After having New Year’s Eve dinner, Casimir Shaw happily dashed outside as the sky gradually darkened, and turned on the star lights wrapped around the landscape trees. He then pulled the elderly lady towards the yard, shouting, "Great-grandmother, come look at the New Year gift I prepared for you."

The elderly lady hadn’t yet entered the yard when she saw the trees adorned with dazzling lights and colorful star lanterns twinkling, complemented by the red lanterns in the yard, casting a dreamlike glow over the entire Shaw Mansion.

"Good, good, good." The elderly lady expressed her delight, repeating her praise three times in a row. She embraced Casimir Shaw with a joyful face, her eyes shimmering with hidden tears.

Year after year the scenery remains, yet with each passing year the people change. Perhaps as one grows older, witnessing such beautiful sights invokes a deeper sense of nostalgia.

Leah watched Casimir Shaw lead the elderly lady to watch the dazzling lights in the yard and couldn’t help but smile slightly, then started clearing the dishes with Richard Shaw.

"Did you teach Casimir to do this?" Richard Shaw’s gaze was deep; although she couldn’t remember things from the past, many intrinsic traits remained unchanged, even the way she pleased others.

"I merely noticed these star lights in the storage room. I don’t know who bought so many. They were gathering dust, so I decided to make use of them." She smiled nonchalantly.

You’re the one who bought them. Richard Shaw swallowed these words, watching her enter the kitchen. After giving some instructions to Mrs. Zhao, who nodded in understanding, he followed her into the kitchen, rolling up his sleeves to wash dishes.

Leah watched him deftly handle the task while sitting in his wheelchair. She could only assist him; he was always the one doing these chores, and if he wasn’t allowed to, he’d be displeased. Over time, Leah had grown accustomed to it.

Looking at the man’s gentle and reserved eyes, she softly asked, "Richard Shaw, you are so good, why do you remain single?"

Prior to meeting her, he had lived alone with his child for many years, right?

The man paused in his actions, his voice slightly hoarse and dry as he said, "Leah, I used to be not so good."

Leah widened her eyes, disbelief filling her voice as she asked, "Were you proficient in all sorts of vices such as drinking, womanizing, gambling or frequenting clubs? Or perhaps you enjoyed domestic violence?"

Richard Shaw was amused by her, shaking his head as he replied lowly, "I used to be a fossilized piece of wood, all my attention was on the Military District. I rarely came home and wasn’t considerate or tried to treat anyone well. The more I cared, the more I masked my feelings with indifference. Was such a person still considered good?"

If he had treated her a little better back then, their relationship wouldn’t have ended so tragically. Even without that accident, Leah would still be reluctant to see him.

Leah couldn’t imagine Richard Shaw being this way in the past, a selfish man like this would be unbearable to any woman.

"Seems a bit unbelievable." Leah squinted at him, her peach blossom eyes appraising him as she thoughtfully remarked, "So you think you weren’t good, hence your single status?"

"I’ve stayed single waiting for you." The man’s deep voice was barely audible.

Leah’s cheeks flushed subtly, feeling the kitchen was slightly small and hot. Fortunately, Richard Shaw remained calm and continued his tasks.

She couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, realizing she had never asked him about his ex-wife. She sometimes thought perhaps he was only seeing echoes of his ex-wife in her and that’s why he treated her so well.

She didn’t ask, merely preserving an escape route for herself; her view on love was always to love lightly but keep it hidden deeply.

She remembered Delphine’s relentless pursuit of young love over ten years, leaving her scarred and taking her child to a distant place, and thought of Griffith Squire struggling between darkness and light, uncertain of life or death. Recalling those five years spent emotionless like chewing wax during recovery, she lost the courage for honest-hearted exchange.

Thus, it’s best to keep the boundary in place, even if love is shared now, one can turn away tomorrow.

A mysterious pain flickered in Leah’s heart, akin to standing on a precipice without a past, merely living day to day.

After cleaning the kitchen, Richard Shaw noticed Leah standing at the entrance with a peculiar expression, washed his hands, and wheeled himself over. His demeanor was somewhat stern as he quietly asked, "Leah, what’s wrong?"

A hint of tension and panic crossed Richard Shaw’s mind, worrying Leah might be retreating after he admitted to his flawed past.

"I just thought of Griffith Squire." Leah softly spoke, unaware of her brother’s situation, but always felt Griffith Squire was alive somewhere in the world. Though she couldn’t find him, she firmly believed he was surviving.

Hearing this, Richard Shaw’s tea-colored eyes grew profoundly deep. He reached out, held her hand, and said, "Your brother will be fine. Have you seen the New Year gift Grandma gave you?"

The man subtly shifted the topic.

Leah shook her head and entered the living room, surprised to find it empty.

"Where is everyone?"

Richard Shaw calmly explained, "Every Chinese New Year’s Eve, Grandma takes Casimir to watch the Spring Festival Gala, and everyone at the Shaw Mansion goes along. If you want to go, I can take you there now; you still have time."

Leah was stunned for a moment, realizing the Shaw Mansion was just her and Richard Shaw now?

Richard Shaw noticed her daze and picked up the fortune bag Grandma had given her earlier, handing it to her and saying, "Open it and see."

Leah opened the red velvet fortune bag, retrieving a red envelope and a wooden jewelry box. Inside, she found a brass-colored key, feeling somewhat uneasy.

Richard Shaw looked at the key, immediately understanding the elderly lady’s intentions. Regardless of whether she was Crystal Landon or the amnesiac Leah Squire, Grandma had always accepted her identity, treating her as a granddaughter-in-law, even a real granddaughter.

"I can’t accept this key. Did your grandmother misunderstand my relationship with you?" Leah instinctively realized this key was likely to the Shaw family’s storeroom, an important item meant for the next generation. Why was it given to her?

"No misunderstandings, Leah, the entire time you misunderstood our relationship. I’ve waited for you all these years, haven’t you considered moving forward a step? Even if unwilling, just nod, and I’ll take care of the rest." Richard Shaw’s voice was hoarse, looking deeply into her eyes, explicitly expressing his intentions.

The man held her hand, his voice low, asking, "For all these years, Casimir called you Mommy; when will you marry into the Shaw family?"

Was this... a proposal?

Leah was inexplicably tempted to flee, but the man gripped her hand tightly, preventing her from retreating, forcing a small smile. Noting Richard Shaw’s handsome, resolute face more serious than ever, she anxiously stopped him, saying quietly, "What are you trying to do?"

"Proposing." The man gazed at her radiant face, eyes deep like a hunter, articulating deliberately.