Chapter 454: Why Didn’t You Want My Child？（15）

Qiao Anhao was in despair and felt like dying but he had on a smile on his face? Even if she had a mild temper, she couldn’t help getting infuriated. She struggled with her entire body, trying to free herself from his embrace, but Lu Jinnian exerted more strength, successfully caging her in his arms. It was as though he was trying to meld her into his body.

She started to get increasingly furious, she opened her mouth and bit down on his shoulder.

Lu Jinnian trembled, clearly in pain, but he had no intention of letting her go.

In Qiao Anhao’s desperation, tears started to fall out once more, her entire body trembling. When she could feel herself dying inside, she suddenly heard Lu Jinnian’s whisper.

“Qiao Qiao, you indeed got an abortion and I had indeed signed the papers, but I didn’t have a choice, the child…”

He had thought that she hated him but only now did he realize that it was because of the child.

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Lu Jinnian felt as though his emotions had just went on a wild ride, it was so exhausting it almost killed him.

At this moment, when he mentioned the child, the happiness was replaced by sorrow once more. In a low voice, he explained, “When the report came out, the child had already been dead for a weak.”

Qiao Anhao seemed to have been struck, she stopped biting onto Lu Jinnian instantly.

“Qiao Qiao, when I reached Mian Xiu Garden, you were already bleeding. I didn’t know what to do so I sent you to the hospital… At that time, your condition was bad and you needed to go to a surgery immediately..” Lu Jinnian never wanted to be reminded of that night ever again. Even till today, he would awake from this nightmare sometimes. “Qiao Qiao, I’m sorry I wasn’t able to protect the child as a father should.”

Qiao Anhao blinked several times before moving her mouth away from his shoulder to look at him in shock. “Died inside me?”

Lu Jinnian nodded lightly. His throat moved slightly, and he continued, worried she didn’t believe his words, “The reports are all with me, you can take a look once we return if you don’t believe me.”

Her child died? That’s why he signed the abortion papers? Which meant she had misunderstood him all this while?

He had been treating her really well recently… But she had always been ignoring him and treating him coldly… And a few minutes ago, she had just said such mean things to him…

She started to regret her actions and started to feel embarrassed. She buried her head in his shoulder and stared back at the spot that she had just bitten… There was blood and the skin had turned slightly purple.

Lowering her lashes in embarrassment, she reached out to caress his bruise before asking lightly, “Does it hurt?”

Lu Jinnian’s face was a frightening shade of white, but he shook his head faintly. “Doesn’t hurt.”

Chapter 455: Why Didn’t You Want My Child？（16）

Qiao Anhao couldn’t help her eyes from turning red. She reached out and hugged Lu Jinnian’s neck, burying her head in his chest. After a moment, she raised her head slightly towards his ears, in a low whisper, she apologized, “I’m sorry.”

Even though she wasn’t loud, Lu Jinnian could hear every word. His body froze, but he didn’t say anything, wordlessly hugging her closer.

Qiao Anhao remained silent. In this deserted place, they quietly enjoyed each other’s embrace.

After a seemingly long time, the rain stopped, sinking the forest into silence. The only sound was coming from the crackling fire.

When Qiao Anhao finally calmed down, she began to think of what Lu Jinnian had said . She turned to face him slowly. “Lu Jinnian, why did the baby die?”

Lu Jinnian froze slightly, remembering the swallow’s nest that Han Ruchu had given her. Menace with a mixture of hatred and heartache flashed through his eyes, but it was gone in an instance. Before Qiao Anhao could detect any change, he had returned back to normal.

Han Ruchu was her mother-in-law, the mother of the man she loved… If she were to know the truth, it might cause a rift between her and Xu Jiamu… The only reason Han Ruchu had targeted her was because of him, it was all his fault….

In an emotionless voice, he explained, “The first three months of pregnancy are usually the toughest, it’s very easy to have a miscarriage. At that time, you were still filming, the lack of rest and proper nutrition caused it to happen.”

Qiao Anhao recalled her nausea. She had originally thought that it was a normal gastric problem, but now that she thought about it, it was probably from the pregnancy. Afterwards, the nausea had stopped and she thought that her stomach was fine, but it was actually because the baby had died…

If she had listened to Lu Jinnian and visited the hospital early on, the tragedy wouldn’t have happened and she wouldn’t have ended up misunderstanding him.

