Autumn, Slightly Cool

Gu Luo sat quietly on a bench deep within East Lake Park, clutching a thick envelope in his arms while checking the time on his phone.

October 31st, 2055, Sunday, 4:47 PM.

It was also the last day of October.

Yet, compared to a week ago, the temperature had risen instead of dropping.

Neither too hot nor too cold—just pleasantly cool.

Caizhou was a southern city, and the period from late October to late November was usually the most comfortable month of the year in terms of weather.

Of course, conditions varied annually—last year had been unusually chilly, requiring jackets most of the time, while this year, girls could comfortably wear short skirts.

There were still thirteen minutes left until the time he had agreed to meet Shu Ning.

No—twelve minutes now.

Gu Luo’s fingers unconsciously traced the edge of his phone as he watched the numbers flicker on the screen, a faint nervousness creeping in.

Even though he and Shu Ning had already shared several intimate moments, every second of waiting now felt agonizingly slow.

Under the spell of the word "first love," even the most mature man would revert to a restless, anxious boy.

A gentle breeze brushed past, carrying the dampness of the lake and the fragrance of grass and trees, cooling his cheeks.

The soothing temperature, however, did nothing to calm the turmoil in Gu Luo’s heart.

After two months of getting closer, he had finally gained his family’s approval to officially define his relationship with Shu Ning.

But at the thought of this, Gu Luo’s mood soured again.

He could now openly be with Shu Ning.

But before this, he and Shu He had only been able to sneak around in secret.

Though Shu He had repeatedly claimed she didn’t mind—even insisting she was willing to remain his hidden lover—Gu Luo wasn’t naive enough to believe any girl would truly be content with such an arrangement.

He had planned to keep things under wraps for a while, but sooner or later, he’d have to come clean to his family.

Besides, even if Shu Ning cooperated fully, living under the same roof as Little Man and Shuling meant the truth would inevitably come out. It was only a matter of time.

His legs were doomed to be broken—sooner or later.

Gu Luo suddenly wondered if he should follow the ancients’ example and go to his cheap dad and Aunt Luo to apologize with a bundle of sticks.

Maybe he’d get off lightly.

...Or maybe not.

Putting himself in their shoes—if he ever became a father and some guy ran off with both his twin daughters, with one of them willingly becoming his secret lover...

Yikes.

Just the thought made his blood pressure spike, filling him with the urge to grab a kitchen knife.

Not just to kill—but to slice the guy into a thousand pieces.

And here he was, the very guy stealing away a pair of twins.

In that light, broken legs seemed like a merciful punishment.

Well... at least on paper, the Luo sisters’ father was his cheap dad.

Gu Luo shuddered, recalling the nightmare he’d had during his morning nap.

Just as his thoughts spiraled, a voice suddenly called from behind:

"Brother."

Hearing it, Gu Luo snapped back to reality and quickly stood, turning to face Luo Shuning, whose complexion still looked somewhat frail.

The breeze played with the hem of her usual pure white dress, the fluttering fabric lending her an inexplicably poignant beauty.

The sight tugged at Gu Luo’s heart, and the words spilled out before he could stop them:

"Da Bao... I still need to take you to the hospital first."

"I’m fine."

Luo Shuning shook her head slightly, stepping closer with light but unsteady footsteps.

She pressed her lips together, her eyes brimming with unspoken words, before speaking softly:

"There’s so much I want to say to you, Brother."

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