The golden sunlight shone on the surface of the lake, sparkling and glistening. The willow branches fluttered in the breeze, like a graceful young girl dancing lightly.

“Look at the catkins!” Xia Xiaowan cried out in surprise.

Indeed, the white catkins fluttered in the air like snowflakes and slowly landed on their bodies. Xia Xiaowan picked up a small ball of catkin and placed it in her palm. With a gentle blow, it floated into the air.

“It’s interesting, isn’t it?” Xia Xiaowan turned to look at the smiling man.

“Well, it’s very interesting.” Gu Nianbin strolled over. The lotus flowers in the lake were not in blossom yet. The yellow petals just started to spread. There were also some small arrow-like buds standing upright. Although they were small, they held their heads high and refused to hide in the leaves. Because they were ornamental lotuses, they grew faster than lotus flowers in other places. In addition, the sunlight was abundant these days, so they looked thriving.

Xia Xiaowan also followed and looked at the large waves of lotus leaves in the wind. She clicked her tongue and praised. “It looks very beautiful like this. When the flowers bloom, they will definitely be gorgeous.”

Gu Nianbin smiled and said, “When they bloom, we will come to see.”

“Will we?” Xia Xiaowan asked in surprise, “Can we come back when they bloom?”

“Of course, you can come anytime you want.” Gu Nianbin smiled gently and took off a small ball of catkin from her hair. He casually tossed it and the white catkin swayed towards the green water.

Xia Xiaowan placed her hand on her forehead and looked into the distance. “I remember that there weren’t so many lotuses here before. They were planted later, right?”

“Maybe. I haven’t been here for a long time,” Gu Nianbin narrowed his eyes. It was close to noon and the sunlight was a little glaring. He said, “Let’s go back. The sun is a bit scorching now.”

In fact, it was not very hot, but Xia Xiaowan was not willing to play against him, so she nodded and said, “Alright, let’s go back and have lunch first. Then we shall go up the mountain.”

When they returned to the villa, Old Huang told Gu Nianbin that Gu Shanshan suddenly had something to do and left.

Gu Nianbin was not surprised. He just smiled and said, “She ran over but left after sitting for a while. What the hell is she doing?”

“Gu Shanshan, she was clearly the one who made this spring-outing proposal. Why did she run away?” Xia Xiaowan complained.

“Forget it. Let her leave. Let’s play together.” Gu Nianbin comforted her.

Just as she was angry, Xia Xiaowan suddenly realized that Gu Shanshan and Xia Nanze must have reached an agreement. One deliberately did not come, and the other left early. They wanted to create an opportunity for Gu Nianbin and Xia Xiaowan to be alone.

She stopped complaining and walked away silently. She didn’t know why she always felt a little uncomfortable now when she stayed with Gu Nianbin alone. After all, she was the one who forced Du Xiaoxian away. Regardless of whether Gu Nianbin had lost his memory or not, she always felt a little guilty when facing him.

After having lunch and resting for a while, they went up the mountain. The mountain was not steep. They slowly walked up from the gravel path and did not feel tired at all. The closest to them was a camphor forest. The thick canopy was almost connected. Walking under the shade of the trees, they did not bask in the sun. The sunlight leaked out from the branches and leaves, leaving mottled shadows.

Xia Xiaowan walked and suddenly stopped. She heard a strange sound, feeling as if she was stepping on something. There was a slight cracking sound. She looked down and saw that the ground was densely packed with small black fruits. These fruits were only the size of green beans. Some were trampled, but many of them remained round, lying on the ground.

Then Xia Xiaowan stepped on a few of them, and as expected, there was a cracking sound again. She felt that it was fun, so she lowered her head and kept stepping on them. Immediately, the path was ringing with the light cracking sound.

Gu Nianbin did not urge her to leave. He looked at her silently with his hands in his pockets. Although he was looking at Xia Xiaowan, he seemed to be a little absent-minded.

Xia Xiaowan was enjoying herself. Perhaps she felt that the man was too quiet, she looked up at Gu Nianbin and saw that he was staring at her. She could not help but smile.

Gu Nianbin called her, “Xiaowan.”

Xia Xiaowan answered and then lowered her head to step on the fruits of the camphor trees. The cracking sound rang again.

“Let’s get married!”

Xia Xiaowan stepped down, but she did not hear any sound. She used so much strength, and the small fruit silently broke under her sole.

She raised her head in shock and almost couldn’t believe her ears. She had thought that Gu Nianbin would finally agree to marry her one day, but she didn’t expect he would do it now!

It was too sudden, completely catching her off guard. She stood still, not knowing what to say.

“What? You don’t want to?” Gu Nianbin, on the other hand, looked calm.

“Yes, of course I want to marry you,” Xia Xiaowan’s mind was in a mess. Did he really lose his memory? Did he really forget Du Xiaoxian?

She smiled unnaturally. “It was just a little sudden. You just got discharged from the hospital and haven’t recovered yet. You suddenly brought this up and scared me.”

“Are you scared?” Gu Nianbin leaned against the tree and said in a somewhat teasing tone, “I thought you were already prepared.”

Xia Xiaowan slowly calmed down. She thought for a moment and said, “Brother Nianbin, there’s no rush to get married. Let’s wait until you’re done with the company…”

“I can’t wait, Xiaowan,” Gu Nianbin said, “I want to get married as soon as possible.”

