Qiu Yingying is reborn and bound to a learning system.

The newly opened Huaiyang cuisine restaurant has become very famous, and Qiu Yingying has been wanting to eat there for a long time.

The decor here is also very elegant, with blue and white porcelain vases in the private rooms and ink bamboo paintings hanging on the walls.

The noise in the main hall was kept out by the heavy wooden doors of the private rooms, making the interior even quieter and allowing people to enjoy their food in peace.

Qiu Yingying held her chopsticks and was taking small bites of the squirrel-shaped mandarin fish. The sweet and sour sauce coated the crispy fish meat, making it refreshing and not greasy.

While eating, she told Meng Yanchen about some interesting things that happened on the project recently. A new member of the team missed a decimal point in the numbers in the plan. When the team leader saw it, he couldn't believe what the budget was. He thought it was 3000000 million yuan. When she got to the funny part, she smiled and her nose turned slightly red from the steam.

Meng Yanchen sat opposite him, listening intently, a faint smile playing on his lips.

In the white porcelain bowl before him sat a small portion of braised lion's head meatballs, the meat tender and the broth clear. He ate slowly, his movements restrained yet natural, occasionally picking up a piece of stir-fried vegetables or scooping a spoonful of crab roe tofu, savoring each bite. The light flavors of Huaiyang cuisine suited his palate, but what truly comforted him was the lively chatter of the person opposite him, like a beam of vibrant light illuminating the otherwise quiet private room.

"You seem really different lately." Qiu Yingying suddenly put down her chopsticks, looked at him and said, "I always felt that you had a tense vibe about you, but now you seem much more relaxed, and there's a smile in your eyes."

Meng Yanchen paused for a moment, then lowered his head, smiled, and scooped up a spoonful of soup to drink: "Really?"

"Of course," Qiu Yingying nodded firmly. "It's especially good like this now; it makes people feel at ease."

Meng Yanchen looked up at her, his eyes softening and his tone cheerful: "Yes, I think it's pretty good too."

He has indeed been having this feeling of "reassurance" lately. It's not a grand, earth-shattering elation, but a long, steady warmth, like finally basking in the sun after a long, rainy day.

The light wasn't blinding, but it was enough to dispel the gloom that had accumulated in his heart for many years—the gloom of responsibility, constraints, and repression. It was as if all that unhappiness was an illusion, and his life was meant to be filled with sunshine.

Xu Qin's previous willfulness and smashing of the family photo broke the hearts of her parents and brother.

That photo carried her mother's hopes for a "complete family." But after arguing with her parents, Xu Qin casually smashed it, shattering it along with her mother's unconditional love for her.

"She chose this path, let her walk it herself." Later, his mother said to him with red eyes and a voice full of exhaustion, "I can't control her anymore, and I don't want to anymore. Before, when she couldn't take care of herself in high school, she could still listen to our opinions, but now she's compromising on her own, and we can't control her."

From that moment on, Meng Yanchen was completely at peace. They were all adults, each with their own path to walk, whether it was good or bad, it had nothing to do with him.

He could no longer be the "middleman" maintaining the relationship, and he could no longer let himself and his parents fall into endless disappointment and internal strife because of Xu Qin's choice.

He wanted to live for himself for once, to hold onto the hard-won peace and light before him, and much of that light came from the girl across from him who was smiling and picking up food.

The phone rang abruptly, breaking the silence in the private room.

Meng Yanchen glanced at the screen; it was Xiao Yixiao. His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. Xiao Yixiao usually wouldn't call him unless there was a reason, preferring to send a WeChat message. He answered anyway, his voice calm and even: "Feed."

"Meng Yanchen, you finally answered the phone." Xiao Yixiao's voice was clearly impatient as it came through the receiver. "Xu Qin just called me, you know? She asked to borrow 100,000 yuan right off the bat."

Meng Yanchen's fingers tightened slightly as he held the phone, the smile on his face fading as he listened quietly.

"I told her, 'Why don't you borrow from your brother?'" Xiao Yixiao's tone was full of sarcasm. "But she said she didn't want to ask you or your parents, because she was afraid you would laugh at her."

Meng Yanchen's Adam's apple bobbed slightly, but he didn't speak.

"Do you know what she's borrowing money for?" Xiao Yixiao continued, "Song Yan's sister, Zhai Miao, got arrested for participating in a pyramid scheme and is waiting to pay bail! Don't you think she's crazy? She's willing to do anything for that kid Song Yan. I told her, 'Think carefully, this isn't a small amount. Song Yan has worked for so many years and can't even come up with 100,000 yuan. What are you after with him?' She even got angry with me, saying that if I didn't lend it to her, then forget it."

Meng Yanchen closed his eyes, his mind flashing back to Xu Qin's anxious plea for help in the past, only to be immediately overwhelmed by his mother's reddened eyes and by the pain of being brainwashed by Xu Qin over the years.

