Volume One, Chapter Four: Why Is Ninth Master So Kind to Me?

When Li Qiuning came out of the bathroom, freshly bathed and dressed, she saw Ninth Master was still there. The man sat in the living room, and even though he was dressed simply, his presence was powerful and commanding.

She walked over, uneasy and apprehensive. “Ninth Master, you can rest assured, I won’t run away again,” she promised.

Only then did Qin Zhan look up, his gaze shifting from his phone to her. The woman, now clean and fresh, radiated an ethereal beauty, like a golden lotus untouched in the Jade Pool, pure and untainted by the world. Her delicate features were as graceful as a fairy’s, and her slender figure exuded a fragile elegance. Her long black hair was not yet fully dry, cascading behind her and lending her a cool, aloof air.

“It’s late. You should get some rest,” he said. He made no move to leave.

It was obvious he intended to stay.

In the past, if Qin Zhan had been so domineering and controlling—insisting on watching over her even as she slept—she would have exploded with anger, smashing everything within reach and cursing him as a lecherous old brute.

Especially when others whispered that Qin Zhan only cared for her because she resembled his first love, his unattainable goddess. Li Qiuning had believed it without question, convinced the old man was up to no good, merely treating her as a stand-in. Yet, how deep must his love for that goddess have been, to risk his life time and again for her, almost dying in the snares set for him?

“Why don’t you… come inside and sleep too, Ninth Master?” she hesitated, her voice soft.

Qin Zhan’s dark eyes rested on her, hearing the meaning behind her words. “No need. If you get sick in the middle of the night, you’ll be uncomfortable.”

Li Qiuning pressed her lips together; Ninth Master genuinely cared about her. The kinder he was, the more guilty she felt.

Her fingers twisted nervously in her hands. “It won’t happen. I don’t dislike you, Ninth Master.”

“It’s uncomfortable to sleep out here. There’s a long sofa in the room,” she offered quickly, stealing a glance at him, her cheeks tinged with red.

After all, such an invitation could hardly be called innocent.

Her reputation was already in tatters. Any man who so much as interacted with her was rumored to be her lover, to have had an affair with her.

So everyone said she was carrying an illegitimate child.

Qin Zhan stood and walked toward her. “Let’s go inside.”

Li Qiuning nodded, flustered, and returned to her room first.

She was just about to climb into bed when Ninth Master came from the bathroom carrying a hair dryer. “Dry your hair before you sleep.”

She touched her still-damp hair and obediently reached to take the dryer, intending to do it herself.

Instead, Qin Zhan pressed her shoulders, guiding her to sit down. He switched on the dryer and the warm air blew gently over her head.

Being cared for like this left Li Qiuning feeling cherished yet overwhelmed. She stared at the pale green carpet, her thoughts adrift.

The man’s fingers ran through her thick, silky hair, occasionally brushing her neck. Li Qiuning dared not pull away, sitting stiff and uneasy, waiting for her hair to dry.

When the dryer’s whir ceased, the man retreated.

After a while, she heard his slow, heavy footsteps behind her.

“Ninth Master, why are you so good to me?” Li Qiuning had never asked this before, but tonight she couldn’t help herself.

Qin Zhan sat on the sofa and wiped his hands with a handkerchief. “Your birth mother once saved my life.”

That was all?

Li Qiuning knew little about her birth family, the notorious Yan family, whose misdeeds were infamous, whose debts remained unpaid to this day. She had always despised the Yan family and her birth mother, a woman everyone said was a mistress who rose by underhanded means.

“I thought…” she began, exhaling in relief. As long as she wasn’t a mere stand-in, it was enough.

Her expression suggested, in Qin Zhan’s eyes, that as long as it was only out of gratitude, she could accept it.

But what if it was more than that?

Would she still try to escape?

His face seemed to turn a shade colder. She quickly crawled into bed and tucked herself in. “Good night, Ninth Master.”

She tried hard to fall asleep, but her mind swirled with memories of all the things those people had done to her, and she wanted nothing more than to kill them all.

There was Young Master Rong Yue, the youngest son of the Rong family, whom she had treated as her own brother. For years, she’d shared everything good with him, indulging his every whim. Yet in the end, he became the very one who blocked her only chance at survival, forbidding her from getting a proper job, forcing her to scrub toilets and floors, serving others.

All for a single sentence: “Don’t dirty Sister Ran’s path—get lost.”

Then there was Lu Liuying, the third young master of the Lu family, born noble and extraordinary. He gave up the family business to become a star in the medical world, cold and ascetic to all but her, for whom he would have plucked the stars. Yet during her labor, he denied her proper treatment, forcing her to give her eyes to that woman.

Shang Lu, the most promising heir of the Shang family, the true crown prince of Beijing’s elite, leader of their little group, and her childhood friend. Li Qiuning had chased after him for years; everyone thought they were in love, and she believed it too. He never denied others’ teasing, so she drank the wine he handed her without hesitation, only to be locked in that room and live a nightmare.

She had always thought it was Shang Lu, that he was the one who made a mistake. But in the end, he heartlessly abandoned her at their engagement party, letting her become the target of all the gossip, all just to amuse Li Qingran and watch her make a fool of herself.

There was also Mo Yishen, the eldest young master of the Mo family, born with a silver spoon, whom she’d always thought would stand behind her. In the end, he was the one who stabbed her with a knife, hurting her as much as the others.

And Xie Lingchen, the Buddhist child of the Xie family, the most ethereal man in Beijing, who cut off all desire and remained aloof from the world, yet had always cared for her alone, even seeking a longevity charm for her health and peace. But for Li Qingran’s sake, he withdrew all his affection, disregarded their past, and ruthlessly humiliated her, trampling her confidence to nothing to protect that venomous woman.

In less than two years, these people had turned her from the little princess of Beijing’s elite into a complete laughingstock.

She didn’t care about titles. She had given her heart to them, only to be met with ever-increasing cruelty, humiliation, and coldness.

Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes, soaking the pillow.

She would get rid of this child. Before, she had fought to keep it only because it was connected to them, but now it didn’t matter.

Who the child’s biological father was—none of it mattered anymore. She no longer wanted to know.

Qin Zhan’s gaze lingered on the small, curled figure on the bed. In the quiet room, her muffled sobs were easy to hear.

The man lowered his eyes, shadows obscuring half his face as his fingers slowly caressed the jade ring on his right thumb.

So she was so unwilling to stay here.

So eager to run off with some other man.

So determined to let those fools father her child.