She remained in deep thought for a long while before asking softly, “Lu Jinnian, then why didn’t you tell me the truth?”

Lu Jinnian seemed to feel sick. He leaned against the cave’s wall, staring at the fire. “Qiao Qiao, I just didn’t want you to be upset.”

I didn’t have any other intentions, I just didn’t want you to feel that heart wrenching pain that I had felt on that day.

I just wanted to carry all the pain and shoulder all your burdens. 

He was just worried that she would be upset, that’s why he didn’t tell her. It wasn’t because he didn’t want the child… Qiao Anhao started to feel a stinging sensation in her eyes. She softly murmured, “I’m sorry.”

She waited slightly, then asked uncertainly, “Lu Jinnian, will you blame me?”

Lu Jinnian couldn’t keep the cough in any longer, starting another fit. “Huh?” he asked after.

“Will you blame me for misunderstanding?” Qiao Anhao repeated uncertainly.

“No…”

Before he could say another word, he fell onto her.

Chapter 456: Why Didn’t You Want My Child？（17）

Lu Jinnian had placed his entire body weight on Qiao Anhao, and she had almost fallen with him. Turning her head to the side, she could see his tightly knotted forehead and pale lips. Just then, she remembered that he was still running a fever. She reached out to feel his forehead: the temperature seemed much higher than before.

He had soaked in the stream for such a long time, went to collect branches shirtless, all of it must have caused him to catch a cold.

Qiao Anhao felt her heart start to ache once more. She hurriedly climbed out of his embrace, then struggled to pull him to the straw mat. Using all her strength, she endured the pain in her leg, towing him towards the mat.

She covered him with his jacket before adding more branches to the fire so that it would burn more furiously, increasing the temperature in the cave.

The rain had been ongoing for a long time, causing the air to be moist. As the wind blew, the cave started to get cold and humid.

Lu Jinnian frowned as he lay on the straw mat, his face scrunching up in discomfort. Even unconscious, he was trembling from the cold.

Qiao Anhao stood in front of Lu Jinnian, attempting to block the wind that was entering the cave but it didn’t seem to work as he continued to tremble uncontrollably. Even his breathing was starting to get weak as he continuously murmured something.

Qiao Anhao moved her ear towards his mouth to try and decipher what he was saying. After listening for a long while, she realized that he was repeating “Cold”.

Without any hesitation, she removed her costume and placed it over Lu Jinnian’s body, but just then, a gush of wind entered, sending chills through her body.

Even with two layers of clothes, he didn’t seem to be getting any warmer…

Qiao Anhao looked at the fire before turning to look at the entrance of the cave. Deep in the woods, what could provide him with warmth?

She felt his icy cold hands as she listened to him murmur. She started to feel anxious, and frowning, she thought desperately of ways to warm him up. Just then, she seemed to have thought of something. Biting her lip, she removed all her clothes and slipped under the clothes that were covering Lu Jinnian. She inched over to him and arranged the clothes over both their bodies before hugging him close to send her own body warmth over.

Qiao Anhao hugged Lu Jinnian for a long while. In time, she felt his shivering stop and his body start to warm slightly. His breathing turned long and deep as though he had fallen asleep. Only then was she able to finally relax. She leaned against him in exhaustion, allowing sleep to take her.

–

Lu Jinnian had a dream, he dreamed that the both of them were lying together naked, her skin just like in his memory. It was soft and tender, sending desire through his body. He couldn’t control it, kissing her lips greedily, seeking more.

It was a scary feeling. He became excited almost instantly and impatiently sought for more, pressing onto her body.

He could hear his breathing becoming impatient and his temperature starting to rise.

Chapter 457: Why Didn’t You Want My Child？（18）

Lu Jinnian could hear his hurried breaths and feel his ever rising body temperature.

Even his breaths were starting to heat up.

He wasn’t sure where they were, but all he could feel was the rising heat…

His desires turned strong and his actions became increasingly daring. He continued to caress her lustfully, yearning and seeking more, while she remained docile, accommodating his touch.

