Qin Muge responded gently, took off his coat, lay down in bed, held her hands in his, and placed the back of his foot against her sole, wanting to warm her body.
As a result, Chaoge broke free of her hand, took the initiative to hug her waist, nestled against her shoulder, rubbed against her contentedly, and said with a hint of complaint, "It was so cold just now~"
Qin Muge chuckled softly, placed his hand gently on her back, and said in a coaxing voice, "Are you warm now?"
"Hmm..." Chaoge's voice was lower than before, clearly indicating that she was about to fall asleep again.
Seeing her sleeping peacefully in his arms, Qin Muge, who had spent his life fighting and never found peace, instantly calmed his restless heart.
Author's Note: The beginning was very difficult to write, and I was stuck on this chapter for a whole day.
Later, when I felt sleepy, I suddenly wrote it down very smoothly. When I looked back... wow, I was so impressed! I thought I would never be able to write about love again after this breakup.
Thank you for the free ticket:
Thanks to Half Sandwich for throwing a landmine! A typical student landmine, I'll take it! Good luck with your studies, don't sneak out to read this, haha, let's save them up and read them together!
Thank you, Awoo, for throwing a grenade! OMG! A grenade! [Ah...swallows it] Love you! Sending love! So touched~~~~
Thanks to RP for throwing a landmine! Muah, thank you for this landmine! You guys are all so enthusiastic! I originally wanted to be lazy and stay for next time, but I was afraid I'd suffocate writing the thank-you notes, hahaha!
Thank you to the garbled reader for throwing a landmine! Thank you so much for the landmine! This chapter will be a kiss from the author!
Thanks to Wind Without a Trace for throwing a landmine! =3=! Hey! Thank you for the landmine!
Chapter 102: The Third Form of Daily Dog Torture
The Yan family split up, and the back garden was built.
Chaoge stared at a tree in full bloom for a long time, unable to determine its species. Hearing footsteps behind her, she turned around.
Grandma walked towards her with a plate of pastries in her hand, waving to her with a big smile on her face from afar. Chaoge's expression softened involuntarily, and a warm curve appeared on her lips that she herself did not realize.
As she watched the old man walk towards her, she suddenly remembered her childhood—
I can't even remember if it was kindergarten or elementary school, but every time she got out of school, I would see her grandma smiling and waiting for her at the school bus stop. On the way home, she would always toss her keychain high in the air and catch it again. The sound of the whole bunch of keys clattering together is still clearly audible in my mind.
Later, her grandmother suffered a stroke and became paralyzed on one side of her body. She never picked up Chaoge from school again.
So in this world, seeing her grandmother standing side by side with her grandfather, who is now a retired general, and her grandmother with the same appearance but a healthy body, instantly triggered all her memories.
If Yan Chen and Li Wanfang's story made her feel indignant on behalf of the original owner of this body, then seeing her grandparents, whose love for her hadn't diminished in the slightest even in a different world, made her suddenly realize something profound:
What does it matter whether it's Yan Chaoge or not? Perhaps from the moment she stepped into this world, she was burdened with the responsibility of 'Yan Chaoge,' something she couldn't get rid of before and now finally doesn't want to get rid of.
The wind blew through the leaves of the trees, brushed against her face, and brought down two streams of warm liquid.
She quickly wiped her face with her hand, her smile undiminished, and strode forward, wanting to tell her her story, starting from when she left Zecheng, including Luo Qinghe and Qin Muge.
But it felt like there was a bone stuck in my throat, and I couldn't say anything for a long time, so I could only keep laughing.
"It's been so long since I've seen you, my dear granddaughter. You said you wanted to come back for your birthday last time, but then your father said you had homework to do at school. I've been thinking about you the whole time. Is school hard for you?" After putting down the pastries, Grandma sipped them while urging her to eat, saying what she had wanted to say all along. Halfway through her speech, her eyes, which were slightly cloudy with age, gradually filled with tears.
Chaoge picked up a piece of pastry, took a bite, and chewed it slowly. Listening to her words, he couldn't swallow it for a long time.
Upon hearing the old woman's last question, she shook her head, struggled to put the food in her mouth, smiled, looked away, and said very slowly:
"No, it's not hard at all. My parents are very good to me."
Even the strongest person has moments of feeling wronged. Especially when facing the family members they rely on most, sometimes they have to lie and make up a story so as not to worry them.
