Chapter 297: The Suddenly Appearing Notebook

"Hiss…"

Suddenly bitten, Xia Yu took a sharp breath, but he did not speak and allowed He Zhaoqiong to vent her frustration.

No matter what, it was his fault. If He Zhaoqiong needed to vent, let her do it. It's better to let her release her anger than to bottle it up; otherwise, if something happened because of it, he would never forgive himself for the rest of his life.

Xia Yu's silent endurance gradually helped He Zhaoqiong calm down. She stopped struggling, released her grip, and looked up, meeting Xia Yu's gaze, causing her heart to flutter.

"Do you understand now? I wasn't lying to you. Do you get it?" Xia Yu, with a slightly pale face, showed a gentle smile and spoke softly.

"Thump… thump…"

Smelling the masculine scent from Xia Yu and hearing the heartbeat so close, He Zhaoqiong's cheeks flushed slightly, and her heart began to race.

Even though she had heard the long-awaited words, He Zhaoqiong didn't forgive Xia Yu immediately because the most critical question had yet to be answered.

"Then why won't you give her up?"

He Zhaoqiong tilted her head and asked softly.

"Would you like me to be that kind of person?" Xia Yu replied.

"Think about it from my perspective. If you were Li Qian, how would you feel?"

"Zhaoqiong, think about your family. Isn't your family doing just fine? If your father can do it, then I surely can too!" Xia Yu immediately said, his expression as if he were doing something righteous, citing He Zhaoqiong's father as an example, trying to persuade her more convincingly.

He didn't care about being shameless anymore, whether it was shifting the concept or deliberately guiding and brainwashing her. He had to do this.

This phenomenon was still common among wealthy families or tycoons in Xiangjiang!

The gambling king was the most obvious example. He Zhaoqiong, who grew up in such a family, was well aware of this.

"Phew…"

Xia Yu, sincerely looking at the stunned He Zhaoqiong, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Regardless, after speaking these words, he felt at ease, finally expressing his true feelings that had been hidden in his heart.

Xia Yu felt relieved, but He Zhaoqiong was under significant pressure. She was entangled in her thoughts about whether to agree to Xia Yu's request.

Although she had considered this before and had been more open-minded due to family reasons, when the situation occurred to herself, she was still conflicted.

For a moment, the scene fell into silence.

"Alright…"

"Zhaoqiong!" 

After a long time, just as He Zhaoqiong was about to agree, a voice came from a distance.

The two turned to look and saw He Youguang running towards them with two bodyguards, followed by Li Wuming, presumably to protect Xia Yu and prevent He Youguang from causing harm.

"Brother!"

He Zhaoqiong exclaimed in surprise.

"Xia Yu, let me get up. My brother is here." 

Xia Yu also knew that maintaining this position wasn't ideal, but he felt regretful that He Youguang arrived at the wrong time.

Fortunately, even though He Zhaoqiong didn't finish her words, Xia Yu understood her thoughts, which made him feel much better.

"Zhaoqiong, are you alright? Have you been crying?" He Youguang, concerned, held He Zhaoqiong's arms and asked with worry. When he saw her swollen eyes, his brows furrowed, and he was both angry and extremely heartbroken.

He Youguang's eyes were like daggers as he looked at Xia Yu, who maintained his composure and greeted him with a smile, "Mr. He, good afternoon."

"Hmph!"

He Youguang snorted coldly, not responding to Xia Yu, and then turned his attention back to He Zhaoqiong.

Xia Yu didn't mind his attitude. After all, He Youguang was his future relative, and even if He Youguang was rude, he didn't take it to heart.

Moreover, he was indeed involved in the matter. If he were in He Youguang's position, he might not have been as tolerant.

"Zhaoqiong, let's go home. Father and the others are still worried about you!" 

He Youguang, relieved that his sister was alright, finally relaxed and took He Zhaoqiong's hand to lead her back.

Upon seeing the scene from a distance, he realized things were bad and had arrived late. From the bodyguards, he had learned what happened and why He Zhaoqiong was so upset.

However, seeing his sister sitting with Xia Yu, it was evident that she had chosen to forgive him.

But as a man, He Youguang knew how men think, so he was worried that his sister might be deceived. It was inconvenient to question here, so it was best to take her home first.

"Xia Yu, I… I'm leaving first."

He Zhaoqiong felt very troubled but couldn't refuse her brother's wishes, so she could only pout and say.

"Zhaoqiong, next time, I will come to Macau to see you!" Xia Yu said firmly to He Zhaoqiong, who, upon hearing this, smiled and nodded earnestly.

"I'll see you off."

Xia Yu said, intending to follow He Youguang, but He Youguang coldly said, "Not worth it."

Xia Yu's expression changed, and he was a bit annoyed.

Rationality aside, emotions were another matter.

In his view, He Youguang was He Youguang, and He Zhaoqiong was He Zhaoqiong. He was only sorry for He Zhaoqiong, not for He Youguang. Even though He Youguang was He Zhaoqiong's brother, the repeated disrespect was somewhat excessive.

"Brother, don't be like this," He Zhaoqiong said softly as she was being pulled away.

"Do you still have the face to say that? You should think carefully about how to explain this to Father and Mother when you get home," He Youguang said with some frustration.