It was indeed a dream… Lu Jinnian’s breathing became erratic and unstable, but at the last moment, he suddenly stopped.

I can’t… Now that they were no longer a couple and Xu Jiamu was awake, he couldn’t, not when the man she loved was awake. They were meant to be together and he wasn’t going to ruin it… Even in his dreams, he wasn’t going to allow it….

He tried to control his breathing, his hands clenching tightly into fists as he desperately pushed down his desires, forcing himself away from her body. Yet he pulled her into his embrace, a layer of sweat covering his forehead.

–

The next day, Qiao Anhao was awakened by the birds chirping. She was in a slight daze, staring up at the cave wall for a while before bolting up from the mat. She sat on the mat and scanned the surroundings, realizing that she was all alone. The fire had extinguished, leaving a pile of ashes in its wake and the clothes she had removed the previous night were back on her.

Lu Jinnian had dressed her? But where was he?

Qiao Anhao tied her crumpled clothes, finding kiss marks on her collarbone. It was then that she realized in a daze that something had happened the night before. Her face blushed a deep shade of red instantly.

It wasn’t a dream, it was real… But halfway through, why did he suddenly stop…

“You’re awake?” Lu Jinnian’s voice came from the entrance of the cave.

Qiao Anhao hurriedly stashed away her thoughts, turning to look at Lu Jinnian. He walked into the cave with his hands full with the fruit that she had eaten the night before.

She continued to stare at him as he placed the fruits in front of her. She picked one and took a bite before turning back to look at him, “How’s your fever?”

Lu Jinnian swallowed the fruit before replying. “It’s gone.” He paused for a moment, then added, “Thank you for last night.”

Qiao Anhao knew that he was referring to how she had removed her clothes to provide him with warmth, and her face turned red instantly. She lowered her head and bit hard into the fruit.

The cave remained silent for a while. After some time, she lifted her head to ask, “What are we going to do now?”

All Lu Jinnian could think about was the incident from the night before, but when he realized that she was speaking to him, he hurriedly asked, “Huh?”

Qiao Anhao thought that he didn’t understand what she was asking, so she clarified. “I meant how are we going to leave this place? The crew might not be able to find us here.”

She reached into her pockets and fiddled around before saying in exasperation, “I forgot I was wearing a costume so I don’t have a phone…” Just then, her eyes brightened and she stared at Lu Jinnian. “Right, did you..?”Chapter 458: Why Didn’t You Want My Child？（19）

Lu Jinnian bolted up from his seat abruptly as though he had met with an urgent matter, frightening Qiao Anhao. She paused slightly before lifting her head. “What’s wrong?”

Lu Jinnian pointed to the entrance of the cave calmly, saying, “Nature’s call.”

Before waiting for her to respond, he headed out of the cave.

He randomly chose a path, and after walking about fifty meters, he stopped.

Having left in a hurry, he was still holding on to the fruit. He held it in his mouth and reached for his phone. He pressed the on switch and stared at the screen in anticipation, and miraculously, it actually lit up. He could even get a signal! Several texts came through, producing multiple beeps.

Deep in his heart, he couldn’t help scolding the phone. What kind of phone was this? It could actually turn on after being soaked in water for such a long time?

Lu Jinnian exhaled, as he thought of the woman that was still thinking of ways to contact someone, something flashed past his eyes. He hesitated slightly before tossing the phone away.

When he was out getting fruits, he realized that there were multiple traps in the forest. This meant that there was a village nearby and it was highly likely that someone would be here today to reap their gains. When they came to claim their prey, the two of them would be able to follow them back, but before that, he would be able to spend quality time with her…

Lu Jinnian strolled back into the cave leisurely. He sat back down on the log and faced Qiao Anhao, who was still munching on the fruit. In a calm tone, he asked, “Right, before I left, what did you want to ask me?”

“Do you have your phone with you?”

Lu Jinnian replied honestly, “I do.”

Surprise clouded her eyes: “Hurry and take it out, maybe it can still work. If it works, we’ll be able to get help!”

“Yea.” Lu Jinnian nodded accommodatingly before raising his hand to reach into his pocket. Frowning, he reached for his other pocket. He then pulled the entire pocket out before looking back at Qiao Anhao in despair… In a comforting tone, he tried to reassure her, “Maybe it’s in the jacket.”