Seemingly not believing what Chaoge said, Grandma asked about the living expenses Yanchen gave her. Chaoge smiled and glossed over the topic: "It's enough. Dad gave me a lot, but I don't remember."
Of course she didn't remember. Her time at Yuandu Military Academy was so short, and how could she have received living expenses from Yan Chen while she was wandering in P4 and the desolate area?
"Don't be stingy with money when you're at school, especially when it comes to food. If you don't have enough money, just tell Grandma..." These were just ordinary words of advice, but she had never received such treatment from Yan Chen and Zhou Jue. Now that she thought about it, there was something wrong with that. Zhou Jue's kindness to her always had a hint of politeness.
That's why she felt so uncomfortable when she was staying at the main residence of the Yan family.
"Grandma, don't cry, you're making me want to cry too." Chaoge helplessly handed the other woman a tissue from the table, trying to comfort her in a lighthearted tone, but her already blurred vision betrayed her.
The old man took the highly absorbent tissue and wiped his tears, smiling with relief as he replied, "Don't cry, don't cry. My dear granddaughter is standing safely in front of me. I'm so happy... Is the flavor of this cake at home not good anymore? I remember you used to like this flavor of little cake."
Chaoge smiled and replied, "No, it's just that I haven't seen you in so long, I'm so happy. This pastry is still very delicious." As she spoke, she picked up two small pastries with very little flavor from the plate and stuffed her mouth full.
Seeing how quickly she was eating, the old man asked with some concern, "Eat slowly, be careful not to choke. Did you not eat enough for breakfast? I'll go to the kitchen and have them make you something new. Wait here for me."
Watching the old man's hurried departure, Chaoge threw the pastries back onto the plate, looked up at the sky, but tears still streamed down her face.
【Yaochen, connect me to Luo Qinghe.】 Without hesitation for even half a second, she notified Yaochen.
Yao Chen was a little confused, but it sensed that Chao Ge was in a bad mood at the moment, so it silently went to do things for her.
A few minutes later, a screen appeared in front of her. Chao Ge turned her head to look at the tree in the distance whose petals fluttered down with the wind, without making eye contact with the person on the screen.
"I thought you wouldn't contact me again." The person on the screen kept their eyes fixed on her profile, their tone a mix of emotion and relief.
Chaoge hummed in response, forcibly calming herself down. She turned her head back calmly, her deep brown eyes looking at her, and said frankly, "I have something to ask of you."
"You've been crying? What happened?" Chaoge is the kind of person who can cry without showing any signs of it; her eyes are neither red nor swollen.
Ke Luoqinghe still noticed this characteristic with her sharp eyes.
"It's nothing, let's get back to what happened earlier." Chaoge casually brushed aside the question, averting her gaze to the side.
Luo Qinghe gazed at her intently, remaining silent for a long time before replying, "Whatever it is, I agree. I'm already happy just to be able to help you."
She should have known long ago that Chaoge's life was no longer her concern.
So much time has passed since the last incident, and the Imperial website has even released news. Luo Qinghe had already guessed that Chaoge was most likely with Qin Muge.
But I don't even have the right to care about her life.
Chaoge had initially intended to treat this as a business transaction, but after hesitating for a moment, she changed her mind and simply said, "Thank you."
"The fact that you're not treating me like a stranger is the greatest sign of your sincerity," Luo Qinghe said with a gentle smile, her expression as tender as ever.
Half an hour later.
As Chaoge tasted the vegetable noodles cooked by the old woman herself, she mentally rehearsed the recipe dozens of times before casually asking, "Grandma, do you know anyone in M3?"
The old man thought for a long time, then shook his head: "No, why?"
“I’ve been there before and met an old lady who claimed to be your sister…” Chaoge’s voice trailed off as the old woman looked away, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
After a long pause, the old man slowly said, "She wants to see me."
Looking at her expression, Chaoge didn't know whether to nod or shake her head.
Then she suddenly smiled, realizing that the old woman already knew what she was thinking, but she still struggled to organize her thoughts: "Grandma, I will protect you."
I will protect you, by every means I can think of. I cannot and will not let anything happen to you.
The old man slowly stood up from the chair opposite him. Beneath his wrinkled eyelids, his slightly cloudy eyes seemed to hold both relief and sadness. He sighed, "Yes, my dear granddaughter has grown up and can protect me now."
