The bond between women often blossoms in the blink of an eye, forged over discussions about makeup or a shared shopping trip. And as Shen Yi watched his mother grow ever closer to Qin Jiao, he felt a mix of relief and a pang of sorrow.

After all, his current role in her life was still just that of a classmate and neighbor.

’Oh, no. The college entrance exams were over, and they were both about to move.’

In other words, from this moment on, Jiao Jiao would be neither his deskmate nor his neighbor...

Ignoring her dejected son, Du Liya returned from next door and said to her father, who was listening to a storytelling program on the sofa, "See? I told you I have a boyfriend. He was busy this time and couldn’t come, but he’ll definitely be here next time."

Mr. Du’s first reaction was, "Is he Chinese or a foreigner?"

Du Liya said with a laugh, "A foreigner! And way more handsome than Shen Zhengfeng. Oh, right, he’s also six years younger than me. I was against it at first, but he told me in Chinese, ’Don’t you guys have an old saying? Something about how a woman three years older than her husband is like a brick of gold? That means we’re worth two bricks of gold.’"

Mr. Du was speechless, but he was still quite open-minded. "Dating is fine, but if you’re thinking of marriage, you have to bring him here for my approval first."

’His daughter had already fallen into the marriage trap once. Now that she was forty, she couldn’t afford to make the same mistake again.’

Du Liya smiled shyly. "Okay, I’ll definitely bring him home for you to meet then, Dad."

After chatting for a bit, Du Liya went upstairs to call her younger boyfriend. Mr. Du listened to the storytelling program for a little longer before he couldn’t resist speaking to his silent grandson. "Aren’t you going to do something about your mother?"

"She’s your daughter, and even you can’t control her obsession with dating. As her son, what am I supposed to do?" Shen Yi sighed, slumping onto the sofa. "My mom’s already on her second romance, and I haven’t even had my first."

Mr. Du didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He was tempted to hurl the transistor radio at him.

"You still haven’t told Xiao Jiao? Let me tell you, once you two get to college—even if you’re at the same university—you’ll be in different departments. Xiao Jiao is beautiful and brilliant. The line of guys wanting to date her will probably stretch off campus. If you don’t make a move soon, someone else is going to swoop in and steal her away!"

Shen Yi was getting frustrated with the topic. "Why are you singing her other potential suitors’ praises?" he grumbled. "Whose side are you on? Are you even my real grandpa?"

"I’m your grandpa, but I’m also Xiao Jiao’s Grandpa Du. If you dare treat her poorly, I’ll support her finding someone better in a heartbeat."

Shen Yi was completely exasperated.

’But deep down, he knew his grandpa was right. Jiao Jiao was so wonderful; once she got to college, tons of guys would definitely fall for her.’

’Shen Yi knew he should make the first move, but he just didn’t have the courage, did he?’

’What if he confessed and Jiao Jiao rejected him? What would he do then?’

While Shen Yi was agonizing over how to confess his feelings, the Qin family was holding a meeting.

They needed to start preparing for their move to North City. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

The rented house was the easy part; they simply wouldn’t renew the lease when it expired. Everything that was easy to take with them was packed up.

As for the things they couldn’t take, some were given to Qin Na and Sun Jianhua.

Sun Jianhua also planned to move to North City, but he would follow six months later. He hadn’t saved much money, and besides, the lease on his stall at the wet market wouldn’t be up for another half-year.

Qin Zhonghui thought this was for the best. In six months, his family would be settled in North City, making it much more convenient for his sister and brother-in-law to get on their feet when they arrived.

Because of what had happened with Xiao Shi getting lost, Qin Zhonghui’s family had completely fallen out with their relatives back home. They were adamant that they would not give the house to anyone. If someone were to occupy it in the future without their permission, they could be sued.