CHAPTER 177: CHAPTER 177: IF YOU LOVE US, HOW COULD WE POSSIBLY NOT LOVE YOU?

Han Hu’s hand, as she poured the tea, paused. The tea overflowed the brim of the cup, spilling across a good portion of the table. Fu Bing didn’t remind her. It wasn’t until Han Hu’s hand was scalded that she abruptly withdrew it. Han Hu bit her lip, her eyes reddening.

"You plan to take over my burdens again?"

"Xiaobing, we were once just strangers who briefly crossed paths. You saved me, and that’s already an immense kindness! I’m truly not worth you doing anything more for me."

Fu Bing silently breathed a sigh of relief. At least, she hadn’t saved the wrong person.

Han Hu didn’t know what Fu Bing was thinking. She said urgently, "I can’t break away from Wu Shipyard right now. I’ll bear the trouble I’ve caused. I’m even prepared to face the death penalty as the person responsible for Wu Shipyard."

"Xiaobing, you can’t take on the burdens of everyone around you. Some things we must experience ourselves. If you carry our suffering, all that karma will fall upon you. You love us, and how can we not love you in return?"

By the end, Han Hu’s voice was choked with emotion.

"Aunt Ning didn’t tell you about her and Uncle He’s situation; Xiaomei also didn’t talk to you about her original family. And Wu Shi, he never mentions his past either. It’s not that they don’t want to tell you; they just don’t want to tire you out. Even Qin Jinhai, it’s very likely he thinks the same. He doesn’t want you to know too much about his stress and pain because you, without a word, would treat our issues as your own."

"Outsiders look up to you; many people place you on a pedestal. You haven’t disappointed them and have helped build their dreams wherever you could. But you’re still just one person. You can feel pain and get tired."

Fu Bing turned her head away, holding back the tears in her eyes.

"It sounds like I’m rather insensitive and overbearing, huh? I’ll pay attention to that in the future."

"I have only one request: stay alive. Deal with the rest only if you can manage. Don’t be so quick to throw your life away."

"I will," Han Hu immediately nodded.

Right now, she wasn’t most worried about what would become of Han Yue and the Han Family; she was more concerned about Li Qing. When she had Wu Shipyard people look for Li Qing, they found absolutely nothing. She suspected Li Qing had taken the same path as her: plastic surgery, a new identity. It was very likely she was using a completely new identity to target Fu Bing, perhaps even hiding right beside her. The mere thought of this sent shivers down her spine.

Han Hu warned, "Be wary of strangers around you lately. Don’t accept new people as easily as before, okay?"

"Okay."

These were the people dearest to her; there wouldn’t be any more in the future.

* * *

One scandal after another in the elite circles of Jiangcheng left everyone feeling uneasy. Wu Shipyard also became the center of attention. But no one dared to casually visit Wu Shipyard anymore.

Qin Sheng hadn’t gone out these past few days. The mansion was cold and desolate. Apart from him, there were only the expressionless bodyguards.

To Qin Sheng, the Qin Family Mansion had never been a home; it was the prison that had confined him for years.

Qin Sheng suspected something was wrong with his body; he felt tired every day. After finishing his work in the study, he would be overcome with drowsiness.

Suddenly, a delicate white hand wrapped around his neck from behind. The hand teasingly moved upward, softly massaging his temples. Qin Sheng closed his eyes, allowing the owner of the hands to massage him.

"Uncle, am I qualified to work for you now?"

The voice was gentle as water, like a clear spring.

Qin Sheng snapped open his eyes. It was the face of an unfamiliar woman.

Li Qing met his gaze and sat down with an air of regal grace. A form-fitting cheongsam meticulously outlined the curves of her body. Qin Sheng’s gaze traveled inch by inch over Li Qing’s enchanting body, devoid of any desire.

Li Qing met Qin Sheng’s calm gaze. "Don’t you like it?"

"Whether I like it or not isn’t important. What are you trying to do by changing your face? Seduce me?" Qin Sheng retorted calmly.

"Fu Bing is pressing you step by step, I’m worried."

"Worried? Heh." Qin Sheng chuckled softly. "What can you do? And what do you want from me?"

Li Qing looked at him with utmost sincerity. "I want to avenge Jinhai."

Qin Sheng laughed heartily. "Next time you look for an excuse, try to find a more convincing one."

"Listen carefully, the fools from the Li Family are not worthy of associating with anyone from my Qin Family, not even the dead! Do you think your sister didn’t die completely enough? You want to try it too?"

"Or do you think Fu Bing would be reluctant to deal with you?"

A trace of venom flashed in Li Qing’s eyes. "Why does she get to live so well?"

"Because she isn’t stupid, because she has a good brain, and because she’s willing to lend a hand when others are in trouble!" Qin Sheng stated, his voice devoid of emotion.

"If she is so great, why did you try to frame her in the beginning?"

"Because she corrupted the blade I forged." Qin Sheng glanced at Li Qing. "Get out, you fool who can only survive by clinging to others!"

Li Qing clenched her fists and left, her face etched with grievance.

Li Qing ran out of the Qin Family Mansion. A car emerged from the shadows.

Lian Yingya rolled down the window. "Get in."

Li Qing got into the car with red eyes. "Qin Sheng didn’t take the bait."

"That old fox? How could he be fooled so easily?" Lian Yingya quickly drove the car away from the Qin Family’s territory.

For nearly ten years, Qin Jinhai had loomed like a colossal shadow over Jiangcheng. This was where Qin Jinhai had lived all along. Even though Qin Jinhai was rumored to be dead, whenever Lian Yingya wandered near the Qin estate at night, he felt eyes staring at his back. The mere thought sent a cold sweat down Lian Yingya’s back. He floored the accelerator and sped away like the wind.

"I’ll take you to my villa first. Tomorrow, after I’ve discussed it with my elder brother, I’ll take you to meet him."

"It doesn’t matter where I stay; I’ve even slept under bridges before. You saved me and gave me a warm home and clothes," Li Qing said gratefully. "Please don’t argue with your elder brother because of me. He’s your flesh and blood; I’m just a stranger you happened to help. You must understand who is more important."

Lian Yingya felt particularly gratified by this.

"Don’t worry, my elder brother is very easygoing. He really hopes I can settle down and find someone to rein in my wild, imaginative nature."

"Does it not matter that I’m an orphan?"

"I’m not inheriting the family business, so it doesn’t matter who my other half is."

Lian Yingya took her to a house he owned. Then, he drove home that same night.

Li Qing curved her lips into a meaningful smile.

She refused to believe that she couldn’t trample Fu Bing underfoot this time.

Without Qin Jinhai’s help, Fu Bing’s abilities, no matter how great, would be useless.

「The next morning.」

When Lian Yingting saw Lian Yingya at the breakfast table, he said sarcastically, "What wind blew you back? Done with your gallivanting?"

In other families, siblings fought tooth and nail over property. Their family was different: no one wanted to take over, each preferring to be a carefree, wealthy heir.

"From now on, I’ll behave, focus on my painting, hold exhibitions, and stop making you worry. Besides, I’ve met a disciple of the great traditional painter, Master Hen Shimian."

Lian Yingting said seriously, "Don’t get tricked again."

"This time it’s definitely real! She’s at my place right now. If you have time, I can arrange for you to meet her immediately."