“I’m old, and I can’t help you young people anymore… I haven’t seen her for the rest of my life. Since she wants to see me, let her see me.”
After escorting the elderly person back to their room, Chaoge walked back to the spot in a daze. Looking at the half-eaten noodles on the table, she picked up her chopsticks again and ate the rest of the noodles one bite at a time.
Liquid hotter than the cooled soup kept dripping down, but she no longer wanted to wipe it away.
All she wanted was for me to be safe, but I was thinking of using her. Yaochen, I want to get rid of this mess as soon as possible, but why was I still wrong? The emotions I hadn't vented with Yan Chen before erupted all at once during this opportunity of self-blame.
"Who bullied my darling? Hmm?" A figure emerged from the side path and could be seen from afar as Chaoge lowered her head and silently ate her noodles, looking dejected.
Upon getting closer, he realized that Chaoge was crying terribly. He immediately furrowed his handsome eyebrows, took off his gloves, and touched the side of her bowl, trying to distract her with a joke: "You're crying because you find this noodle so unappetizing..."
Before I could finish speaking, I realized this side was still cold.
He snatched the chopsticks from her hand, pulled her up, and tried to bring her inside:
"You can't eat it if it gets cold."
Chaoge took a deep breath. She hadn't expected Qin Muge to return so quickly. She hadn't even listened to Yaochen's reply. Looking down at the bowl of noodles, she wiped away her tears and smiled as she answered her:
"Yeah, the chef from the Yan family branch is terrible. He choked just now."
Qin Muge held her hand, and upon hearing her reply, glanced at her sideways without saying a word.
Back in the room, Qin Muge reached out and unbuttoned his military jacket. He watched her walk into the room as if nothing had happened, hang the jacket on the mechanical arm extending from the wall next to her, and then quickened his pace to follow her.
"Tell me, what happened?" The sadness seemed to be contagious, making her heart ache as if it were being torn apart. Qin Muge couldn't bear to see her still putting on a brave face in front of him.
Chaoge pretended to think for a moment, and was about to speak when Qin Muge smiled and said, "If you're going to make up a story, at least think about it for a little longer. What kind of illusion has my intelligence given you?"
Chaoge shut her mouth, and after a while she spoke up: "If I'm not lying to you, then can I not tell you either?"
How can I put it? If I told you, Qin Muge could beat her up because of her plan, really.
Hasn't she kept quiet about enough things? Qin Muge raised an eyebrow, but finally walked over and hugged her. "Whatever makes you happy. I only have one request: you're not allowed to be sad alone anymore, understand?"
When Chaoge saw her, she didn't feel so sad anymore. In the end, it was her own choice, and no matter how sad she was, she had done it.
On the contrary, there was another problem, and she felt she needed to sound out the situation:
"Let me ask you a question... well, about the engagement ceremony..." Before she could even think of a reason, Qin Muge interrupted her:
"baby."
She tightened her grip on Chaoge's waist, wrapped her arms around him more tightly, and whispered a tender voice in his ear.
She quickly replied with a smile, "If you dare to stand me up on this, I'll fuck you to death."
Yan Chaoge: ...
Author's Note: I went to the hospital last Wednesday night because of gastritis, so I didn't update. As a result, I was placed in the third phase of the blacklist.
So there were no updates this week **hhh** but I felt everyone had been waiting a long time, so based on the comments, I've posted an update... uh, the art style seems to have changed a bit too quickly this chapter?
I'll thank you for the free tickets tomorrow. Anyway, I'll still try my best to finish this book, lol. It's almost over!
Chapter 103: The Fourth Form of Daily Dog Torture
【Are you really not going to talk to her?】 Yao Chen has already gone to M3 to help Chao Ge contact the other members of Yin Yang Group. Rui Te is even going to take Si Bo back to P4 to prepare for related matters there.
Chaoge vaguely saw a huge machine starting to operate above her head. Whether it was her, Qin Muge, or Ouyang Haoze and the others, they were already within the range of this machine and had no choice but to flee.
[I was thinking, let me see. How are things on your end?] At that moment, Qin Muge had gone to take a shower, while Chaoge was in the living room watching the news and casually scrolling through the latest internal posts from the Empire.
It's easy to imagine that there wouldn't be much useful information. She's already in contact with the people here who have the most information, and besides, she has connections in the black market. The fragmented information from the military will at most give her some minor details.