Chapter 97: The Scars of a Hidden Past

Having secured victory by harming himself, Lin Qing watched as Su Yao’s gaze fell upon the profusely bleeding wound on his chest. Her previous intent to kill had entirely dissipated. She quickly rummaged through the table drawers, searching for bandages to staunch the blood.

It was truly peculiar how a murder plan, meticulously orchestrated for so long, had been halted solely because of Lin Qing.

Had this happened earlier, even Su Yao herself would have found it unbelievable.

She had directly abandoned the madness within her heart.

It was akin to an arrow drawn on a taut bowstring, poised for release; to suddenly halt its flight would undoubtedly cause self-inflicted harm. Yet, despite this certainty, she had stopped.

Evidently, when Lin Qing and the act of killing were pitted against each other, Lin Qing had emerged victorious.

This also proved that Lin Qing’s standing in her heart had steadily climbed with each interaction they shared.

This simply could not continue.

As an intelligent person,

Su Yao knew she had to cut her losses immediately.

She could no longer interact with Lin Qing, lest her emotions continue to be swayed by him.

Lin Qing’s words earlier had been no joke.

He had been entirely serious.

While Su Yao cared deeply for Lin Qing now, this did not signify that she would abandon her mission to kill for his sake.

Therefore, for both their sakes, a period of separation was necessary.

With these thoughts swirling in her mind, Su Yao noticed bandages and a bottle of hemostatic spray within the open drawer. She immediately grabbed the bandages and advanced towards Lin Qing.

As she passed Brother Liu, Su Yao tossed a roll of bandages directly to him.

Lin Qing had bled to prevent her from killing. If that fellow, Dog Brother, were to die, then Lin Qing’s blood would have been shed in vain.

When Brother Liu raised his hand to catch the bandages, he initially failed to grasp their significance.

However, the moment Dog Brother suddenly collapsed to the ground, Brother Liu immediately comprehended Su Yao’s intention: she wanted him to help staunch the bleeding.

Though Brother Liu was more inclined to treat Lin Qing, Su Yao watched him with an intensity that suggested Lin Qing was her sole possession, forbidding anyone else from touching him. It seemed there would be no opportunity to approach Lin Qing.

****

Gazing at Dog Brother’s feeble state, Brother Liu sighed silently, then resigned himself to the task of bandaging the wound.

“I want to see your injury.”

With the resolve to no longer focus on Lin Qing, Su Yao’s tone grew noticeably colder.

‘After leaving this place, I will distance myself from Lin Qing and transfer back to my old high school,’ she thought.

‘As long as I don’t see Lin Qing, my possessive urges towards him will diminish.’

‘They will gradually fade with time.’

‘Of course, this isn’t a permanent separation. I will reappear before Lin Qing once my mission is accomplished.’

‘By then, the deed will be done, and Lin Qing will be powerless to change it.’

‘So, for now, I just need to endure.’

‘I cannot be soft-hearted towards Lin Qing and allow him to continue disrupting my plans.’

Su Yao mused inwardly.

Despite her firm thoughts, Su Yao’s hand, as it reached out to touch Lin Qing, was surprisingly gentle. Her brows furrowed deeply as she observed the knife tip still embedded in his chest.

‘I cannot simply pull out the knife, as it might cause severe hemorrhage.’

‘With the knife still lodged, I need to remove his upper garment to thoroughly inspect the wound and determine if it’s severe enough to warrant hospital treatment.’

The Comet Group owned numerous hospitals. If Su Yao sent Lin Qing there, she could ensure no medical record was kept, preventing future complications.

“Take off your clothes.”

Upon hearing Su Yao’s command to remove his clothes, Lin Qing froze for a moment. He then swiftly covered his chest with his hand, shaking his head in refusal.

His eyes darted away, and his movements grew flustered. As he pressed harder on his chest, the blood from the wound began to gush more fiercely.

Lin Qing’s reaction was somewhat exaggerated.

