the sun. "Besides, you actually brought back that clay pot. This Chidou Yuanxiao was made in that pot; it really does have that familiar taste. Thank you for remembering—" No, that wasn't what he meant. "Xia Mo," he paused, gazing at her deeply, and said, "Don't you hate me? For using my kidney to coerce you into marrying me. Why do you act completely unconcerned while caring for me so devotedly? You should despise me, shouldn't you?"

Yin Xia Mo froze. She looked at him, at his tightly drawn jaw and his eyes clouded with pain. Her own eyes were calm as water. "Have you forgotten? I told you, I am profoundly grateful to you because you gave Xiao Cheng a chance to live. Furthermore, I am your wife now; we are family."

"Family members should care for and look after each other. Let the past be the past; we still have a long road ahead of us." She poured the last of the yuanxiao into his bowl. "Even if you ate dinner, after so long, you must be a little hungry. Please eat a little more, okay?"

After Ou Chen slowly finished the bowl of late-night snack, Yin Xia Mo placed the bowl and spoon onto the tray, leaving only the cup of milk on the desk. She stood up and smiled at him again. "I won't disturb you anymore. Remember not to work too late; drinking a cup of milk before bed helps you sleep better." With that, she lightly stepped out of the study, but as she reached the doorway, she turned back to remind him, "Don't stay up too late; I'll come to check." Then she smiled and closed the door.

Silence returned to the study.

Ou Chen stared at the cup of milky-white liquid, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the glass. It was warm, gentle, as if her tender aura still lingered nearby.

Family… She and Xiao Cheng would always be family, but there was no shared blood between him and her. When Xiao Cheng gave her that signed divorce agreement, perhaps he and she would no longer be family… And there was that person… Could she truly forget that person? Was her smile real? What if that person appeared before her again…?

Outside the study.

Yin Xia Mo stood motionless, holding the tray, the smile on her lips slowly fading.

Was what she was doing still not enough? Why was Ou Chen so somber and lost? For a moment, she didn't know how to face him, so she fled in a panic. She only wished for a peaceful life: Xiao Cheng living healthily, and Ou Chen free from suffering. Even if there was an underlying pain in her heart, she wanted to exchange everything for the permanence of this tranquility. Had her very existence hurt Ou Chen, despite all this…?

As if sensing her worry, the Ou Chen who appeared before Yin Xia Mo the next day seemed like a different person. He was no longer silent or distant; instead, he possessed an unusual calmness and gentleness. As if he had suddenly understood something, he stopped burying himself in company affairs, leisurely flipping through Xiao Cheng's picture books from time to time, as if this recovery period was a wonderful vacation in his life.

Days passed one by one. The autumn deepened, and winter was approaching.

To stay warm, Yin Xia Mo instructed the servants to light the fires in the corners early, allowing everyone to sleep in.

Yin Cheng’s complexion remained pale. No matter what Yin Xia Mo tried to nourish him with, he couldn't put on weight. He was also frustrated and could only joke to console his dejected sister, saying perhaps Heaven deliberately made him look sickly to gain sympathy, when in reality, his health had improved significantly.

Secretly, he started drawing again. At first, Yin Xia Mo firmly forbade it, but later, seeing how dreadfully bored he was, she gradually allowed him to draw one or two pictures occasionally, provided the drawing time never exceeded one hour. Thus, Yin Cheng became quite happy. He drew the black cat sleeping, the stern Butler Shen, the last red leaf on the maple tree, and Ou Chen looking down at a picture book. Most frequently, of course, he drew his sister.

One morning, Yin Cheng was sitting by the living room fireplace, drawing Yin Xia Mo arranging flowers. White lilies, slender green leaves—her hands were carefully positioning the bouquet in the vase. Her sleeve slipped down, revealing a pair of ivory-white wrists.

"Sis, on your wrist…" Yin Cheng called out curiously. Ou Chen, reclining on the sofa, also looked up from his picture book at the sound.

In the morning sunlight, her wrist was pure white like jade, yet wrapped around her left wrist was a green lace ribbon.

In front of the priest.

