Another month or two passed.
There were still three months left until university started, but for Lin Qingya and Cheng Minghao, who were busy making money and changing jobs, attending university was naturally out of reach.
Originally, Cheng Minghao was eligible for a scholarship, so he could have gone to university.
But Cheng Minghao didn’t want to leave Lin Qingya behind to work alone while he went off to leisurely attend university, so for now, he didn’t want to go either.
Although Lin Qingya tried to persuade him, in the end, nothing came of it.
It was December 1st, and cold, tiny snowflakes were falling from the sky.
After this period of officially living together, the relationship between Lin Qingya and Cheng Minghao had grown even closer.
Lin Qingya came to pick up Cheng Minghao from work, waiting at the entrance of the police station.
“Over here!”
Lin Qingya called out with a smile, waving at Cheng Minghao, who was chatting with colleagues in the distance.
Earlier, Cheng Minghao said he wanted to become an auxiliary police officer to give back to society.
Now, he had achieved it through his own efforts.
But Cheng Minghao had worked hard for a long time before earning such a precious opportunity.
So today was just his first official day at work.
Cheng Minghao said goodbye to his colleagues and walked over to Lin Qingya, asking,
“Aren’t you cold?”
He glanced at Lin Qingya’s pink sweater, thinking it looked a bit thin, and wondered if he had bought too few clothes for her.
“Not cold.”
Lin Qingya replied with a smile.
On her head, she wore a pink knitted hat, with a small, cute pink pom-pom right in the center.
She wrapped both arms around Cheng Minghao’s arm, pulling him to go home, and asked,”How was work today? Did you have time to watch my Livestream?”
Cheng Minghao had just started his job as an auxiliary police officer, so Lin Qingya didn’t know the specifics of his situation yet.
Before Cheng Minghao found the path to become an auxiliary police officer, Lin Qingya had found a job helping others sell goods via Livestream.
It was considered working for someone else.
Since someone needed it, she took the job.
The advantage of Livestreaming was…
It allowed Cheng Minghao to pull out his Smartphone and see her smiling face anytime and anywhere he wanted.
He could see her working hard, striving to improve their lives.
Hearing Lin Qingya’s question, Cheng Minghao smiled, patted her head with his right hand, and explained,
“It went smoothly, but as soon as I got off work, I was busy coming to see my wife, so I didn’t have time to watch your Livestream. Hehe~”
Cheng Minghao pretended to be shy and laughed.
When Lin Qingya heard his laughter, she rolled her eyes at him with a smile.
She let go of Cheng Minghao’s arm, walked alone in the shallow snow, and reached out to catch falling snowflakes.
She felt happy and said,
“We’re not married yet. If outsiders hear you, they’ll think I’m shameless…”
Lin Qingya mumbled shyly.
“Haha~ It’s fine~”
Cheng Minghao wrapped his arms around Lin Qingya, laughing as he explained,”What era is it now? Everyone is open and understanding. No one would say that about you.”
“Tch~”
Lin Qingya replied disdainfully,”You don’t understand a girls’ circle.”
“Alright, alright,”
Cheng Minghao smiled, coaxing her,”If I don’t understand, I don’t understand. I just need to understand my wife. Why care about other girls? Right?”
Hearing Cheng Minghao’s words, Lin Qingya’s face bloomed with a smile.
She felt happy inside, her face glowing with joy.
A person’s beauty comes not only from the outside but also from within.
Right now, she was truly ‘beautiful inside and out.’
Lin Qingya’s lips curved slightly, her face full of ease.
But with Cheng Minghao holding her waist, she couldn’t walk.
So, Lin Qingya frowned slightly and said,”Let go. We need to go back and cook.”
“Mm.”
Cheng Minghao kissed her right cheek, then let go and led her home.
Downstairs at Cheng Minghao’s house.
Cheng Minghao held Lin Qingya by the waist, leading her into the alleyway entrance toward the inner courtyard.
As the two entered the alley, a low-profile Business Car was parked outside the alley entrance.
“They’ve gone in.”
A woman’s voice came from inside the car.
“Mm.”
A man responded quietly, then fell silent.
After five or six seconds—
“Let’s wait.”
The man explained.
“Mm.”
The woman replied softly.
—
Near afternoon.
Lin Qingya and Cheng Minghao went out, parting ways downstairs from their building.
“Be safe!”
Lin Qingya said with a smile, hugging Cheng Minghao lightly.
“Mm!”
Cheng Minghao nodded solemnly, patted Lin Qingya’s head, then kissed her lips, smiling as he waved goodbye.
After Cheng Minghao walked away, Lin Qingya took a deep breath and stood in place, watching his retreating back with a smile.
She turned right, preparing to head to work.
But…
“Wait!”
A female voice called from behind, not too loud or soft.
Lin Qingya turned and saw a woman with golden hair walking toward her.
Her hair seemed dyed.
Lin Qingya saw her wave at a man behind her.
The man stood at the driver’s seat of a Business Car.
Seeing the woman’s gesture, he hesitated, nodded slightly, then went back.
The woman stood in front of Lin Qingya, smiling.
“Interested in making some money? It’s not illegal, not criminal, and doesn’t involve selling your body. You just need to nod, and you can get a sum every month. Then you can go to university or live comfortably every day.”
The woman tempted Lin Qingya.
“…”
Lin Qingya was silent, then shook her head, explaining,
“I don’t want unearned benefits. Sorry.”
As she spoke, Lin Qingya tried to turn and leave.
“Hey, wait!”
The woman caught up with Lin Qingya, walking on her left, and explained,
“We’re Cheng Minghao’s family. My surname is Cheng. You can call me Cheng Sister. We should be on the same side.”
“Family?”
At these words, Lin Qingya suddenly stopped, looked up at the sky, then lowered her head to glance at the cheap Smartphone she pulled from her right pocket.
Lin Qingya said,
“Sorry, I’m late for work. I have to go. If you have business, look for Cheng Minghao directly. There’s no need to find me.”
Lin Qingya quickened her pace toward her workplace.
The woman on the left smiled, explaining,
“You know and understand, right? You used to live like orphans, and now, suddenly, there’s a group of family members…”
“Then why do you suddenly want to acknowledge Cheng Minghao as family? What’s your purpose?”
Lin Qingya turned her head left to question as she walked.
Everyone lived their own lives, minding their own business.
Even if the woman was telling the truth and not deceiving her.
But to suddenly recognize each other as family, there had to be some benefit, right?
Otherwise…
Otherwise, why were they so cold in the past? And why do they want to acknowledge each other now?
Hearing Lin Qingya’s words, the woman’s smile froze for a moment, then she recovered and explained naturally,
“Of course there’s a purpose—maybe affection, maybe profit. We’re just doing a job. As for the real reason, we don’t really know. But I do know…”