It was highly unusual.

This prompted Su Yao to glance at Lin Qing’s chest, then she spoke, echoing his earlier words.

“Now, you have two choices: either you take them off yourself, or I will tear your clothes directly.”

…

Listening to her words, Lin Qing’s face registered a hint of helplessness. He had not anticipated such a swift reversal of fortune.

The very threats he had directed at Su Yao moments ago were now aimed squarely at him.

Just as one might avoid looking in a mirror, Lin Qing harbored no desire to expose his body.

This was true even if it meant only baring his upper body, rather than stripping completely.

However, Su Yao was known for always keeping her word and rarely giving up.

Considering this, Lin Qing immediately placed his hand on the hilt of the fruit knife, intending to pull it out and settle everything at once.

When he had inflicted the wound earlier, Lin Qing had been mindful of the force he used, ensuring that even pulling the knife out directly would not result in a major hemorrhage.

At most, he would simply lose a little more blood.

Yet, it was still preferable to revealing his body.

“If you pull out that knife, not only will your upper garment come off, but your pants will follow suit.”

However, the instant Lin Qing made a move, Su Yao’s voice rang out, sharp and immediate.

With a scrutinizing expression and a threatening tone, she had clearly anticipated his actions.

She knew Lin Qing would undoubtedly devise another method to avoid removing his clothes.

What a pity.

The more he resisted, the less she could let this opportunity pass.

This time, she was determined to uncover whatever unspeakable secrets Lin Qing was hiding beneath his clothes.

It would be a small parting gift before their final farewell.

A gift from Lin Qing to her.

When Lin Qing saw Su Yao’s unwavering gaze fixed upon him, he immediately, and wisely, released his grip on the knife, unwilling to risk losing his pants.

‘He’s really going to be exposed now!’

“Don’t move.”

Witnessing Lin Qing’s defiant stance, Su Yao knew it was utterly impossible to make him undress himself.

To avoid further delay,

Su Yao reached out, gently pushing Lin Qing back until he was seated. She then settled directly onto his lap, and with one hand, carefully tore a small opening in his shirt around the knife’s entry point.

Her movements were meticulous, her expression earnest.

Meanwhile, a soft sensation spread across Lin Qing’s legs.

She seemed utterly oblivious to it.

It was a different kind of torment, one that set his heart racing.

Lin Qing, who had been so unwilling to remove his clothes, was momentarily stunned by Su Yao’s sudden proximity.

As Su Yao’s hand slid beneath his shirt, slowly lifting it from bottom to top, her fingers occasionally brushed against sensitive points on his waist and abdomen. The warm contact instantly sent a flush of crimson to Lin Qing’s cheeks.

‘Is Su Yao doing this on purpose?’

‘It would be better to just pull the knife out directly!’

‘This is too tormenting.’

He was just about to raise his hand to stop Su Yao’s movements, but once the fabric cleared the wound, Su Yao, without a moment’s hesitation, swiftly pulled the garment further.

Lin Qing was forced to raise both arms, and his upper garment was completely removed.

Upon seeing Lin Qing’s bare torso, Su Yao froze.

She instinctively raised a hand to Lin Qing’s chest, her fingers tracing the hideous, unsightly scars. A surge of fury instantly ignited within her.

‘Who could have done this?’

‘To do such a thing to Lin Qing!’

The scars on his chest were clearly old, indicating an extremely severe injury from the past.

Otherwise, such prominent marks would not have remained.

Moreover, there were quite a number of them.

These were the undeniable traces of repeated abuse.

As Su Yao’s palm instinctively moved lower, Lin Qing raised his hand and seized her wrist.

When Su Yao looked at him, Lin Qing offered a slight smile, a touch of helplessness in his eyes, his expression conveying that he truly could not reveal more. With his other hand, he swiftly pulled the knife from his chest.

A significant amount of fresh blood instantly gushed from the wound, jolting Su Yao from her stunned state. She immediately grabbed the hemostatic spray and bandages, quickly working to treat it.

