Before her mother and master, Qin Shu could only listen mutely. The scene grew blurry and eventually melted away.

“She’s fine; it’s just a minor concussion, nothing serious.” Gu Yan was a doctor by profession, so he knew whether an injury was serious or not.

“Then why hasn’t she awoken yet?” Fu Tingyu’s heart jumped when he heard that his wife had been in a car accident. Seeing his wife lying unconscious in a hospital bed and listening to Gu Yan’s assurances were two separate things. How could he feel at ease when she was not even conscious?!

Qin Shu seemed like she was dreaming. She cried with a furrowed brow, “Mom, Master, don’t!”

Fu Tingyu was by her side in a heartbeat, grasping her hand tightly, worry etched on his handsome features. “Babe, what’s wrong? Please wake up.”

Her eyes fluttered open, beholding a familiar face at her side. Her breaths came in sharp, rapid gasps, and she broke out in a cold sweat.

Fu Tingyu thought his wife had had a nightmare, so he comforted her, “Babe, don’t be scared. I’m right here; I’ll always be there for you.”

Qin Shu held Fu Tingyu’s arm in a death grip, staring at him vacantly for a long time. He was her tether, grounding her in reality. It took a while, but she managed to calm herself.

His wife’s silence caused him great anxiety. Could she have lost her memory again?

“Did you have a nightmare? Are you feeling unwell?”

Qin Shu took a moment to collect her thoughts. “I never meant to leave without saying goodbye. It was my mother who brought me away forcibly.”

After Han Xiao left, her relationship with Fu Tingyu eased up a little. They did not fight as much, but that was more to do with their not having any form of meaningful interaction rather than any vague sense of amiability held toward the other.

Fu Tingyu gave in to her more often than not, and that was a start. Although she still found his words irritating at times, it was much better than before.

He even promised to go down the mountain with her. The person who did not fulfil their end of the promise would be no better than a dog.

Fu Tingyu had said that he could go down the mountain at any time, but she could not. She had to wait for her mother to go and pick her up.

However, their plans derailed as soon as she overheard the conversation between her mother and master.

Master erased her memories at her mother’s behest. Immediately after, Wen Xin whisked her away back to Jiangcheng…

Qin Shu knew how it felt to be left behind without so much as a goodbye. How could she not when Han Xiao did that very thing to her?

A thought crossed Fu Tingyu’s mind as he heard Qin Shu’s apology, surprise lighting up his face. “Are you saying your mother forced you to leave with her? Did you recover your memories? Have you remembered everything that occurred on Mount Qi?”

Qin Shu blinked. She was supposed to be playing the amnesiac, but she slipped up in a moment of carelessness.

Gu Yan rubbed his chin thoughtfully, staring at Qin Shu’s innocent-looking form. Had not she said she would keep up the pretence for a few more days?

“Why did you go to the mental hospital today?” Fu Tingyu only found out that she went to the mental hospital after her car accident. Mu Lan and her daughter were the only ones in the mental hospital.

Qin Shu did not answer his question. Instead, she said, “I only found out today that Qin Hai is not my biological father. Still, I would like to undergo a paternity test to be sure.”

The shocking piece of news caught Fu Tingyu and Gu Yan flatfooted, stunning them into silence.

“Mu Lan told you,” a questioning lilt entered Fu Tingyu’s voice.

Qin Shu nodded. “Yes, my mother never loved Qin Hai. If I hadn’t gone to Miao Xin, perhaps I wouldn’t have believed it. Now, I know for certain… I’m not Qin Hai’s daughter.”

Fu Tingyu knew of Long Ziling’s elopement. The pieces were falling into place, painting a messy picture of the events leading up to the present.

“Qin Hai is not worthy of being your father.”

“It doesn’t matter. I don’t care about that,” Qin Shu groused, using her free arm to support herself into a seated position.

“Let me,” Fu Tingyu realised her intention and supported her with both arms, tucking two pillows behind for her to lean on.

