Facelift

The midday sun was as scorching as a freshly baked egg tart; it fell upon the skin with such intensity that one could almost smell the heat. Qin Yanan felt unaccustomed to the fiery, early summer of Junsha. As she strolled through the campus, the raw gazes, hurried footsteps, and boisterous voices all carried the unique innocence and vitality of that age, slowly stirring feelings of nostalgia and envy within her.

Twenty-five is neither old nor young. Under normal circumstances, Qin Yanan never really dwelled on her age. Zhu Juntang was a little fairy, yet people often referred to her as the little princess of the Qin family; princesses, naturally, never had to worry about marriage.

Yet, her great-grandfather had gone and found her an eighteen-year-old fiancé. Before the Dragon Boat Festival, word came from the old family estate that Qin Yanan did not need to return to pay her respects to the old man, but should instead stay in Junsha to keep Liu Chang'an company.

Even her father had no say in this matter, and Qin Yanan was helpless. Zhu Juntang had even fled back to Taiwan to play the obedient child and dote on her elders.

Fortunately, Zhong Qing remained in Junsha. When Qin Yanan was bored, she would invite Zhong Qing for a spa day or to browse the Baolong Center. At least she had company and wouldn't be completely idle.

Qin Yanan turned back to see Liu Chang'an watching her and felt a flicker of annoyance. "Am I so ugly that you can't stand the sight of me? Why are you staring?"

"A woman's charm is multifaceted, but it is ultimately rooted in her complexion. Does the Book of Songs not say, 'Plainness is the foundation for adornment'? 'Plain' refers to white. Of a woman's essence, whiteness is the rarest quality. Often, one finds features and teeth as if painted, yet the flaw lies solely in the skin." Liu Chang'an quoted a passage from Li Yu's Xianqing Ouji. "When did I say you were too ugly to look at? I think you are very beautiful, and what is most rare is that your skin is fair, which makes you even more so."

Qin Yanan was slightly startled. Since he was ultimately praising her, her annoyance subsided, but she felt a sense of surprise. She had come to see Liu Chang'an today not because she was bored and wanted to check on her "fiancé's" studies, but because her father's secretary had arranged the schedule. She had wanted to take the opportunity to discuss things with him: since he thought she was ugly, why not cooperate and ruin this arrangement together?

Now that he had suddenly called her beautiful, could it be that Qin Yanan's calculations had been wrong?

"You clearly said you understood my great-grandfather's intentions and that you were unwilling!" Qin Yanan was so frustrated she wanted to stomp her feet, but she refused to act like a petulant girl in front of a boy seven years her junior.

"I am unwilling, yes. But you look so much like your great-grandmother, how could you be ugly? You shouldn't be so insecure; you need to have a correct perception of yourself. It is a good thing for a girl to be beautiful; excessive modesty is just affectation." Even though her great-granddaughter was already this old, the smile on Liu Chang'an's face remained as brilliant as the sun.

Qin Yanan didn't even bother to argue about him calling her affected. She looked at Liu Chang'an in disbelief. "You... you know my great-grandfather's intentions, and you aren't unwilling because I'm ugly, but truly just because I look like my great-grandmother?"

Liu Chang'an nodded. The past was like shattered smoke and dust, destined to dissipate. He did not want to dredge up memories and emotions he had already buried. If he kept the emotions of countless years in his mind at all times, he feared he would have long since fallen into delusions like Zhu Juntang. If he were to be with Qin Yanan, he might struggle to distinguish between Ye Sijin and her, and the jumble of emotions would make it impossible for him to maintain the peace of mind that his current life required.

Qin Yanan could not understand. He hadn't lived with her great-grandmother, nor did he share the intimate, blood-bound affection of a descendant. Why would being with her cause such confusion and discomfort?

However, none of that mattered. This was his business. As long as he was unwilling, that was all that mattered. Qin Yanan probed, "Since you are unwilling and I am unwilling, let's just ruin this arrangement."

"Very well. I will write a letter to Qin Peng to explain." Liu Chang'an nodded seriously. "This matter must not come to pass. You can rest assured."

A smile spilled from Qin Yanan's eyes. She tried to maintain a reserved expression, but felt inexplicably shy as she looked at this little cousin who was already so different from her initial impression. "This is all just the adults meddling. I assume you must have someone you like?"

Qin Yanan could not influence her great-grandfather, but she felt certain that Liu Chang'an could. After all, her great-grandfather had been incredibly agitated upon receiving news from Liu Chang'an, which gave her the impression that whatever Liu Chang'an wrote carried great weight and influence.

Since he was willing to write such a solemn letter, he could naturally put an end to the influence that had caused this in the first place.

Liu Chang'an nodded. As the saying goes, "Though fate may not align, the spirit is quite fine; though the deed is yet undone, the logic is easily grasped. The beauty of imagining it is far more poignant than being lost in the embrace of a lover." For someone who had not experienced the affairs of men and women, the mere imagination was enough to make one intoxicated and unable to extricate oneself. Although Liu Chang'an did not belong to that category, it had been a very, very long time since he had been intimate with a woman. Naturally, there was someone he liked, and he was not without desire.

"One of those two girls from earlier?" Qin Yanan possessed the natural pride of a prominent family; one might even call it arrogance, yet she had been raised with the basic decorum of the establishment. She hadn't spoken during the meal, but she hadn't been daydreaming either; she had observed the others.

Those two girls were quite striking, especially one who had an excellent figure, possessing the kind of modest, perfect curves that Qin Yanan wished she had—like Zhu Juntang's... though perhaps Zhu Juntang's were even larger.

"You should worry about your own affairs. You look like you're not young anymore; find someone suitable and get married," Liu Chang'an said with a sigh.

Qin Yanan was nearly choked by his words. After learning just a little more about him, she realized this cousin was vastly different from her first impression. Though his life was poor, he was self-reliant. Huang Shan had also mentioned his excellent grades, and he could recite classical poetry with ease—none of which seemed prepared just to impress her. She had just praised him and wanted to say he had a talent for chasing girls, never expecting him to immediately follow up with "You look like you're not young anymore." Was this the kind of thing a boy with normal emotional intelligence would say to a girl?

Perhaps it was because she was definitely not his target of pursuit; she was seven years his senior. Qin Yanan took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to knock him on the head. What a brat!

"Though I cannot marry you, I will still take good care of you. If you ever encounter insurmountable obstacles in life—such as a major illness, being hunted by mysterious figures, being bullied by a powerful husband's family, or if you want to prolong your life, get a facelift, beauty treatments, skincare, or maintain your figure—you can come to me," Liu Chang'an said earnestly.

Qin Yanan was both angry and amused. She couldn't help but raise her hand and swat Liu Chang'an. She was Qin Peng's granddaughter; she had never been bullied by anyone in her life, let alone the absurd scenarios he was spouting. She took it as a joke, but her mood was excellent. As long as Liu Chang'an could call off this engagement, everything would be fine.

The reality was that men held the power. Even if a woman had to accept it, a man marrying a wife seven years younger was perfectly fine, but marrying a wife seven years older would invite too many strange looks and annoying gossip.

"If I encounter such things, I probably won't be coming to you. But I will still come to see you during the Dragon Boat Festival. After all, I can ignore other things, but my great-grandfather's insistence that we cousins should grow closer is something I must follow." The smile on Qin Yanan's face became much more natural and gentle. "Alright, go back now. Pay attention in class."

She really was speaking to him as if he were a little cousin. Liu Chang'an didn't mind; he turned and walked toward the classroom. In truth, even his own heart was feeling a rare moment of conflict.