Chapter 69: Little Treasure

Clearly, Qin Xiao didn’t understand.

His eyes were full of smiles. “Hey, Ling Ling, look at me.”

She hung her head, not wanting to talk to him at all.

“Su Ling, have you realized how good I am?”

“Qin Xiao!” She raised her eyes to look at him, her face flushed red. “Can you stop asking?”

The mountain breeze gently blew, and the setting sun dyed half the sky red, exuding a warm glow.

His voice carried a smile, softening as it lowered, tinged with gentle warmth. “Alright.”

But this made things even stranger.

Her ears reddened with shyness as she crouched beside the man on the ground, looking down at the grass beneath her feet like a pitiful captive.

Qin Xiao curved his lips slightly.

He was incredibly arrogant, turning around coldly to approach Yu Qiao’s grave.

With large strides, he directly destroyed the small patch of flowers the middle-aged man had planted. Su Ling quickly stood up. “Qin Xiao…”

Seeing her timid expression, he finally restrained his steps somewhat.

Speaking of which, the person buried in this grave wasn’t related to Su Ling—it was his relative.

Yet this foolish girl, knowing nothing, had sacrificed so much for the woman buried here.

Qin Xiao gazed for a moment, then coldly curved his lips.

—Should I call you Aunt? The only good thing you did was send Su Ling to me.

Guo Mingyan had been waiting at the foot of the mountain. Upon receiving the message, he hurriedly brought people up.

Damn it, a few days ago, he had been wracking his brain trying to find Su Ling but couldn’t locate her, making him feel utterly useless. Now was his chance to shine. As soon as he arrived, he ordered his men to tie up the man on the ground and drag him down the mountain.

He strutted proudly, walking tall at the back of the group.

The large procession caught the attention of the villagers, who peeked out curiously, thinking some criminal organization was up to no good, causing unease.

Su Ling awkwardly glanced back at the villagers. Qin Xiao took a few steps forward and kicked Guo Mingyan in the butt, saying calmly, “Knock it off.”

Guo Mingyan sheepishly scratched his head and instructed them, “Ah… everyone walk quietly, keep a low profile, don’t let anyone see us dragging someone away. Yes, yes, take that small path.”

Qin Xiao slowed his pace and turned to look at Su Ling at the end of the procession.

At that moment, the warm orange light bathed the path. The August grass was green, and the forest was alive with the crisp chirping of cicadas. When she reached his side, she bit her lip and lowered her head.

In that instant, he softly smiled and took her hand.

His hands radiated fiery warmth, while her small hand was cool. Soft and delicate, it felt like touching jade.

She raised her head, and Qin Xiao whispered softly, “I’m sorry, Ling Ling. I’m sorry.”

She didn’t expect Qin Xiao to suddenly apologize and looked at him in surprise.

His eyes held a depth she couldn’t fathom, his hoarse voice murmuring, “I’m sorry…”

She blinked. “Why are you apologizing all of a sudden?”

“A while ago, I scared you, didn’t I?” His voice was soft, afraid of startling her. “It was my fault, Su Ling. Zuo Yin was right—I’m sick, with a disease that might never heal.”

Her lashes fluttered, and her eyes shimmered with clear, distinct colors.

“But can you not be afraid? I’m just sick. If you stay by my side, I’ll get better, okay?” He gazed into her eyes. “I’m obsessive, selfish, perhaps even cruel and violent, but I’ll change. I’ll change slowly. If I can’t do it in one go, I’ll do it over a lifetime. Remember when you said that if I didn’t scare or pressure you, you’d try to like me? Does that still count? I’m just sick—don’t give up on me so easily, alright?”

From the moment he appeared, he had been unrestrained and bold.

But now, with Guo Mingyan leading the group away, the world grew quiet. She sensed his fear. Her departure this time had made him afraid of losing her.

Qin Xiao once said, “I’m not sick—what are you afraid of?”

