At This Moment, Qian Dailan’s Impression of Ye Xiyan Was Simple:
A handsome, generous, and easygoing big brother with a sense of humor.
Even though he looked extremely busy, Ye Xiyan still took the time to have dinner with them.
Before parting ways, he even gave Qian Dailan a preloaded membership card.
Qian Dailan hesitated and asked, “Gege?”
Oh no.
Game over.
Had she eaten too much and scared him off?
Had Ye Xiyan finally changed his mind and decided to pay her off to leave Xijing alone?
How much was he planning to give her?
She stared directly into Ye Xiyan’s eyes, trying to gauge his intent—
And then he smiled.
He saw right through her thoughts.
“It’s not what you saw in your K-dramas,” he said calmly.
“It’s just a small welcome gift.”
Liang Wanyin, who had been using her Chanel compact mirror to touch up her lipstick, dabbed the excess color with a tissue.
She looked up, surprised.
“Gege, you watch K-dramas?”
Meanwhile, Ye Xijing looked confused.
“Wait… when did we talk about K-dramas?”
Qian Dailan exhaled in relief and graciously accepted the card.
“Thank you, Gege.”
Still curious, she flipped the card over—
And immediately noticed—
There wasn’t a single Chinese character on it.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like,” Ye Xiyan explained with a smile.
“I didn’t want to risk choosing something you wouldn’t like, so I bought a prepaid card for this shopping mall instead. Xijing told me you’re very independent—I figured it’d be best to let you choose what you want yourself.”
Qian Dailan held the card carefully, marveling at it.
“Wow, no wonder this is the capital. Even the mall cards are so fancy—everything is in English!”
“English?” Liang Wanyin spoke up without thinking.
“That’s actually Fre—”
Ye Xiyan smoothly cut her off.
“Yes, the lack of Chinese can be inconvenient,” he said in a steady voice, directing his words toward Qian Dailan.
“I don’t like that either. But the card itself is easy to use—just hand it over at checkout.”
Liang Wanyin, stunned, exchanged glances with Ye Xijing.
Their eyes were filled with silent understanding and helplessness.
Qian Dailan grinned.
“Got it. So, how much money is on this card, Gege?”
Liang Wanyin had expected Qian Dailan to be straightforward.
But she hadn’t expected her to be this straightforward.
She was even blunter than herself.
“Dailan.”
Ye Xijing gave her a gentle reminder.
“I know it’s not the most polite question,” Qian Dailan admitted.
“But could you at least give me a rough idea? Just so I know what I’m working with.”
She paused, then smiled sweetly.
“If you think asking directly is too rude, I can ask in a more subtle way—if it’s around 100 yuan, just nod once. If it’s 200, nod twice.”
Ye Xiyan laughed.
“That won’t work,” he replied politely.
“Nodding 100 times would be a bit difficult.”
Qian Dailan froze mid-thought, gripping the card.
“…Are you sure you didn’t give me the wrong one?”
Ye Xiyan’s smile deepened.
A polite and graceful end to the conversation.
“Don’t you have class at Peking University this afternoon?” Ye Xiyan reminded her.
“Head back to the hotel and get some rest first.”
Then, he turned to Ye Xijing and Liang Wanyin.
“Xijing, Wanyin, I have gifts for you as well. Come with me to the parking lot to get them.”
At that moment, Qian Dailan suddenly felt a little embarrassed.
She held the card tightly and, this time, her farewell was genuinely heartfelt.
“Goodbye, Gege.”
Liang Wanyin snapped her compact mirror shut.
“Gege, are you heading back to the company? Can you drop me off at home on the way?”
Ye Xiyan nodded.
Ye Xijing knew that following Ye Xiyan to the parking lot was never a good thing.
But since his older brother had already made all the arrangements perfectly, he had no excuse to refuse.
He reluctantly told Qian Dailan to return to the hotel first and promised to meet her for dinner later.
And sure enough—
The moment they stepped into the elevator—
Ye Xiyan lifted his hand and smacked Ye Xijing across the face.
A loud, crisp slap echoed in the small space.
Liang Wanyin gasped in shock, her hand instinctively clutching her purse.
