Chapter 50: Does It Hurt?

He let her go on his own. In the darkness, she couldn’t see his expression, only hearing his low voice: “Sorry.” Qin Xiao took a moment to compose himself, realizing he had almost slipped up again after maintaining his facade for so long.

He released her wrist. “Did I hurt you?”

Su Ling didn’t know how to respond. She pulled her hand back, feeling a mix of anger and shyness but unsure of what to say to him.

He said, “It’s all my fault. I’m sorry. Don’t be mad at me, okay? I won’t do it again.”

This made it harder for Su Ling to scold him.

Her eyes welled up with tears as she looked at the tree, which seemed to have been sprayed with something, drawing fireflies to circle around it.

Fireflies shouldn’t exist in this season, yet Qin Xiao had somehow brought them here.

But it was truly beautiful.

She remembered what Qin Xiao had said—that this was the last award, and that he had plucked a star from the heavens for her.

Outside, snow began to fall again. This winter seemed especially cold.

Tomorrow would be the Lunar New Year. When she had been reborn, it was still early summer, but now they were deep in the harsh winter. It felt as though she had gained everything, yet lost everything too.

Qin Xiao asked her, “Where do you plan to spend the New Year tomorrow?”

Su Ling already had a plan in mind but didn’t want to share it with Qin Xiao. At the very least, she didn’t want to spend the holiday with him. Her silence gave Qin Xiao the answer. Though shadows of gloom lingered in his eyes, he maintained a tolerant smile. “Wherever you go, I’ll wish you a happy new year in advance.”

He didn’t invite her or pressure her, which made Su Ling look up at him.

In the dim light, she couldn’t make out his expression, but she breathed a sigh of relief.

Qin Xiao really seemed to have improved a little. Because of this, she wasn’t as angry or as afraid of him anymore.

“Let’s go downstairs. Your agent is waiting for you,” he said with a smile. “Do you know what to say?”

He had tricked her into coming upstairs, but Lin Qing was still waiting anxiously below and would surely ask Su Ling about it.

Qin Xiao flicked on the lights, revealing Su Ling deep in thought.

Her gaze was soft and wet, her lips a delicate red.

Qin Xiao’s eyes dropped, noticing a small mark on her neck. His pupils contracted slightly—he hadn’t meant to leave a mark. He had kissed her lightly down her neck, but perhaps in the heat of passion, he had accidentally left one behind.

He had been quite restrained.

But if Su Ling found out, she would definitely be upset.

Qin Xiao remained silent, calmly instructing her to lie. “Just say the judges thought there was an issue with the scoring earlier, so they called you up. But I intervened, and the original winner still stands. Got it?”

No matter what, it was his decision, so Lin Qing wouldn’t dare question further.

Lin Qing didn’t know about Qin Xiao’s existence, nor had Tang Zi dared to mention it.

In the end, Lin Qing would probably just assume Xi Xuan had powerful backing. But in reality, Qin Xiao hadn’t interfered at all.

Su Ling nodded and started to walk out.

Qin Xiao reached out to open the door for her. His cufflink brushed against her neck, causing her slight pain. She froze, instinctively covering her neck.

Qin Xiao said, “Sorry, let me take a look.” Examining the spot, he saw the mark he had left had changed; even a light touch left an imprint. Truly delicate.

His expression didn’t betray anything. “It’s just a bit red. My apologies.”

Su Ling wasn’t petty. She wouldn’t hold against others their unintentional mistakes. She murmured, “It’s fine,” and walked downstairs.

Qin Xiao watched her retreating figure, narrowing his eyes.

Su Ling followed his instructions exactly, and Lin Qing merely sighed in disappointment. “There’s nothing we can do. We can’t afford to cross Young Master Qin.”

Suddenly, Lin Qing furrowed her brows and asked Su Ling, “What happened to your neck…?”

The girl’s skin was pale, and under the bright lights of the hall, the red mark stood out. Lin Qing thought of Su Ling going upstairs alone and worried that she might have been taken advantage of.

Su Ling touched it lightly and said softly, “I accidentally bumped it earlier. It’s nothing.”

Lin Qing exhaled in relief.