Gu Yan was no stranger to Qin Shu’s past, and he, too, grew indignant over her maltreatment in her youth.

“You’re too good for someone like Qin Hai; he doesn’t deserve the honour of calling himself your father. Even if you weren’t his real daughter, he should never have treated you so callously as he did.”

“Master erased my memories at my mother’s request. Master loved my mother deeply, and though I may not know when they met, I’m certain they knew each other long before the conversation I overheard between them on Mount Qi. Master must have spirited away my mother and erased her memories so that she would always remain by his side.”

Qin Shu did not want to believe it, but she could not refute the evidence she had seen. Her master loved her mother so much it bordered on an obsession, a twisted desire bred by selfish love. To go so far as to erase her mother’s memories and hold her captive against her wishes… It was inhumane.

“Master disguised himself while we were learning martial arts on Mount Qi. When we met him the second time, that was his real appearance.”

If nothing else, her master was adept in the art of deception.

Fu Tingyu pondered for a moment. “Do you suspect Master is your biological father?”

“I don’t know. Only my mother knows who my biological father is.”

She remembered that her mother said she was Qin Hai’s daughter in front of her master. Was It to hide the truth, or was there some other reason?

She did not know where Long Ziling was at the moment. If she wanted to know who her biological father was, she would have to wait until she found Long Ziling.

“Don’t think about that for now. Are you alright? Do you have a headache?”

Qin Shook her head. “I’m fine. Let’s go home.”

The dream sequence had consumed a lot of energy but did little to cause her bodily pain. Qin Shu did not want to stay in the hospital longer than necessary.

Fu Tingyu frowned. Concern was the strongest emotion he felt at present. Shooting Gu Yan with a questioning look, he waited for his good friend’s opinion.

“Go, go. It’ll do you good to get some rest back home. The chemicals used in hospitals always smell awful,” Gu Yan said, giving Fu Tingyu the green light.

“I’ll drive us home.” Fu Tingyu locked his arms around his wife and carried her bridal style. The student shift caught Qin Shu by surprise, and she hastily looped her arms around Fu Tingyu’s neck as he carried her out of the ward.

Gu Yan followed the couple out.

Qin Shu nestled in Fu Tingyu’s arms. She saw Gu Yan walking behind her and thought of his blind date. She had been looking forward to the follow-up, so she could not help but ask, “Gu Yan, how did your last blind date go?”

It would have been better if she had not mentioned it. Gu Yan nearly tripped on his feet. Had it not been for his quick reflexes, he would have planted face-first into the ground. Why did she have to bring it up? Could she not read the mood?!

“Gu Yan, don’t keep me in suspense!” Qin Shu looked at Gu Yan with eyes full of anticipation. She wanted to know how his blind date had gone.

Fu Tingyu walked into the elevator with his wife in his arms. Seeing Gu Yan walk in, he pressed the close button. “I’m also quite curious. Who would have known Uncle Wen’s thinking would be so forward… so… avant-garde?”

Gu Yan glared at the young couple. If looks could kill, he would have stabbed both of them to death with his looks. They were picking on him, ganging up on the lone bachelor in the cramped elevator!

“Aren’t blind dates all the same? What kind of follow-up were you expecting?” He mumbled.

“Is there a man who likes you?” Qin Shu asked, keeping the conversation light and spirited.

Gu Yan was now sure that Qin Shu was doing it on purpose. “Why would you start with a question like that? Why didn’t you ask if any women were interested in me?”

Qin Shu rested her chin on Fu Tingyu’s shoulder and answered coyly, “If a woman hasn’t taken a fancy to you, then that woman must have bad taste. I’m just curious if any of the men on the blind date have taken a fancy to you, that’s all.”

Gu Yan scratched his cheek. “Well… Yes, there were several interested parties, but I rejected them all.”

He had gone on three blind dates with young ladies of prestigious families in Jiangcheng. Not one of them did not take a fancy to him, but he rejected each of them in turn.

He did not want to get their hopes up, so he rejected them without a second thought.

…