CHAPTER 651: CHAPTER 568: POOR CREDIT

Leng Mochen patiently continued, "The Qin Family’s wealth isn’t any less than the Leng Family’s, but their origins are quite shady—they used to be grave robbers!"

Speaking of the Qin Family’s secrets, only a handful of people are aware of them.

If not for the advantage of reincarnation, he likely wouldn’t just piece together the connection between Nie Xiuwei and Qin He and arrive at these conclusions.

Even if others knew they had some sort of collaboration, no one would think of the real relationship between the surgically altered Sima Ling and the Qin Family.

However, Leng Mochen still had some doubts: When did Nie Xiuwei find out about Qin Xin’s true background?

And Qin Xin herself—how much does she know about her own origins at this point?

Li Si perked up, her tone losing some of its harshness: "This all sounds like it’s straight out of a novel."

Grave robbers? Tomb raiders? It’s starting to feel like something out of *The Lost Tomb*! She couldn’t quite believe it.

But she knew he wouldn’t make this up—it had to be true!

"Yeah! It sounds like a novel, but it’s real! The Qin Family, for certain reasons, ended up cursed. The only surviving male from their lineage is Mr. Qin. In this generation, aside from relatives on the fringe branches of the family, only two girls remain as legitimate heirs to the Qin Family.

Qin He has always regarded herself as the sole successor. Recently, she held a husband-selection event, but now, through Nie Xiuwei, she has learned about Qin Xin’s existence. There’s no way she’d allow Qin Xin to appear and become her greatest rival in public.

To be honest, I know quite a bit about the Qin Family. In her previous life, this Qin He from her uncle’s side always saw Qin Xin as a thorn in her side, trying her best to eliminate her. In this life, knowing Qin Xin’s whereabouts in advance, how could she possibly just let it go?"

Li Si sat silently, listening until this point. Seeing how detailed his explanation was, she couldn’t help but get up and mock him: "Right! She was your official girlfriend back in the day, wasn’t she? How could you not know her inside out?

This is such a great chance, isn’t it? Save the damsel in distress and rekindle old flames afterward! Looks like Buding and I are just in someone’s way. If I take Buding and leave, wouldn’t that solve everything? Why bother with all these smoke and mirrors!"

After she finished, she turned to leave. She was genuinely angry! Perhaps, beneath her anger over his secrecy and betrayal, there was also an indescribable emotional turmoil.

It was impossible for her to stay calm here and listen to him reminisce about matters concerning the Qin Family.

The more she listened, the more it felt like a reminder of her failures in her previous life. Leaving aside the Qin Xin issue, in terms of status and position, he seemed like a prince both then and now, while she was the eternal Cinderella.

"Don’t go!" Leng Mochen ignored her resistance and dominantly pulled her into his embrace, "Your jealousy knows no bounds! What nonsense are you spouting? Never say such things again, do you hear? Otherwise, I’ll deal with you harshly! Little brat, you’re so stubborn you’d interrupt someone before they even finish speaking!"

He only wanted her to understand the Qin Family’s situation so she wouldn’t accuse him of keeping secrets later.

But this fiery temper of hers simply wouldn’t listen, blurting out things about leaving with Buding. She was making him simultaneously angry and frantic.

"Let me go! I don’t want to hear it, isn’t that enough? Clearly, you’re the one in the wrong—what right do you have to punish me?" Li Si was angry and hurt from his grasp, clawing fiercely at his arm in her frustration. But his taut muscles didn’t seem bothered, while her fingers grew sore instead.

The strength difference between the two was too great. Before long, Li Si was panting heavily, finally giving up and snapping, "If you have something to say, then say it! Why are you holding me so tightly? Let go of me!"

Li Si had never shown such an obstinate side in front of him before. This newfound fierceness surprised him, but it only made him like her more. Feeling his affection growing, he tightened his embrace further while gazing down at her fondly: "If I let go, you’ll escape—won’t you? No way! Stay still and let me finish! Please?"

"Then hurry up and say it!" Li Si pouted indignantly, her voice huffy. In this enclosed, silent space, her senses sharpened dramatically. He was practically enveloping her with his strong, steady presence, his body heat radiating from every point of contact like a fire.

His deep voice resonated by her ear, leaving her wanting to escape yet unable to.

She loathed this sense of helplessness, as if she were bound by his whims, submitting with no choice.

His faintly upturned lips betrayed the joy in his mood.

But given that Li Si had her back to him, she couldn’t see his expression; she could only sense his changes through his aura.

Leng Mochen intentionally kept her locked by his side, "I won’t deny there’s some sympathy involved in taking her in temporarily. I wanted to use my trip abroad to handle George’s matter and, along the way, deliver her to Mr. Qin through proper channels.

Long Wu and Su Meng are in that mess together—he definitely wouldn’t dare touch this matter. And I admit there are certain things regarding Qin Xin that I can’t share with anyone—call them secrets if you will. Everything went smoothly until a minor oversight left an opening, and suddenly you were in danger! Little one, I’m sorry!

Earlier, I didn’t see things clearly. Now, I’ve come to understand a few things!"

Li Si couldn’t move her body, but he couldn’t control her expressions. She curled her lips in mockery, "Understand what? You really think you’re some kind of savior! Though, I guess it’s only natural—she *was* someone you loved once. Now you see her all alone and pitiful, and sympathy stirs—it’s understandable!"

Leng Mochen was both exasperated and amused by her words: "Silly girl! Whatever happened in past lives is nothing more than a fleeting shadow. In this life, I will never let you down! If there’s anyone on this earth who truly aligns with me, it’s you. In the future, it’ll be just you and Buding—you two are the most important people in my life!"

Even if Li Si still felt slightly uneasy, his heartfelt confession melted away much of her pent-up frustration and resentment.

But she wouldn’t let him off so easily, replying sharply, "Sweet words! How am I supposed to know if what you’re saying is even true? Take this whole Qin Xin incident as an example: if I hadn’t received that message and insisted on questioning you, would you really have told me everything so readily?"

She was truly fed up with him keeping things from her time and time again, always leaving her in the dark until it was all over.

The nicer way to put it was that he loved her and did it for her sake.

But at its core, it was because they weren’t standing on equal ground. They weren’t in a truly balanced relationship. He always saw her as young and inexperienced, believing she couldn’t handle much.

She was always the one he meticulously protected.

It wasn’t that she wasn’t thankful, but people tend to grow greedy.

If, in the past, she wanted him to be like an older brother, boyfriend, and husband to her, now she craved a harmonious, mutually understanding bond.

"This time, I was wrong. I promise this won’t ever happen again—is that okay?"

Today had made him realize deeply that the Li Si he’d always considered a little girl was slowly growing into a mature, independent woman.

She had her own thoughts and courage and no longer relied on him for everything.

Just like the incident with Simeng—when faced with trouble, she could find her own methods to handle it.

For a marital relationship to last and thrive, mutual recognition and respect were as important as love and compromise.

Having understood this, his mindset began to shift.

Li Si turned her head and gazed at him seriously, "You’ve said things like that before—so your credibility is already dubious. Words alone won’t convince me anymore! From now on, I’ll only look at your actions. If there’s ever a next time, I won’t forgive you easily!"

(To Be Continued. If you enjoy this story, please stop by Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with recommendation tickets or monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)