This topic was getting rather heavy. "Ah..." Qin Qiao'er found herself at a loss for comforting words.
Zhao Youting glanced at her and consoled her, "It's okay. Don't blame yourself for thinking you've brought up a sad memory for me. It's all in the past."
You're clearly looking so sad yourself. Why are you comforting me, the listener?
"Once when I snuck out, I accidentally encountered some bandits who wanted to kidnap me. During the hostage exchange, my mother was shot dead by them," Zhao Youting said, looking up at the moon in the sky. "Right in front of me. I still don't understand why I didn't shed any tears or have an emotional outburst at that time. I just stood there watching."
"I was thinking, 'Oh, this person won't be able to clean up our messes when we cause trouble outside anymore. She won't be able to punish me according to the family rules. And she won't be able to see her favorite blue roses anymore,' and other things like that."
"I must have been such a disobedient child."
At this moment, Qin Qiao'er kind of understood where Zhao Youting's melancholy came from when he saw those things.
"It's okay. Even so, your mother still loved you," she said.
Zhao Youting was a bit surprised and looked at Qin Qiao'er's profile. This was the first time he had really looked at her under the moonlight tonight.
The moonlight seemed to be crushed in her eyes, gentle beyond reason.
Qin Qiao'er smiled faintly, probably thinking of Chenchen and Wanwan. "No matter how many little secrets you have, how rebellious you are, or how many dangerous things you do, the one who will clean up your mess, take you home, and value you more than herself, isn't that what a mother is?"
Zhao Youting squinted his eyes, and it seemed as if a glint of light was swirling in his eyes. "…Yes, you're right…"
"So don't feel guilty. As a child, just accept her love. Just grow up to be the person she hoped you would be and live every day well. Isn't that enough?"
After she finished speaking, Zhao Youting didn't reply. Qin Qiao'er suddenly realized that she might have said too much.
"Ah, this is just what I think as a mother of two children. Don't take it to heart. I don't mean to presume about your mother. I'm sorry…"
Zhao Youting shook his head instead. "No, you're not wrong. I think what you said is right."
Zhao Youting was being so compliant today? Sensing that the atmosphere around Zhao Youting was a bit strange, and seeing that it was getting late, Qin Qiao'er decided to go back.
"Ah, it's getting late. Why did I say so much? I'd better go back and rest first," she said, then jumped off the bench and stretched.
She had only walked a few steps when Zhao Youting's voice came from behind. "Qin Qiao'er, you…"
Qin Qiao'er stopped in her tracks.
"Thank you."
The tone was so gentle that it almost melted one's heart.
Qin Qiao'er's cheeks instantly flushed.
She didn't reply but quickened her steps back to her room, ignoring Zhao Youting, who seemed to have something else to say and stretched out a hand as if to hold her back.
She had a dreamless night.
Early the next morning, when Qin Qiao'er woke up, she stared at the unfamiliar ceiling for a moment before she came to her senses.
Chenchen and Wanwan, who came to wake her up, were making a ruckus. "Ah, Mommy, you're awake!"
"Mommy, hurry up and get up. Can we take Mimi for a walk after breakfast?"
They were so energetic so early in the morning…
"Okay, okay. Mommy is getting up now."
The two kids bounced off to get ready for breakfast. Qin Qiao'er got up, simply changed her clothes, tied up her hair, revealing her slender and fair neck.
Since there was no plan to go out today, she didn't need to put on makeup. After a simple skin moisturizing routine, she went to the living room.
Another day… another day of living with Zhao Youting.
Sure enough, Zhao Youting was already waiting at the dining table.
Qin Qiao'er greeted him naturally. "Ah, Youting, good morning."
Zhao Youting nodded and gave her a smile.
"Mommy, come and sit next to me!" When Wanwan saw Qin Qiao'er finally appear, she put down the half - drunk glass of milk and called out to her in a sweet voice.
"Okay, okay, I'm coming." Qin Qiao'er smiled, walked over to Wanwan, and picked up the tissue on the table to wipe the milk around Wanwan's mouth.
Chenchen was eating breakfast obediently, just as serious as Zhao Youting when eating.
At this moment, the four of them looked extremely warm and harmonious. If someone didn't know, they would surely think this was a family.
It was precisely this moment of warmth that made Qin Qiao'er and Zhao Youting a bit careless. They didn't notice that there was a pair of eyes staring at them in the distance.
The snake in the dark was always ready to strike.
"Humph, your good days are numbered," Song Qianqian muttered as she watched the four people living so freely on the secretly installed monitor. Her heart was filled with indignation.
"Hey, my baby, what are you looking at again?" A man's voice came from outside Song Qianqian's room. She quickly went out to greet him.
"Nothing. I'm just bored at home alone, so I'm just browsing the Internet casually～"
The man walked in. He had a gloomy and depressive face. He wasn't bad - looking, but he exuded a strong aura of violence and was overly sinister.
There was an unfathomable smile on his lips. "Oh? Really?"
Cold sweat broke out on Song Qianqian's back. This guy really looked hard to deal with. If she hadn't been desperate, she would never have dared to provoke him.
"Of course. How could I lie to you?" Song Qianqian walked up to him and acted like a delicate little bird beside the man.
"That's good. But you'd better be more careful. It's easy to hide you, but there's no need to provoke those we shouldn't for now."
"Okay, okay. I know. I'll be obedient～"
Song Qianqian put on a flattering look.
Of course, that's not what she really thought. Now she had fled abroad and was hiding with the help of this foreign gang leader she had hooked up with before.
To beg him to take her in, she had said countless nice words and even slept with him, just to stay alive.
"Oh? How obedient are you?"
As he said that, the man leaned in and started getting handsy. Song Qianqian was already used to being low - class. She pretended to resist but actually invited his advances, or rather, she even tried to seduce him.
It didn't matter if she was low - class or not. While hating this man with all her heart, Song Qianqian was thinking about getting him to help her take revenge.
"Honey, as we agreed before, when can we go back to our country?" Song Qianqian lay on the man's chest, her voice coquettish, as if every word was a flirt.
"You want to leave me and go back?" The man gave her a cold, emotionless look.
Song Qianqian suppressed her fear and continued, "Of course not. I just miss going back. My family still doesn't know where I am."
The man stared at Song Qianqian for a moment before answering, "Soon. I'll take you back within a week."