“You’ve Always Been Reckless, But This Time?”
Ye Xiyan’s expression was devoid of amusement.
“I used to tolerate your foolishness because you were still young, still in school. It was normal to be reckless back then,” he reprimanded Ye Xijing.
“If you were dating seriously, I wouldn’t interfere. But what exactly have you been doing?”
Ye Xijing’s perfectly styled curls had been disheveled by the slap.
He covered his cheek, his voice hoarse.
“I didn’t do anything to betray her.”
“Nothing?”
Ye Xiyan’s face remained cold.
“So it wasn’t you who got drunk two nights ago and confessed to Wu Ke? It wasn’t you who went to Renmin University’s east gate to register something?
And half a year ago, when you started dating her, did it ever cross your mind that she wasn’t even an adult yet?”
Ye Xijing protested, “I wasn’t an adult either!”
Ye Xiyan raised his hand again, but at that moment, the elevator doors opened.
Ye Xijing hurriedly stepped out first, frowning.
“I don’t even understand why you’re so angry, ge.”
“Last year, when Dad suggested you date Wu Ke, you refused. You said you were too busy with research and had no time for relationships. If you didn’t like her, why does it make you so mad that I went after her?”
He waited for his brother to respond.
But Ye Xiyan said nothing.
He just stared at him.
Ye Xijing hesitated.
“Did I hit a nerve?”
“No.”
Ye Xiyan stepped out of the elevator, expressionless.
“I was just curious to see how low your bottom line is. And clearly, when it comes to being an idiot, you have no limits.”
Ye Xijing scoffed. “Don’t tell me you’re this pissed just because I hugged Wu Ke when I was drunk.”
Ye Xiyan was genuinely speechless for a second.
Standing under the soft lighting of the parking lot, he calmly delivered his final words.
“If you weren’t dating the girl from today, and you had been honest about pursuing Wu Ke, I wouldn’t care.
But Dad left you in my care, and I refuse to raise a brother who treats relationships like a game, using his spare cash to string girls along. Can you, for once, use that brain of yours before acting?”
Then, as if realizing something, he paused.
“Sorry. That was a bit harsh.”
His voice was completely emotionless as he continued:
“I forgot. You don’t have a brain. I shouldn’t have expected a few words to suddenly make one grow. My mistake.”
Liang Wanyin tried to smooth things over.
“Gege, Xijing wasn’t trying to upset you…”
“Oh, so I should be thanking him instead?”
Ye Xiyan’s voice was flat.
“Thank you, Xijing, for being so considerate. So understanding. So thoughtful?”
Then, without looking at her, he added:
“Wanyin, go to the car with Yang Quan. This has nothing to do with you.”
Liang Wanyin hesitated, looking worriedly at Ye Xijing, but ultimately obeyed.
Once she was gone, Ye Xiyan finally spoke again.
“Do you know why I’m the one meeting you, and not Dad?”
Ye Xijing’s expression darkened.
“Dad brought up Dailan?”
“What else did you think?”
Ye Xiyan said coolly, “He wanted to meet her first. I told him that would be inappropriate—it would only scare her. That’s the only reason we had this dinner instead.”
Then, he asked, “Did you ever consider what would have happened if Dad had been here tonight? Do you realize how humiliating that could have been for Dailan?”
Ye Xijing shook his head. “I wouldn’t have let that happen.”
Ye Xiyan’s voice was eerily calm.
“A guy who can’t even control himself after one drink thinks he can control his entire life. Your confidence is even more inflated than your ignorance.”
Ye Xijing let out a deep breath.
“Fine. What do you want?”
“Nothing.”
Ye Xiyan glanced at the red mark on his brother’s face, then reached out and straightened his collar for him.
“If you’re going to date someone, do it properly. Don’t fake things. She’s a good girl. Smarter than you, actually. And it’s obvious she really likes you. Be good to her.”
Ye Xijing tested the waters.
“So…?”
“I’ll talk to Dad. As long as I’m handling it, he won’t interfere with you two.”
Then, after a brief pause, he asked, “She’s still young. Why isn’t she continuing her studies? Did she fail her high school entrance exam?”
