Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
As she was deep in thought, he opened his eyes all of a sudden and smirked at her. “Are you mesmerized by me? Don’t be, hurry and snuggle up into my embrace.”
“Go to hell.” She turned over and switched off the lights.
The two of them woke up four hours later.
After having her breakfast, Fang Erlan asked, “Didn’t you say that Sis Xiaoning would be coming over today? What time will she be here?”
“I reckon it should be soon.”
“Are you two friends?”
“Would you believe me if I said no?”
“I would. Sis Xiaoning definitely wouldn’t be friends with someone like you.”
Xiao Chenyang gave her the side-eye and said, “When she gets here later, just go outside and loiter around. Go wherever you’d like.”
“Okay.”
An Xiaoning arrived at nine o’clock in the morning. As soon as she did, Fang Erlan left the house.
She was left alone with Xiao Chenyang in the room. She cut straight to the chase and asked, “There isn’t anyone else here. Do you have a great feud with Xihou Jiaping?”
“Didn’t you already hear everything when you were standing by the door of that room? We do have a great feud.”
“What did he steal from you?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Of course I do. I wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”
“In her previous lifetime, Erlan’s name was Nan Chuang and she was my concubine. I never met her before our marriage, let alone had any feelings for her. Hence, she had suffered a lot of torment for me. Let’s put that aside for now. Ever since she had a miscarriage, her health began to deteriorate and she would get coughing fits whenever winter came around. She had never gotten better since. I tried to get her treated with every possible means. However, there was no viable way to treat her condition. I only found out the reason much later, and that was because her condition was not caused by her poor health. Rather, it was because my mother had put a poisonous hex on Nan Chuang’s lungs. When she was struggling to take her last breath, I finally found a solution that would allow us to retain our memory even after reincarnation. It’ll also help boost our inner strength and powers. I prepared two portions of the potion, one of which was stolen by Xihou Jiaping when I was on my way back. Hence, Nan Chuang didn’t get to use it when she passed on.”
“What potion is that?”
He answered, “I can’t tell you that. If it weren’t because of that potion, Xihou Jiaping would have been like you guys and undergone normal reincarnation. Even if he can awaken the memories of his previous lifetime bit by bit, he wouldn’t be as powerful and would just be an average human. All these years, I’ve been searching high and low for him but he has never dared to show his face. I reckon he must have gone into hiding in a place where contact is cut off from the rest of the world and didn’t know of your existence until quite recently. Thus, he probably decided to harm you before you could kill him.”
“Okay, I won’t probe if you won’t tell me that. However, I have another question to ask you and that’s the most important bit.”
“What is it about?”
“When I was abducted by the DK Organization previously, Qingyan mentioned that he had dreamed of my predicament. However, it was not a dream but was the separation of his soul from his body when he was unconscious. It’s similar to what you did, but the only difference is, he can’t control his soul. Is there any way for him to control it?”
“There is a method to do that.”
“What is it?”
“Get him to come over, I need to talk to him in private.”
An Xiaoning asked, “Can’t you tell me?”
“I can’t.”
“Alright.” She whipped out her mobile phone and gave Jin Qingyan a call.
Jin Qingyan brought numerous bodyguards with him, despite knowing that they could not protect him from Xihou Jiaping.
An Xiaoning went downstairs and sat on the bench together with Fang Erlan.
“Sis Xiaoning, why do you and Xiao Chenyang look so troubled?”
“Something happened, but we managed to escape unscathed all thanks to him. Erlan, I really don’t know if Xiao Chenyang can bring you happiness, but he’s truly devoted to you.”
“Did he tell you that? Don’t believe him,” said Fang Erlan.
“It’s true.”
Seeing how certain she was, Fang Erlan asked, “Could you tell me why he’s doing this? True, everything happens for a reason, but I feel like a fool who knows nothing.”
“Ignorance is bliss. It’s better that you don’t know, lest you feel burdened.”
“Boss, that fellow is calling you again!”
An Xiaoning stood up to answer the call, “Hello.”
“Xiaoning, it’s me. The reporters already know about it. Do you want me to tell them the details or would you like to tell them yourself?”
“You shall tell them, but you must speak the truth. I’ll go to the police station today to see Bureau Chief Pan. I shall find out who the mastermind is.”
“Yes, I will.”
….
After she waited for him for an entire hour, Jin Qingyan came down from upstairs. Fang Erlan and An Xiaoning stepped forward. Jin Qingyan held her hand and began walking toward the car.
An Xiaoning observed his expression, sensing that something was amiss with him.
Thinking to herself that he must have something to tell her, she got inside the car quietly.
The weather was sweltering, starkly different from the cool temperature in the air-conditioned car.
An Xiaoning rode in the passenger seat while he drove, cocking her head to the side and glancing at him every now and then.
Jin Qingyan remained silent throughout and kept his eyes fixed on the road ahead.
A strange tension filled the air.
He only turned to the side to look at her after parking the car inside the garage and turning off the engine.
“Good girl.”
“What would you like to say to me, Piggy?”
“Xiao Chenyang said that he wants to take me somewhere.”
“Where?” An Xiaoning asked.
“He can’t tell me that at the moment.”
“I believe he won’t harm you. Are you going to go?”
“Yes. He said that once I go to that place, I’ll no longer have to worry about Xihou Jiaping harming me,” Jin Qingyan said with a solemn expression.
An Xiaoning smiled and asked, “Really?”
“However, there’s something I hope that you can understand.”
Jin Qingyan hugged her and pressed his warm lips against her neck affectionately.
Feeling a little worried and anxious, An Xiaoning prompted, “Tell me whatever it is that you have on your mind. Don’t hem and haw.”
“Although he didn’t tell me where that place is, he did tell me what the outcome will be. I made that decision after weighing the pros and cons carefully. Thus, I’m telling you now that I won’t regret any decision that I make. I won’t allow you to regret it either.”
His words made An Xiaoning panic.
“I won’t regret it so long as you don’t.”
“You shall take over the company for the time being. I’ll let Shixin brief you about everything. I can put my mind at ease with him around to help you. Xiao Chenyang said that there’s no reception at that place and I’m not allowed to bring any electronic devices. The GPS tracking device won’t work there either. You don’t have to worry, I’ll come back to see you in one piece.”
“How long are you going to be away for?”
“I’m not sure, he didn’t specify.”
An Xiaoning had no idea what was on his mind, although she knew that the consequences were not up to them and that no one knew what would happen in the end.
He left after they had lunch together.
