Chapter 65: Departure

For Su Ling, time seemed to pass quickly. She couldn’t eat much and didn’t particularly detest Qin Xiao’s presence anymore. He no longer left early and returned late every day; whenever she opened her eyes, he was almost always there.

He spoke to her, and she responded calmly.

She seemed more obedient.

A deep panic began to grow within him—no matter how angry or sad Su Ling had been before, she had always been full of vitality. Now, it felt as though that spark of life had disappeared, leaving behind a docile compliance, as if she were allowing herself to be manipulated.

By July, all the roses in the garden had withered.

Qin Xiao lifted her up, nuzzling her cheek, and helped her change into a water-blue cheongsam. Then he took her out.

His suit matched the color of her dress.

At twenty years old, she was breathtakingly beautiful, even though she was frail. Her beauty still turned heads wherever she went.

He feared the car’s air conditioning might make her feel suffocated, so he lowered the window slightly. The cool breeze from outside blew in, making the strands of hair by her cheeks dance playfully.

Her long hair nearly reached her waist now.

Her eyes held the purity of a young girl, but her figure had gained an elegant allure.

Su Ling never asked where they were going until she saw the three large characters on the building: “Civil Affairs Bureau.” Only then did she suddenly turn to look at Qin Xiao.

Qin Xiao was already looking at her.

After a long pause, he gave her an incredibly gentle smile. “Ling Ling, let’s get married.”

He waited for her to refuse—though the possibility of her agreeing was slim. But in the end, she gave a faint smile and called his name. “Qin Xiao? Or should I call you Brother? We’re related after all, though not within three generations. Legally, it’s allowed, but don’t you feel uneasy about it in your heart?”

She spoke without sarcasm or disgust, merely stating a fact.

His hand holding the household registration book trembled slightly, his mind a chaotic mess.

Over these past few months, Qin Xiao had fully taken control of the Qin family. There was no longer any need to worry about Wen Xian scheming against Su Ling—he was capable of protecting her. Yet, the things he had worked so hard to conceal from her, she now knew everything about.

He didn’t dare ask how much she knew.

Qin Xiao forced himself to stay calm and analyze the situation in his mind. It was easy to uncover that Su Ling’s mother, Yu Qiao, and Wen Xian were cousins. However, finding out about Su Ling’s father and everything her grandmother had done was much harder.

But there were no secrets that couldn’t be uncovered. With enough clues, anything could eventually come to light.

Qin Xiao thought of Dong Xu, and his eyes instantly grew cold.

Su Ling’s current state wasn’t just about knowing her origins—it went deeper than that.

She must have discovered that her grandmother and her runaway father were manipulating her. Her grandmother had even tried to use death to control her emotions.

So, having lived two lifetimes, she felt profound sorrow.

She was too tired, which was why she wanted to sleep.

In her dreams, there was peace—nothing existed, not the hateful him, nor the despicable people who hurt her.

She had tried so hard to live a good life, but the entire world seemed to conspire against her.

Suddenly, his heart ached as if it were breaking into pieces.

“Ling Ling, listen to me,” he said. “Their evil is their own. You need to keep living. Forget about them, okay? Forget everything, even the memories from your past life. Let’s start over and live well. I…”

“Qin Xiao,” she said softly, “I can’t forget, and I’ll never be able to forget. You can hypnotize me, but you know as well as I do that hypnosis isn’t some magical spell. Who’s to say whether I’ll go mad or become foolish next time? Each time I remember, I’ll hate you even more. If a person forgets who they are, it’s terrifying.”

She looked at him. “Would you be willing to forget me?”

His gaze darkened, like a silent, endless night.

And so, she smiled. “You see, you wouldn’t want to forget either. You’ve never learned one thing—do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”

Su Ling rarely tried to reason with him because Qin Xiao, famous for his infamy, wasn’t someone who listened to reason.

But today, she was surprisingly patient. “You force me to love you, but what if I forced you not to love me? You want to be with me, but what if I pushed you away? You have power and wealth, while I have nothing. But you always forget—I have a weapon you don’t.”

That weapon was called love.

You love me, but I don’t love you.

No matter how rich or powerful you are, it doesn’t matter. Your happiness and sadness depend entirely on my smiles and words.

She didn’t need to say the rest—he understood.

He had always been much smarter than her.

Qin Xiao realized with despair that Su Ling’s father and grandmother had succeeded. They had sent her to him, and he had fallen hopelessly in love with her. For her, he had dealt with Wen Xian and sidelined his own mother.

Wen Xian’s mental fortitude wasn’t strong. She had committed many wrongs in her youth and lived a spoiled life, but now, in her old age, she had lost everything and lived in constant fear. This contrast was the best revenge.

As for him—he was obsessive, pathological.

She, on the other hand, was pure and innocent, sweet and lovely.

Every time she said she didn’t love him, it tore his heart apart. He was human too, and he felt pain.

But now, he had no way out.

He couldn’t bear to let go, yet he didn’t dare move forward.

The chain of emotion bound him tightly. No matter how powerful he was, he couldn’t bring himself to break it.