He had used it to replace the string, winding it around her ring finger. He hadn't seen it since. He thought she must have tucked it away somewhere.

"It's pretty, isn't it?" She glanced at her wrist, following their gazes, and smiled faintly, covering it with her sleeve, as if wearing it was the most natural thing in the world.

That night, Ou Chen stayed awake until dawn.

Standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, he stared silently into the pitch-black night, sipping brandy glass after glass.

Everything was utterly still.

His and her bedroom was separated only by the width of a door.

She slept peacefully, her hand resting lightly under the pillow, the beautiful green lace quietly mirrored on the snow-white bedsheets.

Time seemed to pass by unnoticed.

Other than Zhen En, who visited often, the Ou family mansion felt as if it were cut off from the world. Time suddenly flew by quickly, and then suddenly crawled by slowly. Yin Cheng noticed that a strange, subtle understanding seemed to grow between his sister and Ou Chen. They didn't speak much, yet they appeared to share a connection of the heart.

At dinner, when his sister reached for the salt, Ou Chen had already handed it to her. When Ou Chen put down his picture book, his sister had already placed a glass of water beside him. They possessed a certain similarity in the smiles on their lips, as if they had been a couple for over a decade.

Time felt as if it could continue drifting by in this calm, unbroken flow.

One evening after dinner, Yin Xia Mo crouched by the fireplace, pouring milk into the black cat's small bowl. The cat rubbed against her leg, purring and acting spoiled. Yin Cheng quickly sketched the scene of her laughing while playing with the cat. Ou Chen also watched with a smile as the black cat darted around under her fingers, causing the green lace on her wrist to flutter occasionally.

The television in the living room made a hissing sound. No one paid attention to what the host was saying, but Yin Xia Mo's fingers suddenly stiffened, as if she had accidentally hurt the cat, which ran away with a sharp "Meow."

"...It was widely rumored recently that Luo Xi had attempted suicide and was hospitalized due to Yin Xia Mo's marriage, but Luo Xi's agency has vehemently denied it..."

"...However, at the press conference held this afternoon, the rumor of Luo Xi withdrawing from the entertainment industry was finally confirmed. Luo Xi's manager stated that Luo Xi has been extremely busy since his debut and has decided to take an extended break to study in America, estimating he won't take any new engagements for the next three years..."

On the screen, the host spoke loudly with animated expressions, interspersed with footage from the press conference and clips of Luo Xi's past work.

The living room instantly fell into an eerie silence.

Yin Cheng looked anxiously toward his sister. She was crouching by the fireplace with her back to the television, her posture stiff and silent. The smile that had been on Ou Chen’s lips froze, and he watched Xia Mo, his eyes gradually clouding over with darkness.

Only the black cat returned, settling near Yin Xia Mo's side and licking the milk from the bowl mouthful by mouthful.

"...After the news broke, Luo Xi's fans reacted intensely, hundreds of them gathering outside the television station demanding Luo Xi not leave. Online as well..."

"Slap—" Ou Chen grabbed the remote and turned off the TV.

Yin Xia Mo slowly stood up and walked toward the kitchen, saying, "I'll go peel some fruit to eat."

The night was silent.

Yin Xia Mo stood motionless, staring at her cold mobile phone. She had thought she was so cold-blooded that she could completely forget Luo Xi's name. Why did a single news report cause all the guilt and apologies to rush toward her like overwhelming ocean waves? Was he withdrawing from the entertainment industry? Although his career was currently at its zenith, did he understand what withdrawing for three years meant? Was he leaving the industry because… because of…? Her fingers hesitated, reaching for the phone… but then recoiled instantly, as if burned! She slowly closed her eyes, her face pale and translucent. Yes, regarding Luo Xi, she was a sinner worthy of the devil's condemnation. She had chosen to abandon him long ago; she no longer had the right to say anything to him.

But just then, the phone on the snow-white bedsheets suddenly vibrated! Lost in thought, she broke out in a cold sweat! Opening her eyes, the screen flashed incessantly with a single name—"Luo Xi."

Bubble Summer III