Chapter 1359: An Unfading Love…
Having turned five, Yin Ling’er was the requisite age to begin kindergarten. She was feeling a little nervous as it was her first day in kindergarten.
Yin Ling’er was the princess of the Yin family. She was treated with the same care one would give a particularly precious porcelain doll. She had a small face carved out of jade and large, round eyes that resembled freshly plucked grapes. She was a delicate flower whose whole life had been spent in a greenhouse, carefully nurtured. Therefore, it came as no surprise that the moment she started kindergarten, she immediately became its resident star.
“Yin Ling’er, would you like to be my friend? I’ll give you my favourite comic book if you say yes!”
“Yin Ling’er, play with me! I’ll protect you from anyone who tries to bully you.”
The kindergarteners hounded her with gifts, toys, snacks and promises – all in the hopes of becoming her friend. However, Yin Ling’er did not so much as look at them. She squirmed past the sea of children crowding around her and ran out.
She ran to the classroom, standing on the tips of her toes as she leaned forward to peer inside.
Zhou Pingan was reading in his seat. He was wearing a white shirt and a pair of strap-on jeans. The brilliant sunlight filtering into the classroom framed his handsome young face in a halo of light. He looked like he had been carved out of stone and softened with the tender hand of an artisan.
“Pingan Ge, Pingan Ge…” Yin Ling’er called out happily.
Zhou Pingan looked up and saw Yin Ling’er leaning against the window.
He got up from his seat and greeted her. “Little Sister Ling’er, are you calling me?”
“Yes, I am.” Yin Ling’er withdrew a beautiful glass bottle from the pocket of her dress. In it were two colourful pieces of candy. She took out one and offered Zhou Pingan the other. “Pingan Gege, I’ll eat this one, and you can have the other. Here, try it!”
Zhou Pingan had seen Yin Ling’er a few times, and he realised that she really enjoyed eating candy. She liked it so much that she almost always finished any candy she had on hand.
He shook his head, politely declining. “I don’t like sweet things.”
“Oh.” Yin Ling’er retracted her tiny hand. Her puckered lips quivered, giving one the impression that she was about to cry.
It was her first time giving a boy a present, but Pingan Ge did not accept it. An unfamiliar feeling rushed to her face, causing her cheeks to colour. It hurt.
She really liked Pingan Ge. Ever since Pingan Ge told her that Xiaobai was pregnant when they first met, she felt that Pingan Ge was really knowledgeable. He was her idol.
She had been dreaming of the day she would be old enough to attend kindergarten so that she could finally be together with him. Not once did it occur to her that he might not share her feelings.
Pingan Ge did not like her.
Her large, innocent eyes were instantly filled with sparkling tears. Though she wanted to cry, she steadfastly held back her tears. She would not bawl herself silly in front of Zhou Pingan. “Ling’er, what’s wrong?” Zhou Pingan panicked upon seeing Yin Ling’er so distressed.
Yin Ling’er did not respond.
“Are you sad because I didn’t eat your candy? Don’t cry, don’t cry. I’ll eat it!” Zhou Pingan hurriedly promised.
“Really?” Yin Ling’er smiled through her tears. Hesitantly, she offered Zhou Pingan the piece of candy she held in her hand.
Zhou Pingan popped the piece of candy into his mouth and swallowed it without chewing.
“Do you like it?”
“Yes, I do.”
One day, Yin Zhihan arrived home from the prestigious boarding school he had been studying at. Puzzled that his sister had not sought him out upon his return, he searched for the little princess. Yin Ling’er would always come up to him with her bottle of candy, pestering him to eat one, so the fact that she had not done so was rather odd.
“Ling’er, don’t you have any candy for your dear older brother?”
“No, I don’t. I gave the last piece of candy to Pingan Gege.”
Yin Zhihan blinked at his sister owlishly. Even though he did not like eating candy, he still enjoyed nibbling on them – if only to see how happy it made his sister. To have his share eaten by Zhou Pingan, Yin Zhihan found it difficult to suppress the twinge of displeasure that lanced through him.
“Ling’er, why did you give Zhou Pingan my candy?”
“Because I like Pingan Gege.”
