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Qin Xiao didn’t take the candy.
He was a man without much compassion, wild and arrogant. The little boy looked dirty—though not to the point of having a runny nose—but Qin Xiao would never accept candy from him.
Xiao Han grew anxious. Why didn’t he want it?
He raised his hand slightly higher. Qin Xiao frowned. “Go away.”
Xiao Han whimpered softly, his eyes brightening. He pointed toward the classroom. In the mid-August summer, the sun climbed higher, casting warm rays.
Su Ling, with her ponytail, still seemed like a student herself, full of vitality. She carried books and walked into another classroom.
Qin Xiao raised an eyebrow. “She gave it to you?”
Xiao Han nodded quickly.
“Can’t you speak?” If Su Ling were here, she’d probably want to hit him for so casually pointing out someone’s wound.
The little boy nodded sadly and dejectedly.
Qin Xiao didn’t care. Gracefully, he took the candy, peeled off the wrapper under Xiao Han’s expectant gaze, and popped it into his mouth.
Xiao Han blinked.
It was a fruit candy. The summer heat had melted it slightly, but the taste was unaffected.
Qin Xiao glanced at Su Ling in the distance, a faint sneer in his heart.
She hadn’t even given him a single piece of candy.
If only she had been this sweet earlier—if she liked him even a little, he’d be overjoyed.
This little brat…
He lowered his eyes; he certainly didn’t need sympathy from a kid.
“Accepting your candy means I’ll help you with your throat. When I remember later, I’ll send someone to take you to see a doctor. Now, go away and don’t bother me. Don’t tell her I came, understood?”
Xiao Han was a loyal child. Though he didn’t believe the man could cure his throat, he still nodded and placed a finger over his lips, shaking his head firmly.
Qin Xiao smiled. This little brat wasn’t ungrateful after all. He rarely did good deeds in his life, but if there were people in the world who supported him and Su Ling, he might as well do more charity.
Although currently, his only supporter was just this little carrot top.
After giving the candy, Xiao Han heard the bell ring. He hurried back into the classroom Su Ling had entered.
Su Ling was teaching math, which Xiao Han didn’t understand.
He peeked outside. The bad uncle was gone.
Actually, Xiao Han had seen him a couple of days ago. Being young, he didn’t understand complex matters. Though unable to speak, he could read people’s expressions. Among all the eyes watching Su Ling, that man’s gaze burned the hottest and most sincere.
Bad Uncle liked Sister Su Ling too… no, he liked her even more than the others.
But Bad Uncle could only watch secretly while Xiao Han could sit in the classroom.
He truly pitied him.
Though Xiao Han promised Qin Xiao not to say anything, the child kept looking outside. Su Ling paused, following his gaze.
The ivy-covered wall stood lush and green. There was nothing there.
After school, the children stayed behind for a thorough cleaning. Someone always did daily cleaning, but a thorough clean happened once a week.
Su Ling, fearing they might bump into tables, stayed to help.
The children worked enthusiastically, each saying sweet goodbyes to Su Ling as they left.
When Su Ling packed up her textbooks, she noticed the Chinese book had been blown open to the page marked with Kuafu Chasing the Sun .
Returning to the small village, she didn’t want to live another life controlled unknowingly. People shouldn’t live so confused. Some things, she could investigate herself.
She didn’t remember her dream from last night, but she remembered the feeling.
He was in pain. When she woke up, tears had soaked her pillow.
Thinking about it now, if Qin Xiao really let her go, it would be good. She was a weapon against him, and leaving him would benefit him. Without a weakness, no one could hurt him.
But if he still refused to let go…
Her eyelashes fluttered like two small fans, hiding her clear eyes.
She returned to the small village, where she first started trying to genuinely like him.
If he found her, if he learned honesty and feared loss, then… the future wouldn’t be so bleak, right?
In the colorful illustration on the book, a deity holding a scepter chased the sun.
He would thirst, hunger, and die.
When the children asked her: “Teacher, didn’t Kuafu know he couldn’t catch the sun? The sun would burn and hurt him. Why did he keep chasing?”
She couldn’t answer.
Even animals, after being pricked by thorns, wouldn’t touch them again, let alone humans, who are the smartest at the top of the food chain.
People only desperately touch what causes them pain when they love something beyond everything else.
Thus, they aren’t afraid of pain, suffering, or death.
Another reason Su Ling returned was because Yu Qiao was buried in this small village.
And today was the anniversary of Yu Qiao’s death.
The setting sun hung on the horizon, its soft light paving a golden path.
After her grandmother took her away from the village, she never allowed her to return to pay respects to her mother, nor did she let Su Ling visit. Even as a child, during those visits, her grandmother’s expression was complicated.
At the time, Su Ling thought her grandmother mourned her mother’s early death, but now, thinking back, it seemed otherwise.
Yu Qiao was buried at the mountaintop.
Su Ling brought a bouquet of flowers and a basket containing incense, candles, paper money, and food.
