"He probably won't let go," Qi Tan said. "The fact that he's been able to spend ten years with you means he's prepared to spend his whole life with you."

"But I don't want to spend my whole life with him, not at all."

"Don't be willful," Qi Tan said, "You are your father's only daughter. Now that he is still in power, you have a good life. In a few years, when he retires, you will probably not be able to live as well as you do now. Of course, you also have to make sure that he has not committed any crime during his time in power."

Yan Yi bit his lip.

She couldn't guarantee it.

"Didn't your father ask him for a house by the Huangling River? How did he handle this matter in the end?"

"After the 18th inspection team arrived, my dad didn't dare to ask for anything. I also told my dad not to accept anything he gave me, and not to ask him for anything. But I don't know how they interacted privately."

"You're doing the right thing," Qi Tan said. "Don't get involved in their dealings. Just pretend you know nothing."

Yan Yi put her ear close to Qi Tan, listening to his heartbeat, and she felt inexplicably satisfied.

"You are still the same as before, teaching me to be sensible and protecting me."

"No, I can't protect you," Qi Tan lamented. "I can't even protect myself, how can I talk about protecting you?"

"But I think you are protecting me."

"That's just wishful thinking on your part," Qi Tan said. "In fact... I mostly sympathize with you."

"I know," Yan Yi said, "I never expected you to be deeply affectionate towards me. You and he are the same type of people. You both put power first, and feelings are not even last. But you are also different. He... has always only cared about himself and not about other people's feelings. You—at least you still care about them a little."