As he spoke, he reached for the jacket at the side. He touched the pockets as Qiao Anhao stared at him with anticipation and hope. Just then, he pulled out his wallet really slowly.

He frowned and stood up, dusting his pants slightly. He spoke next in a curious tone as though he was talking to himself. “It’s weird, I remember bringing my phone with me.”

Qiao Anhao’s lifted spirits were dashed in an instance, but she still helped him analyze the situation. “Maybe you dropped it when you jumped into the stream?”

Lu Jinnian nodded. With a placating expression, he agreed to her words, “Maybe…”Chapter 459: Why Didn’t You Want My Child？（20）

Just as Lu Jinnian had predicted, at about noon, an elderly and middle-aged man came into the cave. In one hand, they held hunting guns and in the other, they had a random assortment of animals.

They seemed surprised to see living humans so deep inside the deserted forest. The historical robe that Qiao Anhao wore shocked them further. They froze, thinking that they had encountered a monster.

Lu Jinnian explained their predicament to them in detail, and only then did the two hunters seemed to calm down and regain their senses. Without hesitation, they agreed to help both Qiao Anhao and Lu Jinnian come back to safety.

The forest road was harsh. With her leg injury, Qiao Anhao wasn’t able to tread through by herself, so Lu Jinnian carried her instead.

Even thought the elderly man had a full head of white hair and long snowy beard, his footsteps were swift and agile, with no indication of his age. But when he saw Lu Jinnian with Qiao Anhao on his back, he slowed down significantly, even helping to support him when the path started to became harsher.

Through the conversation, Qiao Anhao found out that they were father and son and were hunters. The elderly man didn’t speak much, but the younger man smiled cheerfully as he told them that they were lucky to have met them since they would only come every three to five days. If they had been here any earlier, they might have had to wait for up to three or four days.

It was only three hours later when they reached the entrance of the village. It was rather small and filled with wooden houses.

While they were walking over, the pair realized that Qiao Anhao was injured, so the moment they reached the village, they led them to the only health center.

The village was rural and surrounded by mountains. Even though roads had just been built, the conditions in the village were still harsh. The medical center wasn’t very advanced, and there was only one doctor who applied a thin layer of medicine onto Qiao Anhao’s wound.

After the wound was treated, the hunters brought them to their home. The moment they entered the house, the younger man shouted. Moments after, a middle-aged woman came out. When she saw Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, her gaze turned curious, and her husband explained the situation. She turned back to Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao, enthusiastically welcoming them into the house for a meal.

The middle-aged women didn’t expect the additional guests, so she was worried that there wouldn’t be enough food and headed back to boil another two bowls of noodles.

After the meal, the woman brought them to the west house. She pointed towards a room and told them that she had prepared it for them.

The room had soil flooring and didn’t have much furniture. The bed sheets were visibly fresh and clean but looked worn with stitching at the edges.

Beside the bed, there was a water flask and two cups on a black, wooden table. The cups looked new, clearly untouched since the day they were bought.

The middle-aged woman didn’t disrupt them. She just told them to inform her if they needed anything before closing the door.

The cave conditions had been bad, so Lu Jinnian and Qiao Anhao hadn’t gotten much rest. On top of that, since Lu Jinnian had carried her for such a long walk, he was indeed tired. The moment they laid on the bed, they fell into deep sleep.Chapter 460: Peaceful and Beautiful Times（1）

When Lu Jinnian woke up, the other side of the bed was already empty.

He frowned, bolting up. When he was about to find Qiao Anhao, he caught sight of a set of clothes at the corner of his pillow. It was a simple white shirt and a pair of long black pants. On the floor, there was a bucket of water, beside which was a Thermos flask and a small towel.

Lu Jinnian’s frown disappeared instantly. He walked towards the bucket and poured some hot water in. He placed the towel into the bucket before wringing it dry to wipe himself. Turning back to the bed, he put on the clothes and walked out of the room with the bucket.

The living area outside was empty, the door slightly ajar. He walked over and was mesmerized by the comforting and peaceful sight.

