Shen Yi wasn’t even sure if anything had actually happened. His mind was a chaotic buzz of fluttering heartbeats, warmth, and gentleness, but also a flash of anger born from embarrassment. He had misunderstood her back then, assuming she had ulterior motives again.

He had said incredibly hurtful things, which had made Qin Jiao furious. What should have been a wonderful beginning was shattered by their sudden argument.

After that, they hardly ever shared a room again. There were many opportunities, but a series of mishaps and misunderstandings always managed to push them further and further apart.

Shen Yi still remembered the moment of the car crash. As he felt death’s touch, only one regret filled his heart.

He hadn’t had the chance to truly love Jiao Jiao...

**

The heavy rain poured all night without a moment’s rest. Looking back, the downpour had actually been at its lightest when Qin Jiao and Shen Yi were rushing home.

As a result, many day students ended up trapped at the school last night.

One parent who went to pick up their child from school in the storm last night even had an accident and drowned. In the face of a natural disaster, humanity is truly insignificant.

The water outside had visibly risen. Even in the shallowest spots, it was knee-deep on an adult. Some low-lying areas were even deeper—a person could disappear just by stepping in.

The rain hadn’t stopped, and the drainage systems of this era were completely inadequate, especially in the north.

So, the next morning, Qin Zhonghui and his wife didn’t go out to sell breakfast, and neither Qin Jiao nor Xiao Shi went to school.

The first floor had indeed flooded, but thankfully, the water had already receded quite a bit. The family quickly used brooms and other tools to sweep the water out. With no dryers, all they could do was air the place out manually.

Fortunately, all their important belongings had been moved upstairs, so nothing of value was lost. After cleaning their home and making sure their two children had eaten, Qin Zhonghui and Su Yun went next door to help clean, bringing breakfast over for the grandfather and grandson.

Qin Zhonghui and his wife were sincere people. If others showed them even a hint of kindness, they were the type to repay it a hundredfold.

They were practically treating Mr. Du as if he were their own father.

Qin Jiao said softly, "It feels like Grandpa and Grandma just cause trouble for nothing. They have a perfectly good son and daughter-in-law they don’t appreciate, and now look—they’re busy being filial to someone else."

Xiao Shi was very smart and knew what her sister was talking about. She chimed in, "Grandpa Du is so much nicer than our own grandparents. Grandpa Du doesn’t hit or scold me; he’s always praising me and giving me all kinds of treats. He even gave me lots of lucky money for the New Year. And Brother Shen Yi, he always compliments me and buys me dolls, too. If I could choose my real grandpa and my real brother, I’d choose Grandpa Du and Brother Shen Yi, not our grandparents and Xiao Tao!"

Qin Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. She ruffled Xiao Shi’s hair. "Shen Yi isn’t your real brother, you know."

"I know, but they’re family!"

Qin Jiao fell silent. ’It was true. In her past life, Shen Yi and Grandpa Du had been her family too, but in the end, they became enemies.’

’And yet, in this life, they’ve become family?’

’Fate was truly absurd.’

The flood disrupted many things. Although Qin Jiao and Shen Yi didn’t go to school, they continued to do practice tests at home until even Su Yun couldn’t watch any longer.

"You’ve been studying all day, and I see Xiao Yi over there has been at it all day too. You two... sigh. You really need to look after your health."

’Other parents worried that their children weren’t studying or doing their homework, constantly nagging them about it. But in my case, it’s the opposite. I have to keep an eye on my daughter to stop her from studying late into the night.’

Qin Jiao rubbed her slightly sore wrist and said, "Mom, I know what I’m doing, so don’t worry. Just think, how many times have I been sick in the past six-plus months? Oh, right, Mom. After I finish the college entrance exams, we should start talking about moving to the provincial capital."