Chương 19: is titled "Naive Power".

The SUV slowly came to a stop in front of an apartment building. The morning sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting dappled shadows on the silver-white body of the vehicle.

Su Yuqing was already waiting at the door. She leaned against the door frame, idly twirling the ends of her hair with her fingertips.

Beside her, Su Xiaoye tightly hugged a faded plush bear, with a patch crookedly sewn on the bear's left ear, clearly a playmate cherished by its owner for many years.

"Lin Chen's dad!" Su Xiaoye's eyes lit up instantly upon seeing him, and she ran forward to greet him.

"You look especially handsome today!"

Lin Chen smiled and squatted down so that his line of sight was level with the little girl's.

He reached out and ruffled her soft hair, a few strands peeking out from between his fingers: "Xiaoye is especially cute today too."

Su Yuqing remained leaning against the door, her hands behind her back, a half-smile playing on her lips: "Good morning, brother~" Her deliberately drawn-out tone sounded like it was coated in honey, almost cloyingly sweet.

Lin Che's temples throbbed—this "brother" sounded mischievous no matter how you looked at it.

But he simply nodded calmly: "Good morning."

"Mom is waiting for us upstairs." Su Yuqing turned around, her ponytail drawing a cheerful arc in the air.

"This way." She walked briskly through the gate, her sandals clicking crisply on the steps, with Lin Chen following behind her.

Just as Lin Che was about to take a step, his clothes were suddenly gently tugged.

He looked down and saw Su Xiaoye looking up at him, her obsidian-like eyes filled with anticipation.

He naturally squatted down and opened his arms: "How about I carry you up?"

The little girl's face immediately broke into a big smile, like a flower that had suddenly bloomed.

She cheered and jumped into Lin Che's arms. The plush bear squeezed between the two of them, emitting a faint lavender scent—the scent of something that had been carefully washed.

The stairwell in the apartment building was dimly lit, and the motion-activated lights turned on one by one in response to their footsteps. The door on the fifth floor was ajar, and a faint scent of incense wafted from inside.

Su Wanyi pushed open the door, carrying an old leather briefcase.

"Thank you for your help," she said with a gentle smile.

"No trouble at all, we're all family now," Lin Chen said cheerfully as he took the box.

"We can leave the rest to the moving company. We'll take the important things first." His gaze lingered on Su Wanyi's face for a moment, and the two smiled at each other.

Lin Che followed Su Yuqing into the house, his gaze sweeping across the living room.

A photo of the mother and her two daughters hangs on the wall, and several small ornaments are placed on the coffee table. The overall arrangement is warm and simple, revealing the atmosphere of life everywhere.

"Take these with you." Su Yuqing pointed to the stack of cardboard boxes in the corner.

The top box wasn't sealed properly, revealing a corner of the photo album. Lin Che caught a glimpse of a girl in a middle school uniform making a face at the cake in the photo.

He bent down to move the bottom box, his arm muscles tensing instantly—it was as heavy as a small safe. Just as he adjusted his posture, he suddenly felt the box sway slightly, and his center of gravity shifted strangely.

Looking up, he met Su Yuqing's nonchalant expression; the tip of her shoe was subtly pressing against the bottom of the cardboard box.

"Oh dear, brother, you don't even have this much strength?" She feigned surprise, but her voice was very low, so that only he could hear it, and her eyes gleamed with the light of a triumphant prank.

Lin Che narrowed his eyes and suddenly let go.

"Whoa!" Caught off guard, Su Yuqing was suddenly jolted as the box tilted towards her. She hurriedly caught it, her cheeks puffed out.

"You did that on purpose!"

"The box slid by itself." Lin Che looked innocent, but a soft laugh escaped his throat as he turned around.

He reached for another box and found a label that read "Xiaoye's Treasure," with round and cute handwriting and crooked little stars and smiley faces drawn next to it, clearly Su Xiaoye's handwriting.

