Don't meet me in your next life.

Rain started falling outside the window, pattering against the glass. Xiang Yi was tidying up the room when she heard the rain and walked to the window.

She was going back in a month. She touched her slightly protruding belly. It had been six months since she last saw him. Was he still alone? She felt a mix of anticipation and fear of seeing him again.

In the six months since she came to LS, she often thinks of Lin Lubai, of the days they spent together, of the joy, the happiness, the anticipation, and the heart-pounding shame.

The time I spent with Lin Lubai was different from the time I spent with Lu Sichen. Being with Lu Sichen seemed very peaceful; he was usually the one making a fuss while I watched. He always surprised me, and I would be happy and smile at him, but the heartbeat was different.

Only now did she realize that her feelings for Lu Sichen were liking, not love. This was why their relationship had remained stagnant for a year – she simply hadn't felt that spark yet.

She was truly moved by Lin Lubai; she wanted to possess him and hold him close to her very core. This feeling was very exciting.

Longing overwhelmed Xiang Yiyi. She picked up the photo booth picture she had taken with Lin Lubai before leaving, which was on her bedside table, and looked at it over and over again. It had been her spiritual sustenance for the past few months.

"Lin Lubai, are you alright? Do you miss me?" Xiang Yiyi looked at the enlarged photo frame of her own, touching the baby in her belly. "Baby, do you want to see your daddy?"

The little one inside seemed to understand Xiang Yi's speech, moving around inside her belly, causing Xiang Yi's belly to bulge out in one place and then in another.

Xiang Yi gently stroked her belly and said to him, "Don't be naughty, be good. In another month, we'll go back to China, and maybe we'll be able to see Daddy."

As if sensing her reassurance, he slowly stopped kicking.

Xiang Yi smiled. This little guy seemed to understand her more and more. With him by her side in LS, Xiang Yi never felt lonely.

It was already September, and autumn was beginning. The air was slightly cool after the rain. Standing by the window, Lin Lubai felt a tickle on his nose and sneezed.

He closed the window and returned to his computer desk. He needed to work even harder; he had no reason not to try before finding Xiang Yiyi.

"If there's a time limit to loving you, I hope it's forever. Could you stay for me...?" Before he could even sit down properly, Lin Lubai's phone rang.

"Grandpa, is something the matter?" Lin Lubai asked.

"Xiaobai, your uncle is going on a business trip and happens to be passing by your place. I asked him to give Qiaoqiao a ride there. She should be there soon. You can keep her by your side as your secretary. You must treat her well." Grandpa got straight to the point.

"Grandpa, I've already told you, don't try to put women around me, I don't need them. And you know, Qiaoqiao and I were college classmates, if it were possible, we wouldn't have waited until now." Lin Lubai said helplessly.

"I don't care. You're 31 this year. If you don't get married soon, where will I put my face? Besides, I won't be able to explain to your mother. Qiaoqiao likes you so much. What's wrong with you just making a little sacrifice?" Grandpa pretended to be a little angry.

“Qiaoqiao is still a virgin, while I’m already married and my child is about to be born,” Lin Lubai said.

“I know, but what about that woman? She abandoned you and ran away with the child in her belly, didn’t she? Does she love you? Does she ever think about you?” Grandpa questioned. “I didn’t know about the marriage, I didn’t know about the divorce, and she even ran away with my grandson. I will never let a woman like that be with you.”

"Grandpa, we have our reasons," Lin Lubai tried to explain.

"Stop talking. Focus on building a relationship with Qiaoqiao. As for the divorced one, if she comes back to ask for money and the child, give her the money. I'll raise the child. Don't even think about getting back together with you," Grandpa said bluntly.

"I don't love Qiaoqiao," Lin Lubai said.

"What is love? Back in the day, your grandmother and I were also arranged by our parents, and we still lived a good life. Look at your mother and that guy surnamed Lu, always talking about love, but in the end, he killed your mother. What kind of bullshit love is that!" Grandpa said angrily. "Don't force me to go and supervise you directly."

"Grandpa, can I decide my own marriage?" Lin Lubai gritted his teeth. His mother had always been a source of pain for him and his grandfather.

“Except for marriage, you make all your own decisions. Qiaoqiao doesn’t mind that you’re divorced, yet you still make so many demands,” Grandpa said angrily.

"Okay, okay, I understand." Seeing that he couldn't persuade his grandfather, Lin Lubai could only try to persuade Qiaoqiao to give up.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Lubai rubbed his head.

Su Qiaoqiao is a princess of the Su family. Her brother, Su Mingli, is Lin Lubai's roommate and friend, and the two have always kept in touch. Su Qiaoqiao herself has always treated him like a younger sister, so how could he possibly fall in love with her?

When Lin Lubai went to university, Qiaoqiao hadn't even started high school yet. Although he later discovered that Su Qiaoqiao liked him, he always thought it was just a child finding something he liked, and besides, how could he possibly have feelings for his own sister? So, over the years, he didn't take it seriously. Su Mingli, of course, knew about this, and tried her best not to let her sister bother him.

Come to think of it, he hadn't seen Su Qiaoqiao for three or five years. He'd only heard Su Mingli mention her occasionally, saying she'd gone abroad to study management. Her reappearance now was probably due to his grandfather's matchmaking. It seemed that for the past two months, Lin Lubai had been using the excuse of being married and divorced to appease his grandfather, but his grandfather had decided to take a firmer stance.

Su Qiaoqiao is the only princess of the Su family. Su Shi is even more powerful than the Lin family. Among the four major families in the country, the Su family is second to none, while the Lin family can only be ranked in the top ten.

Lin Lubai was just having a headache. Qiaoqiao was the younger sister of his college friend Su Mingli, and her grandfather and maternal grandfather were old friends. No matter how you looked at it, he couldn't afford to offend her.

Thinking about all this, Lin Lubai's head throbbed with pain. He needed to ask Su Mingli first.

"Mingli, what's wrong with Qiaoqiao?" Lin Lubai dialed Su Mingli's number.

"Qiaoqiao? What's going on? I'm on a business trip in another province, I'm not home," Su Mingli replied.

"Qiaoqiao said she'd come to be my assistant. My uncle brought her here on the way," Lin Lubai said simply.

"So that's why my sister asked me when I was coming back two days ago. It's because of this. Her family is pressuring her to get married, and you're the only one in her heart, so it's normal that she went to see you." Su Mingli smiled helplessly. "Take care of her for me for a while. Maybe that will make her give up."

"My head hurts. I'm still looking for my wife and kids. And now my grandpa's trying to force your sister into my life. He's not making things easy for me," Lin Lubai complained.

"Haha, you've finally met your match! Look at your arrogant face, someone's finally teaching you a lesson. Alright, I'll bring my sister back next year. Let her go to your place and get a taste of your own medicine this year, otherwise she won't give up. She's this age and still doesn't want to date, saying she only likes people like you," Su Mingli said with a laugh.

"You know perfectly well that I treat her like a younger sister. Fine, then just fry me in oil. I'll help you torture her, so don't blame me if anything goes wrong." Lin Lubai said helplessly.

"Okay, let me know if you need anything." Su Mingli said with a smile, "Take good care of her for me. She's my sister, and she's your sister too."

"Okay, don't worry." Lin Lubai hung up the phone.

Lin Lubai could only pray that Su Qiaoqiao was just playing around and would go back after a few days of relaxation.