Chapter 35: I’m Not Sick

After Qin Xiao emerged from Zuo Yin’s office, he didn’t see Su Ling. His brows instinctively furrowed.

Zuo Yin’s secretary, seated outside, quickly informed him: “Mr. Qin, the young lady who came with you is waiting for you on the first floor.”

His expression relaxed as he descended the stairs.

Sure enough, Su Ling was on the first floor. As Qin Xiao approached, he saw the receptionist enthusiastically chatting with Su Ling.

“…Really? Will Jiuli die in the end?”

Su Ling nodded gently.

“Oh my god, my heart is breaking. How could Jiuli die? I’ll send razor blades to the director. Didn’t they promise to change Jiuli’s ending from the novel?”

Qin Xiao observed for a moment. The receptionist poured a cup of hot tea for Su Ling, who held it in her hands, smiling faintly as she listened to the girl rant about the plot. She appeared exceptionally gentle—Su Ling was naturally patient.

Most of the time, the receptionist talked while Su Ling quietly listened.

Neither noticed Qin Xiao approaching.

It was Su Ling who spotted him first. Her smile dimmed slightly. When she turned around, the receptionist also noticed Qin Xiao and hurriedly stood up from the sofa: “Mr. Qin.”

Qin Xiao nodded and said to Su Ling: “Let’s go.”

She stood up. The receptionist looked reluctant; she had spent the past hour blissfully interacting with her idol, getting an autograph and even some spoilers.

Her goddess was so gentle, kind, and completely free of any pretentious airs.

But the receptionist knew about the confidentiality obligations of a psychological clinic. Even though she desperately wanted to post a selfie with her idol on Weibo, she restrained herself.

Especially since Su Ling had ties with Mr. Qin, posting such a photo would be unthinkable—she didn’t have the guts.

When Qin Xiao led Su Ling out, the sky outside had already darkened.

He had spent an hour and a half with Zuo Yin. Zuo Yin had spent an hour asking serious questions and then laughed for half an hour, all the while explaining where Qin Xiao had gone wrong in life.

Qin Xiao endured his teasing for thirty minutes. By the time he left, he wanted to throw the teacup at Zuo Yin’s face.

Su Ling spoke first, her voice soft: “I’m going back to school now, right?”

He opened the car door: “You haven’t had dinner yet. Let me take you to eat first.”

She looked a bit aggrieved: “You said I could go back to school once you came down.” Su Ling was afraid he would change his mind.

Qin Xiao glanced at his watch—it was 8:12 PM.

Calmly, he pointed out: “I said I’d take you back before nine. There are still forty-eight minutes left.”

Upon recalling his words, she realized he was right. After a brief moment of confusion, despair crept into her expression.

Qin Xiao curved his lips slightly: “I won’t deceive you. I’ll take you back exactly at nine. Shall we eat first?” He tried to soften his tone, avoiding any hint of coercion.

Su Ling hesitated. He narrowed his eyes, took a deep breath, and suppressed his violent and resentful emotions toward Star Entertainment: “If you want to stay with Star Entertainment, then stay.”

By then, the colorful neon lights had just lit up, illuminating the slightly secluded street with vibrant hues. Yet none of those colors matched the delicate sparkle in her eyes.

Her watery gaze looked at him in astonishment, and he involuntarily held his breath.

It was nearly November, and the night breeze was cool. Her bangs fluttered in the wind, and when the corners of her lips curved upward, he felt a surge of hormonal excitement.

Each pulse stimulated his heart, leaving him slightly dizzy.

“Are you sure? You’re not forcing me anymore?” She sounded somewhat incredulous, but her clean, pure smile betrayed her disbelief.

She didn’t lie, nor did she immediately assume malice in others. No matter how low his credibility had fallen in her eyes, she always chose to trust first and doubt later if something seemed amiss.

This was her most tender quality.

She was kind to all things, and he clung to that sliver of kindness to survive.

His voice softened, accompanied by a smile: “Mm, I’m not lying. If Star Entertainment mistreats you…” He wanted to say, I’ll crush them, but the words carried too much hostility, so he swallowed them. “…Then come to Qing Yu.”

“They won’t,” she quickly replied. “Sister Lin is very nice.” Lin Qing was the agent assigned to her by Star Entertainment.

Qin Xiao turned his head away. He couldn’t bear hearing her praise others—it felt like everyone was good in her eyes except him.

He feared that if they continued talking, he wouldn’t be able to suppress his terrifying possessiveness.

Zuo Yin had warned him earlier: “That won’t do. Even if you have to pretend, you must act harmless. Otherwise, forget about Su Ling—even I, a grown man, would be scared of you.”

Zuo Yin had been horrified listening to Qin Xiao describe his obsessive love. It was an overwhelming mix of possessiveness and intense desire. The reason nothing had gone wrong so far was because Qin Xiao believed he still had a chance to possess her.

But if one day he lost her… Damn, just thinking about it made Zuo Yin shudder.

Qin Xiao understood the crux of the issue and realized he needed to rein in his fangs.

Though the location Zuo Yin chose was remote, a short turn led to a bustling snack street.

With one concern resolved, Su Ling felt relatively lighter. What worried her most was causing trouble for Star Entertainment. Director Dong had kindly introduced her, and if her involvement harmed the company, she would feel guilty for life.

The snack street was lively, and it was dinner time. The streets were crowded, and the shops glowed with warm lights.

Qin Xiao’s eyes betrayed a hint of disdain.