Her voice carried a hint of coquettishness as she whispered, “Qin Xiao, I’m so sleepy. Let’s go home.”

His eyes stung, and in the end, all he could do was agree. “Alright.”

________________________________________

Zuo Yin came again to provide psychological counseling for Su Ling at the Qin residence.

After finishing the tests, he spoke with Su Ling for a while.

She cooperated obediently, and finally, with clear, innocent eyes, she looked at Zuo Yin. “Doctor Zuo, am I sick?”

Zuo Yin felt a pang of sadness. He shook his head and gently reassured her. “No, you’re not sick. Trust me, everything will be alright.”

She curved her lips into a smile, her eyes forming crescent moons, and nodded with complete trust. “Mm!”

Zuo Yin stepped out, and Qin Xiao was smoking by the door. His eyes were bloodshot, and smoke swirled around him.

Zuo Yin clicked his tongue—Qin Xiao hadn’t smoked in a long time.

With Su Ling around, Qin Xiao always wanted to be his best self. A man like him, once he set his mind on something, would spare no effort.

Qin Xiao’s voice was hoarse. “How is she?”

“The situation isn’t good. I can’t pinpoint any physical issues, but it’s likely a mental problem.” Zuo Yin never wore a white coat; he was dressed in a white shirt, hands in his pockets. “There’s an old saying—you’ve probably heard it. A mental ailment requires a mental cure. Her illness isn’t just about you anymore. It’s about all of you. All of you are forcing her to walk a path she doesn’t want to take. Because of her strange fate, she’s been made to relive it over and over.”

Qin Xiao fell silent.

“What about her father? Did you find him?”

“No.”

Zuo Yin frowned. “If even you can’t find him, maybe he’s hiding in some remote mountain village?”

Qin Xiao was frustrated by this issue, but now his entire focus was on Su Ling. Whenever he closed his eyes, he saw her timidly asking him if this stolen lifetime would soon end—if she slept for twenty-four hours, would she never wake up again?

Qin Xiao found the thick smoke suffocating. He extinguished his cigarette and took deep breaths.

Zuo Yin’s face was solemn. “Qin Xiao, we’ve been brothers for years. Let me give you a choice.” He paused. “Let her go.”

The air in July carried a faint, painful dryness. It was sliced into threads, turning into needles that pierced the lungs.

Qin Xiao’s eyes suddenly reddened.

On the last day of July, the high temperatures of over thirty degrees Celsius suddenly dropped. The sky was gray, and a light drizzle began to fall.

The rain pattered softly, enveloping the entire city of B in a curtain of rain.

Su Ling nibbled on a matcha-flavored ice cream, watching the hurried pedestrians on the distant streets. After a long while, she gave a faint smile.

She had already returned to her small apartment.

The day Zuo Yin visited, Qin Xiao had sent her back home. As night fell, she knew it was time to leave—her flight was tonight.

Now, her bank account held the earnings from The Prisoner . If she spent carefully, she wouldn’t have to worry about food or clothing for the rest of her life.

She hadn’t taken the card Qin Xiao had given her—the one with an astronomical sum of money. She left it on the coffee table in the living room.

She knew that perhaps one day, he would return, see it, and take it.

When Su Ling went to the airport, she disguised herself thoroughly. Long ago, Lin Qing had taught her how to disguise herself when going out so no one would recognize her. Now, she executed everything perfectly.

Su Ling didn’t just buy one plane ticket. To be safe, she planned to travel through seven or eight countries.

And her destination? Among so many cities, in the vast sea of humanity, where would he find her?

As the plane soared into the clouds, she quietly gazed at the layers of clouds outside her window.

The night was thick, obscuring the view. She couldn’t see the rain anymore.

This was the coldest night of July.

She had gambled correctly.

Her chest ached slightly.

His love was ultimately a double-edged sword. Though she had no support, holding this blade left even him powerless to resist.

He loved her so much.

He would live for her, die for her, but he couldn’t bear to watch her die or disappear from this world. Yet, now that they knew about her rebirth, they began to fear the supernatural.

Her clear, black-and-white eyes gazed at the clouds.

This was Su Ling’s best performance across two lifetimes—a performance where she poured in all her emotions while simultaneously shutting them out. Now, she was truly a grown-up actress.

This play, without an audience, had no one to crown her.

Su Ling took out the suicide note her grandmother had left behind.

Once, she hadn’t understood much of it, but after combining it with Dong Xu’s letter, everything became clear.

Her grandmother had told her everything long ago.

This whole thing was indeed a conspiracy, but not entirely. Her grandmother had regretted it early on and had slowly begun to withdraw. She had urged Su Ling to give money to Ni Liguo, hoping she would leave the Ni family and live well. Her grandmother’s death had been to protect Su Ling from the shadowy figures controlling her—and when her grandmother died, she had loved Su Ling.

Su Ling wasn’t completely helpless, and her life hadn’t been entirely manipulated.

But Qin Xiao didn’t know any of this.

She had performed the most brilliant act of her life, deceiving herself and, ultimately, deceiving him.

He had imprisoned her twice, manipulated her across two lifetimes, and she… had repaid him in kind.