After the Yi Mi Awards ended, Lin Qing drove Su Ling home—to her apartment. Lin Qing knew Su Ling had severed ties with the Ni family and felt a pang of sympathy for her. “Su Ling, where are you spending the New Year? Why don’t you come to my place?”

Su Ling quickly declined.

Lin Qing was busy all year round and rarely got to spend time with her family during the holidays. What would Su Ling, an outsider, be doing there?

Su Ling smiled and said, “I’m going back to my hometown. Don’t worry, Sister Lin.”

“Alright, feel free to reach out if you need anything.”

“Thank you, Sister Lin.”

Su Ling boarded her flight the next morning when the sky was still dim, lit by yellow streetlights. The snow continued to fall heavily, blanketing the world in white.

She flew back to L City.

L City was her hometown. While the Ni family lived in the city proper, the small village was also there.

She wouldn’t return to the Ni household but instead headed to the small village.

Upon arriving in L City, she transferred to a bus and endured a three-hour ride before finally seeing the familiar village.

The mountain roads were already difficult to navigate, and with a thick layer of snow, Su Ling struggled along with her small backpack and umbrella.

Traveling into the mountains in winter was no easy feat.

The slope was steep, but Su Ling tread carefully, avoiding any mishaps. However, before she even reached the village, she heard crying—the faint sobs of children, several of them wailing together.

Su Ling frowned and looked down from above, spotting three or four children wiping their tears, all gazing toward the slope below.

“Xiao Han…”

Each child was calling for Xiao Han.

Su Ling’s expression shifted. She knew who Xiao Han was—Grandma Chen’s grandson. During their toughest times, Grandma Chen had helped them. Three years ago, her grandmother had mentioned that Xiao Han was a pitiful child, born mute.

Her grandmother had shown her a photo. At the time, the boy was two years old, adorable and handsome.

Her grandmother had sent many things to them, and Su Ling had sent some back as well.

In her past life, her grandmother was still alive at this time. One day, she suddenly told Su Ling that she wanted to visit Grandma Chen because Xiao Han had tragically passed away in an accident. They feared Grandma Chen might not be able to cope.

Su Ling couldn’t waste any more time. Was Xiao Han in trouble right now?

She hurried over, finding the children sobbing loudly. “Waaah… Xiao Han…”

Su Ling leaned forward to look down the slope. A five-year-old boy was hanging from a branch. The branch was precariously swaying, and the boy was terrified but unable to cry out.

He was born with a damaged vocal cord and couldn’t speak.

The children had come to play in the snow, building snowmen and having snowball fights, when the boy had been knocked down. The remaining children were utterly petrified.

The area was remote, with jagged rocks above and nearly vertical cliffs below. The oldest child was ten, and the youngest was Xiao Han.

The snow grew heavier, piling on Xiao Han’s shoulders. His body trembled, whether from fear or cold.

Thinking of this boy she had never met, who only lived to be five in her past life, Su Ling’s heart filled with urgency.

She couldn’t hesitate. The branch was thin, and though Xiao Han was small, it wouldn’t hold much longer.

“Xiao Han! I’ll pull you up. Don’t be afraid. Give your hand to me, big sister.”

The children looked at her with hopeful eyes, too scared to cry, placing all their hopes on Su Ling.

Her heart raced. She wasn’t sure if she had the strength to pull up a five-year-old boy, but she had no choice. A life was at stake.

The ten-year-old girl quickly said, “Sister, there’s a vine over there!” She ran to fetch it.

Clearly, they had already tried to save their friend.

The vine was frail, but it was better than nothing.

Su Ling wrapped it around her wrist several times and knelt at the edge to pull him up.

Xiao Han’s hands were frozen blue and purple, but his survival instinct was strong. He quietly extended his hand to touch Su Ling’s fingertips.

When she grasped his icy little hand, before she could feel relieved, the children screamed.

“The vine is breaking!”

“Rocks!”

“Xiao Han!”

Instinctively, Su Ling tightened her grip on the boy’s hand. The strain caused loose rocks to tumble down, narrowly missing her.

