After dinner, I took the old lady for another stroll around Jianglan. She hadn’t come to the city for a long time, and the small city had changed a lot in recent years. The economic development was quite good. Once the new area had fully developed, it would be even more renewed in the future.

The old lady had trouble walking, so she mostly enjoyed the scenery from the car. We only got out at the big square to take a walk. The big square was quite lively at night, with people strolling, setting up stalls, selling snacks, dancing, skating, and skateboarding—there were all sorts of people.

After walking for a while, the old lady got a bit tired, so I helped her to a leisure bench to sit down.

Suddenly remembering something, the old lady fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a wooden box, trembling as she opened it. Inside was a completely green jade bracelet.

"Girl, you’re a grown woman now. This is a gift from your grandmother!"

Qin Shiqing was taken aback and quickly waved her hand, saying, "Grandma, just spending my birthday with you makes me very happy. This gift is too precious, I can’t accept it!"

The jade bracelet was part of the old lady’s dowry from the past, and she had worn it for almost her entire life. It was only in recent years that she hadn’t worn it, as she was afraid of falling and breaking it due to her age and poor legs.

"Take it. There are no girls in this generation of the Liu family. Your uncles only have sons. If I don’t give the bracelet to you, who else would I give it to?"

The old lady looked at Qin Shiqing with a kind expression.

In this granddaughter, she saw a reflection of her younger self.

Once, she was also the beauty of the village, with a gentle but slightly stubborn temper.

Qin Shiqing didn’t look much like Liu Sufen; instead, she resembled her grandmother more.

Liu Sufen mainly inherited her looks from Qin Shiqing’s grandfather, and her temper wasn’t as gentle, clearly different from her daughter.

Originally, the old lady had always planned to give the bracelet to her granddaughter but was worried about her eldest son’s wife having an opinion. Qin Shiqing’s aunt was like a tigress, with quite the sharp tongue, having eyed the bracelet for a long time.

But now, that woman probably wouldn’t complain, as her son was a manager at someone else’s store. Compared to the bracelet, her son’s future was naturally more important.

Qin Shiqing was about to refuse when the old lady feigned anger: "Take it when I tell you to take it. Are you going to ignore even your grandmother’s words?"

"Alright, thank you, Grandma."

Only then did Qin Shiqing carefully take the jade bracelet and put it on. The contrast between her fair wrist and the green bracelet was strikingly beautiful.

The touch was smooth, and Su Zelin could tell at a glance that it was top-quality jade.

"Haha, it fits just right!"

The old lady was very satisfied.

Compared to the tigress from her eldest son’s family, she hoped more for her granddaughter to become the owner of this piece of jewelry.

Her gaze then shifted to Su Zelin, who was sitting on the other side: "And you, Xiaolinzi."

"Yes, Grandma?"

Su Zelin listened attentively.

"Treat her well!"

The old lady said solemnly.

Su Zelin fell into silence.

In his past life, because he had wronged Qin Shiqing, he felt guilty towards the Qin family and, even more, towards the old lady, and he never dared to see her.

Until one day, he suddenly heard that the old lady had passed away. It was like a thunderbolt out of a clear sky.

The bearer of the bad news was Liu Caizhi.

Although, due to Qin Shiqing, the Liu family people had a prejudice against the playboy, Liu Caizhi and Su Zelin never lost contact. Mainly because the playboy looked after him in business, and they had commercial dealings, so there was no way around it.

He also learned from Liu Caizhi that after breaking up with him, Qin Shiqing never married, nor did she have a boyfriend.

The playboy was both happy and worried—happy that his beloved hadn’t fallen into someone else’s arms and perhaps still had feelings for him; worried that he had delayed her life.

In this life, he went out of his way to recommend Qin Shiqing’s cousin as the store manager, not only because he was a suitable candidate but also as gratitude for Liu Caizhi’s constant updates in the previous life.

Upon learning of the old lady’s death, Su Zelin, who was then in the Big Apple of the beautiful country, immediately canceled a significant business meeting that had been scheduled for two hours later and flew back home. Due to the breach, he lost tens of millions, but at the time, the playboy had no regrets. Money, at that point, was just a number to him.

After more than ten hours of flying, he rushed non-stop from Shenghai to Jianglan, finally making it in time for the old lady’s funeral.

Naturally, Qin Shiqing’s family was at the funeral.

This was also one of the rare moments Su Zelin saw her after breaking up with his childhood sweetheart.

With her beloved grandmother gone, Qin Shiqing was weeping uncontrollably.

The playboy wanted to comfort her but helplessly realized he had no right to do so.

Qin Daqing and Liu Sufen, along with all the Liu family members, didn’t say much at the funeral.

Liu Caizhi spoke a few good words for him, mentioning that he had come back from overseas.

Seeing as Su Zelin was so thoughtful in coming to bid the old lady farewell, they couldn’t exactly turn him away.

The jade bracelet was also given to Qin Shiqing after the funeral, as it was the old lady’s dying wish. Before her passing, she gathered many elders from the village and made her wish in front of all of them. No matter how unwilling Qin Shiqing’s aunt was, she wouldn’t dare defy the old lady’s wishes.

With about ten years left before the old lady’s great life limit, Su Zelin’s mood still turned heavy whenever he thought of that funeral.

The old lady had been so happy when she found out he and Qin Shiqing were together, only to be just as disappointed later. She was the elder he felt most ashamed to face.

"I... will."

Facing the old lady’s clouded but perceptive eyes, Su Zelin finally nodded.

He couldn’t promise to be devoted to Qin Shiqing.

But at least he could promise not to wrong her granddaughter.

That was the best promise the playboy could make to the old lady.

...