My Youth Began With Him

“I know,” Rick acknowledged that. He did not run away from Huo Mian’s criticism.

“Honey, I’m hungry…” In order to make Huo Mian back off and not bring on more pain for Rick, Qin Chu changed the topic.

Huo Mian held onto Qin Chu’s hand with love and said, “Let’s go home. I’ll make you noodles.”

Qin Chu nodded. Then he turned around and looked at Rick. He was able to silently convey to Rick that Xixi was going to be okay and he didn’t need to worry.

Rick nodded and got what Qin Chu meant.

On the way back home, Huo Mian continuously criticized Rick for his bleakness towards Xixi.

Qin Chu didn’t say anything before Huo Mian finished. “Honey, Rick isn’t as bleak as you think. Although he’s very stubborn and quiet, he probably has been through a lot. He grew up in such a family that his childhood was probably very stressful and painful. He doesn’t know how to love or properly protect those he loves. He was taught how to kill. We are not Rick so we cannot understand it from his perspective…”

“Hmph, so you’re helping your friend now?” Huo Mian pouted.

“Okay, okay… Let’s not fight about this. Didn’t you say you were going to cook noodles for me just now.”

“No! Go and make your own instant noodles,” Huo Mian said angrily.

“Okay. Although someone’s husband just finished a big operation and is exhausted, someone still doesn’t know how to love her husband. She’s telling him to eat instant noodles. Instant noodles are junk food and constantly eating junk food will hurt one’s stomach. If that happens, then the husband will have to rely on his wife to survive…” Qin Chu complained.

Huo Mian’s heart immediately softened and said, “Okay, okay. Stop nagging me. I’ll make you noodles. Just wait for me patiently. Also, go and take a shower! You reek of formalin.”

“Isn’t this your favorite scent?” Qin Chu joked.

“I like it when I’m at work, not when I’m at home. I want my home to always smell like cooked rice…”

Then, Huo Mian went into the kitchen to make noodles for Qin Chu.

Outside South Side’s ICU, Rick watched Xixi through a thin layer of glass.

He knew that Huo Mian and Qin Chu were right. Xixi was still in critical condition and could pass away at any moment.

“Xixi, you have to wake up. I don’t want to lose you…”

Rick’s heart painfully ached, as if someone had beat it up violently when he remembered what Xixi said before she became unconscious.

Up in Yuding Mountain, Pudding and Little Bean were swimming with their grandparents.

Qin Ning was enjoying herself in the outdoors hot spring all alone.

The hot spring was around 40 degrees Celsius.

Snow drifted from the sky and landed on her long black hair. They melted into ice, making her extremely beautiful.

Suddenly, Qin Ning’s phone buzzed – she got a WeChat message.

She immediately grabbed her phone from a nearby rock.

To her disappointment, it was her father in the States.

Her father had been keeping up with technology. He started using WeChat and would send her red pockets and messages from time to time.

“Where’s Pudding and Little Bean? I want to see them,” Qin Ning’s father said through a voice message.

“They’re not with me. They’re with Uncle in the indoor pool. You can video-call Uncle Qin…”

“Okay. Did you see that brat from the Tang family after going back?” Qin Ning’s father was angry at Tang Chuan ever since he ran back to China.

From Qin Ning’s father’s perspective, Tang Chuan didn’t love his daughter and didn’t want to become the Qin family’s live-in son-in-law. That was the reason why he escaped overnight.

To his ignorance, he did not know the real reason why Tang Chuan left.

“Dad, can you stop asking about this?” Qin Ning said with frustration.

Then she put down her phone and mumbled to herself, “Who wants to see that brat from the Tang Family?”

Suddenly, a voice could be heard from behind.

“A good girl doesn’t say bad things about other people…”

Qin Ning was very surprised. She turned around and froze.

“How… why are you here?”