He felt no ripples in his heart, only utter exhaustion—exhaustion from the endless "cleaning up the mess," exhaustion from the compromises forced upon him by family ties.

"Meng Yanchen, are you going to do anything about this or not?" Xiao Yixiao pressed. "No matter what, she's still your sister."

"I don't care." Meng Yanchen's voice was soft, but it carried an undeniable resolve. "She chose this path herself, and she should bear the consequences."

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the phone, then Xiao Yixiao's voice carried a hint of surprise: "You've changed."

Meng Yanchen did not deny it, but simply said, "Yes, whether or not to lend her money is up to you."

He has indeed changed. He doesn't want to retreat into that abyss filled with arguments, accusations, and repression, and he doesn't want the warmth he has finally felt to be swallowed up by the entanglements of the past.

"Fine, forget I said anything," Xiao Yixiao said irritably, and hung up the phone.

Meng Yanchen put down his phone, his fingertips still stiff from the force of his grip. He looked up at Qiu Yingying, a hint of apology in his eyes. He subtly changed his form of address: "Sorry, Yingying, I disturbed your meal."

"It's nothing." Qiu Yingying shook her head, not asking what had happened. She simply picked up the serving chopsticks, put a piece of pork rib on his plate, and said softly, "It's getting cold. Try this; it's stewed until very tender."

He looked at the ribs in the bowl, then at Qiu Yingying's adorable expression as she ate earnestly, and a warm feeling welled up inside him. Without refusing, he picked up a rib and took a bite. The delicious flavor melted on his tongue, with just the right amount of saltiness.

"Very good, delicious," he said softly.

Qiu Yingying smiled and picked up another piece of greens with her chopsticks: "I didn't choose the wrong restaurant, did I? Let me tell you, I searched for a long time before I found it. I knew you would like this kind of light food."

"Yes, a very good choice," Meng Yanchen nodded, a smile returning to his eyes.

Enjoying delicious food in peace is the true comfort of everyday life. Meng Yanchen stopped thinking about Xu Qin's phone call, stopped thinking about those suffocating memories of the past, and just wanted to immerse himself in this moment of tranquility.

Enjoy a meal with her, listen to her tell you some trivial but interesting stories, and feel the warmth that is within reach.

No matter how deep the abyss, it cannot compare to the warmth of human life before one's eyes; no matter how heavy the past, it cannot stop one's steps toward the light. Those who truly feel the sunlight will only desperately try to hold on to it, and will not be pulled back into the abyss.

They exchanged a smile, saying nothing more, yet sharing an unspoken understanding. Their chopsticks occasionally brushed against each other above their plates, then gently moved away, much like their relationship: more than friends, less than lovers, both tacitly acknowledging each other's growing closeness.

At the same time, on a bench in the police station, Xu Qin gripped her bag strap tightly, her fingertips turning white. On her phone screen, Xiao Yixiao's message was particularly jarring: "Qinqin, if it's for your own use, I'll definitely give it to you, but if you're giving it to Song Yan, I won't lend you the money. You'll have to figure it out yourselves."

She bit her lip, her eyes reddening. She couldn't turn to Meng Yanchen, nor could she turn to her parents. They already looked down on Song Yan, and if they knew she had borrowed money for Song Yan's sister, they would only oppose her choice even more and say, "I told you he was unreliable."

Song Yan stood to the side, his face ashen, hands in his pockets, his voice laced with suppressed anger: "Can't you borrow it?"

"Xiao Yixiao won't lend it to me." Xu Qin's voice was trembling with tears. "Ten thousand yuan, he said I'm crazy."

"One hundred thousand yuan." Song Yan repeated, her tone full of humiliation and resentment. "The Meng family is so rich, one hundred thousand yuan is just a drop in the ocean for them. Xiao Yixiao and Meng Yanchen are in the same social class, they shouldn't be unable to come up with it. To put it bluntly, they just don't want to lend it! They look down on me."

"Don't say that," Xu Qin retorted softly, though she thought the same thing to herself.

"Did I say something wrong?" Song Yan suddenly raised her voice. "They just look down on me, thinking I can't even come up with 100,000 yuan, and that you're being wronged by being with me, so they won't even help with this little thing! The Meng family is just that stingy at heart!"

Xu Qin felt a chill run down her spine as she looked at his agitated expression. She knew Song Yan was upset, but his words pierced her heart like needles. She bit her lip and suddenly stood up: "I'll go sell bags."

"What are you doing?" Song Yan frowned.

"What else can we do?" Xu Qin's voice carried a hint of despair. "We can't just let Zhai Miao stay inside all day, can we? My bag can still be sold for some money. Let's pay the deposit first."

After she finished speaking, she turned and walked away, her back view resolute. Song Yan watched her retreating figure, his fists clenched tightly, his eyes filled with resentment, but in the end, he said nothing more. He truly couldn't come up with 100,000 yuan, and could only watch as Xu Qin sold her beloved possessions for his sister's sake. He resolved in his heart to rip the Meng family apart.