Crestfallen, Yin Zhihan knew he would never be able to eat his sister’s candy again.
It did not take long for him to be proven right.
Around the time Yin Ling’er turned seven, she learnt that she would be separated from Zhou Pingan because of their age difference.
When Yin Shuiling’s mother went to pick up Yin Ling’er in the afternoon, she was informed by Ling’er’s teacher that she had been crying the whole day.
Ling’er’s eyes were puffy and swollen; It left Shuiling’s mother heartbroken.
“Ling’er, what’s wrong? Why’re you crying? Did you get into a fight with a friend?”
Yin Ling’er clenched her fists and rubbed her eyes, sullenly refusing to speak.
Seeing her daughter reduced to such a state, Ling’er’s mother grew anxious.
At this moment, Jian Han’s mother came to pick up Zhou Pingan. They were saying goodbye to their teacher.
“Pingan Gege.” Yin Ling’er shook herself free from her mother’s embrace, darting forward as fast as her short legs would allow. Grabbing hold of Zhou Pingan’s sleeve, she said timidly, “Pingan Gege… don’t go. I-I don’t want to… be separated from you…”
Ling’er’s mother finally realised why her daughter had been a whimpering mess since the moment she came to pick her up. It seemed her daughter could not bear the thought of parting with Zhou Pingan. She regarded Jian Han’s mother with a look of undisguised helplessness. Jian Han’s mother returned the look with a wry smile.
Zhou Pingan looked at Yin Ling’er, who was sobbing. “Ling’er, you have to grow up quickly. When you grow up, we’ll be together again.”
“Pingan Gege, are you still going to… leave?”
“Yes.”
“Then…. will you wait for me? I will definitely grow up quickly.”
“I will. I promise.”
Ling’er’s mother carried Yin Ling’er. Resting her head on her mother’s shoulders, Yin Ling’er watched as Pingan Ge left in a black sedan that screamed opulence and wealth, tears streaming down the sides of her face.
Time passed, and soon Yin Ling’er celebrated her eighth birthday. She was finally going to reunite with Zhou Pingan. On her first day of school, she made a new friend. Her friend’s name was Lu Ning. She was the beloved daughter of the Lu family.
Lu Ning and Yin Ling’er had two very distinct personalities. While Yin Ling’er was charming, Lu Ning was cold and reserved.
The Lu and Yin families were on friendly terms. Naturally, they became best friends who talked about everything under the sun.
“Sister Ning, do you know Pingan Ge? Pingan Ge is the best!” Yin Ling’er proudly declared, as if staking her claim on Zhou Pingan.
A ripple formed over Lu Ning’s beautiful mask of indifference upon hearing Ling’er mention Zhou Pingan. How could she not know him? Last year, she witnessed Zhou Pingan stabbing his brother, Lu Jinwen, in his butt to cure his stomach pains. It was a memory she was not about to forget anytime soon.
Everyone said that Zhou Pingan took after his father, Zhou Dayuan, and was born with a predisposition for the art of medicine. There was no doubt in her mind that a young man of Zhou Pingan’s pedigree would be outstanding.
Lu Ning nodded. “I know him.”
“That’s great! In the future, the two of us can play with Pingan Ge.”
On Yin Ling’er’s tenth birthday, her family hosted a grand celebration and invited many eminent guests to attend it.
Mr and Mrs Lu brought Lu Fan and Lu Ning over. Their eldest son, Lu Jinwen, did not accompany them. Being the eldest son of the Lu family, Lu Shaoming had spared no expense in grooming his successor. Despite only being 16, Lu Jinwen had appeared on camera and was introduced to all the major media outlets on business as an up and coming tycoon. Naturally, he did not fit in with this younger group of part-goers.
Zhou Dayuan and Jian Han brought their only son, Zhou Pingan, while Zhou Yao and Leng Zhiyuan brought their daughter, Zhou Jingjing. Even the eccentric Ou family appeared.
In the past ten years, Ou Luoxi and Xia Xiaofu had faded from the minds of the general public. They lived solitary lives, secluding themselves deep in the mountains, where flowers bloomed in spring and snow covered the land in winter. It was a miniature paradise on earth.
The Ou couple brought their eldest daughter, Ou Xuyan, with them.