Fortunately, after Lin Qing extracted the knife, it did not result in the severe hemorrhage she had feared.

Su Yao emptied an entire bottle of hemostatic spray, and the wound finally ceased its bleeding. The bandages wrapped around Lin Qing’s chest no longer showed any signs of seeping blood.

Lin Qing sat docilely on the chair, allowing Su Yao to tend to him. He dared not move or utter a sound, terrified that she might grow angry and remove his pants as well.

While a few touches from Su Yao were inconsequential, the naked exposure of his past left Lin Qing feeling deeply uneasy. He yearned to put his clothes back on.

He had wanted to appear in Su Yao’s life as a normal person.

‘But now, after seeing these scars, Su Yao will undoubtedly investigate his past!’

Lost in these thoughts, Lin Qing instinctively clenched his fists and silently lowered his gaze, his long eyelashes fluttering gently.

He was like a lost butterfly, frantically fluttering its wings, desperate to find an exit.

“Raise your arm.”

Just then, Su Yao’s voice suddenly broke the silence, and Lin Qing instinctively obeyed.

The next moment, his clothes were back on, his body no longer exposed.

“Don’t worry,” Su Yao said, “I won’t investigate your past. Even though the curiosity and anger in my heart are on the verge of exploding, I won’t do such a thing.”

Then, as if she had divined Lin Qing’s thoughts, Su Yao raised her hands and wrapped them around his neck, pulling him into an embrace.

Her body leaned forward, and her ample bosom pressed against him.

However, the next moment, Su Yao raised a hand and patted Lin Qing’s back with an incredibly gentle motion.

It was a gesture of both comfort and reassurance.

In that moment, Lin Qing’s tightly clenched hands relaxed, and his tense body gradually returned to its normal state.

However, Lin Qing was unaware that Su Yao’s earlier decision had already changed.

She had initially intended to distance herself from Lin Qing to avoid any further disruptions to her plans. Yet, upon witnessing his hidden, dark past, Su Yao found herself utterly unable to abandon him.

Lin Qing was like a wounded small animal, wary yet innocent, resisting contact despite a body covered in injuries, but also crying out for help in his pain.

He was someone impossible to ignore.

Su Yao’s murderous impulses stemmed from an unknown cause, perhaps innate. However, Lin Qing’s experience of such brutal abuse, if endured by anyone else, would have long since turned them into a villain seeking revenge on society.

Yet, he had harmed himself to save someone, making his true intentions utterly unfathomable.

“Cough, cough, I’ve already bandaged him. We should go.”

As Su Yao and Lin Qing embraced, Brother Liu, who had been standing by, suddenly spoke, breaking the atmosphere.

Despite the lingering sadness he felt looking at Su Yao’s face, the memory of her ruthlessly wielding the knife swiftly replaced his sorrow with profound relief.

At this point, Brother Liu finally understood why Lin Qing had spoken as he did earlier.

Su Yao.

She was not a woman any ordinary man could possess.

Brother Liu had bid farewell to his past self; from this moment on, he would no longer harbor feelings for Su Yao.

Unless, of course, he wished for a swifter demise…

“Is he dead?”

“Not yet. Although he bled quite a lot, it wasn’t life-threatening. He’s just a bit weak now.”

Listening to Su Yao’s question, Brother Liu spoke with a sense of wonder. He marvelled at how Su Yao controlled her strength, severely injuring Dog Brother without killing him.

She was just like Lin Qing!

“Then let’s go, before Chen Sen returns.”

Su Yao did not continue to embrace Lin Qing. After standing up, she reached out and pulled Lin Qing from the chair. Just as she was about to turn and leave, Lin Qing remained rooted to the spot.

Before being escorted away by the guards, Lin Qing had heard that Chen Sen had sent a letter.

Recalling Wang Fanran’s mention of the child abduction incident, Lin Qing had a strong intuition that the letter might contain a significant discovery.

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