There was a large tree in the courtyard. He didn’t know what species it was, but it was filled with pink flowers, its trunk thick and coarse, showing its age.

Qiao Anhao sat below the tree, a little girl about seven years old beside her, leaning against a short table. The little girl had a pen in her hands and appeared to be practicing writing.

Qiao Anhao was focused on the white paper, her tone soft and gentle when she spoke.

“No, it’s wrong here… Nope, still wrong… Let me show you one more time…” As she spoke, she covered the little girl’s tiny hands, patiently writing the words out slowly. “There, you can try again… Yes, that’s great! It’s really pretty, you did well…”

The little girl tilted her head up to smile sweetly at Qiao Anhao before lowering it back down to continue practicing.

It was nearing dusk, the sun casting a reddish glow on the tree, the rays spilling onto Qiao Anhao and the little girl.

Qiao Anhao had already removed her costume. She had on a simple white dress, her hair tied into two long plaids.

Her face was clean, without any makeup, her white skin gleaming under the sun’s rays; it was flawless.

The wind blew softly, causing a few petals to fall onto her and the girl’s dark hair. Qiao Anhao reached out to pinch the petals away carefully.

Lu Jinnian held onto the bucket, leaning against the door as he stared at the image ahead, mesmerized. His heart clenched, it felt full and at ease.

The little girl was the first to notice Lu Jinnian’s presence. She held onto the pencil, her head tilted to the side as she stared at him, blinking slightly.

When Qiao Anhao realized that the girl was in a daze, she lightly called out to her “Nan Nan.” She towards her line of sight, and when she saw Lu Jinnian at the door, she straightened and asked, “You’re awake?”

Lu Jinnian snapped out of his daze. “Yea…” He took large strides forward and poured the water away before heading to the tree.

Qiao Anhao turned to smile at him. “She’s Nan Nan, the daughter of the family. Brother Chen and his wife went to farm, and since she was reading, I decided to teach her a few words.”

Lu Jinnian nodded his head lightly, looking down at the white paper.

When Qiao Anhao had covered the little girl’s hand, the words were neat, but when the girl had written herself, they started to curve weirdly in every direction.Chapter 461: Peaceful and Beautiful Times（2）

A while after Lu Jinnian woke up, elderly Chen, Brother Chen, and his wife came back from the farm.

While they were having lunch, Lu Jinnian asked where he could borrow a phone, sadly, the only family with a phone in the village wasn’t at home in the afternoon. But when brother Chen was on the way back from the farm, he had seen that the door to the house was open, hence he immediately brought Lu Jinnian over.

Brother Chen explained Lu Jinnian’s situation to the family, so they allowed them into the house and led them towards their phone. The house’s owner signaled for Lu Jinnian to use it, and he walked over and entered his assistant’s phone number.

The call went through instantly. The assistant’s voice was drowned in anxiety. “Is there news from Mr. Lu and Miss Qiao?”

Lu Jinnian paused for a bit before replying simply, “It’s me.”

“Huh?” His assistant asked curiously, seemingly in a daze. After a while, he shouted enthusiastically, “Mr. Lu? Mr. Lu is that you?”

“Yea.”

“Mr. Lu, is that really you? Where are you now? Oh, did you see Miss Qiao? How are your conditions?” The assistant rambled on continuously.

“I’m with her now, we’re both fine.” Lu Jinnian paused momentarily before adding, “We’re at…”

He turned to look at brother Chen, who understood instantly, and taking over the phone, he reported the village’s name and its exact location. After the assistant had recorded the details, brother Chen passed the phone back to Lu Jinnian.

“Mr. Lu, I’ll rush over right now.”

–

When they returned back to brother Chen’s house, his wife had already made dinner. The village people led a simple life: they slept early and woke up early, so after dinner, elderly Chen brought the little girl into the house to sleep while brother Chen and his wife stayed behind to clean up their hunting gains before turning in.

The village was extremely quiet once night set in. Besides the moonlight, there weren’t any other light sources.

Qiao Anhao had slept too much in the afternoon, so she laid beside Lu Jinnian, both of them wide awake.

The moment she shut her eyes, her mind started to run. The more she thought about random things, the more awake she was, and in the end, she flipped over. Using the faint glow from the moon, she stared at Lu Jinnian’s perfect profile.