Su Yuqing glared at Lin Che, and after noticing his movements, she rolled her eyes and pretended to trip over him as he bent over, then fell headfirst into his arms.

"Watch out!" Lin Che reflexively turned around and caught her, and the two stumbled and bumped into the wall.

The girl's sweet fragrance instantly enveloped Lin Che. His back was against the cold wall, but his chest was touched by the girl's soft touch. Her warm breath brushed against his neck, causing a slight shiver to run down his spine.

"Sorry~" Su Yuqing drawled, bracing herself against his chest with both hands to steady herself, but deliberately circling her fingertips around the buttons on his shirt.

"The floor is too slippery."

Lin Che's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to speak when Su Wanyi poked her head out from the kitchen: "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing~" Su Yuqing instantly switched to a sweet voice, quickly retreating to a safe distance like a startled rabbit, pretending to be nonchalant as she tidied her hair.

Lin Che smiled slightly, pretending not to see her ears, which were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

There weren't many items that needed to be taken with them. Several cardboard boxes quickly filled the SUV's trunk. On the way back, Lin Che offered the passenger seat to Su Wanyi and climbed into the back seat himself.

Su Yuqing was already sitting by the window, helping Xiaoye fasten his seatbelt. When she saw him coming over, she deliberately shrank back towards the window, leaving an exaggerated gap.

"I'm not a virus," Lin Che muttered to himself, earning a playful face from the other person.

As the car entered the main road, Xiaoye had already fallen asleep while hugging her teddy bear. Su Yuqing gently pressed her younger sister's head on her shoulder, her fingers unconsciously twirling her soft hair.

While waiting at a red light, she suddenly looked up and met Lin Che's gaze.

Sunlight streamed through the car window, dancing on her eyelashes and casting dappled shadows. She blinked and mouthed silently, "What are you looking at?"

Lin Che turned his face away, but in the reflection of the car window, he saw the corners of her mouth secretly raised.

Back home, Su Xiaoye woke up like a cheerful little sparrow, running around the house, her little leather shoes tapping out a lively rhythm on the wooden floor.

"Put Mr. Bear here! Put my painting there!" She waved her little hands, directing the way, her ponytail swaying like a pendulum.

Lin Chen held up the photo frame and gestured on the wall. Su Wanyi gently pointed half a step behind him, her finger pointing lightly: "A little to the left... yes, that's it."

Lin Che squatted in the corner of the living room assembling a bookshelf. The screwdriver made a dull sound as it collided with the wooden board. Su Yuqing walked over with a water glass, and the ice cubes in the glass swayed.

"Is this screw loose?" She suddenly leaned closer, her breath carrying the sweet and sour scent of lemonade brushing against his ear.

Lin Che's hand trembled, and the screwdriver left a shallow white mark on the wooden board.

"Stay away from me," he said through gritted teeth.

"Why?" She opened her eyes wide, her thick eyelashes fluttering.

"Wasn't I helping?"

As she spoke, she deliberately pressed down on the screw that Lin Che was about to pick up, her fingertips brushing lightly against the back of his hand.

Lin Che took a deep breath, suddenly reached out and pinched her cheeks, pulling them apart. The girl's face was as soft as glutinous rice balls, and the feel of it was so good that he wanted to hold on and not let go.

"Ugh! What are you doing!" Su Yuqing protested loudly, caught off guard.

"Check if you've been possessed by something strange," Lin Che said, spouting nonsense with a straight face.

"Today's been particularly annoying."

"You're the one..."

"Sister, Brother Lin Che, are you arguing?" Xiao Ye appeared beside them at some point, still holding the plush bear in her arms, her eyes filled with worry.

"No~" Su Yuqing instantly switched to her gentle older sister mode, ruffling Su Xiaoye's hair.

"We're... developing our relationship."

"Develop feelings? Then I want to develop feelings with Brother Lin Che too!" Su Xiaoye exclaimed excitedly upon hearing this.

