Dream of the Red Chamber: I can see the hidden labels of the beauties.

Seeing Qin Keqing press for answers, Jia Can knew she had figured it out, so he looked at her and lowered his voice to reply:

"You are the last descendant of the former crown prince. If the news of Jia Zhen defiling you is spread, not to mention that the former crown prince's loyal ministers would love to grind Jia Zhen to dust, even the retired emperor would definitely take action if he found out."

"At that time, you won't even need to lift a finger; Jia Zhen will be dead without a doubt!"

In the end, Jia Can's deep, starry eyes flashed with a sharp light, and the calmness between his brows suddenly transformed into a confident air of self-assurance.

He exuded a completely different aura than usual. The illegitimate son who usually hid in the shadows seemed to straighten his spine and reveal his sharp edge for the first time.

Qin Keqing was extremely surprised. Her mouth opened slightly, but she immediately raised her hand to cover her mouth, her fingertips trembling slightly.

Looking at Jia Can with a complex mix of emotions, her eyes held surprise, confusion, disbelief, and an indescribable surge of feelings.

Seeing her reaction, Jia Can was not surprised at all. He sat there calmly, watching her intently.

Even Jia Can himself was quite surprised at first. This was a cheat code he acquired after transmigrating, which allowed him to see through a person's most hidden labels.

This label is often a core secret that a person keeps buried deep in their heart and will never tell anyone until their death, yet he can see it at a glance.

For example, right now, Jia Can clearly see that above Qin Keqing's head, a label is faintly floating:

The orphaned son of the former crown prince

These five words were the source of his confidence to break into Qin Keqing's boudoir tonight, and also the basis for his words just now.

Seeing Qin Keqing's astonished expression and her lingering shock, Jia Can felt a slight sense of pride.

He thought to himself that even if Qin Keqing found it hard to accept these words at first, she would surely be shocked, and then things would be easier to say next.

However, the next sentence Qin Keqing uttered made him freeze in shock.

Qin Keqing stared at him intently, her gaze extremely complex. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke softly:

"Ah-chan, you...you finally remember me?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Can was stunned.

He had considered all sorts of reactions Qin Keqing might have. She might be surprised and question how he knew this shocking secret, or she might show fear and apprehension. She might even do something extreme because her secret had been exposed.

She had already prepared her response in mind, so no matter how Qin Keqing reacted, she would have something to say.

But no one expected that Qin Keqing would say such a thing.

Ah Can?

The way the two addressed each other was so intimate, even carrying a hint of unspoken closeness, as if they had some unknown past.

Otherwise, a niece-in-law would never address her second uncle in such a way.

Moreover, Qin Keqing actually asked if she finally remembered her?

There was clearly a hidden meaning in her words, as if Qin Keqing had been waiting for something, waiting for him to remember something or some past event, waiting for Jia Can to recognize her.

Jia Can focused his mind and recalled everything in his mind, searching through all the memories belonging to this body, but he never found any old stories related to Qin Keqing.

Even if they did meet, it was only a few times after Qin Keqing married into the Ningguo Mansion two years ago. They only exchanged a few polite greetings from afar before parting ways, with no further interaction.

Why would Qin Keqing ask such a question?

Jia Can sat there, his expression slightly tense, unsure of how to respond for a moment.

After a long silence, Jia Can suppressed the surging surprise and doubt in his heart before asking in return:

"I remember you? Have we met before?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Keqing paused, her eyes, as clear as autumn water, fixed on him, her gaze filled with scrutiny and a hint of urgency, as she pressed for an answer:

"Ah Can, if you don't remember me, how do you know I'm the orphan of the former crown prince?"

Upon hearing this, Jia Can felt a slight tightness in his heart.

He had actually thought about how to respond to this question long ago. He would simply find an excuse to brush it off first, and then slowly smooth things over later once he had gained Qin Keqing's trust.

Before taking action tonight, he had mentally rehearsed various countermeasures several times, and he was confident that he could answer calmly no matter how Qin Keqing questioned him.

But now, Qin Keqing actually said such a thing, clearly implying that the two had a long-standing relationship, which was completely beyond Jia Can's expectations.

For a moment, he didn't know how to respond. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

Seeing that he didn't speak, Qin Keqing took two steps forward, closing the distance between them.

He focused his mind slightly, carefully examining Jia Can's face. His gaze slowly swept over Jia Can's eyebrows and eyes, as if he were trying to identify something, or perhaps he was reminiscing about something.

After a moment, Qin Keqing sighed softly and said quietly:

"Ah Can, do you know, when I married into this household and saw you, I thought I was seeing things. Later I realized it was you, the playmate I had with you since childhood in the Eastern Palace."