After staring for a long while, she blinked and whispered his name, “Lu Jinnian?”

“Yea?” Lu Jinnian opened his eyes as he flipped to the side. His eyes seemed like bottomless pits under the faint glow, captivating her.

Her heart jumped, and she lowered her lashes unconsciously, hiding from his gaze before continuing, “Thank you.”

If it wasn’t for him, she would probably be dead.

“It’s fine.” Lu Jinnian knew what she meant, and he replied warmly. His voice was cold and frosty but it still managed to warm her heart.

Lu Jinnian had jumped down the cliff to save her, so was it like in the dramas where one could sacrifice their own life for someone else?Chapter 462: Peaceful and Beautiful Times（3）

Qiao Anhao couldn’t explain it, but a thought started to form in her mind. Her heart pounded rapidly as she continued to stare at Lu Jinnian’s profile, and before she could process whatever was in her mind, she blurted out, “Lu Jinnian, why are you so good to me?”

Her question seemed to have startled Lu Jinnian. He remained silent, not knowing how to reply.

Only after Qiao Anhao had asked the question did she realize what had happened, and she started to grow anxious. She held her breath.

When she realized that Lu Jinnian didn’t react at all, she started to feel embarrassed. Desperately, she tried to find a way out, she thought randomly before finally thinking of something. “Lu Jinnian, are you guilty because of the death of the child? Is that why you’re treating me so well?”

Lu Jinnian had been fretting about what to do, so the moment he heard her, he heaved a sigh of relief and replied with a faint “Yea.”

He was indeed sorry for the death of the child, but even if the child hadn’t existed, he would still have jumped into the stream without hesitation if the incident had happened again.

But there were some things that he wasn’t able to let her know.

It was really because of the child… Disappointment clouded Qiao Anhao’s heart instantly, but even if he felt guilty, wasn’t sacrificing his life a bit too much?

She wanted to pursue the matter further, but before she could ask the question, she paused.

She had wanted to ask him: Did you jump down the cliff because you like me?

Indeed, Lu Jinnian had treated her really well and done so many things that had caused her to be misled…

But what if she was wrong?

Qiao Anhao’s lips moved, but in the end, she swallowed her question, remaining silent.

Lu Jinnian, who was lying beside her, seemed to have suddenly remembered something important. He turned his head and stared into her eyes, his face solemn.

“I paid the hospital a large sum to keep your abortion a secret, how could you have found out about it?”

Lu Jinnian’s question caused Qiao Anhao’s mind to freeze, but she replied honestly. “A nurse from the hospital sent me the form…”

She paused, seeming to have realized that something was wrong. Without continuing her sentence, she asked, “Hey, wait up. The nurse mentioned that you didn’t want my child and that she was the accomplice. The only reason she sent the papers to me was because she was guilty and was trying to redeem herself… Why would she feel guilty about my miscarriage?”

Lu Jinnian didn’t care for the second half of her sentence. With a frown, he asked,”What was in the delivery?”

“The abortion papers you signed.”

“When did you receive them?”

Qiao Anhao thought for a while. “On my birthday…”

Wasn’t her birthday the day that Xu Jiamu woke up?

Lu Jinnian’s heart clenched tightly; he had understood everything in that instant.

Everything was planned by Han Ruchu…

Translator’s Thoughts

 Kingbao

DarkGem: To everyone who is still confused, this novel has gone Premium. This means that from now on you’ll need to use Spirit Stones (which you can buy, earn from daily logins, voting for novels, and soon-to-be-implemented ad watching) to unlock newest chapters. For free readers, the chapters will open up in time, but at a slower rate. In other words, this will be a choice between time and money, you’ll have to decide which you value more.

As to why this change happened, it’s because Qidian needs to pay authors, translators, and editors , and ad revenue is just not enough. If you want to read more about it, you can find the full post on the forums.Chapter 463: Peaceful and Beautiful Times（4）

Han Ruchu would definitely be aware that Qiao Anhao would get an abortion in the hospital as she was the one who had placed the sleeping pills in that swallow’s nest.

