Chapter 738: A Million Times for You (100)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“Jin Qingyan…”
“If I break my promise, you may leave any time.”
“Jin Qingyan…”
“Will that do? Xiaoning…” he said with a pitiful expression on his face, which An Xiaoning could not resist!
She was entirely subdued by him.
An Xiaoning was not a virgin and had first gotten intimate with him long ago. Thus, she did not mind cohabiting with him at all.
“You said that yourself. If you dare to touch me without my permission, I’ll move out of your place immediately.”
“Of course! You can take my word for it. I promise I won’t touch you at all while you’re here,” he swore solemnly.
“Give me your mobile phone. I’m calling Beicheng to tell him to bring my phone here, along with a few sets of clothes. My mother must be worried sick. She probably thought I was dead too. I ought to put her mind at ease.”
He handed her his mobile phone. “Here.”
She dialed Gu Beicheng’s number and called him directly.
Gu Beicheng was not in the mood to answer Jin Qingyan’s call at all, especially since it was not even daybreak yet.
After staring at the screen for several seconds, he swiped his finger across slowly and answered, “What’s the matter?”
“Beicheng, it’s me,” said An Xiaoning, which caused Gu Beicheng to spring up in agitation.
“Xiaoning!?!”
Upon hearing his shriek, Lin Mingxi thought that he had had a nightmare and turned to see that he was in the midst of a phone call.
She listened quietly.
“It’s me. Jin Qingyan had managed to rescue me. Please bring my mobile phone, clothing, and shoes to Wei Ni Estate. I’ll be staying here for a while to lie low for the time being,” said An Xiaoning.
“Alright.” Gu Beicheng ended the call and immediately switched on the lights and got out of bed to get dressed.
Lin Mingxi quickly sat up straight and asked, “What’s the matter?”
He explained the situation to her while getting dressed. Lin Mingxi was over the moon and got out of bed as well.
The pair then packed An Xiaoning’s belongings into a suitcase and drove to Wei Ni Estate.
As soon as they saw An Xiaoning in the living room, they rushed forward to hug her tightly. “This is… wonderful!” Gu Beicheng exclaimed, bursting with euphoria.
As soon as he finished speaking, Jin Qingyan pulled him away and hissed, “Your wife is allowed to hug her, but you’re not.”
Gu Beicheng scoffed and retorted sneeringly, “Hah… I’m not just her brother, I’m also the godfather of your son. What’s wrong with hugging her?”
“You’re only her godbrother and my son’s godfather. You’re not related by blood at all…” said Jin Qingyan.
An Xiaoning could not stand how jealous and petty Jin Qingyan was, although she knew that he was merely doing it on purpose. However, she decided not to make a fuss, on account of him being her life savior.
“Actually, we ought to thank Jin Qingyan. Without him, I would have already died in there,” said An Xiaoning, giving Jin Qingyan the credit he was due.
“Yes, thank you for saving our Xiaoning, Mr. Jin,” said Gu Beicheng.
Jin Qingyan put on a mirthless smile and said, “You don’t have to thank me. As her man and the father of our child, it’s only my duty to do so.”
Lin Mingxi burst into laughter and said, “Xiaoning, quick, tell us everything that happened since you were taken away. Beicheng and I are both very curious about what happened.”
“Have a seat first,” said An Xiaoning.
Jin Qingyan also sat down. He wanted to hear about the parts he was not involved in.
She explained in detail everything that had happened, starting from when she burned some offerings to her mentor in Beijia Bay to being abducted and sent to R Nation, and then facing Pei Yi every day, all the way until she had been rescued.
Puzzled, Gu Beicheng asked, “Jin Qingyan, how did you know that Xiaoning was still alive? You were the one who sent us the video of her supposed execution. We watched it too and it didn’t seem to be fake.”
“If I said that it was because I had dreamed of her being alive, would you believe me?”
“What dream was it?”
Filled with emotions upon recalling the dream he had, Jin Qingyan explained, “I dreamed of Xiaoning dressed in a bright red coat, sunbathing alongside Pei Yi on the rooftop. The dream felt all too real and so I decided to go look for her.”
The three of them were appalled and baffled. “I was really wearing a red coat and sunbathing on the rooftop together with Pei Yi during one of those days.”
That was the day that she and Pei Yi had pretended to be a couple.
She remembered it very clearly.
That means, what happened in his dream was real…
“Oh, I see. Xiaoning, how long will you be staying here for? I don’t feel safe leaving you with Jin Qingyan. He harbors lewd designs on you,” Gu Beicheng asked.
Jin Qingyan sneered and said, “So what if I do? Isn’t it only normal to harbor designs on the woman you love? Do you really think Pei Yi will leave things as they are now that Xiaoning has escaped from his territory and returned home? Staying in my place for the time being is the safest option. I don’t plan to let her appear in public anytime soon.”
Gu Beicheng ignored him, though he found the latter’s suggestion to have made sense. “Xiaoning, what plans do you have in mind?” he asked An Xiaoning.
“Like what Jin Qingyan said, I won’t appear in public for the time being. It’s going to be the New Year very soon. I’d like to live life peacefully for a while too,” said An Xiaoning.
It was what she truly wanted deep down. She wanted to take the time to nurse her body back to health and accompany her son. She wanted to lead a carefree life for a while, without having to feel like she was stepping on eggshells every single day.
Considering that she ought to lie low for the time being, Gu Beicheng said, “That’s good. We’ll keep your return from others temporarily, including the Jin and Lin families. I heard…”
A frown creased his forehead as he contemplated whether or not to continue telling her the truth.
“What did you hear?” An Xiaoning probed.
“I heard that during the negotiation between Pei Yi and Mr. President, Lin Shishi tried with all her might to convince Tuoba Gucheng to put the nation’s interests first and consider things from a bigger picture. She even said that the Lin family supported the decision of giving you up…”
An Xiaoning understood that it was only human nature of Lin Shishi to pick her husband over her godsister. However, she could not help but feel rather upset to hear it.
“From her standpoint, she did the right thing. Everyone has something they want to defend. When there are conflicting interests, one would naturally choose to make the decision that’ll benefit them more.”
Gu Beicheng was relieved to see how calm she was. “You ought to get some rest since you just came back. Mingxi and I will get going for now,” he said.
“Alright.”
An Xiaoning and Jin Qingyan walked them to the yard and watched as Gu Beicheng drove out of the gate. She turned around and met Jin Qingyan’s eyes.
“Ah!” Before she could even speak, Jin Qingyan picked her up in his arms and carried her inside.
He carried her all the way upstairs and lowered her onto the bed. He then knelt down on one knee and scrutinized the chains on her ankles.
After checking it through, he called Fan Shixin and instructed the latter to bring some cutting tools, as well as the luggage in the living room.
While waiting for Fan Shixin to arrive, Jin Qingyan proceeded to remove her socks.
He held her cold and clammy feet in his warm hands. An Xiaoning tried to retract her feet, to no avail.
“I haven’t washed my feet yet… Don’t you find it filthy at all?”
He did not answer and instead stood up to switch on the heater.