Halfway up the mountain, she hesitated for a moment.
She called Aunt Chen, telling her she went to pay respects to her mother.
Since she returned alone, Su Ling was cautious about safety.
Near Yu Qiao’s burial site, a few families lived. Houses in the village were scattered, often built close together, so it was generally safe.
When Su Ling arrived at Yu Qiao’s grave, she noticed it had been tidied up. She expected tall grass after years of neglect, but instead, it was weed-free, surrounded by flowers. It was elegantly arranged.
Su Ling frowned. Who would treat her mother so kindly?
Su Ling set up the incense and candles, speaking quietly to the unfamiliar Yu Qiao for the first time: “Mom, I’ve come to see you. Grandma said you were a good girl. I’m sorry I never met you. I’ve always wondered why I was brought into this world if everyone dislikes me. Recently… someone told me my father and grandmother manipulated my life across two lifetimes. Are they really my family? What did I do wrong to be treated this way?”
The August sunset carried a hint of tragedy.
The surrounding woods were silent. Su Ling’s heartbeat quickened.
Before the shadow beneath her feet arrived, Su Ling abruptly turned around.
The person hadn’t expected Su Ling to guess he was there. His eyes darkened, filled with ferocity.
On such a hot day, the visitor wore a hooded jacket. Seeing his face, Su Ling’s pupils contracted.
He was a middle-aged man, half his face scarred by burns.
“Who are you?”
The hooded man didn’t speak. He directly aimed a syringe at Su Ling.
Su Ling knew who he was…
On the day she was reborn and the day she met Qin Xiao in her past life, the person who injected her and sent her to Qin Xiao’s bed was him.
The “father” she had avoided for decades.
He showed no mercy, acting swiftly, disregarding nearby residents. The needle approached Su Ling.
At that moment, the starting point of her past tragedy overlapped.
Filled with sorrow and anger, she threw a stone and ran toward nearby houses.
But she couldn’t outrun him. As his hand touched her clothes, she closed her eyes instinctively, shouting a name: “Qin Xiao!”
A sudden force pulled her back, followed by the dull sound of a fist hitting flesh.
Turning around, Su Ling saw Qin Xiao, his face cold, delivering another punch to the middle-aged man.
The man’s eyes held hatred. Knowing he couldn’t beat Qin Xiao, he aimed the needle originally meant for Su Ling at Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao sneered, dodging and grabbing the needle. He kicked the man.
The dull thud made Su Ling wince.
Qin Xiao stepped closer, stepping on the man’s hand, preventing him from standing. The man glared ferociously at Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao twisted his wrist, aiming the needle at the man’s neck.
Su Ling ran over, causing Qin Xiao to pause his downward motion.
Instinctively, he restrained his violent actions.
Su Ling looked at the undamaged half of the man’s face, recalling his youthful handsomeness.
Su Ling asked, “Who are you?”
She didn’t believe she had such a ruthless father.
The man realized that after twenty years of hiding, being caught by Qin Xiao meant revenge was impossible. He glared hatefully at Su Ling and Qin Xiao: “Why don’t you both just die? Why did my Qiao Qiao have to die!”
His Qiao Qiao…
Yu Qiao.
Su Ling’s expression changed. Qin Xiao sneered, freeing one hand to hold her warm little hand. “Don’t worry, this man isn’t my father-in-law.”
Realizing her reaction, Su Ling’s cheeks reddened.
She remembered she was angry with Qin Xiao, so she pursed her lips and ignored him.
Qin Xiao clicked his tongue, mercilessly aiming the needle at the man.
Su Ling panicked, stopping Qin Xiao: “What are you doing?”
Qin Xiao smirked mischievously: “What’s there to fear?”
“What if we don’t know what’s inside and it kills someone…”
“Then I’ll go to jail and won’t disturb you. Isn’t that good?”
She was a bit annoyed: “Qin Xiao!”
He chuckled, finally relenting: “It’s probably sedative—the same kind found in your body long ago.” He moved faster, narrowing his eyes and injecting it.
Whatever this man planned for Su Ling, returning the favor wasn’t excessive. If he hadn’t followed today, Su Ling would have been injured.
Besides, he observed the man’s expression. When he injected it, the man wasn’t afraid, meaning the contents weren’t lethal.
The man’s pupils dilated, and he soon passed out.
Qin Xiao leisurely called: “Guo Mingyan, bring people up the mountain now, use GPS to locate us.”
Su Ling still squatted, observing the man, worried Qin Xiao had killed him and become a murderer.
Qin Xiao squatted beside her, gently gripping her chin to make her look at him.
“Ling Ling.”
“Wh-what?”
Perhaps from running, her cheeks flushed.
He laughed recklessly: “Why did you call me? Aren’t you afraid of me, hate me?”
“Qin Xiao, stop bothering me, let go.”
“No, answer me first.”
Her face reddened, feeling both shame and shyness.
How could she explain? She didn’t want to say.
Qin Xiao, do you understand the concept of moderation?
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