"Back then, you played hide-and-seek with me in the garden of the East Palace. You were young and couldn't run fast, so I always found you. But you were always unconvinced and would pout, saying that you would hide better next time."

"Once, my mother made two small lanterns for us, one with a rabbit on it and the other with a fish on it. You insisted on having the fish one, saying that fish can swim in water and are better than rabbits."

"So I gave you the fish, and you were so happy that you ran around the yard several times. You tripped and fell, scraping your knee, but you didn't cry. Instead, you asked me if I was alright..."

At this point, he paused slightly, his gaze drifting into the distance, as if piercing through the candlelight and the night before him, returning to the carefree days of his childhood.

A look of longing appeared on her beautiful face, and the corners of her lips turned up slightly, as if that memory was the most precious treasure in the world to her.

Jia Can stood there, utterly astonished, his heart churning with a tidal wave of emotions.

Judging from Qin Keqing's words, the original owner of this body actually grew up in the Eastern Palace during his childhood.

Moreover, he and Qin Keqing were childhood sweethearts and friends, and the two had such a deep friendship.

He had not found any of these situations in the merged memories.

Desperately searching through the fragments of memories belonging to the original owner, he only found some blurry pieces, all of which were the days after he was four or five years old when he was cautious and walked on thin ice in the Ningguo Mansion. Before that, it was like a blank, and he could not remember anything.

After a long while, Qin Keqing finally snapped out of her reverie, her gaze returning to Jia Can's face as she continued speaking:

"Unfortunately, my father had an accident later. That night was very chaotic, with fires and shouts everywhere. I was covered up and quietly carried out of the East Palace. I couldn't see anything along the way, but I remember that the person held me very tightly, and their arm hurt me terribly."

"After that, I lost contact with you and never saw you again. I... I was very scared. During those days, I often cried at night. I missed my parents and I missed you very much."

Jia Can could tell that Qin Keqing's words were sincere, because her voice was trembling slightly, and she even choked up a little when she said the last few words.

Qin Keqing steadied herself and continued:

"Until two years ago, my adoptive father betrothed me to Jia Rong, the eldest grandson of the Ningguo Mansion, and I married into this mansion. On the day of the wedding ceremony, I looked out through the gap in my veil and saw you in the crowd."

"My heart skipped a beat. I thought it was a miracle that I saw you again. Later I found out that you were actually in this mansion, and that you were my second uncle."

"I thought at the time that this was perhaps a preordained fate. We finally met, but I was already a married woman, and you turned out to be my brother-in-law."

At this point, a look of disappointment and sadness appeared in his eyes, and his voice lowered:

"It's a pity that you don't seem to remember me. I've hinted at it to you several times, but you've ignored me and even kept your distance from me. When we meet, you lower your head and hurry past, as if you're afraid I'll hurt you."

"I...I'm very sad, but I don't dare to say anything more. I just assume that I've mistaken you for someone else, or that you're pretending not to know me."

After speaking, Qin Keqing looked at Jia Can, her face full of undisguised disappointment and a hint of grievance.

Jia Can was completely stunned, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

He originally thought that the original owner was already outrageous enough, as a character who had never appeared in the original work, but he never expected that the original owner would have such a connection with Qin Keqing. The two were childhood sweethearts and innocent acquaintances.

This is something that has never appeared in the original work. Perhaps it is because of his arrival that many things in this world have changed? Or is this world of Dream of the Red Chamber different from the original work?

If he had known this would happen, why would he have spent two whole days and nights pondering in his room, repeatedly rehearsing all of Qin Keqing's possible reactions, memorizing every possible response plan, and only daring to act tonight after confirming that everything was foolproof?

It turned out that there was a relationship between him and Qin Keqing that he was completely unaware of. All his previous plans and calculations seemed superfluous at this moment.

With this hidden relationship, he only needs to acknowledge Qin Keqing as his confidante, and the two can form an alliance. Moreover, he won't need to explain too much to Qin Keqing afterward.

A long silence followed between them before Jia Can finally spoke:

"I...I really don't remember anything from my childhood. I only remember that I lived in the Ningguo Mansion. I can still recall some things from when I was about four or five years old, but I can't remember anything before that."

Upon hearing this, a fleeting look of realization crossed Qin Keqing's face, and she nodded slightly.

"I see. We were both very young then. I was only five and you were only three. What could a three-year-old remember? No wonder you can't remember."

As he spoke, he let out a soft breath, as if a stone that had been weighing on his heart for a long time had finally been lifted, and he felt much more relaxed.

The expression on his face relaxed, and the sorrow between his brows faded somewhat, replaced by a sense of relief after a long separation.