But remembering Zuo Yin’s advice, he quickly returned to his usual demeanor: “What do you want to eat?”

Su Ling blinked at him, her voice soft and mellow: “Anything is fine.”

It was the most Zen-like answer most people could give.

Although Qin Xiao wasn’t constantly watching her, he had been observing what caught her attention.

They hadn’t walked far when he noticed her glance back twice.

That restaurant reached the pinnacle of Qin Xiao’s disdain! He thought, What’s so great about this place? I’ll take you to a Western restaurant instead. But after her second glance, he made up his mind.

“Let’s go back.” He led her to the spicy crayfish shop.

The owner, seeing his cold expression, thought he was there to cause trouble.

Until the pretty girl behind Qin Xiao peeked out, gently tugging at his sleeve and whispering: “Qin Xiao… Can we change to another place?”

She knew Qin Xiao couldn’t handle spicy food, and she herself couldn’t tolerate too much spice either—she just craved the flavor.

Aunt Ding had secretly explained to her before: during his youth, no one had taken care of Qin Xiao.

Those years, he played video games, basketball, and got into fights, rarely returning home and neglecting his health. Later, he developed stomach problems and couldn’t eat spicy food. After taking over the Qin Group, his irregular work schedule worsened his condition.

To accommodate his health, most dishes at the villa were prepared lightly.

After learning this, Su Ling stuck to eating light meals. Back then, she hadn’t hated him as much or become as cold-hearted as she was now. She knew how to care for people and even researched online how to soothe the stomach while living at the villa.

At the time, Aunt Ding smiled warmly, her eyes full of affection.

Recalling these memories, it felt like they belonged to a distant past. She had almost forgotten that she once wanted to repay him and take good care of him.

Qin Xiao didn’t say anything and sat down at an empty table.

He didn’t dislike the place itself—he just disliked the atmosphere. Even during his school days, he had never enjoyed such noisy environments.

Su Ling sat down nervously. She asked him: “Can you handle spicy food?” She couldn’t directly tell him he couldn’t, but she was unsure why Qin Xiao had chosen this restaurant. Though… she did crave the taste, did he also want to eat here?

Qin Xiao smiled, appearing calm: “Yes.”

Whatever she liked, no matter how unbearable, he would endure alongside her.

Su Ling: “…” She didn’t know how to respond.

The place was bustling, and the owner worked quickly. Qin Xiao let her order. She chose mild spiciness and added two bottles of mineral water.

The food arrived quickly.

Qin Xiao stared at the plate of fiery red crayfish, wanting to flip the table. Fuck this “mild” crap. But outwardly, he remained composed, washed his hands, and began peeling shrimp for Su Ling.

Su Ling was stunned. Was their definition of “mild” different from what she was used to at school? Still, it looked delicious.

“Should we not eat this?” she asked softly.

“Let’s eat. It’s already here.”

Su Ling often wore her emotions openly in her bright eyes. God had given her the purest eyes, and she responded with the sincerest feelings.

Qin Xiao’s dark eyes remained silent as he peeled all the shrimp for her and ate some himself.

Watching his unchanged expression, Su Ling wondered if the Qin Xiao from her past life who couldn’t handle spice was really the same person. Had he developed a tolerance in this life?

“Is it spicy? Qin Xiao, do you need water?” She wasn’t sure how severe his stomach issues were, but seeing him show no discomfort, she breathed a sigh of relief.

“No.” His gaze softened. “Don’t drink that. Would you like some milk instead?”

She hesitated, unable to resist asking: “Why do you want me to drink milk?”

His eyes sparkled with amusement: “Why so many questions? You’re still young. Milk is good for your health.” In truth, he just thought she looked so obedient—such obedient people probably liked milk.

Su Ling whispered in protest: “I’m twenty.”

Mm, old enough to get married.

He suppressed a laugh, maintaining his composure as they finished the meal.

By the time they were done, it was nearly 9:30 PM. The sky outside had turned an inky blue.

Qin Xiao drove her back to school, parking near the scarcely populated Gate 3.

He handed her the mask, and she put it on, revealing only her eyes.

He had stolen an extra half-hour, but in the end, he could only watch Su Ling walk step by step into the campus.

Qin Xiao parked his conspicuous car in the shadows. Dropping her off at this hour, if anyone saw them, her situation would become difficult.

Yet, as the dim yellow light stretched her slender shadow long, and she didn’t look back once, he suddenly felt an overwhelming bitterness.

Amidst the myriad lights, he couldn’t help but call out to her.

“Su Ling.”

“Hmm? What is it?” The young girl turned around.

“Do you want to know what Zuo Yin said?”

A sudden wave of panic washed over her. Qin Xiao’s feelings for her… Were they really abnormal?

She had never dared to ask, but now that he brought it up, Su Ling felt nervous: “What did he say?”

He smiled: “I’m not sick. Really, I’m not.”

So don’t be afraid of me. Don’t treat me like this. I’m not sick. Could you try not to reject me so much? Stop saying you’ll never like me, even in death.

She softly murmured: “Oh. That’s good. I’ll go back now.”

Qin Xiao watched until her figure disappeared completely before tremblingly clutching his spasming stomach.

The pain was so intense that every breath felt like torture.

Yet he managed to smile. Damn, I’m so fragile.

Zuo Yin had said: “I think it’s unusual, but I’ve never seen a case like this. If this is a psychological disorder, could you really let her go?”

He knew he couldn’t.

If loving her was a sickness, a sin, he would rather remain incurable and continue making this mistake for the rest of his life.