She gritted her teeth, refusing to let go, pulling Xiao Han up. She didn’t dare look back.

Xiao Han looked up at her, his eyes brimming with tears and fear.

He wanted to live, afraid Su Ling would abandon him.

Biting down hard, Su Ling used the vine’s strength to lift him up.

At that moment, the vine snapped. Her heart nearly stopped, and her body instinctively leaned forward. Suddenly, a man caught her, taking the impact of falling rocks on his body without flinching. His brows didn’t crease, but his eyes turned icy cold.

Without hesitation, Qin Xiao went to grab Xiao Han. Hoisting the boy by his wrist, he pulled him up single-handedly.

Rocks continued to tumble down the slope, varying in size. Qin Xiao ignored the rescued boy and immediately pulled Su Ling into his arms.

Xiao Han sat trembling on the ground. The vine had broken, but thankfully, the rocks stopped falling.

Su Ling felt fear creep in. If Qin Xiao had arrived even a moment later, and she hadn’t let go, she might have fallen with Xiao Han.

That was how she died in her past life—her body smashing into the cold ground, endless pain.

The children were stunned, crying and rushing over after a while. Xiao Han silently sobbed, his face blue and purple from the cold.

Qin Xiao held her tightly, his eyes stormy with suppressed emotions.

After a while, Su Ling realized he was trembling. Blinking, she felt uncertain but eventually hugged his waist awkwardly.

She wasn’t good at comforting others, but she understood what Qin Xiao was afraid of. “I’m fine.”

His tense body stiffened momentarily.

His embrace was warm, and Su Ling sighed. “Let’s check on Xiao Han.”

Suppressing the complex emotions surging within her, she clumsily patted his back. “Qin Xiao, don’t be afraid. I’m really okay.”

Finally, he loosened his grip.

Qin Xiao’s pupils were pitch black, his entire demeanor cold.

Holding back all his emotions, he released Su Ling and picked up the boy from the ground.

“Qin Xiao…”

Su Ling froze, fearing he might throw Xiao Han down.

Qin Xiao smirked sarcastically, removed his overcoat, and wrapped it around the boy. Then he hoisted the child onto his back.

Turning to command the group of speechless children, he barked, “Go find his parents.”

His anger showed no signs of abating, like an Asura stepping out of hell. The children trembled, even those sniffling didn’t dare move.

The ten-year-old girl mustered her courage. “Wu Hui has already gone to notify them.”

Su Ling timidly followed behind him.

He was usually the kindest to her, but now he wore a cold expression, speaking to no one as he carried Xiao Han toward the village.

The man’s posture was upright, but his eyes and brows were icy cold.

Su Ling was both afraid of him in this state and yet not entirely frightened.

The man walked ahead steadily, his steps calm and composed, yet his gaze remained chilling.

She softly called his name, her voice tinged with fear. “Qin Xiao…”

He still didn’t respond.

Behind her trailed a line of children, each too scared to utter a sound.

When Grandma Chen, along with the villagers, rushed over and saw Xiao Han, her eyes reddened. “Xiao Han!”

Then came another round of wailing. Qin Xiao showed no emotion, handing Xiao Han over to her.

Xiao Han was freezing, and Grandma Chen and the villagers hurried to take him back and arrange for medical care.

Qin Xiao remained an outsider. Once the child was handed over, he casually chose a spot to sit.

For the first time, Su Ling shyly and hesitantly followed him willingly.

She knew Qin Xiao was angry, and she understood why. It was her fault, so she obediently followed to apologize.

Snow continued to fall, and Su Ling opened her umbrella.

Running ahead of him, she tiptoed slightly to shelter Qin Xiao under the umbrella.

His steps halted, and he lowered his head to look at her.

Her eyes were full of concern as she timidly asked, “Qin Xiao, does it hurt?”

She had heard it clearly—several rocks had hit him. The muffled thuds echoed in her heart.

He raised his hand, gently touching her cheek.

Su Ling froze, but this time, she didn’t pull away. His fingertips were icy cold.

“It doesn’t hurt,” he whispered.

As long as you’re still here, it won’t hurt.

But if you were to die, I would hate you forever, deep into my bones.