“Why are you in such a hurry?” Xia Xiaowan was puzzled. “I need some time to prepare for the wedding. I have to select wedding dresses, take photos, reserve a banquet, print invitations, arrange a new house, and make plans for the honeymoon trip… There are many things to do!”

“Leave them to me. Don’t worry, I will arrange everything,” Gu Nianbin looked anxious.

There was a beam of sunlight casting on Xia Xiaowan’s face, which was slightly hot, but she did not avoid it. She stared straight into Gu Nianbin’s eyes. “Brother Nianbin, why can’t you wait? Tell me the reason.”

Gu Nianbin also looked at her. After a while, he chuckled. “Didn’t you always want to marry me? Now that I have agreed, why are you unhappy?”

“Is it because Jiang Kaiwei forced you so hard that you need my brother’s help?”

“No.”

“Then what is that? What made you change your mind?” Xia Xiaowan asked him.

Gu Nianbin smiled bitterly. “Must I say it?”

Xia Xiaowan stared at him closely, trying to capture the slight changes on his face. Did Gu Nianbin lose his memory? She had to figure it out.

“You are right,” Gu Nianbin said, “We have been in love before. We have the same family background, and our families are old friends. This kind of marriage will be blessed.”

“So, you changed your mind because you have thought it through, rather than…” No matter what, Xia Xiaowan could not say that name, so she could only probe.

“No matter what changed my mind, it is no longer important,” Gu Nianbin said indifferently, “There’s no need to worry about the past, is there?”

“But…” Xia Xiaowan frowned. Gu Nianbin’s answer was still ambiguous. She could not get an accurate answer, and she was uneasy. She tried again. “Can you forget?”

Gu Nianbin asked her instead, “Have you forgotten about Jiang Kaiwei?”

She answered with certainty, “Yes.”

“Then I can do it, too.”

The answer was obvious. He didn’t lose his memory. He still remembered Du Xiaoxian, but he didn’t want to mention her again, just like how she didn’t want to mention Jiang Kaiwei.

But how could she really forget? She hated Jiang Kaiwei. Every time she thought of him, her blood would boil. Now, Gu Nianbin must be the same when he thought of Du Xiaoxian. Hatred was more violent than love. He would not, and could not forget the past, just like her.

Xia Xiaowan thought that she and Gu Nianbin were both heart-broken. It might be good for them to be together like this. She slowly smiled and walked over to hold his arm. “If you really made up your mind, then let’s get married!”

“Thank you for agreeing.” Gu Nianbin said gently and continued to walk forward with her.

“Don’t thank me,” Xia Xiaowan said, “I have done so many wrong things. Actually, I don’t deserve happiness.”

Gu Nianbin raised his eyebrows. “Is it happiness to marry me?”

“At least I think so.” Xia Xiaowan said seriously, “Being with you gives me a sense of security.”

Gu Nianbin’s expression changed slightly, and a voice that broke his heart rang in his ears. “That’s why I’ve always felt fearful, uneasy, and insecure. I’m afraid that one day, you won’t want me anymore. I’m afraid that your family won’t accept me. I’m afraid…”

Everyone felt that he was steady and reliable, enough to be trusted. Only Du Xiaoxian, who he loved wholeheartedly, expressed insecurity.

He knew that what Du Xiaoxian said was the truth, because he saw the helplessness on her face. It was not that she did not like him. She tried her best, but she was still unable to adapt herself to the conflicts she had been involved in. She could only withdraw and turn to the embrace of another man who was good to her, which made Gu Nianbin the biggest fool in the world!

Xia Xiaowan walked silently. She suddenly felt that the man’s body was stiff. She looked up and saw that Gu Nianbin’s eyes were sharp and cold, as if he wanted to swallow someone! She was shocked and wanted to pull her hand out of his arm.

However, the man tightened his elbow and caught her arm. When he turned to look at her, he had returned to his usual gentle and elegant manner. He pulled her hand back and smiled. “Since you have agreed, we should be like a couple.”

Xia Xiaowan’s heart was still beating fast. Although his face was gentle, she knew that he was different. Even when they had an unpleasant time in the past, Gu Nianbin was straightforward in front of her and never hid his thoughts. But now, he hid his true heart and no one could see it. He pulled away from everyone, including her.

Gu Nianbin was strange and terrible like this! If they got married, would they really be happy? Xia Xiaowan’s determination started to waver.

Her heart was filled with hatred. The only motivation for her marriage to Gu Nianbin was revenge. Now, Gu Nianbin was the same as her. If two people filled with hatred were together, how could they live happily? He did not know what she was thinking. She could not guess him, either.

Gu Nianbin was no longer the man who he was before, nor could he give her happiness. No, they couldn’t get married. Xia Xiaowan let out a soft sigh and finally pulled her arm back. “Brother Nianbin, I still have to think about our marriage.”

Gu Nianbin looked at her in shock. “Why? Didn’t you do so much just to marry me?”

“It was my fault. I had bad intentions,” Xia Xiaowan watched the golden sunlight dance on the ground like a butterfly. She said, “Give me some time. I’ll answer you this evening at the latest.”

Gu Nianbin looked at her deeply and suddenly smiled. “Xiaowan, look at me. I’m in a mess now. Do you still want to be cruel to me?”

Xia Xiaowan also smiled. “It will be a cruelty to you if I promise to marry you.”