Chapter 60: Muzi Qing

Later, Qin Xiang went abroad together with Mu Ziqing, leaving Lin Yan without a single word or any contact information. At that time, Lin Yan felt a little lost, but not to the point of being heartbroken.

And after that, there was no after.

Lin Yan graduated. Before she even had time to grieve the premature death of her unrequited crush, that incident occurred. Her sister and her future brother-in-law failed to get married, and she inexplicably married her brother-in-law in her sister's stead.

Sipping her juice, Lin Yan reminisced about the past with a soft sigh. She thought that perhaps it had all been her own wishful thinking.

Qin Xiang was like the wind, blowing through her heart without leaving a single trace.

"Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" A voice suddenly sounded from above.

Lin Yan looked up to see Qin Xiang standing beside her with a smile on his face.

Lin Yan smiled faintly, shifting herself slightly to make room for Qin Xiang. "Sit down."

Qin Xiang sat down, looked at Lin Yan, and asked, "Still not used to this kind of gathering? I remember you always used to find excuses to skip club meetings and parties back then."

"A little bit." Lin Yan lowered her head and smiled.

The light fell on the slight curve of her neck, illuminating the fine, soft down. Qin Xiang stared at her, momentarily dazed.

After a long while, he gave a feigned cough and handed a book he was holding to Lin Yan. "I wrote this recently. Could you take a look at it for me?"

Lin Yan took the book; it felt heavy in her hands. The cover was a blazing, fiery red, the color of blood, devoid of any pictures except for a simple title printed in bold black font: *Blood-stained Cherry*.

Lin Yan felt as though her fingertips were about to be scorched by the book. With a slight tremor in her fingers, she turned to the first page, which contained the synopsis.

Looking up in surprise, Lin Yan stared at Qin Xiang. "You wrote a suspenseful murder mystery novel?"

"Yes." Qin Xiang nodded, his smile carrying a hint of bitterness.

"I remember Senior only liked aesthetic things. I never expected you to take an interest in something so realistic and logical now," Lin Yan remarked with a sigh. That man who was once like the wind had finally settled down for the sake of reality, losing that carefree spirit entirely.

"People always change, especially after going through certain things." Looking at Lin Yan, Qin Xiang said with an ambiguous smile, "If I hadn't gone abroad back then, perhaps I would have kept pursuing the aesthetic style. If I hadn't chosen Ziqing back then, and instead chosen..."

"Qin Xiang, why are you still here? The award ceremony is about to start, and they've been looking everywhere for you."

Before Qin Xiang could finish his sentence, his words were interrupted by a gentle female voice.

Both Lin Yan and Qin Xiang raised their heads and saw a beautiful woman in a long white dress walking towards them. She possessed a graceful temperament and a sweet appearance, with a dimple on each cheek. Even when she wasn't smiling, she looked as though she were.

"Ziqing..." Qin Xiang stood up to greet the beauty, calling out her name.

Mu Ziqing? It was her. Of course, the senior who had once warned her to stay away from Qin Xiang.

Lin Yan did not stand up to greet her, nor did she look up. She had no intention of greeting her either, simply flipping casually through the book Qin Xiang had just handed her.

It was unclear what Mu Ziqing said to Qin Xiang, but soon Qin Xiang turned to Lin Yan and said, "I'll go check it out first."

Lin Yan nodded slightly, smiling as she watched Qin Xiang leave.

Mu Ziqing stood directly in front of Lin Yan, blocking out all the light and casting a faint shadow over the book in Lin Yan's hands.