It took Qin Xiao a full fifteen minutes to barely break free from that frenzied attack filled with despair and relief.

My lips were slightly red, swollen, and stinging, with a lingering sweetness.

Gu Siqing leaned against him, her chest heaving rapidly, greedily inhaling the air that carried his scent, like a drowning person finally grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.

Her usually aloof and frosty face was now flushed with an unprecedented blush, and her eyes were dreamy, as if veiled by a layer of misty moisture after rain, captivating the heart.

She gently pushed Qin Xiao's firm chest, her voice barely audible, yet filled with lingering fear and trembling from surviving a close call.

"How...did you get in?"

Her voice was filled with disbelief. The manor was heavily guarded, and the room where she was being held captive was under special surveillance.

“My dad and grandpa...they locked me up and sent a lot of people to guard me…”

Qin Xiao looked down at her, the anxiety and lingering fear in his eyes gradually being replaced by a calm gentleness.

He raised his hand, his fingertips slightly warm, and carefully brushed away a few strands of hair that had been ruffled by the evening breeze, gently tucking them behind her ear. His movements were as gentle as if he were handling a rare treasure.

"I made a deal with them."

His tone was so calm, as if he were recounting a trivial matter, as if the thrilling infiltration and confrontation had never happened.

Gu Siqing looked up, her clear eyes filled with even more moisture, shrouded in a deep unease, as she stared intently at him.

"What transaction?"

Qin Xiao's gaze fell on her worried face, carrying a reassuring force.

“Use 30% of Qin Family Real Estate’s shares.”

He paused, observing her reaction, and then added.

"Plus those three prime plots of land in the west of the city, I'll give you your freedom."

Gu Siqing's eyes widened suddenly, her body stiffened instantly, and she stared at Qin Xiao in disbelief, as if she were seeing him for the first time.

Nearly half of Qin Family Real Estate's shares?

And those three plots of land in the west of the city... everyone knows they are priceless.

That's practically... most of the Qin Group's core assets! How... how is that possible?!

A wave of immense shock mixed with indescribable emotions instantly overwhelmed her, and tears welled up uncontrollably again. This time, however, it wasn't the cold despair, but rather the burning emotion and deep remorse. She even forgot to wipe them away.

"Are you...are you insane?!"

Her voice choked with sobs, and she hugged Qin Xiao tightly, pressing her cheek against his chest as if trying to meld herself into his body, seeking a sense of reality.

Her body trembled slightly as she rubbed against him, like a frightened kitten that had finally found shelter.

"How could you...do this for me..."

"How could you be so foolish..."

Just then, Qin Xiao heard Yun Yiyi's loud, boisterous voice, as if the sky were falling, ringing in his mind.

[Host! Host! Why did you give such a valuable asset to the Gu family? That's so much money! Enough to buy so many pretty dresses! Enough to buy so many snacks! Host, are you crazy?!]

Yun Yiyi seemed even more excited than Gu Siqing in her arms, her tone filled with incomprehension and visible heartache, she almost jumped up.

Qin Xiao snorted inwardly, while outwardly gently comforting the emotionally agitated Gu Siqing in his arms, his mind was calmly communicating with the system.

'High-quality assets? Are you serious?'

He calmly countered with a question.

"I just took a quick look at Qin's Real Estate's latest internal financial statements. The contract amounts for land sales don't match up; the discrepancies are shockingly large. The trust fund under the group is an even bigger mess, repeatedly mortgaging a few plots of land to raise debt with alarmingly high leverage, and it could collapse at any moment. Nine times out of ten, it's been embezzled by those old guys in the Qin family or their subordinates."

Qin Xiao's thoughts were calm and clear, without the slightest ripple.

"These so-called high-quality assets have long become hot potatoes, riddled with unmanageable holes. And how long do you think the golden age of real estate will last? The future belongs to high technology. If the Qin Group wants to survive, it must transform as soon as possible and get rid of these burdens. If these lands and real estate shares aren't disposed of now, they will only drag the entire group into a quagmire, leading to utter ruin."

"A tough decision, understand? Selling it to the Gu family now might seem like a huge loss for me, but actually it removes the biggest risk and burden, and I can also get Gu Siqing, a key figure, while simultaneously giving that idiot Ye Chen a good dressing down. Three birds with one stone. This is called making use of waste, and I can even be a hero to save the damsel in distress—how cost-effective!"

Yun Yiyi was stunned by Qin Xiao's series of analyses, and it took her little brain several turns to react.

[Wow! Host, you're amazing! You're a master strategist, winning battles from afar! You're far superior to me, a professional system assistant! Turns out you're not stupid, you're just cunning!]

Qin Xiao retorted in his mind without any politeness.

'If I were as stupid as you, I probably wouldn't survive past chapter two. Shut up and stop bothering me.'

Gu Siqing, who was in his arms, gradually calmed down. She raised her teary-eyed face, with glistening teardrops still clinging to her thick eyelashes. Her voice was thick with nasal tone and filled with an unprecedented dependence.

“Darling…it seems like I have nothing left to give you besides myself…”

Her cheeks were flushed red, but her eyes were unusually serious, with a resolute determination, as if she had made some major decision.

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