“Qingqing, don’t be afraid. I’ll be gentle.” Lu Yun’an’s voice was rich with affection.
Sheng Qing’s eyes flew open, her pupils contracting.
Hadn’t she… died?
She remembered clearly: Lu Yun’an had pressed the detonation button without a shred of hesitation.
It had been a trap. She was the bait, meant to lure Qin Shi in.
Sheng Qing couldn’t believe that a man as calculating as Qin Shi would fall for it. She couldn’t believe he would risk himself for her, either.
Because Qin Shi hated her.
But in the end, he had come anyway. In the middle of the crisis, he kicked open the cabin door and came straight to her.
His sharply defined features were marked by barely concealed ferocity. “Didn’t I tell you that Lu was a piece of trash?”
Sheng Qing stared at him blankly.
Why did you come?
Why did you come!
Her whole body trembled, and tears poured down her face like a flood that had broken its banks.
“Quit your damn crying.” The man glared at her fiercely. “Are you still going to stop me from dealing with that piece of trash? Are you going to listen to me or not, damn it?”
Listen to you.
From now on, I’ll do whatever you say.
Hurry, get out of here!
But her vocal cords had already been destroyed. She couldn’t make a sound.
The explosion went off. The last thing she remembered was him pulling her into his arms.
His hoarse, dry voice sounded beside her ear. “Good girl. Close your eyes.”
…
Lu Yun’an’s burning-hot fingers unfastened her collar. “Relax.”
Sheng Qing kicked him.
Thud!
The back of Lu Yun’an’s head struck the floor, and he lay motionless.
Sheng Qing got up, grabbed her coat, and hurried out.
She could still feel it: when the explosion went off, her face had been buried against Qin Shi’s chest.
And the cold, sharp scent of him.
This had to be a dream, right?
If it was, then let her indulge in one more impossible wish: to see that man with her own eyes.
…
Qin Residence.
Sheng Qing ran back to the Qin Residence, but there was no one in the house.
Breathless, she stopped a servant and asked, “Is Qin Shi here?”
“The Second Young Master isn’t.”
“Then what about everyone else?”
“The General went to the hospital to have his wound dressed.” The servant looked impatient.
Sheng Qing froze for a moment, then remembered.
Two days ago, she had cut Qin Zhen’s arm. Her older sister must have gone with him to the hospital.
At this point in her life, Sheng Qing was rebellious and disobedient, always getting into trouble.
Everyone hated her, from the servants right up to the masters of the house.
Qin Shi was no exception.
Did she still have a chance to make Qin Shi like her?
Sheng Qing sat on the sofa, waiting anxiously.
Before long, she curled up on the sofa and fell asleep.
In her dream, Lu Yun’an used cruel methods to destroy her vocal cords, then strapped bombs all over her.
She dreamed that Qin Shi came for her.
The man, dressed in combat gear, kicked open the door amid a sea of flames and came to stand before her.
Sheng Qing shook her head frantically, trying to make him leave.
But it was as if a wad of cotton had been stuffed deep in her throat. Not a sound came out.
“Wake up.”
A familiar voice sounded right beside her.
Sheng Qing’s eyes flew open.
The first thing she saw was a sharply defined face, so close she could almost touch it.
Thinking she was still dreaming, she stared at him blankly.
Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
Qin Shi frowned. “Why are you crying? Did I bully you?”
Sheng Qing suddenly sat up and threw herself into his arms, wrapping her slender arms tightly around him.
“Who told you to come? I told you to leave! Why wouldn’t you listen? Don’t die for me! I want you to live!” she sobbed.
Qin Shi: “…???”
That had come out of nowhere.
He had just returned from visiting his older brother at the hospital when he saw her lying on the sofa, trembling all over.
He’d been about to haul her up and demand to know why she’d hurt someone again, but she’d thrown herself at him first.
“Let go.” Qin Shi patted the little ingrate’s arm. “If you don’t want me to throw you off, act normal.”
“No. I don’t want to let go.”
“…”
Sheng Qing was sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, her mind still tangled up in the dream. “Qin Shi, I’ll listen to you from now on. I won’t be rebellious anymore. I’ll be very, very good.”
“…”
“I’m sorry, Qin Shi. I was wrong,” she sobbed. “From now on, whatever you say goes.”
“…”
There was simply no way to have a normal conversation with her.
Qin Shi’s brows knitted together as he reached for the back of her neck.
Like someone picking up a kitten by the scruff, he pinched the soft flesh there and gave a slight tug, pulling her away from him.
A faint sting spread through her like a wave. Sheng Qing stiffened and stopped sobbing. “Qin Shi?”
Qin Shi narrowed his eyes, studying her sharply. “Are you done crying?”
With tears blurring her vision, Sheng Qing looked half dazed and half confused. “Am I… dreaming?”
“Just dreaming?” Qin Shi raised his brows, looking amused. “You weren’t trying to cop a feel?”
…Sheng Qing’s brain shut down and rebooted.
In an instant, she realized this wasn’t a dream!
She had come back to life. She was at the Qin Residence, waiting for Qin Shi to return, and she’d fallen asleep.
And now she was sprawled in Qin Shi’s arms, her head tilted back, her hands still half-wrapped around his neck.
There was a suspicious wet patch on his white shirt. She had no idea whether it was tears or snot.
Her little face turned bright red in a flash. She shoved him away, then hurriedly grabbed the blanket and covered herself with it.
She wanted to drop dead on the spot.
She was so embarrassed she could have dug an entire castle out of the floor with her toes.
A flicker of surprise crossed Qin Shi’s eyes.
What was she doing?
Was she embarrassed?
And her behavior just now had been far too strange.
Looking at the bundle curled up under the blanket, Qin Shi tapped the coffee table with his long, well-defined fingers. “Come out.”