Ye Xijing finally stopped hiding the truth.
“Lan—Dailan’s dad got really sick during her entrance exams. She had to quit school to help support the family. She went to vocational school instead, but… well, you know what those schools are like.
She got harassed a lot. She fought back. Then the guys she fought ganged up on her and made her life hell. Her family needed money, so she dropped out and started working.”
Ye Xiyan stared at him. “And you still tease her?”
“No.”
Ye Xijing sighed.
“I really like her. But… you know…”
Before he could finish, Liang Wanyin returned.
Ye Xijing suddenly realized something.
“Wait—how did you know Wanyin would come? You even prepared a gift for her?”
Ye Xiyan answered casually.
“That was originally for Qian Dailan.”
“But I changed my mind.”
“She seems to prefer cash.”
Ye Xijing laughed.
“That’s true.”
For a moment, the two brothers stood in silence.
Then, Ye Xiyan patted his younger brother’s shoulder.
“Stand up straight.”
“You’ll be going home every night for the next few days.”
“You can take her around the city, but nothing out of line. She’s still young. Don’t mess this up.”
Ye Xijing rolled his eyes.
“What else would I be doing? I have finals coming up. Other than practice exams, I have no time for anything.”
He was applying for a Master’s program in the UK and had already picked his target schools.
When he started dating Qian Dailan, it had been driven by impulse and attraction.
But as time passed, and the initial rush faded, he found himself uncertain about their future.
She was smart—but her education level was low.
She had only completed middle school.
Could love alone really sustain their relationship?
Liang Wanyin’s words had been harsh—but not wrong.
In the future, would they still have anything in common?
She didn’t speak English.
She didn’t even have a high school diploma.
Forget it.
He comforted himself.
At least she had finished the mandatory nine years of schooling.
Who knows what the future holds?
Might as well enjoy the moment.
***
The Last Day in Beijing.
She was still wearing the same sneakers she arrived in—Adidas.
After walking so much in a single day, her socks had become slightly transparent, and small blisters had formed on her toes and soles.
“I’m not climbing the Great Wall tomorrow,” Qian Dailan declared.
“Mai-jie, book my train ticket for tomorrow night. I’ll get home before dawn and head straight to work in the afternoon.”
It was her last day.
She had come all this way, spent eight hours on the train, and the ticket wasn’t cheap.
Might as well get her money’s worth, right?
The city was covered in red flags.
Volunteers in matching T-shirts stood at tourist spots.
Through a glass display, Qian Dailan stared longingly at a set of five Olympic Fuwa mascots, each one stitched with the Beijing Olympic rings.
200 yuan for the set.
So expensive.
But…
They were so well-made, so much nicer than the ones sold in the wholesale market.
Even the Olympic rings were embroidered instead of printed.
But still—200 yuan.
So pretty.
200 yuan.
So, so pretty.
200 yuan, 200 yuan…
Qian Dailan leaned against the glass, staring at the mascots for a full ten minutes.
She wondered—when would she ever come back to Beijing again?
She clutched her wallet tightly inside her denim pants, took a deep breath—
And finally made up her mind.
The five small mascots were placed inside a beautiful shopping bag and handed to her.
The cashier smiled, saying “We look forward to your next visit.”
Next visit?
Qian Dailan suddenly felt a strange sadness.
She might never have a “next visit.”
But this visit had been a happy one.
***
During her last meeting with Ye Xijing, she handed back the card that Ye Xiyan had given her.
“I spent 627 yuan,” Qian Dailan said.
“The rest should go back to your brother.”
Ye Xijing looked at her.
“He gave it to you. Just keep it.”
“No,” she said seriously.
“I’m not coming back. Keeping it would be a waste—it’d only benefit the mall. I even asked if they’d refund the remaining balance, but they wouldn’t.”
What a pity.
Why wouldn’t they allow refunds?
She had even hinted to the cashier—
If they could refund the money, she’d give them a 500-yuan “thank you” fee.
But no.
They said there were security cameras.
Security cameras?
Seriously?
What a waste.
She didn’t have enough time to find someone who bought mall gift cards for cash.