But now, he said, “I’m just sick. I’ll work hard to get better. Don’t give up on me so easily.”

She thought of the deity’s fate from the children’s textbook.

The deity ultimately failed to catch the sun. He was just moments away from embracing it before collapsing in death, his body turning into mountains and peach groves.

In her dreams…

His fate in her past life was far more tragic than the deity’s.

Su Ling looked into his eyes, which always held a light she couldn’t decipher.

Finally, after two lifetimes, she began to understand what that deep blackness represented—obsession.

Her voice was soft and gentle as she answered the question she had been too shy to respond to earlier. “Qin Xiao, you asked me earlier why I called your name.” A faint dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth. “I don’t know why either. Maybe… I used to be afraid of you, but later, whenever I was scared, I always thought of you. You used to bring me fear, but later, you drove it away.”

No matter how bad he was, he could never bear to let her suffer even the slightest harm.

All he wanted was to possess her, and losing her would be the greatest punishment for him.

“So, I’m not afraid anymore.” Her eyes sparkled like stars, and she softly pursed her lips, a hint of shyness in her expression. “It counts.”

Trying to like him—it always counted. It’s just that you’ve been such a bastard.

The next moment, her world spun upside down.

Su Ling’s cry was suppressed at the edge of her lips. Her face turned red as she pounded his shoulder. “Qin Xiao, what’s gotten into you? Put me down!”

The man laughed recklessly. “Ling Ling, how can you be so wonderful?”

Wonderful enough that he was immensely grateful to be a villain while she remained obedient. He was a habitual liar, yet she kept her promises.

Thank you for never truly leaving, for never giving up on me completely.

The August breeze blew pleasantly. Guo Mingyan, walking in the procession, turned his head back.

At that moment, the wind was warm, the mountains clear, the insects hummed softly, and flowers bloomed everywhere.

Guo Mingyan softly clicked his tongue. The air was filled with sweet warmth.

Guo Mingyan thought, damn, I can’t stand it. You’re so harsh to me, but to your little treasure, you can’t help but hold her close to your heart.

Still, despite his thoughts, he couldn’t help but smile after a while.

Qin Xiao said he would take Su Ling to uncover the truth.

Mentioning this, he couldn’t help but straighten his expression. “Remember this, Su Ling—there’s absolutely no blood relation between us.” He gently patted her soft hair. “You’re not my cheap little sister, got it?”

Zuo Yin was standing nearby, his smile stiff. He really wanted to curse. Is this really the most important thing?

But in Qin Xiao’s mind, it was crucial.

Thinking in petty terms, if Su Ling ever refused to let him touch her, this would still be considered a legitimate reason.

Su Ling paused for a moment, then nodded.

“I returned to the small village, and Aunt Chen told me about my mother having a boyfriend she hadn’t married yet—that’s him, right?”

The middle-aged man had just woken up, powerless, and upon hearing this, stared fiercely at Su Ling.

Qin Xiao nodded.

“Yes, him. But Yu Qiao isn’t your mother.”

Su Ling never expected Qin Xiao to say this. Disbelief colored her eyes as she looked at him in astonishment.

Qin Xiao curved his lips, feeling inexplicably good but still pretending to be serious. “Dong Xu is your cousin.”

Zuo Yin: “….” Qin Shao, can you please stop obsessing over this brother identity already?! How petty can you be!

Su Ling figured out the relationships. So she was from the Dong family? The couple who supposedly loved each other deeply but tragically died—the parents of Zheng Xiaoya—were actually her parents? Her face whitened. “Then Zheng Xiaoya and I…”

“Not sisters. Zheng Xiaoya was adopted by your parents. Your father is Dong You, the second young master of the Dong family—a talented young scientist. Your mother is Zheng Yingjun, who grew up in an orphanage.”

Qin Xiao handed over all the information he had gathered over the past six months to Su Ling.

A long-forgotten, almost unbelievable story unfolded before her.