No response.
Qin Shi’s striking eyes narrowed slightly. “Didn’t you say you’d listen to everything I said?”
The blanket soon began to move. Then a fluffy head poked out.
Sheng Qing’s large, clear eyes glistened with tears. “I’m out.”
Well, she really was obedient.
Like a little kitten.
The phone in Qin Shi’s pocket began to vibrate, and he got to his feet.
Sheng Qing instinctively reached out and tugged at the hem of his shirt. “Where are you going?”
Qin Shi looked down at her. “To answer the phone. Let go.”
“Oh.” Sheng Qing obediently released him.
Qin Shi started to walk away. After two steps, he looked back at her and pointed to his head. “You sure this is working properly?”
Sheng Qing: “…”
Qin Shi went out onto the balcony.
Sheng Qing lay back down on the sofa. It was unbelievable that she had gotten another chance at life.
She closed her eyes and silently set herself a goal.
Sheng Qing, be good this time around. Protect the people you want to protect.
And listen to Qin Shi.
**
A rush of footsteps sounded. “Sheng Qing, it really is you!”
Sheng Qing opened her eyes and saw Feng Xiaojing coming downstairs.
In her previous life, Sheng Qing had hated everyone in the Qin household except Feng Xiaojing.
But Feng Xiaojing had been the one with the most sinister intentions.
Feng Xiaojing’s older brother had been the Qin family’s cook. Feng Xiaojing had lived at the Qin Residence since she was little, and after her brother died, she had stayed on there.
Neither Sheng Qing nor her older sister belonged to the Qin family, either.
Five years ago, Qin Zhen had been injured on a mission. Her older sister had saved him.
After nearly two months of nursing him day and night, the powerful man had developed designs on her.
Her older sister had a husband and a family of her own, but Qin Zhen had disregarded all morality and forcibly brought her back to the Qin Residence.
That was why Sheng Qing had always hated the Qin family.
And because Feng Xiaojing had constantly stirred up trouble in front of her, Sheng Qing’s hatred for the family had only grown.
Later, after Lu Yun’an egged her on, she had even forced her older sister to poison Qin Zhen.
Qin Zhen’s health had deteriorated day by day until he was lying in the hospital, tubes all over his body.
The military’s senior officers had been furious, vowing to find the person responsible for the poisoning.
But Qin Zhen had suppressed the matter himself.
It turned out he had always known that the sisters were poisoning him. He had simply turned a blind eye.
As he lay dying, he said to her older sister, “You hate me so much. Then I’ll give you my life. Can you stop hating me after that?”
Her older sister sat in front of him, trembling all over, without saying a word.
That night, after returning home, she ended her own life.
Less than an hour later, Qin Zhen’s heart stopped, too.
The foolishness of Sheng Qing’s previous life had killed everyone who truly cared about her.
The people who had harbored ill intentions, on the other hand, were still alive and well.
Feng Xiaojing was one of them.
Feng Xiaojing thought Sheng Qing seemed a little strange. “Qingqing, why are you looking at me like that?”
Sheng Qing said, “How else am I supposed to look at a shit-stirrer?”
Feng Xiaojing stared at her, stunned. “What did you say?”
“Can’t you understand?” Sheng Qing imitated Qin Shi, pointing at her own head. “Is something wrong in here?”
Though Feng Xiaojing was furious, she still had to hold it in. “Didn’t you run away? Why did you come back?”
Two days ago, Qin Zhen and Sheng Xue had had a confrontation, and Feng Xiaojing had told Sheng Qing about it.
She knew that hot-tempered Sheng Qing would blow up.
Sure enough, as soon as Sheng Qing got back, she cut Qin Zhen.
Feng Xiaojing had thought she could use the opportunity to get the Sheng sisters thrown out of the Qin household.
She hadn’t expected Sheng Qing to come back on her own.
Feng Xiaojing tugged at her. “Brother Qin Zhen is furious. He’s had people looking for you. Sheng Qing, you should go. Keep out of sight. Once he’s calmed down, I’ll put in a good word for you.”
Sheng Qing brushed her hand away. “Don’t try that with me, Feng Xiaojing. You’d better not provoke me. I dared to hurt Qin Zhen—aren’t you afraid I might slit your throat in your sleep one day?”
Feng Xiaojing trembled with fright. “Y-you wouldn’t dare!”
Sheng Qing smiled. “Try me.”
Feng Xiaojing glared at her. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll tell Second Brother Qin about all the vicious things you’ve said?”
Sheng Qing glanced at Qin Shi, who was on the balcony with his back to them, talking on the phone. Then she lounged back against the sofa. “Go ahead. I don’t care. But if you tell him and I haven’t actually done anything, he’ll think you’re lying and framing me.”
“I can even play the victim and say you made it up. He’ll feel guilty, and maybe he’ll treat me a little better.”
Feng Xiaojing was dumbfounded. You could actually do that?
Sheng Qing shot her a cold look. “Changed your mind? If you’re not going to, then get lost.”
“Who says I won’t?” Feng Xiaojing got to her feet and headed for Qin Shi. “Second Brother Qin… Mmph!”
Sheng Qing clamped a hand over her mouth and shoved her down onto the sofa. “You really think I wouldn’t hit you?”
Feng Xiaojing was terrified. Sheng Qing often got into fights, and Feng Xiaojing thought she was about to hit her. She sank her teeth into Sheng Qing’s wrist.
Sheng Qing let go in pain.
Feng Xiaojing let out a yelp, jumped up, and ran.
Sheng Qing grabbed her by the hair, looking murderous. “You son of a—”
Then she suddenly met the shadowed eyes on the balcony.
“B-Brother, are you done with your call?”
Feng Xiaojing: “???”
Qin Shi: “…”