When her son woke up, she no longer had any worries, but she was afraid that Qiao Anhao would fall for him after spending such a long time together, so she had tried to find a loophole to scheme upon.

At that time, Lu Jinnian just didn’t want her to be upset, so he forgot that his dishonestly could be used against him.

Just a moment of miscalculation and a tragedy could have happened.

If she didn’t fall into the stream, he would have never known that she hated him so much.

Five years ago, on Qiao Anhao’s birthday, that woman had thrown away the flowers and cake he had gotten Qiao Anhao.

Five years later, still on Qiao Anhao’s birthday, that woman had sentenced him to death in Qiao Anhao’s world.

He had underestimated her hatred towards him, and her ruthlessness.

Between an unknown nurse and Lu Jinnian who had explained the situation the night before, Qiao Anhao chose to believe him without hesitation. She never noticed anything strange about him as she continued to voice her doubt. “Why would the nurse lie? What was her motive?”

Lu Jinnian was deep in his thoughts and didn’t realize that Qiao Anhao had spoken.

After a long while, she still didn’t get a response, so she couldn’t resist anymore. “Lu Jinnian?”

He hurriedly put away his thoughts. Turning towards Qiao Anhao, he replied in a faint voice, “I’m not sure either… I handed the matter to my assistant, and he had mentioned that there was a nurse that threatened him for more money but he had ignored her, that may be the reason why she came to you…”

So that’s what happened… Qiao Anhao looked at Lu Jinnian and apologized once more. “Regardless of how it was, Lu Jinnian, I want to say I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine…” Lu Jinnian paused, his gaze turning murderous.

Some things had been done deliberately so she would misunderstand, so how could she have realized?

Han Ruchu was there ever since she was a child, she treated her like a daughter, so Qiao Anhao would probably never believe that she was the one who had killed her child.

If he were to tell her the truth now, would she think he was accusing Han Ruchu?

He was able to tolerate Han Ruchu’s repeated insults and hurt, but he wasn’t capable of forgiving her for what she had did to his child, there will come a day when he’ll get his revenge.

Lu Jinnian shut his eyes, forcing the anger down before replying faintly, “Actually, it’s also my fault.” After pausing for a bit, he added, “It’s late, sleep.”

After talking for such a long time, Qiao Anhao was indeed starting to get sleepy. In the end, she could no longer fight her drooping eyelids and fell asleep. In a daze, she felt someone come close, placing a warm, moist kiss on her forehead.Chapter 464: Peaceful and Beautiful Times（5）

Qiao Anaho’s brows moved, she seemed to have smelled the familiar aroma of Lu Jinnian. Just then, she seemed to have heard someone whisper, “Qiao Qiao, I like you, I have liked you for a very very long time.”

Qiao Anhao’s lips curled upwards into a smile, her head rubbing the pillow before falling into deep sleep.

Lu Jinnian stared at Qiao Anhao’s face for a long while before reaching out to rub her hair lightly. Turning back to his side of the bed, he laid down.

–

The next morning, Qiao Anhao was awaken by thunder. She sat upright and turned to the other side of the bed, Lu Jinnian was no longer around. The skies started to pour outside, and she came out and saw that brother Chen’s wife was the only one in the living room. She sat on a wooden stool, sewing a man’s shirt.

“Miss Qiao, you’re awake?” She raised her head to look at Qiao Anhao. Putting the clothes down, she walked to the side and placed a set of breakfast onto the table in front of her.

Qiao Anhao thanked her before sitting down. She tilted her head and asked, “Where is everyone?”

“They went to he mountain to cut shoots.”

Qiao Anhao didn’t reply, she lowered her head to eat silently. When she was halfway through, lighting struck, piercing the air before a loud clap of thunder resounded. Swiftly, the rain increased in intensity.

Qiao Anhao turned to face the door instinctively. As she looked out, the rain pelted down from the skies aggressively, blurring her vision. As puddles started to form, flooding the area, she started to feel increasingly worried, losing her appetite.

She continued to stare out the door, gaining Madam Chen’s attention. She smiled slightly, comforting Qiao Anhao, ” Miss Qiao, don’t worry, the weather here is always like that, it’ll stop in a while.”

