Chapter 160 It's just friendship, I don't love you, my feelings for you are just friendship...

Qiu Xiaoman remembered that she had made a promise with Liu Kun to go to the sinkhole to see the child who had been rescued.

Later, Liu Kun disappeared, and she forgot about the matter.

Years have passed, and to her surprise, she still kept this photo. After thinking about it, she decided to go and see the sinkhole.

Although it wasn't a big deal, she didn't want Fuze to worry, so she talked to him frankly.

Fu Ze calmly smiled and said, "Go ahead, and it would be best if you could meet him."

"Huh? Why?" Qiu Xiaoman didn't understand. Shouldn't he be jealous?

Fu Ze chuckled and pinched her cheek: "Because I know you love me, I'm not flustered. He's in such a hurry to confirm your relationship because he knows you're also confused, unable to distinguish between friendship and love. If he just gives you a push, if you just acquiesce, friendship can blossom into love. But is that really love? Do you really need him? You can't even think of letting him know you're safe, can't think of keeping your distance from other men for his sake."

Qiu Xiaoman had already figured this out and protested, "I'm not stupid. That's not what I'm asking. I'm asking why you're not jealous at all! Aren't you afraid your wife will run away?"

"Go ahead and run," Fu Ze said, suppressing a laugh, as he pulled her into his arms. "Even if you run to the ends of the earth, you'll come back."

"Tch, so smug!" Qiu Xiaoman couldn't stand his smugness and was determined to teach him a lesson!

I watched for over an hour, and almost broke the bed in the process.

She clung to Fu Ze's shoulder, her body glistening with sweat: "Come with me, I can't live without you."

"How can you not leave me?" Fu Ze helped her tidy up her bangs, his smile revealing the composure and confidence of someone who is Qiu Xiaoman's spouse.

Qiu Xiaoman clung to him, snuggling close, saying, "Like this, I can't leave you, I can't leave you even for a day."

Fu Ze chuckled, rolled over, pinched her cheek, and kissed her earlobe: "If I go with you, won't we be exposed? You can't possibly make me wear a mask, can you? If I look like someone else, can you still kiss me?"

"Ugh, it's just a pretense when we're out." Qiu Xiaoman still wanted him to come along, for a simple reason: she liked him.

After all, she spends most of her time at school these days, and doesn't have much time to spend with her father and daughter. She also has to make time for studying. If she goes on a trip like this, wouldn't they not see each other for ten days or half a month? That would be such a waste, a huge loss.

With her great-aunt's example in mind, she now cherishes every minute and second and doesn't want to be separated from Fuze.

Fu Ze thought for a moment and asked, "What about the child?"

"I would like to take her with me, but she's too young. What if she encounters a robber or a human trafficker on the way?" Qiu Xiaoman didn't not want to take her daughter with her, but she had no choice.

Fu Ze wanted to laugh: "If I go out with you, will we not encounter these things? When you go to investigate the murderer, should I stand by and watch, or should I advance and retreat with you? Neither way is appropriate. Forget it, you go by yourself. I can't see it, so I won't worry. If I worry, I'll expose our relationship, which will only harm you."

Qiu Xiaoman fell into a long silence. There are many kinds of love. It may be love at first sight or love that grows over time. But if you truly love someone, you will definitely think about her. Even if your longing is overwhelming, you can endure the loneliness for a while.

Therefore, true love is restraint, tolerance, waiting, giving, and companionship.

Based on this concept, it's not hard to see who truly loves her.

Her love for Fu Ze was far less than Fu Ze's; it was far, far less.

This is probably a manifestation of her being more naive than him; he is simply the best gift fate has given her.

She couldn't resist and took him again, restraining herself and hiding her love in her heart. With her rapid breathing, a burning passion surged deep within her, letting time settle and the years ferment.

In the end, she went to the sinkhole herself.

Unfortunately, the area was flooded last year, and the sinkhole was submerged, turning into a barrier lake. The few remaining residents at the bottom of the sinkhole were all relocated to other places, and she did not see the rescued boy.

No, I shouldn't say "teenager." Several years have passed, and the boy from back then should be an adult now.

That's good, at least she kept her promise and came.

She walked around the sinkhole, looked at the turquoise lake inside, and silently picked up her camera to take a selfie.

As we were descending the mountain, a tour group came from the opposite direction. There were large families and young couples. The last person walking was a man wearing a baseball cap and holding a camera; he was probably a professional photographer.

As they passed each other, the reflection on his sunglasses caught Qiu Xiaoman's attention. She instinctively turned around, and the man froze on the spot before quickly separating from the tour group ahead.

Qiu Xiaoman stared at him in surprise. They were about the same height and weight, and he was rooted to the spot. Could it really be Liu Kun?

However, the person didn't turn around, so she didn't want to be presumptuous and go up to greet him, just in case he wasn't who she thought he was.

Just as she turned to leave, the man called out to her, "Officer Qiu, long time no see."

Qiu Xiaoman turned around: "Is it really you?" It seems that her senior brother's mouth is really quite sharp.

Liu Kun took a few steps back, without removing his sunglasses, and warned, "Watch out for Liang Yuting."

"Hmm, she escaped from the mental hospital last month. How did you know?" Qiu Xiaoman was a little surprised.

Liu Kun silently opened his camera and handed her a photo. It was taken in Temple Street, surrounded by streets with a distinct Hong Kong character, which was immediately apparent.

Qiu Xiaoman took it and glanced at it: "She went to Hong Kong?"

"Her brother bribed people at the mental hospital. Be careful, she might retaliate against you." Liu Kun didn't dare look at her while speaking. What difference would it make if he did? She was someone else's wife and would never belong to him.

