Chapter 114#
Marriage#
These words successfully bluffed Qin Zhao. Tears slowly welled up, though her shoulders were still trembling with sobs.
Jian Yunchen was also caught between laughter and tears. Just as he stepped out of the company entrance today, he saw Qin Zhao sitting alone by a flower bed. She wouldn’t respond to anyone who came to ask questions, nor was she willing to speak. Several kind-hearted people had gathered around and were already discussing calling the police.
Fortunately, Jian Yunchen appeared in time. Any later, and she might have had to be picked up from the local police station.
He squatted in front of Qin Zhao, wiped away her tears, and said with a light chuckle, “Didn’t I say your brother was with me? Not worried anymore?”
Qin Zhao blinked at him, her round eyes still hanging with unshed tears. She tilted her head to look at Qin Mu, and in the next second, her mouth puckered up again.
Qin Mu didn’t have the patience to coax children. He gave an impatient “tsk” and asked, “What are you crying for? Am I not right here?”
“They said…” Qin Zhao gasped, “Brother, missing, can’t be found.”
Qin Mu rested his face on his hand and smiled at her: “Do you know what ‘missing’ means?”
“I know…” Qin Zhao sniffled: “It means, dis-ap-peared.”
Qin Mu was amused, then suddenly realized something. He grabbed Qin Zhao by the collar and pulled her closer, haphazardly wiping the tears from her face: “Why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to be on a plane with Yu Shu?”
Qin Zhao pursed her lips and looked at him with watery eyes.
“Don’t give me that. Why are you here? Where’s Mom?”
“I, wanted to find, Brother,” Qin Zhao replied. “Didn’t want to, fly.”
Qin Mu couldn’t help but let out a long sigh. Yu Shu was probably frantic enough to call the police.
Day after day, their family alone provided plenty of trouble for the police.
Jian Yunchen frowned as he listened from the side, unable to help asking: “Is Auntie going abroad?”
“Yeah, today’s flight.”
“What time?”
Qin Mu tried to recall but couldn’t remember the specific time. He raised an eyebrow at Jian Yunchen and held out his hand.
Jian Yunchen pursed his lips and, feeling somewhat guilty, placed a mobile phone in his palm.
Soon, Qin Mu dialed Yu Shu’s number.
On the other end, Yu Shu sounded like she finally breathed a sigh of relief: “Why couldn’t I reach you? Where on earth did you go?”
Qin Mu chuckled softly: “Found a place to rest for a bit. The signal here isn’t great.”
Yu Shu paused, her tone turning chilly: “I clearly saw you get into Jian Yunchen’s car.”
Qin Mu gave a self-deprecating laugh: “Then why even ask?”
“Let’s not talk about that.” He changed the subject: “Qin Zhao ran over to my place.”
“Qin Zhao?” Yu Shu cried out in surprise: “How did she get to you? The servants just called me saying she vanished as soon as they turned their heads. They’re worried sick.”
Qin Mu was silent for a moment: “Qin Zhao went looking for Jian Yunchen and followed him here.”
Yu Shu frowned slightly, sounding troubled: “Jian Xin went through the special channel and has already left. I need to contact the people in Country M to handle Jian Xin’s affairs. Xiao Zhao…”
Qin Mu quickly caught her drift: “She can stay with me for now. You can send someone to pick her up tomorrow. I’ll send you the location in a bit.”
Yu Shu’s expression relaxed: “Alright, she’ll stay with you for the night then. I’ll find someone to pick her up tomorrow.”
“That’s good,” Yu Shu said luckily. “Before she boarded the plane, she kept clamoring that she wanted to see you one last time.”
Qin Mu paused and glanced at Qin Zhao.
Jian Yunchen was gently wiping the tears from her face with a wet wipe, revealing her delicate features. She indeed looked quite well-behaved. Noticing his gaze, Qin Zhao turned her head and gave him a slightly shy smile.
Qin Mu’s lips curled slightly.
The Qin Zhao from his previous life was like a dream, becoming increasingly blurred in his memory. In her place, the current Qin Zhao was becoming more and more vivid. They looked similar, and even their temperaments were unexpectedly consistent.
He wanted to know if, in this life, Qin Zhao—the “cannon fodder” sister—would still make the same choices as in the previous life after being freed from the so-called “protagonist aura.”
Qin Zhao stared at him without blinking. Once Qin Mu finally hung up the phone, she suddenly threw herself into his arms.
Caught off guard, Qin Mu caught her firmly. Her small body was trembling slightly in his embrace.
Before he could comfort her, Qin Zhao suddenly whispered in his ear: “Brother, is… Big Brother Xiaochen… a bad person?”
Qin Mu’s movements paused, and he looked up at Jian Yunchen.
They were so close that this question—which Qin Zhao thought was a whisper—was easily overheard by Jian Yunchen. Jian Yunchen’s spine stiffened instantly as he realized that Qin Mu’s current situation was being witnessed by Qin Zhao.
To see one’s own brother handcuffed in a room by another person—anyone would think he was the bad guy.
Jian Yunchen stood frozen, biting his lower lip, not daring to move.
Qin Mu laughed softly and casually ruffled the back of her head, making the girl’s shoulder-length hair a mess.
“Don’t you recognize Big Brother Xiaochen? Is he a bad person?”
Qin Zhao hid in his arms and refused to look up. After a long while, she shook her head gently.
“But… Big Brother Xiaochen… locked… you… up.”
Qin Mu looked up at Jian Yunchen and laughed mischievously, his eyes full of mirth as if saying—“Look what you’ve done.”
Jian Yunchen pursed his pale lips and clenched his fingertips.
“Big Brother Xiaochen isn’t keeping me locked up,” Qin Mu replied airily.
Qin Zhao carefully looked up, glancing between Jian Yunchen and Qin Mu. Her round eyes were full of confusion: “Then… Brother, why… are you… at… Big Brother Xiaochen’s… place?”
Qin Mu curled his lips and gave a playful, drawn-out “Ah—”
“Because we’re married,” Qin Mu said with a smile. “So of course I have to live with Big Brother Xiaochen.”
Qin Zhao blinked. The word “marriage” circled in her small brain.
She knew what marriage was. Once married, people were a couple and had to live together.
Her tightly furrowed little brows finally smoothed out, and she looked at Jian Yunchen excitedly.
“Big Brother Xiaochen… did you… really… really… marry… marry… my… my brother?”
In her excitement, Qin Zhao’s stutter became noticeably worse, but the thrill in her eyes couldn’t be hidden as she stared straight at Jian Yunchen.
Jian Yunchen stood there, his mind a complete blank.
He saw the mischievous smile on Qin Mu’s lips and knew he was just talking nonsense to make Qin Zhao happy.
Or rather, he was also coaxing him to be happy.
Jian Yunchen’s stiff spine slowly relaxed. He lowered his eyes and gave a soft “Mm.”
He knew Qin Mu might just be trying to cheer him up.
But he was cheered up nonetheless.
He was indeed very happy.
Qin Zhao was equally happy.
She liked Big Brother Xiaochen. Her brother was very handsome in her eyes, and Big Brother Xiaochen was even more so.
Children have no ulterior motives; they are naturally drawn to beautiful people.
To become family with the gentle and beautiful Big Brother Xiaochen.
Qin Zhao thought to herself: that’s truly wonderful.