The old lady often asked Lin Ning this question—nowadays, Lin Ning was her greatest worry.

Lin Ning smiled, answering sincerely, "I’m doing well—Xi Zhou treats me very well."

Things between them had eased somewhat lately. Maybe it was just her imagination, but Xavier Quinn truly was better to her than before.

They only stayed in Ancheng for a day before flying to Port City.

Back at the Qiao family home, Lin Ning immediately felt the suffocating tension. It made her want to run.

"Ning Ning, you’re back!" Hearing this call from afar, Lin Ning couldn’t help but knit her brows.

Next to her, Xavier Quinn squeezed her hand. She looked up at him. "Why are you pinching me?"

"You’re my wife—I’ll pinch if I want to. If you don’t like it, you pinch me back." Coming from Xavier Quinn, those childish words sounded oddly out of place, like something two squabbling kids would do. Lin Ning didn’t hesitate to grab his hand and give him a pinch in return.

An eye for an eye—now she felt much better.

Xiao Xiufang witnessed their little exchange with a moment of surprise, but quickly regained her usual calm.

"You’re finally back. Your dad and your grandfather have been waiting for you."

Xavier Quinn ignored her, leading Lin Ning inside by the hand.

The smile on Xiao Xiufang's lips faded. She had long grown used to this indifference—it no longer fazed her, and she quietly followed them in.

Old Master Qiao and Qiao Jing were playing chess in the living room. Hearing the commotion, Qiao Jing glanced their way and spoke, his tone a mix of warmth and sternness: "Can’t you settle down at New Year’s? Always running off somewhere! Why can’t you stay home and spend more time with your grandpa?"

Xavier Quinn stayed silent, but Lin Ning couldn't help speaking up. "Dad, we only went back to Ancheng for a bit. We weren't running off."

Qiao Jing looked at Lin Ning but dropped the subject.

Old Master Qiao fiddled with a chess piece and turned to Lin Ning. "It’s good to visit your family from time to time. Don’t mind your dad’s blunt words."

Whether he was blunt or not, it made no difference. What mattered was that his words never landed comfortably.

Xavier Quinn and his father had never gotten along—whenever they were under the same roof, sparks would fly.

Since entering the house, Xavier Quinn hadn’t looked at Qiao Jing once.

His grandfather, though, doted on him.

"Xi Zhou, come play chess with me."

Xavier Quinn didn’t hesitate. "I have things to do at the office. There's a dinner tonight, so I’ll play chess with you next time."

Lin Ning shot him a confused look. What? He was really going to leave her here on her own?

She had no intention of staying; she gripped the corner of Xavier Quinn’s jacket and gazed at him with pleading eyes, as if to say: "Big bro, can you not ditch me? I promise I’ll behave."

Qiao Jing snorted impatiently, clearly annoyed. "You just got back and now you want to leave again? It's nearly New Year’s! What could possibly keep you so busy? Admit it, you just don’t want to be home."

"You’re right—I just don’t want to be home," Xavier Quinn replied coldly. Father and son never minced words, and every time they met, a fight was inevitable.

Qiao Jing bristled with anger. "Then don’t ever come back!"

Old Master Qiao’s face turned thunderous. "Enough! Can’t you even have some peace at New Year’s? What kind of father acts like this?"

Qiao Jing still respected his father. Even when scolded publicly, he dared not talk back.

Xiao Xiufang tried to smooth things over. "Xi Zhou, your dad doesn’t mean what he says. Try to understand him."

Xavier Quinn said nothing, but Lin Ning gave Xiao Xiufang a long, meaningful look.

Xiao Xiufang had a remarkable knack for words—always able to bring Qiao Jing around. As his second wife, she was all sweet concern toward Xavier Quinn on the surface, but in truth, her mind was always scheming for her own son's gain.

Just then, there was a noise at the door—everyone turned to look.

"Get me a table of girls at the club tonight. I need to win back what I lost yesterday," Qiao Linyue's light, rakish voice floated in. Entering the house, his smile froze as the phone blared on, "Second Young Master Qiao, you sure know how to have fun. Don’t worry, tonight you’ll have a blast..."

Instantly, the room's temperature dropped to freezing. Lin Ning looked at him with wry amusement—this was about to get good.

Qiao Linyue hurriedly hung up, flustered. "Grandpa, Dad, I didn’t know you were all here."

Old Master Qiao’s face darkened.

Xiao Xiufang chided him, "Didn’t I call you to come home earlier? Why are you only getting back now?" She shot Qiao Linyue a warning look, urging him to mind his words.

He had partied all night, his clothes still reeking of cigarette smoke. He hadn’t expected the old master and Qiao Jing to be home—usually, only Xiao Xiufang was around.

She utterly doted on him, so he’d gotten used to coming and going as he pleased.

Old Master Qiao just shook his head and sighed.

Qiao Jing fixed him with a stern glare and thundered, "You waste all your time at clubs—what sort of example is that? How did the Qiao family end up with such a spoiled brat!"

One after another, no one let him have a moment’s peace.

Qiao Linyue didn’t dare protest, standing frozen, waiting out the scolding.

The old master glared at his sorry state. "A father’s failure to teach is a father’s fault. You think scolding helps? If it did, he wouldn’t be like this."

He only cared about Xiao Xiufang and her son, never bothering with Xavier Quinn—no wonder Xavier Quinn refused to acknowledge him as a father.

Xavier Quinn remained completely detached, leading Lin Ning away from the house. Compared to the winter chill of Ancheng, Port City basked in brilliant sunshine. But no matter how strong the sun, it couldn’t warm their hearts.

In the back seat of the car, neither spoke—until Lin Ning glanced over at him. Every time they came back, she noticed, he and Qiao Jing’s tempers would always flare, without fail.

"Don’t look at me like that." Xavier Quinn suddenly spoke, eyes straight ahead—yet he somehow knew she was watching him.

Lin Ning wasn’t embarrassed in the slightest. "Why can’t I look? I know you’re hurting inside, but me? I feel perfectly fine."

This woman really knew how to push his buttons.

The car jolted abruptly—Lin Ning, caught off guard, tumbled forward. Xavier Quinn turned, and somehow their lips landed together, exactly, perfectly—

Lin Ning jerked back like she’d been shocked. "Sorry, Mr. Qiao!" the driver stammered, apologizing profusely for the sudden stop.

"Eyes on the road," Xavier Quinn ordered in his low voice. He glanced at Lin Ning, spotting her with head bowed, fingers idly tracing circles against her palm. His lips curved into a smile.

Lin Ning was just like a healing balm for him. No matter how dark his mood, she always had a way of sweeping his gloom clean away.