The next day, Zhang Qian and Xue Xingzhou boarded the train back to Beijing City.

Two days later, they arrived in Beijing City and went straight to Xue Yue’s place to pick up their child.

"My dad picked him up?" Zhang Qian asked in surprise.

Mrs. He nodded. "Yes. The day you called, he started crying for his mommy and daddy right after you hung up. We couldn’t console him no matter what we did. We had no choice, so Yue’er called your dad, and he came and picked him up."

Zhang Qian turned to Xue Xingzhou. "Are we going to Dad’s place now?"

Xue Xingzhou said, "I’ll call Dad and see if he’s home."

No one answered.

"He’s probably at the office."

Zhang Qian looked puzzled. "What about our son? He didn’t take him to the office with him, did he?"

"It’s possible."

The couple didn’t wait for Zheng Guofeng to get off work and instead went directly to his office.

They found the office and pushed open the door. Inside, Tun Tun was sitting on the carpeted floor, playing. Zheng Guofeng was at his desk, working.

"Dad."

"Son."

Xue Xingzhou and Zhang Qian spoke at the same time.

The grandfather and grandson both looked over.

Zhang Qian had already rushed to her son’s side, scooping Tun Tun into her arms and kissing him several times.

Zheng Guofeng stood up and said with a smile, "You’re back."

Xue Xingzhou nodded. "We just got back. We went to my sister’s place, and she said you’d picked him up."

Zheng Guofeng nodded. "I heard your father-in-law was injured. Is he doing any better?"

Xue Xingzhou replied, "Yes, he’s back home recovering now."

"That’s good."

Zhang Qian asked her son, "Did you miss Mommy?"

Tun Tun hugged Zhang Qian’s neck, refusing to let go. "I missed Mommy and Daddy."

Zhang Qian’s eyes stung with tears, and she hugged her child tightly.

Xue Xingzhou smiled. "Dad, has this little guy been behaving himself these last few days?"

Zheng Guofeng looked at his grandson, his expression full of affection. "He’s been very good. Very obedient. He even came to meetings with me and was perfectly quiet."

Since they were already at the office, Xue Xingzhou decided to let Xue Yue know they were back.

Zheng Guofeng picked up the phone. "I’ll just call her. No need for you to go find her."

He made the call, and Feng Yujie answered.

"This is Feng Yujie."

"Oh, Vice Group Leader Feng. I’m looking for Xue Yue. Is now a bad time?"

Feng Yujie recognized Zheng Guofeng’s voice at once. Her throat suddenly felt dry, and she cleared it with a slight cough.

"We’re not busy. Should I send her over now?"

"Yes."

"Okay, I’ll tell her." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"Thank you."

Feng Yujie wanted to say something more, but she just heard the dial tone from the other end.

She froze for a moment, then called out, "Xue Yue."

Xue Yue heard her name and ran in. "Sister Feng."

Feng Yujie looked at her, pausing for a couple of seconds.

Xue Yue blinked.

"Go to Vice Minister Zheng’s office. He’s asking for you."

Xue Yue was taken aback for a moment, then nodded. "Okay."

Hearing a knock, Xue Xingzhou went to open the door himself.

Sure enough, it was Xue Yue.

When Xue Yue saw her brother, her face lit up. "Brother, you’re back!"

Xue Xingzhou let her in. "Yeah, we just got back. We’re here to pick up Tun Tun."

Xue Yue came in. "Sister-in-law, is Uncle doing better?"

Zhang Qian nodded. "Much better. And thank you for taking care of him."

Xue Yue chuckled lightly. "Oh, don’t mention it. We’re all family. Besides, it was Uncle Zheng who was taking care of him lately."

Xue Yue then recounted, as a funny story, how the little guy had started rumors about her at the office.

Zhang Qian was surprised. "That really happened? What did everyone say? I hope it doesn’t cause any trouble for you."

Xue Yue waved her hand dismissively. "It’s just wild speculation. It’s not a big deal."

Zhang Qian patted her son’s head and couldn’t help but laugh. "Looks like you exposed all your aunt’s secrets, didn’t you?"

Xue Xingzhou and his family didn’t stay long. They were tired from the train ride, so they took their son and headed home.

That afternoon, when Xue Yue left the office, she saw He Lang waiting outside.

"What brings you here today?"

He Lang put his arm around her shoulders. "I’m taking you somewhere."

Xue Yue gave him a little push and glanced around. They were surrounded by people leaving work.

"Behave yourself. We’re right in front of the office."

He Lang let out a low chuckle and released her. "Alright, alright. Wouldn’t want to embarrass you. Let’s go."

Once they were on the bus, Xue Yue asked, "So, where are we going?"

"You’ll see when we get there."

Xue Yue raised an eyebrow. ’What’s all this about? Why is he being so mysterious?’

They got off the bus and, after a few minutes’ walk, arrived at a residential complex.

"Binhe District."

"What are we doing here? Are we meeting someone?"

He Lang nudged her forward. "Stop asking. Just come on."

He Lang led Xue Yue into the complex and into one of the buildings. They climbed five flights of stairs and finally stopped in front of a door.

He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and dangled them in front of her.

Xue Yue’s eyes lit up with surprise. "You bought an apartment?"

He Lang nodded.

"The lady of the house is welcome to go in and see if she likes it."

Her heart pounding, Xue Yue took the key, inserted it into the lock, turned it, and pressed down on the handle. The door swung open.

The modern decor was a world away from the traditional courtyard house they were living in.

"It’s one of the fully renovated units. You’ve got the shoe cabinet here by the door, this is the living room... It has three bedrooms, a living room and dining room, and two bathrooms. It’s really spacious, too. What do you think? Do you like it?"

Xue Yue followed He Lang on a tour of the apartment and nodded. "I love it. I love the layout and the decor. But what made you decide to buy a place?"

He Lang smiled. "Don’t you remember? Brother Hua told us he’s in real estate. This is the new complex he built. It was finished about six months ago, and most of the units are already sold. I ran into him last month, and he asked if I was interested in buying. I thought about it and decided it was a good idea, so I came to take a look. As soon as I saw this one, I knew you’d like the style."

Xue Yue said, "Oh, right! He did say back then that he’d give us a discount if we bought a place from him. Did he give you a good deal?"

He Lang nodded. "Yep. Ten percent off."

"Well, he’s a man of his word then. Still, that must have cost a lot, right?"

He Lang took her hand, swinging it gently. "We’re not short on money right now. The whole reason I work is to give you all a good life. Since we can afford it, we shouldn’t have to compromise. As long as you like it, that’s all that matters."

Xue Yue figured he was right. "I’m going to look around some more."

He Lang smiled. "Go ahead. Look all you want. This is our home now."

Xue Yue kept the news about the apartment to herself, not even telling Mr. and Mrs. He. She just savored the secret joy.

Since their children’s school was near the courtyard house, they had no time to actually live in the new apartment, even after buying it.

But sometimes, when the couple wanted a little romance, they would spend the night there, keeping it a secret from everyone.

Xue Yue, for her part, quite enjoyed it. ’The more properties, the better,’ she thought. ’If real estate in Beijing City wasn’t so expensive, I’d happily take a few more.’

「In mid-July, Yang Wenxiu gave birth.」

Xue Yue and Mrs. He went to the hospital to visit.