Shocking! The school heartthrob who was adopted by a wealthy family is actually a heiress!

Chapter 170 I'm alright now
From love comes sorrow, from love comes fear.

This was more terrifying than any nightmare she had ever had.

"How can you not blame your mother?" Qin Qiong felt as if her heart had been torn in two again, her face full of pain. "You should blame your mother."

Qin Zhao shook his head heavily, moved closer to her, hugged her waist, pressed close to her, and said softly, "I don't blame you. I just want you not to leave me, not to abandon me."

She didn't want to go back to being Jiang Ye without a mother.

"How could I abandon you?" Qin Qiong looked at her, her face also wet with tears. She bent down and hugged her through the blanket, her voice trembling with difficulty: "Mommy loves you, Mommy has always loved you."

Her embrace was soft and warm, and she smelled wonderful.

It tastes like mom's cooking.

She had only smelled this scent for less than a year.

Qin Zhao's eyes felt even more sore.

How could Qin Qiong not be her mother?

Like a child who had suffered a great injustice, she threw herself into Qin Qiong's arms, hugging her neck and silently accusing her.

The branches and leaves outside the window swayed in the wind, their shadows touching each other fragilely, making a faint, broken sound.

After a long pause, Qin Qiong's voice returned: "Zhaozhao, why are you suddenly so agitated today?"

Qin Zhao's fingers twitched slightly: "I overheard some things, and I'm scared."

"What are you afraid of?" Qin Qiong gently stroked her forehead.

"I'm afraid of being kicked out." Qin Zhao's voice was very soft, and the last syllable was very short.

Qin Qiong paused.

Qin Zhao lowered his eyes and remained silent.

Qin Qiong looked at her and promised, "No one will drive you away; this will always be your home."

What if I weren't Qin Zhao?

Qin Zhao lowered his eyelids and hummed in agreement.

Qin Qiong continued to stroke her: "What can I do to make you feel safer?"

Qin Zhao pursed his lips and buried his face in her arms: "No matter what, you mustn't abandon me, okay?"

Qin Qiong pressed close to her: "Unless I cease to exist in this world, I will never abandon you. If I break this promise, may I be struck by lightning—"

Her lips were covered by a cool palm.

Qin Zhao lifted his head from her arms, his eyes glistening with tears: "I believe you."

She kept her head down. She didn't doubt Qin Qiong's kindness to her; it was so kindness that she was always worried about losing him.

Qin Qiong patted her head.

She patted her shoulder intermittently, trying to lull her to sleep.

The sound of long, even breathing could be heard, though the dim light made it difficult to discern anything.

Qin Qiong softly called out "Zhao Zhao".

Qin Zhao did not react.

She looked at her face, then leaned down and kissed her forehead.

Qin Zhao's eyelashes trembled slightly before returning to calm.

After Qin Qiong left, she slowly opened her eyes a while later.

Her eyelids were deeply creased as she stared at the ceiling, her right hand clenched tightly, a strand of hair faintly touching the base of her thumb.

She seemed to be in a daze. After a while, she slowly got up, gently pressed the hair follicle side down onto a clean piece of white paper, took out a paper envelope from the drawer, and put it in.

After she finished all that, she seemed to have become a mindless puppet, standing there not knowing what to do next.

Her phone lit up, pulling her back to reality.

Shen Yanci: Are you asleep?

Qin Zhao twitched his fingers, then lowered his head, slowly walked to the door, and locked it.

She lay back down on the bed, stared at the screen for a while, and then replied, "No."

"Can't sleep?"

"Ah."

"Me too," Shen Yanci said. "Would you like me to chat with you?"

Qin Zhao typed a few words, then deleted them.

A video call came in from the other end, but she hung up: "I don't want to talk."

"I'm so tired."

She ultimately didn't send those last two words.

She turned off her phone and curled up.

Shen Yanci: "What's wrong?"

"unhappy?"

Qin Zhao seemed emotionally drained, unsure how to react to the message.

After a while, she typed: "No."

"I have no energy." Shen Yanci: "Is walking this tiring?"

"So, you and Aunt Qin participated in the walk?"

Qin Zhao: "More or less."

"I'm tired but can't sleep." Shen Yanci said, "Are you excited about tomorrow's date, just like me?"

Qin Zhao's emotions, which had just calmed down, almost exploded again because of those words.

She pursed her lips and said, "I want to rest tomorrow."

It took them quite a while to type it in.

Shen Yanci: "What about food? Do you want to eat out, or have Chef Fei make barbecue?"

Multiple-choice questions can easily lead people to follow the options. Qin Zhao typed halfway before realizing he had to delete it: "I don't know."

"You can make your own arrangements."

She added, "If you want to eat it, I'll contact you again."

There was a long silence on the other end before a voice call came through.

Qin Zhao answered the call at the last minute.

"Zhao Zhao."

She yawned.

Shen Yanci: "Tired?"

She hummed.

Shen Yanci's low voice came through the microphone: "Will you contact me tomorrow when you decide what to eat, or wait until later when you want to eat something?"

Qin Zhao held his phone, remaining silent. The other end continued, its tone deliberately casual: "There might be misunderstandings in written expression, so I wanted to confirm with you."

Qin Zhao didn't know how to answer, his eyes gleaming in the dim light.

"Zhao Zhao?"

He chuckled softly, his voice barely audible: "Asleep."

"You're not thinking straight, you don't even know what you posted," he accused in a low voice. "You agreed to go on a date this afternoon, but you went back on your word tonight."

"Lie to me again."

"Do you know how hurtful this is?"

"My mood was like riding a roller coaster."

He snorted: "You should apologize to me."

"Fine, I'll forgive you for now." He held the phone close to his face. "Goodnight, Zhao Zhao."

After hanging up the phone, she turned over and hugged the blanket tightly.

—

Qin Zhao felt a little heavy-headed when he woke up.

I barely slept last night.

After washing up, she went downstairs to have breakfast.

When Lin Shi saw her, he greeted her as usual: "Good morning."

Qin Zhao didn't look at him: "Good morning."

The breakfast was unusually quiet, though Lin Shi occasionally chimed in with a few words, something Qin Zhao usually wouldn't bother with.

But today he clearly sensed her distance.

Lin Shi: "Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Qin Zhao: "That's good."

"Your expression is so bad when you're supposed to be fine," Lin Shi muttered.

After finishing breakfast, Qin Zhao returned to his room and put the envelope into his bag.

"Zhao Zhao."

Qin Zhao calmly zipped up his jacket, a smile playing on his lips: "Mom."

Qin Qiong patted her head: "Did you have a dream yesterday?"

She paused for a moment, then nodded.

"What did you dream about?"

Some trivial, not-so-good dreams.

"Can not remember."

Qin Qiong: "Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Qin Zhao: "My arms are a little sore from playing tennis yesterday."

"Anything else? Still have a headache?"

Qin Zhao lowered his eyelids and shook his head: "Mom, I'm fine now."

If it were you, would you ask directly, or secretly get tested first?
The next chapter will be a bit late, probably around 1 a.m., I'll read it tomorrow~ Goodnight.
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(End of this chapter)