Qiao Anhao nodded her head lightly, her heart uneasy. The skies were pouring. Since she was in Beijing ever since she was young, it was the first time she had experienced such bad weather.

Madam Chen seemed to understand Qiao Anhao’s anxiety, but at the same time, she was bored, so she asked, “Miss Qiao, where are you from?”

Qiao Anhao stared at the horrid weather, her mind running as she replied soullessly, “Beijing.”

“Oh Beijing, that’s a big city, no wonder you seem so elegant.” As she spoke, Madam Chen tied an end knot on the shirt before biting off the thread.

Another lighting pierced through the skies, and Qiao Anhao paled, starting to get more anxious, her entire body trembling.

Madam Chen couldn’t keep in her laughter. “Miss Qiao, don’t worry, your man will definitely be fine.”

Your man… Qiao Anhao was just about to explain when suddenly two figures came into sight.

She paused, swallowing her words. She stood up hurriedly and saw brother Chen running in covered in mud, behind him was Lu Jinnian, who was entirely covered in mud as well. But even mud, it still couldn’t conceal the elegance that he emitted.

The moment she saw him back in one piece, Qiao Anhao finally calmed her heavy heart. Before she could ask how he was, Madam Chen laughed lightly.

“Aiya, you’re finally back Mr. Lu! You have no idea how worried your wife was when she realized you were out in such a bad weather. She was so anxious she almost cried!”Chapter 465: Peaceful and Beautiful Times（6）

Madam Chen pointed with her head towards the table as she spoke. “Look, she didn’t even eat much.”

Lu Jinnian glanced towards the breakfast on the table before glancing back at Qiao Anhao.

She blushed upon hearing Madam Chen’s words, and when she sensed Lu Jinnian looking at her, she blushed an even deeper shade of red, lowering her head to shield her face. Just then, she realized that she hadn’t clarified their relationship.

Before the men had returned, Madam Chen had already boiled some water for them to have a bath. After they took a hot bath, the rain had already stopped and the skies were clear once again, brightening the village.

Qiao Anhao walked back to the room with a freshly brewed bowl of ginger soup. When she entered, she saw that Lu Jinnian’s hair was drenched and was still dripping water. She frowned slightly, placing the ginger soup on the table before leaving the room to get a dry towel.

Lu Jinnian sat on the edge of the bed, holding the bowl of ginger soup in his hands and sipping from it carefully, the droplets from his hair dripping into the bowl.

Qiao Anhao walked towards him, placed a towel on his head, and started to dry it tenderly.

Lu Jinnian stiffened slightly, spilling hot soup onto the back of his hand, scalding it bright red. Ignoring the pain, he lowered his lashes, continuing to sip the hot soup gingerly.

The room was silent. After a moment, Qiao Anhao said softly, “Erm, Madam Chen misunderstood.”

Lu Jinnian took a moment to process her words before replying with a non-committal “Oh.” Reaching out with his hand, he placed the bowl onto the table beside.

Qiao Anhao removed the towel and caressed his hair; it was only slightly damp now. She turned, and when she was about to leave, she tripped on Lu Jinnian’s leg, falling right into his arms. Her face blushed a deep shade of red as she struggled to climb out of his embrace. But Lu Jinnian, he instead grabbed onto her wrists.

Qiao Anhao stiffened. She lifted her head and her gaze collided straight with Lu Jinnian’s eyes.

In that instance, her heart raced and an unknown anxiety started to enclose her.

After a seemingly long while, Lu Jinnian moved her hands to the back of her head, moving her head slightly upwards. Soon, she felt his head lowering closer and closer to her face.

Qiao Anhao felt as though her heart had stopped. Her long lashes trembled slightly before her eyes shut entirely. She could feel his breath spilling onto her face, it was heated and moist.

She couldn’t help gulping down her saliva. Even though her eyes were shut and she couldn’t see anything, she knew that his lips were almost touching hers… just then, their lips met.

Heat ran through her body, spreading everywhere, and her lashes started to tremble rapidly.

Lu Jinnian’s lips covered her lips, but he remained motionless for a long while before slowly kissing her. Just when his tongue was going to venture in, Madam Chen’s loud voice pierced through the air. “Mr. Lu, Miss Qiao, someone is here to get you!”