Ye Xijing finally accepted the card, giving her a look of approval.
“I knew it,” he said.
“I wasn’t wrong about you.”
Qian Dailan thought the same thing.
She wasn’t wrong about him either.
Ye Xijing was exactly what she had thought he was—
A rich second-generation kid who had never been beaten down by real-world struggles.
***
Carrying the same backpack she had brought with her, Qian Dailan also held onto a large plastic shopping bag, filled with gifts she had bought over the past few days.
She walked toward the entrance of the Beijing train station.
It was dusk.
The Beijing Railway Station was crowded—a major hub filled with people coming and going.
Since only passengers with trains departing within four hours were allowed to enter the station, those who arrived too early had no choice but to wait outside.
Qian Dailan made her way across the square, weaving through:
Families laughing and reuniting.
Vendors selling watches and cell phones in hushed voices.
Travelers, too early to enter the station, spreading out military coats and thin blankets, settling in for the night under the station’s outer walls
.
She saw an older woman—
Her hair tied up messily, wrapped in a worn-out leather jacket, its outer layer peeling.
All her belongings were stuffed into a large fertilizer sack—
A wok, some bedsheets, and even a brand-new copy of “One Hundred Thousand Whys”, making the sack bulge at the seams.
A few loose plastic threads hung from the sack, swaying in the wind.
At her feet, an empty plastic bottle was carried away by the breeze, rolling further and further.
She took a step to chase after it, but her legs were weak, her movements slow.
Qian Dailan hurried forward, picked up the bottle, and handed it to her.
“Dà yí (Auntie), here.”
The woman smiled.
“Thank you, young lady.”
Qian Dailan smiled back.
“No need to be polite.”
Switching hands to relieve the strain of the heavy plastic bag, she continued lining up for the entrance queue.
One Last Look at Beijing.
Before entering the station, Qian Dailan turned back one last time.
She lifted her hand, red from the plastic bag handles digging into her skin, shielding her eyes.
The red-gold sunset melted over Beijing’s skyline—
Like a ripe, boiled tomato, the crimson clouds bubbling like a rolling pot of fire.
The Train Ride Home.
Once on the train, Qian Dailan offered her lower bunk to a mother with a child.
She tucked her luggage into the middle bunk and was about to settle in when she noticed—
A new message on her phone.
[New Message]
“Dailan, hello. This is Xijing’s brother, Ye Xiyan. If you have any plans to continue your studies, feel free to contact me.”
She froze.
A strand of hair, damp from sweat, slipped from her forehead, tickling her eyelashes.
Outside the green train car’s glass windows, the world had gone completely dark.
Only the warm yellow station lights flickered in the distance.
She stood there, next to the middle bunk, while in the lower bunk that was once hers—
The young mother sat, half-leaning, feeding her baby with a milk bottle.
The air was filled with:
The steaming scent of instant noodles.
Opened vacuum-sealed spicy chicken feet.
The fresh, crisp scent of a snapped cucumber.
The cold, stiff smell of train bedding.
A train attendant pushed a food cart past her.
“Beer, soda, bottled water! Sunflower seeds, peanuts, instant noodles! Hey, big brother in front, mind making some space? We’ve even got Harbin Red Sausage!”
The attendant paused beside Qian Dailan, giving her an easygoing smile.
“Miss, want a bag?”
“No, thanks.”
Under the Frosted Moonlight.
In a high-rise apartment, outside a vast floor-to-ceiling window,
The branches of a gingko tree swayed, leaves thick and full.
Fresh from his shower, wearing only a bathrobe, Ye Xiyan stepped out—
And saw her reply.
[Qian Dailan’s Reply]
“Hello, Xiyan-ge. Thank you so much for offering to help, but for now, I have no plans to continue studying.
I’m really sorry, but I truly appreciate it. Wishing you good health, happiness, success in your career, and prosperity for your whole family!”
It was the response he expected.
Yet somehow, Ye Xiyan still felt it was a pity.
He set down his phone.
Deep down, he knew—
They would probably never meet again.
What he never expected—
Was that the second time he would formally meet Qian Dailan—
Would be in his bed.