Chapter 72: An Ill-Timed Arrival

The corner of He Yunqing’s eye drifted, seemingly unintentionally, over Jiang Yao’s small face, and a faint, almost imperceptible smile touched his lips. The man’s long, slender index finger slid slowly over a row of tiles before he finally played the last one.

“This one, play this one,” Jiang Yao pointed eagerly at the tile in the middle.

The others at the table immediately pointed at Jiang Yao. “Ah Yao!”

Jiang Yao quickly covered her mouth with her hand and fell silent.

“Ah Yao, don’t tell us you’re worried about your cousin losing money.”

“I’m not worried at all,” Jiang Yao retorted.

“Ah Yao, what does your cousin do for a living?”

“He…” Jiang Yao glanced at He Yunqing. “What do you think he does?”

Aunt Zhang, sitting across the table with her hand on her tiles, looked He Yunqing up and down. “From the way he carries himself, he’s nothing like the rest of us. Maybe he’s a business owner.”

Sister Wang tilted her head as she eyed him. “He’s so good-looking—maybe he’s a young celebrity?”

“Oh, you know, he really does look a bit like that star my son always watches. What’s his name again?”

The others shrugged her off. “Don’t dream—what big star would come here?”

Listening to all their lively chatter, Jiang Yao surreptitiously wiped the sweat from her brow.

He Yunqing, meanwhile, appeared utterly unruffled, playing another tile with effortless poise, then laying his hand face down on the table.

He was waiting on a win.

In the next moment, Sister Wang played a tile.

He Yunqing turned over his tiles—winner.

“Ah Yao, are you sure this is your cousin’s first time playing?”

Jiang Yao waved her hand dismissively. “He’s just lucky. Let’s keep playing.”

And so they played on through the evening—He Yunqing winning round after round.

By the end, the others at the table threw up their hands. “That’s enough, we give up!”

As the game ended, Aunt Zhang and her group headed back to their houses, only to return moments later, each with their arms full.

Aunt Zhang stuffed several sweet melons into He Yunqing’s arms, Sister Wang pressed some apples on him, and the others handed him bags of roasted seeds and snacks.

He Yunqing stood there, arms overflowing with gifts, and for the first time looked to Jiang Yao with a silent plea for rescue.

“It’s alright, don’t be shy. You’re Ah Yao’s cousin and we can see you like these things—just take them,” they urged.

Seeing the group preparing to heap even more into his arms, Jiang Yao hurried forward to stop them. “That’s enough, that’s enough!”

She thanked them all, then quickly pulled He Yunqing away.

The moonlit paths of Xianyue Town were lit only by a few scattered street lamps. Unlike the lively bustle of the big city, by eight or nine o’clock the streets here were already deserted and serene.

Jiang Yao walked ahead with a light, lively step, glancing back at He Yunqing from time to time.

“He Yunqing, isn’t this place wonderful?”

He Yunqing, still laden with gifts, watched her hopping along before him. He had never seen this side of Jiang Yao—so lively, so free.

“Yes,” he answered softly.

“It’s not just the scenery. The people here are kind too,” Jiang Yao said, gazing up at the bright moon hanging in the sky. “When I’m old and retired, I’ll come live here.”

“Alright,” He Yunqing replied, strolling after her, “then we’ll settle down here.”

Jiang Yao stopped in her tracks, turning to look at him.

Bathed in the gentle moonlight, He Yunqing’s features seemed softer and more tender than ever.

Jiang Yao felt a pang in her chest at that tenderness.

She remembered what He Yunqing had said—he had a girlfriend now.

Turning away, Jiang Yao resumed her skipping pace. “He Yunqing, when are you leaving?”

“When are you leaving?”

“I’m asking you,” Jiang Yao insisted stubbornly.

He Yunqing strode forward easily, closing the distance between them and matching her step for step. “I’ll leave when you leave.”

At his roundabout response, Jiang Yao put a little distance between them. “Is your girlfriend... pretty?”

“Very pretty,” He Yunqing answered with perfect composure.

Jiang Yao’s steps slowed. She looked down at her toes, still moving forward.

From the corner of his eye, He Yunqing watched her. “Who is Xiao Xiang?”

Jiang Yao’s mind was still full of thoughts about He Yunqing’s very pretty girlfriend. She frowned, thinking hard. “He’s a handsome young man.”

“Is he as handsome as I am?” He Yunqing teased.

Jiang Yao shot him a look. “Everyone has their own charm—how can you compare?”

They chatted idly as they made their way home.

The little house was simple and cramped, with no spare bed. The cement floor wasn’t suitable for sleeping either. Normally, Jiang Yao might have squeezed in with Ah Qing next door, but with Mr. Zhou visiting, that wasn’t an option.

Standing in the middle of the room, Jiang Yao scratched her head. “Maybe…”

“I’ll sleep in the car,” He Yunqing said calmly.

“That won’t do!” Jiang Yao objected immediately.

“Unless you want to share the bed with me?” He Yunqing asked, smiling.

Jiang Yao swallowed hard.

At that moment, a knock came at the door—it was Sister Wang.

She stood at the threshold and beckoned to Jiang Yao. “I just remembered, you don’t have a place for your cousin to sleep, do you? Even though you’re cousins, it’s not proper for you to share a bed. Let him stay at my place; I happen to have a spare room.”

Jiang Yao looked to He Yunqing for his opinion.

He Yunqing nodded.

After he left, Jiang Yao barely slept the whole night.

The next morning, the door was knocked again. As Jiang Yao hurried to get dressed and open it, she found not He Yunqing, but the young man called Xiao Xiang.

He looked a few years younger than Jiang Yao, with well-defined features, his skin tanned a healthy bronze by the sun, possessing a wild and carefree charm.

When he saw Jiang Yao, he grinned broadly. “Sister Xiao Yao, I heard your lightbulb was broken, so I came to take a look.”

Jiang Yao quickly invited him in and pointed at the kitchen light. “Here—it keeps flickering.”

As Xiao Xiang was checking the bulb, He Yunqing returned.

He paused at the door, watching the scene in the kitchen—a little too close for comfort.

Xiao Xiang was changing the bulb, while Jiang Yao steadied the stool for him.

He Yunqing cleared his throat softly.

The sound startled Xiao Xiang, who hadn’t expected another man to appear. He nearly fell off the stool.

Jiang Yao hurried to steady him, and they nearly ended up in each other's arms.

“Seems I’ve come at a bad time,” He Yunqing remarked coolly at the scene before him.

Xiao Xiang steadied himself and hopped off the stool, turning to Jiang Yao. “Sister Xiao Yao, who is he?”

“He… is my cousin.”

Xiao Xiang was quite polite and greeted him crisply, “Oh, hello, cousin!”