Upon hearing this, He Zhaoqiong's face immediately fell, and she pouted, saying "Oh," as she began to worry about the major confrontation awaiting her at home.

After He Youguang's car left, Xia Yu finally began to move.

"Let's go back."

"Okay!"

Not long after, Xia Yu's car headed towards the Jiuding Media Company.

"Xia Yu, have you found her?" Li Qian asked with concern when she saw Xia Yu return.

"Found her. She's already back now."

Xia Yu sat down on a chair with a smile, showing Li Qian a reassuring expression.

"Good."

"Drink some water. You must be thirsty."

Li Qian said softly, bringing Xia Yu a cup of tea, and then came behind him to massage his shoulders to help him relax.

"Hiss…"

When Li Qian's hand squeezed Xia Yu's arm, it happened to press on the bitten area, causing Xia Yu to involuntarily take a sharp breath.

"What's wrong?" Li Qian noticed something was off, and without hesitation, she rolled up Xia Yu's sleeve. Xia Yu didn't have time to stop her before she saw the deep, blood-red bite mark.

Without needing to ask, Li Qian knew who the bite was from. Her face turned a bit ugly, but seeing Xia Yu's awkward expression, she didn't say much. Instead, she gently touched the bite mark and said softly, "It must hurt a lot. Apply some medicine quickly to heal faster. Let's go to the hospital now."

She said, pulling up Xia Yu's sleeve, taking his hand, and intending to take him to the hospital.

Li Qian's reaction surprised Xia Yu, but he also felt relieved, warmed by her concern.

After being persuaded by Li Qian, Xia Yu allowed Li Wuming to drive him to the Spring and Autumn Medical Clinic, where Li Chunqiu provided some external medicine for the wound. Afterwards, Xia Yu took Li Qian back home.

"Qian, I won't stay here tonight. Please be careful. If anything happens, call me immediately, okay?"

At the door, Xia Yu gently stroked Li Qian's hair and said softly.

"Mm, I will. Don't worry."

"Go back quickly. It's so late. Don't keep Uncle and Auntie waiting."

Li Qian gently caressed Xia Yu's cheek with concern, her eyes full of tenderness.

"I'll leave now."

After watching Xia Yu leave, Li Qian withdrew her smile, her mood falling as she closed the door.

…

As night fell and it was past nine o'clock, when Li Qian was about to go to bed, she suddenly heard a knock on the door. Her first reaction was that Xia Yu had returned.

Without thinking, she went to the door, but just as she was about to open it, she hesitated and shouted, "Who is it?"

"Who's outside?"

Unfortunately, after shouting a few times, there was no response. Li Qian grew anxious.

She turned on the corridor light, looked through the peephole but saw no one outside.

After waiting for a while and still not seeing anyone, she mustered her courage, opened the door slightly, and looked outside, discovering no one there.

Just as she was about to

 close the door, she noticed something on the ground.

"Huh, it's a notebook, and it looks quite old. Who left this here?"

Li Qian said, picking up the notebook, glancing outside again, and finally, with a heart full of doubt, closed and locked the door. She then opened the notebook.

Unbeknownst to Li Qian, someone hiding in the grass smiled when she picked up the notebook and closed the door.

"Is this a diary? The handwriting seems like it was written by a woman."

Li Qian murmured curiously and began to read.

"March 5, 1957, Sunny."

"I'm unknowingly nine months pregnant now, and the baby is about to be born. I don't know whether it will be a boy or a girl. Xiao Jun always cries for a little sister and says he will take good care of her and not let her suffer any grievances. I didn't expect the little one to be so understanding at such a young age, just like his father…"

…

"March 27, 1957, Cloudy."

"Giving birth is really painful, but it's all worth it. It's a girl. Xiao Jun was so happy, jumping around. He finally has a sister. But Xiao Jun said the sister is so ugly and has a dirty spot behind her ear. I laughed and told him it's a birthmark…"

Seeing this, Li Qian frowned and reflexively touched the area behind her left ear, remembering that she had a birthmark there.

"Thump… thump…"

Li Qian suddenly felt scared. She immediately ran back to her room, locked the door, and wanted to throw away the notebook but couldn't help but keep flipping through it.

…

"April 3, 1957, Overcast."

"My dear husband is finally back. He wasn't here when our daughter was born, but he didn't forget us. He named our daughter Qian Qian, Ma Qian Qian. It's such a beautiful name, and I really like it…"

…

"August 12, 1957, Sunny."

"Today, our family went to the temple to pray. On the way back, we saw a carver selling jade pendants. I bought a Guanyin Bodhisattva pendant and a Buddha pendant. I had the name 'Jun' carved on the back of the Guanyin pendant for Xiao Jun, hoping for his safety and happy growth. I had the name 'Qian' carved on the back of the Buddha pendant for Qian Qian, hoping she grows up healthily and happily…"

"Ah!"

Seeing this, Li Qian was horrified. She dropped the notebook and ran to her box, pulled out a small box, and took out a green jade pendant carved with the figure of Buddha.

Turning it over, the character 'Qian' was clearly visible.

"Xia Yu, where are you? I'm so scared. Come back quickly…"

Li Qian cried as she hid under the covers, clutching the quilt tightly, her whole body trembling.

As for the notebook, it lay quietly on the ground, but Li Qian no longer dared to look at it.