Qiu Xiaoman, however, felt no ripples in her heart. She was just a little sentimental that after all these years, he still cared about her. As a friend, he was still quite good. That was all.

She carefully put the photos away, thanked them, and prepared to leave.

Liu Kun called out to her again: "Don't you have anything you want to ask me?"

“No.” Qiu Xiaoman said calmly, “I am very grateful to you. Mr. Shen told me everything you did for me in Hong Kong.”

"Oh." Liu Kun was a little embarrassed. He thought... He laughed self-deprecatingly, "Yes, I'm now involved in a gang, and I'm someone you'd target."

"No, I'm in college now, and I'm also working part-time as a commercial dog trainer. It's quite lucrative. I don't have time to criticize you, nor do I have the right to." Qiu Xiaoman stated truthfully, "I just accidentally stumbled upon this photo, and I don't want to go back on my word. Since you're here too, that's perfect, you can have the photo."

She took the photo out of her backpack and handed it to Liu Kun.

Liu Kun stood on the narrow mountain path, not reaching out for a long time.

Qiu Xiaoman then shoved the photo directly into his coat pocket: "Is there anything else you want to say?"

"Are you sad when I leave?" Liu Kun couldn't help but ask.

Qiu Xiaoman smiled and distanced herself: "No, after all, this isn't the first time you've done this. In any interpersonal relationship, this is a destructive act. Your behavior can be described as childish, but I know you didn't do it on purpose. And I'm very grateful to you, otherwise, I wouldn't even know what I want."

"Did you get it? Everything you wanted?" Liu Kun felt terrible, as if someone was gripping his throat, suffocating him.

Qiu Xiaoman turned around with a smile: "Everything... that's a very broad concept, I'm not that arrogant. But I know I've received so much, including your love. But I'm sorry, I don't love you, I only have friendship for you. I was confused, confusing sympathy with love. I hope this beautiful misunderstanding can be completely resolved, that you're doing well, finding a woman who loves you, and building a warm family. Later, when you think back, maybe you'll laugh at yourself and say, 'Look, Liu Kun, how foolish you were! That bad woman didn't love you, why waste so much precious time on her?' What do you think?"

After saying that, she walked down the mountain. Leaving without saying goodbye was naive for Liu Kun, but for her, it was a sign of growth.

She was truly grateful to him; thank goodness he was gone.

She hopes he's doing well, can let go of the past soon, and start a new life.

Life is full of surprises. A brief delay is just a prelude to a better start, so that you won't fall in the same place twice in the future.

Liu Kun stared at her retreating figure, smiled bitterly, and finally raised his camera, calling out "Officer Qiu."

Qiu Xiaoman did not turn around, leaving him only with her departing figure.

That's fine, Liu Kun thought to himself with a self-deprecating smile. At least she left him with no lingering thoughts, so he could truly move on.

Upon returning to Hong Kong, he accepted the gang leader's arrangement and married the leader's daughter.

On his wedding night, he finally realized that as long as that person wasn't Qiu Xiaoman, he had no problems at all.

He and she were wrong from the start, so it's no surprise that they didn't end up together.

*

Qiu Xiaoman realized something was wrong halfway there; someone was following her.

It seems Liu Kun's information was accurate; the Liang family is going to retaliate against her, even though she doesn't actually own any property anymore.

She really couldn't understand it. Shen Qinghuai had four children. Did the Liang family really think that Shen Qinghuai would give all his property to her?

That's too naive.

But perhaps it wasn't naivety; it was just that getting revenge on her would be more satisfying.

Unfortunately, with so many people around, it would be difficult for her to do anything on the plane. Moreover, if she were to release a snake to bite someone, it would inevitably cause panic, and if the crowd became chaotic, the plane could easily crash.

She could only wait until landing. As soon as she got off the plane, she saw one of the men quickly walk up to her and hand her a photo.

She was surprised, picked it up and was immediately horrified. The photo was taken at Shen Qinghuai's advertising company. He was in a meeting room, and the person who took the photo was holding a gun and aiming it at Shen Qinghuai's head from a distance through the glass door. However, everyone inside was in a meeting and did not notice.

Qiu Xiaoman understood that these people couldn't do anything to her, so they had no choice but to target Shen Qinghuai.

She took a few steps forward and called out to the man, "What do you want?"

The man didn't say anything, but handed her another photo. This one was taken when Shen Qinghuai was on the phone in his car. The angle was from the office building across from his company, and the main image was a sniper rifle sticking out of the window, aiming at Shen Qinghuai in the car below.

Qiu Xiaoman understood; this meant she was being forced to surrender.

She instinctively reached for her backpack, but heard someone behind her warn, "Want a gun? Dream on. Don't move. Just walk out of the airport obediently. When I tell you to get in the car, you get in obediently. Otherwise, Shen Qinghuai's arm will be delivered to your door tonight."

Qiu Xiaoman deliberately scratched the back of her head and hissed, "You're hurting me."

The man had a gun hidden in his sleeve and wasn't exactly polite. He warned, "Put your hands down, or you'll lose Shen Qinghuai's leg too."

As Qiu Xiaoman lowered her arm, she hissed twice more, and her sleeve slipped through the side pocket of her backpack. Two snakes slithered into her sleeve and coiled around her arm.

She was fearless, no matter what, as long as her senior brother and daughter weren't involved.

She had to admit that her senior brother was right. As long as he didn't come out with her, she wouldn't have any obstacles if something really happened. At least she knew that he would definitely be waiting for her in a safe place with the child.

That's wonderful, she loves him even more now.

Soon, she saw a van outside the airport. The windows were completely opaque, providing excellent privacy. She was forced to get in, covered with a sack, and her hands were tied before being driven to an unknown location.