Upon hearing this answer, Lin Che's lips twitched as he glared at Su Yuqing, who stuck out her tongue and coaxed her younger sister to go somewhere else.

Lin Che let out a long breath and continued his struggle with the bookshelf.

At lunchtime, Lin Chen made his signature sweet and sour pork ribs. The sauce glistened enticingly under the light. Su Xiaoye ate with her mouth full of oil, while Su Wanyi chased after her with a wet wipe to wipe her face.

Lin Che was picking up a piece of fish when he suddenly felt someone lightly step on his foot under the table. He looked up and saw Su Yuqing across from him elegantly sipping her soup, her eyelashes lowered to conceal the cunning in her eyes.

Without making a sound, he stretched out his leg, hooked her ankle, and pulled her towards him.

"Oops!" Su Yuqing's hand trembled, and the soup spoon hit the rim of the bowl with a crisp sound.

"Yuqing?" Su Wanyi looked over in confusion.

"The chair... is a little slippery," she explained, blushing.

Lin Che smiled innocently and pointed to the soup spoon: "Would you like more soup?" This angered Su Yuqing so much that she kicked him hard under the table.

The afternoon sun was blazing, but the cool air-conditioned room offered no relief from the heat. Xiaoye fell asleep on the sofa, hugging her plush bear, her nostrils flaring gently with each breath.

Su Wanyi and Lin Chen were washing dishes in the kitchen, the sound of running water and whispers blending into a warm white noise.

Lin Che leaned against the balcony railing, gazing at the city's silhouette slightly distorted by the heatwave in the distance, lost in thought.

The sound of the glass door sliding open came from behind. Su Yuqing walked to his side with two glasses of iced lemonade. Water droplets condensed on the glass walls dripped onto her fingertips, like sparkling gems.

"Tired?" She handed over the glass, the sound of ice cubes clinking together crisp and pleasant.

"It's alright." He took the cup, his fingertips accidentally brushing against her hand, and they both flinched at the same time.

After a moment of silence, Su Yuqing suddenly whispered, "Thank you."

Lin Che tilted his head: "Thank me for what?"

"Thank you for playing along with me today." She lowered her head, her voice soft, "Just like before."

"Didn't we agree? I'm always ready to play along if you want to cause trouble in private." He took a sip of lemonade, enjoying the sweet and sour, icy liquid sliding down his throat.

"Don't you think it's childish?" Su Yuqing suddenly looked up and stared directly at Lin Che.

"You're... such a grown-up, yet you're playing around like a child."

"Can't a sixteen-year-old be childish?" Lin Che deliberately misinterpreted her meaning, and seeing her anxious and angry look, he suddenly reached out and ruffled the top of her head.

Soft strands of hair slipped through my fingers, carrying the warmth of the sun and the fresh scent of shampoo.

Su Yuqing didn't dodge, but just gave a soft "humph".

"I've thought about it," Lin Che said, gazing at the clouds drifting by in the distance, a slight smile playing on his lips.

"In our past lives, we never had the chance to be carefree children."

"And now Dad won't meet that woman, and Mom won't be because of..." He paused, "In short, we can be a little naive now."

Su Yuqing looked at his profile and said softly, "So that's what you think."

"Being able to be childish is a lucky thing." Lin Che turned to look at her, his eyes serious.

"It means there are still people willing to indulge your willfulness."

"So since we still have the right to be naive, let's not give it up."

"Mmm." Su Yuqing nodded and responded softly.

The next second, her expression suddenly changed: "So that's why you've been touching my head?"

"Feels nice." Lin Che not only didn't let go, but also went a step further and rubbed it a couple more times, "Like petting a cat with its fur standing on end."

"Lin! Che!" Su Yuqing lunged at him, baring her teeth and claws, but he easily pressed her forehead down.

The girl waved her arms, but like a turtle turned over, she couldn't reach him no matter what she did.

Sunlight shone on the two of them, their shadows overlapping on the ground, as if they had never been apart.