"Qiu Wen! You don't have to wash the dishes. You're our guest. Just take a seat outside." Mdm. Ooi lamented as she quickly took over.

"Don't worry Mother. Let me. You cooked very well and they were sumptuous. So, at the very least I could repay you by doing the dishes." He said while helping her as she smiled happily.

You have repaid me by keeping me at ease knowing you're always by my daughter's side. She thought to herself.

"How's your family doing? It's been years since I saw your grandmother. Is she doing well after you know, old grandpa left?" Mdm. Ooi asked as Qiu Wen smiled and nodded.

"Of course! Don't worry about Granny. She takes very good care of Ting Ting too." Qiu Wen assured her as she shook her head and sighed.

"My children can never let me live in peace. One is so busy running his agriculture business while the other didn't even want to finish her studies." Mdm. Ooi whined as Qiu Wen felt a little guilty about it.

"You did well Mother. Else, I wouldn't be so blessed to be able to live with her now." Qiu Wen tried comforting her.

"Thank you, Qiu Wen… I knew I could always rely on you to keep this lady grounded. It wasn't easy for her to raise those two and I could never understand the reason she was so determined to keep the identity of the father a secret till today. Yet while she was in danger of losing them, it nearly broke her…" Qiu Wen blinked twice to ensure he heard her right.

Mdm. Ooi nodded. "Knew she wouldn't tell you about her pregnancy complications. It was nearly life-threatening. From then on, May and I hoped she would not conceive further. Not that Mother is stopping you. You deserve the chance to experience fatherhood but…" She paused not being able to continue.

"I know what to do Mother…" Qiu Wen assured her.

"I promise I will give the best care I can if she ever conceives again." Qiu Wen was torn between trying to give up the idea of having more kids which he knew Xue Ting had been hoping for lately or keeping her safe by his side for the rest of their life. He knew she was all that mattered to him but she may not be contented with that fact.

As Mdm. Ooi took her afternoon nap later in the afternoon, the twins and Brisbane decided to visit their uncle at his field with snacks. That gave the couple a chance to go on a date in their childhood town.

"Where exactly are we heading to?" Xue Ting asked after walking a fair bit from her house. He smiled as he adored her frowning self.

"Here…" He said when they reached the entrance of a refurbished bookstore.

"A bookstore? Isn't this the one we always stay in to read all the new comics?" Xue Ting asked as he nodded.

"Now, is it really this store? It looks very different and I'm surprised it's even still around…" He said excitedly as he went in to find the store interior had changed and so did the owner.

"Uncle Zest had passed on. He had let his children take over." Xue Ting explained as his eyes darted to one section of the store that used to have a sofa. He went to the wall behind it which was now replaced by a pot of plant and saw the love drawn on the wall with XT on it was still around. He quickly took his phone to snap a picture of it. When Xue Ting realised the meaning of it, she was touched.

"I never knew…" She said in surprise.

"I never told you and it's hidden. I'm glad it was hidden and unknown else I would never get to tell you." He said as he stole a kiss from her before leading her to the next destination.

You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

"Primary school? It changed a lot too." Xue Ting said as he continued to lead her to the side of the school which led up to a small hill. He quickly dug the ground with his hand near an old huge willow tree.

"What are you looking for?" Xue Ting asked worriedly as she kept looking out in case the guard or someone else spotted them while Qui Wen ignored her questions and continued to dig hoping to hit the box he was looking for. A good few moments later, he finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel as he dragged the medium-sized cookie metal box out from the ground.

"What exactly is this?" Xue Ting asked while gasping as he jumped excitedly finding it.

"Open it up…" He urged as she was surprised to find his secret stash of miniature toys which he had hidden there for other kids to discover.

"It surprises me how kids these days no longer dug the ground like we did. Look at all these surprises I had for them went unclaimed. So, it's mine again but it's for you." He said while skipping down the steps of the hills as she trailed behind carrying the metal box, adoring all the toys that were still in great condition.

"Who gave you all these? Did you save your pocket money to collect them?" She raised an eyebrow.

"My mother." He said solemnly before heading to the washroom nearby to clean his hands. Xue Ting could only sigh in disappointment learning the truth about it.

"Did you just keep them for your future children?" She teased when he returned from the washroom to lighten up his mood but it left him a little taken aback by being reminded of her pregnancy complication. He managed to remain composed as he held her hand and led her out of the school compound.

"Someday perhaps…" He finally answered her impending question along the way which turned her frown into a wide smile. He knew he was right about her intentions on having kids which he would have agreed to if it was not for the complications he learned earlier that day.

With them strolling too far into the town, they were too hungry to make their way back to her house for dinner later that evening. Hence, Xue Ting had informed the twins to not wait for them as the couple had dinner at her favorite stew shop instead before continuing their town exploration with a stroll by the riverbank.

"Wen Wen… are your anxiety issues consulted by professionals before this?" She asked abruptly as her mind crossed at the thought of him developing them when they were still growing up in this town.

He caressed her cheek wondering things that were going through her mind.

"Used to but not anymore. I have you now but…" She instantly frowned which made him smile sadly.

"Why didn't you tell me about your pregnancy complications?" He questioned which made her a little disappointed.

"Ting Ting, I know your intentions… I love them and I love you too…" He held her face in his hands and gazed at her lovingly.

"I want you to know that you are what matters to me. Never mind the fatherhood experience when we have such old twins and you even had little Brisbane recently." He explained hoping Xue Ting could understand as she blinked away the welling tears and nodded.

He pulled her into his embrace. "I'm sorry you had to suffer alone during those years… I would always be grateful for my brother's care towards you but now, let me care for you to make up for the years we missed. By doing so, I hope to not lose you. Despite this, we shall go with the flow. If we are meant to be parents again, we will cross the bridge when we reach it." He explained as she eased deeper into his hug gratefully and nodded.

"And…" She looked up at him and frowned again.

"Why are there so many things? Are you trying to nitpick on me?" She complained as he chuckled.

"You tell me… Keeping secrets seems to be your expertise doesn't it?" He turned solemn again as Xue Ting's forehead creased.

"Your arm. Why can't you paint on your right properly anymore?" She knew it was serious as she let go of his waist but he held her closer.

"Don't. Run. From. Me. SnowBell." She grew tense at each word as she tightened her grip on him.

"Since you cure me, let me help you out." He offered as she gave him a questioning look before they headed to take a bus ride home, leaving her puzzled during the entire route.

Instead of heading into the house when they arrived home, he grabbed some art materials from the car which he knew Xue Ting had brought along out of habit. After that, he led her to the edge of the house where she could see the hill from afar, and sat with her. She was still puzzled but she decided to break the awkwardness by quietly drawing the view in front of her on her left hand.

"Do you know why I was ever attracted to you?" Qiu Wen asked after a while sounding much more relaxed as he reminisced on the first time he saw her in Wai Tao's school again.

She lightly shook her head while leaning into his arms comfortably while sketching.

"Because you drew the hill we used to play at when we reunited in Wai Tao. It was as though destiny telling me that day that you were the one." His answer came as a surprise.

She was trying to recall the times she drew the view and was caught by him but it was lost in her memory. However, she did remember the first time she drew it in school was during autumn by the window; that was when she missed home very much after the shift, coupled with the terrifying trauma of the hill she wanted to shake off, even more especially when it rained.